Principal Edwards Magic Theater

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Principal Edwards Magic Theater was a British performance collective consisting of musicians, poets, dancers and sound and light technicians. The group was initially active from 1968 to 1971. Then core members formed a rock band with the shortened name Principal Edwards , which disbanded in 1974.

history

The collective was started by students from the University of Exeter . The initial musicians were Root Cartwright (guitar, mandolin, songwriter), Belinda "Bindy" Bourquin (violin, keyboards, recorder), David Jones (vocals, percussion), Jeremy Ensor (bass), Martin Stellman (vocals), Lyn Edwards ( Drums) and Vivienne McAuliffe (vocals). The dancers included Gillian Hadley (choreographer), John McMahon Hill, Eva Darlow and Monica Nettles, while Les Adey, Harry Housman and Chris Runciman were responsible for the sound, light, props and effects.

The name of the group came on the one hand from the "magic theater" from Der Steppenwolf by Hermann Hesse , on the other hand from Thomas Charles Edwards, a theologian who was the first rector ("principal") of Aberystwyth University and an ancestor of Lyn Edwards. Allegedly this choice of name had no other meaning than the pleasant sound.

Principal Edwards Magic Theater, 1968–1971

The group had their first public appearance at an event called "Dance of Words", which was hosted by students (including Jeremy Ensor) in Portsmouth in May 1968 and moderated by John Peel ; Also there were Fairport Convention , Free , Tyrannosaurus Rex , Alexis Korner , Gary Farr , Pete Brown 's Poetry Band with John McLaughlin on guitar, as well as the poets Brian Patten and Michael Horovitz .

As a result, they appeared at similar events, including in London ; they shared the program with Pink Floyd , The Fugs , Family , Free , King Crimson , Yes , Deep Purple , Elton John , Ten Years After and others. They were signed to Dandelion Records, the John Peel label, and performed at the Bath Festival of Blues in June 1969 .

The group released their first single Ballad (of the Big Girl Now and a Mere Boy) in July 1969 , followed by their debut album Soundtrack the month after , produced by Peel and the band. In 1970 her second album The Asmoto Running Band was released , produced by Nick Mason of Pink Floyd.

After internal differences, the collective broke up in December 1971.

Principal Edwards, 1972-1974

In early 1972, the core trio Root Cartwright, Belinda Bourquin and David Jones founded a new, rock-oriented band with the shortened name "Principal Edwards". They were joined by Richard Jones (bass; ex- Climax Blues Band ), Nick Pallett (guitar, vocals) and Geoff Nicholls (drums).

During the next three years they toured with three musicals they created themselves, King of Changes , Stone Age Sam and The Glass White Gangster . Their manager was Miles Copeland , they were under contract with Deram Records. Her album Round One was released here in 1974 , again produced by Nick Mason, but there was no commercial success. After a few more recordings, which were not to be released until 2008 as The Devon Tapes , the band broke up.

Discography

Principal Edwards Magic Theater

  • Ballad (Of The Big Girl Now And A Mere Boy) / Lament For The Earth (1969) - single, Dandelion Records
  • Soundtrack (1969) - LP, Dandelion Records
  • The Asmoto Running Band (1971) - LP, Dandelion Records
  • Soundtrack / The Asmoto Running Band (1994) - CD, See For Miles Records
  • Soundtrack (2006) - CD, Cherry Red Records
  • The Asmoto Running Band (2006) - CD, Cherry Red Records

Principal Edwards

  • Round One (1974) - LP, Deram Records
  • Captain Lifeboy / Nothing (1973) - single, Deram
  • Weekdaze / The Whizzmore Kid (1973) - single, Deram

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Biography on Allmusic (English)
  2. ↑ Principal Edwards Magic Theater on progarchives.com (English)