THE HABIBIYYA: IF MAN BUT KNEW psych LP Ex MIGHTY BABY

	£		22
	$		26

THE HABIBIYYA: IF MAN BUT KNEW

ISLAND LP: 34699 (HELP 7) Australian PINK RING & PALM TREE LABEL

RARE EASTERN/ARABIC/MOROCCAN/JAPANESE/PSYCH/TRANCE CLASSIC

This LP has been in my collection for a while now. I think I've only played it once or twice. Time to let it go to a better home.

Condition is Very Good + with some minor non-audible markings to the vinyl and sleeve intact with a very minor split to bottom seam & slight crumpling on bottom right of sleeve. Some ring-wear, but overall very good.

These guys used to play in the band MIGHTY BABY. If Man But Knew was apparently recorded after a trip to Morocco and The members conversion to Sufism. Despite the Moroccan connection this LP also features many Japanese instruments!

Tracks:

1. Two Shakuhachis
2. Koto Piece
3. The Eye-Witness
4. Mandola
5. If Man But Knew
6. Fana-Fillah

Musicians:

• Michael Evans: Mandola & Guitar
• Ian Whiteman: Shakuhachi, Piano, Vocals, Bina Organ & Oboe
• Roger Powell: Safi Drum & Drums
• Conrad Archuletta: Shakuhachi, Vocal, Nay Flute, Zither & Banjo
• Susan Archuletta: Shakuhachi, Koto, Vocals, Viola & Guitar

Recorded in Island Studios, London, 1972

Original Press Release:

The Habibiyya: Ian Whiteman, Roger Powell and friends, 'If Man But Knew'.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

A whole range of instruments appear on 'If man but knew'; zither, mandola, oboe, flute and drums, to name but a few. It's incredibly difficult to tell you what a record such as this sounds like - it's almost impossible as I can't give you any similar sounds to refer to - unless you have been to Morocco and heard for yourself, it's like trying to describe how a good stone feels.

Ian and Roger came from a band called 'Mighty Baby' - quite a musical contrast when you hear the music they are playing now. Think you may enjoy a taste of this strange Moroccan music.

The Habibiyya are the followers of the venerable Shakya al-Habib.

MIGHTY BABY biography from TheIceberg.Com:

This UK rock group was formed in 1968 around Alan "Bam" King (b. 18 September 1946, Kentish Town, London, England; guitar), Mike Evans (bass) and Roger Powell (drums), all founder members of the Action, one of London's most exciting Mod groups. Late-period arrivals Martin Stone (guitar, ex-Savoy Brown) and Ian Whiteman (piano, saxophone) completed Mighty Baby, a name suggested by their manager, John Curd. The quintet's self-titled debut album, released on Curd's self-explanatory Head Records, was a skilful blend of strong melody and instrumental dexterity, exemplified on the opening composition, "Egyptian Tomb". Their improvisatory prowess was even greater on live performances, where Stone's imaginative soloing combined with Whiteman's woodwind and keyboard passages, creating a mesmerising sound. The group's second album, A Jug Of Love, issued on Mike Vernon's Blue Horizon Records label, captured this spirit of adventure, but Mighty Baby's potential was suddenly shorn when Whiteman, Evans and Powell, who had each accepted the Sufi faith, left to form a new group, the Habibiyya. As such they recorded one album, If Man But Knew, in 1972, before pursuing careers as session musicians, notably for Richard Thompson and Sandy Denny. Stone latterly formed Chilli Willi And The Red Hot Peppers with fellow guitarist Phil Lithman, before abandoning music in favour of antiquarian books. King meanwhile joined pub-rock favourites Ace.

MIGHTY BABY biography from The All Music Guide:

The British psychedelic band Mighty Baby grew out of the Action, the Liverpool-based R&B outfit signed to Parlophone by George Martin in 1965. Long considered one of Martin's best discoveries this side of the Beatles, the Action consisted of Reggie King (vocals), Alan King (guitar), Pete Watson (guitar), Mike Evans (bass), and Roger Powell (drums). After Watson left in 1967, he was succeeded by keyboardist Ian Whiteman and blues guitarist Martin Stone, a veteran of the Savoy Brown Blues Band. This new lineup evolved beyond the R&B/soul sound that the original Action had played and into a top-flight experimental group, incorporating the kinds of long jams and folk/blues influences that the West Coast bands were starting to export around the world.

They hooked up with ex-Yardbirds manager Giorgio Gomelsky in 1967 and recorded an album's worth of material that went unreleased. Reggie King was gone by early 1968 to record a solo album, and the remaining members went through a number of name changes, at one point calling themselves Azoth. In 1968, they hooked up with the managers who represented Pink Floyd and T. Rex and cut a new series of demo recordings featuring Whiteman (who wrote most of the songs) and Alan King on lead vocals. These demos were even more ambitious than the 1967 sides, extending the structure of the group's songs with long, beautiful guitar progressions and soaring choruses. Unlike a lot of R&B outfits that tried the psychedelic route and failed, they were suited to the new music by inclination and temperament.

The president of the band's new record label, Head Records, for reasons best known to himself, chose "Mighty Baby" as the group's new name. The self-titled album that followed was a masterpiece of late psychedelic rock, with long, fluid guitar lines and radiant harmonies; still, Mighty Baby didn't sell very well, although the group continued to play live shows to enthusiastic audiences. Their record label folded in 1970, and the group eventually signed to the Blue Horizon label, where they released a respectable if not wholly successful second album, A Jug of Love. It was clear by then, however, that their moment had passed, both personally and professionally. Mighty Baby broke up in 1971, although several of the members periodically played together on various projects -- Evans and Whiteman even played back-up to Richard and Linda Thompson in the late 1970's. ~ Bruce Eder, All Music Guide

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