They never had any commercial success in the U.K. or the U.S., but
Blossom Toes were one of the more interesting British psychedelic groups of the late '60s. Starting as the Ingoes, just another of thousands of British R&B/beat bands of the mid-'60s, the group hooked up with legendary impresario
Giorgio Gomelsky (early mentor of
the Stones and manager of
the Yardbirds and
Soft Machine, among others) in 1966.
Gomelsky changed their name and put them on his Marmalade label. Their 1967 debut LP was miles away from R&B, reflecting an extremely British whimsy and skilled, idiosyncratic songwriting more in line with
Ray Davies. After some personnel changes, the group released their second (and final) album a couple years later. Another extremely accomplished work, it was markedly different in character than their first effort, showing a far more sober tone and heavier, guitar-oriented approach. The group broke up at the end of the decade; members
Brian Godding and
Brian Belshaw formed the equally obscure
B.B. Blunder, and
Godding became active on the fringes of the British experimental rock scene.
–
Richie Unterberger, Rovi