CLIMAX BLUES BAND
''GUILDFORD CIVIC HALL (GUILDFORD, UK''
NOVEMBER 19 1976
47:57
1 - Together And Free/3:16
2 - Amerita/2:29
3 - Sense Of Direction/3:57
4 - Mighty Fire/5:03
5 - Seventh Son/5:32
6 - Chasing Change/5:04
7 - Using The Power/4:18
8 - Couldn't Get It Right/3:28
9 - Going To New York/8:40
10 - All The Time In The World Get Back/6:06
Colin Cooper - sax
Derek Holt - bass
Peter Haycock - vocals, guitar
Peter Fillual - keyboards, vocals
John Cuffley - drums
Formed in the late 1960s in England, this blues-rock band was originally called the Climax Chicago Blues Band because of a keen interest in the authentic blues records coming out of the windy city. Led by saxophonist Colin Cooper, the group initially had a sound not unlike the original Fleetwood Mac when guitarist Peter Green was at the helm. Ironically, both the Climax Chicago Blues Band and Fleetwood Mac released blues rock albums in 1969 with very similar titles: Play On (CBB) and Then Play On (FM).
This recording, which features only Cooper, guitarist Peter Haycock and bassist Derek Holt from the original lineup, was recorded in 1976 in the band's native England. They had not performed there in Guilford in over five years, so it was like a homecoming when this recording was captured for the King Biscuit Flower Hour Radio Concert Series. The band had already shortened its name to the Climax Blues Band in 1972, and moved in a more rock direction with the success of 1972's Rich Man album, and a double live LP called FM Live.
The group had achieved gold album status in the U.S. and was starting to fill small and medium-sized theaters. In 1976, when they made this recording, they were promoting Gold Plated (a reference to the recent albums that had gone gold). They had their first bona fide radio hit, "Couldn't Get It Right," which is represented here.
By the mid-1970s Climax was hardly a blues band. They had moved in a decidedly more pop and rock direction, and had seen success because of it. Shortly after the success of Gold Plated, the punk and new wave scenes started to emerge, and marginal rock bands like Climax had a tough time competing. They faded out in the 1980s, but have reunited on occasion and recorded new studio albums as late as the mid-1990s. Highlights of this show include "Together And Free," "Couldn't Get It Right," "Going To New York," and a rocking closer of "All The Time In The World," which slides into their cover of the Beatles' "Get Back."
Biography
by Jason Ankeny
Plays On Led by Colin Cooper, the former frontman of the R&B unit the Hipster Image, the Stafford, England-based Climax Chicago Blues Band were one of the leading lights of the late-'60s blues boom. A sextet also comprised of guitarists Derek Holt and Peter Haycock, keyboardist Arthur Wood, bassist Richard Jones, and drummer George Newsome, the group debuted in 1969 with a self-titled effort recalling the work of John Mayall. Prior to the release of 1969's Plays On, Jones left the group, prompting Holt to move to bass. In 1970 the Climax Chicago Blues Band moved to the Harvest label, at the same time shifting toward a more rock-oriented sound on the LP A Lot of Bottle. Around the release of 1971's Tightly Knit, Newsome was replaced by drummer John Holt; upon Wood's exit in the wake of 1972's Rich Man, the unit decided to continue on as a quartet, also dropping the "Chicago" portion of its moniker to avoid confusion with the American band of the same name. In 1974 the Climax Blues Band issued FM Live, a document of a New York radio concert. Released in 1975, Stamp was their commercial breakthrough, and 1976's Gold Plated fared even better, spurred on by the success of the hit "Couldn't Get It Right." However, the rise of punk effectively stopped the Climax Blues Band in their tracks, although they continued recording prolifically well into the 1980s; after 1988's Drastic Steps, the group was silent for a number of years, but resurfaced in 1994 with Blues From the Attic.
''GUILDFORD CIVIC HALL (GUILDFORD, UK''
NOVEMBER 19 1976
47:57
1 - Together And Free/3:16
2 - Amerita/2:29
3 - Sense Of Direction/3:57
4 - Mighty Fire/5:03
5 - Seventh Son/5:32
6 - Chasing Change/5:04
7 - Using The Power/4:18
8 - Couldn't Get It Right/3:28
9 - Going To New York/8:40
10 - All The Time In The World Get Back/6:06
Colin Cooper - sax
Derek Holt - bass
Peter Haycock - vocals, guitar
Peter Fillual - keyboards, vocals
John Cuffley - drums
Formed in the late 1960s in England, this blues-rock band was originally called the Climax Chicago Blues Band because of a keen interest in the authentic blues records coming out of the windy city. Led by saxophonist Colin Cooper, the group initially had a sound not unlike the original Fleetwood Mac when guitarist Peter Green was at the helm. Ironically, both the Climax Chicago Blues Band and Fleetwood Mac released blues rock albums in 1969 with very similar titles: Play On (CBB) and Then Play On (FM).
This recording, which features only Cooper, guitarist Peter Haycock and bassist Derek Holt from the original lineup, was recorded in 1976 in the band's native England. They had not performed there in Guilford in over five years, so it was like a homecoming when this recording was captured for the King Biscuit Flower Hour Radio Concert Series. The band had already shortened its name to the Climax Blues Band in 1972, and moved in a more rock direction with the success of 1972's Rich Man album, and a double live LP called FM Live.
The group had achieved gold album status in the U.S. and was starting to fill small and medium-sized theaters. In 1976, when they made this recording, they were promoting Gold Plated (a reference to the recent albums that had gone gold). They had their first bona fide radio hit, "Couldn't Get It Right," which is represented here.
By the mid-1970s Climax was hardly a blues band. They had moved in a decidedly more pop and rock direction, and had seen success because of it. Shortly after the success of Gold Plated, the punk and new wave scenes started to emerge, and marginal rock bands like Climax had a tough time competing. They faded out in the 1980s, but have reunited on occasion and recorded new studio albums as late as the mid-1990s. Highlights of this show include "Together And Free," "Couldn't Get It Right," "Going To New York," and a rocking closer of "All The Time In The World," which slides into their cover of the Beatles' "Get Back."
Biography
by Jason Ankeny
Plays On Led by Colin Cooper, the former frontman of the R&B unit the Hipster Image, the Stafford, England-based Climax Chicago Blues Band were one of the leading lights of the late-'60s blues boom. A sextet also comprised of guitarists Derek Holt and Peter Haycock, keyboardist Arthur Wood, bassist Richard Jones, and drummer George Newsome, the group debuted in 1969 with a self-titled effort recalling the work of John Mayall. Prior to the release of 1969's Plays On, Jones left the group, prompting Holt to move to bass. In 1970 the Climax Chicago Blues Band moved to the Harvest label, at the same time shifting toward a more rock-oriented sound on the LP A Lot of Bottle. Around the release of 1971's Tightly Knit, Newsome was replaced by drummer John Holt; upon Wood's exit in the wake of 1972's Rich Man, the unit decided to continue on as a quartet, also dropping the "Chicago" portion of its moniker to avoid confusion with the American band of the same name. In 1974 the Climax Blues Band issued FM Live, a document of a New York radio concert. Released in 1975, Stamp was their commercial breakthrough, and 1976's Gold Plated fared even better, spurred on by the success of the hit "Couldn't Get It Right." However, the rise of punk effectively stopped the Climax Blues Band in their tracks, although they continued recording prolifically well into the 1980s; after 1988's Drastic Steps, the group was silent for a number of years, but resurfaced in 1994 with Blues From the Attic.