01	Time And Illusion						07:31
	02	I'd Be Delighted						05:07
	03	Fighting Cock						03:49
	04	Pear On An Apple Tree						03:00
	05	Future Recollections						03:55
	06	Traveller Man						06:14
	07	Destruction Of America						02:20
	08	Time And Illusion (different version)						03:11
	09	Hi There Hallelujah						02:46
	10	Bobo's Party						03:13
	11	Days Of The Fighting Cock (different version)						03:08

Raw Material [UK]

Updated 8/13/00
Discography
Raw Material (70)
Time Is Rare (71, aka Time is ...?)


Reviews
Time is ... is a good example of the British early prog scene. A five-piece of drums, bass/a.guitar, keys/vox, guitars and sax/flute/vox, Raw Material have their roots in a blusey and often hard-rocking ground, but they branch out into interesting directions. The blaring sax work and the almost gothic vocal melody on the opening track "Ice Queen" evokes the spirit of King Crimson, while the second track "Empty Houses" is mostly a straight-ahead hardrocker but contains a calmer middle section with an interesting-sounding saxophone solo. "Insolent Lady" and "Sun God" are both longer (9 - 11 minutes), three-part compositions with folky acoustic moments, hard rock sections and then some keyboard-assisted (mainly organ and piano) pomposity that hints at the nascent symphonic rock sound of the time. Two quite straightforward rock tunes round out the album. Hardly an essential album, but certainly of interest to those wishing to explore the development of the genre. Raw but potent material. -- Kai Karmanheimo



Raw Material


Personnel:
Colin Catt - Vocals, Keyboards
Mike Fletcher - Sax, Flute, Vocals
Dave Green - Guitar
Phil Gunn - Bass, Guitar
Paul Young - Percussion
Cliff Harewood - Lead Guitar

Album:
Raw Material (Evolution Z 1006) 1970 (reissued on CD by Background HBG 123/2, 1993)
Time Is: (RCA Neon NE 8) 1971(reissued on CD by Repertoire REP4469-WP, 1994)

45s:
Time And Illusion/Bobo's Party (Evolution E 2441) 1969
Hi There Hallelujah/Days Of The Fighting Cock (Evolution E 2445) 1970
Traveller Man Parts 1 and 2 (Evolution E 2449) 1970
Ride On Pony/Religion (RCA Neon NE 1002) 1972



A progressive rock band whose original albums are now very rare and sought-after. Mike Fletcher had earlier been in Steam and Cliff Harewood later came on board from Welcome, but neither of these bands had made it onto vinyl. Some members were later in Shoot; Dave Green had been a member of Deep Feeling.

The A-side of their eponymous album includes three strong, long tracks: "Time And Illusion", which had a long instrumental break and vibraphone on leading role; "I'd Be Delighted", which featured strong vocals, good flute and sax work and "Fighting Cock", which builds in strength after a mellow beginning. The B-side is not so good, although the finale, "Destruction", is a poetry recitation with unidentified orchestral backing.

"Time Is:" is better, with good progressive pieces based on heavy guitar and sax as well as the latter accompanied by keyboard chords. "Ice Queen" includes frozen wind sounds and a slightly discordant flute solo. The most sophisticated composition is "Empty Houses", which has some inspired melodies and strong vocals. "Insolent Lady" has a slow, mellow beginning with acoustic guitar and flute. This gives way to a piano break which, in turn, evolves into progressive rock with guitar and sax, although this becomes a bit repetitious near the end. "Miracle Worker" is mainly based on Dave Brubeck's "Take Five" rhythm. "Religion" is mainly built around sax and guitar passages. Finally, "Sun God" has some mellow, melodic moments featuring acoustic guitar, flute and electric guitar reminiscent of early Pink Floyd; a short heavy rock break and an instrumental part with some guitar leads in a more psychedelic vein.

Compilation appearances include: "Time And Illusion" on "Incredible Sound Show Stories Vol. 4" (LP).

(Vernon Joynson/Costas Arvanitis)
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




Raw Material - Raw Material

Released: 1970 / 2003
Label: Evolution / Akarma Records
Cat. No.: 21006 / AK 249
Total Time: 30:39

Reviewed by: Keith "Muzikman" Hannaleck, September 2003
This was Raw Material's self-titled maiden voyage in the studio, they would release one more album in 1971 titled Time Is. The sound created on this album was not as intense or complex as their second outing but it is a glimpse at what they would become.

This music was progressive but will most likely be looked upon as pre-progressive (i.e. Yes, Pink Floyd) by most fans and critics. Colin Catt, the vocalist and keyboard player, set the tone for the band with his trilling vocal style and Jon Lord/Deep Purple influenced keyboard playing.

Although this album has some of the fusion and jazz elements present, it is not a prevalent as their second album. Rock seems to be the foundation that everything else stems from on their freshman outing. It remains as a fine example of early prog-rock with the use of the flute, sax and harp. Although this may not be the best album that you have heard from that period of time it is good and worth checking out.

Rating: 3.5/5

More about Raw Material:

Track Listing: Side One: Time And Illusion (7:30) / I'd Be Delighted (5:10) / Fighting Cock (3:50)

Side Two: Pear On An Apple Tree (2:57) / Future Recollections (3:55) / Traveller Man (6:10) / Destruction Of America (2:27)

Musicians:
Colin Catt - Vocals, Keyboards
Mike Fletcher - Sax, Flute, Harp, Vocals
Dave Green - Guitar
Phil Gunn - Bass
Paul Young - Percussion

Discography

Raw Material (1970)
Time Is (1971)