Amber - Pearls of Amber (Reissue, Remastered) (2011)

This short-lived band was really just a duo, consisting of Keith ("Mac") MacLeod and Julian McAllister, a couple early members of the sixties Hertfordshire/St Albans-area folk and blues scene. While evidence of both British acid folk and American blues are present in their music, the real prominent sound comes from a rather heavy vibe of psychedelic sitar and Eastern hand drums. The story goes that MacLeod obtained the sitar from George Harrison via their mutual friend DONOVAN and MacLeod decided to record some tracks with another friend Jullian McAllister, which were produced by YARDBIRDS vocalist the late Keith Relf. The tracks would not surface until 2000 when Shagrat Records discovered the tapes and issued them in a limited vinyl release.

In addition to his association with DONOVAN, MacLeod had played with a number of well-known and regional acts of the day (ARGENT, Mick Softly's SOFT CLOUD, THE OTHER SIDE, EXPLODING MUSHROOMS, HURDY GURDY), and had crossed musical paths at one time or another with the likes of Boz Skaggs, Maddy Prior, the KINK's bassist Jim Rodford and the PENTANGLE's John Renbourn. His closest brush with fame came when DONOVAN offered (then rescinded) the future hit
"Hurdy Gurdy Man" to MacLeod, a song generally considered to be inspired by MacLeod's own story. But success eluded MacLeod himself, who left the music business shortly after the AMBER recordings for a career in carpentry. Rumors surfaced of an AMBER reunion around 2007, although to-date nothing new has been released.