John’s Children injected a welcome dose of controversy and even sleaze into 1967’s summer of love, posing naked for photos (save some strategically-placed flowers), inciting riots at gigs with staged fights (complete with blood capsules) and getting their Desdemona single banned for the line, “Lift up your skirt and fly.” They’re also known for one of the era’s most sought-after collectibles in Midsummer Night’s Scene and counting pre- Tyrannosaurus Rex Marc Bolan in their line-up, who recalled beating the stage with a chain but fleeing for calmer waters after four months.
Inevitably, the group burnt out, leaving singer Andy Ellison forming Jet and Radio Stars in the 70s, while the infamous John’s Children legend swelled. The group reactivated in the late 90s with Ellison and original drummer Chris Townson (who sadly succumbed to cancer in 2008), joined by Jet/Radio Stars bassist Martin Gordon and former Polecat-then-Morrissey guitarist Boz Boorer, recording this long-lost collection of revamped JC songs (Sara Crazy Child), covers (Eleanor Rigby, Lazy Sunday, Love Is All Around) and stridently-chorded originals, ranging from the old-style unhinged (check the mighty Townson’s Moon-challenging eruptions on Train In My Head) to questionable (Oh No (She Wouldn’t Swallow)). A genuine post-psych curio.
