Pluto - "Pluto" (1971)

Pluto - "Pluto" (1971)

North Londoners who injected a dose of British R&B into Southern rock with distinctly average results.

Listening to Pluto with no prior knowledge of the band pieces it in a different place and time altogether from the truth. An easy album to compare it to is Lynyrd Skynyrd's Pronounced Leh-Nerd Skin-nerd (1974). This being said, it's shocking to see an album like this made by a band of Englishmen before the country rock of Creedence Clearwater Revival really became amped up. Still, all of this adds up to a very unique product back then, but one that it's easy to yawn through now.

Pluto is an intriguing blend of CCR, CS&N and The Who, mixing country influences from across the pond with the ballsy mod tones London had become famous for. Opener Crossfire sounds like it could be Black Oak Arkansas' take on Paranoid, while the slow, Rubber Soul slickness of Mister Westwood is the closest the band gets to a truly sad song. There are some progressive elements in here too; album highlight And My Old Rocking Horse shows a clear a Pink Floyd influence, with an algorithmic chord pastiche setting up a serene Wish You Were Here style ballad. Tracks such as the sublime Beauty Queen also show off an awareness of San Fransisco psychedelic pop.

While the album's lack of anything beyond average makes for a draining listen, it acts as a time capsule, clumping every detail of the contemporary music world into simple bites. It doesn't make them easier to swallow, however.

For fans of: The Who, Pink Floyd, Cosby Stills & Nash.

Top tracks: And My Old Rocking Horse, Stealing My Thunder, Mister Westwood.

Rating: 6.5/10