Head

Head - Blackpool Cool - 1977 - Head

There are many bands called Head. The band here is a very obscure '70's Scottish jazz-rock group from Glasgow who recorded 3 albums between 1973 and 1977. The first album was entitled "GTF" in 1973, followed by "Red Dwarf" in 1975, and "Blackpool Cool" (posted here) in 1977. The band's music has been compared to early 70s Miles Davis, and even early King Crimson. However, Head's music is probably more in the in the Ian Carr/Nucleus style. It's a very good album, and if anybody has any information on this band, A.O.O.F.C would love to hear from you

TRACKS

1. I met a man - 6:52
2. G.B.H. - 8:29
3. There's a lot of it around - 6:21
4. Blackpool cool - 6:11
5. Pauline - 3:57
6. Kick me quick - 8:47

BAND

Lachlan McColl - Guitar
Graham Mince - Bass
John Davies - Keyboards, Trumpet
Billy Kyle - Drums
Gordon Cruickshank - Saxophone

ABOUT HEAD

Sometimes known as "the haggis of jazz fusion bands," the small combo Head were active in Glasgow in the '70s. The rhythm section of drummer Billy Kyle and bassist Graham Mince were consistent factors in the three albums released by the group over a five-year period, as was the presence of multi-instrumentalist John Davies, who doubled on keyboards and trumpet. Other members of the group changed from album to album, guitarist Charles Alexander drifting away to be replaced by Lachlan McColl, saxophonist Gordon Cruickshank taking up where previous honker Howard Copland had left off. Self-determination, an important concept in documenting improvised music during the '70s, was vital to the Head liturgy. The group's debut release -- entitled GTF in reference to a crude Scottish way of suggesting someone should depart quickly -- was released through SRT, basically a vanity consortium. The band started up its own label, Head Records, for its final and most commercial production, Blackpool Cool. This Head should not be confused with other bands that use this name, such as a more recent outfit fronted by © Gareth Sager. Eugene Chadbourne © 2010 Rovi Corporation. All Rights Reserved http://www.allmusic.com/artist/head-p735727/biography

ABOUT JOHN DAVIES

John Davies is a Scottish jazz fusion musician who doubled on keyboards and trumpet in a Glasgow-based band known as Head. This is hardly the only use of this word as a combo name; between the word's slang connections to both sex and drugs and its importance as jazz technical jargon, it is actually surprising that more, if not all, groups haven't decided to call themselves Head. Davies' associates in the '70s band include heads such as guitarist Charles Alexander and bassist Graham Mince. There were three albums created by this group between 1973 and 1978, starting off with GTF, often misprinted but very clear in its meaning to a native Glaswegian: it is an abbreviation for the first three words in a colorful if crude expression commonly used to tell someone to get lost. It is the pronunciation of "tae" for "the" that gives this phrase its charm, at least for the non-Scottish. Other albums Davies appears on with the group are the mid-'70s Red Dwarf -- fired out of the Cannon label -- and the final more rock-oriented Blackpool Cool, for which the ensemble started up its own record label, also called Head. © Eugene Chadbourne © 2010 Rovi Corporation. All Rights Reserved http://allmusic.com/artist/john-davies-p200829/biography