- (This page is about the British band. For the American band of the same name, see Kaleidoscope(2) and the radio series of the same name, see Kaleidoscope(3))
Kaleidoscope are an English psychedelic rock band from London that originally were active between 1967 and 1970. It is not to be confused with the American psychedelic folk band of the same name. The band's songs combined the elements of psychedelia with whimsical lyrics. The band were also known at various times as The Sidekicks, The Key, I Luv Wight and Fairfield Parlour.
Having performed since 1963 under the name The Sidekicks, they became The Key in November 1965, before settling upon the name Kaleidoscope when they signed a deal with Fontana Records in January 1967 with the help of the music publisher Dick Leahy. The group consisted of Eddy Pumer on guitar, Steve Clark on bass and flute, and Danny Bridgman on drums and the vocalist Peter Daltrey, who also played various keyboard instruments. Most of the band's songs were compositions of Pumer's music and Daltrey's lyrics. While the group did not achieve major commercial success in its time, it retains a loyal fan base and its recordings are still held in high regard.
Links to Peel[]
Kaleidoscope were one of the British underground bands that Peel played during the early Top Gear era. He listed them as one of the bands that nearly made it to his list of ABC Of Beauty, which was an article in Disc & Music Echo, published in 1968 where he featured British "underground" artists both famous and obscure who caught his attention. The group also recorded a session for his Top Gear programme in December 1967.
Peel also played tracks from the group when they evolved into Fairfield Parlour (they were managed by David Symonds, a BBC Radio One colleague of Peel), but although they became popular with collectors of 1960s music and their albums were reissued in later decades, JP doesn't seem to have revisited them. After his death in 2004, it was later found Peel had copies of the band's albums under the Kaleidoscope and Fairfield Parlour names.
Sessions[]
Some of their session tracks are available on (with Fairfield Parlour) Please Listen To The Pictures CD/2xLP, 2003 (Circle Records CPW C104/L104) and Various Artists: Look At The Sun - Precious Seconds Thought Gone From The British Underground 1967 - 1970 CD, 2010 (Top Sounds Records TSSCD 005)
1. Recorded: 1967-12-31. First Broadcast: 07 January 1968
- A Dream For Julie / Dive Into Yesterday / Faintly Blowing / (Further Reflections) In The Room Of Percussion
Other Shows Played[]
- 19 November 1967: Mr. Small, The Watch Repairer Man (LP - Tangerine Dream) Fontana
- 21 January 1968: A Dream For Julie (7" - A Dream For Julie) Fontana TF 895
- 28 January 1968: A Dream For Julie (7" - A Dream For Julie) Fontana TF 895
- Fairfield Parlour
- 20 June 1970: Aries (LP - From Home To Home) Vertigo 6360 001 (“produced by Jumping David Symonds”)