Praying Mantis - Demorabilia

Praying Mantis are an English rock band. Though very much a part of the NWOBHM scene, they pursued a musical direction more melodic and AOR-sounding than their contemporaries.Their formation considerably pre-dates the NWOBHM. They were formed in 1974 by the Troy brothers, both college students. Like several NWOBHM bands they made their first available recording at Neal Kay's Soundhouse recording studio which was released as the Soundhouse Tapes EP in 1979. 1980 saw their profile considerably raised with support slots for Iron Maiden and Ronnie Montrose's Gamma.The attention won them a contract with Arista Records and they released their best-known work Time Tells No Lies in 1981. Unfortunately management and lineup instability greatly undermined their success and Arista dropped them. The following year they signed for Jet Records but two subsequent singles flopped and the band folded. The band had originally recorded a version of the Russ Ballard penned track I Surrender but ran into conflict with Rainbow who went on to release their version and had a Top Ten worldwide hit. In its place they recorded the single "Cheated".

  The band maintained a strong fanbase in Japan, and when the Troys temporarily reformed Praying Mantis for an NWOBHM nostalgia tour in 1990 they were sufficiently encouraged by the response to resurrect the band full-time. Their live work was released as Live At Last and a follow-up studio album Predator In Disguise was released the following year, and the band soldiered on into the new century. A compilation, The Best Of Praying Mantis, was released in 2004

Demorabilia is an excellent double cd with, in total 27 Escape and Praying Mantis tracks, which had not been released before.

The song material itself is non-stop top-class even when you consider that these are after all only demos and as such the sound can be a bit ropey at times

 

The Musicians

* Bernie Shaw, Lead Vocals On Most tracks

* Chris Troy, Bass guitar, Background Vocals, Lead Vocals

* Tino Troy, Lead guitar, Background Vocals, Keyboards

* Don Garbett, Keyboards On Nov 83 tracks

* Clive Burr, Drums On Most Escape Tracks

* Jon Bavin, Keyboards On May and June 83 Tracks

* Steve Carroll, Lead guitar, Background Vocals, Lead Vocals On 81tracks

* Dave Potts, Drums On most Praying Mantis Tracks

* Tom Jackson, Lead Vocals

Praying Mantis - Demorabilia

Disc 1

01 One Of These Days (Escape – Nov 83) C.Troy/T.Troy/C.Burr/D.Potts 3′09″

02. Wasted Love (Escape – Nov 83) C.Troy/T.Troy/C.Burr/D.Potts 3′40″

03. Fantasy (Escape – Nov 83) C.Troy/T.Troy/C.Burr/D.Potts 3′48″

04. Woman Of The Night (Escape – Nov 83) C.Troy/T.Troy/C.Burr/D.Potts 3′26″

05. I Don’t Take Prisoners (Escape – Nov 83) C.Troy/T.Troy/C.Burr/D.Potts 3′47″

06. Born Evil (Escape – Nov 83) C.Troy/T.Troy/C.Burr/D.Potts 3′33″

07. The Horn (Escape – Nov 83) C.Troy/T.Troy/C.Burr/D.Potts 3′ 07″

08. Top Of The Mountain (Escape – Nov 83) C.Troy/T.Troy/C.Burr/D.Potts 4′06″

09. All Over Again (Praying Mantis – Late 83) C.Troy/T.Troy 3′45″

10. Romancer (Praying Mantis – Late 83) T.Troy 3′37″

11. Your Number (Praying Mantis – Late 83) T.Troy/D.Potts 3′52″

12. Give Me A Reason (Praying Mantis – June 83) C.Troy/T.Troy/S.Carroll/D.Potts 3′29″

13. Heartache (Praying Mantis – Winter 81 – Tom Jackson Lead Vocal)C.Troy/T.Troy/S.Carroll/D.Potts/T.Jackson 2′26″

Disc 2

01. A Question Of Time (Praying Mantis – Aug 81) T.Troy/C.Troy/S.Carroll/D.Potts 4′13″

02. I Need Your Loving (Praying Mantis – Aug 81) T.Troy/C.Troy/S.Carroll/D.Potts 2′56″

03. Battle Royal (Praying Mantis – Aug 81) T.Troy/C.Troy 3′34″

04. Time Slipping Away (Praying Mantis – Aug 81) T.Troy/C.Troy/S.Carroll/D.Potts 4′37″

05. Got To Get It (Praying Mantis – Jan 83) J.Bavin/T.Troy/C.Troy/D.Potts/B.Shaw 3′31″

06. Over And Over (Praying Mantis – Jan 83) J.Bavin/T.Troy/C.Troy/D.Potts/B.Shaw 3′21″

07. Never Say No ((Praying Mantis – Jan 83) J.Bavin/T.Troy/C.Troy/D.Potts/B.Shaw 3′31″

08. Heat Of The Moment (Escape – Late 83) T.Troy/C.Troy/C.Burr/B.Shaw 3′36″

09. Whose Life Is It Anyway? (Escape – Late 83) T.Troy/C.Troy/C.Burr 3′50″

10. Enough Is Enough (Praying Mantis – May 83) T.Troy/C.Troy/J.Bavin/D.Potts 3′38″

11. Raining In Kensington (Praying Mantis – May 83) J.Bavin 4′13″

12. Nightmares (Praying Mantis – May 83) T.Troy 3′08″

13. Give Me A Reason (Praying Mantis – Aug 81 – Chris Vocal) C.Troy/T.Troy/S.Carroll/D.Potts 4′31″

14. The Story (Praying Mantis – Aug 81 – Chris Then Steve Vocal) C.Troy/T.Troy/S.Carroll/D.Potts 6′36″

NEW LINKS


CD 1
CD2

Uriah Heep - Come away Melinda (CD Single with Video)

