First Utterance is the debut album of the British

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 progressive rock

Progressive rock

Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...

 band Comus

Comus (band)

Comus is a British progressive rock / folk band which had a brief career in the early 1970s; their first album, First Utterance, gave them a cult following which persists. They have revived in the late 2000s and played several festivals.-History:...

. It was released in 1971, with the opening song "Diana" being released as a single.

First Utterance was notable for its unique blend of progressive rock, folk, psychedelia, and elements of paganism and the macabre. The overall thematic tone of the album is of vulnerable innocence facing abusive power, the songs dealing with violence ("Drip Drip"), rape ("Diana", "Song to Comus"), and insulin shock therapy

Insulin shock therapy

Insulin shock therapy or insulin coma therapy was a form of psychiatric treatment in which patients were repeatedly injected with large doses of insulin in order to produce daily comas over several weeks...

 ("The Prisoner"). These themes contrast starkly with the acoustic sound of the record, featuring acoustic guitar, violin, flute, and lyrical, almost Arcadian, female harmonies. Although since reissued, the vinyl original has been known to change hands for £150.00 (£ adjusted for inflation).

References to Comus by other bands and artists include Opeth

Opeth

Opeth is a Swedish heavy metal band from Stockholm, formed in 1990. Though the group has been through several personnel changes, singer, guitarist, and songwriter Mikael Åkerfeldt has remained Opeth's driving force throughout the years...

, citing its lyrics in album and song titles and tattoos. Experimental outfit Current 93

Current 93

Current 93 is an eclectic British experimental music group, working since the early 1980s in folk-based musical forms. The band was founded in 1982 by David Tibet .-Background:Tibet has been the only constant in the group, though Steven Stapleton has appeared on...

 also covered "Diana" as the opening song on their 1990 LP Horse.

Artwork

The cover artwork was drawn in ball point pen by Roger Wootton, lead singer and songwriter of the band. The centrefold artwork (not shown) was painted by guitarist Glenn Goring.

Reception

Unfavorable reviews, combined with a postal strike, resulted in low sales, and the band quickly dissolved after the album's release.

Track listing

• All Songs Copyright
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  Our Music Ltd.

1. "Diana" – 4:37 (Colin Pearson)
2. "The Herald" – 12:15 (Andy Hellaby, Glen Goring, Roger Wootton)
3. "Drip Drip" – 10:56 (Wootton)
4. "Song to Comus" – 7:31 (Wootton)
5. "The Bite" – 5:27 (Wootton)
6. "Bitten" – 2:16 (Hellaby, Pearson)
7. "The Prisoner" – 6:15 (Wootton)

Personnel

• Roger Wootton – acoustic guitar, lead vocals
• Glenn Goring – 6-12-string acoustic guitars, electric guitar, slide, hand drums, backing vocals
• Andy Hellaby – fender bass, slide bass, backing vocals
• Colin Pearson – violin, viola
• Rob Young – flute, oboe, hand drums
• Bobbie Watson – lead and backing vocals, percussion

External links

• Hippy.com review
• Psychedelicfolk.com review
• "First Utterance" at discogs