Click on the link here for audio player: Ashton, Gardner & Dyke – It’s gonna be high tonight/It’s A Drag – 1972
To call Ashton, Gardner & Dyke one hit wonders is something of a cheat. They were a short-lived power-trio (augmented by a horn section) that had largely come out of various early 60’s bands – Tony Ashton from British invasion-era band The Remo Four and Kim Gardner from The Creation, one of the great Psych bands to come out of England in 1966-1967. There was a close association with Jon Lord of Deep Purple and were well known individually in musicians circles.
Ashton, Gardner & Dyke had lots of promise. Their biggest (and sadly only) hit was Resurrection Shuffle, which got moderate airplay in the U.S., but which was a huge hit in the UK and the rest of Europe. But unfortunately, there was no follow up and the band dissolved later in 1972, after having been together a scant three years.
Tonight it’s a track (actually two tracks which blend into each other on the original lp) from their last studio album “What A Bloody Long Day It’s Been”. It’s Gonna Be High Tonight and I’m A Drag start off the first side of the lp.
An underrated and almost forgotten band from the late 1960’s/early 1970’s, AGD have benefited from recent reissues and the discovery of live recording which gives some indication of just how powerful the band were in person.
Maybe all’s not lost.
