Pawn Hearts

The songs developed on tour in 1971, then were arranged over two months at Stratton Smith's house in Crowborough, Sussex. It was planned as a double album, but Charisma vetoed the extra material. The suite on side two was recorded in short sections of two to five minutes and edited together. Hammill plays piano, Hohner pianet and acoustic and slide guitar; Jackson tenor, alto and soprano saxes and flute; Banton organs, Mellotron, ARP synthesizer and bass pedals; Evans drums, timpani and percussion; Robert Fripp plays electric guitar on "A Plague of Lighthouse Keepers". Engineers were Robin Cable, David Hentschel and Ken Scott. Paul Whitehead painted the sleeve after Hammill told him that no matter if you are a king or a pauper you are a pawn.

The US and Canadian pressing adds "Theme One" (2:55) to side one, making 48:03. It did not chart in the UK at first; Italy's chart lists 12, and Wikipedia's text elsewhere says it topped the Italian chart for twelve weeks, a conflict we leave open. Q called it a misunderstood masterpiece and Julian Cope a masterpiece; Record Mirror admitted complete ignorance of what the band was trying to achieve.