Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera, who featured vocalist Dave Terry, are to have their very first complete career anthology released. Long Nights Of Summer, The Elmer Gantry’s Velvet Opera Anthology will be released through Grapefruit Records on July 22.
A highly-regarded late 60s UK psychedelic band, Elmer Gantry’s Velvet Opera are of note to most prog fans because singer Terry, who would later appropriate the name Elmer Gantry, as well as taking to the stage wearing a cape and preacher's hat in the style of the title character in the 1960 film of Sinclair Lewis' novel of the same name, sang with the Alan Parsons Project on 1980's The Turn Of A Friendly Card and 1982's Eye In The Sky albums. he also worked with Jon Lord on 1982's Before I Forget and Cozy Powell on 1981's Tilt. The band also featured John Hudson Ford, who would later join Strawbs.
Long Nights Of Summer, The Elmer Gantry’s Velvet Opera Anthology features the band's 1968 debut album Elmer Gantry’s Velvet Opera, which features the band's debut single Flames, which also made an appearance on the 1968 compilation The Rock Machine Turns You On, as well as being covered live by Led Zeppelin, and its 1969 follow-up Ride A Hustler's Dream, as well as a US promo-only mono mix of the debut LP making its first-ever CD appearance.
Pre-order Long Nights Of Summer, The Elmer Gantry’s Velvet Opera Anthology.
