* En anglais uniquement
Cressida was a British art rock band formed at the tail-end of the 1960s in the shadow of (and their music very much in thrall to)
the Moody Blues, with a heavy organ and Mellotron sound courtesy of keyboard player
Peter Jennings. The original lineup of
Jennings,
Angus Cullen (vocals, guitar),
John Heyworth (guitar), Kevin McCarthy (bass), and Ian Clark (drums) was signed to Polydor's progressive rock imprint, Vertigo Records. The group had a dense, lyrical sound, and
Cullen's singing was of a pleasing, almost pop nature, in a vein similar to
Justin Hayward,
Paul McCartney, et al. Their self-titled debut album was filled with hauntingly beautiful melodies and relatively accessible, straightforward song structures. It was somewhat derivative of antecedents such as
the Moody Blues, but it did well enough to justify a follow-up in 1971.
Heyworth had departed by the time of the second album, entitled
Asylum, replaced by John Culley and Paul Martin Layton (of
the New Seekers) on guitar, and with
Harold McNair added on flute as well. That album, produced by
Ossie Byrne, was more ambitious instrumentally and, surprisingly, given
Byrne's previous work with
the Bee Gees and
Eclection, less focused on
Cullen's vocals. By 1972, however, the group had run out of steam and recording contract, and they never really had a chance to develop a history. Ian Clark moved on to a brief stay with
Uriah Heep and John Culley became a member of
Black Widow. ~ Bruce Eder