The band known as Affinity only released one album but the 1970 release on Philips' Vertigo imprint has long been a favorite of crate-diggers for Linda Hoyle's distinctively powerful voice, Lynton Naiff's Hammond B3, Mike Jopp's guitar, Mo Foster's bass, and Grant Serpell's drums and percussion.  The quintet came together in an era where jazz-rock thrived, stretching out their songs and adding brass and string accents for an extra punch.  Late last year, Cherry Red's Esoteric Recordings imprint reissued the self-titled Affinity as a greatly expanded 4-CD edition drawing on recordings from all iterations of the ultimately too short-lived band.

The booklet for Affinity shares a family tree which reveals the band's roots in The Baskervilles, The Jazz Trio, and Ice.  Lynton Naiff and Grant Serpell, science students at the University of Sussex, were two-thirds of The Jazz Trio.  In 1965, Mo Foster replaced Nick Nicholas in the Trio, and two years later, the unit added Linda Hoyle as singer.  Naiff and Serpell soon transitioned into the pop group Ice (for whom Hoyle provided occasional background vocals) but when Ice melted, they sought to start a new band.  To fill out the lineup of Naiff, Serpell, Foster, and Hoyle, they invited Mike Jopp, late of The Tridents.  The group they named Affinity would draw on their collective jazz roots; no less a jazz eminence than club proprietor Ronnie Scott agreed to manage them.

Affinity, the LP, shows off their considerable chops.  Lynton Naiff's pounding Hammond D3 and Hoyle's bluesy belt defined much of the band's sound that owes quite a bit to Brian Auger, Julie Driscoll, and The Trinity.  There's ample soloing on a couple of atmospheric originals that duly incorporate jazz and prog-rock textures (Jopp and Hoyle's "Night Flight," Naiff and Hoyle's "Three Sisters") and a clutch of eclectic covers from The Everly Brothers ("I Wonder If I'll Care as Much"), The Lovin' Spoonful ("Coconut Grove"), Annette Peacock ("Mr. Joy"), and Bob Dylan ("All Along the Watchtower").  The baroque treatment of the Everlys' tune was chosen as the lead single, showcasing Hoyle's commanding, Grace Slick-influenced vocals and John Paul Jones' dramatic string chart.  Jones also provided the gutsy brass arrangement for the opening track, "I Am and So Are You."

The original album has been expanded on the first disc of the box set with non-LP singles (including a smashing, lushly-arranged cover of Laura Nyro's "Eli's Coming" that owes more to Nyro than Three Dog Night), a demo for a proposed sophomore LP, radio and television performances, and a live "Watchtower" from one of Affinity's final concerts.  Among these gems are more covers displaying the band's versatility, including Stevie Wonder's "You Met Your Match" and The Beatles' "I Am the Walrus."

Disc Two offers much more of Affinity as interpretive artists, drawing on the 2003 Angel Air release Live Instrumentals: 1969.  Linda Hoyle isn't heard on these tracks, the majority of which were captured live at Ronnie Scott's (and the remainder at the BBC).  The instrumental set came about when Hoyle was forced to undergo an operation to repair her vocal cords; organist Naiff, guitarist Jopp, bassist Foster, and drummer Serpell persevered by going it alone on funky, heavily improvised versions of largely familiar jazz tunes ("Jazz Samba," "Comin' Home Baby," "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy," "All Blues") and some blues ("Fever") and rock ("A Day in the Life") surprises.

The third disc rewinds further to explore Affinity' roots.  Origins 1965-67, originally issued in slightly different form by Angel Air in 2004, presents 17 more instrumentals by the embryonic trio of Lynton Naiff (on piano rather than organ), double bassist Nick Nicholas, and Mo Foster on drums rather than bass.  Once again, originals took a backseat to recognizable standards to entertain the club crowds, among them Bill Evans' "Waltz for Debby," Rodgers and Hart's "My Funny Valentine," Johnny Mercer, Jacques Prevert, and Joseph Kosma's "Autumn Leaves," and the Disney classic via Miles Davis, "Someday My Prince Will Come."  With the lack of Hammond organ and electric bass guitar, these tracks are of a much more traditional jazz trio nature but it's clear the young musicians were dedicated to their craft and to presenting these compositions in a manner both faithful and fresh.  Most of Disc 3 was recorded at the University of Sussex by Mo Foster, with just a few tracks recorded for television.  (A companion disc released on Angel Air in 2007, Origins: The Baskervilles 1965, hasn't been included in this new box.  It featured Foster's early band doing such rock-and-roll material as "Mr. Tambourine Man," "We Can Work It Out," "Trains and Boats and Planes," "Hang On, Sloopy," and "Love Potion No. 9.")

