Roger Chapman

Roger Chapman - Techno-Prisoners - 1987 - BMG Ariola

“After a career spanning 30 years, Roger Chapman’s fiery stage presence remains undimmed. He still struts and frets, wringing every syllable from a multicoloured repertoire of rock, soul and ballads. His astounding voice rips through the lyrics, devastating the unsuspecting listener with raw emotion. The sheer power and commitment of his delivery is a revelation to audiences brought up on a diet of blandness and mediocrity. Chappo is both a legend of rock past and a pioneer of rock present, and the story is still very much unfolding…” [From Roger’s Public Relations Dept.]

Techno-Prisoners was a completely different kettle of fish. In 1987 Chappo was handed over to the Dutch production team responsible for "Rock Me Amadeus." The Bolland Brothers looked after the musicians, and the sound. All Chappo had to do was sing. "The idea came from the record company, not me..." Chappo declares in the liner notes, "...I was open to new ideas...[and since we always had problems with production in the past]...I was willing to give it a try...it was one of the easiest and most enjoyable albums I have ever recorded... I could virtually sleep in the studio and wait for the call to do a vocal track. In that respect it was great for me." And you notice that about the vocals. They are relaxed, and yet have every bit of the energy and aggression of Chappo's best work. The backing tracks are what you might expect. Synthetic drums and keyboards and that beat...that beat! But in retrospect it's not as offensive as it might have appeared at the time. Yes, people were offended. Chappo continues, "...the fall out from that album was massive...long-time fans were critical, and in Germany I lost a lot of my credibility for a while...the there was my band...I had worked with Geoffrey (Whitehorn)...for quite some time...I don't think he was over the moon about not being involved anymore." The album has a very 80s sound but no one can disguise that wobbly, powerful voice. It contains rock, the blues, and a banshee howl that links Chapman to the great belters of all time. No one sounds like Chappo. Whether singing his own songs, "Wild Again" or "Ball of Confusion" or doing the songs the Bolland Brothers supplied for him ("The Drum" and "Black Forest") he takes centre stage and doesn't let go. The bonus tracks included on Techno-Prisoners are demo recordings of Chappo's tunes (from Techno-Prisoners)with a completely different band. This time Alvin Lee was on board to program and play guitar. The sound is more straight forward, more open. It doesn't matter though, Chappo is such a distinctive personality, such a unique performer, with that amazing voice, that whoever is playing behind him...he is the focus! © David Kidney Green Man Review © http://www.greenmanreview.com/cd/cd_chapman_omni_07_03.html

This 1987 release has somewhat divided the Roger Chapman fanbase. During this time, at the record company's behest, Roger took his distinctive vocal chords off to Holland and sessions with ace dance producers The Bolland Brothers. The results are not as weird as you might expect and - more importantly - not techno save for the ubiquitous drum machine. Sensibly, the producers retained a cutting rock guitar and infectious rhythm to connect the album with Chappo's heritage, so if anything it comes across as a well-produced and polished effort if a little different from the norm. In fact the Chapman compositions on the album are possibly somewhat out of synch with the out-and-out commercialism that otherwise pertains ****/5 Pretty damn fine. © David Randall © 2003 Mystic Records

Roger Chapman is a British rock legend, best known for for his spectacular stage presence and amazing powerful vibrato vocals, who played with the hugely talented and original British band, Family, (who called it a day in the early 70’s). During their seven year lifespan, Family had achieved an almost unequalled standard of musical output and musicianship. Arguably, at least four of their eight albums can be regarded as rock classics.. Family were regarded by critics, and by the public in general, as one of Britain's finest rock bands. John Peel, the late, great BBC Radio 1 DJ, once said that he'd travel any distance to see Chapman perform. Sadly, by the late seventies, Roger had practically disappeared from the music scene.The mechanics of the music business, e.g, glam rock, the dawn of punk, new wave, and romanticism, dictated the demise of many great rock and progressive rock bands, who had dominated the music scene, (especially in Britain), for so long. That is not to say that these new genres did not produce some great bands. However, the musical scene at this time did not suit Roger Chapman's style of music, and never one to bow to commercialism, Chapman went to Germany in the early eighties where he still spends most of his time, and is regarded as a cult figure there. He has also received well deserved Artist of the Year and Lifetime Achievement Awards from the German people. Originally released in 1987 "Chappo" was one of the first rock artists of his generation to release an album in a contemporary techno style. Produced by the legendary Dutch production team ‘The Bolland Brothers’, the album melds raw talent with polished production. The 5 bonus tracks on the 2003 CD issue are some of the original album demos using just Roger Chapman, Alvin Lee on guitar and Tim Hinkley on keyboards. Buy his brilliant 1979 album, "Chappo." It is also a musical education to listen to Family's "Music in a Doll's House," "Bandstand," and "Fearless " albums, and search this blog for related releases [All tracks @ 320 Kbps: File size = 169 Mb]

