Albatross - A Breath Of Fresh Air (1973)

Albatross formed in September 1972, after the split of legendary Sydney band Tamam Shud. in early 1973 the band was augmented by Lindsay's wife Simone on vocals and in April they were joined by multi-instrumentalist Richard Lockwood, formerly of Tully, who had also played with the last version of Tamam Shud. This augmented lineup recorded the group's only LP, A Breath Of Fresh Air (Warner Reprise), which also included session contributions from Gary Frederick (slide guitar), Pirana organist Keith Greig and Country Radio's Chris Blanchflower (harmonica). The album is full of excellent material, beautifully played and very well recorded. The pacy opening track "Full Moon" is a road song that opens with an innovative string arrangement, moving into a heavier style that recall Tamam Shud, and it's decorated with some very tasty "Layla"-style slide guitar from Gary Fredericks. Other highlights include the rollicking "Bouzouki Boogie" and "Nimbin Stopover", a commemmoration in song of the 1973 Aquarius Festival, which features the inimitable harmonica stylings of Blanchflower.Lineup :Peter Baron (bass) Kim Bryant (drums) Lindsay Bjerre (vocals, guitar, bouzouki, mandolin) Simone Bjerre (vocals) Richard Lockwood (sax, flute, clarinet) Keith Greig (keyboards) Gary Fredericks (slide guitar) String Section leader: John Lyle String parts written by Lindsay Bjerre, arranged by Richard Lockwood All songs by Lindsay Bjerre Recorded at ATA Studios, Sydney; mixed at EMI Studios, Sydney Produced by Gus McNeil Recording Engineers: Bruce Brown, Gerry Stevens Mixing engineer: John Lee Photography & design: Frank Pithers