Case History is a fitting title for Kevin Coyne's first album, as the music is inspired by his time working as a drug counselor and social worker in an institution for the mentally ill. Released in 1971, it's a bluesy English folk record that doesn't sound too far off from what Led Zeppelin had done on side two of Zeppelin III right around the same time. It's a record of serious alienation and suffering, although not without its moments of light and redemption.
Coyne went on to be one of the first artists signed to Virgin Records, and although his career never grew bigger than a cult UK following, the label supported him faithfully, until he suffered a nervous breakdown in 1981 (after which he continued to release music on Cherry Red). He continued making music, literature and art until his death in 2004.
Kevin Coyne - Evil Island Home
Kevin Coyne - Need Somebody
A BBC performance of "House On the Hill" from 1973's Marjory Razorblade.
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