Battered Ornaments

Battered Ornaments were an ambitious rock band put together by lyricist Pete Brown, known for writing many of Cream's songs with Jack Bruce, after that group broke up. Organized in 1969, Battered Ornaments featured Brown on vocals and trumpet, Graham Layden (vocals), Chris Spedding (guitar), Charlie Hart (organ, violin), George Khan (sax), Butch Potter (bass), Rob Tait (drums), and Pete Bailey (percussion). 
Layden was an early casualty. The group released an initial LP, A Meal You Can Shake Hands With in the Dark, credited to Pete Brown And His Battered Ornaments and completed a second, Mantelpiece, before Brown left in a dispute with Spedding. Brown's vocals were then wiped off Mantelpiece and replaced. The group continued until Spedding's departure for a solo career.
==Links to Peel==
Throughout the late 60's and early 70's Peel would often see Pete Brown perform at gigs. He invited the poet to do a session for his programme in 1969 when Brown was leader of Pete Brown & His Battered Ornaments, where he performed several tunes. A panel who saw the group audition for the session described them, according to Ken Garner's The Peel Sessions, as "Tuneless lead vocalist... a lead voice which could never be called singing... all the tricks serve only to emphasise their mediocrity... lyrically meaningless and pretentious... material laughable... awful'
A dispute between Brown and guitarist Chris Spedding resulted in Brown leaving the band, which continued under Spedding's direction as The Battered Ornaments. They did a second session in September 1969 after Pete Brown left and the panel who saw them perform, according to The Peel Sessions, described them as "avant-garde hairy group for Top Gear-type shows only." 
The band didn't last long, but after it broke up Chris Spedding had a successful career as solo artist, sideman and session player for other artists. He appeared on Peel sessions by Nucleus, John Cale and Roy Harper as well as recording two under his own name, in 1972 and 1977. Of the other band members, Charlie Hart also had a long career playing with many artists and groups, including the People Band, Ian Dury, Wreckless Eric and Ronnie Lane's Slim Chance. (Peel interviewed Hart and Albert Kovitz of the People Band on the Night Ride of 23 July 1969 and expressed an interest in booking them for a session, but it never happened.)
The group's album sleeve, 'Mantle-Piece ', was one of Peel's favourite album sleeves in the video documentary, Rare, Precious Or Beautiful, released in 1995.
==Sessions==
1. Recorded: 1969-01-01. First Broadcast: 08 January 1969
*Then I Must Go / Security Blues / The Week Looked Good On Paper / Water Carrier / Station Song
2. Recorded: 1969-09-02. First Broadcast: 14 September 1969. Repeated: 22 November 1969
*Sandcastle / Slag Room / Half Past Ladbroke / Going Underground
==Other Shows Played==
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*15 November 1969: Take Me Now (LP – Mantle-piece) Harvest
== See Also ==
*Harvest Records
==External Links==
*Last FM
*Discogs
Category:Artists