Named after William Burroughs book, they founded in Canterbury around 1967,  with Australian guitar player
Daevid Allen and Kevin Ayers on bass the first lineup recorded some tracks. But first only a single produced
and written by KIM FOWLEY , with a very special psychedelic sound was released on Polydor. I still remember
hearing it on a Pirate Radio Station and looking for it, without success. Other recordings from that lineup released
as LP on BYG in France only...later and often re-released on CD named  JET PROPELLED or....
After some gigs in France Daevid Allen got not allowed to come back to the UK.
So the first real album was without him...a great psychedelic album with a nice gimmick cover (watch) but originaly
released only in the USA, where the band toured with Jimi Hendrix.
Ayers left the band after the tour to go solo. Hugh Hopper; who played with Wyatt in the WILDE FLOWERS replaced him.
The 2nd album also psychedelic but shows the way to jazz. The next album 3rd was an ambitious masterpiece, showed
the way for the following Jazzrock generations..this concept was followed by the next  recordings, but  got watered down
after the sixt album.

Style : Psych, Prog; Jazz-Rock; Fusion

see:
Wilde Flowers ; Kevin Ayers ; Robert Wyatt  &  Matching Mole ; Elton Dean ; Daevid Allen & Gong ;
The Cake (US) ; Hugh Hopper ; Caravan ; Nucleus ; Andy Summers ; Delivery ; UK ; IF ; Zzebra ;
Alan Holdsworth's Igginbottom ; Jack Bruce ; Tempest ;

Musicians:
Mike Ratledge - organ, keyboards.; Kevin Ayers - bass, vocals; Robert Wyatt - drums, voc.;
Daevid Allen - guitar; Hugh Hopper - bass;
1970-1979
Elton Dean - sax, electric piano; Lyn Dobson - flute, sax; Nick Evans - trombone; Mark Charig - cornet;
Jimmy Hastings - flute; Alan Skidmore - sax; Rab Spall - violin
John Marshall - drums; Karl Jenkins - piano, sax; Roy Babbington - bass;
Andy Summers, Allan Holdsworth, John Etheridge - guitar; Ric Sanders - violin;

1981:
John Marshall - drums, perc.; Karl Jenkins - piano,moog, synthesizer,  sax;
Allan Holdsworth - Lead guitar; Alan Parker - rhythm guitar; John Taylor - e-piano;
Jack Bruce - bass; Dick Morrissey - sax (ts) ; Ray Warleigh - sax (as), bass-flute;
Tony Rivers, John Perry, Stu Calver - back.-vocals;

Side 1    all by K.Jenkins
Over N Above   7:20
Lotus Groves    4:54
Isle of the Blessed    1:55
Panoramania    7:03
Behind the Crystal Curtain   0:52

Side 2
Palace of Glass
Hot Biscuit Slim    7:23
(Black) Velvet Mountain    5:06
Sly Monkey   4:55
A Lot of what you Fancy   0:33

Zustandsbeschreibung / grading:

RECORD =

 m-

COVER  =

 vg++    (minor ear, taped on top)

with original printed inner bag