Escalator – SAM GOPAL***

Cold Embrace/The Dark Lord/The Sky Is Burning/You’re Alone Now/Grass/Its Only Love/Escalator/Angry Faces/ Midsummer Nights Dream/Season Of The Witch/Yesterlove

Escalator was the sole album release from the British psychedelic rock group Sam Gopal. Lead vocalist Lemmy would move to progressive group Hawkwind before finding fame with heavy metal Motorhead.

“Best described as psychedelia with plenty of tabla being supplied by group founder Sam Gopal. It's noted that Lemmy is on lead vocals as well as lead guitar and bass. Very nice scratching post for the future infamous Hawkwind/Motorhead mainman. The tunes that stand out are Cold Embrace, the very cool The Sky Is Burning, Grass and their cover of Donovan's Season Of The Witch.”

“Amazing drum pounding by Sam, mixed with Lemmy's whiskey-drained vocals, makes this album one of my top favourites.”

“This is no classic but back when you actually had to know how to play to have a band, these guys sure did. Oddly, you would never know this is Lemmy. Good bass, but none of the drive he had in Hawkwind and then put on meth for Motorhead.”

“Vocal duties are here carried by Lemmy, known in those days as Ian Willis. He plays guitar but the bass is being thumped by some other drudge. The whole idea of the group itself is built around tabla player Gopal - why he never had a drummer in to fill out the sound is a mystery. So the whole album has a bizarre 'gig-in-a-squat' feel to it, but this is nowhere near as hippy-drippy as it could have been. The atmosphere of murk that surrounds this is quite extraordinary.”

“Very nice album from the late sixties. Low budget production but the quality in the compositions is there. You've got everything you could possibly expect: fuzz guitar and bass, great melodies, great groove. Percussions are simply stunning, especially on the two last tracks. The harmonies are all original, it could be a source of inspiration for many bands.”

“This is the only album by the short-live British band Sam Gopal named after the leader and tabla player. The band combined psychedelic, hard rock and world music influences (Indian mainly) to create a one-off gem, which remains a great example of the imagination and artistic freedom given to the bands at the time.”