Bulldog Breed ● Made in England

This band was originally called Faith, Hope & Charity. Fortunately someone got sober long enough to realize the atrocity of such a name and rechristened the group Bulldog Breed, a far superior moniker for a late ‘60s psychedelic pop/rock outfit. Made in England, first released in 1970 on Deram’s Nova imprint, is a somewhat random mix of punchy, hard rock numbers and lightweight, whimsical pop songs. “I Flew,” a nod to the ready-for-battle airplanes on the front cover, captures the band at its peak, a driving, riff-heavy patriotic ode to war… or a not-so-subtle hint at getting high (“I flew into a strange town last night/on wings of fire/I flew into a bad trip alright/a funeral pyre”). Similarly, “Paper Man,” “Sheba's Broomstick Ride” and “Reborn” are near-perfect slabs of three-minute guitar rock. The band’s more experimental efforts aren’t as impressive. “You” is a puzzling jazz-styled, cocktail-lounge number, while “Austin Osmanspare” is a downright creepy tale about a supposed occultist. The 2009 Grapefruit reissue closes with a fiery if slightly warped psychedelic non-lp single called “Halo in My Hair.” A few more nuggets like this and Bulldog Breed’s story might have ended differently. As it was, the band closed up shop shortly before Made in England’s delayed release. Drummer Louie Farrell hooked up with Adrian and Paul Gurvitz in Gun; bassist Bernie Jinks formed a band called T2 and released an album called It’ll All Work Out in Boomland.

Notes: "I Flew" from Bulldog Breed: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-sIEA7uxC8.