The Cautionary Tale of the Devil’s Bondsman.
Graham Bond was one of the more troubled figures in rock & roll. Some artists have inner demons, but Bond actually believed he was the illegitimate son of Aleister Crowley. His later albums (Love is The Law, Holy Magick) even feature magical incantations set to music. Those looking for the real magic, however, had best start with the Graham Bond Organisation and their breathtaking debut, The Sound of 65. Graham’s early band featured the cream of Britain’s young jazz-rock talent, quite literally, with Jack Bruce on bass, Ginger Baker on drums, Dick Heckstall-Smith on sax and, in the band’s earliest incarnations, John McLaughlin on guitar.
The Organisation’s second album, There’s A Bond Between Us, offered less of the same, and the group split as Bruce and Baker went off to form Cream with Eric Clapton. Bond’s interests in the occult manifested themselves fully on Love Is The Law (so named for Crowley’s Law of Thelema), which featured his future wife, Diane Stewart, on vocals. Even in his later, stranger incarnations, Bond always returned to the organ-driven jazz/blues/rock of his earliest success. A Bond performance wouldn’t be complete without the organiastic “Wade In The Water.”
In 1974, Bond was found dead under a train, a strange end to a strange career. Despite a too-short life, Bond’s influence on those who heard him was indelible. Both as an organ player and a singer (though not so much as sax player), Bond at his peak had few peers: he brought a fearlessness to what was otherwise a staid English approach to American rhythm and blues and imbued it with the adventurousness of early jazz-rock.
The Discography
Long Tall Shorty (1964)
b/w Long Legged Baby. Credited to The Graham Bond Organization and released on 7-inch single on May 22, 196 in the UK (Decca, F.11909).
Tammy (1965)
b/w Wade In The Water. Credited to The Graham Bond Organisation and released on 7-inch single on January 22, 1965 in the UK (Columbia, DB 7471).
THE SOUND OF 65 (1965)
Hoochie Coochie / Baby Make Love To Me / Neighbour Neighbour / Early In The Morning / Spanish Blues / Oh Baby / Little Girl // I Want You / Wade In The Water / Got My Mojo Working / Train Time / Baby Be Good To Me / Half A Man / Tammy. Credited to The Graham Bond Organisation and released on mono elpee in March 1965 in the UK and the US (Columbia, 33SX 1711). Re-packaged with There’s A Bond Between Us on 2-for-1 compact disc in 1999 in the UK (Beat Goes On, BGOCD500). Re-released on expanded compact disc in 2009 in Germany (Repertoire, 5116) with 8 bonus tracks.
Lease On Love (1965)
b/w My Heart’s In Little Pieces. Credited to Graham Bond Organisation and released on 7-inch single on August 5, 1965 in the UK (Columbia, DB 7647).
THERE’S A BOND BETWEEN US (1965)
Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? / Hear Me Calling Your Name / The Night Time Is The Right Time / Walkin’ In The Park / Last Night / Baby Can It Be True? // What’d I Say? / Dick’s Instrumental / Don’t Let Go / Keep A’Drivin’ / Have You Ever Loved A Woman? / Camels And Elephants. Released on mono elpee in December 1965 in the UK (Columbia, SX 1750) and Canada (BSF, 75 40 132-02). Re-released on expanded, remastered in 2009 in Germany (Repertoire, 5117) with 6 bonus tracks.
St. James Infirmary (1966)
b/w Soul Tango (UK), Wade In The Water (US). Credited to The Graham Bond Organisation and released on 7-inch single on February 18, 1966 in the UK (Columbia, DB 7838) and in April 1966 in the US (Ascot, ASCOT 2211).
You’ve Gotta Have Love Babe (1967)
b/w I Love You. Credited to The Graham Bond Organisation and released on 7-inch single in February 1967 in the UK (Page One, POF 014).
LOVE IS THE LAW (1968)
Love Is The Law / Moving Towards The Light / Our Love Will Come Shining Through / I Couldn’t Stand It Anymore / Sun Dance // Crossroads of Time / Bad News Blues / Strange Times, Sad Times / The Naz / The World Will Soon Be Free. Released on elpee in 1968 in the US (Pulsar, AR-10604). Re-released on expanded compact disc in 2004 in Europe (Sunrise, 40101012) with 8 bonus tracks.
