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Japan 24-Bit Remaster

Thought this album needed a review, so here we go! Guitar, bass and drums with added synth courtesy of GREG LAKE doing the production duties. Tracks here are overall heavier, but a little less complex and more structured than the debut.There are also some more mellow moments which work perfectly with the rockier numbers. I'd say this was a fraction of an improvement from their debut, but only just. A classic example of 'if only this band had carried on'. A real shame they didn't as they had so much to offer. Once again well recommended and vastly underated.

SPONTANEOUS COMBUSTION is another obscure late Psychedelia British band that would have been forgotten if Greg Lake wouldn’t have produced their first album, not because they were bad, by the contrary they were pretty good, but they joined in 1971 when adventurous listeners were expecting something more than just the old formula of British Psychedelia .

Face it guys, the classic LSD Psychedelic sound was dead in 1970, serious musical fans were searching for more adventurous music, by 1971 most of the big Prog bands like ELP, Genesis, Yes, Kings Crimson or Jethro Tull were miles ahead and the mainstream fans as always were searching for something simpler that could top the charts, the sad thing is that not even in the 60’s SPONTANEOUS COMBUSTION would have reached the peak because there were too many similar acts with at least the same musical quality, like Elmer Gantry’s Velvet Opera, The Bonzo Dog Band or Arthur Brown, so this guys were condemned to oblivion or at least to fight for a place.

The band was formed by Tony Brock (Drums), Gary Margretts (Guitar – vocals) and Tristian Margretts (Bass, vocals), they released three 45 RPM (Lonely Singer/200 Lives/Leaving in 1971; Gay Time Night/Spaceship and Sabre Dance Pts 1 & 2 in 1972) plus only two LP’s, the first one was the self titled produced by Greg Lake (Who probably expected more from them) in 1972 and the second one was “Triad” released in 1973.

Don’t let you fool by most sites that include in their discography an album named “Come and Stick your Head In” released in 1969 – 1970, because that was a Blues band with the same name formed by the drummer Gary Coleman.

If I had to say something short about SPONTANEOUS COMBUSTION would have to be honest and accept they were really good, but they joined 5 or 6 years after the time when the music they played was in the peak. If you like Psychedelia, this is your band, but don’t expect something spectacular and different o what most bands were doing around 1967.