Rococo (band)

:"This article is about the rock band. For other uses, see Rococo (disambiguation)."

Infobox_musical_artist
Name = Rococo


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Background = group_or_band
Years_active = 1970 - 1981, 2007
Origin = London, England
Label = Deram, Mountain Records
Genre = Hard rock, Rock, Progressive rock, Alternative rock
Current_members = Ian Raines
Roy Shipston
Clive Edwards
Rod Halling
Past_members = See: Former members section
URL = http://www.ginzola.com/rococo/index.php

Rococo were one of the most progressive of London's rock bands in the 1970s.

Always leaning towards the alternative, underground rock scene, they also promoted their own gigs, appeared at the Windsor Free Festival and the legendary anti-Establishment hippy community centre, The Warehouse in Twickenham but also worked through the Chrysalis agency, which led them to support Ten Years After at London's Rainbow Theatre. Other bands they worked alongside in the Seventies included Thin Lizzy, Ian Dury and the Blockheads, Shakin Stevens and the Sunsets, Climax Chicago Blues Band, Curved Air and Genesis

Rococo built up a devoted following and featured Ian Raines (lead vocals), Roy Shipston (keyboards/vocals), Rod Halling (guitar/vocals), Clive Edwards (drums) and John "Rhino" Edwards on bass guitar. Disguised as The Brats, they inadvertently became involved in the vanguard of the Punk movement, although Rococo's music was always more adventurous, varied and intricate than the efforts of The Clash or the Sex Pistols a few years later. But it had the same energy.

Young and angry, they cruised into the finals of the Melody Maker contest in 1974, using their pseudonym, and audaciously advertised in MM the prizewinners' final at The Round House as "The Brats plus 12 support acts". Consequently, the organisers deemed not to declare them winners, although they took most of the major prizes. In a review of the Punk era several years later, the NME described The Brats as "legendary".

Rococo also fired out their advanced material - from two-minute pop songs to lengthy Rock epics - on the UK club and college circuit, but despite several attempts to sign them, record companies never quite knew what to make of a band that played a country lick one minute, a pop tune the next and 10-minute classic Gothic prog after that.

They released three singles: "Ultrastar" (b/w their heavy riff anthem "Wildfire") on Decca's progressive Deram label in 1973; the novelty Phil Spector spoof "Follow That Car", on the B-side, more heavy rock with "Lucinda (Flint n'Tinder Love") through Mountain Records in 1976 - a Powerplay on Radio Luxembourg and "Home Town Girls", their Beach Boys tribute (flip side "Quicksilver Mail") under another pseudonym, Future, on a small independent label in 1981.

Band members

Recent

*Ian Raines - vocal, bass
*Roy Shipston - keyboards, vocals
*Clive Edwards - drums, percussion
*Rod Halling - guitar

Past

*John Edwards (artist) - bass
*Steve Carman - bass
*Gary Harvey - bass

Guest Performers

*Charlie Morgan - drums
*David Paton - bass
*Ronnie Johnson - Guitar

Discography

Albums

*"The Living Rock"
*"Hoodlum Fun"

ingles

*"Ultrastar" /b-side "Wildfire" (1973)
*"Follow That Car" /b-side "Lucinda (Flint n'Tinder Love" (1976)
*"Home Town Girls" /b-side "Quicksilver Mail" (1981)

External links

* Link to Rococo's music [http://www.ginzola.com/rococo/index.php]