the original Metal Boxes

"The album was originally released on vinyl in a circular novelty package of a metal replica of a giant tobacco tin, inside which was a poster created with five connected paper circles with pictures of the band members. This proved too expensive and not successful as the tins tended to roll off of shelves and it was quickly followed by a paper/card replica with a gatefold cover."

Talking about this, of course

The bit about the tins rolling off shelves tickled me, I must say.

I don't remember having that problem with Metal Box myself, though. 

I was amazed when reading up on Ogdens' Nut Gone Flake  to discover just how hugely successful it was - six weeks at number one in the UK.

"Lazy Sunday" was a #2 hit in the spring-summer of 1968

 

"They make it very clear they've got no room for ravers"

But verily tis something that hast Droppeth Away Unto Nothingness

I can't think of Ogdens' Nut Gone Flake ever having been a reference point for groups, even though it's Peak Psychedelia, or the last gasp of it. 

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Another anticipator of Metal Box would be this release

Not metal, admittedly - but the concept is the same: a drab-looking utilitarian style of packaging... in this case, reinforced cardboard

Inside the carton, the album itself has a whole other cover with the band as sailors on the town (possibly a nod to the musical On the Town) and about to get up to debauched malarkey  (outcome depicted on the flip)

And then there was even more on the inner sleeve

The record's theme was sex (hence the idea of the plain brown wrapper) and it was supposed to be a return to a music-first direction after the ultra-theatricality of the Billion Dollar Babies tour.  Alice here submitting to the rest of the band's desires

Nobody was convinced or interested. 

Now John Lydon was a huge fan of Alice Cooper, although I doubt he was a fan of this record, as it's utterly denuded of inspiration. He did describe Killer as the greatest hard rock album of all time.

He was also a fan of the Small Faces - or at least the Sex Pistols were, they covered some of their tunes if I recall correctly.

The idea of the metal canister apparently came from Dennis Morris, their photographer friend, though. 

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There's probably other earlier examples of canister or chest-like containers for recordings - monumental box sets in the world of classical music, for instance. 

Later examples of tinned records? 

Chain Reaction issued 'career round-ups' of their artists's vinyl-only output on compact disc, encased in finicky metal containers. Some purchasers complained that this packaging damaged the disc. 

Feel like I got sent something by Merzbow in this sort of packaging. 

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Going back to where we started - Ogdens' Nut Gone Flake

Never quite got on with the Small Faces - there's something off-putting about them - the voices, even the look of Steve Marriott. Even the name of the band! 

But I love the combination of heaviness and groove on this tune, with the phased drums and colorized bass and the warm psychedelic keyboard. 

Another Small Faces song I adore is "Itchycoo Park"

Now, where did that religious-y, choirboy-like quality come from?  

The Who went into that high, pure zone with their singing as well.

It seems to be a uniquely British contribution to rock. 

Well, there was The Byrds, I suppose. "Eight Miles High".... some of the songs on Younger Than Yesterday and Notorious Byrd Brothers.

Perhaps it's the resort to folk and country vocal styling, as opposed to rhythm-and-blues. Neither folk nor country do sex, as such. There's no carnal heat. 

But the English psychedelic era stuff has a distinctly churchy quality, almost Anglican.

Psalmic. Monkish even.

The "she was a virgin of a humble origin / she knew of no sin" section of this 

Think of the vocal tonality in "Rain" by the Beatles - this sort of pulsating awe. There's nothing like it in rock prior to that, which the exception maybe of "Eight Miles High"

It seems to relate to  a certain kind of LSD-triggered ascesis, or at least an above-it-all fleshlessness -  rock becoming disincarnate, its mind on higher things.... no longer this-worldly.

Apparently Ronnie Lane got into Sufism. 

Actually there is also the Beach Boys, to be fair. "God Only Knows" etc.

Now Phil Knight's a big fan of Marriott's next venture, Humble Pie. Completely different vibe - earthy, sweaty, rutting. Following the lead of Canned Heat.

I have never been able to summon the intestinal fortitude to try the Pie, I confess.

Newly recovered footage of the Pie playing at Biba's, of all places - the glam-rock-aligned retro-boutique turned department store.