Band: T2 | Album: It’ll All Work Out in Boomland | Genre: Progressive rock, Hard rock | Year: 1970
From: London, UK | Label: Decca
For fans of: Cream, early King Crimson, Jimi Hendrix, Rush
As I mentioned in a recent review, I’ve been on something of an avant-prog kick, almost by accident. In the last month or so, the most exceptionally and intentionally weird things have leapt out the most to me. In turn, this oversaturation of weirdness is starting to cause a bit of avant-burnout on my end. I feel like I need a palate cleanser. So, instead of scouring through Bandcamp in the hopes of finding something new and wonderful to cover, I’ve dipped back into my (very) occasional series, Lesser-Known Gems. As far as potential candidates for this series go, T2’s debut album, It’ll All Work Out in Boomland, is probably the best-known that I’ll cover. I recently compiled a list of around forty potential LKG subjects, and this album has, by far, the most reviews and ratings on Rate Your Music of anything on that list.
It’ll All Work Out in Boomland may be the framing device I’ll use for this column, but you can almost think of this as a mini-Deep Dive (Shallow Dive?). Boomland will be the primary focus, but I’ll also write to some extent about the archival release, T.2., and their three albums they put out in the 1990s.
T2 was founded in 1970 and led by drummer-vocalist Pete Dunton. Dunton had been a member of a few psychedelic bands prior to this, including Please, Neon Pearl, and Gun (another future LKG candidate). Joining Dunton in T2 were Neon Pearl bassist Bernie Jinks and guitarist-keyboardist Keith Cross (who was only 17 at the time), whom Jinks knew from another band he was in, Bulldog Breed.
This trio captured lightning in a bottle on what was for many years their only release. They took the hard-charging, blues-influenced hard rock of acts like Cream and The Jimi Hendrix Experience and blended it with forward-thinking jazz, folk, and experimental flavors. This is one of those pieces of music where human language feels especially inadequate for describing it, but I’ll do my best. Seriously, just go listen to this.
“In Circles” kicks things off with an attention-grabbing, irregular riff. Harsh, staccato chords are contrasted with floating, jazzy arpeggi before diving into a slinking, twisting guitar solo. The drumming is deft and technical in support of Cross’s masterful soloing. Dunton’s vocals are subdued and smooth, and they offer a strong complement to the unusual, tumbling riff that powers the verses. Matching the lyrics of disorientation, the instrumental backing has a spiraling, twining quality. Cross flexes his technical chops again in the song’s midsection. Despite the length of this instrumental detour, things remain coherent and enthralling for the entire duration of the track. The song’s finale features ugly, dissonant chords.
Following this thundering introduction is something much mellower. “J.L.T.” is a quiet, pastoral piece that is primarily acoustic. Piano plinks out the main melody, and Dunton’s gentle voice is a natural fit for a song like this one. Chimes and subtle Mellotron make this folky little piece quite lush. The chorus swells a bit more each time it is repeated; the keys grow more enveloping, and Dunton’s drumming becomes more frenzied. In this song’s instrumental outro, brass instruments slowly fade in, matching the tune of the piano and chimes. This arrangement lends the song a sense of richness and importance, in contrast to its humble starting point.
Ending side one is “No More White Horses”, a song Dunton had previously recorded with his band Please. A palm-muted guitar gradually fades in, building a sense of dread and doom. When the dam finally bursts, Cross’s guitar solo is blistering and furious, full of tortured bends and nimble fretboard gymnastics. The opening riff of this song would feel at home on an early Black Sabbath record. In contrast, the first verse is slow and mournful. It’s mostly acoustic, and Dunton’s voice is again a perfect fit. The chorus is simple but memorable, and an acoustic-electric contrast is used to great effect. Cross gets another solo after the first verse, and it’s different from and the perfect counterpoint to his first. This one is much slower and full of emotional weight that builds to an explosive climax. Piano shows up on this track too, and the delicate tone pierces through the thick distortion on the guitar. Brass brings a sense of majesty to the mournfulness. As the song ends, it descends into a dissolving pit of discordant distortion.
Side two consists solely of the 21-minute epic “Morning”. It opens quietly, with just Dunton and acoustic guitar. The rest of the ensemble jumps in on the first chorus, and there is an irrepressible upward momentum, like the sun peeking over the horizon. After this opening passage, the band launches into a stomping instrumental passage with lots of technical start-stop playing and more searing solos from Keith Cross. This passage in particular feels like a direct precursor to Rush.
Cascading guitar lines, vocal harmonies, and jazz-influenced drumming underpin the next section. An extended melodic instrumental passage eventually disintegrates into sharp, squealing guitar harmonics and tribal, tom-heavy drumming. This moment of experimental ambiance reemerges into a reprise of the song’s opening chords.
Continuing to build momentum, the song has a light, bouncy, psychedelic melody, but it’s contrasted against herky-jerky jazz-rock. T2 again smartly deploys brass in this movement, and it serves to enhance the feeling of bright majesty. The band continues bouncing around between ideas, with galloping hard rock, but this suite remains incredibly coherent. Cross could shred with any of his contemporary guitar greats, and Dunton’s performance could go toe-to-toe with Keith Moon’s best. The mood is chaotic and anxious, but the band always manages to skillfully connect their disparate musical dots.
Eventual CD releases of this album would contain a trio of live recordings. One is “In Circles”, and one features on a later release. The third song, “Questions and Answers”, is slow and somewhat bluesy. Cross again puts on one hell of a performance in this powerful and affecting song.
