| Wizzard |
Wizzard
|
| Background information |
| Origin |
Birmingham, UK |
| Genre(s) |
Rock, Glam rock |
| Years active |
1972–1975 |
Associated
acts |
Electric Light Orchestra
The
Move
Wizzo
Band |
| Members |
Roy
Wood
Bill Hunt
Hugh
McDowell
Rick Price
Keith Smart
Mike Burney
Nick Pentelow
Charlie Grima |
| Former members |
Dave
Griffiths
|
Contents
- 1 Biography
- 2 Discography
- 3 References
- 4 External
links
Biography
Not long after the release of Electric Light Orchestra's first
album, Wood found himself at odds with co-leader Jeff
Lynne. He decided he wanted to head off in a different
musical direction and left, taking band members Bill Hunt (keyboards)
and Hugh
McDowell (cello) with him, to found Wizzard. Also in the line-up were
former Move bassist Rick Price, drummers Charlie Grima and Keith Smart,
and saxophone players Mike Burney and Nick Pentelow. Hunt was later
replaced by Bob Brady.
The band made their live debut at a Rock 'N' Roll Festival at
Wembley in August 1972, followed by an appearance at the Reading
Festival later that month. With Wood's distinctive warpaint make-up and
colourful costume, not to mention regular appearances on BBC TV's Top
of the Pops in which members and friends variously appeared in
pantomime horses, gorilla costumes or as roller-skating angels, often
wielding custard pies for good measure, they were one of the most
picturesque groups in the British glam rock era. In January 1973 they scored
their first Top 10 hit with "Ball Park Incident".
Although they released two albums, Wizzard
Brew, and Introducing Eddy
& The Falcons, their biggest hit was
with their second single. "See My Baby Jive", Wood's faithful
and affectionate tribute to the Phil Spector "Wall
of Sound", made No. 1 in the UK singles chart for four weeks.
The follow-up, "Angel Fingers", also topped the charts, though for only
one week.
The band's 1973
Christmas
single "I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday" has become something of
an annual fixture on British radio and television (along with Slade's
"Merry Xmas Everybody" and,
until his highly public fall from grace, Gary
Glitter's "Another Rock N' Roll
Christmas".) It was reissued in 1981, and a 12" re-recording appeared
in 1984.
During 1973 Wood was simultaneously exploring a solo career
with his Album Boulders, which produced a Top 20
hit "Dear Elaine". The subsequent heavy working schedule and strain led
to health problems, and several cancelled or postponed live dates on a
spring 1974 tour of the UK. One highlight of 1974 was a
return to the top 10 with "Rock 'N' Roll Winter", a song dedicated to
girlfriend of the time Lynsey De Paul, who repaid
the honour by recording a Wizzard flavoured song "Ooh I Do" a few
months later. A tour of the U.S. later that year failed to bring
them any commercial success there, but some members guested on a Beach Boys
session, which resulted in the eventual release of the latter group's
single "It's OK" in 1976.
Wizzard were an expensive band to maintain, both because of
the large line-up and in terms of recording costs. According to Price, "When
we finished recording 'Angel Fingers' it was rumoured that we had spent
more time in the studio than Paul McCartney had with the
whole of the Band On The Run album.
Whether it was true or not, this meant that most of the record
company's money was spent in studio time and that the members of the
band had to rely on live touring work for their income. A couple of
tours in the UK and one tour of the USA were not enough to ensure
regular wages for the band. One by one the band members found other,
more lucrative, things to occupy their time." [1]
By autumn 1975 they had split, leaving a farewell single
"Rattlesnake Roll", which failed to chart, plus a third album Main
Street which their record company did not
release as they deemed it too uncommercial. It finally saw the light of
day in 2000.
Wizzard had initially intended their second album to be a double, with
one disc a set of rock'n'roll pastiches, the other disc
jazz-rock. The record company heard the rock'n'roll set, and said they
intended to release that as a single album, which appeared in 1974 as Introducing Eddy
& The Falcons. Main
Street, which languished in the vaults for
around 25 years and was for some time presumed lost, was the jazz-rock
set.
In 1977 Wood and Price formed the shortlived Wizzo
Band, after which Wood reverted to a solo career in addition to
producing records for other acts, notably a 1979 Top 10
cover version of "Duke of Earl" for British doo-wop
revivalists Darts.
Discography
Albums
- Wizzard Brew (1973) - #29 UK -
co-engineered by Alan Parsons
- Introducing Eddy
& The Falcons (1974) - #19 UK
- Main Street
(2000)
Singles
- "Ball Park Incident" (1972); #6 UK.
- "See My Baby Jive" 1973); #1 UK.
- "Angel Fingers" (1973); #1 UK.
- "I Wish It
Could Be Christmas Everyday" (1973); #4 UK, (1981); #41 UK.
- "Rock 'N' Roll Winter" (1974); #6 UK.
- "This Is The Story Of My Love (Baby)" (1974); #34 UK.
- "Are You Ready to Rock" (1974); #8 UK.
- "Rattlesnake Roll" (1975)
- "Indiana Rainbow" (1976) - credited to Roy Wood's Wizzard
- "I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday" (re-issue with 12"
re-recording) (1984);
#23 UK.
References
- Guinness Book
of British Hit Singles - 16th Edition - ISBN
0-85112-190-X
- Guinness Book of British Hit Albums - 7th Edition - ISBN 0-85112-619-7
- The Guinness Book of 500 Number One Hits - ISBN 0-85112-250-7
External links
