Description
The first release (1969) from the home studio of future BBC Radiophonic Workshop composer Peter Howell (he wrote the secondversion of the Doctor Who theme tune for BBC-TV) and his musical partner John Ferdinando, makers together of legendary albums under thenames Ithaca, Agincourt, Friends, and Tomorrow Come Someday. This private press record was recorded as a musical backdrop for astage version of "Alice through the Looking Glass" by local amateur dramatics group the Ditchling Players. The musical templates areinspired, Lewis Carroll's surreal poetry is as attractive as ever, and the project is colored by other English psychedelic acts of the erasuch as the Pink Floyd: indeed, it has been compared elsewhere to a pastoral equivalent of "Piper At The Gates of Dawn". There arenumerous highlights scattered throughout the album, but pride of place must go to 'Jabberwocky,' an impressive melange of treatedvocals and backward tapes that is worth the price of admission alone. With its drowsy atmosphere, myriad sound effects and languidorgan-based sound, "Alice" certainly invokes the spirit of the psychedelic age, albeit from the perspective of photogenic Middle Englandrather than hallucinogenic Middle Earth. Rarely can an album or book have ended with a more apposite line: "Life--what is it but adream?"
We are pleased as punch to be able to present this deluxe compact disc version of "Alice"-- with tons of extra material, too!
