Jackson Heights 1 (King Progress, 1970 - The Fifth Avenue Bus, 1972)

 

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English rock band founded in 1970 by Lee Jackson after The Nice split-up, and disbanded in 1973, when he joined drummer Brian "Blinky" Davison to form Refugee (2) with Patrick Moraz.

For those well versed in prog rock, esp. the British variety, this band reminds me of Capability Brown - Voices (with the super-lush barbershop vocals turned down though) or perhaps the later Pretty Things, with their wide mix of psych, prog, songwriting, ordinary pop, and elaborate vocals.  Most of the material is relatively ordinary songwriting if you understand what I mean, but I love that here and there they throw in some wildly creative harmonies or ideas.  In that way, similar to Pretty Things, or early Manfred Mann maybe, or Fleetwood Mac in its more basic early 1970s days, before they got overly commercial.

In case you haven't noticed I have to point out the unbelievable Hipgnosis (1968 to 1982) cover art of King Progress, a design group we all know well and love from their Pink Floyd covers.  I have to say that artwork on its own would probably make the LP worth purchasing for me, it's so utterly bizarre, and the colors so compelling.

The title track of that first work has a lovely string quartet arrangement (think of how many albums, songs, artists, were influenced by George Martin's brilliant arrangements for the Beatles, cf. Yesterday, Eleanor Rigby):

It's not clear to me from the different releases and their credits who was responsible for those lovely arrangements, which appear throughout their works in different guises.

I felt the second album from 1972 was a little underwhelming.  I'll borrow the review on discogs that to me overstates the case a bit:

Melodic rock with a hint of pop appeal that balances on the edge of the acceptable, but fortunately mostly succeeds through quite some unexpected twists that season the music. The keyboards are generally lovely, which is a rare thing to encounter within this style. Multi-part vocals are a bonus and give the music at times even a west-coast flavour. Almost all of side A convinces, except a tedious pianosolo on Sweet hill tunnel. This song has the advantage of a blood-curdling harmonic twist at the end that will send your hair a-flying, though. Pity that side B cannot maintain this level. The songs sound like weaker versions of those on side A. Mostly this side sounds over-polished and routine. The last track, a biting satire on living life as a pastor, makes up for the lost opportunity. This again is rich and variable music.

The best track I think is House in the Country, it's too bad it's so short:

For me, this is a totally unknown band that doesn't deserve it at all, like so many other artists here on this blog.  I'll be back in a couple of days with part 2 from their oeuvre.

For those who live in the new world, by the way, Jackson Heights:

Jackson Heights is a diverse neighborhood in Queens, New York City, known for its rich multicultural population and vibrant food scene. It is home to large South Asian and South American communities, as well as a significant LGBTQ+ population. The area is recognized for its unique cultural enclaves, like "Little India," and offers a wide variety of international cuisines.