MIGHTY GRAHAME BOND (1969)
Water, Water / Oh Shining One / Pictures In The Fire / Baroque / Sisters And Brothers // Stiffnecked Chicken / Freaky Beak / Walk Onto Me / Magic Mojo / Brothers And Sisters. Released on elpee in 1969 in the US (Pulsar, AR-10606). Re-issued on compact disc in 2011 in Europe (Esoteric, ECLEC 2240).
HOLY MAGICK (1970)
Meditation Aumgn / Quabalistic Cross / Word of the Aeon / Invocation of the Light / Pentagram Ritual / Quabalistic Cross / Hymn of Praise / Gates to the City / Holy Words: Iao Sabao / (These Are The Words) / Aquarius Mantra / (In Egyptian) Enochian (Atlantean) Call / Abrahadabra The Word of Aeon / Praise ‘City of Light’ / Quabalistic Cross Aumgn // Return of Arthur / The Magician / The Judgement / My Archangel Mikael. Released on elpee in 1970 in the US (Mercury, SR-61327). Re-packaged with We Put Our Magick On You on 2-for-1 compact disc in 1999 in the US (Beat Goes On). Re-released on expanded, remastered compact disc in 2007 in the US (Repertoire) with 2 bonus tracks. Re-issued on compact disc in 2008 in Japan (Vertigo, UICY-93268).
SOLID BOND (1970)
Green Onions / Springtime In The City / Can’t Stand It / The Grass Is Greener / Doxy / Only Sixteen / Last Night / Long Legged Baby / Walkin’ In The Park // It’s Not Goodbye / Neighbour Neighbour / Ho Ho Country Kicking Blues. Released on 2LP in June 1970 in the UK and in August 1970 in the US (Warner Bros., 2LP 2555) with gatefold cover; reached #40 on the UK charts. Re-issued on 2LP in 1977 in Argentina (MH, 14332/3). Re-issued on compact disc in 2009 in the US (Collectors’ Choice).
Walking In The Park (1970)
b/w Springtime In The City. Released on promotional 7-inch single in 1970 in the UK (Warner Bros., WB 8004).
WE PUT OUR MAGICK ON YOU (1971)
Forbidden Fruit-Part I / Moving Towards The Light / Ajama / I Put My Magick On You // Druid / Time To Die / Hail, Ra-Harakhite / Forbidden Fruit-Part II. Credited as Graham Bond with Magick and released on elpee and 8-track in 1971 in the US (Mercury, SRM/MC-8-1-612) with gatefold cover.
Twelve Gates To The City (1971)
b/w Water Water. Credited to Graham Bond with Magick and released on 7-inch single on April 16, 1971 in the UK (Vertigo, 6059 042).
THIS IS… GRAHAM BOND: BOND IN AMERICA (1971)
Stiffnecked Chicken / Walk Onto Me / I Couldn’t Stand It Anymore / Oh Shining One / Moving Towards The Light // Crossroads of Time / Baroque / Freaky Beak / Strange Times, Sad Times / Love Is The Law. Compilation released on elpee in 1971 in the UK (Philips, 6382 010).
TWO HEADS ARE BETTER THAN ONE (1972)
Lost Tribe / Ig The Pig / Oobati / Amazing Grass // Scunthorpe Crabmeat Train Sideways Boogie Shuffle Stomp / C.F.D.T. (Colonel Frights’ Dancing Terrapins) / Mass Debate / Looking For Time. Credited to Bond + Brown and released on elpee in 1972 in the UK (Chapter 1, CHS-R-813). Re-issued on elpee in 2016 in the UK (Vinilisssimo, MR-SSS 541).
THE BEGINNING OF JAZZ-ROCK (1977)
Wade In The Water / Big Boss Man / Early In The Morning / Person To Person Blues / Spanish Blues // Introduction By Dick Jordan / The First Time I Met The Blues / Stormy Monday / Train Time / What’D I Say. Credited to Graham Bond Organisation, recorded live on October 15, 1964 and released on elpee in 1977 in the UK (Charly, CR30017). This material was previously released in 1972 in France on the elpees Rock Generation Volume 3 (BYG, 529.703T) and Rock Generation Volume 4 (BYG, 529.704T), which featured half a side each of music from Graham Bond Organisation and Sonny Boy Williamson w/ The Animals. Re-packaged as Soft Machine & Graham Bond Organisation on 2-for-1 compact disc on June 21, 1989 in Japan (Century, 29ED6026). Re-packaged as Live At Klooks Kleek – For One Night Only on compact disc in 2006 (Brook). Re-packaged as I Met The Blues At Klook’s Kleek on compact disc in 2007 in France (Music Avenue, 250175) with different track order.
