Aardvark

Only in 1970 could a band call itself Aardvark and get away with it. Throw in some truly unique cover art and a four-man group without a guitarist and you’ve got yourself an odd slice of early ‘70s British progressive hard rock. Mining much the same territory covered by its prog-rock contemporaries—multiple time changes, complex rhythmic patterns and extended song structures—Aardvark shifts from thunderous hard rock (“Copper Sunset”) to uptempo pseudo-jazz (“Very Nice of You to Call”) to folk-like ballads (“Once Upon a Hill”). The record’s one true mind-numbing moment comes in the form of an almost 10-minute mini-epic called “Put That in Your Pipe and Smoke It,” which is essentially nothing more than an unending keyboard solo. A mixed bag at best, Aardvark is hardly required listening, although hardcore prog-rockers and keyboard enthusiasts may find bits and pieces to their liking.

Notes: Originally released on Deram Records, a subsidiary of Decca, Aardvark was reissued on cd in Japan in 2005 as a limited edition mini-lp replica digi-sleeve. It has since gone out of print. However, a Liechtenstein-based(!) company called Tapestry Records has recently delivered a vinyl version. This, too, is a limited edition.