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Formed in earnest in 1967 after having their minds blown by seeing Pink Floyd in concert, Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera were one of a handful of British psychedelic bands to successfully incorporate soul elements into their sound, delivering the strongest example of this with their debut single, "Flames." Though the group's time was brief, they were active and dramatic, with multiple lineup changes, name changes, and complete stylistic upheavals happening in the short three-year span they existed. Long Nights of Summer chronicles all these changes and then some, with more than 70 tracks that include both the band's self-titled 1968 debut, their 1969 follow-up Ride a Hustler's Dream, as well as multiple singles, demos, and BBC performances from across the group's various iterations. The material from the time of their debut is some of the most compelling, with tunes like the happy-go-lucky pop of "Mary Jane" and "Long Nights of Summer" balancing out the more soul-geared "Volcano" and "Flames," or experimental and Moody Blues- or Pink Floyd-informed numbers like "Reactions of a Young Man." Lead vocalist Dave Terry (aka Elmer Gantry) left the band before their second LP, Ride a Hustler's Dream, was recorded, and that album is a different beast all together. There are some nice moments, like the Dylanesque acoustic 12-string beauty of the minute-long title track and the jumpy, greasy funk-rock of "Don't You Realise," but on the whole the record is confused and uneven. Long Nights of Summer exhaustively chronicles the many shifts of this short-lived band, including not just the sole 1970 single made by the last iteration of the group featuring Tintern Abbey's Dave MacTavish on lead vocals, but a BBC performance by this version of the band. Multiple BBC sessions are joined by mono mixes, singles, and demos, offering a thorough impression of every phase that this obscure group went through.
© Fred Thomas /TiVo
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David Terry, Composer - Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera, MainArtist
© 2022 Cherry Red Records Ltd ℗ 1968 Peer-Southern Productions Ltd under exclusive licence to Union Square Music Limited, a BMG Company
John Ford, Composer - Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera, MainArtist
© 2022 Cherry Red Records Ltd ℗ 1968 Peer-Southern Productions Ltd under exclusive licence to Union Square Music Limited, a BMG Company
David Terry, Composer - John Ford, Composer - Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera, MainArtist
© 2022 Cherry Red Records Ltd ℗ 1968 Peer-Southern Productions Ltd under exclusive licence to Union Square Music Limited, a BMG Company
Oscar Brown Jr, Composer - Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera, MainArtist
© 2022 Cherry Red Records Ltd ℗ 1968 Peer-Southern Productions Ltd under exclusive licence to Union Square Music Limited, a BMG Company
John Ford, Composer - Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera, MainArtist - Colin Forster, Composer
© 2022 Cherry Red Records Ltd ℗ 1968 Peer-Southern Productions Ltd under exclusive licence to Union Square Music Limited, a BMG Company
Richard Hudson, Composer - Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera, MainArtist - Colin Forster, Composer
© 2022 Cherry Red Records Ltd ℗ 1968 Peer-Southern Productions Ltd under exclusive licence to Union Square Music Limited, a BMG Company
Richard Hudson, Composer - Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera, MainArtist - Colin Forster, Composer
© 2022 Cherry Red Records Ltd ℗ 1968 Peer-Southern Productions Ltd under exclusive licence to Union Square Music Limited, a BMG Company
David Terry, Composer - Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera, MainArtist
© 2022 Cherry Red Records Ltd ℗ 1967 Peer-Southern Productions Ltd under exclusive licence to Union Square Music Limited, a BMG Company
David Terry, Composer - John Ford, Composer - Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera, MainArtist
© 2022 Cherry Red Records Ltd ℗ 1968 Peer-Southern Productions Ltd under exclusive licence to Union Square Music Limited, a BMG Company
David Terry, Composer - Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera, MainArtist
© 2022 Cherry Red Records Ltd ℗ 1968 Peer-Southern Productions Ltd under exclusive licence to Union Square Music Limited, a BMG Company
Richard Hudson, Composer - John Ford, Composer - Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera, MainArtist
© 2022 Cherry Red Records Ltd ℗ 1968 Peer-Southern Productions Ltd under exclusive licence to Union Square Music Limited, a BMG Company
David Terry, Composer - John Ford, Composer - Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera, MainArtist