From what I’ve read, this band seems to have squandered a lot of potential due to a combination of interpersonal differences and bad luck. They were signed to Decca, and they played major live events, like the Isle of Wight Festival. However, their original manager quit before Boomland was finished, and the subsequent publicity for the album was bungled. The ensuing poor record sales only further inflamed tensions, and Cross left the band by the end of 1970. Dunton tried to carry on with a rotating cast of supporting musicians until 1972.
(As far as I can find, the only other thing guitar phenom Keith Cross ever recorded was this folk-rock album, released in 1972. It’s fine, but it does feel like his skills are a bit wasted there.)
Twenty years after their dissolution, Pete Dunton re-formed the band with guitarist Mike Foster. This new T2 put out three new albums in three years, starting in 1992.
Second Bite was the band’s first new album in two decades, and it is hot garbage. I cannot be mean enough to this record. Its only redeeming quality is that it has a photograph of a chameleon on the cover, and that’s only because I’m a reptile enthusiast, as I’ve mentioned before. (And even then, it’s a pretty lousy photograph.)
Second Bite is replete with cheap-sounding synths, washed-out guitars, and an air of general crappiness. It sounds like a rehearsal for a demo recording. I’m about 90% certain the drums are a machine, too. Dunton’s usual vocal delivery sounds tired and lifeless, and the production is among the worst I’ve ever heard. His voice is somehow both murky and too loud, with an oddly processed twinge. The songs here were mostly written back during the band’s original incarnation, and good versions of them exist elsewhere. This record sounds soulless, exhausted, and amateur. There is the occasional passable passage, such as on “Careful Sam” and “The Minstrel”. Even parts of the 22-minute slog “Age 2 Age” could have been salvaged by a more competent band and producer.
In 1993, T2 put out Waiting for the Band. This album consists of four new studio tracks and seven live recordings (of mostly old songs). The production of this album is marginally better than Second Bite, but the instrumental tones remain unfortunate. Even on the live recordings, the guitar sounds awful. I wasn’t able to find the entirety of this album on YouTube or Spotify, and I’m sure as shit not gonna spend money for it on Discogs. So, I suppose I can’t render a full judgment on it. What I could find, though, is marginally better than Second Bite but still bad.
T2’s final reunion record was 1994’s On the Frontline. I was similarly only able to find part of this album on YouTube, but what I heard was not promising. Dunton’s voice retains that odd processed feel, and the compositions are uninspired. The air of lazy amateurism that pervaded their other two reunion albums lingers here. At least what I heard is better than Second Bite.
Something else good did finally come from the band, though. In 1997, they released the demos for their sophomore album, recorded in 1970. Being demos, the audio quality can be a bit rough, but T2 was still in top form back then. This collection’s official name is T.2., but it is also referred to as Fantasy and 1970.
“Highway” is a groovy, bluesy song and is probably the most straightforward cut in their oeuvre. The chorus, though, contains dramatic Mellotron, and the playing is top-notch. This composition is smarter than most of what you would hear from contemporaneous blues-rock acts. “Careful Sam”, in contrast, opens much more quietly. Folk and jazz flavors mingle here, and Dunton’s vocal performance is especially nice. The song’s second half is considerably heavier, and it features a stellar, thrilling guitar solo from Keith Cross. “Timothy Monday” also heavily utilizes quiet-loud contrasts, and the psychedelic folk of the verses complements that cut’s heavier moments.
Side one of this collection ends with the two-part, 10-minute “CD/The Minstrel”. “CD” is a lurching blues-rock cut, and the guitar solo has a wonderfully off-kilter feel to it. Jazz elements are prominent in its quieter moments. In contrast, “The Minstrel” opens with Mellotron flute and strings. This relatively restrained and idyllic mood lasts for its whole runtime, and it is a nice contrast to the heavy elements which preceded it.
“Fantasy” kicks off side two, and there are some obvious similarities to “In Circles”. The main riff is jagged and unconventional, and the rhythm section holds down a jazzy groove. The verse is quiet, and the vocal performance reminds me a lot of Robert Wyatt’s work with Soft Machine. The instrumental moments in the middle are especially weird and discordant, but they work well.
This archival release ends with the 14-minute “T2”. Its opening is starkly different from the band’s other output. Electric piano and Mellotron are the primary elements, and there’s a floating feeling. It reminds me a lot of bands like The Small Faces in its lighter moments. The mood shifts easily between sunny and stormy, and even when guitar shows up, it’s more for atmosphere than to take the lead.
After about four minutes, acoustic guitar emerges for a verse, and Dunton’s singing is delicate and pretty. Mellotron and distorted guitar eventually come roaring back, and the swooping strings remain the lead for a while. After another verse, guitar takes the lead in an energetic, jazz-influenced solo, and the song ends on a fun, piano-led passage.
It really is a pity T.2. is just an archival release. I would have loved to have heard these tracks properly recorded and mastered. But as it stands, I am glad that these songs found the light of day at all.
Information on the band is scarce, but it looks like they continued as a live act, at least until the late 2000s. I found some live footage of them from 2009, and that was much better than anything they recorded in the ‘90s. I’m not sure how long they persisted for, but Dunton passed away in 2022, bringing a decisive end to this band’s career.
Scores:
- It’ll All Work Out in Boomland (1970) – 100/100
- Second Bite (1992) – 19/100
- Waiting for the Band (1993) – 35-ish/100
- On the Frontline (1994) – 25-ish/100
- T.2. (1970/1997) – 85/100
The Elite Extremophile 