                         

The Band

Mick Box - Guitars

Lee Kerslake - Drums

Trevor Bolder - Bass

Phil Lanzon - Keyboards

Bernie Shaw - Vocals

Tracks Listing

1. Come Away Melinda

2. Heartless Land

3. Time Of Revelation

4. Everything In Life

5. Come Away Melinda (special enhanced video track)

For mp3's and mpeg video Link is here

Trapeze - (live in) Texas Dead Armadillos Vinyl Rip

Trapeze were an English rock band formed in March 1969, by vocalist John Jones and guitarist/keyboardist Terry Rowley (who named the band),with guitarist Mel Galley, singer/bassist Glenn Hughes, and drummer Dave Holland. The band had a fairly fluid line up, finally dissolving in 1994, and although they never found commercial success themselves, several members went on to join better known bands including Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, Whitesnake, Judas Priest and Uriah Heep

Hold On also called Running was released in late 1978, and again would feature Pete Wright on bass in addition to new guitarist and singer Pete Goalby. The 1981 live album Live in Texas: Dead Armadillos featured new drummer Steve Bray because Dave Holland was now playing with Judas Priest as of late 1979. With Mel Galley all alone when Pete Goalby left to sing for Uriah Heep in 1981, Mel Galley toured one last time then went on to play for Whitesnake, leaving Trapeze disbanded by late '82

By the early 1980s, it was quite clear that the best days for Brit-rockers Trapeze were in the past (and specifically, during their early-'70s run with singer/bassist Glenn Hughes). But in 1981, guitarist Mel Galley could be still spotted on-stage with Trapeze; however, he was the sole recognizable member of the classic You Are the Music...We're Just the Band era lineup. With Hughes appearing sporadically as a solo artist and as a hired gun for other artists and drummer Dave Holland (then keeping the beat with Judas Priest), Galley opted to go at it alone, as evidence by the live album from this era, Dead Armadillos. Included are renditions of tracks from all phases of Trapeze's career, including such Hughes-era material as "You Are the Music" and "Black Cloud," as well as such post-Hughes compositions as "Back Street Love" and "Hold On." While Galley and company do an admirable job, it just doesn't compare to Trapeze's earlier incarnations. And since a new member, Pete Goalby, is handling the majority of the vocals that Hughes and Galley previous supplied, Dead Armadillos comes off sounding at times like a cover band.

Tracks

1.Back Street Love

2.Hold On

3.Midnight Flyer

4.You Are The Music

5.Black Cloud

6.Way Back To The Bone

Trapeze

Mel Galley - guitars, vocals

Pete Goalby - lead vocals, guitar

Pete Wright - bass

Steve Bray - drums

Tracks

1.Back Street Love

2.Hold On

3.Midnight Flyer

4.You Are The Music

5.Black Cloud

6.Way Back To The Bone

Link

John Lawton & Steve Dunning - Steppin' it up

Lawton began his musical career in North Shields, UK, in the early '60s with The Deans, a bunch of kids who decided at random that he should be singer. He then moved on to West One and later Stonewall which included John Miles, Vic Malcolm (later Geordie) and Paul Thompson (later Roxy Music).


After Stonewall finished their stint at "Top Ten Club in Hamburg in '69, Lawton decided to stay in Germany, after having been offered the job as singer with legendary German rock cult band Lucifer's Friend (1969-1976 and 1979-1995) with whom he recorded 9 studio albums. He also joined the Les Humphries Singers, in the early '70s (which included the Eurovision Song Contest in '75).

In 1976 Lawton joined Uriah Heep as their frontman, recording the albums "Firefly", "Innocent Victim", "Fallen Angel" and "Live in Europe '79", touring Europe and the USA until September '79.

During his longstanding career Lawton has worked with some big names of rock, on various projects, including Roger Glover's "Butterfly Ball" live at the Royal Albert Hall in 1975, featuring David Coverdale, Glenn Hughes, Ian Gillan and Twiggy. He sang on Eddie Hardin's "Wizard's Convention II" with Chris Farlowe, Denny Lane, Paul Jones and Tony Ashton.

Lawton worked with some of the finest record producers, including Tony Clarke (Moody Blues), Jimmy Miller (Rolling Stones), and Harold Faltermayer (Pet Shop Boys), who produced the titles Lawton sang on the Lenny McDowell Project "Lost Paradise".

Lawton sang with German rock band Rebel, later known as Zar, on three albums, during the late '80s -'90s including their hit singles "Line of Fire" and "Eagles Flight", and moved on to Volker Barber's classical project "Excalibur". He also sang on several German commercials, including the "Colgate Gel" TV spots, the "Peter Stuyvesant Travel" spots, the Stuyvesant single "Come Together" and a stint for Harley Davidson Motorbikes.

