The GODS are
most famous for introducing the world to Ken Hensley, the multi
talented, main songwriter of URIAH HEEP's most famous period and an
excellent solo career in his own right, but also housing Greg Lake and
Mick Taylor in their ranks at some point in their relatively short lived
history. However, they were arguably, alongside DEEP PURPLE's earliest
work, the closest the UK came to VANILLA FUDGE.Indeed, the FUDGE
influenced The GODS hugely, but where The GODS scored was that they
wrote more original material than VANILLA FUDGE did, the bulk of it
coming from the pen of the already formidable Hensley, but also the
guitarist Joe Konas. The GODS' first release was a single for Polydor,
with the line-up that would remain constant thereafter - Ken Hensley on
keyboards and vocals, Lee Kerslake (who later joined URIAH HEEP) on
drums and vocals, Joe Konas on guitar and vocals and John Glascock (who
later joined JETHRO TULL) on bass and vocals. However, this made little
impact. Nonetheless, they'd gained enough impact to be signed by
Columbia, for whom The GODS made two albums- 'Genesis' in 1968 and 'To
Samuel A Son' in 1970. Both were innovative affairs, with superb
musicianship, with heavy guitar work, crunching organ and early
mellotron use to the fore, plus bombastic harmonies and a pop
sensibility in the mix. However, both albums made next to no impact. The
closest they came to success was ironically a cover version of a lesser
BEATLES song, 'Hey Bulldog'. However, arguably their finest work was
another cover of the West Side Story nugget 'Maria', which was a
tastefully elaborate yet melodic reworking of a standard with superb
harmonies.The band were more or less all present on an album released
under the pseudonym 'Head Machine' which was called, subtly enough,
'Orgasm', but this sold nothing yet again, and the band's identity was
masked under various pseudonyms in any case.The GODS then dissolved, as
Hensley, Kerslake and Glascock moved on to the heavy rock outfit Toe Fat
led by 60s soul exponent Cliff Bennett, but Hensley soon had moved on
to bigger and better things in one of the world's most loved prog/ heavy
rock acts, URIAH HEEP, which at last allowed him full rein to showcase
his talents. Kerslake joined him a few years later, and Glascock moved
on to the prog act Carmen then JETHRO TULL, before sadly dying in 1979.
Ken Hensley left HEEP in 1980 and has worked on albums on a session
basis alongside his formidable solo career, and Kerslake remains in HEEP
to this day. Line-up / Musicians Ken Hensley/keyboards,vocals Joe Konas/guitars,vocals John Glascock/bass,vocals Lee Kerslake/drums,vocals Discography(Album) Genesis 1968
1.Towards The Skies 2.Candles Getting Shorter 3.You're My Life 4.Looking Glass 5.Misleading Colours 6.Radio Show 7.Plastic Horizon 8.Farthing Man 9.I Never Know 10.Love And Eternity
