The Graham Bond Organization

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The Graham Bond Organization was a British jazz / rhythm and blues group from the early 1960s. Graham Bond was a singer , keyboardist and alto saxophonist ; Jack Bruce was a bass player ; Ginger Baker was a drummer ; Dick Heckstall-Smith was the tenor and soprano saxophonist and John McLaughlin was the group's guitarist . The band recorded two albums while they were active, and more recordings were released after individual band members became known in the fields of progressive rock and jazz fusion . The spelling of the band varied between the individual releases, often depending on the target group. For example, the band spelled itself "Organization" or "ORGANisation" (Bond's original idea) in British English , while in many countries outside the UK it was written as "Organization".

history

At the beginning of the British rhythm and blues boom, the Graham Bond Organization became known for its aggressively played R&B with strong jazz and blues elements. Bond wrote most of the pieces, but encouraged the other musicians to contribute material as well, e.g. B. "Dick's Instrumental" by Dick Heckstall-Smith and "Camels and Elephants" by Ginger Baker. In this piece, the drummer developed ideas that were later incorporated into his showpiece "Toad". Jack Bruce's harmonica- dominated version of Peter Chatham's "Train Time" became a staple at Cream concerts .

The first regular recording with the original line-up of the Graham Bond Organization was released under the name of the singer Winston G. (Winston Gork). As a protégé of the emigrated Australian producer Robert Stigwood , Winston began his career under the pseudonym "Johnny Apollo". In early 1965, Winston and The Graham Bond Organization were part of the UK tour organized by Stigwwod, headlined by Chuck Berry (which caused Stigwood great losses). As a partner of the same management The Graham Bond Organization Winston supported on the Parlophone - single "Please Do not Say" / "Like A Baby" (the A-side languid pointing "Arrangement directed by Graham Bond" and the B-side of the Note "Arrangement directed by Ginger Baker"). The band then signed to Decca Records , which released their version of Don Covay's "Long Tall Shorty" in 1964, with "Long Legged Baby" as the b-side. Her best-known single and second release under her own name was "Tammy" / " Wade in the Water ", recorded on January 4, 1965 at Olympic Sound Studios in London . The piece also appeared on their debut album "The Sound of 65".

The fourth single contained the tracks "Lease on Love" / "My Heart's in Little Pieces" (July 1965). The special thing about the A-side is the use of a Mellotron , which Bond also plays on various pieces on the second LP "There's a Bond Between Us" (November 1965). The album also contains studio versions of the two mentioned instrumentals. The single and the album pieces are considered to be the first pop recordings that contain a Mellotron. "Lease On Love" was released more than a year before the first UK chart hit with a Mellotron ( Manfred Mann's "Semi-Detached Suburban Mr James" (October 1966)) and at least 18 months before the Beatles hit the Mellotron with " Strawberry. " Fields Forever "(January 1967) made world famous. The songs for the second album were the last to be recorded in the original line-up before Jack Bruce was kicked out of the band in August 1965.

The group was weighed down by substance abuse and Baker's argument with Bruce. In retrospect, it is believed that Jack Bruce was replaced by Bond with Ginger Baker in order to be able to fire Bruce, who briefly joined Manfred Mann. Then, in July 1966, Eric Clapton asked Baker and Bruce to play together on Cream. The band recorded the piece " St. James Infirmary Blues " on January 10, 1966 without Bruce . The song was released in the USA on the Ascot label and received little attention. Mike Falana played the trumpet on the piece .

Bond replaced the organization with Jon Hisemann on drums. As a trio , Bond, Heckstall-Smith and Hiseman, they recorded the single "You've Gotta Have Love Babe" / "I Love You" (both by Graham Bond) on January 18, 1967 for Page One Records. Hiseman and Heckstall-Smith then moved to John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers to record "Bare Wires" (April 1968). They then founded Colosseum in the summer of 1968 with Tony Reeves on bass and Dave Greenslade on keyboard .

Commercial failures, internal disputes and drug problems led the band to break up in late 1967. However, their influence quickly became apparent with the success of blues and progressive rock and increasing sales. The double album "Solid Bond", released by Warner Bros. Records in 1970, was a compilation of live recordings by the Graham Bond Quartet (Bond, McLaughlin, Bruce and Baker) from 1963, as well as studio recordings of the last lineup of Graham Bond Organization (Bond, Heckstall-Smith, and Hiseman) from 1966.

Graham Bond hooked up with his former bandmates in the early 1970s, played with Ginger Baker's Air Force and toured with Jack Bruce's band for a brief period. He then signed a contract with Vertigo Records and was believed to be drug-free at the time. However, he was increasingly concerned with black magic . Bond died in May 1974 when he fell in front of a train at London's Finsbury Park tube station.

Discography

Albums

  • The Sound of '65 (1965; Columbia)
  • There's a Bond Between Us (1965; Columbia)

Singles & EPs

  • Long Legged Baby / Long Tall Shorty (1964; Decca)
  • Tell Me (I'm Gonna Love Again) (1965; Columbia)

Compilations

  • The Beginning of Jazz Rock (1977; Charly Records) (re-released several times under different names)
  • Wade in the Water Classics, Origins & Oddities (2012; repertoire)

See also

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Malcolm Dome: Cult Heroes No.47: Graham Bond. (No longer available online.) February 3, 2011, archived from the original on January 4, 2013 ; accessed on January 5, 2014 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.classicrockmagazine.com
  2. ^ Winston G & The Wicked. March 2011, accessed February 16, 2014 .
  3. ^ Mellotron - history. Retrieved February 16, 2014 .
  4. ^ Ginger Baker History Archive 1963-65. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on November 10, 2013 ; accessed on February 16, 2014 (English). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.gingerbaker.com
  5. ↑ a b Borge Skilbrigt: Graham Bond Discography. Retrieved February 16, 2014 .
  6. ^ Mike Houghton, The Graham Bond Organization - Wade In The Water: Classics, Origins & Oddities. Retrieved February 16, 2014 .
  7. ↑ Graham Bond. Retrieved on February 16, 2014 (German).
  8. ^ Graham Bond Organization - The Beginning Of Jazz-Rock. Retrieved February 16, 2014 .