01	I Am And So Are You						03:32
	02	Night Flight						07:17
	03	I Wonder If I'll Care As Much						03:22
	04	My Joy						05:02
	05	Three Sisters						04:59
	06	Coconut Grave						02:36
	07	All Along The Watchtower						11:40
	08	Eli's Coming						03:27
	09	United States Of Mind						02:46
	10	Yes Man						07:22
	11	If You Live						03:13
	12	I Am The Walrus						04:04
	13	You Met Your Match						02:59
	14	Long Voyage						04:17
	15	Little Lonely Man						04:03

Affinity

Personnel:
Mo Foster - Bass
Linda Hoyle - Vocals
Mike Jupp - Guitar
Lynton Naiff - Keyboards
Grant Serpell - Drums

Album:
Affinity (Vertigo 6360 004) 1970
Issued on Paramount (PAS 5027) in the US. Reissued on CD (Repertoire REP 4349-WP) 1993 along with both sides of their 45.

45:
Eli's Coming/United States Of Mind (Vertigo 6059 018) 1970
(Credited to Affinity and Linda Hoyle)

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Basically a blues-rock band with jazz influences. The music, is very brassy and a bit like Julie Driscoll without soul. At least one beautiful atmospheric ballad, "Night Flight" lightens the proceedings. They also slaughter Hendrix' "All Along The Watchtower", while the non-album 45 falls short of Laura Nyro's original. Linda Hoyle recorded a blue-eyed blues album later on for Vertigo. Her vocals on the Affinity album have led some to regard the band as a British Jefferson Airplane.

Organist Lynton Naiff later played with Toe Fat and Killing Floor. Grant Serpell ended up in Sailor.

They also had a track, "Three Sisters", included on the Vertigo Annual 1970 compilation, but it's nothing special.

Taken from The Tapestry of Delights - The Comprehensive Guide to British Music of the Beat, R&B, Psychedelic and Progressive Eras 1963-1976, Vernon Joynson
ISBN 1 899855 04 1
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Fronted by vocalist Linda Hoyle Affinity's one and only LP is now worth around BP60 on the collectors' market. Not bad for a band whose entire recorded output consists of just the "Affinity" LP and the single "Eli's Coming"/"United States Of Mind" (Vertigo 6059 018) which is in itself worth around BP10. Ably supported by guitarist Mike Jupp, bassist Mo Foster, organist Lynton Naiff and drummer Grant Serpell, Affinity were one of several UK jazz-rock groups signed up by the influential Vertigo Records. But although the band's seven-track debut was well received by the critics, it didn't dissuade the group from splitting up soon after its release in 1970.

Linda Hoyle continued to record for Vertigo, releasing the "Pieces Of Me" LP (Vertigo 6360060) in 1971 on which she was backed by Chris Spedding and Soft Machine members John Marshall and Karl Jenkins. The LP was a much more varied one than Affinity's, ranging from ballads to hard rock, and though it wasn't a commercial success, it's now worth something like BP125 to a dedicated devotee Vertigo Records collector. Drummer Grant Serpell went on to join Sailor, playing on hits like "Girls Girls Girls" and "A Glass Of Champagne", whilst organist Lynton Naiff gigged with Toe Fat, the band led by ex-Rebel Rouser Cliff Bennett. Mo Foster later resurfaced in Ray Fenwick-led Fancy, in the mid 70s.

Mark Brennan

Taken from the Repertoire reissue of "Affinity" (REP 4349WP, 1993)




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Affinity - "Affinity" (1970) Well known Vertigo release (at least in progressive circles) of early 70's Hammond-dominated progressive with some jazz-influences. The band had an excellent female singer in Linda Hoyle. The material on the album is quite strong all the way through. "I Am and So Are You" and "Three Sister" do both use horns to good effect. "Mr. Joy" is a relaxed and excellent jazzy track, while "Night Flight" is a more typical early 70's progressive rock track. There are two excellent cover versions here too. You would may not expect much from a cover of The Everly Brother's "I Wonder If I Care As Much", but its sounds awesome with a incredible symphonic and great arrangement. And their 11-minute version of "All Along the Watchtower" is a irresistible Hammond-orgy you must hear to believe. Definitively one of the classic Vertigo releases.



Affinity - Affinity

Released: 1970 / 2000
Label: Vertigo / Akarma
Cat. No.: AK 112
Total Time:


Reviewed by: Keith "Muzikman" Hannaleck, September 2002
Affinity was a short-lived band that released one album and one single in 1970 and then spilt up. They were a highly regarded band and looked upon with much promise as the one of the new wave of jazz-rock fusion artists. With an effective blend of folk, jazz, soul, blues, and rudiments of modern-day psychedelia and progressive rock, it simply was not fair to put them into any one classification of music. With the powerful vocals of Linda Hoyle leading the way, it looked as though the band had quite a future ahead of them. It was not in the cards unfortunately. What they left for us was a superb achievement by any musical standards, and that includes the most important factors such as sound, production, and musicianship.

The original LP artwork is packaged and reproduced beautifully; it comes displayed on traditional gatefold sleeves with original reviews of the LP and liner notes. The180-gram virgin vinyl renders a gorgeous sound and highlights Ms. Hoyles' excellent vocals. What comes as a real surprise is their version of Dylan's "All Along The Watchtower." It runs for over 11 minutes and it stands as one of the very best versions I have ever heard, and that includes Hendrix's classic version.

This is very progressive music for its day; in fact, logic dictates that it was more than likely considered a little on the extreme side in 1970. I cannot help but think how this group would have evolved if they had stayed together for a few more albums.

Rating: 4.5/5

More about Affinity:

Track Listing: Side One: I Am And So Are You / Night Flight / I Wonder If I Care As Much / Mr. Joy / Eli's Coming

Side Two: Three Sisters / Coconut Grove / All Along The Watchtower / United States Of Mind

Musicians:
Mo Foster - bass
Linda Hoyle - vocals
Mike Jupp - electric and 12-string guitars
Lynton Naiff - piano, harpsichord, electric piano, vibraphone
Grant Serpell - percussion, drums

Discography

Affinity (1970/2000)