Oberon (7)

British group which formed at Radley College in Oxfordshire, England and released one album. In early 70s some students of Radley College - Julian Smedley (violin), Robin Clutterbuck (guitar, vocals), Chris Smith (guitar), Charlie Seaward (guitar, vocals, flute), Nick Powell (drums, percussion) and Hugh Lupton (poetry writer) - lovers of british folk but also of the burgeoning UK rock scene (King Crimson, Jethro Tull, ELP, The Who) decided to start a band. After some gigs and in anticipation of recording an album they added guitarist/singer Jan Scrimgeour (the only non-Radley student in the line-up) and on bass, Jeremy (Bernie) Birchall. The album was recorded at the beginning of summer 1971 and was entitled "A Midsummer's Night Dream", another Shakespearean reference along with the band's name. It was pressed in 99 copies as a hundred or more would attract Purchase Tax (a forerunner of VAT). At the end of their studies at Radley the members of Oberon went their separate ways. But over the years the album has attracted increasingly the attention of collectors and not only until reaching the status of cult record. In 2010 it was issued another limited edition vinyl called "Oberon Live Spring 1971" (only 40 copies) to commemorate the band's fortieth anniversary in 2011. Both albums have been reissued by Grapefruit in a special edition box set in 2021.