Ronnie Charles- Prestiditation

THE GREAT LOST ALBUM OF THE ’70s IS FINALLY RE-RELEASED!

In 1976, Australia’s Ronnie Charles released an album he’d made with The London Symphony Orchestra and English Chamber Choir.

Produced by Lou Reizner (who had produced the orchestral version of The Who’s Tommy, as well as Rod Stewart’s first two solo albums), it was the most expensive album ever made in the UK at the time.

The album, Prestidigitation, launched 20th Century Records and featured an all-star cast of players, including Keith Tippett (King Crimson) on piano, Australia’s Terry Britten from The Twilights (who later co-wrote Tina Turner’s ‘What’s Love Got To Do With It’) on guitar, and Blue Mink’s Herbie Flowers on bass. And Ronnie was joined on a stunning cover of Thunderclap Newman’s classic ‘Something In The Air’ by the song’s writer and original singer, John “Speedy” Keen.

Prestidigitation is the art of performing magic tricks using sleight of hand. And, ironically, the album quickly disappeared – swamped by the rise of punk and disco. As the Australian music website, Milesago noted, “this remarkable
LP vanished without a trace, becoming one of the great ‘lost’ recordings of the era”.

But 46 years later, Prestidigitation has been remastered and reissued on vinyl – a deluxe gatefold package that restores the record to its ’70s glory.