Keyboardist Colin Catt and bassist Phil Gunn had known each other since college in the mid-1960s. Together with drummer Paul Young, they began playing jam sessions, which were later joined by various guitarists. Inspired by Cream, they gradually incorporated elements of blues and jazz into their R&B style. After returning from a concert tour in Germany in 1969, they signed a record deal with the small label Evolution under the name Raw Material. In October 1970, they recorded their self-titled debut LP with guitarist Dave Green and Mike Fletcher (sax, fl, harm, voc), who completed the line-up. The release, featuring an impressive cover design (courtesy of the New English Library), appeared later that same year.

The quintet played progressive rock with a dominating organ, earthy-bluesy hard rock, which was enhanced by occasional flute and saxophone interludes in the direction of jazz. Due to a lack of promotion and the complete ignorance of the press, this album was doomed to failure right from the start. Today, original Evolution Records releases (such as Arzachel) fetch a small fortune on the collectors’ market. A year later, they recorded their second album, Time Is..., which is also an absolute rarity as an original RCA Neon release.