Grannie (band)
About
Grannie was a British Progressive rock band formed in 1969 in Manor Park, London. The core members were Dave 'H' Holland (bass), Phil Newton (guitar), and Janet Chandler (Mellotron, flute). Other members who had played in the band were Ray Curtis (drummer), Fred Lilley (vocals), Steve Betts (vocals), John Clarke (drummer), and Graham Guthrie (drummer), with Curtis and Lilley previously working with Holland and Chandler being an ex-bandmate of Newton's.
History
Guitarist Phil Newton and bass player Dave 'H’ Holland regularly jammed together with local rock outfit Powerpack at the Bridge House pub in Canning Town. It was here they gelled as musicians and entertained the idea of forming their own band.
With Chandler, Curtis, and Lilley recruited, Grannie initially performed covers on the London pub circuit. Holland and Newton were influenced by prog rock and blues rock acts such as King Crimson, Yes (band), and Led Zeppelin, and began working their own material into their cover sets.
An advert in Melody Maker magazine saw the band seize the opportunity to record an album with 99 vinyl pressings for £100 at SRT Studios in Hertfordshire. The line-up for the recording was Newton, Holland, Lilley, Clarke, and Chandler—all of whom had never been in a studio before. Limited studio time meant tracks were not overdubbed, and the band recorded the entire album live, with each song recorded in one take. Although the record sleeves were handmade and their sound not as polished as albums by their contemporaries, the end result showcased their raw talent, musical prowess, and potential.
Whilst opening for bands such as The Groundhogs, Uriah Heep (band), Gnidrolog, and Arrival, the band also played iconic[1] clubs such as The Marquee Club, Dagenham Roundhouse, and secured a residency at The Speakeasy Club in London.
One Saturday night in late 1972, after playing at 'The Speak', the band loaded their equipment into a van owned by the club's manager Laurie O'Leary. The equipment was to be driven back to his home in Bethnal Green and returned to the club the next day ready for a rehearsal. When members of the band arrived at the club the following morning, they were informed the van had been stolen along with the band's instruments and equipment, including a rare and expensive Mellotron owned by Chandler. Without any means of making and recording music, Grannie eventually split in early 1973.
Legacy
Record Collector magazine reviewed the album as 4/5.[2] Issue 153, May 1992 of the same magazine priced original copies of Grannie's SRT pressing at a value of £800, while the magazine's 25th anniversary edition (Issue 304, Dec 2004) listed Grannie at number 90 in their "100 Most Valuable Records Of All Time".[3]
The rise of the internet and ability to exchange information worldwide saw a renewed and even bigger interest in Grannie than previously seen before, with individual tracks and full albums appearing on Youtube[4], while originals, reissues, and CD copies of the album have been listed on music database websites.[5] Original copies of the album are currently listed between $2000 - $4000.[6]
References
- ↑ http://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/in-pictures-the-history-of-some-of-londons-iconic-music-venues-a3179386.html
- ↑ "Grannie - Record Collector Magazine". recordcollectormag.com. Retrieved 2016-12-14.
- ↑ "Rocklist.net...Record Collector Lists..." www.rocklistmusic.co.uk. Retrieved 2016-12-14.
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-YgXp9DQaY
- ↑ https://www.discogs.com/artist/2352414-Grannie
- ↑ http://rateyourmusic.com/list/yerblues/vinyl_fetish__a_list_of_some_of_the_most_valuable_vinyl_records/
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