Members
- Tony Clarkin – guitar (1996–2000)
- Bob Catley – vocals (1996–1999)
- Al Barrow – bass (1997–2000)
- Rob Barrow – drums (1997–2000)
- Paul Hodson – keyboards (1997–2000)
- Sue McCloskey – backing vocals (1997–1999), vocals (1999–2000)
Timeline
Hard Rain | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Birmingham, England |
| Genres | Hard rock, melodic rock, AOR |
| Years active | 1996–2000 |
| Labels | Sophomore GmbH (1997) Eagle (1998–2000) |
| Spinoff of | Magnum |
| Past members | Tony Clarkin Bob Catley Al Barrow Rob Barrow Adam Cormack Paul Hodson Sue McCloskey |
| Website | magnumonline |
Hard Rain were a British melodic hard rock band from Birmingham. Formed in 1996, following the demise of Magnum. The core of the band are vocalist Bob Catley and guitarist/songwriter Tony Clarkin.
After Magnum split, a spin-off group featuring Catley and Clarkin was formed called Hard Rain, with a contemporary and alternative style. They released the albums Hard Rain in 1997 and When the Good Times Come in 1999. At this time, Catley was becoming increasingly focused on his solo career, and he quit Hard Rain in 1999, marking the end of a working relationship with Clarkin that dated back to 1972. After a quiet period Clarkin announced the end of Hard Rain.
After Magnum split up, Tony invited Bob Catley to help him finish off a few demos. The demo secured a record deal with German label Sophomore GmbH, so they made the decision to form a new band, rather than re-form Magnum. The entire self-titled album, Hard Rain (released in May 1997) was recorded at Mad Hat studios in Walsall, between February and December 1996 by Tony Clarkin and Bob Catley with programmed drums, apart from the backing vocals.
A band was assembled including Sue McCloskey on backing vocals, who had participated in the recording of the album. Sue McCloskey had sung with Silver Convention under the name Zenda Jacks. Other recruits to the band included keyboardist Paul Hodson and bassist Al Barrow, as well as Barrow's brother Rob on drums, who was selected after rehearsal sessions with original Magnum drummer Kex Gorin had failed to work out.
The band released a single in the much-favoured country of Germany "Stop Me From Loving You". After a successful UK tour, the band began work on a second album and signed with a new record company, Eagle Records. The previous record company, Semaphore GmbH, had gone bust. Their début album was subsequently reissued in Receiver Records as Perpetual Commotion.
The band returned to Mad Hat studios to begin work on a follow-up album. When the Good Times Come (released in April 1999) featured the touring band, rather than Tony using a drum machine and programming. The album was very diverse and explored styles such as Funk, Jazz and Blues (feat. Gary Barnacle on sax). A promotional tour in the UK started in April.
In September 1999, after very long and careful considerations, longtime front man of Magnum and Hard Rain and longtime musical partner for Tony Clarkin, Bob Catley decided to leave the band due to musical differences, and pursue his solo career.
Bob sums up his decision to leave: "I told Tony my feelings and he said 'That's fine with me, and I don't want you to sing these songs and I don't want you in the band any more, if you aren't giving it your 100% effort'. So I said 'Okay, I think I had better leave then'. That was it really. But we were both very grown up about it. It happened really quickly over 3 days amid lots of frantic phone calls. It was a really hard decision but I feel so relieved now that I can concentrate on Gary Hughes songs because I feel they ARE me. I still do lots of Magnum songs on stage because the crowd loves them." — Bob Catley, September 1999
Tony Clarkin continued to write and record new ideas with the presumption that Sue McCloskey would take over Bob's position.
"Sue and I are co-writing these new songs; it's the first time in my career that I've has a regular song writing partner, and were coming up with some very commercial stuff. But where we go from here is anybody's guess." — Tony Clarkin, September 1999
On 29 January 2000, Tony Clarkin performed a charity show with Sue McCloskey at the Stumble Inn in Cannock. All proceeds and profits went to Mencap. This was the first professional appearance since Bob Catley departed from Hard Rain. News surfaced in December 2000 that Tony Clarkin & Bob Catley would reform Magnum for an album and tour, set for September 2001.
