Forever More - Yours/Words On Black Plastic 1970/71 [Remastered, 2007]

Forever More are one of the great neglected treasures of the 70s. The core of the band went on to fame as the Average White Band - Onnie Mair is Onnie Maclntyre of AWB, and the horns went with him and Alan. Mick Travis was briefly in Glencoe, split before they recorded, and has not been heard from since.

Stuart Francis was in Glencoe and is on their 2 LPs, which I recall as bland. Forever More were in a Lindsay Shonteff film, a dreadful sexploitation flick that does feature their music and some live, though murky, footage. For completists only.

The roots of the band lie in various Scottish aggregations that recorded a few singles in the 60s. Alan Gorrie, the main singer and songwriter as well as fabulous bass player, also recorded a few folkish sole tunes. Alan also did quite a few sessions in the 60s and early 70s.

The horn section on their records, also later to feature in AWB, is mostly guys from Mogul Thrash, one of John Wetton's earliest bands. Mogul Thrash made one LP.

Somewhere someone compared Forever More to the Beatles circa Abbey Road. Believe it or not, this is an apt comparison. The songs are consistently tuneful, go through some unexpected turns without seeming contrived, and build to emotional highs in a very convincing fashion. Some of the finest guitar playing by people you never heard of is on their 2 albums (Words on Black Plastic is the second, and in my opinion marginally superior).

In my alternate universe, "Put Your Money on a Pony" was a mega-hit and "Cut the Cake" never happened.