
(1970)
Label: Akarma
2001 Reissue
2LP
Gatefold
Progressive Rock
Quatermass is the only studio album by English progressive rock band Quatermass, released in May 1970 by Harvest Records. It was produced by the Swedish producer Anders "Henkan" Henriksson.
Despite the album not performing well on the charts at the time of the release, it started to attract considerable attention in 1975, when guitarist Ritchie Blackmore covered the second track, "Black Sheep of the Family", for the debut album from Rainbow. As a consequence of the revived interest, Quatermass was re-released and sold further 20,000 copies. Since then, it has gained a cult status [3] and has received favorable retrospective reviews. Mike DeGagne has given the album a rating of four stars out of five on AllMusic. He has called Quatermass "a must-have for prog rock enthusiasts, especially lovers of the keyboard-dominated style which flourished in the early '70s".
The trio consisted of bass player and vocalist John Gustafson, keyboardist J. Peter Robinson and Mick Underwood on drums.
Underwood had previously played with Ritchie Blackmore in the Outlaws, while Gustafson had been a member of The Merseybeats. Underwood later became drummer with Episode Six, and was joined by Gustafson after Roger Glover left to join Deep Purple. The band took its name from Professor Bernard Quatermass, a fictional scientist who had been the hero of three science fiction serials produced by BBC Television in the 1950s, and were signed to Harvest Records.
The group formed as a power trio with Hammond organ as the main instrument. Their first and only album sold itself through "...compactness, wealth of ideas, forceful lead vocals and complicated arrangements, enriched by pianist Robinson's tasteful use of classical strings which are on display along with spacious keyboard passages at their height in the mold of The Nice." One track, "Laughin' Tackle", includes 16 violins, 6 violas, 6 cellos, and 3 double bass, arranged by Robinson, and a drum solo by Underwood. Underwood remained in close contact with Blackmore, and visited Deep Purple in the studio while they were recording In Rock.
The group split in early 1971. Gustafson formed a new band, Bullet with ex-members of Atomic Rooster.
The band's song "Black Sheep of the Family" was the first track to be recorded by Rainbow, having been rejected for the Deep Purple album Stormbringer.
A1Entropy
Written-By - P. Robinson*
1:10A2Black Sheep Of The Family
Written-By - S. Hammond*
3:35A3Post War Saturday Echo
Written-By - Ross*, Gustafson*, Robinson*
9:39B1Good Lord Knows
Written-By - J. Gustafson*
2:51B2Up On The Ground
Written-By - J. Gustafson*
7:05B3Gemini
Written-By - S. Hammond*
5:51C1Make Up Your Mind
Written-By - S. Hammond*
8:41C2Laughin' Tackle
Arranged By [Strings] - Peter RobinsonWritten-By - P. Robinson*
10:32C3Entropy (Reprise)
Written-By - P. Robinson*
0:40Bonus TracksD1One Blind Mice
Written-By - J. Gustafson*
3:15D2Punting
Written-By - J. Gustafson*
7:18
EAN Code: 8026575175112