Clarkin comments: "The break since the middle of the Nineties was definitely necessary for me. Since the end of the Seventies, in fact since we embarked on the preparations for our debut recording Kingdom of Madness , not a single month had gone by in which I didn't work for Magnum, composed for the group, or at least thought of them permanently. For almost twenty years, all my thoughts had revolved around the band. I needed a break to clear my head and to be able to devote myself to the band again with renewed energy." [1] — Tony Clarkin, 2002
During his sabbatical, Clarkin worked as a producer and wrote songs for other artists.
Magnum are an English melodic hard rock band. They were formed in Birmingham in 1972 by Tony Clarkin and Bob Catley (vocals) in order to appear as the resident band at the Rum Runner nightclub in the city. Magnum have undergone several changes in personnel over the years; however, the core of Catley and Clarkin remained until Clarkin's death in 2024.
Robert Adrian Catley is an English singer. He is the lead singer of the hard rock band Magnum and is also active as a solo artist.
Princess Alice and the Broken Arrow is the 14th studio album by the English rock band Magnum. The album was released by SPV in Germany on 23 March 2007, in the rest of Europe on 26 March 2007 and in the USA on 3 April 2007. The album title refers to the Princess Alice orphanage near Birmingham, with which Tony Clarkin has close personal ties. The album is the first new studio album with Rodney Matthews' artwork since 1992, and the only one to feature Jimmy Copley on drums.
Al Barrow is an English bassist best known as the former member of the hard rock band Magnum.
Rock Art is the 11th studio album by the English rock band Magnum and was released in 1994 by EMI. It was the last album released by the band's first incarnation.
Goodnight L.A. is the eighth studio album by the English rock band Magnum, released in 1990 by Polydor.
Breath of Life is the 12th studio album by English rock band Magnum. It was released in 2002 by SPV.
Brand New Morning is the 13th studio album by the English rock band Magnum, released in 2004 by SPV.
The Spirit is a live album by the English rock band Magnum, released in 1991 by Polydor.
Anthony Michael Clarkin was an English musician, best known as the guitarist of the rock band Magnum. He was the sole songwriter throughout Magnum's history, writing all of the material on their 23 studio albums as well as on two studio albums by Magnum spin-off group Hard Rain.
Hard Rain is the debut studio album by British melodic rock band Hard Rain. It was released in 1997 on German record label Semaphore GmbH.
When The Good Times Come is the second and final studio album by British melodic rock band Hard Rain. It was released in 1999 on Eagle Records.
The Gathering is a five-disc, career-spanning compilation album by British melodic rock band Magnum, released in 2010 by Sanctuary Records. It features previously unreleased live recordings, rare demos, b-sides and a live recording from Hammersmith Odeon, from 1988's Wings of Heaven tour.
On the 13th Day is the 17th studio album from the rock group Magnum, which was released in September 2012, under the label of Steamhammer Records/SPV. The cover artwork was painted by Rodney Matthews.
Evolution is a retrospective compilation album by the English rock band Magnum, released by SPV/Steamhammer on 11 November 2011 in Germany and 14 November in the UK and the rest of Europe. The album marks the tenth anniversary of the band since their reformation in 2001, as well as the band's tenth anniversary with SPV GmbH.
The Valley of Tears – The Ballads is a compilation album by British rock band Magnum, released on 6 January 2017. The album features 10 remastered, remixed or re-recorded ballads from the band's catalogue. The release was supported with a few shows in the United Kingdom and Ireland before the release date, and a tour in Switzerland and Germany from March 30.
Lost on the Road to Eternity is the 20th studio album from the rock group Magnum. The album was released on 19 January 2018. It is the group's first album to feature Lee Morris on drums and Rick Benton on keyboards. It is also the longest studio album the band has released to date.
Escape from the Shadow Garden – Live 2014 is a live album by the English rock band Magnum, released in 2014 by SPV.
Live at the Symphony Hall is a live album by the English rock band Magnum, released in 2019 by SPV.
Here Comes the Rain is the twenty-third and final studio album by English rock band Magnum. It was released on 12 January 2024 through Steamhammer Records/SPV. It is the final album with founding guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter Tony Clarkin following his death on 7 January 2024, just five days before the album's release. The album charted at 2 in Germany, 3 in Austria and 4 in Switzerland, the highest of any Magnum album in all three countries.
| International | |
|---|---|
| Artists | |
