Pacific Eardrum-Pacific Eardrum (1977)

We continue expanding our musical palette with another forgotten band from the 70s, this time traveling to New Zealand, the home of Pacific Eardrum. This jazz-rock/funk and soul band released two albums on the British label Charisma in 1977 and 1978, followed by a third on CBS in 1980. The original lineup consisted of three New Zealanders (Dave MacRae, keyboards; Joy ​​Yates, vocals; and Bill Kristian, bass), two Britons (Jeff Seopardie, drums; and Isaac Guillory, guitar), and one American (Jim Cuomo, saxophone). Dave MacRae was the most experienced, having played in bands like Matching Mole, Nucleus, and The Walker Brothers, followed by Yates, who had contributed to albums by Cat Stevens, Chris De Burgh, and Chris Youlden. Their first album, which isn't discussed here, was produced by Laurie Latham at London's Workhouse Studios during the first months of 1977 and released in the middle of the same year. Joy Yates's vocals, along with the magnificent instrumental structures created by McRae and flawlessly performed by the band, are undoubtedly the highlights of an album that showcased great compositional talent and musical originality. Tracks like "All Around Us" and "Sun and Sand and Samba" are just a small sample of the enormous quality that, incomprehensibly, didn't achieve much success beyond a few thousand copies sold and the enthusiasm of a large legion of devoted fans.