At the time, Graham was teetering on the very edge of mental breakdown brought on by drugs, alcohol, and the forthcoming collapse of his marriage. Stories of his increasingly bizarre behaviour have long since become the stuff of legend. Despite all of this his last record proved to be not only coherent, but well written, superbly played, and contains flashes of the undeniable brilliance he is remembered for.
Now it has been re-mastered, re-released, and re-packaged by Esoteric Recordings (ECLEC 2042). The accompanying booklet includes all the lyrics from the album along with additional notes by Harry Shapiro the author of The Mighty Shadow, the authoratitive 1992 biography of Graham Bond.
Two Heads opens with “Lost Tribe” which was one of the first tracks recorded by them and came out as an EP ahead of the album. Also on the EP was “Milk Is Turning Sour In My Shoes” and “Macumbe” which are both included on this release as bonus tracks.
“Lost Tribe” delves deeply into that rich fusion of styles that they were intent on exploring. In some ways the roots of this track can be traced back as far as The Graham Bond Organisation and in particular Ginger Baker's interest in African rhythm. The two had also briefly worked together in Ginger Baker's Airforce.
It was, in many ways, Bond and Brown’s statement that by 1972 they had once again found themselves on the outside of the mainstream music scene. It’s a pulsing, energetic track and contains some trademark Pete Brown lyrics.
The next track, “IG The Pig,” was written entirely by Graham Bond. 'IG' were the initials of a particular notorious Los Angeles-based boss of a subsidiary of Mercury Records, Pulsar. The story is best told by Harry Shapiro in the notes but involves missing money, guns, hoodoos, and subsequent mishaps. It is the strange world of Graham Bond captured in one song.
“Oobati” comes from the pen of deLisle Harper and heavily taps into the African vibe. “Amazing Grass” was written by Mrs. Diane Bond and culminates in a memorable, blues-soaked gospel chorus. Pete Brown’s lyrics take over for the brilliantly titled “Scunthorpe Crabmeat Train Sideways Boogie Shuffle Stomp”. It has, as the album notes point out, ‘about a million time signatures’, and is therefore a great example of Bond’s wide-ranging piano skills.
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