The Fourmyula - Creation

The Fourmyula - Creation
His Master's Voice/EMI
Recorded at EMI Studios, Wellington, New Zealand
Produced by Peter Dawkins

One of my major hobbies is re-discovering New Zealand music. There is so much great music that has come out of this small country which has been forgotten and neglected by the record buying public today. I don't know what it is about New Zealand but we never had any local groups that dominated the charts and radio like the Rolling Stones or The Beatles. This is probably a result of our small population, but I also feel we have always unjustifiably regarded local music as inferior. This has always bugged me and I would love to change the perception of our music!

One cruelly-forgotten Kiwi group is the pop outfit The Fourmyula. Formed in Upper Hutt in 1967, the group consisted of Martin Hope, Wayne Mason, Ali Richardson, and Chris Parry. Carl Evenson joined the four-piece in 1968 completing the classic line up. The Fourmyula were the only group that ever came close to matching the local success of the British Invasion groups. With their melodic, beatlesque songwriting with a unique Kiwi twist, The Fourmyula had ten top twenty hits between 1967 and 1970. The groups greatest accolade was their 1970 #1 hit 'Nature', recently voted by APRA as New Zealand’s greatest pop song of all time. Catastrophically, the group are not widely remembered in New Zealand these days, something that I feel needs to be remedied!

The album that excites me the most by The Fourmyula is 1969's Creation. For the first time in their career, The Fourmyula created a start-to-finish strong album (a rare thing in New Zealand at the time!) In the early-to-mid sixties, many Kiwi bands focused on singles, resulting in patchy, thrown-together records. By the latter half of the decade the times had changed, the notion of the 'album' developed. Records were becoming more creative and experimental and focused on original compositions rather than r&b or blues covers. This shift in approach signaled the beginning one of the more creative and interesting periods of pop music.

Creation blended the then-current sounds of The Beatles, Small Faces, and The Rolling Stones with their own pop rock identity. The band moved away from Psychedelic pop which made them famous, adopting a rootsy, soulful sound, possibly influenced by The Band's seminal Music From Big Pink and The Stones' back-to-basic Beggars Banquet. The band recorded the LP whilst saving to head back to the UK to have another attempt at stardom. One could argue that this album is completely derivative of more prominent sixties band - devoid of any originality. Yes this could well be a true, however, I believe that Creation is unique enough and has the songs and personality to stand up, shoulder to shoulder with any LP of the sixties.

The bands sound had become more grown up and serious, most noticeably on the tracks ‘I Need Your Love’ and 'Patterns of My Life'. A soul searching folk rock ballad, 'Patterns' has some killer guitar worked played by Martin Hope. The lead guitar weaves itself around the vocal melody, whilst an acoustic chimes beautifully in the background. The lyrics show the groups newfound depth and maturity, a stark contrast to the throwaway 'Mr Whippy' from the previous year. Furthermore, Evenson's voice had matured and weathered slightly since 1968 as heard on the rocky 'Blessbury Road' and 'Home To My Lady'. Another fine moment is the beautiful, hymn-like instrumental 'Orphan'. Clearly influenced by Procol Harum's 'A Whiter Shade of Pale', 'Orphan' showcases Wayne Mason's growing skill as an organist and arranger.

The closing song ‘Nature’ is clearly the strongest moment on the album, with its infectious sing-along chorus and lush acoustic sounds. Written by Mason, the song is meticulously pieced together with various guitar overdubs and an even an auto harp. What makes the song for me is the descending bass line played by Richardson. It is so simple, as he is just playing the root notes, yet it an essential component to the song. Strangely, 'Nature'  had been forgotten by the band, who were in the UK when it reached number one in New Zealand. Peter Dawkins must have seen the hit potential and spent hours producing this pop masterpiece. 'Nature' is undoubtedly one of the countries finest pop songs and It is completely beyond me how this song was not a worldwide hit!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujYxffv60vU

Creation was a turning point in The Fourmyula's career. Despite it producing their sole #1 hit, the band disregarded the single and album and remained in the UK. The band adopted a heavier blues sound (as can be heard on the terrific 1970 single 'Otaki') and recorded a LP  - which remained unreleased until 2010. Unfortunately, after renaming themselves Pipp (to avoid confusion with another UK band called Fourmyula) the band dissolved. They were worn out and frustrated with their lack of success in Europe. Mason and Evenson returned to New Zealand, forming the Wellington group Rockinghorse. Chris Parry remained in the UK and went onto found Fiction Records producing the bands The Jam and The Cure.

This album is a must have for pop fans, both from New Zealand, and the rest of the world. I hope people will take it for what it is - a great pop recording in New Zealand's history which should be remembered and celebrated. As of very recently, Creation has been reissued and is now available to purchase on iTunes!

Hope you enjoy it!

Key tracks:

Nature
Patterns of My Life
Orphan

Also check out:

The La De Da's - The Happy Prince (1967)
Crosby Stills and Nash - Crosby Stills and Nash (1969)
The Band - Music From Big Pink (1969)
The Rolling Stones - Beggars Banquet (1968)