Sands - Listen to the Sky

1. Band started out as the The Others in 1963.

2. Changed name first to The Army, and then Sands (no "the"). Managed by Brian Epstein and Robert Stigwood. Lost members to Procul Harum and the Jeff Beck Group.

3. I've seen a couple of places that interest in the band waned after Brian Epstein's death in August 1967. Two members of the band went on to form Sundragon, and then seem to have disappeared.

4. The single was released in 1967 on Reaction Records, #591017. Listen to the Sky was actually bottom-side, the top-side being the Bee Gees tune "Mrs. Gillespie's Refrigerator".

5. The song was written by Ian McLintock. Since a lot of 60s psych-poppers seem to be doing stuff lately, I searched to see if I could find him, but the last mention I find is an Ian McLintock that produced Be-Bop Deluxe's Axe Victim, a proggy record from 1974. Notes someone has written about that album say that McLintock has been unknown since then.

6. It's really a brilliant piece of pop-sike, with multiple parts, great harmonies, a slightly proggy bass-line, and those beautiful mid song stops (how come you don't here those mid song pauses as much anymore at the end of choruses?)

7. The ending is actually a rendition of Gustav Holst's "Mars, the bringer of War" from the Planets suite. You can see that symphony here. Jump to about minute two for to see what they are riffing off of.

8. While we're on the references thing, I find it interesting the guitar at the begginning seems to reference a baroque meoldy to me (Pachebel/Bach-like to my ears at least -- is it a direct quoting of something, does anybody know?) and the end is a rendition of Holst.

9. Lyrics -- I like the bit about the socks. Such an English pop-sike touch.