Release 1999
Named after William Burroughs book, they got formed 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 got released as LP on BYG in France only...later often re-released
on CD named  JET PROPELLED.
After some gigs in France Daevid Allen was 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
WILDFLOWERS 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  releases, but to watered down after the sixt album.

Style : Psych, Prog; Jazz-Rock; Fusion

see:
Wildflowers ; Kevin Ayers ; Robert Wyatt  &  Matching Mole ; Elton Dean ;
Daevid Allen & Gong ; The Cake (US) ; Hugh Hopper ; Caravan ; Nucleus ;
Andy Summers ; Carol Grimes & Delivery ; Alan Holdsworth's - Igginbottom ;

Musicians:
Mike Ratledge - organ, keyboards.; Kevin Ayers - bass, guitar, vocals;
Robert Wyatt - drums, voc.;Daevid Allen - guitar; Hugh Hopper - bass;

Elton Dean - sax, electric piano; Lyn Dobson - flute, sax;

Mark Charig - cornet; Jimmy Hastings - flute, clarinet; Alan Skidmore - sax;
John Marshall - drums; Karl Jenkins - piano, sax; Nick Evans - trombone;
Andy Summers, Alan Holdsworth, John Etheridge - guitar; Phil Howard (71) - drums ;
Roy Babbington - bass, double bass; Rab Spall. Ric Sanders - violin;

Tracks
FOURTH  (1970-71) :
Teeth  (Mike Ratledge)  9:12
Kings and Queens  (Hugh Hopper)  5:00
Fletchers Blemish (Elton Dean)  4:34
Virtuality Part 1  (Hugh Hopper)  5:17
Virtuality Part 2  (Hugh Hopper)  7:06
Virtuality Part 3  (Hugh Hopper)  4:31
Virtuality Part 4  (Hugh Hopper)  3:20

FIFTH  (1972) :
All White  (M.Ratledge)  6:07
Drop  (M.Ratledge)   7:42
MC    (H.Hopper)    4:57
As If   (M.Ratledge)  8:02
LBO   (J.Marshall)   1:54
Pigling Bland  (M.Ratledge)  4:24
Bone  (E.Dean)  3:27