Tony,Caro & John: All On The First Day (1972)

Tony, Caro & John was a British folk-rock trio active in the early 1970s. The group, consisting of Tony Doré, Caroline (Caro) Doré, and John Clark, was known for their DIY approach to music, drawing influences from psychedelic folk, baroque pop, and traditional folk.

Their 1972 album All on the First Day is their most well-known work. Initially released in a limited run, it later became a cult favourite, especially among fans of acid folk and psych-folk. The album features a mix of delicate acoustic melodies, rich vocal harmonies, and experimental production techniques. Despite their underground status during their initial run, the band gained renewed interest in later years, leading to reissues of their music and a resurgence of appreciation from folk and psych-folk enthusiasts.

This psych-folk outfit are regularly compared to the Incredible String Band and early Fairport Convention. That is true for only a couple of tracks on All On The First Day, but by no means all. Most of the tracks are much more melodic and well harmonised, although lyrically nowhere as bare- knuckle or poetic as the ISB. Even the freaky album- filler noddy songs (that seem to afflict every psych-folk album to some degree), are pretty good.

By South Utsire