The Five Proud Walkers weren't the only British blues 'n soul band to go psychedelic, but they were certainly one of the finest.  As Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera and then just plain Velvet Opera, the group recorded two well-received albums in the late 1960s before splintering.  Cherry Red's Grapefruit imprint has recently collected and expanded those LPs on 3 CDs as Long Nights of Summer: The Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera Anthology.

Lead singer Dave Terry - who took the name of Elmer Gantry, the con man turned preacher portrayed in an Oscar-winning performance by Burt Lancaster in the 1960 film of the same name - was joined by drummer Richard Hudson, lead guitarist Colin Forster, John Ford on bass, and (briefly) Jimmy Horowitz on organ and flute.  The band was signed by CBS Records to inaugurate the label's new Direction imprint in Great Britain; they would appear on Epic in the United States.  The covers-heavy repertoire of the Five Proud Walkers days was replaced by original material penned by the bandmates, taking in influences including The Beatles, The Who, and their onetime touring companions Pink Floyd.  The pre-LP single "Flames" (backed on its original 45 by "Salisbury Plain") was selected by CBS for inclusion on the compilation album The Rock Machine Turns You On.  That album reached the U.K. top 20 and made such sufficient noise that a debut LP was given the go-ahead.  But first another 45 was issued: "Mary Jane" b/w "Dreamy."  The A-side was an upbeat slice of melodic pop, but its drug connotations led to it being removed from BBC Radio One and sinking without a trace.  (The liner notes quote co-writer John Ford: "I didn't even realize it was about marijuana actually...I always thought it was about a girl!")

Undeterred, Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera and producer Barry Kingston delivered an eclectic, wide-ranging album to CBS consisting entirely of original songs except for the stage-tested cover of "I Was Cool" and a cacophonic snippet of "Bill Bailey, Won't You Come Home?" as "Walter Sly Meets Bill Bailey."  Both the urgent, garage-style "Flames" and a re-recorded "Mary Jane" were featured on the LP as well as the Eastern-flavored "Air," psychedelic, effects-laden "Dream Starts," dramatic slice-of-life "Reactions of a Young Man," evocative "Long Nights of Summer," and ethereal "What's the Point of Leaving."  (Before the album was released, Colin Forster jumped ship to psych group Tintern Abbey; their guitarist, Paul Brett, replaced him in Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera.)

Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera is presented on CD 1 in stereo; though a mono mix was purportedly issued in the U.K., the records in fact contained the stereo mix.  So, CD 2 presents the U.S. promotional mono mix as pressed by Epic in the States.  Both discs offer copious bonus material.  The first disc has the single versions of "Flames" and "Mary Jane" as well as the post-album single "Volcano" b/w "A Quick 'B'" and a host of previously-released outtakes including the tough, rocking "Talk of the Devil," co-written by a pre-Alan Parsons Project Eric Woolfson.  The second disc premieres fifteen BBC performances from Top Gear, Saturday Club, and Top of the Pops.  Among the BBC selections are such intriguing covers as Country Joe and the Fish's "I Feel Like I'm Fixing to Die Rag," Bob Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower" (in two versions), and Eddie Cochran's "Something Else."  (Note that, in 2013, Grapefruit reissued Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera in a similar presentation to CD 1 of this box.)

Following the release of "Volcano," a frustrated Dave Terry, a.k.a. Elmer Gantry, quit his own band. Singer-guitarist Johnny Joyce joined the band which reluctantly shortened its name to, simply, Velvet Opera.  Joyce was a more folk-oriented singer who had previously performed with Ralph McTell and Beverly Martyn.  The decision was made to drop the EGVO material from the band's onstage setlists.  A new single would announce a new band.  John Ford and Paul Brett's "Anna Dance Square" was a twangy hoedown primarily sung by Brett.  Its B-side, the "Don't You Realize," introduced Johnny Joyce in a more conventional rock setting with Who-esque harmonies.  Though Barry Kingston felt the magic was largely gone, he produced the single and the subsequent 1969 CBS album Ride a Hustler's Dream.

The new album was once again a varied effort but one accurately assessed by Melody Maker as "not distinctive enough...though they are interesting musicians."  The brief title track evoked a Bob Dylan drawl while covers of Willie McTell's "Statesboro Blues" and the traditional "Black Jack Davy" indulged the band in blues and folk idioms.  "Money By" was a return to straightforward psych-pop and "Raise the Light" a solid, stirring rocker.  John Hudson's "Raga" was a credible example of the form, but one could be forgiven for wondering if Velvet Opera had run out of inspiration when a heavy, electric cover of "Eleanor Rigby" closed the original LP.

Velvet Opera splintered in early-to-mid-1970.  Paul Brett went on to form Paul Brett Sage and the duo of John Ford and Richard Hudson headed to Strawbs.  But a new Velvet Opera was formed by Colin Forster, Tintern Abbey vocalist David MacTavish, Magic Lanterns drummer Mick Fincher, and bassist Colin Bass.  They headed into the studio with Barry Kingston for a first (and last) single.  "She Keeps Giving Me These Feelings" b/w "There's a Hole in My Pocket" was released in November 1970 on Southern Music's Spark label.  Both sides reflected a turn towards mainstream pop, but by early February 1971, the new line-up had disbanded.  (Perhaps the choicest anecdote is the notes is that Elmer Gantry would later join the "fake" Fleetwood Mac lineup which toured in 1974.)  CD 3 offers Ride a Hustler's Dream plus both sides of the "Anna Dance Square" and "She Keeps Giving Me These Feelings" singles as well as three BBC cuts.  The final BBC track features the short-lived MacTavish lineup recreating their lone A-side.

