Ancient Grease - 1970 - Women And Children First

Ancient Grease 
1970
Women And Children First

01. Freedom Train
02. Don't Want
03. Odd Song
04. Eagle Song
05. Where The Snow Lies Forever
06. Mother Grease The Cat
07. Time To Die
08. Prelude To A Blind Man
09. Mystic Mountain
10. Women And Children First
11. Freedom Train (Alt.Take)


Graham Mortimer (Morty) - Vocals
Graham Williams - Lead Guitar
Jack Bass - Bass Guitar
Dick Ferndale - Drums

Ancient Grease were actually a band named Strawberry Dust from Neath in South Wales. This album was a collaboration between a few people from the hippyer band Eyes of Blue and Stawberry Dust. The result features some fine dirty rock'n'roll alongside with a number of mellow songs, such as the dreamy, psychedelic-folk of 'Time To Die' and the rootsy 'Mystic Mountain'.

What's interesting about Ancient Grease is that the album was intended to be released on the famous Vertigo Swirl label (catalogue nr VO5?). You can still see the VO Price Code on the reverse of the album sleeve. For some reason, the record company changed it the last minute and released it on the black Mercury label in July 1970. The album was also curiously credited to Ancient Grease, not Strawberry Dust.

Unfortunately, Mercury Records did not give 'Women and Children First' the amount of push necessary to get a brand new act noticed by the record buying public. Insted they focused on Rod Stewart's 'An Old Raincoat Will Never Let You Down'.

This album features everything you'd expect from an album made at the time...heavy heavy heavy. 'The Eagle' still gives me shivers!
It was released in 1970, and it's right up there with other UK bands from that era such as 'Leafhound', 'Hard Stuff' or 'Incredible Hog'. If you like those bands, you'll most definitly dig this.
The band was from Wales, and featured a young Gary Pickford Hopkins(pre-Wild Turkey) on vocals, and John 'Pugwash' Weathers on drums, before his long career with Gentle Giant. John also wrote most of the music.  Phil Ryan is on keyboards, later to join 'Man', another great Welsh band. Other members went on to form 'Racing Cars' in the mid 70s.