In 1967, keyboardist Alan Feldman and drummer Chico Greenwood founded the short-lived British band Union Blues in London, together with guitarist Steve Radford, bassist Jon Taylor and singer and harmonica player Nick Payne. A year later, towards the end of 1968, they signed a record contract with the fledgling label Spark. The recordings were made over five days between 10 January and 14 March 1969, with the assistance of the renowned jazz trumpeter Henry Lowther, who provided the string and horn arrangements. Shortly before these recording sessions, they changed their name to Jasper, after a mineral known for its diverse colours and patterns.

Their debut album Liberation, released in England in November 1969, is equally diverse. It presents a collection of varied styles and unusual arrangements, ranging from blues rock to psychedelic rock, early progressive rock, baroque pop and even some jazzy elements, driven by Steve Radford’s excellent lead guitar and supported by the skilful use of flute, harpsichord and string arrangements. This placed them at the very forefront of the British psychedelic and blues scene of the late 1960s. Unfortunately, Jasper disbanded shortly after this release and withdrew from the music business. Due to a lack of promotion and inadequate distribution, sales figures were extremely low. This extremely rare original LP, with its striking psychedelic artwork, subsequently vanished completely into private collections.