RE-POST: Company Caine - A Product Of A Broken Reality 1971

Formed in Melbourne, Australia in 1970, this psychedelic/blues group centred around lyricist and vocalist Gulliver Smith (b. Kevin Smith) who had previously worked with such outfits as Dr Kandy’s Third Eye and Time And The Forest Flower. Along with Smith, Company Caine (often referred to as Co Caine), the band comprised; Russell Smith (b. Russell Kinross-Smith; guitar), John McInerney (drums), Arthur Eisenberg (bass) and Dave Kane (guitar). In hindsight, the band had several excellent songs, some ordinary, but with obscure lyrics - most evident in their debut single ‘Trixie Stonewells Wayward Home For Young Women’ (1971) - but whether the group fully deserves its later cult status is debatable. The band was originally championed by a national magazine, Go Set, and its columnist ‘Dr Pepper’. Company Caine emerged from the late 60s’ psychedelic era of concerts and drug-taking (organized both in Melbourne and Sydney by US band Nutwood Rug).

The band suffered from frequent changes and additions to the line-up which, although not seeming to adversely affect their high-energy white blues live performances, ultimately took their toll with the result of the band dissolving in 1973. Gulliver went on to form the Bad Companions and Gulliver Smith And The Dead End Kids, while Russell worked with Mighty Kong. The two Smiths re-formed in 1975 under the name of Metropolis before briefly returning to the Company Caine monicker. The re-formed band was a much steadier, solid affair but did not attract the attention of the earlier incarnation and soon gave way to Gulliver’s next project, Little Gulliver. AMG.

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