Growers Of Mushroom & Unleashed

Special edition 2CD set brings together the two studio albums recorded by cult proto-metal band Leaf Hound

• Recorded more than thirty years apart, Leaf Hound’s debut LP Growers Of Mushroom and 2007’s Unleashed together in an attractive gatefold digipak
• Remastered by Eroc, the set also includes the B-side to their only 45 and an originally unissued demo
• Memorabilia-laden booklet includes an essay by Chris Welch and interviews with lead singer Peter French and original guitarist Mick Halls
• This deluxe 2CD set marks the 50th anniversary of the hugely collectable Growers Of Mushroom

Growers Of Mushroom: “Leaf Hound’s tantalising cocktail of drugs and distortion was so ahead of its time that their sole album Growers of Mushroom, still sounds like it was released yesterday. It’s also the blueprint for every “stoner rock” album of all time ever.” Sleazegrinder “...one of the most valuable rare UK albums. A copy was sold by Omega Auctions earlier this year for a whopping £11,000.” Record Collector Unleashed: “As good a rock album as you could hope to hear.” Kerrang! “An unpretentious hard rock record, relying on strong songs and powerful performances.” Classic Rock Morphing out of blues-orientated Black Cat Bones, Leaf Hound were a London-based heavy rock band whose sole album Growers Of Mushroom has long been prized among collectors, with original copies exchanging hands for thousands of pounds. Sitting somewhere between nascent metal and psychedelia, their self-titled LP was originally issued on the German Telefunken label; however, that pressing left o! two tracks, an oversight remedied when the album saw release on UK Decca in October 1971. Alas, by that point the band had split up, adding to their mystique, and assuring the album's cult status into the bargain. Fronted by dynamic rock singer Peter French and underpinned by lead guitarist Mick Halls’ assured licks, brothers Derek and Stuart Brooks (guitar and bass, respectively) and drummer Keith George-Young, this was powerful stu! inspired in part by the horror stories of Herbert van Thal (from whose anthology they took their name), with a distinctly European rather than American sound. Lauded as a stoner rock classic and one of the genre’s most sought after artefacts, Growers Of Mushroom and Leaf Hound appeared to vanish into the ether, with French resurfacing in Atomic Rooster and Cactus, and later Randy Pie. Following the album’s CD reissue on Repertoire, increasing attention encouraged French to put together a new version of Leaf Hound with young guitar virtuoso Luke Rayner. This new line-up featuring French, Rayner, Ed Pearson (bass) and Jimmy Rowland (drums) performed regularly at clubs and festivals throughout Europe during the early 2000s, releasing their critically acclaimed album Unleashed in 2007, and Live In Japan (2012). With hard-hitting tracks such as ‘Too Many Rock’n’Roll Times’ and a revamp of Atomic Rooster’s ‘Breakthrough’, it was clear that although decades may have passed Leaf Hound was back with a vengeance. French describes Leaf Hound’s music as: “Classic 70s-style rock. Add a dash of Hendrix, a little Cream and Zeppelin and shake it up with a pinch of Free and you get freshly cooked Leaf Hound.” Released to mark the 50th anniversary of Growers Of Mushroom, this landmark reissue brings together both albums and includes authoritative notes by Repertoire’s Chris Welch with contributions from Peter French, Mick Halls, journalist Malcolm Dome and creator of the original Growers Of Mushroom sleeve art David Dragon.