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Pink Fairies - Kings Of Oblivion (1973)

Track listing:
  1. City Kids 3:45
  2. I Wish I Was A Girl 9:41
  3. When's The Fun Begin 6:13
  4. Chromium Plating 3:48
  5. Raceway 4:08
  6. Chambermaid 3:18
  7. Street Urchin 7:08
  8. Well, Well, Well (Single Version) 3:59
  9. Hold On (Single Version) 4:10
  10. City Kids (Alternate Mix) 3:42
  11. Well, Well, Well (Alternate Version) 3:20

Notes


Japan 24-Bit Remaster

The Pink Fairies were a British heavy/progressive/alternative rock group active in the London (Ladbroke Grove) underground and psychedelic scene of the early 1970s . They promoted free music, drug taking and anarchy and often performed impromptu gigs and other agitprop stunts, such as free outside the gates at the Isle of Wight pop festival, the Windsor Free Festivals as well as appearing at the first Glastonbury outing and Phun City.

The group were formed when the three musicians from The Deviants (Paul Rudolph – guitar and vocals; Duncan Sanderson – bass; Russell Hunter – drums), having sacked their singer and leader Mick Farren, returned from a disastrous tour of the West Coast of North America and hooked up with former The Pretty Things drummer Twink. Prior to the tour these musicians had collaborated on Twink's Think Pink solo album, and while they were away on tour Twink, Farren and Steve Peregrin Took had used the Pink Fairies Motorcycle Club and All-Star Rock and Roll Band name, taken from a story written by Jamie Mandelkau, as an umbrella for their activities, including one shambolic gig in Manchester and the recording of Farren's solo album Mona – The Carnivorous Circus.

Their music was upbeat good time Rock and Roll, often jamming on the likes of The Beatles "Tomorrow Never Knows", The Ventures "Walk Don't Run", "Ghost Riders in the Sky" and Rock and Roll standards. They were closely associated with the UK underground, being based in the Ladbroke Grove scene and playing festivals, benefits and free concerts. An appearance at 1971's Glastonbury Festival led to them being given one side of the Glastonbury Fayre Various Artists triple album. Playing for free outside the Bath Festival, they encountered another Ladbroke Grove based band Hawkwind, who shared similar interests in music and recreational activities, a friendship developed which lead to the two bands becoming running partners and performing as Pinkwind.

Polydor Records commissioned the group to record a single, "The Snake"/"Do It", and were happy enough with the results to offer the group an album contract. The debut album Never Never Land was released in 1971, but omitted the single A-side. Twink then left to travel to Morocco. The band continued as a three piece occasionally augmented by former The Move guitarist Trevor Burton. They released their second album What A Bunch Of Sweeties in 1972, which featured some contributions from Burton. On the album's release, and with a promotional tour pending, Rudolph departed going on to play for Brian Eno, Robert Calvert and Hawkwind.

Mick Wayne was Rudolph's replacement and this new three piece recorded one single, "Well, Well, Well"/"Hold On", but Sanderson and Hunter were unhappy with the musical direction Wayne was taking the band. Convincing Larry Wallis to join the group as a second guitarist, they then sacked Wayne passing song writing and singing duties onto the inexperienced Wallis. This new three piece then recorded the 1973 album Kings Of Oblivion. Out of contract with Polydor, the band continued touring to a decreasing audience until finally calling it a day. Wallis went on to join Lemmy in the first incarnation of Motörhead, then became the in-house producer for Stiff Records. Sanderson joined The Lightning Raiders. Hunter left the music business.

Ted Carroll, head of Chiswick Records, organized a one-off reunion concert at The Roundhouse on 13 July 1975 featuring all five previous members of the group (the concert was released later in 1982 as Live at the Roundhouse 1975.) Following this concert, Wallis, Sanderson and Hunter decided to give the Pink Fairies another try. Recruiting former Chilli Willi & The Red Hot Peppers guitarist Martin Stone, they toured and released the single "Between the lines"/"Spoiling for a Fight" on Stiff Records but with little interest being shown in them, they once again split up. Rudolph and Wallis resumed playing for Farren in 1977/8, but Rudolph returned to his native Canada prior to the recording of 1978's Vampires Stole My Lunch Money. In the early 1980s, Wallis and Sanderson recorded and gigged, the albums Previously Unreleased (1982) and The Deviants' Human Garbage (live 1984) being released.

In 1987 Jake Riviera, head of Demon Records, offered a recording contract for a reformed Pink Fairies. Of the five group members, Paul Rudolph wasn't involved so the second guitarist position was taken up by Andy Colquhoun, who had previously played alongside Wallis in Farren's bands. This band released the album Kill 'Em and Eat 'Em and toured before once again splitting up. An archive live album Chinese Cowboys: Live 1987 was issued in Japan in 2005 on Captain Trip Records.

In the mid-1990s Twink collaborated with Paul Rudolph and the pair recorded 1996's Pleasure Island and 1997's No Picture, released as the Pink Fairies on Twink's own label. Twink also issued a plethora of albums featuring outtakes, alternate versions, BBC sessions and live material including: The Golden Years 1969-1971, Do It, Live at Weeley Festival 1971 and Mandies and Mescaline Round at Uncle Harry's. During the early 2000s Polydor remastered and released their Pink Fairies back catalogue and issued the sampler albums Master Series and Up the Pinks: An Introduction.

Paul Rudolph had quit the group on the release of What A Bunch Of Sweeties, his replacement being Mick Wayne. This new three piece recorded one single, "Well, Well, Well"/"Hold On", but Sanderson and Hunter were unhappy with the musical direction Wayne was taking the band. Convincing Larry Wallis to join the group as a second guitarist, they then sacked Wayne passing songwriting and singing duties onto the inexperienced Wallis.

The album was named after a line from a David Bowie track on Hunky Dory. The cover, by Edward Barker, parodied the popular flying ducks ornaments of the time but with flying pigs instead, pigs having become an ident for the band. An inner foldout sheet contained individual portraits of the group members in their chosen scenes of oblivion.

After this album the group continued touring, but Wallis, who wanted to be in "a very slick two guitar rock band", was at odds with Sanderson and Hunter's attitude of being "content to get up and jam for ten minutes". Eventually he would leave to join Lemmy in the first incarnation of Motörhead.