WADE IN THE WATER: CLASSICS, ORIGINS & ODDITIES (2012)
Roll ‘Em Pete / Green Onions (version 1) / Tell Me (I’m Gonna Love Again ) / Soul Tango / Cabbage Greens (version 1) / High Heeled Sneakers (version 1) / Love Come Shining Through / Wade In The Water (version 5) / Baby What You Want Me To Do / Honey Bee / Please Don’t Say / Down In The Valley / I Saw Her Standing There (version 1) / Long Tall Shorty (version 1) / Like A Baby / Waltz For Pig / Shake, Rattle And Roll / Long Legged Baby (version 2) / Walking Through The Park / Wade In The Water (version 6) / What’d I Say (version 1) / Hoochie Coochie Man (version 2) / Don’t Let Go / You’ve Gotta Have Love Babe (version 1) / I Got A Woman / Strut Around / My Heart’s In Little Pieces / You’ve Gotta Have Love Babe (version 2) / I Saw Her Standing There (version 2) / High Heeled Sneakers (version 2) / The Night Time Is The Right Time / I Love You / Farewell Baby / Little Girl (version 1) / What’d I Say (version 2) / Wade In The Water (version 7) / Farewell Baby (master take) / Wade In The Water (version 3) / Have You Ever Loved A Woman / Long Tall Shorty (version 2) / Slippin’ & Slidin’ / Harmonica / Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? / Queen of Hearts / Spanish Blues (version 1) / Half A Man / Hear Me Calling Your Name / Alcoholic Blues / Untitled Abbey Road Blues Instrumental / Keep A Drivin’ / Last Night / Green Onions (version 2) / It’s Happening / What Am I Living For? / Baby Can It Be True / High Heeled Sneakers (version 3) / Wade In The Water (version 1) / Neighbour Neighbour / Dick’s Instrumental / The First Time I Met The Blues / Swing-A-Ling (Part 1) / Spanish Blues (version 2) / Camels And Elephants / Little Girl (version 3) / Swing-A-Ling (Part 2) / Spanish Blues (version 3) / Lease On Love / Stormy Monday / Just A Little Walk (Part 1) / Tammy / Cold Rain / What’d I Say (version 3) / Just A Little Walk (Part 2) / I Want You / Positive aka HHCK Blues / So-Ho / Wade In The Water (version 4) / Positive aka HHCK Blues / Say When (Part 1) / Early In The Morning / When Johnny Comes Marching Home / Say When (Part 2) / Baby Make Love To Me / Good Good Loving / Cabbage Greens (version 2) / Baby Be Good To Me / Only Sixteen / Long Legged Baby (version 1) / Got My Mojo Working / St. James Infirmary / Hoochie Coochie Man (version 1) / Train Time / Wade In The Water (version 2) / Little Girl (version 2) / Oh Baby / Hoochie Coochie Man (version 3). Released on 3CD in 2012 in the UK (Repertoire).
LIVE AT THE BBC AND OTHER STORIES (2015)
Live tracks: Bluesology / I’m Gonna Move To The Outskirts of Town / Hello Little Girl / Spanish Blues / Wade In The Water / Hallelujah I Love Her So / Every Day I Have The Blues / I Saw Her Standing There / I Got A Woman / Summertime / Hallelujah I Love Her So / Things Are Getting Better / Elsie And Ena / Richmond Festival / Kelly Blue / Troika / Kazeef / Persian Party // Wade In The Water / Only 16 / When Johnny Comes Marching Home / Macumbe / Milk Is Turning Sour In My Shoes / Beak Suite / Improvisation / Moses In The Bullrushhourses / What’d I Say? / Wade In The Water // Walkin’ In The Park – I Want You (Segue) / Wade In The Water / Love Is The Law (Tracks 1-3) / Magic Mojo Blues / The World Will Soon Be Free / Wade In The Water // Things Are Getting Better / Blew Through / Sack O’ Woe / Mack The Knife / Work Song / Oleo / Things Are Getting Better. Released on 4CD in 2015 in the US (Repertoire, 1279).
LIVE AT THE BBC (2016)
Released on 2LP in 2016 in Europe (Repertoire).
