The incipient incarnation of -- with (organ/vocals), (vocals/bass), and (drums) -- was together just long enough to document its debut, (1970) -- (note: the extra O is intentional). Prior to the last-minute addition of -- the only bassist ever had -- the band emerged from the remnants of the then recently defunct . The material was primarily courtesy of and consisted of heavier sides. His versatility is evident throughout the impressive array of styles ranging from the -inspired pastoral to the bluesy horn arrangement heard on This directly contrasts driving rockers such as the album's edgy opener, or the aggressive is a -infused number boasting some exceptional if not incendiary instrumental interaction, most notably from and . Lyrically, reveals his penchant for dark imagery, including the fatalistic "What is the point of going on?" chorus that runs through the aforementioned or the sexually snide Support was bolstered by strong live appearances, positive word-of-mouth, and a few significant sessions -- all of which resulted in making a respectable showing at number 49 on the U.K. LP charts. By the time the platter was picked up by in North America, the personnel had already changed with (guitar/vocals) replacing . In an interesting move, they decided that should also overdub guitar parts to as well as provide a new vocal to The transformation didn't end there, either, as the original running order was also significantly altered. Parties interested in hearing both should locate the 2004 reissue, as the supplementary selections feature the U.S. version(s), plus a pair of uniformly excellent selections broadcast on -- (aka ) from 's follow-up LP, (1970). Of further historical note is that the live-in-the-studio recordings were documented less than a week before the departure of , effectively ending the first lineup. ~ Lindsay Planer