Lawton formed GunHill, later known as JLB - John Lawton Band, in January 1994, touring the UK and Europe. In 1995 he briefly rejoined Uriah Heep for 2 weeks, to tour South Africa and Austria with Deep Purple, filling in for their singer Bernie Shaw, who was suffering from voice problems at the time.

Inspired by German top producer Robert Papst and his partner Reinhold Hoffman, Lawton re-recorded one of the Les Humphries Singers' favourites, the big '70s hit "Mama Loo", in January '98. In August 2000, his solo CD "Still Paying My Dues To The Blues", produced by Robert Papst, was released in Europe, UK and Scandinavia, by Hypertension Music Hamburg and distributed through EDEL Germany. This album has been hailed by many as the best work John has ever done.

During the 4th Uriah Heep Annual Convention in London, May 2000, plans were made for a one-off concert by the so-called Hensley/Lawton Band. Lawton was joined by former Heep keyboardist Ken Hensley, for the first time 21 years after Lawton's departure from Heep in 1979! With them were Paul Newton (Heep's original bassist), and 2 members of Lawton's band Reuben Kane on lead guitar and Justin Shefford on drums. They played a collection of old Heep classics and some of Hensley & Lawton's solo songs, and the concert was recorded for a CD release called "The Return".

In 2001 Lawton teamed up with Ken Hensley to form the Hensley Lawton Band. After extensive touring, during Spring and Summer of 2001, culminating with a concert in Hamburg, Germany featuring a full orchestra and a new rendition of Heep's old classic "Salisbury", both Ken and John returned to their respective solo careers. On 7 December 2001, both John Lawton and Ken Hensley appeared on stage with Uriah Heep during the annual Magician's Birthday Party at the Shepherd's Bush Empire in London. This concert was recorded and released as a CD/DVD.

The John Lawton Band - "JLB" was taken on by Classick Rock Productions in 2001 to record the acoustic CD "Steppin' It Up", which features John & Steve Dunning. "One More Night" Live at the Mean Fiddler, CD & DVD, was recorded in 2002, which was followed in 2003 by JLB's "Sting In The Tale" CD, an original studio rock album. Later that year followed another Live CD & DVD "Shakin' The Tale". JLB had been touring extensively with their last gig in Hamburg, Sept. 2004, when Lawton decided to take an indefinite break.

In May 2006 Lawton joined forces with Dutch guitarist Jan Dumée (ex-Focus) to form the On The Rocks project. On The Rocks - "OTR" feature Brazilian musicians Ney Conceição on bass, Xande Figueiredo on drums, and Marvio Ciribelli on keyboards. Lawton and Dumée wrote and recorded the tracks for the debut album "Mamonama", released in October 2008.

In September 2008 John Lawton appeared on stage at the Heepvention 2008, with former Uriah Heep members Ken Hensley, Lee Kerslake and Paul Newton, together with Jan Dumee from the OTR project.

British bass player/guitarist/songwriter has become well known to John Lawton and Uriah Heep fans over the past few years when he teamed up with Lawton. Debuting with The John Lawton Band in January of '01, later that year at Heep's "Magician's Birthday Party" weekend Steve Dunning made a huge impression on fans When he and John did an 'unplugged' set of classic Lawton material - ranging from his Lucifers Friend to Heep and his more recent solo stuff. From there the pair carried on at the 'Lawton/Dunning' Project to release the excellent acoustic CD "Steppin' It Up", followed by the live version 'One More Night" - both on Classic Rock Productions' label.

1. PAYING MY DUES TO THE BLUES (Lawton/Papst/Skitschak) 4:28

2. FEELINGS (Hensley) 4:57

3. BURNING SHIPS (Lawton/Hesslein/Horns) 5:09

4. FIREFLY (Hensley) / Come Back To Me (Hensley/Kerslake) 6:16

5. WISE MAN (Hensley) 3:52

6. I'M ALIVE (Lawton) 4:58

7. RAIN (Hensley) 5:59

8. DON'T KILL THE FIRE (Lawton) 5:04

9. TONIGHT (Lawton) 4:50

10. BEEN HURT (Hensley) 5:32
11. SHOULDER TO CRY ON (Dunning) 6:28

12. ONE MORE NIGHT (Hensley) 4:47

John Lawton - Vocals

Steve Dunning - Acoustic & electric guitar & bass guitar

Richmond Stockwell - Drums & percussion

Phil Lanzon - Piano & keyboards

Steve Simmons - Saxophone

Erol Sora - Electric guitar & backing vocals

Graham Hulme - Backing vocals

Recorded and mixed at Mill Hill Music & Studio Complex, London, February/March 2002

Engineers: Greg Rochford & Cam Blackwood

Produced by John Lawton & Steve Dunning

Link

Champion - Champion - 1978

When singer David Byron left Uriah Heep in 1976, he joined forces with Clem Clempson (former guitarist of Humble Pie and Colosseum) and keyboardist Damon Butcher to form a new band. Along with bassist Willie Bath and drummer Geoff Britton (of Wings), they formed Rough Diamond. In 1977, they released their one and only self titled album, but Byron left the group shortly thereafter to pursue a solo career. The remainder of the band immediately recruited a new vocalist (Garry Bell), and eventually a new drummer (Jeff Rich) and changed their name to Champion, which released a self-titled album in 1978 before disbanding in March 1979

