Brinsley Schwarz

Infobox musical artist
Name = Brinsley Schwarz


Img_capt = Andrews, Rankin, Schwarz, Lowe, Gomm
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Origin = England
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Genre = Rock
Pub Rock
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Years_active = 1969–1974
Label = Capitol Records
United Artists Records
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Current_members = Nick Lowe
Brinsley Schwarz
Billy Rankin
Bob Andrews
Ian Gomm (1970-1974)
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Brinsley Schwarz were a 1970s English pub rock band, named after their guitarist Brinsley Schwarz. With Nick Lowe on bass and vocals, keyboardist Bob Andrews and drummer Billy Rankin, the band had evolved into its most well-known form by 1969 after achieving some success as Kippington Lodge.

History

Brinsley Schwarz signed a contract with manager Dave Robinson, who developed a plan to earn the band some publicity. They were to open for Van Morrison at the Fillmore East in New York City, and Robinson would fly all the leading British rock critics to the show so they could review it. Though the band had planned on leaving a few days early so they could rehearse, visa problems prevented this and they arrived in New York right before they were to begin. The critics' plane was delayed for four hours, and they arrived at the show either drunk or hung over. The show did not go over well, and the band received a flood of negative reviews over the course of the next few weeks. This became known as the "Brinsley Schwarz Hype".

Casey Kasem retold the story above in a September 1979 episode of American Top Forty. That retelling, however, implied that the presence of the critics was a surprise to the band.

In 1970, Brinsley Schwarz released "Despite It All", which had a definite country sound to it, and later added Ian Gomm to the band. Their wild performances soon garnered the band a large fanbase on the London pub rock scene, at venues such as 'The Tally Ho' in Kentish Town. Along with other bands like Eggs Over Easy, Brinsley Schwarz was soon dubbed "pub rock" by rock journalists. They sounded, at times, very much like The Band, with Schwarz's guitar work influenced greatly by Robbie Robertson's.

1972's ironic take on country-rock, "Nervous on the Road", received excellent reviews but did not reach the charts; neither did a series of singles or "Please Don't Ever Change" (1973). They continued recording for a time, but broke up in 1975.

ubsequent Careers

Schwarz and Andrews joined Graham Parker & the Rumour, later Andrews moved to New Orleans and now plays in Dos Jefes Uptown Cigar Bar and has a web page www.neworleanspiano.com.

Rankin joined Terraplane and then Big Jim Sullivan's Tiger.

Gomm and Lowe both began solo careers, achieving moderate mainstream success, including Lowe's (1980) single "Cruel to Be Kind", an unrecorded Brinsley composition, and Gomm's 1979 hit "Hold On."

The original version of Elvis Costello's hit "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding," written by Lowe, was released by the band in 1974 on their album "The New Favourites of Brinsley Schwarz" and also featured on the multi million selling soundtrack of the movie The Bodyguard, where it was performed by Curtis Stigers.

Discography

*"Brinsley Schwarz" (April 1970)
*"Despite It All" (December 1970)
*"Silver Pistol" (October 1971)
*"Greasy Truckers Party" (June 1972)
*"Nervous on the Road" (September 1972)
*"Please Don't Ever Change" (October 1973)
*"The New Favourites of Brinsley Schwarz" (July 1974)
*"The Last Album" (June 1975)
*"Rarities" (July 2000)

* The original version of "Cruel to be kind" recorded by Brinsley Schwarz for their unreleased final album was included on the 2008 30th anniversary edition of Nick Lowe's "Jesus of Cool" album.

Compilations

*"Original Golden Greats" (1974) (includes two live tracks and two studio tracks not included on other albums)
*"15 Thoughts of Brinsley Schwarz" (1978)
*"Surrender to the Rhythm" (1991)

Further reading

*"No Sleep Till Canvey Island: The Great Pub Rock Revolution", Will Birch (Virgin Books 2000, 2003) ISBN 0-7535-0740-4

External links

* [http://www.mondoguitars.com/html/brinsley_schwarz_2004.html Mondo Guitars interview with Brinsley Schwarz (musician), October 2004]
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/mid/sites/mystory/pages/ian_gomm.shtml BBC interview with Ian Gomm] .
* [http://www.mjckeh.demon.co.uk/jc/z12-bs.htm Pete Frame on the band's Fillmore East debut, ZigZag magazine, May 1970]
* [http://www.rollingstone.com/rssxml/artists.xml/4675?pageid=rs.page.artists.main.page&pageregion=leftcolumn Rolling Stone's 'Brinsley Schwarz' RSS feed]