Affinity 1971-72, on Disc Four, is based on Angel Air's 2003 release.  It chronicles the band in the aftermath of Linda Hoyle and Lynton Naiff's departures.  Filling Hoyle's not-inconsiderable shoes was Vivienne McAuliffe while Dave Watts replaced Naiff on organ.  The sound of the "new" Affinity would be a different one although they would continue to pursue a progressive rock-jazz path; McAuliffe's voice was more folk than jazz, and ethereal where Hoyle's was earthy.  The group members set out to compose new material.  Mo Foster co-wrote with both McAuliffe and Jopp, and the latter turned to tunesmith B.A. Robertson as another collaborator.  The material on 1971-72 is drawn from demos and rehearsals for a proposed second album that never was, and also includes a cover of Jimmy Webb's "Sunshower" and another stab at "All Along the Watchtower" and Miles Davis' "It's About That Time" with the new members.  The overall style is a bit sparser without horns or strings, and more rock than jazz, but leaves an inkling that "what might have been" would likely have been quite good, indeed.  When the musicians of Affinity were tapped by Manfred Mann's Mike D'Abo to join him on tour in 1972 - D'Abo is represented here, too, by his song "Poor Man's Son" - Affinity quietly folded.

Esoteric's new edition of Affinity is the second biggest collection to celebrate the band, the first being Air Mail Archive's 2006 Ultimate Collection which also included a disc from the post-Affinity group known as Ice.  The four discs, each in an individual jacket (with a gatefold for the original LP), are housed within a clamshell case and accompanied by a 32-page book reprinting liner notes from the previous editions.  Paschal Byrne has remastered.

The 4-CD expanded edition of Affinity is available now at the links below.

Affinity, Affinity (Esoteric ECLEC42775, 2022) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

CD 1: Affinity (Vertigo LP 636 0004, 1970)

1. I Am and So Are You
2. Night Flight
3. I Wonder If I'll Care as Much
4. Joy
5. Three Sisters
6. Coconut Grove
7. All Along the Watchtower

Bonus Tracks

8. Eli's Comin' (Vertigo single 6059 008, 1970)
9. United States of Mind (Vertigo single 6059 008, 1970)
10. Yes Man (Demo)
11. If You Live (Radio Broadcast)
12. You Met Your Match (Demo)
13. I Am the Walrus (YTV Session)
14. Little Lonely Man (BBC Radio 1 Session)
15. All Along the Watchtower/It's About the Time (Live, 1971)

CD 2: Live Instrumentals 1969 (based on Angel Air SJPCD 135, 2003)

1. Jive Samba
2. Dis Here
3. Comin' Home Baby
4. Out of the Storm
5. Fever
6. 13 Death March
7. All Blues
8. 81
9. A Day in the Life
10. All Blues
11. 81
12. Mercy, Mercy, Mercy
13. Jive Samba
14. A Day in the Life

CD 3: Origins 1965-67 (based on Angel Air SJPCD 167, 2004)

1. Autumn Leaves
2. Django
3. My Funny Valentine
4. I Got Plenty of Nothing
5. Dat Dere
6. Lover Man
7. Blues Etude
8. Someday My Prince Will Come
9. Cubano Chant
10. Jordu
11. My Funny Valentine
12. Autumn Leaves
13. You Look Good to Me
14. The Preacher
15. Waltz for Debby
16. Django
17. On Green Dolphin Street

CD 4: Affinity 1971-72 (Angel Air SJPCD 145, 2003)

1. Moira's Hand
2. Grey Skies
3. Cream on Your Face
4. Sunshower
5. All Along the Watchtower/It's About That Time
6. Rio
7. Poor Man's Son
8. Sarah's Wardrobe
9. Highgate