Mirkwood - Mirkwood (1973)(2008)

Mirkwood was a British psychedelic rock band formed in early 1971 by guitarists Mick Morris and Jack Castle. The band's ancestry can be traced to the original Dover-based, Rolling Stones, a skiffle and blues band formed in 1956.

When Mirkwood's original drummer Steve Smith left, his replacement was Nick 'Topper' Headon, who occupied the drum chair for a year and a half, during which time Mirkwood supplemented their own gigs by working as support to bigger name acts including Supertramp. Topper Headon eventually left Mirkwood and joined The Clash. The band made its final appearance (at the Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury) in July 1978.

Mirkwood recorded one eponymous album of original material released in 1973 on the Flams record label (PR 1067). Some years later, the Mirkwood album had become the most expensive listed in Record Collector magazine. It has since been re-released several times, most recently in 2008 on Red Admiral Records, (REDAD CDA556). A review of the album by Classic Rock Society magazine described it as " ..... a fine piece of work .... (combining) slick guitar work, thrilling vocals and imaginative composition and arrangements ...... from a band that could have gone on to great things".

Morris and Castle played occasional gigs together in the Kent area, and reunited in 2015 to release the album Boys from the Chalk.
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Mirkwood's lone self-titled album was originally issued in 1973, in an edition of just 99 copies. Coming out of the port town of Dover, with each of the group members having honed their moves in various outfits for years (including the original Rolling Stones from 1957 - no relation to the Glimmer Twins).This album's fantastic mix of precise Hard Rock and mysterious ballads has had many a private press enthusiast by the hair over the years. Crashing out of the gates with the one-two knockout combination of the fuzz shuffle of 'Take My Love' and the epic 11-minute centerpiece of 'Love's Glass of Sunshine', this record is a classic deep listen, revealing great moments with each new spin. Killer harmonies and lots of twin-guitar lead action, tough and tender, this record is pure autumnal magic.