Fresh Maggots (Side 2) 1971 UK LP Incredibly Rare 1st Ever Issue `Acid Folk` £1000+

ne of the Holy Grails of UK Acid Folk collectors, this LP By Nuneaton Folk Duo “Fresh Maggots` (only 19 years old at time of release) released in 1971 is incredibly rare (a copy sold in 2016 for 1100 British pounds), original 1st Issue copies were released on the distinctive `Orange` RCA Victor label (RCA SF 8205) in Front laminated single sleeve with Purple back (later issue has blue), please note also that some of the pressings contain a flaw in the vinyl (small bubble). I add rare records/items regularly, why not subscribe to my channel.

Side 1
1 Dole Song
2 Rosemary Hill
3 Quickie
4 Everyone’s Gone To War
5 And When She Laughs
6 Spring
Side 2
1 Balloon Song
2 Guzz Up
3 Who’s To Die
4 Elizabeth R
5 Frustration

Fresh Maggots were a short-lived folk duo from Nuneaton, Warwickshire in England. It comprised Mick Burgoyne and Leigh Dolphin. The pair signed to Sparta Florida and released their only album through RCA Victor in 1971 – when they were nineteen years of age. Although its release was preceded by some degree of anticipation, delays in publishing gradually saw interest wane. Upon its release, it was met with amicable reviews, however record sales did not reflect this, and pressing was withdrawn soon after.

The band got their interesting name when reading the Nuneaton Tribune and spotting an advert for Riley’s Sports shop proclaiming “Fresh maggots always available”. They got a break while playing a gig in Wolvey Village Hall. In the audience that night was Mike Berry from Sparta Florida Music Company. He liked what he had heard and offered them a chance to demo their material in London. Just a week later the guys were signing a publishing contract in his Oxford Street office. Mike takes up the story. “We were playing a gig in Coventry when during the set there was a power cut. I had a transistor amplifier that ran on batteries, which I used to tune up with so we carried on the set. Afterwards two blokes came and told us they were from RCA. A week later we were in London signing the record contract.”
Their one and only album was recorded over a period of several months at The Radio Luxembourg studios in London. What came out of those sessions was a unique blend of melodic acoustic folk juxtaposed with screaming fuzzed electric guitar all topped off by Mick’s pure vocal style. It may sound a recipe for disaster but the whole thing worked perfectly, stunning guitar work providing the perfect crescendo for the quieter thought-provoking passages. It’s often hard to believe there are only two people making this music. The album cost 1,500 pounds to make (including 700 pounds for the string section). The cover was shot in Blackwater Park in Buckinghamshire and designed by prog-rock cover-king ‘Keef’. It hit the streets in autumn 1971. It included the song ‘Who’s to Die’ which was inspired by a near fatal car accident in Coventry’s Eagle Street, and the title of the song `Rosemary Hill` was inspired by the Kenilworth road of the same name. The album gained some rave reviews and they supported the likes of Peter Hammill’s Van der Graaf Generator, Medicine Head and John Martyn. They also played two live Radio One shows and the famous Marquee Club supporting Wild Turkey.