I originally downloaded the file and the Following text from Robots for ronnie's blog and can be found here

http://robotsforronnie.blogspot.com/2007/08/champion-champion-1978.html

Champion is a name most probably are not familiar with, though their bloodline is littered with acts that have scaled various heights of success both before and after the band's short existence. When David Byron was unceremoniously ousted from Uriah Heep in 1976, he quickly assembled a new band called Rough Diamond. That band featured ace guitarist Clem Clempson, who had previously been with acts like Bakerloo, Colosseum, Humble Pie and Strange Brew. Alongside Clempson was Geoff Britton, who had worked for several years in East of Eden and Wings. Though the band possessed enough talent and drive to take them to new heights, their sole effort on Island Records in 1977 failed to ignite the charts and Byron promptly exited the band later that year. With Byron now pursuing a solo career, the band brought in replacement vocalist Garry Bell and were soon snapped up by Epic Records. In 1978, the band released their self-titled album under their new moniker, Champion.

Essentially, Champion were a studio project and the band did not tour to support the album. The option to tour was left open to the band and label, providing that album sales demanded such...but sales were disappointing and both the band and label agreed to part ways. Clempson and Bell would later issue a double sided single in 1980, and Clempson would continue onward working with Jack Bruce, Jon Anderson and a reunited Colosseum in subsequent years. Britton later joined Keys in the early 80's.

"Champion" is a groovy soul/blues styled album that follows suit with much of what Grand Funk were also doing in the late 70's. With a sound that falls more into MOR territory and less heavy rock, the album is a bit pedestrian in delivery but with its share of hooks. "Sha-La-La", "You Knock Me Out" and "Say Goodnight" are all exceptional tracks, while the remainder of the album is a little more faceless. Despite the blandness here, this is a decent album that deserves at least a spin or two, if anything, because of the band's star studded lineage. Thanks to 'orchman' for this contribution. Check it and see what you think...

Willie Bath - Bass

Clem Clempson - Guitar

1. Sha-La-La

2. It's Your Life

3. Melissa

4. Sweet Mystery

5. You Knock Me Out

6. Book Him Dano

7. Skinny Dippin'

8. Straight Talking

9. Please Go Away

10. Say Goodnight

Link

John Lawton Band - Sting In The tale

Discontinued CD from 2003

A Brit by birth, John Lawton moved to Hamburg, Germany, when he was with a band called Stone Wall. He stayed there when the band moved on, feeling that this might be the place to get his break. He didn't have to wait long as Lucifer's Friend got in touch with him to have him work with them. He recorded their debut release, Lucifer's Friend, with them. His next group was Les Humphries Singers. He managed to do both of these bands concurrently, as Lucifer's Friend was only a studio group.

He continued on doing this double duty until 1976 when he became the new singer for Uriah Heep. He remained with the group for the next three years, leaving to pursue a solo career. However, his album did not light up the charts and Lawton found himself back performing both with Les Humphries Singers and Lucifer's Friend. He also formed a band called Gun Hill and kept himself busy performing with all three of those groups. ~ Gary Hill, All Music Guide


The Band

John Lawton  Vocals, Acoustic Guitar
Steve Dunning  Bass, Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Backing Vocals
Erol Sora Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Backing Vocals
Leon Lawson Keyboards, Acoustic Guitar, Backing Vocals
Benjy Reid  Drums,Percussion

This is the powerful 2003 studio album from the John Lawton Band. Sting In The Tale marks a return to the heavy rock sound that brought John to worldwide fame. Think Whitesnake meets Uriah Heep with added punch and you're almost there.

1. Take You High
2. Give It Up
3. Written on the Wall
4. Reach Out
5. Firing Line
6. Lately
7. I'll Be Here
8. King Con
9. Tracks of Time
10. Angels They Cry
11. Slamming It Down
12. Dog House

Link

Bombers - Polydor Sampler - Vinyl Rip

1970's sampler from Polydor in the vein of Fill Your Head With Rock, You Can All Join In, Nice Enough To Eat, etc. etc.........
Quite a few diverse styles. Blues from Mayall ( A blistering live version of Room To Move from the " The Turning Point" LP), heavy blues from Taste. Whimsy from Elliot Randall. EC and Derek The Dominos both turn up. Plain weirdness from Web and Gass. There's even some Slade from between the bovver boy and glam incarnations. Well worth checking out if you find it lurking in a dusty corner of the record shop ( It'll probably be under Rock but it belongs, as do all these samplers, in a category of its own).

