Little is known about the British traditional folk quartet Vulcan's Hammer, other than that they were based in Kent and put out one album, True Hearts and Sound Bottoms, as a privately pressed release limited to 250 copies. Though it's pretty typical of the English traditional vocal folk group genre without bearing special hallmarks of distinction, it's accomplished within its style, with strong solid male-female vocal harmonies. The material is likewise traditional in nature, mixing a cappella passages with arrangements based around acoustic guitar and fiddle. [allmusic guide]
"The Two Magicians" is compilation album of their unreleased studio session (1973) and live (1975).
The Mystreated are one of the most regarded and well-traveled of the small wave of garage bands who were prevalent in England throughout the '80s and '90s. Beginning with what can best be described as a style that sounded like an inept Monkees, they soon progressed into snotty '60s punk with a strong Music Machine influence before mellowing their tone and embracing the folk-rock sounds of Love and the Byrds. During their final years, they maintained a distinctive feel of their own that had firm roots in the '60s but avoided overt plagiarism. Formed in the small Southeastern English seaport of Folkestone in 1989 from the remains of the Sheds (who featured future Kula Shaker member Jay Darlington), the newly named Mystreated were intent on turning their backs on the acid house and indie rock of the mainstream. Martin Ratcliffe (guitar/vocals
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