Druid (band)

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Druid were a 1970s progressive rock band from England, and initially came to public attention by winning the Melody Maker Rock and Folk talent contest in 1974.^[1] The band went on to perform on to record two albums signed to EMI - Toward the Sun (1975) and Fluid Druid (1976). The band performed 'Voices' and 'Theme', from Toward the Sun on The Old Grey Whistle Test, broadcast on 7th October 1975.^[2] Their sound was notably influenced by Yes and Genesis.^[3]

Following the demise of Druid in 1977, aborting the recording of their third record Newfoundland, Neil Brewer and Dane Stevens formed The Never Never Band with a more post-punk sound. The band ultimately split up in 1981 into two short lived groups - The Vetos, and Splash.^[4]

Former member Cedric Sharpley, who went on to back Gary Numan in the Dramatis and Tubeway Army, died from a heart attack on 13 March 2012.^[5] Keyboard player Andrew McCrorie-Shand later pursued a career composing for Ragdoll Productions, most notably their longest-running TV shows Rosie and Jim, while bass player Neil Brewer was the show's third and final presenter from 1997 to 2000.

• Cedric Sharpley – drums (founding member; died 2012)
• Neil Brewer – bass (founding member)
• Dane Stevens – vocals, guitars (founding member)
• Andrew McCrorie-Shand – keyboards (joined 1974)
• Pete Griffiths - keyboards (1971–73)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[6]
Sputnikmusic	3.7[7]

Side one

1. "Voices" (McCrorie-Shand/Dane) – 8:13
2. "Remembering" (Brewer/Dane) – 5:24
3. "Theme" (Brewer/Dane/McCrorie-Shand/Sharpley) – 5:24
4. "Toward the Sun" (Dane) – 5:03

Side two

1. "Red Carpet for an Autumn" (Brewer/McCrorie-Shand) – 3:10
2. "Dawn of Evening" (Brewer/McCrorie-Shand) – 10:02
3. "Shangri-La" (Brewer/Dane) – 10:11

Personnel

• Neil Brewer – Bass Guitar
• Cedric Sharpley – Drums, Percussion
• Dane – Guitars, Vocals
• Andrew McCrorie-Shand – Keyboards
• Bob Harris – Producer
• George Nicholson – Engineer
• Adrian Sadgrove – Artwork

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[8]
Sputnikmusic	3.6[9]

Side one

1. "Razor Truth" (Dane/Brewer) – 5:42
2. "Painters Clouds" (Dane/Brewer) – 5:00
3. "FM 145" (McCrorie-Shand) – 2:08
4. "Crusade" (McCrorie-Shand/Brewer) – 7:48

Side two

1. "Nothing but Morning" (Dane/Brewer) – 4:09
2. "Barnaby" (Dane) – 3:12
3. "Kestrel" (McCrorie-Shand) – 3:35
4. "Left to Find" (McCrorie-Shand/Dane/Brewer) – 7:12
5. "The Fisherman's Friend" (McCrorie-Shand) – 0:46

Personnel

• Neil Brewer – Bass Guitar
• Cedric Sharpley – Drums, Percussion
• Dane – Guitars, Vocals
• Andrew McCrorie-Shand – Keyboards
• Druid, Paul "Rockette" Harman – Producer
• Ken "Superstar" Thomas – Assistant Engineer
• The Cream Group – Artwork

• Barnaby/Kestrel/Nothing But Morning (1976, EMI)

• Toward the Sun / Fluid Druid (1995, BGO Records)

• Neverneverband.co.uk
• Tinderfish.com