Tracklist

01 Ginger Baker's Air Force - Sweet Wine 3:34
02 Andy Pratt - Bella Bella 4:35
03 Derek & The Dominos - Bell Bottom Blues 5:06
04 Stone The Crows - Raining In Your Heart 5:10
05 Richie Havens - Here Comes The Sun 3:30
06 John Mayall - Room To Move 4:34
07 Elliott Randall - Life In Botanical Gardens 4:06
08 Taste  - Sugar Momma 8:00
09 Eric Clapton - After Midnight 3:15
10 Jack Bruce - Never Tell Your Mother She's Out Of Tune 3:37
11 John Mayall - Take My Car 4:05
12 Gass - Juju 3:36
13 Slade - The Shape Of Things To Come 2:51
14 Taste  - What's Going On 2:40
15 Stone The Crows - Sad Mary 6:50
16 Web, The - Love You 5:21
17 Lifetime, The - Big Nick 2:43

Interestingly the running times of the tracks as listed above and on the album itself, in some cases bear little resemblance to the actual track times, ie track 2 Bella Bella listed as 4: 35 actually comes in at around 2:40 . Wether this is simply a printing error or not I dont know
Link

Robin George Go Down Fighting (rare single vinyl Rip) -repost

I am reposting this single simply because I have spent some time cleaning it and this is a much better version than previously posted

1 Go Down Fighting
2 Daylite
Link

The Les Humphries Singers

Credit has to go to whoever put this compilation together in the first place

The following is from wikipidia


The Les Humphries Singers was a 1970s musical group formed in Hamburg, Germany by the English born Les Humphries (born 10 August 1940 - died 26 December 2007), who had been inspired to do his own version of the Edwin Hawkins Singers. The group consisted of a large number of singers of diverse ethnic origin, some of whom such as John Lawton also performed with other groups. Another member was Jürgen Drews; who later started a long-running solo career, starting with his 1976 hit in Germany, "Ein Bett im Kornfeld", a cover version of "Let Your Love Flow" by the Bellamy Brothers.

Additional members included Liz Mitchell, later front woman with Boney M., and John Lawton, who also sang for the German progressive/hard rock band Lucifer's Friend and would go on to be the frontman for Uriah Heep. The Les Humphries Singers dissolved at the end of the 1970s, after Humphries had left due to tax liabilities to his English homeland, Alton Hampshire.
In his later years, Humphries led a quiet life in London. In March 2008, the German newspaper Bild reported his death on 26 December 2007 in a London hospital.
Musical background and style

The Les Humphries Singers performed a mix of popular music and gospel covers and had some success in Europe with this approach. Much like contemporary disco act Boney M., their music focused on Rhythm and blues, gospel, and disco, but often with psychedelic phasing or flanger effects on solos and bridges, and, much like James Last, much larger background choruses in the studio to emulate a live atmosphere.[citation needed] The Les Humphries Singers at the time brought something from the flair of the hippie movement into contemporary German-produced (but English-sung) pop music, especially due to their mixed ethnic background and peculiar fashion sense.
Hits and later re-unions

Two of their earliest and best known hits were "Mexico" (1972) which was based on the 1957 Jimmy Driftwood country hit "The Battle of New Orleans", and "Mama Loo" (1973), based on "Barbara Ann" by The Beach Boys. In 1976 they represented Germany at the Eurovision Song Contest with the Ralph Siegel title "Sing Sang Song",
reduced to only six singers (their usual line-ups consisted of 20 performers and up), and came in 15th place, which they regarded as their beginning of the end as a band.

They disbanded shortly thereafter the same year, but enjoyed a short comeback as a pure live act from 1991 until 1993 performing their old hits. In 2006, the original band members formed 'The Original Singers' without Humphries, re-recording their old hits and also releasing new material.

Track List
 
01 Mexico
02 Sing Hallelujah
03 Put Your Hand In The Hand (Medley)
04 Mamy Blue (Medley)
05 Sing Sang Song
06 Mama Loo
07 Promised Land
08 Spanish Harlem (Medley)
09 We Are Going Down Jordan
10 Carnival
11 Get It On (Medley)
12 Soolaimon
13 Never Ending Song Of Love (Medley)
14 Old Man Moses
15 Love The One You're With
16 Amazing Grace
17 Blowing In The Wind
18 Kansas City
19 Rock My Soul
20 New Orleans
 
Link

Verity - Interrupted Journey

John Verity began his music career in the early 1960's, playing guitar in various local bands around his home town of Bradford, Yorkshire, until he was offered a full time gig with a band which was backing various visiting US pop acts, as well as Decca Records UK acts when they toured.


By 1969 John was living and working in the US, with the first ever line-up of the John Verity Band doing prestigious support slots with many of the big names of the day including Jimi Hendrix, Mountain, Canned Heat and Janis Joplin.

On his return to England in 1971, John secured a contract with producer Steve Rowland to record his first solo album for ABC/Probe records, 'John Verity Band', which was released in the spring of 1972. Whilst on tour promoting the album, JV was spotted by Rod Argent who was looking for new lead vocalist for his band following the departure of Russ Ballard. John eventually joined Argent in 1973 and there followed a period of intense recording and touring until the band decided to come off the road late in 1976. Argent never did go back on the road, and decided to disband, at which point John became involved with various new projects both as Artist and Record Producer. First of all, along with Bob Henrit and Jim Rodford from Argent he formed Phoenix, which soon signed to CBS records. The band recorded three albums and toured Europe before disbanding amicably when Jim Rodford joined the Kinks, and John and Bob joined Charlie, to record an album with RCA Records. John produced the Phoenix albums and Charlie album as well as the first Saxon album during this time, and decided to divide his time between sessions and record production whilst Bob Henrit teamed up with Jim Rodford once again by joining the Kinks.

