Earlier that year, Adler recorded demos with 10cc's Graham Gouldman at Strawberry Studios. Prior to Roogalator, Adler had also played with Smooth Loser, a band formed with Jeff Pasternak, the brother of BBC disc-jockey Emperor Rosko. Bass guitarist Tony Lester, guitarist Chris Gibbons and drummer Malcolm Mortimer (G.T. Moore and the Reggae Guitars), were members for a time. Mortimer returned to Adler for an early incarnation of Roogalator before leaving to join Ian Dury in Kilburn and the High Roads .
The band recorded a demo which resulted in a booking agency deal. Neither Beresford nor Irwin wanted to proceed. With their first live shows ahead, Adler and Plytas rebuilt the line-up. Drummer Dave Solomon, a bandmate of both Plytas and Beresford in a Motown cover band, replaced Irwin. Irwin, noting the band was still minus a bassist, gave a copy of the demo to Paul Riley, a member of the successful pub-scene band Chilli Willi and the Red Hot Peppers. Riley joined Roogalator just before their September 1975 debut,[2] and for a time it was his fame that attracted the band's first press notices.
They became one of the fixtures on the mid-1970s London pub rock scene, establishing themselves as unique on the pub circuit. Drawing from Adler's experience on the Cincinnati club circuit of the late 1960s, Roogalator offered an angular, minimalist funk sound which was at odds with the standard country, blues, and early rock sounds and created a distinctive blueprint for what would become the Britfunk explosion of the early 1980s.
In November 1975, the band recorded demos for United Artists Records and met Robin Scott, who would become their manager, producer and record label chief.[2] In January 1976 they supported Dr. Feelgood at the Hammersmith Odeon in London. The show was by their own consensus a disaster and marked the end of the classic line-up. Within weeks, Solomon quit, to be replaced by the returning Bobby Irwin. Riley also departed. Adding bassist Jeff Watts, Roogalator recorded a John Peel session on 13 May 1976 and embarked on a European tour. The tour was marred by the theft of all their possessions from their van. Watts and Irwin departed to reunite with Riley in the Sinceros, which he was now managing.[2]
Encouraged by Scott, Adler recruited a new rhythm section; bass guitarist Julian Scott (brother of Robin) and drummer Justin Hildreth.[2] In early summer 1976, Roogalator signed a one-off single deal with Stiff Records and released "All Aboard"/"Cincinnati Fatback".[2] The band continued gigging returning to the BBC for a second Peel session on 28 October 1976.
In 1977, the band released another one-off single, "Love And The Single Girl", on Virgin Records. They declined a recording contract with Virgin, who had insisted that they also sign a publishing contract in addition to a recording contract. The band returned to the BBC for a third and final session with Peel on 16 August 1977.
The band released their debut album, Play It by Ear, in 1977 on manager's Scott's Do It Records label,[2] essentially an opportunity to preserve the band's repertoire on vinyl. The album was well-received but sold poorly.
When Plytas left, the band opted not to replace him and continued to gig as a trio, releasing in 1978, one more single, "Zero Hero" and demoing a second album. Hildreth was next to quit to be replaced by Nick Monnas (from Stomu Yamashta band).
Adler, discouraged by the constant changes in the line-up and with feelings that the band had run its course, disbanded Roogalator in July 1978, with many of the songs intended for their second album being reworked for his solo debut, The Danny Adler Story. Roogalator's repertoire was later re-issued on the Cincinnati Fatback compilation album.
Discography
Albums
LP - Play It by Ear (Do It Records - 1977)[4] CD - Cincinnati Fatback (Compilation) (Proper Records - 1999)[5]
Singles
7" - "All Aboard" b/w "Cincinnati Fatback" (Stiff Records, 1976) 7" - "Love and the Single Girl" b/w "I Feel Good (I Got You)" (Virgin Records, 1977) 7" - "Zero Hero" b/w "Sweet Mama Kundalini" (Do It Records, 1978)[6]
Related Research Articles
Buzzcocks are an English punk rock band that singer-songwriter-guitarist Pete Shelley and singer-songwriter Howard Devoto formed in Bolton in 1976. During their career, the band combined elements of punk rock, power pop, and pop punk. They achieved commercial success with singles that fuse pop craftsmanship with rapid-fire punk energy; these singles were later collected on Singles Going Steady, an acclaimed compilation album music journalist and critic Ned Raggett described as a "punk masterpiece".
