Brinsley Schwarz | |
|---|---|
| Origin | England |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 1969–1975 |
| Labels | Liberty,United Artists (UK), Capitol,United Artists (US) |
| Members | Nick Lowe Brinsley Schwarz Billy Rankin Bob Andrews (died 2025) Ian Gomm (1970–1975) |
Brinsley Schwarz were a 1970s Englishpub rock band, named after theirguitaristBrinsley Schwarz. WithNick Lowe on bass and vocals, keyboardistBob Andrews and drummerBilly Rankin, the band evolved from the 1960s pop band Kippington Lodge. They were later augmented byIan Gomm on guitar and vocals.
Brinsley Schwarz (guitar, piano, vocals) originally met Nick Lowe atWoodbridge School where they played in school bands with Barry Landeman (keyboards, vocals) and Phil Hall (guitar). In 1964, whilst still at school, they touredRAF bases in Germany as "Sounds 4+1".[3] On leaving school, Schwarz formed "Three's A Crowd" with Pete Whale (drums) and Dave Cottam (bass).[4] Landeman joined in 1967 and they renamed themselves "Kippington Lodge". Their first two singles, produced byMark Wirtz, in a close-harmony pop style, both flopped.[4] Cottam left, and Schwarz invited Lowe to join.[5] Landeman then left to joinVanity Fare,Bob Andrews joined on keyboards, and finally, Whale was replaced byBilly Rankin on drums.[3] Although the next three singles also failed, they had a residency as support band atThe Marquee. The band's style was changing from pop into "a folk-rock band with psychedelic pretentions".[6] In 1969 they renamed the band after their guitarist, and performed their new music under this name, whilst continuing to play pop as Kippington Lodge.[5] One of the band's first managers, John Schofield, was at the time the lover ofHattie Jacques (who would occasionally make bacon sandwiches for the band members when they visited Schofield's home). In the early part of their career the band shared a communal home in a large old house inBeaconsfield and these premises were used as a rehearsal space byThe Band, who came to the UK as part of theWarner Brothers tour. The Band borrowed Brinsley Schwarz's instruments to rehearse.[7]
Brinsley Schwarz signed a contract with managerDave Robinson, of Famepushers, who devised a plan to earn the band extensive publicity.[8] They were to open forVan Morrison andQuicksilver Messenger Service at theFillmore East inNew York City, on 3 and 4 April 1970. Robinson would fly a plane full of British journalists to the show, so they could review it,[6] along with the winners of aMelody Maker competition, arranged in order to get pre-publicity.[5] Though the band had planned on leaving a few days early, so they could rehearse,visa problems prevented this, so they went to Canada and entered the US in a light aircraft. They arrived in New York shortly before they were due on stage, and had to use hired equipment with which they were unfamiliar. The journalists were due the following day, but their plane was delayed for four hours, so they had free use of the bar, and eventually arrived at the show either drunk or hung over.[9] The show did not go over well, and the band received a flood of negative reviews over the following weeks, including bad reviews of their first album,Brinsley Schwarz, which was released shortly after their return to the United Kingdom.[8] This incident became known as theBrinsley Schwarz Hype.[6]
Casey Kasem's version of this story, in a September 1979 episode ofAmerican Top Forty, implied that the presence of the critics was a surprise to the band.[citation needed]
Later in 1970, Brinsley Schwarz released their second album,Despite It All,[8] which had a definitecountry sound to it. They were heavily influenced byEggs over Easy, who they first saw perform at 'The Tally Ho' inKentish Town, and admired their laid-back style and extensive repertoire.[5] In 1971, guitaristIan Gomm joined the band, and they recorded their third albumSilver Pistol.[8] In response to "the hype", they became anti-commercial and spent much of 1971 rehearsing, although they toured on the 'Downhome Rhythm Kings' package withHelp Yourself andErnie Graham (exEire Apparent), who were all managed by Dave Robinson. This led to them backing Ernie Graham on his eponymous solo album.