The next few years were spent in recording studios throughout the world, producing, playing guitar, or doing backup vocals with various acts including Motorhead, Tank, Ringo Starr, Russ Ballard, Colin Blunstone, Brian Connolly, John Parr, BowWowWow and The Searchers amongst many others, until late in 1981 when PRT Records MD Matt Haywood asked JV to record a comeback album. By now living in his native Yorkshire, John had built his own 38-track studio achieved by synchronising together 24 and 16 track tape machines - and had moved into full time record production. The Matt Haywoods offer meant that JV could get back out on the road again to promote the album, and touring always seemed to bring out fresh ideas...

"Interrupted Journey", released in 1982, was highly acclaimed in the UK, USA and Europe and successfully relaunched Johns performing career, and he once again took to the road. John was approached by many big name acts for recording and performing projects during this period - Mike Rutherford of Genesis wrote three songs for inclusion on the JV Bands' next set of recording sessions, and both Keith Emerson and Greg Lake used John on their current recording projects. The next two albums "Truth Of The Matter" and "Rock Solid" were also well received, and John soon had offers to join various name bands including MSG, Ted Nugent, and Asia which he declined, deciding instead to come off the road to record an album with newly reformed Zombies. This project took the best part of a year and was mostly recorded at Mountain Studios, Montreux, Switzerland and finished in London...

After a short break John was soon back on the road again with John Coghlan's Diesel Band (Status Quo), in the UK and Europe, before reforming the John Verity Band for similar venues and recording here in the UK.

In 1992 John decided to re-locate, away from his native Yorkshire to rural Bedfordshire and closer to friends from the Argent days. Since the move south the JV Band gigs have continued as ever, with different line-ups chosen from a shortlist of fine musicians. At the 1994 Manchester Festival "Fender Stratocaster 40th Anniversary" concert, JV guested, along with many Rock Legends past and present including Sonny Curtis, Frankie Miller and Rory Gallagher. Johns performance of "Stay With Me Baby" was one of the high spots of the evening, bringing the capacity crowd at the Manchester Free Trade Hall to its feet!

He has also done vocal sessions for 3 episodes of the Granada series "Full Stretch", (1991) and another guest spot with the 'Strat Pack', for the Australia Day (1995) celebrations at the Hippodrome in London's West End.

2000 saw a major recent gigging project with a 32 date UK tour, opening the show on the Jools Holland Sex Jazz and Rock'n'Roll tour at major venues including Manchester Opera House, Birmingham Symphony Hall, and the London Albert Hall. After this, it was back to his regular gigging routine.

It's the year 2008 and the JV Band is still alive and kicking at venues throughout the UK and abroad... Catch them at a venue near you...
 
 

From Johns website

The earliest sessions for the album were at Livingston Studios, in North London - Just Bob Henrit and Me laying down tracks for my new Solo album as yet untitled. I wanted to start by recording some of my favourite songs at that time. We laid tracks for 'Stay with Me', 'You Keep Me Hanging On' and 'Hold Your Head Up' - just drums and guitar, with me in the control room playing guitar and working the desk, and also yelling a guide vocal with Bob out in the studio playing drums! Dave Wintour came in later to add bass and then I put on proper guitar and vocal tracks... Finally I asked Rod Argent to add some keyboards - in the background - this was going to be a GUITAR album!


These were the tracks that were heard by prospective record labels, plus my rough home demos of my own songs, 'Rescue Me' It,s 'Comin, Right' and 'Are You Ready' There was a lot of record company interest, but the one guy who really stood out as believing in my return to the frontline was Matt Haywood at PRT Records in the UK. I signed with PRT, and went into their own studio in London to lay down basic tracks for another bunch of songs, including 'Rescue Me' 'It's Comin Right' 'Are You Ready?' and 'You're the Loser'. Overdubs for these tracks were done at my own studio 'Somewhere in Yorkshire' and the band was Terry Uttley on bass, Steve Rodford and Bob Henrit on drums. Terry and I did the background vocals.

Around this time, a good friend of mine, Don Alexander, had brought me a bunch of songs he'd heard - 'Chippin, Away at the Stone', and 'Blinded by Love' were among them, and I went back into Livingston to lay these tracks and also Russ Ballards, 'Just Another Day,... Sadly Don is no longer with us, but I think of him when I play these songs still, and it helps put a little more heart and soul there... Band lineup was Bob Henrit, Dave Wintour and me as before, with keyboards by Rod Argent and Russ Ballard.. Background vocals and overdubs were done 'Somewhere in Yorkshire'... I was putting the finishing touches to the album - now entitled 'Interrupted Journey' - when I had a surprise call from Mike Rutherford.... Mike wanted to work with me, and had some songs he wanted us to try. Bob Henrit and I went down to Genesis' studio 'Fisher Lane Farm' where we recorded 3 titles with Mike, and engineer Jeff Callingham. We only finished 'In the Arms of Someone Else' in time for this album - overdubs and mixing were done 'Somewhere in Yorkshire'... Finally, 'Fallin' was completed using the original 24 track tapes recorded at 'Trident' studios a couple of years earlier.. This one started out as a Phoenix track which was never finished - Bob Henrit (drums) Jim Rodford (bass), and Rod Argent (piano) laid the basic track, and I added vocals and 12 string guitar. Background vocals by me, Rod and Russ. There was no chorus written for the song when we recorded it at Trident, so the first job at these completion sessions was to write and record the choruses! Then I recorded a new lead vocal, added the guitar fills and mixed the track. The new work was done 'Somewhere in Yorkshire'...



