The Free Spirit

The People's Anthem; 1969 (Part Two)

As I mentioned in the previous chapter, I had been approached by Elton Macfadyen about something rather startling, and the news he broke to me was that Ginger McAllistor had left the band to pursue a solo career. The Noble Steeds were under contract for one more album before it would officially be over, and rather than accumulate legal fees in trying to break it, they preferred to just make the final album and do the final tour before they would officially break up the band and go their separate ways. So what did they do? They asked me to take over the band as the lead singer. They could have made their final album perfectly well without me, but it just wouldn't be the same without the female lead singer, according to Elton's logic. "I don't know why she couldn't stay in for just one more album, but she insisted that she was done with the Steeds," Elton had told me the day he asked me to join the band.

"But my voice is considerably lower than Ginger's, won't that change the definition of the Noble Steeds?" I asked him.

"Different singer, different style. Ginger always picked the style of the album and set the style for the Steeds back when we first started. If you join us, it'll be your ship to pilot," Elton told me.

"What do the others have to say about this? Murphy? Charlie? James? They're all established members."

"Honestly, I think they all just want to move on now and do this final album and get us out of this contract. I don't think they're complaining much."

"I don't want to just step in and start ordering everyone around..."

"We're used to Ginger doing that so it really wouldn't be a big change, honestly."

"I don't know. I don't feel right taking over the band."

"It's only for one more album. Tour ends in August, album's out in May, then we're all done." I was very hesitant to accept Elton's offer of taking over the Noble Steeds, but I agreed to do it after talking it over with Don first.

"You've got your own career to worry about, you don't need 'em to drag ya down," Don told me when I brought it up to him in early February, shortly before Don was to go on tour.

"They're not going to drag me down, love. If anything, it'll be a... fun experience, perhaps. I'll get to sing and perform with the Noble Steeds, write songs for them and sing with them... Imagine that, your wife, Catherine Cromwell — midwife, singer, protestor, and lead singer for the Noble Steeds," I told him.

"For one album," Don chimed in.

"Yes, but so what? I'll start pulling songs I've written, try and modify them to the sound of the band and see what we can do with them. I've got so many, and I'm sure Elton does, too."

"Are ya sure ya got time for this, honey?"

"I'll make time, won't I? I always do," I replied. Because the kids were still in school, the Steeds and their producers agreed to work in California, considering the final tour would take place in the United States as well. Starting in early March, we began to put our heads together looking at potential candidates for the album.

"Well, you've released one album this year already," I said, referring to their January release of their album, Reynardine. "Perhaps we should stick with the rather psychedelic sound it had?"

"Up to you, love," said Charlie Williams, leaning back with his hands behind his head and his feet on the table. "We ain't lookin' to make it too difficult."

"What he means to say is, you have complete control over the sound of this album. If you want it to sound like Reynardine, it can. But if you want it to sound like something else, it can do that, too," Elton said.