Medicine Head — “His Guiding Hand”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — January 7, 2026

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD

1,838) Medicine Head — “His Guiding Hand”

This haunting and sublime spiritual meditation was Medicine Head’s first A-side and a track off their first LP New Bottles Old Medicine. The album was produced by their champion John Peel, who had signed the (two man) band to his fledgling Dandelion Records label. They recorded the song a number of times for Peel on the BBC. (https://peel.fandom.com/wiki/Medicine_Head)

Andreasegde asks “Was this recorded with someone holding a microphone in the kitchen when it was being played in the cellar?” and demcny8941 responds “This was in fact recorded in John Fiddler’s kitchen on an old Grundig tape recorder! John Peel loved it, played it at his London studio for John [see #29, 113, 520, 522, 781, 1473] and Yoko and they all decided it needed to be released simply as it was recorded, low-fi and raw”! (https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=s36CuVUK1cQ&list=RDs36CuVUK1cQ&start_radio=1&pp=ygUebWVkaWNpbmUgaGVhZCBoaXMgZ3VpZGluZyBoYW5koAcB)

Brian Banks calls New Bottles Old Medicine a “heady mix of storm-rousers . . . juxtaposed with spiritual ballads, hauntingly simple yet articulate”. (https://www.therocktologist.com/artist-profile-medicine-head.html) Dave Thompson gets inside Medicine’s Head:

[T]wo guys with a Jew’s Harp, a handheld drum, a harmonica, and an acoustic guitar . . . make mountains move . . . . There’s a ghostly Dylan air to a lot of Medicine Head’s early work . . . . one moment reflective, one moment boisterous, but always loose and laconic enough to remind you just what kind of arsenal was making all the noise. . . . Medicine Head’s achievement isn’t simply in writing and performing such memorable songs. It lies in making them sound so memorable as well, and New Bottles Old Medicine overflows with that magic.

https://www.allmusic.com/album/new-bottles-old-medicine-mw0000664911

Jason Ankeny gives us some Head history:

Formed in Stafford, England in 1968, the British blues duo Medicine Head were comprised of vocalist/multi-instrumentalist John Fiddler and Peter Hope-Evans, who played the harmonica and jew’s harp. Upon their formation at art college, Medicine Head became a staple of the local club circuit, eventually recording a demo which found its way to influential BBC radio personality John Peel, who began championing the track “His Guiding Hand.” Other DJs soon followed suit, and quickly the duo was on the brink of stardom. With Peel’s continued assistance, Medicine Head entered the studio to begin recording their 1970 debut LP New Bottles Old Medicine. Their focus shifted from basic blues to a more intricate sound for 1971’s Heavy on the Drum, produced by former Yardbird Keith Relf. after scoring a surprise hit with the single “(And the) Pictures in the Sky,” Hope-Evans left the group, and was replaced by Relf and drummer John Davies for 1972’s The Dark Side of the Moon. Hope-Evans rejoined prior to 1973’s One and One Is One, which launched the title track to the Top Three of the U.K. singles chart. Now a five-piece . . . Medicine Head notched two more hit singles, “Rising Sun” and “Slip and Slide,” but 1974’s Thru’ a Five failed to chart, and the group began to disintegrate. Only Fiddler and Hope-Evans remained by the time of 1976’s Two Man Band, and after one last single, “Me and Suzy Hit the Floor,” Medicine Head officially disbanded. Fiddler later resurfaced in the British Lions, followed by a stint in Box of Frogs and finally a solo career, while Hope-Evans contributed to the Pete Townshend [see #119] albums Empty Glass and White City. 

https://www.allmusic.com/artist/medicine-head-mn0000404726#biography

Here is the single version:

BBC radio session ’70:

R

Live on Radio 1 ’70:

Live on Radio 1:

Live ’75:

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