Yet another of those countless impressive psychedelic and progressive rock albums from the late 1960s and early 1970s that received little or no attention. Miguel Sergides was a London-based Cypriot singer, guitarist and songwriter who formed the obscure five-piece band Arcadium in 1969 to bring his song ideas to life. The line-up included the excellent musicians Allan Ellwood on keyboards, his brother, lead guitarist Robert Ellwood, bassist Graham Best and drummer John Albert Parker. The even more obscure label Middle Earth Records, which released only a handful of LPs, signed them after a few gigs at the London club of the same name. Under the production guidance of Austin John Marshall, they recorded their debut album Breath Awhile in the autumn of 1969, which moves between psychedelic rock and the early days of progressive rock.

It features sombre, organ-dominated heavy psych, laid-back acoustic guitars, right through to explosive, guitar-heavy hard rock fireworks, complemented by Sergides’ passionate, powerful voice, which lends the music an immense emotional depth. Unfortunately, even in the era of LSD and Timothy Leary, audiences interested in music were not yet ready for this uncompromising psychedelia. Therefore, their first and only LP, released at the end of October 1969, sold poorly and sank without a trace into obscurity, causing the band to fade into oblivion. Today, both the English and French originals are highly sought-after rarities on many collectors' wish lists.