Clive John — You Always Know Where You Stand With A Buzzard 1975 (UK, Heavy Progressive Rock)

Clive John — You Always Know Where You Stand With A Buzzard 1975 (UK, Heavy Progressive Rock)


The only solo album by the former keyboardist of the Welsh band Man. After releasing this solo album, John retired from music. He passed away from emphysema on August 24, 2011, at the age of 66.Clive John, or Clint Space or just Clint to Man-band fans, was the beloved keyboardist and sometimes guitarist for Man through most of their classic periods. His contribution to the sound and humour of the band was a big one, though you might not really realise it until you place him apart to record his one and only solo album, ie. this one. Of all the Man off-shoots and solo projects that I’ve heard (which I have to admit isn’t all of them), this is far and away the best and most consistently high in quality (and other substances), but for some reason it’s also one of the most obscure. I only discovered its existence when I stumbled across it in a random rack-shuffling in a large discount music store, and although I was instantly intrigued by a) the Man connection, b) the title and c) the cover, I was also wary of the late date 1975, by which time Man were no longer so hot on record) and the fact that I’d never heard of it before.

At this time, Clint was holed up in a remote farm in Breton, and after being asked by Andrew Lauder of UA to do a solo album, he transferred holes to Rockfield Studios in Wales to record it. Clint handled most of the instruments on this album – guitars, keyboards and vocals – but he’s backed by Man’s Martin Ace on bass, and Help Yourself’s Dave Charles on drums and engineering, as well as sundry guests on various tracks including Phil Ryan (Eyes of Blue, Quicksand, Piblokto, Man, Neutrons) and Andy Fairweather Low (Amen Corner). The cover features the still-hairy prototypical hippy freak Clint generously holding out a giant fake-looking orange. The title of the album came from what Clint said to a visitor who fled after being attacked by buzzards whose nest site he’d unwittingly approached, the point being that you’re supposed to stand your ground and the buzzards will hold back. Don’t ask me to test that one out...

Tracks:

01. Out Of My Tree — 0:00

02. Brand ‘X’ — 5:22

03. Summer Song — 9:10

04. Swansea Town — 14:37

05. Visitin’ The Duke — 18:30

06. Love To You — 24:35

07. Overflow — 30:57

08. Bust Again — 36:09

09. Ferret Interview — 40:48

10. Hold Your Ferret Aloft — 42:30


Personnel:

Clive John (Clive John Hambley) — guitars, keyboards, vocals, producer
Martin Ace — bass
Dave Charles — drums, producer
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Phil Ryan — keyboards (10)
John Williams — backing vocals (02), interview (09)
Andy Fairweather-Low — guitar solo (02), interview (09)
Tommy Riley — drums (08)
Pete Hurley — bass (08)
Brian Breeze — guitar solo (07)
Ted Crook — mouth harp (05)

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