Brinsley Schwarz played at the secondGlastonbury Festival (1971), and one track, "Love Song", appeared on the subsequentGlastonbury Fayre album. Their solid live performances soon garnered theband a large fanbase in London, and, along with bands like Eggs over Easy, Brinsley Schwarz were soon dubbed "pub rock" by rock journalists.[10] They sounded rather likeThe Band,[8] with Schwarz's guitar work influenced greatly byRobbie Robertson's. In February 1972, they supportedHawkwind andMan at theGreasy Truckers Party, which was issued as a double album, and brought critical acclaim. Unfortunately, for a band known for its live performances, this was their only live album.
1972's ironic take on country-rock,Nervous on the Road, also received excellent reviews.[8] It did not reach the charts, but earned them a slot opening forPaul McCartney'sWings 1973 UK Tour.[6] The same year, they also acted asFrankie Miller's band for his debut albumOnce in a Blue Moon. Their fifth studio albumPlease Don't Ever Change, issued in 1973, was less well received by the critics, and achieved poor sales.[8] However during this time they made successful appearances onThe Old Grey Whistle Test with Lowe on guitar and vocals, Gomm on bass and Schwarz on piano alongside Andrews on keyboard and recorded sessions forJohn Peel'sBBC Radio 1 show. In 1974, they arranged forDave Edmunds to produce their sixth albumThe New Favourites of... Brinsley Schwarz,[8] which was more polished, and again received good reviews.[6] This association also led to their touring as Dave Edmunds' backing band, appearing on the live tracks of hisSubtle as a Flying Mallet album. In addition to the albums, Brinsley Schwarz also issued a series of singles under their own name, and various pseudonyms, such as "The Hitters", "The Knees", "Limelight" and "The Brinsleys" but these all failed. They recorded a final album,It's All Over Now, in 1974 but this was not released at the time. They finally disbanded in March 1975.[8]
Brinsley Schwarz and Bob Andrews joinedGraham Parker & the Rumour, which functioned as a unit through 1981. Later Andrews moved toNew Orleans. Schwarz, meanwhile, continued playing as a sideman for various artists through the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s. Schwarz joined a reunitedDucks Deluxe in 2009, then both Schwarz and Andrews joined a reunited Rumour in 2012.
Billy Rankin joinedTerraplane and thenBig Jim Sullivan's Tiger. He retired from the music industry in 1977, though he was persuaded to play with a reunited Ducks Deluxe for their 30th anniversary reunion show in 2007.
Nick Lowe and Ian Gomm both began solo careers, achieving moderate mainstream success. Lowe's 1978 albumJesus of Cool received considerable critical acclaim and reached number 22 in theUK Albums Chart. It included the track "I Love the Sound of Breaking Glass", which reached number 7 in theUK Singles Chart. The album also included Bob Andrews on keyboard and Dave Edmunds on guitar. Lowe also co-wroteDr. Feelgood's top ten hit "Milk and Alcohol", which reached number 9 in 1979. Lowe's 1979 single and biggest worldwide hit "Cruel to Be Kind" was co-written with Gomm and originally recorded by Brinsley Schwarz for their unreleased final album. This version was included on the 2008 30th anniversary edition of theJesus of Cool album. In 1979, Gomm himself had a hit with "Hold On", which reached number 18 in the U.S.Billboard Hot 100 chart.
The original version of "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding", which was written by Lowe and was later covered byElvis Costello, was released by the band in 1974 on their albumThe New Favourites of... Brinsley Schwarz.[8] Costello knew of the song as both a fan and part-time roadie for the band, which is where he and Lowe first met.[11] Another rendition was featured on the multi-million-selling filmsoundtrackThe Bodyguard: Original Soundtrack Album, performed byCurtis Stigers.[12] Bill Murray's character sang the song at a party in Sofia Coppola's filmLost in Translation.[13]
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