By early 1969 the psychedelic pop sound was distinctly passé, and the dubious glories of progressive rock and the confessional singer/songwriter genre were about to make their mark. Born in Johannesburg in 1946, John Kongos (who was the leader of "Johnny Kongos & The G-Men" in the early sixties) arrived in England during the epochal Swinging London summer of 1966, where he pieced together a band named Floribunda Rose, which by early 1968 had given way to the rather less effete Scrugg. The band duly went their separate ways, with Pete Clifford going to South Africa to join The Bats. Left to his own devices, John Kongos was forced to reinvent himself once more: this time, it was as a sensitive, introspective pop poet-cum-troubadour that emerged to coincide with Pye's launch of a new underground label, Dawn, in late 1969.
By now a hirsute Lennon lookalike peering dolefully through round, oversized glasses, Kongos pieced together a solo album with the suitably pseudo-meaningful title Confusions About A Goldfish, which emerged in October 1969 as Dawn's inaugural album release. Complete with John Schroder's typically opaque production, it's something of a curate's egg - undoubtedly impressive in parts, the overall conclusion to be drawn is that Kongos was one of a handful of young, UK-based singer/songwriters (including Elton John and Philips-era David Bowie) valiantly attempting to carve a niche for themselves at the onset of a new, uncertain musical decade. (David Wells)
