Exactly why Jody Grind seem to have been written out of rock history is hard to fathom. At the very least, both of their albums deserve the cult status of impressively realised period pieces. Named after an old Horace Silver tune and fronted by ace keyboardist Tim Hinkley (later of Vinegar Joe, and countless sessions with Snafu, Bad Company, Thin Lizzy and the rest), Jody Grind were an ambitious, uncompromising and ultimately short-lived attempt at blending jazz and blues with prog.
Signed to one of the UK’s first independent labels, Transatlantic, this double-disc brings together both their albums, One Step On (1969) and Far Canal (1970), plus bonuses. Echoes of The Nice abound throughout One Step On, especially on the 18-minute title track: a freewheeling fusion of four tracks in one culminating in an energetic reworking of the Stones Paint It, Black. Elsewhere, the trio shine on the slow burning blues of USA, before winding up with the gloriously incongruous Chuck Berry tribute Rock’n’Roll Man.
Recorded with a reshuffled line-up, Far Canal has a bluesier and less overtly jazz mood than its predecessor, with Jump Bed Jed, Bath Sister and the protoenvironmental protest of Plastic Shit, recorded live at the Roundhouse, providing its best moments.
