Bram Tchaikovsky

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Bram Tchaikovsky
Birth namePeter Bramall
Born (1950-11-10) 10 November 1950 (age 74)
Lincolnshire, England
Genres Power pop
Years active1977–1981 [1]
Labels Radar Records (UK)
Polydor Records (US)
Arista Records
Tiger Eye

Peter Bramall [2] [3] (born 10 November 1950 in Lincolnshire, England), [4] stage name Bram Tchaikovsky, is a British vocalist and guitarist from Lincolnshire. He was a member of The Motors from 1977 and 1978. His solo career included the album Strange Man, Changed Man and the single "Girl of My Dreams", which peaked in the top 40 in American charts in 1979.

Contents

Career

He first came to prominence as a member of UK punk/pub rock band The Motors, whom he joined in 1977. [2] He was the bands guitarist from 1977 to 1978, leaving the group after a performance at the Reading Rock Festival on 28 August 1978. [5] After he left the Motors to make his own music, he led an eponymous power pop band, with Micky Broadbent (bass, keyboards) and Keith Boyce (drums). [2] He scored a US Top 40 hit single on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1979, with "Girl of My Dreams" (released February in the UK, June in the US).

In the Netherlands, "Sarah Smiles" was a minor hit, reaching number 32 in April 1979. [6] Nick Garvey, Keith Line and Denis Forbes were also involved in later band lineups. [2] In 1979 he played guitar for the Skids hit 'Into The Valley' on the BBC. After disappointing sales, the band split up in 1981 and Tchaikovsky later owned and ran a recording studio near Louth, Lincolnshire, called the Chappel. Tchaikovsky was also credited with co writing "Solid Ball of Rock", from the 1991 Saxon album of the same name. [7]

The drum break from a live performance of the song "Whiskey and Wine" was used in the N.W.A's song "Fuck tha Police" in 1989. [8]

In 1998, as part of a "British Rock" reissue series, WEA Japan rereleased both Strange Man, Changed Man and The Russians Are Coming albums on CD, using original master tapes and artwork. In addition to the original artwork and liner notes, each CD containe historical information, song lyrics and musical commentary (in Japanese). These CDs were only available in Japan and are now out of production. [9] [10] [11]

Strange Man, Changed Man was re-released with more tracks, including remastered tracks, live recordings and singles that didn't perform well commercially. [12] In December 2007, Strange Man, Changed Man was issued in the US on the Hip-O Select label (ASIN: B000ZIZ0ZC) in digital sound and with full artwork. This CD release used the original master tapes sequenced for the original US release. [9]

In February 2012, a live recording, Live at the Lochem Festival, 1979, appeared on Tiger Eye with the songs "Sarah Smiles", "Robber", "Nobody Knows", "Turn on the Lights" and "Girl of My Dreams". [13] In April 2018, Cherry Red Records released Bram Tchaikovsky: Strange Men, Changed Men: The Complete Recordings 1978 – 1981, a 3-CD box set fully endorsed by Bram Tchaikovsky. [14]

Album discography

YearAlbumUS
Billboard Top 200 		AUS
KMR [15]
1979 Strange Man, Changed Man 3692
1980The Russians are Coming/Pressure (US title)108-
1981Funland158-
2012Live at the Lochem Festival, 1979-
2018Strange Men, Changed Men: The Complete Recordings 1978–1981-

[2]

Singles

YearName Billboard Hot 100
1978"Sarah Smiles"-
1979"Lullaby of Broadway"-
"Girl of My Dreams"37
"I'm The One That's Leaving"-
1980"Let's Dance"-
1981"Stand & Deliver"-
"Shall We Dance?"109

References

  1. ↑ "Albums by Bram Tchaikovsky". Rate Your Music. Retrieved 19 March 2013.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Woodstra, Chris (10 November 1950). "Bram Tchaikovsky - Music Biography, Credits and Discography". AllMusic. Retrieved 19 March 2013.
  3. ↑ "Bram Tchaikovsky". Unterzuber.com. 10 November 1950. Retrieved 19 March 2013.
  4. ↑ "Bram Tchaikovsky". Unterzuber.com. 10 November 1950. Retrieved 19 March 2013.
  5. ↑ "Joe Geesin - Freelance Music Journalist › The Motors Sleevenotes". www.joegeesin.com. Retrieved 9 October 2025.
  6. ↑ "Bram Tchaikovsky - Sarah Smiles". Top40.nl. Stichting Nederlandse Top 40. Retrieved 10 November 2017.
  7. ↑ Rivadavia, Eduardo. "Solid Ball of Rock - Saxon : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic . Retrieved 19 March 2013.
  8. ↑ "Straight Outta Spalding: How a Lincolnshire power-pop legend ended up on a hip hop classic". No Ripcord. Archived from the original on 12 June 2025. Retrieved 9 October 2025.
  9. 1 2 "Bram Tchaikovsky's Strange Man Changed Man". Unterzuber.com. Retrieved 27 December 2013.
  10. ↑ "Bram Tchaikovsky – The Russians Are Coming". Discogs . 1998. Retrieved 27 December 2013.
  11. ↑ "Bram Tchaikovsky 'Strange Man, Changed Man'". Coolalbumreview.com. Retrieved 27 December 2013.
  12. ↑ "The Official Heavy Metal Kids Website". Archived from the original on 2 January 2014. Retrieved 27 December 2013.
  13. ↑ "Bram Tchaikovsky - Official Store - Live At the Lochem Festival, 1979". Facebook. Retrieved 27 December 2013.
  14. ↑ "Cherry Red Records - Bram Tchaikovsky: Strange Men, Changed Men: The Complete Recordings 1978 – 1981". Cherry Red Records. Retrieved 27 April 2018.
  15. ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 306. ISBN   0-646-11917-6.
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