Breakthrough – Underground Sounds of 1971

Breakthrough – Underground Sounds Of 1971 is a lovingly compiled collection from this pivotal year in music, featuring a host of key artists plus a host of lesser-known acts who failed to reach a wider audience but produced a wide breadth of music, such as BB Blunder, Big Sleep, Cressida, Help Yourself, Mighty Baby, Patto, Pink Fairies, Samurai, Colin Scot, Spring and Stray.

Turn on and tune in to the gloriously diverse underground sounds of 1971. Esoteric Recordings' next release in their series of compilations celebrating the so-called “underground” rock music.

1971 was a momentous year in rock and one which would continue to see Progressive music in all its forms become a dominating force with the album buying public. Much of this music appeared on the “progressive” imprints of major record labels such as EMI’s Harvest, Decca’s Deram, and Philips Records’ Vertigo, and emerging independent labels such as Charisma, United Artists, and Island.

This led to an increasing presence of underground album music on BBC Radio 1 on its Sounds Of The Seventies and Top Gear programs. 1971 saw a wealth of imaginative artists meld seemingly disparate musical genres and influences such as jazz, blues, folk, rock, and classical music on a host of wonderful albums, all of which appealed to an audience of students and followers of the “underground’ culture.

Universities and Colleges were regular venues on the burgeoning live music circuit in the UK for these artists, most of whom earned loyal followings through regular concert performances. 1971 also saw festivals such as Weeley (which attracted an estimated 150,000 people), Reading, and the Glastonbury Fayre featuring the leading Progressive album-focused artists of the day.