Last summer, Esoteric Recordings reissued Principal Edwards' 1974 album Round One, produced for the band by Pink Floyd's Nick Mason.  Now the Cherry Red imprint is turning the clock backwards for a 3-CD anthology of precursor group Principal Edwards Magic Theatre.  The Works: Albums, Demos, BBC Sessions and Live Recordings is a comprehensive look at the unusual and large artistic collective (some 17 members over its lifespan) which  indulged in the psychedelic era to create music, mime, theatre, poetry, dance, and even a light show.

Formed at Exeter University and named for a relation of drummer Lyn Edwards, the members of Principal Edwards Magic Theatre first performed their multimedia show in 1968 on a bill also including Fairport Convention and Free.  The group caught the eye of influential DJ John Peel, who promptly signed them to his Dandelion Records label in 1969.  Following the release of the single "Ballad (Of the Big Girl Now and the Mere Boy)" b/w "Lament for the Earth," Dandelion released the group's first album, Soundtrack.  The title wasn't merely cheeky, as the LP - produced by John Peel and engineered by Ken Scott (of David Bowie fame) - attempted to distill the Magic Theatre performance sensibilities onto record, with sprawling, narrative tracks and a lack of pop commercialism.  Soundtrack comprises the first disc of this collection, joined by the two pre-album singles.

Though Dandelion was largely a sanctuary for non-commercial music and Peel himself championed the Magic Theatre, the label nonetheless felt that a new producer and guiding hand was needed to shape a second effort.  Nick Mason had befriended the band when Pink Floyd had shared a bill with them, and agreed to helm the album that became The Asmoto Running Band, presented on Disc 2 of this set.  Mason's knowhow resulted in a somewhat less dark and spare album, though the band's theatrical roots still shone through as on Side One's suite of connected songs.

These two LPs were the only ones that Principal Edwards Magic Theatre would record; in 1971, the group began to splinter, and it took until 1974 for three of the core members to reunite with Mason for the streamlined, rock-oriented Round One.  The third disc of this collection fleshes out the portrait of the band's legacy with thirteen tracks (all previously unreleased, with nine never-before-heard songs) drawn from demos, episodes of Top Gear, and a live show from the Hampstead Theatre in September 1971.  The demos, from October '71, showcase the band's attempts to craft a commercial single and offer a hint of what a third album might have been like.  (In 2008, Cherry Red also released The Devon Tapes collecting previously unissued 1974 recordings from the streamlined Principal Edwards.)

Esoteric's slipcased collection features each CD in an individual sleeve, plus a 20-page color booklet with lyrics as well as Mike Barnes' liner notes.  Vividly bringing to life a period of great musical experimentation when anything was possible, The Works is available now from Cherry Red and Esoteric Recordings at the links below.

Principal Edwards Magic Theatre, The Works (Esoteric CDTRED 704, 2017) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

CD 1: Soundtrack (Dandelion S 63752, 1969)

1. Enigmatic Insomniac Machine
2. Sacrifice
3. The Death of Don Quixote
4. Third Sonnet to Sundry Notes of Music
5. To a Broken Guitar
6. Pinky: A Mystery Cycle
7. Ballad (Of the Big Girl Now and the Mere Boy) (Dandelion 4405, 1969)
8. Lament for the Earth (Dandelion 4405, 1969)

CD 2: The Asmoto Running Band (Dandelion DAN 8002, 1971)

1. McAlpine's Dream
2. McAlpine vs. the Asmoto
3. The Asmoto Running Band (Hou'Amih)
4. Asmoto Celebration
5. Further Asmoto Celebration (After the Ball)
6. Total Glycerol Esther
7. Freef ('R) All
8. Autumn Lady Dancing Song
9. The Kettering Song
10. Weirdsong of Breaking Through at Last

CD 3: Hidden Treasure - Sessions, Live and Demos

1. The Ballad (Of the Big Girl Now and the Mere Boy) (Top Gear, 1969)
2. Third Sonnet to Sundry Notes of Music (Top Gear, 1969)
3. Pinky: A Mystery Cycle (Top Gear, 1969)
4. King of The (Top Gear, 1970)
5. The Fortieth Day of Winter (Top Gear, 1970)
6. Vallabast (Live at Hampstead Theatre)
7. Two Women (Live at Hampstead Theatre)
8. Weasel (In The Wardrobe) (Live at Hampstead Theatre)
9. Scarlet HalfMan (Live at Hampstead Theatre)
10. The Egg and the Antrobus (Live at Hampstead Theatre)
11. Rainy Day Anne (Demo)
12. Dear John and Mary (A State of Affairs) (Demo)
13. Ministry of Madness (Demo)

All recordings on CD 3 previously unreleased.  All songs Tracks 4-13 previously unreleased.