History Albion Dreaming

LSD culture in Britain is 'every bit as socially relevant as the American experience of the drug.' So concludes Andy Roberts in the closing paragraphs of 'Albion Dreaming', a book devoted to the history of LSD in Britain.

I had read (and reviewed on Drugs Forum) 'Storming Heaven' by Jay Stevens, the most definitive guide to acid in the USA to date, and was eager to see how 'Albion Dreaming' would measure up. 'Storming Heaven' is a gripping read, a demonstration of how fact can indeed be stranger than fiction.

The early chapters of 'Albion' deal with Albert Hofmann and the genesis of LSD, followed by its use in the 1950s and early 1960s in Britain in psychotherapy and by the military, intent on finding 'truth drugs' and incapacitating agents. Unfortunately, I couldn't help reflecting on how this was all a bit of a pale imitation of the parallel American story. The British psychiatric/therapeutic community lacked the entourage of larger-than-life characters that the American tale could boast: Al Hubbard, Oscar Janiger, Sidney Cohen et al. And while British military experimentation is shady, it cannot compare with the CIA's dodgy interest in the substance.

It is only later in the history that Andy Roberts really comes into his own. In particular his elaboration of the central role played by LSD in the development of the counter culture of the 1970s explores areas that have been rarely explored in depth, yet which touched deeply the lives of thousands of Britons. His account of Operation Julie, Britain's biggest and most co-ordinated drug bust, is stark and sobering in effect. It is here that 'Albion Dreaming' becomes a compelling read, not to mention a more complete account than 'Storming Heaven'. The latter describes the outlawing of LSD in 1966, followed by the Summer of Love (ha ha ha), the symbolic death of hippie, and ends with a brief exploration of MDMA and analogue drugs, the latest things when the book was published in the 1980s. 'Albion Dreaming' makes it clear that, in Britain at any rate, LSD's history was only just beginning at the point when it was made illegal, and its threat to the socio-cultural status quo was at its strongest during the time of communes, free festivals etc in the 1970s.

'Albion' brings the story pretty much up to date, including Casey Hardison's scandalous 20-year sentence for manufacture and distribution in 2004. When he writes about LSD's potential for change, both of the individual personality and on the level of culture, let's say that Andy Roberts writes as if he knows what he is talking about. The final chapters contain several of the clearest passages I have come across on the potential value of psychedelics, and on the madness of current drug policies and official attitudes. The author makes no bones about the damage done on both social and personal levels by the current state of affairs and the unspoken agenda of the British Establishment, that political, cultural, financial, legal and judicial nexus that defines what should be 'the norm'.

As an example of Andy Roberts's clear and precise thinking, take these few sentences from the chapter on Operation Julie: 'The tenacity with which the police pursued the Operation Julie LSD conspiracy has rarely been equalled. It could be asked why, if the police, on a tight budget, could smash the LSD ring, they could not do the same for the heroin trade. Heroin has killed more Britons every year than LSD has done since it was first synthesized. Heroin destroys lives and families, the acquisitive crime it breeds making areas unsafe to walk or park in and puts a shoplifting premium on the cost of retail goods. LSD does none of this. But heroin is not a tool for examining consciousness, nor does it, or those who manufacture and distribute it, seek to transform the user to be able to see through the drudgery of western materialism and redundant Judeo-Christian spirituality...' (p 200 - 201).

I have a couple of minor gripes: about factual accuracy (on page 83, for example, it is stated that John Lennon and George Harrison had their first acid trip in 1965, while on page 112 the year 1966 is quoted. To be honest, I don't really care which is correct, but inaccuracies can diminish a book's credibility in the eyes of some); and occasional idiosyncracies in punctuation. However, I don't wish to dwell on either of these.

For the second half of the book in particular Andy Roberts is to be heartily thanked for telling a hitherto untold story, critically yet warmly and sympathetically. Only the most bigoted will be left not feeling that it is the delusory fantasies of the 'Establishment' that need changing, not the visions of the LSD taker. I highly recommend this book, not just as a history of LSD but as an investigation of a cultural phenomenon. Some readers of Drugs Forum may feel that in Andy Roberts they have discovered something of a kindred spirit. Thanks, Andy: a really good read and a valuable contribution.

Other things I found interesting: some of the pictures, like Christine Bott - 'nine years in jail for making acid chemist Richard Kemp's sandwiches' - with her pet goat. Really looks like a hardened criminal. And two of the best-ever verses on LSD, page 143, from Dave Cunliffe's 'Blackburn Brainswamp': 'At 4 a.m. she entered the brain of God........'

Reputation Comments on this post:

	thanks for the review
	Very thorough review.