The production master tapes of a previously unreleased
full length studio album by The Sensational Alex Harvey Band, recorded
in 1974 and hitherto discarded, have been unearthed, dusted down, fully
re-mastered and lined up for release on March 30th on the MLP label,
distributed by RSK Entertainment.
'Hot City The 1974 Unreleased album', which has been fully
authorised and approved by the band, features 9 great quality tracks,
and comes in a deluxe Digi Pack Sleeve which includes a separate inner
sleeve and a 20 page high quality booklet with rare photos and extensive
liner notes from the band, with track by track comments and opinions,
plus an introduction by SAHB author and ex-manager Martin Kielty.
By 1974, the SAHB steamroller was working at full power. Their
first album, 'Framed', had promised great things, the follow-up, 'Next',
delivered them, and now the group were planning to record their upcoming
third album. The band had been constantly touring and were well rehearsed
when in late January, they went into Advision studios in London with
legendary US producer Shel Talmy (The Who/The Kinks) to record their
biggest album to date. By April, the sessions were finished and the
album was mixed.
However, after completion, the band and management had a rethink
about the overall sound and amazingly, they decided to scrap the entire
album. Shel Talmy then returned to Los Angeles with his tapes. Most
of the song titles were later re-recorded and eventually showed up later
that year on the official album 'The Impossible Dream' with a different
producer on board and the songs changed dramatically.
You can now hear how the album sounded with the original versions
of these songs. SAHB fans will be totally surprised and amazed at the
different styles, delivery and lyric arrangements of well known favourite
songs such as 'Vambo' and 'Man In The Jar'. 'Anthem' and 'Tomahawk Kid'
and there is a previously unreleased song 'Ace In The Hole' which has
not been heard even by the band, since those studio sessions in 1974.
As SAHB became the biggest band of 1975, these recordings were
quickly forgotten about. Now after 34 years, MLP have re-discovered
the fully mixed unreleased album by a rock group on the verge of stardom.
The recordings have been re-assessed by both Shel Talmy and the band
members and a decision was made that they would make a great release.
Now re-mastered and with the band's full approval, you can hear how
songs like 'Vambo', 'Man In The Jar', 'Anthem' and 'Sgt Fury' originally
sounded.
Alex Harvey, who tragically died of a massive heart attack
in 1982, aged 46, was renowned for his charismatic persona and daredevil
stage antics, and, above all, his astonishing, passionate, demonic vocal
delivery. Nowhere is this better captured than on 'Hot City The 1974
Unreleased album', a treasure trove of re-discovered musical gems. |