Bodkin were another group I couldn’t find a whole lotta info on, but I would consider them a very worthy addition to Doomology and definitely needing some light shed on their great music. They were a quintet from Scotland who recorded a single album in 1972. Leading the charge with his dominating Hammond organ, which really characterizes the sound of this band, was Doug Rome (age 21). And behind him were bassist Bill Anderson (age 28), Mick Riddle (age 25) on guitar, Dick Sneddon (age 34) on drums, and Zeik Hume (age 21) taking care of the vocals. These five lads, all from different villages, came together in 1970 to play music that agreed with them (heavy progressive rock) and with this Bodkin was formed. The band played many shows, mainly at universities, rock clubs, and halls, with standard blues songs as their staple. But as time progressed, they began to play longer and more complicated music. The band were also constantly acquiring and experimenting with bigger and better equipment to try and find the sound they desired. One notable appearance found them playing in the finals for The National Rock Band Contest of Great Britain. The band had used their own equipment for the previous heats, but they were unfortunately forced to settle for playing with standard instruments provided to them during the last round.
Because of this, plus very likely due to the fact that their stage show was just plain outrageous, the judges denied them the opportunity to be labeled “The Best New Rock Band in the UK.” Following the contest they were given an opportunity to record and signed a contract with West Records. The album that came from this deal pressed 100 copies and was only available to fans that attended Bodkin shows. One copy also supposedly managed to find its way to the legendary disc jockey, John Peel. The band continued to play following the album’s recording, but personal and family obligations, as they often do, began to get in the way and led to the group’s eventual disbanding. Some of the members continued playing with other groups in the area, but Bodkin was unfortunately no more. Supposedly guitarist Mick Riddle is currently a gardener in Scotland while bassist Bill Anderson has been enjoying a career as a professional musician. And bandleader Doug Rome reportedly works as a miner in South Africa. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to find much more out about these guys and it’s hard to determine what info is actually concrete or not, but one way or another, the album they’ve left behind definitely invites curiosity into the band’s history.
It seems like all these lost, proto-doom bands can be compared or related back to one of the big three- Zeppelin, Purple, or Sabbath. And Bodkin clearly sit in the Deep Purple camp thanks to the absolutely fantastic Hammond organ throughout. The other instruments don’t lag behind at all though. The heavy guitars and drumming and the wonderful vocals and poetic lyrics all hold their own nicely alongside the organ. But Hammond is definitely the start of this show. The album contains five long, jammy tracks and not a moment is wasted. Like many Scottish groups of the day (Iron Claw, Writing On The Wall, Soho Orange, Tentacle, etc), this band creates a dark, hazy, and overall mysterious atmosphere with the music they present us. The album opens up with a two-parter entitled Three Days After Death. Both of these extended jams are emotionally powerful and devastating affairs with guitars and organ that try to nullify your speakers. I don’t know if it’s the lyrics or the music, or both, but these first two tracks always hit a note of sadness within me. The music is definitely of the downer variety.
Next up we have Aunty Mary’s Trashcan (some reissues, including mine, have their track order messed up so Plastic Man, the final track of the album, appears instead). This is the longest cut of the album, but the band knows how to keep things interesting throughout. After some heavy thudding, some fantastic organ playing, and some interesting lyrics about the contents of Aunty Mary’s Trashcan, the band erupts into more jamming. They lock you into the energetic groove right away while the organ blares and the lengthy running time of the song is quickly lost. After Your Lumber seems to be the most upbeat song here with it’s vocal harmonies and almost “cruisin’ down the highway” vibe. But it still retains the heaviness and energy in spades and all the instruments are once again fantastic; especially Doug Rome’s organ playing. If you happen to be listening to the version of the album I have and want to hear the proper track order, you’ll need to rewind back to track three for the album’s final piece. But trust me, the effort to go back a couple tracks will be more than worth it. Plastic Man is yet another fantastically gloomy piece of downer prog that seals up this bleak package quite nicely. There you go, five amazing and powerful tracks that do all sorts of pummelling throughout. This is a personal favourite of mine so I would wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone. But if the Hammond organ is your bag than you should definitely not be passing this one by.....10/10
These guys are slightly lesser known than some of the bands I’ve talked about before and there is not much out there for info on them, but they definitely have the chops; especially Doug Rome and his Hammond playing. Deep Purple fans should especially be taking note and giving this one a go.
Recommended tracks (all of them are fantastic really):
-Three Days After Death Pt. 1
-Plastic Man
Words: Brian