‘July’ by July: The forgotten 1968 vinyl record that costs over £3,000 today
Ealing has no business being psychedelic. It was a quaint little parish village in Middlesex until the unstoppable march of London’s urban expansion subsumed it in the ceaseless wave of Cafe Neros. So, it says a lot about how prevalent psychedelia became in the 1960s that it was from this very borough that the city’s best forgotten ‘freaks’ hailed.
At the time, Satan’s Cave was a popular cafe over in bustling Mayfair, and it was run by a bloody cult, no less. In short, ‘otherness’ was in vogue, and it doesn’t get much more ‘otherly’ than July by July from 1968.
At the beginning of the year, the band hadn’t even formed under the name that now sends bearded record collectors named Derek cockahoop. Most of the eventual group had, however, been gigging in a previous band called The Tomcats in Spain, instead. During those days, they were a standard R&B band. But when they returned to London, they noticed something had changed.
As the band’s leader, Tom Newman became determined to appeal to this new psychedelic scene. So, he formed a fresh group called July. They were quickly signed to Major Minor Records, and they hurriedly set about piecing together their debut.
Maybe it was something to do with this whirlwind formation or the buzz of arriving in a new world that infected their self-titled debut with such captivating enthrallment, but it is clear as day that there’s something thrillingly unique about July. Sadly, the band would soon learn that uniqueness isn’t always valued.
One of the first (and only) reviews of the record saw a furious writer describe it as “the worst album they’d ever heard and a complete waste of plastic”, according to Newman. That not only dashed spirits within the group, but it also swayed the opinion of their non-committal label. Promotion was limited, support was non-existent, and both the album and the two singles released from it failed to chart.
That was that. July failed to last much longer than the month itself. By ‘69, they had called it a day. But besides the gripping, original tunes fading into obscurity, they had one other thing going for them: one of the coolest album covers of all time. This meant that it still just about caught the odd eye in record stores in north London.
If any lucky purchasers then did some digging, they’d find that a couple of the members secured notable careers in the music industry by other means, imbuing July with a degree of curious credibility. Newman went on to produce the first two Tubular Bells albums for Mike Oldfield, and Tony Duhig joined Unit 4 + 2.
As the years ticked over, more and more psychedelia enthusiasts became aware of this obscure record and the beauty therein, but no further copies were pressed. That meant the original Major Minor run became highly sought-after, and now, July resides as one of the most collectable albums of the entire 1960s.
You’re looking at a grand for even a scuffed and scrappy copy. And the latest pristine listing on Discogs has it at £4,007. On average, though, a mint condition vinyl will fetch around £3,000, which, I’m sure we can all agree, is most certainly not “a complete waste of plastic”.