© 2022 Cherry Red Records Ltd ℗ 1968 Peer-Southern Productions Ltd under exclusive licence to Union Square Music Limited, a BMG Company
David Terry, Composer - John Ford, Composer - Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera, MainArtist
© 2022 Cherry Red Records Ltd ℗ 1968 Peer-Southern Productions Ltd under exclusive licence to Union Square Music Limited, a BMG Company
David Terry, Composer - Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera, MainArtist
© 2022 Cherry Red Records Ltd ℗ 1968 Peer-Southern Productions Ltd under exclusive licence to Union Square Music Limited, a BMG Company
Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera, MainArtist
© 2022 Cherry Red Records Ltd ℗ 1968 Peer-Southern Productions Ltd under exclusive licence to Union Square Music Limited, a BMG Company
David Terry, Composer - John Ford, Composer - Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera, MainArtist
© 2022 Cherry Red Records Ltd ℗ 1968 Peer-Southern Productions Ltd under exclusive licence to Union Square Music Limited, a BMG Company
David Terry, Composer - John Ford, Composer - Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera, MainArtist
© 2022 Cherry Red Records Ltd ℗ 1968 Peer-Southern Productions Ltd under exclusive licence to Union Square Music Limited, a BMG Company
Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera, MainArtist
© 2022 Cherry Red Records Ltd ℗ 1968 Peer-Southern Productions Ltd under exclusive licence to Union Square Music Limited, a BMG Company
Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera, MainArtist
© 2022 Cherry Red Records Ltd ℗ 1968 Peer-Southern Productions Ltd under exclusive licence to Union Square Music Limited, a BMG Company
Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera, MainArtist
© 2022 Cherry Red Records Ltd ℗ 1968 Peer-Southern Productions Ltd under exclusive licence to Union Square Music Limited, a BMG Company
Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera, MainArtist
© 2022 Cherry Red Records Ltd ℗ 1968 Peer-Southern Productions Ltd under exclusive licence to Union Square Music Limited, a BMG Company
Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera, MainArtist
© 2022 Cherry Red Records Ltd ℗ 1968 Peer-Southern Productions Ltd under exclusive licence to Union Square Music Limited, a BMG Company
Warren Davis, Composer - Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera, MainArtist - Conan Byrne, Composer
© 2022 Cherry Red Records Ltd ℗ 1996 Peer-Southern Productions Ltd Peer-Southern Productions Ltd
Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera, MainArtist
© 2022 Cherry Red Records Ltd ℗ 1968 Peer-Southern Productions Ltd under exclusive licence to Union Square Music Limited, a BMG Company
David Terry, Composer - Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera, MainArtist
© 2022 Cherry Red Records Ltd ℗ 1968 Peer-Southern Productions Ltd under exclusive licence to Union Square Music Limited, a BMG Company
DISC 2
David Terry, Composer - Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera, MainArtist
© 2022 Cherry Red Records Ltd ℗ 1968 Peer-Southern Productions Ltd Peer-Southern Productions Ltd
John Ford, Composer - Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera, MainArtist
© 2022 Cherry Red Records Ltd ℗ 1968 Peer-Southern Productions Ltd Peer-Southern Productions Ltd
David Terry, Composer - John Ford, Composer - Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera, MainArtist
© 2022 Cherry Red Records Ltd ℗ 1968 Peer-Southern Productions Ltd Peer-Southern Productions Ltd
Oscar Brown Jr, Composer - Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera, MainArtist
© 2022 Cherry Red Records Ltd ℗ 1968 Peer-Southern Productions Ltd Peer-Southern Productions Ltd
John Ford, Composer - Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera, MainArtist - Colin Forster, Composer
© 2022 Cherry Red Records Ltd ℗ 1968 Peer-Southern Productions Ltd Peer-Southern Productions Ltd
Richard Hudson, Composer - Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera, MainArtist - Colin Forster, Composer
© 2022 Cherry Red Records Ltd ℗ 1968 Peer-Southern Productions Ltd Peer-Southern Productions Ltd
Richard Hudson, Composer - Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera, MainArtist - Colin Forster, Composer
© 2022 Cherry Red Records Ltd ℗ 1968 Peer-Southern Productions Ltd Peer-Southern Productions Ltd
David Terry, Composer - Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera, MainArtist
© 2022 Cherry Red Records Ltd ℗ 1967 Peer-Southern Productions Ltd Peer-Southern Productions Ltd
David Terry, Composer - John Ford, Composer - Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera, MainArtist
© 2022 Cherry Red Records Ltd ℗ 1968 Peer-Southern Productions Ltd Peer-Southern Productions Ltd
David Terry, Composer - Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera, MainArtist
