Bodkin were a Scottish quintet who released a self-titled Heavy Prog album in 1972. It is the only release by the band that has been reissued several times over the years, most recently in 2022.
The band’s genre is Heavy Prog with the emphasis on Doug Rome‘s Hammond organ and complemented by Mick Riddle‘s guitar works. A blend of Organ driven Rock and Heavy Psychedelia with Blues overtones, Bodkin will surely appeal to fans of the sounds of bands like Uriah Heep and Atomic Rooster.
They won a music competition that earned them the title of best band in their country, which allowed them to record their only album. Bodkin are often included in Proto-Metal but especially in Heavy Prog, a must for lovers of the more refined sounds of the early 1970s, not particularly rare, but a very sought-after listen. The album cover, characterised by a goat’s head and a burning cross, have often made Bodkin likened to occult bands such as Black Widow, although the lyrics, however, do not fit the genre, but simply the record company decided on this cover. Over the years, various reissues have featured different cover art, some of them with only the band’s name on a monochrome background. A band that rightfully belongs in this editorial, not so much because of the rarity of the record, whose value does not reach high figures, but because of the quality of the music it contains and the fact that it is the only record release by this band that would certainly have deserved greater consideration at the time.
Discography
[1972] Bodkin (West)
Tracklist:
01. Three Days After Death Pt. 1 (9:28)
02. Three Days After Death Pt. 2 (7:09)
03. Aunty Mary’s Trashcan (10:48)
04. Aftur Yur Lumber (5:12)
05. Plastic Man (5:59)
Lineup:
Doug Rome / Hammond Organ
Mick Riddle / Guitar
Bill Anderson / Bass
Dick Sneddon / Drums
Zeik Hume / Vocals
