Week of September 15, 2002
Personnel:
Jeff Bannister - Piano
Robbie Blunt - Guitar, Vocals
Kevin Gammond - Guitar, Vocals
John Pasternak - Bass
Pete Robinson - Drums
Jess Roden - Vocals
Clifford T. Ward - Vocals
Terry Allen - Keyboards
Paul Davenport - Piano
Ian Hunter - Keyboards
Trevor Lucas - Vocals
Mick Ralphs - Keyboards
Dan Fone - Guitar, Keyboards, Harmonica, Vocals
Richard Hewson - Strings
Simon Lanzon - Keyboards
Paul Lockey - Guitar, Vocals
Albums:
Country Home (Island ILPS 9124) 1970
Ace Of Sunlight (Island ILPS 9161) 1971
Smokin' Mixture (Polydor 2383 215) 1973
45s:
Lazy Now/Matter Of Perspective (Chrysalis WIP 6096) 1971
Traveller/Steal That Gold (Polydor 2058 395) 1973
Notable for including Jess Roden, formerly of The Alan Bown Set, they made little impression, probably because their brand of US-influenced rock lacked originality. They contributed one track, "Sudden Street", to Island's El Pea compilation.
On "Ace Of Sunlight", they were assisted by
Mott The
Hoople's Ian Hunter and Mick Ralphs, as well as Trevor Lucas of Fotheringay.
When Roden embarked on a solo career, Pasternak, Gammond and Robinson teamed up with Dan Fone (Guitar) and Paul Lockey (Guitar, Vocals), who had sung with
The Equals a bit, to form Band Of Joy. Band Of Joy was, of course, Robert Plant's old band and Gammond earlier had been in this band with Plant. They released one eponymous album on Polydor which bombed. Robinson then went back to work in the nuts and bolts factory. Pasternak and Gammond later formed
Pictures In A Darkroom which had one self-released single called "Animals In
Music", which seemed horrendous but now appears to have been ahead of its time, in that it sounded like
Prodigy! Pasternak died of a heart attack in 1987. Gammond now teaches music in Kidderminster.
Blunt was later in Silverhead and went on to work for Robert Plant as well as
Chicken
Shack, Clannad, Steve Gibbons and
The Jeff Healey Band. John Pasternak had also earlier played with Band of
Joy.
(Vernon Joynson / Keith Parry)
Taken from The Tapestry of Delights - The Comprehensive Guide to British Music of the Beat, R&B, Psychedelic and Progressive Eras 1963-1976, Vernon Joynson ISBN 1 899855 04 1