Starting with TIMEBOX, a '60's outfit that developed from a complicaded ancestry that included The Bow Street runners, Patto's people, and the Chicago Blue Line, this splendid soul/psych-pop combo made two singles for Pye's Piccadilly, before signing to Decca's Deram label in 1967. They recorded five singles for Deram between '67 and '69 and appeared on BBC shows such as Noise at Nine, Stuart Henry on Sunday and Jimmy Young. None of the singles troubled the compilers of the Hit Parade, despite the excellent musicianship that allowed them to encompass several genres of music in their output. After their last single failed in '69, they decided that their future lay in the burgeoning "progressive" movement, which in itself was born of the freedom from instant commersialism that the better musicians of the psychedelic flowering had forged. And the group PATTO was born.

TIMEBOX

Ollie Halsall

Lucky enough to be signed to the recently-created Vertigo label, soon to become home of many progressive rock classics, PATTO went into the studio with Muff Winwood in the producer's chair. Winwood had left the Spencer Davis Group shortly after his brother's departure in '69, in order to take up the job of head of A&R at Chris Blackwell's Island Records, Blackwell having managed the Spencer Davis Group. Perhaps as a reaction to the complicated sound of the Timebox records, Winwood decided to record PATTO with a "live-in-the-studio" feel, though the result still showcased Ollie Halsall's guitar virtuosity and Mike Patto's soulfull delivery. At this early stage it was clear that this was a band that paid little attention to cliched rock etiquette. Their first album was simply entitled "Patto" and was released in november of 1970. See MUSIC.

Their spirits and commitment undaunted by the poor sales of the first album, they were soon back in the studio working on what was to be their second album "Hold your fire". It was released in December 1971, contained many of the same ingredients as the first album and resulted in similarly disappointing sales and Vertigo dropped the band. To this day, it defies belief that such an album can be so little, if ever, referred to in the history of British rock.
By now their live act was legendary. PATTO were , without question, the band that other bands liked to see. Ollie was astonishing. Mike was full of fun. They embarked on a hectic European tour supporting Ten Years After. It went down very well, with Ollie playing so impressive that Alvin Lee took to recording all their sets on a Revox. He also chose to travel in the Patto's tour bus in preference to his own - as John Halsey wryly observed: "I think he hoped a bit of Ollie's gift would rub off"!
Back in England, Muff Winwood's connections got them a new deal at Island Records and they returned to the studio with Winwood as a producer but not before being signed up for a US and Australasian tour. The result was "Roll Em Smoke Em, put another line out". The outstanding musicianship can still be heard, but the album was unfavourable received. Many critics rated this album as their poorest, but to the Patto's it was their best product to date. It seems a good point to observe that in all fairness, none of the Patto's albums do justice to their live performance, but this came closest.
Finally, their lack of success at reaching the next step to wider acceptance, and the poor sales of their latest album, signified the beginning of the end for the band.