The Open Mind

British rock band from London from the late 1960s. Originally called The Apaches, later renamed to The Drag Set and eventually called The Open Mind. The Drag Set, a mod band, changed their name to the Open Mind in late 1967 to reflect the non-judgmental receptiveness of the psychedelic era. After appearing at London's legendary venues like Middle East, the UFO Club, the Electric Garden (supporting Pink Floyd on opening night!), and The Marquee (opening for The Electric Prunes), where they were sometimes fronted by a pre-Yes Jon Anderson, boxing impresario Benny Huntman promised them a deal with Philips on the condition that his son, Roger, was installed as their manager. Un album was recorded in the spring of 1969 with Walker Brothers/Dusty Springfield producer Johnny Franz, but the band's greatest achievement came with the druggy "Magic Potion", a post-album single (August 1969) that was overseen by former Four Pennies member Fritz Fryer. The Open Mind disbanded in 1973; its members wanted to move into jazz-influenced music, but The Open Mind was too well-known as a psychedelic band. The band members (minus Phil Fox) went on to form Armada, which lasted about three years but did not release any recorded material. Mike Brancaccio (guitar, vocals); Timothy du Feu (bass); Phil Fox (drums); Terry Schindler aka Terry Martin (guitar, vocals).