British psych band July released their self-titled album in 1968 which is now revered as one of the great psychedelic LPs of the period, blending a low-fi approach to the ambition of Sgt Pepper. Since its release and their definitive single ‘My Clown / Dandelion Seeds’ interest in the group has escalated and led to further recordings and release of their archives.
In advance of the new July: The Complete Recordings, 6CD Boxset and July: The Wight Album, Limited Edition Double Vinyl, Jason Barnard dusts off his interviews with the group over the past decade.
In 2010 Tom Newman, Alan James, Chris Jackson, Peter Cook shared their story from their time as The Tomcats (see here in Tin Pan Alley in 1964) to their split: thestrangebrew.co.uk/articles/july-magical-days-part-1/
thestrangebrew.co.uk/articles/july-magical-days-part-2/
In 2016 I spoke to Tom Newman and Peter Cook to uncover more stories from the 1960s (including Tom’s incredible story of crashing The Beatles’ Rooftop Gig) and their new material: thestrangebrew.co.uk/articles/july-resurrection/
Both interviews can be heard as a podcasts:
