Originally released in the year 1971 Twice As Nice & Half The Price was the second album from Uk Maidenhead based folk-rock band Heron. The band took an unpolished, at times slightly wavering take on the genre- and this twenty-one track album saw them blending in mellow singsong writer elements, and even dives into raucous keys lead pub rock. Here from Talking Elephant Records is a CD reissue of the album.

The CD comes presented in a six-panel digipak which features pictures of the rough, ready, and grubby jeaned band hanging outside a country cottage. With handwritten song listings/ credits- the whole thing very much speaks of the band's often unpolished, raw and honest sound.

The band’s origins date back to 1967 when Tony Pook (vocals), Roy Apps (guitar, vocals), and Robert Collins (guitar) met at the Dolphin Folk Club in Maidenhead, Berkshire. At first, seemingly they were more of a cover band, but in time they started writing their own songs- though they still carried on with covers, and a few can be found on this album.

Twice As Nice & Half The Price appeared in 1971 on Dawn Records-the underground and progressive sublabel of Pye Records. The line-up for album was- Roy Apps- Vocals, guitars, piano and organ. Steve Jones- Keyboards. Tony Pook- Vocals & Percussion. Gerald T Moore- Vocals, guitars, piano and organ.  The album took in seventeen original tracks, and four covers- which are decidedly mixed…but more on those later.

The album opens with “Madman” a shambling, though upbeat blend of strutting guitars, snapping drums, jaunting keys, and a decidedly wavering blend of male sing-song vocals- with the track almost falling apart at places. Moving we have the cascading-to-bounding piano and acoustic guitars of “Love Is” which rather had an English Neil young vibe, with the addition of occasional wonky harmony vocals. We have the first cover of Dylan’s “John Brown” with Moore doing his own arrangement- and boy this is a rather trying to get through- as it runs over seven minutes, the shambling vocals are at points painful, and the instrumental backing is grating/ bland, to say the least.

In the second half of the album, things do pick up again. We have a passioned ‘n’ earthy take on Guthrie’s “The Great Dust Storm” with honking keys, strummed guitars, and nicely blended( mostly in harmony) vocals. We have the gentle tolling roll of “Minstrel And The King” with its upright-yet-felt piano, and urgent folk-rock guitars. There’s the grooving pub rock of “He’s Just A Poor Boy” with its upfront smoking organ & jiving guitars.

So, in finishing Twice As Nice & Half The Price is somewhat of a mixed bag of an album. But there are more than a few gems here to make it worth picking up for those who enjoy often unpolished, but always honest blends of folk-rock, singer-songwriter fare, and pub rock.