Leaf Hound

Its easy to get where lead singer Pete French got his start. One listen of the first album by Leafhound, ‘Growers Of Mushroom’, throws up comparisons with Steve Marriot, Mick Jagger, Ian Gillan, and he stands up pretty well in that company, having come up through the British Blues Boom.
The band themselves started off as Black Cat Bones and included Paul Kossoff and Simon Kirke who went off to form Free. Pete French then joined as vocalist and the bands name changed to Leaf Hound with Mick Halls also joining on guitar. The Brooks brothers, Derek and Stuart, were on guitar and bass respectively, and Keith George-Young played drums.

The first album was released in 1970, recorded in a frantic 11 hour session, but was not as successful as it deserved as French had left – to join Atomic Rooster – and the Brooks brothers also left the band. The album went on to become a cult classic and copies of the LP have been known to fetch as much as £11,000 at auction!
The album itself is a brilliant picture of progressive Blues at the beginning of the 70’s. There are strong elements of Blues but the new hard rock sounds are creeping in and those two strands are mixed with psychedelic influences. The result is a massively powerful sound, drenched in acid, full of imagery and exquisitely emotive. French’s vocals are really strong and Halls guitar work is in Jimmy Page class in parts.

The second album, with a line up of Pete French, Luke Raynes on guitar, Jimmy Rowland on drums and Ed Pearson on bass, was released in 2007 – 37 years after the debut!
The sound is similar to the first with heavy Blues lines and strong riffage and French’s vocals on just the right side of excessive. It is definitely a more modern album than ‘Growers …’ but the similarities are clearly present. The strong psychedelic impact is clear and in some ways it is a more complete album than the first.

The package is valid and two excellent albums along with a fine booklet make for a very worthwhile addition to any lover of classic progressive rock.