Well, I hope all this is of interest to you. Thanks for the support - come see us if we play live in your area. There,s been a JV Band for over 30 years now, and we,re still going strong!!

Cheers, JV 2001

Track list
 
1    Rescue Me
2    Just Another Day (In the Life of a Fool)
3    Stay With Me Baby
4    Love Is Blind
5    Are You Ready for This
6    You're the Loser
7     It's Comin' Right
8     Chippin' Away at the Stone
9     In the Arms of Someone Else
10   Fallin'
Link

Rossington Collins Band - This Is The Way vinyl rip

I had an unexpected day off work today 3 inches of snow and everywhere has come to a standstill all the schools are closed and therefore I have kids to look after. On the plus side it gave me a chance to listen to some vinyl and I picked this one out of my collection as I had not listend to it for years. I must say its much better than I remembered and gives some insight as to where Lynyrd Skynyrd may have been in the eighties

Not the best rip I have ever done But still well worth a listen
Enjoy

Rossington Collins Band were spawned by one of rock music's most well-known tragedies -- in October of 1979, two years after the plane crash that killed Lynyrd Skynyrd lead singer Ronnie Van Zant, new guitarist Steve Gaines, and his sister, backup singer Cassie Gaines, surviving members Gary Rossington and Allen Collins (guitars), Leon Wilkeson (bass), and keyboardist Bill Powell decided to try working together again, this time fronted by singer Dale Krantz. They were trying to be something other than a Lynyrd Skynyrd clone, although as the latter group had expressed the musical leanings of all concerned quite honestly, they also weren't moving far from the tree that had spawned them. Krantz had previously been a backup singer behind Donnie Van Zant, Ronnie's brother, in .38 Special, which itself owed something to Skynyrd's sound. With Barry Harwood bringing a third guitar to the table and Derek Hess taking the drummer spot, they pulled their sound together fast, and waiting in the wings was MCA Records. The latter company was still reaping gold and platinum record awards from the release of Lynyrd Skynyrd outtakes and compilations, and was very interested in any viable performing group that could tap into that audience, and there was no one better suited at the time.


Rossington Collins Band, as they came to be called, were more than a cash-in effort. With three powerful guitarists and a rhythm section the envy of anyone in rock, a strong singer fronting them, and the combined talents of several good in-house songwriters, they were a solid hard rock outfit with a soulful edge. Fans flocked to them in the second half of 1980 when they issued their first LP, Anytime, Anyplace, Anywhere, which made it to the Top 20 and earned a gold record award with help from the single "Don't Misunderstand Me." The group might have been able to build on that beginning but for events in Allen Collins' life starting late that same year -- the loss of his wife was only the beginning of a tragic series of events that ultimately destroyed his career and took his life; it was enough to remove him from most of the creative aspects of the band's music, and he was barely visible as a composer on the group's next album, This Is the Way (which was dedicated to Katy Collins' memory). The album was surprisingly good considering the circumstances behind its recording and release, rising into the Top 30.

The group lasted only until the early months of 1982. In its place, Rossington and Krantz, who had married by then, formed the Rossington Band with Hess still on drums, in the mid-'80s. This offshoot group was short-lived as well, and was eclipsed by the various reunited incarnations of Skynyrd that began manifesting themselves by the late '80s, which included Wilkeson and Rossington, while Rossington's wife took the role of backing vocalist. Their history cut short, Rossington Collins Band never had a chance to live up to their potential, but they were successful enough to rate CD releases of their two albums in the late '80s, and in 2000 got a belated release of both albums on CD in England. ~ Bruce Eder, All Music Guide

Track List
01. "Gotta Get It Straight" (4:43)
02. "Tashauna" (4:56)
03. "Gonna Miss It When It's Gone" (3:51)
04. "Pine Box" (3:04)
05. "Fancy Ideas" (4:35)
06. "Don't Stop Me Now" (3:42)
07. "Seems Like Everyday" (4:30)
08. "I'm Free Today" (3:24)
09. "Next Phone Call" (3:33)
10. "Means Nothing To You" (4:58)
 
Link

The Bronze Collection - Various Artists

Bronze Records was an independent English record label set up in 1971 by record producer Gerry Bron, and based in Chalk Farm, London.

Bron had been producing Uriah Heep for Vertigo Records near the end of that label's lifetime and he set up this new label for future Uriah Heep releases, along with Juicy Lucy, Richard Barnes and Colosseum. Other subsequent acts included Osibisa, Manfred Mann's Earth Band (Who were not included on this compilation for contractual reasons), The Real Kids, Sally Oldfield, Motörhead, The Damned, Girlschool Hawkwind and " [Bronz] " The Band amoung others.

