It's fair to say that
Ceremony: An Electric Mass is unlike any other release by an English band normally rooted in the blues. Think of it as
Spooky Tooth's version of
Concerto for Group and Orchestra by
Deep Purple, in which, after two or three promising blues-based rock releases, one member of the band somehow convinces the others to go for a wildly ambitious, experimental concept album.
Jon Lord persuaded
Deep Purple to dive into the deep end, and
Gary Wright convinced
Spooky Tooth to welcome acclaimed French composer and musique concrète pioneer
Pierre Henry for this electronic mass.
Henry's atonal arrangements don't fare too badly against
Spooky Tooth's piercing guitars and bluesy wail, although
Wright left the band after
Ceremony (just as
Lord never had the same influence on
Purple again, leaving
Ritchie Blackmore to lead them on to heavy metal glory). ~ Mark Allan