Reality (Second Hand album)

Untitled

Reality is the debut studio album by British progressive rock band Second Hand, released in 1968. The album is sometimes considered to be one of the first progressive rock recordings, though the album The Thoughts of Emerlist Davjack was released in late 1967. Most of the album material was actually written and recorded in early 1967, and the album can be said to be a few years ahead of its time and shows progressive touches much earlier than the classic artists of the genre such as Yes, Genesis and King Crimson.

Background

Lyrics of the several songs, such as ″Denis James The Clown″, ″Ode to D.J.″ and ″The Bath Song″ mention Denis James The Clown and his death. Ken Elliott:

I tied up the loose album concept in the persona of Denis James, and at the same time it amused me to think of a disc jockey playing a song about the romantic failure and suicide of someone whose initials were ′DJ′.

Mellotron and harpsichord, played by Ken Elliott, are used in most of the songs joint with the Hammond organ. The album fully shows the mastery of Elliott as a keyboardist, though some sources say that the vocals by Ken are a little weak in the album. However, that was probably caused by Ken's engrossment with the keyboards. Particularly because of that the band involved a freestanding vocalist, Ken's brother Rob Elliott, on their second LP.

Legacy

The album is sometimes called "one of the most underestimated recordings in prog rock".

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic
Progarchives
Discogs	4.5/5

Track listing

Side one

1. "A Fairy Tale" (Ken Elliott) - 3:18
2. "Rhubarb!" (Elliott, Bob Gibbons) - 3:42
3. "Denis James the Clown" (Arthur Kitchener) - 2:21
4. "Steam Tugs" (Elliott) - 3:16
5. "Good Old '59 (We Are Slowly Gettin' Older)" (Elliott) - 2:19
6. "The World Will End Yesterday" (Elliott, Gibbons) - 3:51

Side two

1. "Denis James the Clown (Ode to D.J.)" (Elliott, Kitchener) - 3:12
2. "Mainliner" (Elliott) - 7:13
3. "Reality" (Elliott, Gibbons) - 7:42
4. "The Bath Song" (Elliott) - 3:12

Bonus tracks on 2007 re-issue

1. "A Fairy Tale" (demo recording)
2. "Steam Tugs" (demo recording)
3. "James in the Basement" (with Denis Couldry) (Couldry)
4. "I Am Nearly There" (with Denis Couldry) (Couldry)

Personnel

• Ken Elliott - organ, piano, harpsichord, mellotron, lead vocals
• Bob Gibbons - guitars
• Kieran O'Connor - drums, percussion
• Arthur Kitchener - bass guitar (on tracks 2, 6, 8, 10)
• Nick South - bass guitar (on tracks 1, 3, 5, 6, 9)

Additional personnel

• Chris Williams - cello, flute, saxophone

Studio workers

• Vic Keary - producer, engineer (assisted by Mike Craig)