TRACKS / COMPOSERS

1 The Drum - Rob & Ferdi Bolland 4:36
2 Wild Again - R.Chapman 5:36
3 Techno-Prisoners - R.Chapman, Geoffrey Whitehorn, Tim Hinkley 6:00
4 Black Forest - Rob & Ferdi Bolland 6:24
5 We Will Touch Again - R.Chapman 4:24
6 Run For Your Love - Rob & Ferdi Bolland 4:41
7 Slap Bang In The Middle - R.Chapman 4:18
8 Who's Been Sleeping In My Bed (Wild Blood) - R.Chapman 4:38
9 Ball Of Confusion - R.Chapman 8:07
10 Who's Been Sleeping In My Bed (2003 Bonus) - R.Chapman
11 Slap Bang In The Middle (2003 Bonus) - R.Chapman
12 We Will Touch Again (2003 Bonus) - R.Chapman
13 Wild Again (2003 Bonus) - R.Chapman
14 Red Moon & New Shoes (2003 Bonus) - R.Chapman

MUSICIANS

Roger Chapman - Vocals
Steve Simpson, Lex Bolderdijk - Guitar
Alvin Lee - Guitar on Bonus Tracks 10-14
Boz Burrell, Jan Hollestelle - Bass Guitar
Poli Palmer - Keyboards
Tim Hinkley - Keyboards on Bonus Tracks 10-14
Henry Spinetti, Ad VanDer Ree, Shell Schellekens - Drums
Nick Pentelow, Gerbrand Westveen - Saxophone
Lisa Boray - Background Vocals

BIO (WIKI)

Roger Chapman (born Roger Maxwell Chapman on April 8, 1942 in Leicester) is an English rock singer. Roger "Chappo" Chapman is probably best known for his participation in the English progressive band Family in the late 1960s through the early 1970s and subsequently, from 1973 to 1978, in Streetwalkers, a rock/R&B band. Prior to Family he had sung with this band's precursor, the Farinas. His idiosyncratic brand of on-stage showmanship and characteristic vibrato led to him becoming a cult figure on the British rock scene. Chapman once claimed he was trying to sing like both Little Richard and especially his idol Ray Charles.In the late 1970s Roger Chapman began a solo career and recorded his first solo album, Chappo. In 1983, Mike Oldfield recorded the album "Crises" featuring the song "Shadow On The Wall" sung by Roger Chapman. The song turned out to be a huge hit for Mike Oldfield (along with the even more popular "Moonlight Shadow"). As other musical styles, such as Punk Rock became more popular in England, Chapman began to have more success in other European countries, especially Germany, where he has spent much of his time since the early 1980s, winning Artist of the Year and a Lifetime Achievement Award.

MORE ABOUT ROGER CHAPMAN

Roger Chapman is best known for his barbed-wire voice, used to front British '70s rock acts Family and Streetwalkers. He began a long-awaited solo career in 1978 that has led to over a dozen full-length releases. Never heard of them? It's not surprising; album-wise, he's been camped out in Germany for 20 years. His first album and tour got high praise in his British homeland, but critics cut into him soon after. When the hassle-free German market beckoned, Chapman began to focus all subsequent work there, where he has become a musical hero, the "Working Class Artist." Chapman split with his longtime writing partner, Charlie Whitney, after the breakup of Streetwalkers in 1977. He surrounded himself with ace session musicians to cut a debut solo effort, Chappo. It was an album of strong rock which catered to the singer and not the musicians. An appearance on Germany's Rockpalast TV show and the ensuing hit single, "Let's Spend the Night Together," gave Chapman the shot of success he needed, so he set up operations in Germany. Live in Hamburg was a reassuring second album, demonstrating the live energy of this experienced yet stage-crazed performer. Studio albums over the next few years blended straight power rock with funk, R&B and soul, all topped with Chapman's characteristic vocal style. In the 1981 German music awards, Chapman was voted Best Singer, and his Hyenas Only Laugh For Fun won an award. Chapman and his backing band, the Shortlist, released two alter-ego albums in the early '80s as the Riff Burglars. These releases honored roots and classic rock by artists like Chuck Berry, Willie Dixon and Leiber & Stoller. A lead vocal on Mike Oldfield's 1983 hit, "Shadow on the Wall," also added to Chapman's diverse repertoire. Chapman's mid-'80s foray into polished studio sounds did not fare well with his audience. When his extended partnership with guitarist Geoff Whitehorn ran it's course, Chapman returned to pure rock form with 1989's Walking the Cat, which featured Alvin Lee and old friend, Bob Tench. Two compilations filled a silent period in the mid '90s, but 1996's Kiss My Soul was a comeback for the guy who never went away. It even got attention and a pressing in Chapman's British homeland, where he often tours but has no domestic releases. This was followed by 1998's A Turn Unstoned? and the 2-CD Anthology; the next year saw re-releases of Chappo and Mail Order Magic. Moth to a Flame was issued in early 2001. © Patrick Little, allmusic.com