The slipcased collection boasts a 32-page booklet with detailed notes by compiler David Wells.  Oli Hemingway has remastered the audio.  A note acknowledges that the demos of "Flames" and "Salisbury Plain" have been transferred from the only remaining acetate, and some of the BBC performances have been derived from off-air recordings as the master tapes have not all survived. Long Nights of Summer: The Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera Anthology reveals a talented group that never quite hit its stride but left behind a small and enjoyable trove of recordings.  It's available now at the links below.

Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera, Long Nights of Summer: The Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera Anthology (Cherry Red/Grapefruit CRSEG113T, 2022) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

CD 1: Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera (Stereo) (Direction LP S 8-63300, 1968)

1. Intro
2. Mother Writes
3. Mary Jane
4. I Was Cool
5. Walter Sly Meets Bill Bailey
6. Air
7. Lookin' for a Happy Life
8. Flames
9. What's the Point of Leaving
10. Long Nights of Summer
11. Dream Starts
12. Reactions of a Young Man
13. Now She's Gone

Bonus Tracks

14. Flames (Single Version) (Direction single 58-3083, 1967)
15. Salisbury Plain (Direction single 58-3083, 1967)
16. Mary Jane (Single Version) (Direction single 58-3481, 1968)
17. Dreamy (Direction single 58-3481, 1968)
18. Volcano (Direction single 58-3924, 1969)
19. A Quick 'B' (Direction single 58-3924, 1969)
20. Talk of the Devil (first issued on The Very Best of Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera, See for Miles SEECD 437, 1996)
21. And I Remember (first issued on The Very Best of Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera, See for Miles SEECD 437, 1996)
22. To Be with You (first issued on The Very Best of Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera, See for Miles SEECD 437, 1996)
23. The Painter (first issued on The Very Best of Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera, See for Miles SEECD 437, 1996)
24. Salisbury Plain (Extended Demo Version) (first issued on Grapefruit CRSEG026, 2013)
25. Flames (Demo Version) (first issued on Grapefruit CRSEG026, 2013)

CD 2: Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera (Mono) (Epic promotional LP BN 26415, 1968)

1. Intro
2. Mother Writes
3. Mary Jane
4. I Was Cool
5. Walter Sly Meets Bill Bailey
6. Air
7. Lookin' for a Happy Life
8. Flames
9. What's the Point of Leaving
10. Long Nights of Summer
11. Dream Starts
12. Reactions of a Young Man
13. Now She's Gone

Bonus Tracks: BBC Sessions

14. Dream Starts (Top Gear, rec. November 3, 1967 - broadcast November 26, 1967)
15. Reactions of a Young Man (Top Gear, rec. November 3, 1967 - broadcast November 26, 1967)
16. Flames (Top Gear, rec. November 3, 1967 - broadcast November 26, 1967)
17. Mother Writes (Top Gear, rec. November 3, 1967 - broadcast November 26, 1967)
18. Mary Jane (Saturday Club, rec. January 16, 1968 - broadcast January 27, 1968)
19. Flames (Saturday Club, rec. January 16, 1968 - broadcast January 27, 1968)
20. I Feel Like I'm Fixing to Die Rag (Top Gear, rec. April 22, 1968 - broadcast May 19, 1968)
21. Mary Jane (Top Gear, rec. April 22, 1968 - broadcast May 19, 1968)
22. Dreamy (Top Gear, rec. April 22, 1968 - broadcast May 19, 1968)
23. Air (Top Gear, rec. April 22, 1968 - broadcast May 19, 1968)
24. All Along the Watchtower (Top of the Pops, rec. May 1968 - broadcast July 5, 1968)
25. Mary Jane (Top of the Pops, rec. May 1968 - broadcast July 5, 1968)
26. Something Else (Top of the Pops, rec. May 1968 - broadcast July 5, 1968)
27. Flames (Saturday Club, c. mid-1968)
28. All Along the Watchtower (Saturday Club, c. mid-1968)

CD 3: Ride a Hustler's Dream (CBS LP S-63692, 1969)

1. Ride a Hustler's Dream
2. Statesboro Blues
3. Money By
4. Black Jack Davy
5. Raise the Light
6. Raga
7. Anna Dance Square
8. Depression
9. Don't You Realize
10. Warm Day in July
11. Eleanor Rigby

Bonus Tracks

12. Anna Dance Square (Mono Single Version) (CBS single 4189, 1969)
13. Don't You Realize (Mono Single Version) (CBS single 4189, 1969)
14. She Keeps Giving Me These Feelings (Spark single SRL 1045, 1970)
15. There's a Hole in My Pocket (Spark single SRL 1045, 1970)
16. Statesboro Blues (David Symonds Show, rec. May 21, 1970 - broadcast June 8, 1970)
17. Water Wheel (David Symonds Show, rec. May 21, 1970 - broadcast June 8, 1970)
18. She Keeps Giving Me These Feelings (Radio One Club, rec. November 24, 1970 - broadcast January 4, 1971)