Original manufacturing and distribution was through Island Records, moving to EMI in 1977 and then onto Polydor Records in 1980. The label folded in financial difficulty in the mid 1980s with the catalogue being sold to Ray Richards' Legacy Records.

The name Gerry Bron might not be familiar, but he's the man responsible for launching some of the biggest rock acts of the 70s and 80s through his record label Bronze Records.

Over the years, he's worked with the likes of heavy metallers Motorhead and Uriah Heep, rockers Manfred Mann and punk band The Damned.

After folding in the mid 80s, the label returned a few years ago with a new roster of artists, including up and coming musician Paddy Milner and James Bond theme writer Monty Norman.


The following is an extract from an interview that can be found here

Gerry bron Interview

Tell us more about Bronze Records and how you've relaunched it?
Well what happened in 1972-73 was that I was producing records for Philips, who I had a deal with, where I signed artists, produced records and they released them on the Philips label. And it went terribly sour, they had distribution problems, and I suddenly realised we had a number of successful artists who had nowhere to go. So I approached Island Records, who were in a similar situation to ours but much much bigger, and said would you like to form a label with us. And they said yes because they knew who we were and what we were doing, and we had a problem thinking of a name for the label. And someone said, 'well, it's a metal label, why don't you call it Bronze?' And we thought it was absolutely brilliant. So that's where we started, and although we became known as a sort of heavy metal label we actually had lots of success outside that genre. But the metal guitar name sort of stuck really. The label started around 72 and ran until 1986, when I sold the catalogue and decided to do other things, but in recent years I've gotten so fed up with Pop Idol and the rubbish that's been turned out. So I thought I'd bring it back and see what I could find.

Disc 1 of 2

1. Mississippi Woman - Juicy Lucy
2. Gypsy - Uriah Heep
3. Take To The Mountains - Richard Barnes
4. Walking In The Park -  Colosseum
5. Loudwater House - Tony Hazzard
6. Moses In The Bullrushes - Dick Heckstall-Smith
7. Get One Together - Paladin
8. Easy Livin' - Uriah Heep
9. Proud Words On A Dusty Shelf - Ken Hensley
10. Bye Bye Baby - McGuinness Flint
11. Stargazer - Tempest
12. Unifinished Symphony - Mike Gibbs
13. Steamin' Along - David Byron
14. Dark Side Of The Moog - Colosseum II
15. Don't Kill It Carol - Heron
Link Disc 1

Disc 2 of 2

1. Sunshine Day - Osibisa
2. Hope They Come Back - Woody Woodmansey's U-Boat
3. Mirrors - Sally Oldfield
4. How Many More Times - Goldie
5. Overkill  - Motörhead
6. Angel Witch  -Angel Witch
7. Ace of Spades - Motörhead
8. Shot Down In The Night - Hawkwind
9. Please Don't Touch - MotorHeadGirlSchool
10. Don't Do That - Young & Moody

11. Small Ads - Small Ads
12. Not Fade Away - Vic Maile
13. Stand By Your Man - Lemmy/Wendy O. Williams
14. Lovely Money - The Damned
15. Papa-Oo-Mow-Mow - Big Den Hegarty
16. C'mon Let's Go - Girlschool
17. Heartline - Robin George
18. Send Down An Angel - Bronz
19. Show Some Emotion - Alaska
20. Go For Soda - Kim Mitchell
 
Link Disc 2

Uriah Heep - Connections

(I put this cover together fairly quickly using images I found on the net, there is one mistake I know of , can anyone see it?)

Here I present to you a compilation album I put together for my car of alternative versions of songs Uriah Heep have recorded over the years, whether it be the original artist or simply a different version by another artist


1. Come Away Melinda  -   Velvett Fogg(from the 1969 album Velvett Fogg )
2. Weep in Silence  -   Lana Lane  (from the 2003 album Covers Collection )
3. Across The Miles -    Survivor (from the1988 Album Too Hot To Sleep )
4. On The Rebound  -   Russ Ballard (from the1993 album Russ Ballard - Voices, The Best Of Russ Ballard )
5. Prisoner   -   Sue Saad and the Next (from the1980 album Sue Saad and the Next)
6. Hold Your Head Up  - Argent (from the 1993 album Russ Ballard - Voices, The Best Of Russ Ballard )
7. When The War Is Over  -   Little River Band (From the1986 album No Reins )
8. Easy Living  -   Wasp(from the 1986 album Inside The Electric Circus)
9. Firefly  -   Denny Ball (From the  2000 album Heepsteria! - A Tribute to Uriah Heep-2000)
10. Lonely Nights  -   Bryan Adams (from the 1981 album  You want it you got it)
11. That's The Way That It Is  -   Graham Bonnet (from the 1981 album Line Up )
12. Love is Blind    - Verity (from the 1983 album Interrupted Journey)
13. Tin Soldier  -   Small Faces (from the 1968 album Lazy Sunday)
14. When The War Is Over  -   Cold Chisel (from the 1991 album the best of Cold Chisel)
15. Come Away Melinda  -   UFO (from the 1970 album Ufo 1)
 
If anyone is interested in listening to any of the albums listed just let me know and I will post them later
link