Song of the Day 10/11: Audience, “You’re Not Smiling”

Audience was a short-lived British band that got lumped in with progressive rock because of the their unusual instrumentation. Formed in 1969, they had no lead guitarist — their rhythm section was fronted by vocalist Howard Werth, who played an amplified nylon-string acoustic guitar, and Keith Gemmell, who played tenor sax and flute, often supplemented by echo loops and distortion effects. “Prog” was an easier label than jazz-blues-folk fusion, which was a good description for what a lot of jam-oriented bands played in those days.

The band’s high point came with the 1971 LP “The House on the Hill,” produced by Gus Dudgeon. This was the second single released from the album. Despite a strong hook, it failed to chart. Audience toured the US opening for the Faces behind the LP, but Gemmell left to join another band during the recording of the follow-up. They got it released but disbanded soon after, and didn’t reunite for the oldies circuit until the new millennium.