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From correspondence with Peter Daltrey in Nov 1997:

Why change of name to Fairfield Parlour?

By 1968 we had released two critically acclaimed albums and several singles. But commercial success eluded us.
Philips gave us an ultimatum: give us a hit single or we will terminate your contract. They insisted we record two songs written by a couple of Tin-Pan Alley hacks. The songs were terrible and we gave no enthusiasm to the recording sessions, which were soon abandoned. Ed and I made one last effort to write our own ultra-commercial song: the awful 'Balloon'. Philips were happy; we recorded it; it was released - and flopped, dying without trace.
At this time we were approached by a radio One DJ, David Symonds, who offered to become our manager. We agreed. A vote was taken and a radical change proposed: a change of name and a move to Philips' new 'progressive' label Vertigo. Philips were happy. We were happy to leave our unsuccessful Kaleidoscope career behind and move on.
By this time our music had also matured - there was less psychedelia - and we were ready to emerge as a 'new' band. (But spot the 'odd-one-out' on 'From Home to Home': the pure psychedelia of 'I Remember Sunny-side Circus', a left-over from our Kaleidoscope days that we liked som much we couldn't leave it behind.)

Do you concider 'White-Faced Lady' as your master-piece?

I would not presume to label any of our recordings as master-pieces, but, of course, I am happy to hear this major work referred to in those terms. Who knows how our career would have evolved if 'WFL' had been released in the early Seventies? As it is, I'm very happy that it was eventually released and that our fans can now appreciate the album.
'WFL' was concieved when I noticed a tenuous link between the lyrics of several new songs. I suggested we construct a firmer linking theme, tying the songs into the framework of a story. I would write a novel to be published at the same time as the double album. But a change of head of A & R at Vertigo resulted in the company reneging on their support. We were left without a contract - and the band split a few months later. But who cares? The album's out there if you can hunt down a copy on vinyl or CD. It is our major work. But a master-piece...? You tell me.

Do you write poetry?

When I was only writing the lyrics for the group songs I also wrote poetry. Now that I am writing the music and lyrics for my solo work I write less poetry. However, I recently used a poem I wrote twenty years ago (!) for a new song 'Country Dance'. I enjoy reading some poetry: Leonard Cohen, for instance.

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