About once a year we learn of one new CD reissue from Wooden Hill, Tenth Planet's sub-label for more progressive albums. Last year it was the wonderful Dear Mr. Time. This year it's Grannie, a pretty raw hard rock album from 1971 that was reissued by Shadoks on LP a few years ago. Wooden Hill do quality reissues and I'm sure we'll learn about the full history of the band. Thanks to Eric at Glorydaze Music for the heads up!
Label says: "One of the least heard, but most beguiling albums to emerge from the British progressive rock era, the sole, self-titled LP by East London band Grannie was recorded at a demo studio in late 1971 and then issued on vinyl in a total pressing of just 99 copies. Feverishly sought-after by genre aficionados since its belated discovery in the early 1990s (Record Collector magazine recently included it in their list of the 100 Most Valuable Records of All Time), Grannie now gains its first-ever official reissue. With quotes from drummer John Clark and keyboardist John Stevenson that tell the story of both band and album for the first time, this is the definitive release of one of the most valuable jewels of the early 1970s British progressive rock scene."
(12/22/10 update: I just listened to this album for the first time in a long while, and it's more progressive than I remembered, especially the last track. I have not heard the Wooden Hill CD version however. And if you view the comments, there's a dispute concerning the legality of it. I'm not choosing sides here. Wooden Hill has proven to be a reliable label in the past, and I do know it can be tough to unravel all the contracts/contacts/tapes, etc.., especially 40 years later. But I will continue to publish the comments. I just hope it gets resolved to the satisfaction of all.)
