Much has been written about Mandrake Paddle Steamer (Later just 'Mandrake'), and I don't intend to repeat all that in my sub O level English, suffice it to say they are my favourite UK band.
A few years ago, I was very fortunate to be in contact with their roadie Mike G. He very kindly told me much about the times of Mandrake, and let me have tapes of two unreleased acetates and permission to reproduce them here. Obviously they are crackly, but do show the direction the band were taking.
They are 'Song For Freedom' and 'October Country'.
'Freedom' starts very quietly -as John Peel would have said. 'October' is presumably inspired by Ray Bradbury's book of the same name.
I also acquired a CD of 3 Mandrake acetates found together at a carboot. Two were identical to those already issued on the Scanner Jots LP 'Overspill', but the third was a track called 'Check Check Out' on a Pye advance acetate. The surprise was that this turned out to be a version of the song 'Checkout' from the Phillipe de Barge then unreleased LP, made with The Pretty Things.
Mike had no memory of the song, and indeed it may not be the same Mandrake, it does not sound like it is, and what is it doing on Pye? How would this song have filtered back to Mandrake?
Anyway judge for yourselves.
Song For Freedom
http://www.mediafire.com/?k4r47nkd97c7de9
Check Check Out
http://www.mediafire.com/?hziccalear7k91c
October Country
http://www.mediafire.com/?atbx36571fd3bvm
Hope these links work, there have been some problems reported with Mediafire. Any problem let me know.
Amazing finds! So frustrating MPS have never had a 'proper' album release - I assume contractual problems have prevented it - but very pleased to add these tracks to my DIY compilation. Incidentally, the fact that 'Check Checkout' is on a Pye acetate does not mean the band had any affiliation with Pye Records, it just means it was recorded in a studio that used Pye acetates (The Beatles had Pye acetates produced as another example). I think this track could very easily be by the later incarnation of the band after Brian Engel left.
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