Principal Edwards - Round One (Reissue) (1974/2006)

PRINCIPAL EDWARDS MAGIC THEATRE were an artistic cooperative formed by a group of student musicians and artists at Exeter University in 1968. The group's original plan to establish a magazine for artistic expression was abandoned in favor of a touring troupe usually numbering fourteen artists and featuring music, light shows, dancing and poetry. The group was quickly adopted by DJ John Peel, who appeared with the band along with Alexis Korner, T.Rex, Free, Fairport Convention, Pete Brown and King Ida's Watch Chain at something known as "Dance of Words" at the Guildhall in Portsmouth in the spring of 1968. While most of the band's member left Exeter that fall, the troupe remained intact and resettled in a communal local farmhouse to pursue their music, sponsored by John Peel who contributed to the cost of a traveling van and some instruments.

The band recorded their debut 'Soundtrack' at Trident Studios in 1969 (co-produced by Peel) and released it under his Dandelion label with CBS distribution. The group managed only one additional studio release ('The Asmoto Running Band' in 1971, produced by Nick Mason) before disbanding. In the meantime they managed to amass an impressive series of live appearances opening for such luminary acts as PINK FLOYD, ELTON JOHN, JOHN & YOKO ONO, VAN DER GRAF GENERATOR, CARAVAN, FLEETWOOD MAC, YES, KING CRIMSON, LED ZEPPELIN, EGG, THE WHO, DAVID BOWIE, MANFRED MANN, DEEP PURPLE, and THE STRAWBS among many others.

While tensions and business difficulties led to the breakup of the group in December 1971, members Root Cartwright and Belinda Bourquin formed a follow-on project known simply as PRINCIPAL EDWARDS. That band would remain active for another three years under management by future POLICE manager Miles Copeland, and included future CLIMAX BLUES BAND bassist Richard Jones. PRINCIPAL EDWARDS would release an additional album and record another ('The Devon Tapes') which would remain unreleased until rediscovered and targeted for release in November 2007.

The band's varied acoustic and electric instrumentation, theatrical stage shows, extemporaneous poetry readings and colorful lighting predated the Glam movement and have similarities to such acts as BEGGARS OPERA and maybe even a little bit of THE NICE; and their eclectic and inspired live performances could even be compared to any number of seventies Canterbury acts.