[Michael Ward]

https://soundcloud.com/regal-worm-music%2Fregal-worm-confession-from-a
This is an excerpt from the soon to be released album by English Progressive Rock outfit Regal Worm of whom I am a member. This particular track is my only composition on the concept album and features Manchester lass Lucy Hope on vocals and me on flute.

I wrote this tune to a minor drone on Schruti Box then it was replayed on Hammond Organ. The album will be released soon.

 

[Roger Aldridge]

Michael, This is really BEAUTIFUL!!! Congratulations.

Roger

 

[Captain Beeflat]

Simply gorgeous.....well done.

 

[Michael Ward]

Thankyou both . Very kind.

 

[BOPITY FUNK]

Very nice Michael--interesting, my wife loves stuff like this.

 

[Michael Ward]

Thanks again. I like a lot of the early Progressive music. The Canterbury lot...Soft Machine, Caravan etc. Pink Floyd particularly the original Syd Barrett line up who I actually saw at a matinee when I was 11. I can't remember much about it except I wrote a review for our school magazine! They were supporting Hendrix. Early King Crimson with Ian Macdonald then Mel Collins and the folk rock groups like Fairport Convention. I lost interest when it became too silly with King Arthur on Ice etc

The majority of this Regal Worm record is quite frenetic and some of the tempos and time signatures are very hairy. We are meant to play it live next year which should be interesting. cheers

 

[RootyTootoot]

. I lost interest when it became too silly with King Arthur on Ice etc

LOL.

I liked the song a lot. I think progressive rock is a nice place for woodwinds.

 

[Kritavi]

Beautiful Mike. Not typical of Prog Rock, to my ears it has another kind of haunting blend to it. I love the music from back then too. Saw the Crazy World of Arthur Brown when I was kid, sort of a harbinger of spectacles at shows.
I also like some of the obscure American bands of that period like The United States of America who released one LP on Columbia or Ars Nova who had a couple on Electra. And who can forget The New York Rock and Roll Ensemble whom I saw on the Boston Common (at a free concert w/ a guest appearance by Timothy Leary), the featured an oboe player. Great stuff.

All that aside your clip here is quite outstanding...

 

[Michael Ward]

Thankyou very much Jim. I loved Arthur Brown and he's still going..I liked the organ player Vincent Crane. I tried to get Arthur to front a band last summer but no luck. Yes I love the American bands you mention..especially Old Man Willow from Elephants Memory which I think is one of the greatest tracks in the genre. Timothy Leary well that time was special..there was a crazy energy then I love.

 

[Kritavi]

Timothy Leary and crazy energy went together quite well.
Arthur had Vincent and Carl Palmer for a backup band, the middle act between the Youngbloods and Steppenwolf, it was bad sound and great fun.

I liked the band East of Eden back then, they had a sax player if I recall.

 

[Kritavi]

I just listened to Old Man Willow and yes it is a trip. This is another one, with elephants and horns too.

 

[Michael Ward]

Great track! Love the guitar playing and the organ and that style of singing. Quite an epic.

A lot of the early English Progressive bands had a saxophone player. Audience..Keith Gemmell (came on here once) Every Which Way ( Geofrey Peach..great name). The first proper band I was in was a great little Prog Rock band called Double Life. We made one single for a new label called Virgin and were dropped. We did get to play a festival with Pete Green of Fleetwood Mac though.

 

[Michael Ward]

https://soundcloud.com/regal-worm-music%2Fregal-worm-apple-witch-early
written by multi instumentalist Jarrod Gosling with the excellent Peter Rophone on vocals and me on tenor, organ.

 

[Michael Ward]

This track was played this evening on BBC 6 Radio Stewart Maconie's Freak Zone show. He liked it! I think the Sound Cloud has expired. I'll get another back up.