Monocled Alchemist

The Factory – ”Path Through The Forest” / ”Gone” (MGM 1444) October 1968

The Factory | Path Through The Forest | MGM | 1968 | Initially trading as Souvenir Badge Factory, this Surrey-based teenage trio were handled by IBC studio engineers and putative management team Brian Carroll and Damon Lyon-Shaw, the latter going on to work on such classic albums as Tommy and Who’s Next.

For their debut release, the Factory — Ian Oates on guitar, Jack Brand on bass, Bill MacLeod on drums – were handed a song that was published by entrepreneur Eddie Tre-Vett, whose office was above IBC’s studio. In addition to managing the likes of future showbiz impresario Bill Kenwright and another IBC employee, the multi-talented John Pantry, Tre-Vett also licensed finished masters to various labels, and he managed to find a home for “Path Through The Forest” — a menacing, otherworldly creation laced with bad-trip lyrics, megaphone-style vocals and droning guitars — with MGM in the autumn of 1968.

A magnificent single, “Path Through The Forest” cleverly camouflaged the Factory’s lack of vocal and songwriting ability – as, indeed, did an almost equally fine second 45, “Try A Little Sunshine” b/w “Red Chalk Hill,” which brought in Pantry as writer and lead vocalist and thus effectively reduced the Factory to the status of backing band on their own record.

After being included on the early 80s compilation Chocolate Soup For Diabetics, “Path Through The Forest” belatedly acquired godhead status amongst psychedelic collectors, who for many years pondered over the significance of the composer credit Rollings on the A-side.

The Factory | Path Through The Forest | MGM | 1968

Recently, however, the full story has emerged, and it explains the slightly anachronistic feel that prompted the NME to greet its release with the airily dismissive comment that “eighteen months ago, we’d have dubbed this psychedelic”.

Another of Eddie Tre-Vat’s charges during the late 60s was Cliff Ward, soon to become better known as Clifford T. Ward. Using his wife’s maiden name for publishing purposes, Cliff had composed and recorded a demo of “Path Through The Forest” back in March 1967, the ethereal wispiness of this early recording clearly revealing its debt to the recent issue of the similarly detached, nothing-is-real “Strawberry Fields Forever” — a record that, when it appeared in the opening weeks of the tumultuous year of 1967, had set the agenda for the forthcoming Britpsych frolics. And, of course, that’s pretty much where we came in…

“The handout supplied with this disc describes it as a bridge between today and tomorrow’s musical journey of vision and time with various telephonic, traumatic experiences en route. Which is perhaps a bit pretentious! This is actually what we tend to categorise as ‘underground’ music — although 18 months ago, we would have dubbed it ‘psychedelic’. Storms along with a driving drum beat, while the lead singer sounds like he’s locked in a cupboard! And it’s positively laden with strident twangs and electronic effects. But unhappily the melodic content is virtually nil. Plenty of excitement though . . . (NME, October 1968)

A very strong instrumental sound, with the vocal line coming through more and more strongly. One that can come from behind and win. +++++ (Record Mirror,26/10/68)