Roger Chapman and The Short List

Roger Chapman and The Short List - Mail Order Magic - 1980 - Line Records

“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.]

Roger Chapman's second studio album, Mail Order Magic, was recorded under some tough conditions for the singer. Punk and new wave were sweeping England of any "oldies" acts, and Chapman was having trouble taking root in his own country. In addition, the label to which he had signed was folding, giving him a deadline to finish and release the album. Meanwhile Chapman, still high from the success of continental tours, tried to up the ante by recording with better players, including old Family-mate John Wetton. But lack of finances bumped the sessions from studio to studio, and Terry Barham and Paul Smykle (notable for reggae production) were brought in to stitch together the recordings into a pressable album. Considering all of this, the results were fantastic. The hard-edged rock, especially "Unknown Soldier," suited Chapman's edgy voice best. The Shortlist also served up R&B and even a little experimental music ("Ground Floor" sounds like an early demo of "Higher Ground"). Chapman would find a more comfortable career down the road, but the material would rarely be as convincing and as powerful as this. © Patrick Little © 2012 Rovi Corporation. All Rights Reserved http://www.allmusic.com/album/r32694/review

Roger Chapman is a British rock legend, best known for for his spectacular stage presence and amazing powerful vibrato vocals. Roger 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. Roger was never one for convention, and has always done his own thing in music with complete disregard for commercialism. "Mail Order Magic" was the second solo album by Roger Chapman and his then band The Shortlist. The production of this album was troublesome and difficult, but a convincing and powerful album was the end product, and HR by A.O.O.F.C. Buy Roger's 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. Search this blog for related releases [All tracks @ 320 Kbps: File size = 96.7 Mb]

TRACKS / COMPOSERS

A1 Unknown Soldier (Can't Get To Heaven) - Roger Chapman 3:44
A2 He Was She Was - Roger Chapman & Geoff Whitehorn 4:48
A3 Barman - Roger Chapman & Poli Palmer 5:24
A4 Right To Go - Roger Chapman 4:05
A5 Ducking Down- Roger Chapman & Geoff Whitehorn 3:53

B1 Making The Same Mistake - Roger Chapman & Geoff Whitehorn 4:58
B2 Another Little Hurt - Roger Chapman & Tim Hinkley 3:53
B3 Mail Order Magic - Roger Chapman 4:26
B4 Higher Ground - Roger Chapman 4:15
B5 Ground Floor 1:56 - Roger Chapman & Poli Palmer

MUSICIANS

Roger Chapman - Harmonica, Vocals
Geoff Whitehorn - Guitar
Jerome Rimson - Bass, Vocals
John Wetton - Bass
Tim Hinkley - Keyboards
Poli Palmer - Synthesizer
John Halsey, Les Binks, Mitch Mitchell - Drums

BIO

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 led to over a dozen full-length releases. Never heard of them? It's not surprising: album-wise, he 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 his subsequent work there, where he had 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 that 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 its 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 had never gone away. It even got attention and a pressing in Chapman's British homeland, where he often toured despite the lack of domestic releases. This was followed by 1998's A Turn Unstoned? and the two-CD Anthology; the next year saw re-releases of Chappo and Mail Order Magic. Moth to a Flame was issued in early 2001. A number of live and archival releases followed in the early 2000s, and a new studio album, One More Time for Peace, was released in 2007. In 2009 Chapman announced that he would be retiring from live performances, and his final appearance dates were subsequently announced, culminating in several festival sets in the U.K. and Germany planned for August 2010. © Patrick Little © 2012 Rovi Corporation. All Rights Reserved http://www.allmusic.com/artist/roger-chapman-p16393/biography