Glencoe-Glencoe (1972)

Glencoe was a band that rose from the ashes of Forever More, a Scottish progressive rock band that had released two albums in 1971. Those musicians were drummer Stuart Francis and guitarist Mick Strode. In 1972, they were joined by Graham Maitland (keyboards) and Norman Watt-Roy (bass). With the lineup complete, they toured the UK and caught the attention of Grand Western Gramaphone, a subsidiary of Epic Records. That same year, they entered the studio and recorded their first album, which no longer featured Mick Strode, who was replaced by guitarist John Turnbull. This debut album consisted of a series of tracks with a very varied style, ranging from progressive sounds with elements of country rock and pop, highlighting gentle melodies such as "Airport", "Look Me In The Eye", and "Lifeline", all of which featured extensive arrangements and progressive organ and guitar elements. In "Sinking (Down A Well)", the band showcases its bluesy side, while "It's" is the most commercial track, closer to the pop melodies of that era. "Hay Fever" demonstrates the group's vocal and instrumental prowess with an addictive rock sound tinged with progressive elements. Incredibly, despite the album's immense quality, it went largely unnoticed. As we've mentioned before, with so many talented bands dominating the market at the time, they were perhaps too conventional and polished for hard rock fans, too complex for country music fans, and too commercial for progressive rock enthusiasts. To promote this release, the band toured the UK with Deep Purple and the US with Steve Miller and Roxy Music. A year later they released their second album "The Spirit Of Glencoe", where they followed a very similar line to the previous one but with more predominance of orchestral sounds and a more commercial musical style as demonstrated in "Strange Circumstance" or in the irresistible "Two On An Island", but also showing their most forceful side with the powerful rock "Roll On Bliss".