Quintessance
Quintessence was among the first true progressive rock outfits signed by Island Records.
Led by Australian-born Shiva Shankar Jones and Raja Ram, Quintessence were a unique collective formed with a common interest in Indian music and a shared Hindu faith. The group's roots lay in the hippie community in Notting Hill, an area which was to London as Haight-Ashbury was to San Francisco.
Their breakthrough performance took place at a festival called Implosion, where they were noticed and duly signed by Island Records. Their debut LP, the elaborately packaged concept album ‘In Blissful Company’, mixed rock, jazz, and Indian elements. It was a hit with their core, cultish fans but also reached a wider audience with the track ‘Notting Hill Gate,’ a tribute to the hippie community. To capitalize on this, the band subsequently re-cut the song in a more pop-oriented rendition as a single.
Quintessence had a strong live reputation and reached commercial peak with their self-titled second album attaining #22 position on the U.K. charts before producing just one more album with Island.
The Band still produce until this day under the name Shiva's Quintessence with the original singer of Quintessence Siva Jones.
For more information please visit the band's website:
