A classic of its kind, capturing that emerging mix of jazz blues and rock that would create that special Brit sound of the era. Whether the content carries off its musicological import is a different matter, but Almond is never less than eminently listenable. Hot from a time with John Mayall, and with his satisfying work with Mayall compatriot Jon Mark a few years hence, this is Almond tentatively reaching back and forward simultaneously. Cuts like ‘Ensingle’ could come from his beat combo days with Alan Price, driven by a rudimental Hammond groove, but ‘Reversed for Two Horns’ reveals Almond playing with the studio as another instrument, reversing tapes and subtly using effects with an ear to George Martin. If the Mark-Almond material is more satisfying, the patent for their sound can be surmised in meditations like ‘Before Dawn’.