Forever More “Words On Black Plastic” 1970 "Yours Forever More" 1970 UK Prog Rock
full two albums on vk
Mick Strode “Forever More” official website
Forever More are one of the great neglected treasures of the 70s. The core of the band went on to fame as the Average White Band - Onnie Mair is Onnie Maclntyre of AWB, and the horns went with him and Alan. Mick Travis was briefly in Glencoe, split before they recorded, and has not been heard from since.
Stuart Francis was in Glencoe and is on their 2 LPs, which I recall as bland. Forever More were in a Lindsay Shonteff film, a dreadful sexploitation flick that does feature their music and some live, though murky, footage. For completists only.
The roots of the band lie in various Scottish aggregations that recorded a few singles in the 60s. Alan Gorrie, the main singer and songwriter as well as fabulous bass player, also recorded a few folkish sole tunes. Alan also did quite a few sessions in the 60s and early 70s.
The horn section on their records, also later to feature in AWB, is mostly guys from Mogul Thrash, one of John Wetton’s earliest bands. Mogul Thrash made one LP.
Somewhere someone compared Forever More to the Beatles circa Abbey Road. Believe it or not, this is an apt comparison. The songs are consistently tuneful, go through some unexpected turns without seeming contrived, and build to emotional highs in a very convincing fashion. Some of the finest guitar playing by people you never heard of is on their 2 albums (Words on Black Plastic is the second, and in my opinion marginally superior).
In my alternate universe, “Put Your Money on a Pony” was a mega-hit and “Cut the Cake” never happened.
CD Liner-notes……~
I’m 61 years old,born in Hertfordshire, and as a child was taken most Saturday mornings to the big open air market at Hitchen. The old type of market with metal frame stalls, canvas roof tied on and wooden planks for the counter. Okay, it’s 1965, what can you remember from then. We had a Philips Gramaphone, with tone as well as volume, and it played LPs. I was allowed to buy records, but mainly artists my parents had heard of.
Then in 1971, when I came home from my last year at college, and went back to Hitchen Market, I found a stall selling LPs from groups hardly anyone knew. And without parental monitoring, I bought Words on Black Plastic. In my own bedroom with my own hi-fi and earphones, I spent hours reading and listening to Forever More, learning the words and knew every tone and drum beat.
In 2010, on my wifew’s parents old DeccaGram, I played my old vinyl LP for the first time in over 30 years. A bit dusty, no cracks, and by golly, it sounded great. Even my wife, a devotee of old vinyl albums from groups I didn’t know, liked it. But you can never transfer the old LP to digital, no matter how hard you try. Then I thought, I wonder.
Now, sitting in it’s case on the desk in front of me, ready to go in the CD player in the car, is ‘Words on Black Plastic’. And on my way home from work next week, I will enjoy going back to my twenties, and reliving times with my parents, the parties and noisy weekends with friends, sharing their LPs with this one. If you have heard Forever More playing, if you remember times back then, and some of the bands that members went on to form and play with, then this is for you.
This is the longest review I have ever written. And it has brought flooding back long lost memories. Can’t ask for anything more…..by…Dartmoor Reader…~
As soon as I ordered this fabulous disc it became unavailable again. What a pity, as it’s one of my all-time favorites. I bought “Yours” in 1970 after reading a review in Downbeat magazine. “Words on Black Plastic” came out the next year, and while it may actually be the better album, I was so hooked on the debut that I never gave it the attention it deserved. Having them both together is an answer to a prayer. The music brings to mind everything from Caravan and Colloseum, to the Band and the Beatles. Minus a couple of slight, very short throwaways on the first album, everything else is stellar. I don’t think I ever played this for someone and got a negative reaction. If you have to hunt this down to the ends of the earth, it would be worth your while. It is truly one of the most accomplished and enjoyable albums ever to be lost in the shuffle. Face it, 1970-71 were pretty great years for music (Abbey Road, Layla, The Band, Everybody Know This is Nowhere, Live at Leeds, Led Zep III, All Things Must Pass, Big Star, Electric Warrior, Lola Vs…, John Barleycorn, etc…,the list could go on and on) and a little gem like this gets lost pretty easily with no label support at all (typical of RCA at the time). Also, maybe one of the dumbest covers of all time, it looks like a freaking Mantovani album. I guess it all ended up OK for the band members as Alan Gorrie and Onie McCintyre ended up doing pretty well as the Average White Band (who sound absolutely NOTHING like Forever More)and Mick Travis, who produces folk albums (under his real name, Mick Strode) and who knows where Stuart Francis is now, but happy, I hope. I seriously put these albums up with the best from that time period. They really were that good, and deserve recognition….by….top5jimmy53….~
The team formed of several former members of the Scottish band, the most famous of which was the Glencoe, whence came guitarist Mick Travis.
The leader, however, was not he, but the singer and writer of nearly all compositions, Alan Gorrie, successfully copes well with bass and keyboards. After the collapse of Forever More, he became one of the founders of Average White Band, where his great swung in a funk, and later even in the disco.
In 1970, the children took part in the then popular movie themes groupie-sexplotation, Permissive, eerie in its naturalistic and dramatic. Then he was considered a cult classic and current, now almost forgotten. The picture is very similar to the plot of the film, Fred Williams, “Me, a Groupie” - and it can now be found on the web. Both tell the girls, groupies, whose adventures usually started as a bright fairy tale, and ends absolutely illegible trachea, heavy drugs, and often smertyu.V first album, three songs heard in the film. Elements of Psycho, prog, folk, very good vocals…..~
Forever More “Words On Black Plastic” 1970 debut lp
Credits
Acoustic Guitar – Mick* (tracks: A2 to A5, B2, B4, B5)
Bass – Alan* (tracks: A1 to A3, A5 to B5)
Drums – Stuart*
Electric Guitar – Mick* (tracks: A1, A4, B1), Owen* (tracks: A1 to A3, B1, B2, B4, B5)
Guitar [Slide] – Mick* (tracks: B3)
Mandolin, Banjo – Mick* (tracks: B2)
Percussion – Stuart* (tracks: B5)
Piano – Alan* (tracks: A4, B1)
Vocals – Alan* (tracks: A1 to B3, B5), Mick* (tracks: A2, A3, B2, B4, B5)
Tracklist
A1 Promises Of Spring 4:56
A2 The Wrong Person 3:30
A3 Last Breakfast 3:11
A4 Get Behind Me Satan 5:57
B1 Put Your Money On A Pony 4:00
B2 Lookin’ Through The Water 3:05
B3 O'Brien’s Last Stand 3:00
B4 Angel Of The Lord 3:25
B5 What A Lovely Day 6:02
Forever More “Yours Forever More” 1970
Credits
Arranged By [Brass, Strings] – Simon Napier-Bell
Drums, Backing Vocals – Stuart Francis
Engineer – Vic Smith*
Guitar – Mick Travis (2)
Guitar, Bass Guitar, Backing Vocals – Onnie Mair
Percussion – Ray Singer
Piano, Bass Guitar, Percussion [Teapot] – Alan Gorrie
Tracklist
A1 Back In The States Again 2:47
A2 We Sing 4:10
A3 It’s Home 1:36
A4 Home Country Blues 2:55
A5 Good To Me 8:00
B1 Yours 2:10
B2 Beautiful Afternoon 2:19
B3 8 O'Clock & All’s Well 3:20
B4 Mean Pappie Blues 1:36
B5 You Too Can Have A Body Like Mine 2:42
B6 Sylvester’s Last Voyage 3:39