The Slits were a punk rock band based in London, formed there in 1976 by members of the groups the Flowers of Romance and the Castrators. The group's early line-up consisted of Ari Up and Palmolive, with Viv Albertine and Tessa Pollitt replacing founding members Kate Korus and Suzy Gutsy. Their 1979 debut album, Cut, has been called one of the defining releases of the post-punk era.
The Fatback Band is an American funk and disco band that was popular in the 1970s and 1980s. The Fatback Band is most known for their R&B hits: "(Do the) Spanish Hustle", "I Like Girls", "Gotta Get My Hands on Some (Money)", "Backstrokin'" and "I Found Lovin'".
The Motors were a British pub rock band formed in London in 1977 by former Ducks Deluxe members Nick Garvey and Andy McMaster together with guitarist Rob Hendry and drummer Ricky Slaughter. Their biggest success was with the McMaster-penned song "Airport", a number 4 UK hit single in 1978.
Rich Kids were a short-lived new wave band from London, founded in 1977 by Glen Matlock following his departure from the Sex Pistols. The band also included future Ultravox member Midge Ure and Rusty Egan, who both later founded Visage together. They released one album and three singles during their existence, from March 1977 to December 1978.
Michael David Rudd is a New Zealand-born musician and composer who has been based in Australia since the mid 1960s, and who was the leader of Australian progressive rock bands Spectrum and Ariel in the 1970s.
999 are an English punk rock band, formed in London in December 1976. From 1976 to 1985, their line-up consisted of Nick Cash, Guy Days, Jon Watson and Pablo LaBritain (drums). LaBritain was temporarily replaced in 1980 by drummer Paul Edward while he recovered from a motor accident. Bassist Jon Watson left the band in 1985 and was replaced by Danny Palmer, who was succeeded by Arturo Bassick in 1991.
Penetration is a punk rock band from County Durham, England formed in 1976. They re-formed in 2001 with several new members. Their debut single, "Don't Dictate", is now acknowledged as a classic punk rock single and their debut album, Moving Targets (1978), is still widely admired.
Tom Robinson Band (TRB) are a British rock band, established in 1976 by singer, songwriter and bassist Tom Robinson. The band's debut single "2-4-6-8 Motorway" was a top five hit on the UK Singles Chart in 1977, and their third single, "Up Against the Wall", is seen by some as a classic punk rock single; while their debut album, Power in the Darkness (1978), is regarded as a definitive late-1970s punk album. Their song "Glad to Be Gay" is considered a British national gay anthem.
The Vibrators are a British punk rock band that formed in 1976.
Medicine Head were a British blues rock band – initially a duo – active in the 1970s. Their biggest single success was in 1973 with "One and One Is One", which reached number 3 on the UK Singles Chart. The group recorded six original albums, the first three of which were released by John Peel's Dandelion label.
The Dentists were an English indie rock band from the Medway towns in England, who were active from 1984 to 1995. The band's permanent members were Mick Murphy, Bob Collins (guitar) and Mark Matthews (bass). The band also had three different drummers: Ian Smith (1984–1986), Alun Jones (1986–1991) and Rob Grigg (1991–1995). All members participated in writing songs. Mark ('Jock') Reid was Mick Murphy's predecessor as lead singer for the band in 1983 when they were known as The Ancient Gallery.
Lone Star was a Welsh rock and heavy metal music band formed in Cardiff in 1975. They released two albums on CBS Records before splitting up in 1978.
The Sinceros were a new wave and power pop band from London, England, who recorded two albums for Epic Records, The Sound of Sunbathing (1979) and Pet Rock (1981). Both albums were released worldwide and achieved moderate commercial success.
The New Order was an American hard rock and protopunk band. The band was based in Los Angeles and existed from early 1975 to October 1976.
Paul Riley is an English bassist, singer and record producer. He was a member of Chilli Willi and the Red Hot Peppers and Roogalator in the 1970s.
Stretch were a 1970s British rock band that grew from the collaboration between vocalist Elmer Gantry and guitarist Kirby Gregory. Gantry had been the frontman of Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera, and Kirby had been a member of Curved Air.
Danny Adler is an American blues-rock guitarist.
Robert Tench was a British vocalist, guitarist, sideman, songwriter and arranger.
Vehicle is the first studio album by New Zealand rock group the Clean. It was released in 1990 by Flying Nun and Rough Trade Records. Much of the material was written for the band's reunion tour in the late 1980s. Rough Trade founder Geoff Travis offered to record The Clean after seeing them play in London, after which Vehicle was produced during a three-day session. The album was engineered by Ken Kennedy and notable producer Alan Moulder, who was suggested by Travis.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
