Fairfield Parlour

The saga of Fairfield Parlour, though brief, is confusing because the group was really the same as Kaleidoscope (the British band called Kaleidoscope, not to be confused with the psychedelic band called Kaleidoscope from California who was active in the same era). Around 1970, Kaleidoscope changed their name to Fairfield Parlour, though the music was pretty much the same whimsical, fairy tale-ish blend of harmony pop/rock folk with late-'60s Beatles and Pink Floyd psychedelic flavors. They issued a 1970 LP on Vertigo, From Home to Home, which continued the directions they had staked out in Kaleidoscope, with slightly heavier rock arrangements. Shortly after its release, they worked on a double-LP concept album, White Faced Lady, based on the story of a troubled young woman who becomes a movie star, but descends into tragic death. Plans to join the RCA roster stalled when their contact at the label departed. The album was not issued at the time, though it finally appeared in the '90s. In 2000, the double-CD compilation The Fairfield Parlour Years — billed, confusingly, as Kaleidoscope — combined the From Home to Home and White Faced Lady albums, adding bonus tracks from non-LP releases and other sources.