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Well, I suppose technically this is where it all started. Colin and I met at Primary
School and our common interest in music was encouraged by us both having to take turns
playing bass xylophone for a group of travelling players who put on a show there.
Years later, Colin and I, having acquired a large amount of our musical taste from his
elder brother William's record collection, put together our first band
"Aori". Recording onto an alarm / cassette recorder (with a stereo mike no
less) using some dubious musical instruments (see below) and primitive multitracking
(another tape recorder playing at the same time), we laid down the seminal classics
"We're At The End Of Time", "Beginning To End" and
"Owlbear". All of them were absolutely appalling. Without exception. Didn't
stop us planning our whole career including album titles, song names and even what
the covers would look like. Colin claims from time to time that he still has a copy of
the songs. This does not make the World a better place.
Folk / Heavy Rock. Briefly known as "Class of ' 57", I became a member of "Jade" after staying up all night on the Summer Solstice of 1990 singing Tull songs under a tree at the University of Birmingham (where we were all students). We were actually pretty good although some of the material had a bit too much of a flower power stance for my liking with songs like "Child In Harmony". I remember particularly enjoying singing a song called "Chance". My sole contribution songwise was "Victims Of Circumstance". We played mostly original material with a generous helping of covers such as a Spinal Tap medley (complete with Stonehenge monument and Mad Bob doing his dwarf dancing), "Dun Ringill" by Jethro Tull and "Burn" by Deep Purple.
After Nigel Pugh left to go to Newcastle to do a Ph.D. and was replaced by Nick, it
became obvious that my influence in the band was dwindling and I was shortly told
in no uncertain terms that my talents were not up to scratch and that I was being
kicked out. I actually saw them play live afterwards. There was no way I would have
sung a song about tigers.
Rock Covers Band. Formed to play a one off gig at a farm in the middle of Oxfordshire.
The usual rock covers were wheeled out as a bit of a laugh. (You know the sort of
stuff : "Paranoid", "Living After Midnight", "Ace Of Spades").
Over the period of time that this incarnation existed, we started to include more
adventurous material such as "Epic" and "Don't Fear The Reaper".
Quite simply, we rocked.
Rock Covers Band. Due to Paul and Nick's departure (Paul to Kent and Nick to Hong
Kong), a new line up was formed. First gig was sloppy but passable. Second gig was
abysmal. Third gig was hurriedly cancelled. Although not actually disbanded, there
was certainly a strong desire on my part to just let sleeping dogs lie.
As Colin effectively had his own studio in Dundee, I started going up there once
in a while to record new material with the idea that eventually we could put out
an album. During this period, Rob and I also started writing new material which we
went up to Dundee to record with Colin. Due to distance and Colin having now started
his own company, it may be some time before we complete the album but you never
know...
(NB the songs mentioned under "Aori (Mk 1)" have not been called back into
service).
The Love Commandos name was resurrected once more to do battle with the forces of
apathy. There was also a slight change in direction as we decided to concentrate
less on the standard rock classics and more on whatever we fancied. We have now even
decided to start playing our own original material which is yet to scare off our
traditional audience (and there was much rejoicing).
As another avenue of musical mischief to follow, Neil has set up another band with Andy Thorpe
( ex-Druidspear, ex-Anorakula, ex-Electric Shed, ex-T's Basement) on acoustic guitar
to see what they come up with together. Early signs suggest that The Alarm
and Big Country could be an influence.