In the Bannau-Brycheiniog National Park in Wales, there are a number of „Standing Stones“ – menhirs – which are many centuries old and steeped in myth. A certain Oliver Chaplin left behind one such Standing Stone in the form of a self-released album, recorded in a makeshift recording studio in the barn of his parents’ farm in the Welsh countryside. He played acoustic and electric guitar, and piano on some tracks, recording it all directly onto a TEAC 4-track tape recorder, using just a single microphone and a direct guitar input – without any synthetic sounds whatsoever.

His brother Chris Chaplin, who had also recorded Jimi Hendrix’s famous radio sessions and possessed expertise as a sound engineer, played a pivotal role in the recordings. He supported his brother in his experiments to create his own sounds and guitar effects – which are used extensively on the album – and took charge of the subsequent mixing. Released in 1974, this debut album represents an unconventional fusion of acoustic loner folk, psychedelic effects, blues and experimental rock with heavy fuzz guitar.

Oliver’s aversion to the music industry prevented a collaboration with the then fledgling Virgin label, meaning that only a handful of copies were produced as a private pressing. Initially packaged in plain blue sleeves, these were replaced shortly afterwards by olive-green covers because the text on the blue sleeves was illegible. It is one of those great, long-lost albums and ranks among the rarest and most expensive independent releases from the UK.