Listen: Overture To The Sun (Part 1) / Terry Tucker’s Orange Clockwork
Overture

Sick and twisted futuristic London. Sounded like a great idea for a summer holiday to me. So along came a film about just that, and I was in.

A CLOCKWORK ORANGE played at the local university’s campus auditorium when current. Not really sure why, but it did, and was curiously well attended by U of R students and the like. Seems everyone left a bit uncomfortable, I know we did. Besides, everyone kind of expected there’d be rock music in this, not classical. Despite that, the film included some non-classical, neo-classical excerpts, sounding not unlike The Nice or String Driven Thing. So patiently I waited on those end credits to roll.

Hold on, Terry Tucker. I was pretty sure I recognized that guy’s name from one of the many prog titles that were beginning to overwhelm our roommate heavy apartment. The bunch of us either worked for the college station, a local vinyl store, the city’s record distributing One Stop, or in Corinne’s case, a combination of them. Makeshift wood plank and brick shelves crammed all the rooms. Yes, it was paradise. We got home, and I dove in.

Sure enough, there he was, that fellow Terry Tucker, a member of Sunforest, and on Deram no less. This was a major discovery. Their lone album, SOUND OF SUNFOREST is an overpriced collector’s must-have these days. Back then, I recall the other copy that arrived simultaneously with mine sat in the import bin for months, getting tatty.

Turns out “Overture To The Sun’ was re-recorded for A CLOCKWORK ORANGE, then doctored up and released on a UK 7″ under the pseudonym of Terry Tucker’s Orange Clockwork. There’s a certain something about the rather bland fidelity of most late 60′s and early 70′s prog records generally. In hindsight, those dreadful drum sounds and their wimpy mix placement have a quaint appeal, and really do the time period perfect justice.

Deram never did get around to releasing this, nor any Storyteller song on a single, and the origins of ‘Overture To The Sun (Part 1)’ became a well kept secret for years, thereby making copies very scarce. Nobody valued, not to mention saved them at the time.

Mine came courtesy of Rick Conrad. He dropped this and a box full of others off when in London a few weeks back. Out of the blue, just prior to my departure, Rick sends an introductory email, having discovered the blog. Turns out he’s planning to be blocks away from where we’re staying while over, only a few days later. Almost scary the way record people end up finding each other. Thank you Rick.