© 2022 Cherry Red Records Ltd ℗ 1968 Peer-Southern Productions Ltd Peer-Southern Productions Ltd
Richard Hudson, Composer - John Ford, Composer - Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera, MainArtist
© 2022 Cherry Red Records Ltd ℗ 1968 Peer-Southern Productions Ltd Peer-Southern Productions Ltd
David Terry, Composer - John Ford, Composer - Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera, MainArtist
© 2022 Cherry Red Records Ltd ℗ 1968 Peer-Southern Productions Ltd Peer-Southern Productions Ltd
David Terry, Composer - John Ford, Composer - Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera, MainArtist
© 2022 Cherry Red Records Ltd ℗ 1968 Peer-Southern Productions Ltd Peer-Southern Productions Ltd
Richard Hudson, Composer - John Ford, Composer - Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera, MainArtist
© 2022 Cherry Red Records Ltd ℗ 2022 BBC BBC
David Terry, Composer - John Ford, Composer - Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera, MainArtist
© 2022 Cherry Red Records Ltd ℗ 2022 BBC BBC
David Terry, Composer - Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera, MainArtist
© 2022 Cherry Red Records Ltd ℗ 2022 BBC BBC
John Ford, Composer - Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera, MainArtist
© 2022 Cherry Red Records Ltd ℗ 2022 BBC BBC
David Terry, Composer - John Ford, Composer - Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera, MainArtist
© 2022 Cherry Red Records Ltd ℗ 2022 BBC BBC
David Terry, Composer - Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera, MainArtist
© 2022 Cherry Red Records Ltd ℗ 2022 BBC BBC
Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera, MainArtist - Joseph McDonlad, Composer
© 2022 Cherry Red Records Ltd ℗ 2022 BBC BBC
David Terry, Composer - John Ford, Composer - Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera, MainArtist
© 2022 Cherry Red Records Ltd ℗ 2022 BBC BBC
David Terry, Composer - John Ford, Composer - Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera, MainArtist
© 2022 Cherry Red Records Ltd ℗ 2022 BBC BBC
Richard Hudson, Composer - Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera, MainArtist - Colin Forster, Composer
© 2022 Cherry Red Records Ltd ℗ 2022 BBC BBC
Bob Dylan, Composer - Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera, MainArtist
© 2022 Cherry Red Records Ltd ℗ 2022 BBC BBC
David Terry, Composer - John Ford, Composer - Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera, MainArtist
© 2022 Cherry Red Records Ltd ℗ 2022 BBC BBC
Album review
Formed in earnest in 1967 after having their minds blown by seeing Pink Floyd in concert, Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera were one of a handful of British psychedelic bands to successfully incorporate soul elements into their sound, delivering the strongest example of this with their debut single, "Flames." Though the group's time was brief, they were active and dramatic, with multiple lineup changes, name changes, and complete stylistic upheavals happening in the short three-year span they existed. Long Nights of Summer chronicles all these changes and then some, with more than 70 tracks that include both the band's self-titled 1968 debut, their 1969 follow-up Ride a Hustler's Dream, as well as multiple singles, demos, and BBC performances from across the group's various iterations. The material from the time of their debut is some of the most compelling, with tunes like the happy-go-lucky pop of "Mary Jane" and "Long Nights of Summer" balancing out the more soul-geared "Volcano" and "Flames," or experimental and Moody Blues- or Pink Floyd-informed numbers like "Reactions of a Young Man." Lead vocalist Dave Terry (aka Elmer Gantry) left the band before their second LP, Ride a Hustler's Dream, was recorded, and that album is a different beast all together. There are some nice moments, like the Dylanesque acoustic 12-string beauty of the minute-long title track and the jumpy, greasy funk-rock of "Don't You Realise," but on the whole the record is confused and uneven. Long Nights of Summer exhaustively chronicles the many shifts of this short-lived band, including not just the sole 1970 single made by the last iteration of the group featuring Tintern Abbey's Dave MacTavish on lead vocals, but a BBC performance by this version of the band. Multiple BBC sessions are joined by mono mixes, singles, and demos, offering a thorough impression of every phase that this obscure group went through.
© Fred Thomas /TiVo
About the album
- 3 disc(s) - 71 track(s)
- Total length: 03:29:45
- Main artists: Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: Grapefruit
- Genre: Pop/Rock Rock
© 2022 Cherry Red Records Ltd ℗ 2022 Peer-Southern Productions Ltd / BBC
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