Slowbone - Live At The Greyhound (1972)



Slowbone to krótko żyjąca brytyjska formacja grająca ciężką odmianę rocka. Występowała głównie z klubach i studenckich campusach zdobywając lokalną sławę. Nagrała kilka singli dla wytwórni Rare Earth i Polydor. Po latach ich nagrania zebrano i wydano album pod nazwą "Tales of A Crooked Man". Moim zdaniem nie dorównuje on żywiołowością albumu koncertowego, który chciałbym zaprezentować. "Studio" jest tylko cieniem tego, co dzieje się "na żywo" na scenie.

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Slowbone were an east London rock band formed in 1971 after the demise of psychedelic outfit Torquoise, who released two singles on the Decca label in late 60's.

Lead guitarist Barry Hart invited ex-Torquoise bassist Vic Hicks to join his new band and then drafted in drummer Keith Shepherd, an ol school pal. This three piece played under the namne of My Cake for a while before changing their name to Slowbone.

To strenghten the band' s sound, Roger Phillips, a heavier bass player, replaced Hicks and soon after, organist extraorinaire Jim Hunter, who had previously played with Shepherd in another group called The Pattern, joined to complete the line up.

As the music here demonstrates, Slowbone, during this early period, displayed an awesome drive and energy that could be matched by few of their contemporaries on the pub rock scene at that time.

The songs on this CD formed the basis of the band's set for the next year or so as they persistently toured the pub club and college circuit with their thundering exhibition of undergrond progressive rock as its naked best.

In teh summer of 72' Hart fired bassist Phillips in favour of another Torquuoise old boy Jeff Peters, who was poached from Brown's Home Brew. Peters became the band's long standing bass player but is absent from these recordings. For a while Slowbone also tried out a few singers to front the band, one of whom was Bob England, who later replaced vocalist Steve Ellis in Love Affair.

Although real success continued to pass Slowbone by, they stubbornly refused to call it a day for the best part of a decade, eventually switching their name to Roll Ups during the punk era whilst that same spirit and vigour that made them such a popular live act.

Known as the "Darlings Of The East End", Slowbone left behind a clutch of singles recorded in the mid Seventies on the Rare Earth and Polydor labels some of which appeared under variuous curious pseudonyms.

An extensive Slowbone biography is available with their LP "Tales Of A Crooked Man" released on the Pie & Mash label in 1992 and distributed by Audio Archives (Pete Sarfas)

In my private opinion the "studio" album is just a shadow of the live gigs.

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