Today’s entry in these pages comes from Curiosity Corner™. It was prompted by Burning Shed’s pre-order notification¹ of a 3-CD package containing all three albums by the ‘proto-prog’ band Clouds. The blogger’s curiosity whiskers twitched, and the typing fingers became suddenly restless. What, I wondered, is ‘proto-prog’ and who was this band?

Quick as a mouse click, their artist page on Spotify informed me that Clouds was a Scottish trio who first got together in Edinburgh in 1967. They were: Ian Ellis (vocals, bass), Harry Hughes (drums), and Billy Ritchie (organ). They released their debut album, Scrapbook, in 1969, and followed that with Up Above Our Heads (U.S. only) and Watercolour Days in 1970.

Their debut album on Island, entitled Scrapbook, was a quasi-concept album, with beginning and end pieces and an array of songs that ranged from psychedelic pop to spaced-out, highly progressive and experimental art-rock.

Bruce Eder, Rovi

That one owed too much to late 50s/early 60s pop-for-the-masses music for the Crotchety taste. But, in amongst the schmaltzy strings, there were also promising art rock or prog rock sections. So the listening session was extended through the band’s second and third albums. And, I’m happy to say, Watercolour Days has been awarded a Crotchety Man Highly Recommended badge.

Footnote

1. The 3-album bundle is due for release on 29th August. ↩︎