Alex Harvey (February 5, 1935 - February 4, 1982) was a Scottish rock and roll recording artist. With his Sensational Alex Harvey Band, he built a strong reputation as a live performer during the 1970s glam rock era. The band was renowned for its eclecticism and energetic live performance, Harvey for his charismatic persona and daredevil stage antics.
Alex's younger brother Leslie Harvey was also a musician and became guitarist for Glasgow band Stone the Crows.
Harvey was born at 49 Govan Road, Kinning Park, Glasgow. His musical roots were in Dixieland jazz and skiffle music, which enjoyed considerable popularity in England and Scotland during the late 1950s. During this period, he won a competition that sought "Scotland's answer to Tommy Steele". Alex Harvey was literally the "last of the teenage idols," a distinction he made much of during his subsequent career - practically worshipped by his fans.
In 1959, Harvey formed "Alex Harvey's Soul Band," and recorded blues and rock and roll material, to modest success. In 1966, Harvey found more success as a member of the cast in the London stage production of the musical Hair.
In 1972, Harvey formed the Sensational Alex Harvey Band with guitarist Zal Cleminson, bassist Chris Glen, and cousins Ted and Hugh McKenna on drums and keyboards respectively, all previous members of progressive rock act "Tear Gas".
The Sensational Alex Harvey Band (often shortened to SAHB) produced a succession of highly regarded albums and tours throughout the 1970s, and would give Harvey his greatest successes, both musically and commercially.
Initially considered a part of the burdgeoning glam-rock movement, Harvey's wild imagination and unusual skiffle background led the band to explore an extremely diverse range of topics and styles in the course of their career, from film-noir ("The Man In The Jar") to surf music-tinted tales of shark attacks ("Shark's Teeth") to ominous odes to demented faith healers ("The Faith Healer") and epic symphonies about prostitution ("Isobel Goudie").
Perhaps most unusual for the time were the band's forays into Broadway, evidenced on tracks such as "Tomorrow Belongs To Me". Other musical styles explored included the the folk music of both Harvey's native Scotland ("Anthem") and countries such as Turkey ("Action Strasse").
The impression is one of an unhinged circus of free-flowing events and emotions and moods, Harvey as its semi-demented, ironic ring master,something captured brilliantly by the cover art of 1974 album "The Impossible Dream" (attach picture?).
A strong sense of irony permeates much of the band's work, however Harvey often juxtaposed his absurdist imagery and wild-eyed imagination with sincere moral messages and affectionate unashamed sentiment and emotion.
His live act also usually featured a tale of "Vambo", an urban superhero who was the subject of some of his more energetic numbers. His performances combined a musical and verbal flair with both humour and sincerity and his songs often contained messages and morals.
The Sensational Alex Harvey Band scored chart hits in Britain with the single "Delilah", a re-make of the Tom Jones hit, and also with "The Boston Tea Party".
Alex Harvey was also instrumental in the formation of Stone the Crows, by introducing his younger brother Leslie to singer, Maggie Bell [1].
On February 4, 1982 while waiting to take a ferry back to shore after performing his last concert with his new band, the Electric Cowboys, Harvey suffered a massive heart attack. In an ambulance on the way to the hospital, he suffered a second heart attack, this one fatal. It occurred on the day before his 47th birthday, in Zeebrugge, Belgium.
Alex's younger brother Leslie Harvey was also a musician and became guitarist for Glasgow band Stone the Crows.
Harvey was born at 49 Govan Road, Kinning Park, Glasgow. His musical roots were in Dixieland jazz and skiffle music, which enjoyed considerable popularity in England and Scotland during the late 1950s. During this period, he won a competition that sought "Scotland's answer to Tommy Steele". Alex Harvey was literally the "last of the teenage idols," a distinction he made much of during his subsequent career - practically worshipped by his fans.
In 1959, Harvey formed "Alex Harvey's Soul Band," and recorded blues and rock and roll material, to modest success. In 1966, Harvey found more success as a member of the cast in the London stage production of the musical Hair.
In 1972, Harvey formed the Sensational Alex Harvey Band with guitarist Zal Cleminson, bassist Chris Glen, and cousins Ted and Hugh McKenna on drums and keyboards respectively, all previous members of progressive rock act "Tear Gas".
The Sensational Alex Harvey Band (often shortened to SAHB) produced a succession of highly regarded albums and tours throughout the 1970s, and would give Harvey his greatest successes, both musically and commercially.
Initially considered a part of the burdgeoning glam-rock movement, Harvey's wild imagination and unusual skiffle background led the band to explore an extremely diverse range of topics and styles in the course of their career, from film-noir ("The Man In The Jar") to surf music-tinted tales of shark attacks ("Shark's Teeth") to ominous odes to demented faith healers ("The Faith Healer") and epic symphonies about prostitution ("Isobel Goudie").
Perhaps most unusual for the time were the band's forays into Broadway, evidenced on tracks such as "Tomorrow Belongs To Me". Other musical styles explored included the the folk music of both Harvey's native Scotland ("Anthem") and countries such as Turkey ("Action Strasse").
The impression is one of an unhinged circus of free-flowing events and emotions and moods, Harvey as its semi-demented, ironic ring master,something captured brilliantly by the cover art of 1974 album "The Impossible Dream" (attach picture?).
A strong sense of irony permeates much of the band's work, however Harvey often juxtaposed his absurdist imagery and wild-eyed imagination with sincere moral messages and affectionate unashamed sentiment and emotion.
His live act also usually featured a tale of "Vambo", an urban superhero who was the subject of some of his more energetic numbers. His performances combined a musical and verbal flair with both humour and sincerity and his songs often contained messages and morals.
The Sensational Alex Harvey Band scored chart hits in Britain with the single "Delilah", a re-make of the Tom Jones hit, and also with "The Boston Tea Party".
Alex Harvey was also instrumental in the formation of Stone the Crows, by introducing his younger brother Leslie to singer, Maggie Bell [1].
On February 4, 1982 while waiting to take a ferry back to shore after performing his last concert with his new band, the Electric Cowboys, Harvey suffered a massive heart attack. In an ambulance on the way to the hospital, he suffered a second heart attack, this one fatal. It occurred on the day before his 47th birthday, in Zeebrugge, Belgium.
Tracks
1. Framed
2. Hammer Song
3. Midnight Moses
4. Isobel Goudie
5. Buff's Bar Blues
6. I Just Want to Make Love to You
7. Hole in Her Stocking
8. There's No Lights on the Christmas Tree Mother
9. St. Anthony
LINK:
h!!p://www.megaupload.com/?d=F0GZO4A1
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5 comments:
E care hvala ti za stranicu super ti je.A muzika je samo tako.ja sam nov ovdje ,ali navraticemo se opet.
pozdrav
johntra
Nema na čemu!
RA
Doesn't "Midnight Moses" sound about AC/DC (lol)
Thanx for this cd of SAHB. And for no use damn passwords. ;)
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