IN 1968, a group of young men in their late teens and early twenties were having the time of their lives in London. Wearing their hair long and their clothes flowery, this talented quintet performed what was described as "harmony-based acid pop" as the group Angel Pavement.

They had travelled south from York to seek fame and fortune, and seemed well on the way to finding both.

As well as laying down tracks at London's best recording studio, they performed at Sibylla's, a trendy Regent Street nightclub part-owned by George Harrison.

They were spotted by the owner of a hotel complex in Mexico City. He offered them a six-month contract to play there. They turned professional and travelled halfway across the world to perform in front of an adoring audience.

On their return they recorded a few more songs, making enough for a debut album. But the band split up and the record was never released. Until now - 34 years later.

The resurrection of their music has evoked a wonderful trip down memory lane for the former members of Angel Pavement. These days, they have a little less hair, a little more on the waistline, but the same enthusiasm for music.

Graham Harris, erstwhile bass player with the Angel Pavement, runs Travel Options, the travel agency in Patrick Pool. He recently met up with Paul Smith, the former lead singer, now a York accountant, and they were soon reminiscing about their wild years.

There were girls, there was the music, but as for the missing part of the sex, drugs and rock'n'roll triumvirate, "I had one go and went back to the vodka," says Paul (although Graham admitted "recording studios always stank of the stuff because all the engineers all used it").

Their musical odyssey began at school. Graham attended Nunthorpe Grammar.

"Lots of people at school with us in the early Sixties picked up a guitar or a set of drum sticks and off they went," he says. "Every pub in York, especially at weekends, would have a group squeezed into the corner."

In Angel Pavement Graham and Paul performed alongside lead guitarist and songwriter Alfie Shepherd, Dave Smith on rhythm guitar, and drummer Mike Candler.

They were classed as a psychedelic act, although Graham believes their music was closer to the west coast American sound of The Byrds. With a big local following, Angel Pavement soon acquired their own manager and a Transit van which took them to gigs across the country.

"Our manager had an atlas about two inches by three inches," laughed Paul. "We played in Bournemouth on Thursday and Inverness Friday and Saturday. Then he booked us into somewhere like Manchester on Sunday night. "If your map's only that big, it's not far."

Among the bands they played with were Procul Harem, Marmalade and Status Quo.

Their close harmonies and catchy songs were good enough to propel them to the Morgan Studios in Willesden, London. "George Martin used to be there quite a lot adding finishing touches to the Beatles tracks," recalls Paul. "Morgan was the only 24-track recording studios in the country.

"Paul McCartney was in one night when we were there. Many of the big bands were wandering around."

Graham says: "Donovan had recorded a session before us. Our guitarist thought, 'I will have a go on Donovan's guitar'; of course, he blew it up. Donovan didn't play as loud as us."

Their Mexican booking was the chance of a lifetime. Graham says: "We arrived between the 1968 Olympics and the 1970 World Cup.

"It was amazing because they were so far behind the times in Mexico that they were grateful for any music they could get. That's probably why they liked us! In Mexico we were stars. We came back to England and did some more recording, but we were just another group."

They had their more difficult Mexican moments. Once, a group of local men took offence at the way the girls fussed over the York musicians' long hair and chased after them. The York lads managed to dive into their minibus as one of the crowd threw a dagger at them.

Back in England, they released their first single, Baby You've Gotta Stay. Kenny Everett loved it and played it on his Radio One show every Saturday for six weeks running, but it still barely made the chart.

Eventually, Angel Pavement split and went their separate ways. "We had got to about 21; done daft things, it was time to grow up a bit," says Paul.

Then, a few weeks ago, Graham logged onto the Internet.

"I was getting all nostalgic. I went onto the web and searched for Angel Pavement. I found this website for Sixties bands called Marmalade Skies.

"On it, a fella from record label Tenth Planet wrote, 'I am bringing out an LP from Angel Pavement'. I thought, that couldn't be us.

"I contacted them and they said, 'great, we've been trying to find Angel Pavement'."

That album, a thousand-copy limited release vinyl record, featuring pictures of Angel Pavement in Museum Gardens and Shambles on the sleeve, is out now.

So how does it feel to hear the music, 34 years on?

"Weird," says Graham. "It was always a regret at the time that nothing was done with it because we spent so many hours recording it."

He is delighted with the quality of the music. "When I listened to those tracks, I am surprised how good the harmonies are," he says. "There's a couple of tracks that made me think we were a very early boy band."

A website reviewer gives this independent assessment of Angel Pavement's debut album, Maybe Tomorrow: "This is unreservedly recommended... a perfect prelude to summer."

Graham, 53, who is married to Polly and with three grown up children, is delighted to have been a part of the swinging Sixties. And he can still strut his stuff.

"I can still play the bass. It's like riding a bike, you never forget."

Paul, married to Gail with an eight-year-old son, also remembers the late-Sixties with great affection. But neither rocker believes the release of their first album will prompt an Angel Pavement reunion. Unless the demand in these Sixties-obsessed times proves impossible to resist...

For more details about Angel Pavement visit www.marmalade-skies.co.uk

Updated: 11:44 Monday, April 14, 2003