Mormos - 1972 - ...the Magic Spell of Mother's Wrath...

(35:01; Windsailor Music [2021 Edition] )





















Recorded in the Summer of 1972 and released the following year, this album finds Mormos working as a quartet with Tobia Taylor having departed not long after the debut, and Sandy Spencer (cello) no longer officially a member of the band. The main photo on the rear cover shows Annie “the Hat” Williams (lead vocals, bass, balalaika), Ernest Mansfield (flutes, piano, harmonica, spoons, triangle), Elliott Delman (guitars, vocals) and Jim Cuomo (clarinet, saxophone, domra, vocals) while there are small photos of Sandy and lyricist Michael Daniel Hanks. I remarked in my review of their debut that they should have been picked up by an English audience and Ernie has told me that although they had an English manager in Jake Riviera (Elvis Costello, Nick Lowe, Stiff Records) they found it incredibly difficult to get work permits. 

With the band now operating as a quartet, still without a drummer, there is a lot of space between the layers, and the delicate remastering from Ernie has really brought everything to life. Take the longest track on the album, “RIT Yellow”, as it starts with acoustic guitar which immediately reminded me of the flamenco rock of Carmen, but gradually it becomes much broader in its aspect with interwoven woodwind providing the lead melodies and Annie being very much vocally in control. Then they break off into syncopation, and one can only sit back and wonder yet again as to how this album stayed unknown for so many years and why this band never got the breaks they deserved. I must admit it is a long time since I have heard studio albums from a band with which I have so immediately felt a connection. While there are some Gryphon influences here and there this is again steeped within singer songwriter and English folk, and I am quite confused that this is by a transplanted American band who were living in Paris!

I am convinced that any fans of this style of music who seek this out on Bandcamp will realise here is a real gem which deserves to be heard far more widely. Essential. 

Kev Rowland, January 2026

Links:
https://www.mansfieldmusic.com/

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Tonnen von Hall - 2025 - Ein Abdruck vom Messer im Herzen

Image
(61:45; Iapetus [Unsung Records] ) Track list: 1. Erdmantel 4:05 2. Vorhalle 0:40 3. Antlitz 4:12 4. Stahlhalle 1:01 5. Kraken 5:02 6. Mitralsaal 0:55 7. Kanister 5:56 8. Sockelwald 0:49 9. Kaiserlicht 5:46 10. Schacht 0:43 11. Zivilisationsfolie 4:27 12. Nebelgarten 0:58 13. Donnermesser 6:41 14. Blutrille 1:01 15. Rauschmitte 5:22 16. Klingensaal 0:50 17. Endgegner 3:39 18. Ätzung 0:41 19. Thronfolge 3:09 20. Ein Abdruck vom Messer im Herzen 4:55 21. Herzkammer 0:53 Line-up: Markus Reuter - guitars, loops, sounds Alexander Paul Dowerk - guitars Asaf Sirkis - drums, percussion, vocals Prolusion. Germany based band Tonnen Von Hall was established back in 2022 or thereabouts, and the threesome consisting of Marks Reuter, Alexander Paul Dowerk and Asaf Sirkis has been developing the style and sound of this new formation ever since. The results of that process first came to light on an EP released towards the end of 2024. A few months later the band have now released their debut album ...
Read more

Thirteen of Everything - 2023 - Time and Other Delusions

Image
(68:22; Basement Avatar Records) Track list: 1. Timeline 8:57 2. Alternate Life 12:02 3. Where the Time Goes 5:32 4. The Penultimate Flight of Armando the Pigeon 7:11 5. The King of Istanbul 10:35 6. Warmth and Darkness 7:32 7. Count All the Days 16.33 Line-up: Brett Cosby - guitars Mick Peters - Chapman stick, bass, pedals, vocals Ted Thomas - drums, percussion, vocals Bob Villwock - keyboards with: Thad Miller - keyboards Prolusion. US band Thirteen of Everything has been a going concern for a bit over 20 years, releasing their initial demo back in 2002 with official albums following in 2005 and 2019 respectively. Following what has been a brief pause between albums for this band they are now preparing to launch their third studio album "Time and Other Delusions", which will be released on US label Basement Avatar Records. Analysis. In terms of the different variations one can find in the progressive rock universe, Thirteen of Everything resides safely inside the symphonic ...
Read more

Deaton Lemay Project - 2022 - The Fifth Element

Image
(63:04; Deaton Lemay Project) Track list: 1. The Great Awakening 5:32 2. A Different Place in Time 7:24 3. Dragonfly 3:35 4. The Nightmare 4:28 5. Exordium 6:24 - Elements of Life Suite 6. Overture 4:43 7. Fire 6:10 8. Water 6:11 9. Air 4:19 10. Earth 6:53 11. Music 7:25 Line-up: Roby Deaton - keyboards, guitars, vocals Craig LeMay - drums, percussion with: Hadi Kiani - vocals Ehsan Imani - guitars Josh Mark Raj - guitars John Haddad - bass Charles Berthoud - bass Liza Evans - violin Prolusion. US band DEATON LEMAY PROJECT started out officially back in 2018, following a 25 year long period of gestation. They released their debut album "Day After Yesterday" in 2019, and following what I suspect has been a rather busy planning and recording period during the years of the pandemic the creative twosome of Deaton and Lemay are back with their second album "The Fifth Element" at the start of 2022. Analysis. While the fifth element apparently used to be defined as aether ...
Read more