Grannie-Grannie (1971)

This is one of those strange and obscure limited-release albums, originally appearing only as a promotional disc, with an official run of just 100 copies and a stark, handcrafted cover. This British band was formed by guitarist Phil Newton in the late sixties. Little else is known about the history of this short-lived group, who privately recorded an album in 1971 without a label to finance them, only to vanish shortly thereafter. Grannie was initially a cover band that played in various London venues such as The Marquee and The Roadhouse. Besides Phil Newton, the band consisted of singer Fred Lilly, flautist Jan Chandler, bassist Dave Holland, and drummer Johnny Clark. Taking advantage of an advertisement offering eight hours of studio time, a master recording, and an album for £99, Newton began composing his own songs for the group to include on the recording. The result was an album composed of six tracks of avant-garde and progressive rock, featuring heavy guitars and catchy melodies, as demonstrated in songs like "Coloured Armageddon", "Saga of a Sad Star and Leaving", "Romany of Return", and the acoustic "Dawn". After recording this album, the band suffered the theft of all their equipment before one of their performances, including their first and expensive Mellotron, effectively erasing all trace of the band. In the 1990s, the prestigious magazine Record Collector included this album among the 100 most valuable records of all time due to its high quality, rarity, and limited pressing.