Mark Ashton

Mark Ashton is a British painter, musician, compositer, ex-drummer of an English progressive rock band Rare Bird. Mark Ashton was born 23 June 1949, in Bridge, Kent, England. Soon he moved to Scotland and grew up in the Scottish countryside of Stirlingshire, near Glasgow. At a very young age, he shows a talent for drawing and music, and the passion for music soon predominated. When he came back to England (Herne Bay, Kent) he joined his first band The Vikings as a drummer at 11 years old. The 2nd band Corvettes was voted the best band in Kent, U.K and played in a band which opened for acts such as The Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd and The Yardbirds, at this time he began writing music.

A new 6CD boxed set anthology celebrating the music of Rare Bird recorded between 1969 and 1975. Featuring 59 tracks on 6 CDs including the albums Rare Bird, As Your Mind Flies By, Epic Forest, Somebody’s Watching & Born Again along with a previously unreleased disc recorded Live At The Theatre Royal, drury lane in 1974 and a further 12 bonus tracks drawn from rare singles, an ep and a studio out-take. All newly remastered. Includes an illustrated book with extensive essay & interviews with Steve Gould & Mark Ashton & poster.

Essential: a masterpiece of progressive rock music.
A Mini-masterpiece!
Rare Bird's fab four Graham Field, Dave Kaffinetti, Steve Gould and Mark Ashton had created their own distinct sound using keyboards, bass and drums but without, unusually for the time, electric guitars.

Rare Bird came together in October 1969 when organist Graham Field, keyboardist Dave Kaffinetti, drummer Mark Ashton, and vocalist Steve Gould envisioned a two-keyboard rock sound without guitars. They released their debut before the end of the year, featuring the minor radio hit "Sympathy." The next year they released As Your Mind Flies By, a dark and heavier album that put further emphasis on Gould's melodramatic singing style…

Essential: a masterpiece of progressive rock music.
Featuring "Down On The Floor"
'As Your Mind Flies By' is the 2nd album by Rare Bird, and what an album it is. In a word - MAGNIFICENT !!