Artist: McCully Workshop

Title: INC

Catalogue number: Freshcd 167 (102)

Barcode: 6009834170099

1. Why Can't It Rain [4.12]


2. Hardcase Woman [2.34]


3. Ice Lover [3.05]


4. Four Walls [2.40]


5. Stargazer [2.48]


6. Rush Hour At Midnight [3.42]


7. Jackin' Around [2.04]


8. Head For The Moon [4.00]


9. The Circus [4.00]


10. Years Of My Life [3.19]


11. Fast Car [3.41]


12. Séance [3.05]

Musicians:

Tully McCully: Vocals,
bass, guitar

Mike McCully: Vocals,
drums

Richard Hyam: Rhythm
and acoustic guitars, vocals

Glenda Wassman: Organ,
vocals

Ian Smith: Trumpet, flute,
flugelhorn

Additional musicians:

Allan Faull: Lead guitar
on 'Why Can't It Rain', 'The Circus', 'Hardcase Woman' and 'Stargazer'

Alan van der Merwe: Vocal
harmony and organ on 'Why Can't It Rain' and 'Stargazer'

Melanie Hyam: Vocal harmonies
on 'Why Can't It Rain' and 'Rush Hour At Midnight'

Originally released in
1969 on Trutone Records. Recorded and arranged by Tully McCully in McCully
Workshop Studio. Produced by Billy Forrest. Remastered for cd by Tully
McCully @ Spaced Out Sounds. Cover photo by Sigurd Olivier, band photos
by Humphrey Clinker. Additional artwork by Chantal Guy, liner notes
by Brian Currin.

Grateful thanks to Tully
& Mike McCully , Tertius Louw for the cover and photo scans. Reissue
produced by Benjy Mudie for the Retro series.

For more McCully Workshop
releases and other classic South African rock and pop reissues visit www.freshmusic.co.za or email fresh@icon.co.za.

This is an officially artist endorsed
and licensed release. Help stamp out bootlegging and piracy by only
buying legitimate products, thereby ensuring that both artists and labels
are rewarded for their hard work.

Other info

(p) 1969 South Africa © Fresh
Music

The normal Universal/CDT/RISA credits

McCully Workshop Inc

"Of all the albums we've heard from
South Africa this one scores top What a beautiful masterpiece. Pepper-influenced
underground music with great songs, lovely vocals, strong harmonies,
great distorted guitar work." -- review on Psychedelic-Music.com
website.



The McCullagh brothers, Tully (born Terence on 31^st May 1953)
and Mike (born Michael on 7^th April 1947), have been an integral
part of the South African music scene for five decades now.

In 1965 they started as a folk-rock trio
with Richard Hyam and called themselves the Blue Three. Richard had
been in a folk duo, Tiny Folk, with his sister Melanie. After a few
personnel and name changes, like The Blue Beats and Larfing Stocke,
the line-up settled down (for a while) in 1969.

“I had my own studio in the garage
since I was 12” remembers Tully. It was a single garage in the garden
of their home in Plumstead, in the Southern Suburbs of Cape Town. The
brothers' father, radio personality Michael Drin (his stage name), painted
the name “McCully Workshop, Inc.” on the garage wall. “McCully”
was an easier-to-spell version of McCullagh and the “Inc.” was a
tongue-in-cheek addition. “We had been playing music for 6 years”
remembers Mike McCullagh. “In 1969 I was 22 and Tully was 16, along
with Richard Hyam, his sister Melanie and Allan Faull the group started.”

“We all wrote our own songs”, continues
Mike, “and we just took the best ones for the album. Tully wrote 'Why
Can't It Rain' in the middle of the night and this became a hit single
putting McCully Workshop on the charts for the first time.” This song
went to number 12 on the Springbok Radio charts in July 1970 and also
reached number 13 on the LM Radio charts.“Why Can't It Rain” drew
the attention of the Gallo label, and they said they wanted an album.
McCully Workshop signed probably the first independent licencing deal
with a major label in South Africa.

Billy Forrest (born William Boardman
in Kimberley in 1940) was the “top guy” at the time and was appointed
as producer. He had recently had chart success with The Staccatos 'Cry
To Me' and many others including The Dream Merchants and Quentin E Klopjager
(one of his many pseudonyms).Tully remembers Forrest's catchphrase at
the time was “could happen”.

The “Inc.” album shows a variety
of styles and influences including The Beatles, Frank Zappa and Pink
Floyd. “'Sgt Pepper' was very important, as were the pop charts at
the time”, recalls Tully.Another big influence, according to Tully,
was The Moody Blues 'Threshold Of A Dream' which was released in April
1969. Echoes of Graeme Edge's poems can be heard in Mike McCully's spoken
words during the moon landing-inspired 'Head For The Moon'. A photo
of the garage was used as the album cover. The photo was taken by Sigurd
Olivier from the Argus newspaper and the cat's name was Sirikit.

When asked to name his favourite song
on the 'Inc.' album besides 'Why Can't It Rain', Tully says without
hesitation, 'The Circus'. This song is an up tempo psychedelic pop-rocker
with strong vocal harmonies, distorted guitar sounds from Allan Faull
and great flute playing from Ian Smith. Asked about an interesting studio
story, Tully remembers feeling a few tremors and stuff falling off the
walls one day during recording. “Everybody got a fright and rushed
outside”, says Tully, “we thought it was a passing train.” Turned
out to be the Tulbagh earthquake of 29^th September 1969.
The sessions were done, but another song was needed to complete the
album, so a studio jam called 'Jackin' Around' was added. Great organ
sounds from Glenda Wassman, and a drum solo play-out from Mike McCully.

Alan van Der Merwe was a music teacher
friend of Mike's and was responsible for the vocal harmony arrangements.
Tully cites South African band 'The Sandpipers' as an inspiration. This
folk quartet, which consisted of two girls and two guys, and not be
confused with the US folk trio, released an album titled 'A Bird in
Hand' in 1967.

After
“Inc’

McCully Workshop, with the McCullagh
brothers always at the core, released a number of albums over the years
including “Genesis” and “Ages” and of course are best known
for their big 1977 hit 'Buccaneer' . 40 years after those first recording
sessions in late 1969, Tully is still involved in recording and runs
his successful Spaced-Out Sounds Studio in Cape Town. Mike regularly
packs out concert halls with his various nostalgic revue shows including
'Sixty Something', 'Station 70', 'Music Of The Millennium', 'Country
Classics' and many, many others. McCully Workshop still perform live
on occasion and their first hit 'Why Can't It Rain' is almost always
included in the set list.

Glenda Wassman later married Richard,
and they formed the pop band Pendulum and had a big hit with 'Take My
Heart' in 1976. Glenda then went on to major success worldwide with
the all-girl group, Clout, who had a huge hit with 'Substitute' which
went to number 2 in the UK in 1978. Allan Faull formed Falling Mirror
in the late 70's with his cousin Neilen Mirror (nee Marais).

The legends of South African pop and
rock live on...

Brian Currin

Cape Town, September 2009

www.McCullyWorkshop.co.za