The Purple Gang (rock band)

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The Purple Gang was an English rock band that rose to prominence in the underground psychedelic scene of the 1960s but was commercially unsuccessful.

history

"The Young Contemporaries Jugband ", consisting of Joe Beard (guitar), Peter Walker (vocals), Geoff Bowyer (keyboard), Gerry Robinson (harmonica, mandolin) and Ank Langley ( jug , banjo), came from Cheshire (originally they were from Stockport ) to London , where Joe Boyd signed her as a manager in 1967. He changed the appearance of the band - suits, short hair - and named them "The Purple Gang" from Elvis Presley's Jailhouse Rock .

Their debut single Granny Takes a Trip - named after the boutique of the same name - made them known in the psychedelic underground , and they appeared in hip clubs like the UFO Club and the Marquee with the stars of the scene - including the Rolling Stones , the Yardbirds , Jimi Hendrix and Pink Floyd . A highlight of this period was her appearance at the " 14 Hour Technicolor Dream " festival in April 1967.

Despite a positive assessment by John Peel , there was no commercial success. The single was blacklisted by the BBC , probably because of the word "trip" and its drug use relationship. Also the album The Purple Gang Strikes! (1968) and the subsequent single Kiss Me Goodnight Sally Green were unsuccessful.

With interruptions and changing line-ups, the Purple Gang remained active. They were particularly popular in Eastern Europe and the Netherlands. In 1998 they released a new album, Night of the Uncool . In 2003 their first album from 1968 was released on CD, with remixed material and the new song "Madam Judge", a response to the earlier spell of the BBC.

Discography

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d We're with the Band . Article on the Purple Gang, Guardian, June 28, 2002 (English)