Green Bullfrog was an album resulting from a one-off studio project and recorded between February and May 1970. The album was the idea of producer Derek Lawrence who assembled a group of musicians with whom he had worked in the 1960s. For contractual reasons, the musicians were billed under pseudonyms:
- Albert Lee = Pinta
- Matthew Fisher = Sorry
- Ian Paice, of Deep Purple = Speedy
- Tony Ashton = Bevy
- Rod Alexander = Vicar
- Chas Hodges = Sleepy
- Earl Jordan = Jordan
- Big Jim Sullivan = Boss
- Ritchie Blackmore, of Deep Purple = Boots
Despite rumours at the time Jeff Beck, Roger Glover and Jon Lord do not appear on the sessions. A few originals (penned by Lawrence) were played, as well as many blues-inflected covers of rock songs. The guitar workout song "Bullfrog" is basically Deep Purple's song "Jam Stew" which Purple had originally performed for the BBC Studio Sessions. A record of this session was released in 1972. It was first issued on vinyl by MCA Records in the U.K. and Decca records in the U.S.
A reissue was released in 1980 under ECY Street Records on Vinyl in the US.
Four tracks recorded by Green Bullfrog have been published on the Ritchie Blackmore compilation Get Away - Groups and Sessions (2005).
It was remixed at Abbey Road Studios, London in 1991 by Derek Lawrence and released on CD.
Read more about Green Bullfrog: Tracks