Post Description

Cressida's short career will be unfortunately unnoticed, despite having a lot of trumps in their hands. Just two albums, but both fetching small fortunes (partly due to the fact that they were released on Vertigo's Swirl label), but the music quality is simply excellent on both records although there are very notable differences between them. This first album came with a disturbing artwork that started out from a good idea, but somehow ultimately failed as the collage is rather amateurish, which is rather surprising given the Vertigo label. Actually sonically, Cressida defies easy description using other names, but if one has to try I would say a cross between Caravan, a jazzy Savoy Brown (with Chris Youlden around the Raw Sienna album) and Spring.
This first album is rather song-based (max-track length: just over 5 minutes and an average under the 4-min mark), but let this not deter you: their luscious organ-dominated sound is so gorgeous and the inventive arrangements on their pot-pourri influences are more than enough for the proghead's enthusiasm. Winter, the eponymous title track, Depression (which is anything but, really), Lights In My Mind (sounding like Hendrix's version of Watchtower), Spring 69 and Earthman, are the many highlights but overall, all of the 12 tracks are relatively even in quality. The singer has an excellent and unique voice timbre and all of those musicians are good. There is a rather peculiar happy melancholy throughout the album, and it is certainly a major part of its appeal.

A rather promising debut, and original enough to warrant the fourth star, Cressida's two albums are essential to early 70's-loving progheads 


Studio Album, released in 1970

Songs / Tracks Listing 
1. To Play Your Little Game (3:15) 
2. Winter is Coming Again (4:42)
3. Time For Bed (2:18)
4. Cressida (3:57)
5. Home And Where I Long To Be (4:04)
6. Depression (5:02)
7. One Of A Group (3:35)
8. Lights In My Mind (2:45)
9. The Only Earthman In Town (3:32)
10. Spring '69 (2:14)
11. Down Down (4:15)
12. Tomorrow Is A Whole New Day (5:19)

Total Time: 45:17

Line-up / Musicians 
- Angus Cullen / vocals
- John Heyworth / guitar, lead vocals on track 5
- Peter Jennings / harpsichord, organ, piano
- Kevin McCarthy / bass
- Iain Clark / drums

Poster: NZB-MAGIC