268) The Mike Stuart Span — “Children of Tomorrow”
“Children of Tomorrow was the Span’s magnum opus (see also #225). Richie Unterberger in All Music Guide describes it as “a classic British psychedelic single [with] driving power chords, squealing guitar leads, and haunting harmonies . . . [striking] a classic midpoint between hard mod-pop and the early psychedelia of UK groups like the Pink Floyd and Tomorrow.” All true, which is why I include the song. But Mike (OK, there was no Mike Stuart in the Mike Stuart Span), geez, the lyrics to this song are some of the worst enchanted foresty psychedelic lyrics I have ever heard. Mike, were you puffing on the magic dragon?
In any event, Unterberger goes on to explain that “hardly anyone actually heard the record, as it was pressed in a run of 500 copies on a small independent label.”
Dave Furgess opined years ago that:
The great thing about groups like The Mike Stuart Span is they arrived on the scene cut a few classic sides then got the f*ck out of town instead of torturing the world for decades later like so many of the DINOSAUR groups that I try to ignore now! ( Mick Jagger are you listening? ). For that we should be grateful for the likes of The Mike Stuart Span and their cohorts in obscurity land.
https://www.headheritage.co.uk/unsung/review/319/
I do not agree with such views (just in case Mick Jagger is listening)! However, they are so gloriously bilious that I had to quote them. Guilty pleasure!
Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! / Off the Charts: 60s Rock Revelations 