Fox - Simple Songs 1971-1973 (2011)

Fox — Simple Songs 1971-1973 (released on CD in 2011 by Glen Holly Studio) is an archival edition of lost and long-unreleased recordings by the American band Fox (not to be confused with the British glam-pop group of the same name).

The history of this release is inextricably linked with the breakup of the renowned psychedelic rock band Majic Ship. After their original ship sank, guitarists Phil Polimeni and Tom Nikosey decided to radically change course. Teaming up with vocalist and guitarist Jim Ayoub, they formed the Brooklyn-based acoustic trio Fox.

In 1972, the band decided to move from New York to Los Angeles to join the burgeoning California sound. The recordings presented on the disc document this transitional period from 1971 to 1973.

Half of the material was recorded at Phil Polimeni's Glen Holly Studio, where the musicians often experimented and recorded late into the night. The songs are built around skillful interweaving of twelve-string, slide, and acoustic guitars, lyrical themes, personal reflections, and soft yet dense vocal harmonies in the spirit of the California scene of the early '70s.

The album remained a rare archival gem until the masters were carefully restored and officially released in 2011 as a three-panel digipak.