“Achmed” (1969) – Heads, Hands and Feet * Written by Tony Colton and Ray Smith * LP: Home from Home (The Missing Album) * Produced by Tony Colton * Label: Pucka
Here’s a short but punchy trifle from the underappreciated supergroup Heads, Hands and Feet’s posthumously released Home from Home (The Missing Album) (1995). It was actually the second album recorded by their earlier incarnation, Poet and the One Man Band. MGM/Verve, who released that group’s debut, ended up shelving this follow up, after which the newly re-christened quintet considered using it for their own debut on Capitol, opting instead to record something new. Both incarnations of the band included chicken pickin’ guitarist Albert Lee, so he usually gave their songs his instrumental signature. This one, though, is all about Pat Donaldson, a tall, mutton-chopped bassist who went on to become a fixture on the British folk rock scene. His foundational groove on this will certainly be sampled someday and turned into a powerhouse dance/rap track. Also featured: politically incorrect faux-Arabic that mostly references cuisine. Future “cockney rock” practitioner Chas Hodges ended up taking Donaldson’s place shortly after this was recorded.