Alex+harvey

Three CD set. 2022 instalment of Grapefruit's popular year-by-year overviews of the more melodic end of the early 70s UK progressive rock scene. A four-hour compilation featuring big hits, key album tracks, cult classics and rarities from 1973. 1973 was another significant year in British pop, with the recent arrival of glam inspiring many underground bands to adopt a more streamlined sound. That more song-based approach helped give the 1973 singles chart a new energy, with memorable 45s from Mott The Hoople, Manfred Mann's Earthband, Faces, Status Quo, Medicine Head and Nazareth.

Established in 1967 at the height of their powers, The Beatles’ Apple operation saw the group embrace and encourage a wealth of contemporary musical talent, offering studio time and demo facilities alongside recording and publishing contracts. This unique opportunity attracted artists and songwriters from across the musical spectrum, and GOOD AS GOLD presents a snapshot of that talent, spanning the years 1967 to 1975. From the psychedelic tinged sounds of the mid-late 1960s onwards, the label matured and evolved alongside its audience and remains as compelling today as it did during those halcyon days.

The Scottish hard rock quartet Nazareth had a handful of hard rock hits in the late '70s, including the proto-power ballad "Love Hurts." Formed in 1968, the band featured vocalist Dan McCafferty, guitarist Manny Charlton, bassist Pete Agnew, and drummer Darrell Sweet. The band had relocated to London by 1970, and they released their self-titled debut album in 1971…

It's time to rock out to some blues with Blues Rock Anthology, a collection of live numbers sure to peel the paint off the walls and wail until the cats come home.

Tear Gas was a Scottish hard-rock band that released the album Piggy Go Getter on Famous/Paramount in 1970, followed by an eponymous album on Regal Zonophone in 1971. They then teamed with singer Alex Harvey in the long-running Sensational Alex Harvey Band. Tear Gas formed in 1969 as Mustard, a Glasgow rock quartet with guitarist Zal Cleminson, bassist Chris Glen, and 18-year-old drummer Gilson Lavis, a native of Bedford. Their original vocalist, Andy Mulvey, hailed from Scottish beat legends The Poets. By 1970, Mulvey cleared out singer David Batchelor. After Lavis cleared for drummer Richard “Wullie” Monro, Tear Gas signed with Famous Music, a division of Paramount Pictures. Tear Gas released their first album, Piggy Go Getter, in October 1970 on Famous.

Originally known as Mustard. Their first vocalist Andy Mulvey had previously been with The Poets. However, he was soon replaced by David Batchelor and around the same time Gilson Lavis (their original drummer, who later played with Squeeze) was replaced by Richard Monro from Ritchie Blackmore's Mandrake Root…