Music of this period (roughly 1974) was characterised by the very distinctive harmonies, which stayed with the band till the end, an amalgam of three very different voices, and a series of additional personnel, including the inspired Colin Edmunds on congas , a wonderful Canadian soprano sax player called Ray, and the drummer Steve Palmer. Phil was playing more electric guitar, Martin acquired a bass and the direction, mainly under Martin's influence, took on a vaguely jazzy/Latin element. The name Slender Loris ( a tribute to an ex-girlfriend of Phil's) replaced the too ironic Jack Russell Funtette in early 1974. The gigs were bigger and more lucrative, but the band lacked a permanent and driving rhythm section that would allow them to progress from the world of folk venues.

In early 1975, Slender Loris merged with two members of the progressive jazz/rock outfit Polyphony, with whom they had occasionally shared a stage. Dave Bristowe (keyboards) and Micky Barker (drums) were attracted to the intelligent lyrics and the vocal potential, and Loris saw the advent of Dave and Micky as a way of enhancing those jazzy elements that were already present in their song writing, as well as transforming the band into louder, rockier more instrumentally polished outfit.

It was a sensible marriage of convenience, and one which led to some highly original material. On the other hand, the two directions - the pop and the jazz - were always pulling apart as well as together.

1975 was the second phase of the band's development. Andy, Phil and Martin all worked together with Dave to produce a body of songs with which they toured the college circuit, sometimes headlining and sometimes supporting more established bands like Procul Harum, The Pink Fairies, Stray, Curved Air, Gong and Mike Nesmith. In addition, there were two residencies, one at The Railway in Birmingham and the other at The Imperial in Nottingham. The Nottingham venue proved the more progressive attracting a strong fan-base and the attention of a local record store owner who eventually persuaded and Island Records rep to give the band a try-out. An audition at Island proved sufficiently interesting for Island to record a couple of numbers in their 24 track Hammersmith studio.