Archive
REDISCOVERED
Uncovering the underrated and overlooked
Ollie Halsall: weirdness ahead
OLLIE HALSALL Lovers Leaping
LIKEA KEY
7/10
PATTO And That’s Jazz BEYOND BEFORE
6/10
Lost albums relive the sad story of Patto
ROCK’N’ROLL myth-making takes a rather ghoulish delight in tragic tales of cursed bands. But the story of Patto should melt even the hardest heart.
The voice of Mike Patto saw the soulful singer compared to Steve Marriott. Left-handed lead guitarist Ollie Halsall was a multi-instrumental maestro who also played keyboards and saxophone. Drummer John Halsey was described by one critic as a cross between Jaki Liebezeit and John Bonham, and Clive Griffiths wielded his bass with aplomb.
Born out of Timebox, best remembered for their 1968 hit “Beggin’”, Patto seemed to have everything when they formed in 1970, fusing prog-rock ambition, Bonzos-style wit, and blue-eyed soul vocals into an engaging hybrid. However, their three albums sold so poorly that they found themselves dropped by two different labels. After breaking up in 1973, their fourth album Monkey’s Bum remained unreleased for 22 years, by which time the curse of Patto had delivered further cruel blows.