Luton 60s band’s lost rock opera discovered through ebay sale after 56 years
A long-forgotten recording by a group of young Luton musicians is to be released more than half a century after it was made after a chance discovery - thanks to eBay.
In 1966, five Luton lads – Chris Stokes, Snip Turner, Derek “Jock” Carleton, Steve “Siggi” Holmes, and Mick Loughton- formed a band.
After a brief stint as ‘The Regency Five’, the group changed their name to Genesis – not to be confused with the progressive rock band starring Phil Collins and Peter Gabriel.
They had moved beyond doing soul covers, inspired by seeing Jimi Hendrix in Brixton, and set out to create a suite of songs discussing romance, murder, and philosophy.
Despite their passion and the boldness of the project, the record never saw the light of day. With no label, manager, or funds to promote it, the band fizzled out soon after, the tapes were shelved—and the moment was lost.
Fast-forward to this year, when Will Twynham of Hand Of Glory Records spotted a broken keyboard for sale on eBay. The listing included a sound clip of a home recording from the mid-1970s, which piqued Will’s interest.
After successfully securing the instrument (for £10), the seller, who turned out to be Chris, offered to deliver it to Will (also known as Mimorphodons).
Chris mentioned he had dozens of unreleased tracks – including the complete 1969 opera. The master tape was later found in the loft of Steve’s widow in Luton, and audio engineer Mike Hillier restored the audio.
Hand of Glory Records said: “The Story is free of the most obvious late-1960s blown out rock signifiers. There’s no fuzz, no phasing, barely any reverb, no Marshall stacks or Mellotrons: just the band’s modestly-priced and well-used gear.”
The album will be released next month (September 19) - with the rock opera being hailed as a missing link in the history of the rock opera – placing Luton alongside London and Brighton as unlikely birthplaces of the art form. Click here for more information.