Andwella’s Dream – Love and Poetry (1969)

In his teens, singer/guitarist/keyboard player Dave Lewis joined the Belfast-based soul band The Methods. Managed by George Mechan, the group attracted some attention performing on the Belfast and Dublin club scenes, going though a stream of members, including briefly future Thin Lizzy members Phil Lynnot and Gary Moore. In 1967 Lewis, drummer Wilgar Cambell, and bassist Nigel Smith decided to strike out on their own. The trio relocated to London, where they caught the attention of Andrew Cameron Miller’s CBS affiliated Reflection Records. Dubbing themselves Andwellas Dream, still in their teens, the trio ended up signing with CBS. During the resulting recording sessions drummer Campbell became homesick and returned to Ireland. He was quickly replaced by Gordon Barton and within a couple of months the revamped line-up debuted with a 45 produced by former The Konrads bassist Shahan Chowdhury (aka Rocky Shahan):

Produced by Shahan, 1969’s “Love and Poetry” has been widely labeled as a psych classic. While there are clearly psych influences across these grooves, that’s not a particularly apt description of the album. It’s actually one of the most musically diverse LP’s in my collection. My ears detect as least six genres scattered across these 13 tracks. The influences included Byrds-styled folk-rock (‘Man Without a Name’), jazz-rock (‘Clockwork Man’), Hendrix-styled hard rock (‘Sunday’), psychedelia (the lysergic-tinged ballad ‘Midday Sun’), and even a stab at world music (the first half of ‘Lost a Number Found a King’).

Given the album’s diversity, Lewis was clearly the trio’s point-man. In addition to writing all the material he handled lead vocals, guitar and organ. He certainly had a nice voice; capable of easily handling the band’s diverse repertoire. He was also a gifted guitarist and had a knack for crafting catchy melodies. Virtually every one of these tracks had an appealing hook. That’s not intended to downplay the contributions of the Barton-Smith rhythm section. On tracks like the single ‘Sunday’ drummer Barton demonstrated he could easily keep up with the likes of a Keith Moon. Smith was a gifted bassist; highly inventive and melodic – check out his work on the opener ‘The Days Grew Longer for Love.’

No idea who he was, but I’ve always liked C. Nevil Boussmayeff’s abstract cover art.(badcatrecords.com)

Love & Poetry was one of those albums that raised psychedelic rock high and made it domineering genre of the time. “The man from the dam said it was a shame about her she never planned on staying here for long. He looked rather pale as he mentioned the name Andwella she came with the gong that sat on top of her basket there was none pleasant to my eyes as she. She came like a breeze in the middle of the day, then gone she brought us the air that looked about it serving her until the day you die with her crimson cape she rolled across the valley”. Love & Poetry is diverse and melodious and as the title suggests it is lovely and poetic. (Babe_N_Co)

Personnel:
Gordon Barton (drums)
Dave Lewis (guitar, keyboards, vocals)
Nigel Smith (bass, vocals)
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Wilgar Campbell (drums on 12.)
Bob Downes (flute, saxophone, percussion)

Tracklist:
01. The Days Grew Longer For Love 3.56
02. Sunday 3.14
03. Lost A Number, Found A King 6.04
04. Man Without A Name 2.42
05. Clockwork Man 2.44
06. Cocaine 5.00
07. Shades Of Grey 3.37
08. High On A Mountain 2.32
09. Andwella 3.16
10. Midday Sun 3.41
11. Take My Road 3.23
12. Felix 4.17
13. Goodbye 2.18
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14. Mrs. Man (45 A-Side) 4.00
15. Mr. Sunshine (45 B-Side) 3.17
16. Every Little Minute (45 A-Side) 3.55
17. Michael Fitzhenry (45 B-Side) 3.43
18. Take My Road (alternate mix) 3.27
19. Man Without A Name (alternate mix) 2.39
20. . Miles Away From My Baby (2008) 4.37
21. Paradise Isle (2008) 3.45

All songs written by Dave Lewis

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Andwella on facebook:

Andwella’s Dream – Love And Poetry (1969)

Andwella were a Northern Irish psychedelic rock band formed in 1968, originally as The Method and later renamed Andwellas Dream. The trio were fronted by Dave Lewis (Guitar/keyboard/vocals), with Nigel Smith (bass/vocals) and Gordon Barton (drums).[1]

Their first album, as Andwellas Dream, Love and Poetry, was recorded in London in 1968, and featured jazz musician Bob Downes on saxophone and flute, and Wilgar Campbell on drums on the track “Felix”. However, the album failed to sell, and Lewis then recorded a solo album, privately pressed, on the Ax label in 1970; which included new versions of some of the Andwella’s Dream songs. Then in 1970 David Lewis wrote the music for and produced poet David Baxter’s “Goodbye Dave” album, for which he was backed by Andwella.

With the addition of Dave McDougall on guitar and vocals, the band was renamed Andwella. This line-up issued World’s End, before Dave Struthers replaced Nigel Smith on bass and Jack McCullock joined as drummer. This lineup recorded the bands’ last album, People’s People, in 1971, after which the band broke up in 1972.

Lewis later went on to write “Happy to Be on an Island in the Sun”, recorded in the 1970s by Demis Roussos.

Love and Poetry is the first studio album by British psychedelic band Andwella’s Dream. It was released in 1969 on CBS Records.

Love and Poetry was composed entirely by band member Dave Lewis. It captures the true original sounds of Irish psychedelic rock. Relatively unknown, this album has achieved certain cult status after 40 years and is eagerly sought after by collectors of the genre.

It is featured in Record Collector’s Top 100 British Psychedelic Records of the 1960s. (by wikipedia)

Although Andwella’s Dream were a versatile psychedelic group, they were nonetheless generic no matter what angle they were taking. On Love & Poetry, you get sustained guitar that walks the line between freakbeat and heaviness, some swirling organ and husky vocals that betray the influence of Traffic and Procol Harum, pastoral acoustic folky tunes in the Donovan style, airy-fairy dabs of phased guitars and storybook lyrics, etc. Eclecticism is to be commended, and since late-’60s British psychedelia is an interesting genre in and of itself, generic music in the subgenre is more interesting than some other generic music in other styles. Still, generic music is generic music, and being able to do a bunch of different things in an unexceptional manner does not make you exceptional. The fairly tuneful folk-rocker “Midday Sun” is the best cut; it’s also interesting to hear a song about “Cocaine” in 1969, before the drug was too well known even in the counterculture. (by Richie Unterberger)

Personnel:
Gordon Barton (drums)
Bob Downes (flute, percussion)
David Lewis (vocals, guitar, keyboards)
Nigel Smith (bass, vocals)

Tracklist:
01. The Days Grew Longer For Love 3.56
02. Sunday 3.12
03. Lost A Number Found A King 6.04
04. Man Without A Name 2.42
05. Clockwork Man 2.44
06. Cocaine 5.00
07. Shades Of Grey 3.37
08. High On A Mountain 2.32
09. Andwella 3.16
10. Midday Sun 3.41
11. Take My Road 3.23
12. Felix 4.17
13. Goodbye 2.18

All songs composed by Dave Lewis

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Live at the Marquee Club, London … what a time !