The London scene was certainly amazing in retrospect, although none of us had any clue at the time that it was anything special. It all centered around this little coffee house called "Smales Pace", an unassuming venue operated by John Smale and frequented by a number of aspiring singer-songwriters who would later move on to greater things - among them, David Essig, David Bradstreet, Willie P. Bennett and, of course, Stan Rogers.

The album I think Rick is referring to was by the group "Lazarus" which was produced by Peter Yarrow and featured a trio of musicians who later became connected to the London scene. They included Bill Hughes and Karl Kesee who hooked up with David Bradstreet to perform during the mid-seventies.

There was a real community centered in London in those years - the kind that nurtured us as we were exploring our art. The fact that so many successful artists emerged from that community is a powerful testiment to its importance, I guess.

Cheers,

Paul