Week of April 14, 2002
Claus Bøhling - vocals, guitars, sitar, harp
Torben Forne - bass
Jens Marqvard Otzen - drums
Album:
Hurdy Gurdy 1971 CBS 64781 (Reissued on CD by Background).
A counterfeit in single cover circulated in the late 80s.
This trio, formed in the late sixties in Copenhagen as Boom Boom Brothers, later abbreviated their name as
B.B.Brothers and made at least one single for Sonet. The group was based in London for a while around 1968-69, where they took up their new name
Hurdy Gurdy. Among the musicians they befriended was Donovan, who wrote the song
"Hurdy Gurdy Man" for them. The intension was that the Danish group should record the song, but Donovan turned out to enjoy the song so much that he recorded it himself and refused to let them use it! Other
Hurdy Gurdy recordings from this period are rumoured, but apart from an excellent single on Spectator
("Tick Tock Man"/"Lend Me Your Wings"), none of them have been released.
Their eponymous album for CBS was recorded with Freddy Hansen in the Rosenberg studio, a place where several legendary albums were conceived. This one ranks among the top 10 Danish albums and comprised blues and jazz influenced heavy progressive rock with strong melodies and competent vocals. The trio had obviously heard the first albums by
Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath and Jethro Tull, but also added an Eastern track with tablas and sitar.
Taken from Scented Gardens of the Mind - A guide to the Golden Era of Progressive Rock (1968-1980) in more than 20 European Countries, by Dag Erik Asbjørnsen, Borderline Productions, ISBN 1-899855-12-2