Mark Almond - I .First Album Of Jon Mark & Johnny Almond (1971 Blue Thumb Rec.)

Mark-Almond I (1970 - 1971)

Line-up:Jon Mark, John Almond, Tommy Eyre, Roger Sutton

Jon Mark - guitar/bass/percussion/vocals - b. Cornwall, England - formerly with Marianne Faithfull's band, Alun Davies (later guitarist with Cat Stevens), Sweet Thursday (with Nicky Hopkins, Brian Odgers, and Harvey Burns), and John Mayall's Bluesbreakers.
Johnny Almond - sax/vibes/vocals/percussion/flute - b. July 20, 1946, Enfield, England - formerly with Zoot Money's Big Roll Band, the Alan Price Set, Johnny Almond's Music Machine, and John Mayall's Bluesbreakers.
Tommy Eyre - keyboards/flute/percussion/guitar/vocals - b. Sheffield, England - formerly with Joe Cocker's band, Juicy Lucy, and Aynsley Dunbar.
Rodger Sutton - bass/percussion/vocals - b. England - formerly with Jody Grind. Album:
"Mark-Almond" (1971)

Mark-Almond's first two albums, Mark-Almond (1971) and Mark-Almond II (1972) were recorded for Bob Krasnow's Blue Thumb label, and were noted for their embossed envelope-style album covers. The group then recorded two albums for Columbia Records, Rising (1972) and the live Mark-Almond 73 (1973), by which time the group's members had grown to seven. The liltingly arranged but thematically depressing "What Am I Living For" from 73 gained the group the most U.S. radio airplay they would get, but nevertheless they disbanded later that year.
Jon Mark released a solo record for Columbia Song For A Friend in 1975. He and Almond reunited in 1975 and released To the Heart on ABC Records in 1976, which featured noted drummer Billy Cobham. Other notable musicians who have recorded or toured with Mark-Almond include drummer Dannie Richmond, violinst Greg Bloch, keyboardist Tommy Eyre and bassist Roger Sutton. Eyre and Sutton later teamed in Riff Raff. A&M Records signed the duo in 1978 and released Other Peoples Rooms, but the record did not sell as well as earlier releases. A number of European releases followed, but Mark-Almond disbanded again in the early 1980s. Mark-Almond reunited again in 1996 for a CD called Night Music featuring keyboardist Mike Nock and others.

see Mark Almond with John Mayall's Bluesbreakers back in 69
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIEDGV2YtoM

The tracks

1 The Ghetto Mark 6:05

2 City: Grass and Concrete/Taxi to Brooklyn/Speak Easy It's a ... Mark 11:30

3 Tramp and the Young Girl Mark 4:55

4 Love: Renaissance/Prelude/Pickup/Hotel Backstage Mark 11:49

5 Song for You Sutton

Biography
by Steve Huey
British session musicians Jon Mark (vocals, guitar, drums) and Johnny Almond (vocals, woodwinds, vibes, percussion) met while playing together in John Mayall's Bluesbreakers and left in 1970 to form Mark-Almond, sometimes referred to as the Mark-Almond Band. Prior to his career with Mayall, Mark and Mick Jagger co-produced Marianne Faithfull's early albums, with Mark later writing material for her and touring with her. He also toured with folksinger Alun Davies, and the two formed an ill-fated band called Sweet Thursday. Almond, meanwhile, had played in Zoot Money's Big Roll Band, the Alan Price Set, and Johnny Almond's Music Machine. Both joined the Bluesbreakers in 1969 and appeared on the albums Turning Point and Empty Rooms; they left in 1970 and recruited bassist Rodger Sutton and keyboardist Tommy Eyre. The group built something of a following through touring, with their live shows often featuring lengthy instrumental jams. The group's roster grew to seven members by 1973 before disbanding that year. Mark, despite losing a finger in an accident, recorded the solo album Songs for a Friend in 1975. He and Almond reunited that year and released To the Heart in 1976; they got a deal with A&M in 1978 and released Other People's Rooms, but neither LP was successful and the duo broke up for good.

enjoy!