Terry Reid - Disc of the day

Terry Reid
Seed Of Memory

(ABC, 1976; reissued on BGO, 2004)

Star-crossed British belter goes West Coast with a little help from CSN&Y’s Graham Nash.

In 1968, Terry Reid famously turned down the offer to join Jimmy Page’s New Yardbirds (aka Led Zeppelin), graciously suggesting Robert Plant in his stead. Soon after, he also declined the invitation to join Deep Purple. Two moments of gross misjudgement? Financially, for sure. Yet, the Huntingdon-born singer’s early output places him up there alongside the likes of Steve Marriott and Stevie Winwood, suggesting he was right to believe in his own ability. His fourth album in eight years strewn with litigation and commercial impasses, Seed Of Memory was written at an idyllic retreat in the mountains of Ventura County, California, and recorded under the watchful eye of old friend and ex-Hollies man, Graham Nash. One of the architects the West Coast sound, Nash brings a hazy, harmony-rich sound to the proceedings, his own backing vocals adding to what is arguably Reid’s most focused set. Opener Faith To Arise boasts one of Reid’s finest vocal performances and wouldn’t be out of place on any CSN&Y album. The same is true of the title track and the Stills-like acoustic number To Be Treated Rite. Ooh Baby (Make Me Feel So Young) sees him traverse into white-funk territory, while the hard rock raunch of The Way You Walk reinforces his Zep credentials, before tipping back into the blue-eyed soul of The Frame. Typically, the album emerged in 1976 just as ABC ran into financial difficulties, leaving Reid once again to contemplate what might have been.

Phil Alexander

Posted by Danny_Eccleston at 6:00 AM GMT 28/03/2008

Further Listening

Humble Pie – Town And Country (Immediate, 1969)

Graham Nash – Song For Beginners (Atlantic, 1971)

Terry Reid – River (Atlantic, 1973)

SUGGEST YOUR OWN DISC OF THE DAY ON OUR MESSAGE BOARD HERE, OR, MORE PRIVATELY, HERE!

Comments

Comment on this post

Comments:

Name:

Click here for House Rules

"River" is a masterpiece

Posted by Pat Carty at 10:31 AM GMT 28/03/2008 Report Abuse

Reply to this post
Mojo for President.

Posted by at 6:59 PM GMT 28/03/2008 Report Abuse

Reply to this post
His best album. The side A is a monument:To be treated rite, Faith to arise..... and above all, Brave awakening, a song emotional and simple. A must.

Posted by carneham at 11:48 PM GMT 04/04/2008 Report Abuse

Reply to this post