Violinski

Last updated

Violinski
Origin UK
Genres Rock, progressive rock
Years active1977–1984
Labels Jet Records
Associated acts Electric Light Orchestra
Cow
The Camden Rats
Wizzard
Necromandus
Past members Mik Kaminski
Mike de Albuquerque
Barry Dunnery
John Hodgson
Paul Mann
John Marcangelo
Iain Whitmore
Bob Brady
Rod Butler
Andy Brown
Ronnie Caryl

Violinski was a rock band formed in 1977 by Electric Light Orchestra violinist Mik Kaminski with former member Mike de Albuquerque on guitar and vocals. In March 1979 the band become a one-hit wonder with their instrumental "Clog Dance", which made Number 17 the UK Singles Chart. [1]

Contents

History

As well as Mik Kaminski on violins and Mike de Albuquerque on guitar and vocals, the band included Barry Dunnery (formerly with Necromandus), John Hodgson (drums), Paul Mann, John Marcangelo (keyboards) and Iain Whitmore (bass guitar and vocals, formerly with Starry Eyed and Laughing). [2] At one point, former Wizzard member Bob Brady was lead vocalist, and Rod Butler, who played lead guitar for a while, also appeared on the BBC show, Top of the Pops . At the time Kaminski was still a member of the Electric Light Orchestra, who were then enjoying their greatest success. John Hodgson had been a member of Rick Wakeman's band, the English Rock Ensemble, performing on percussion. He appeared on The Myths and Legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table and Lisztomania albums. He toured with Wakeman to North and South America, Japan, Australia and New Zealand during the period 1974-1976.

The group had been formed out of The Camden Rats, a group consisting of Kaminski, Hodgson, Geoff Crampton and two singers, one of them named Verdie. Kaminski and Hodgson then contacted ex-Cow member Marcangelo. The band Cow was formed while Kaminski, Hodgson and Marcangelo were students at Leeds College of music 1968-1970. With Andy Brown (bass and vocals) and Dunnery (guitar) the first Violinski line-up was complete. The first recording session started on 14 December 1977. Recordings for their first album continued throughout 1978 with Brown and Dunnery being replaced by de Albuquerque and Mann. The latter was replaced for their second album by Whitmore.

They released two albums, No Cause for Alarm (1979), and Stop Cloning About (1980); and later featured on the Electric Light Orchestra's compilation album, Friends & Relatives .

In early 1979 Violinski made the UK Singles Chart, thus becoming a one hit wonder with their instrumental single, "Clog Dance", which made Number 17 in March. [3] The track was written by Marcangelo. [4] However, they almost had a second hit with their fourth single "Silent Love", which received airplay, but was not in shops due to an account problem with Jet Records. In 1984 and through to 1985, Violinski played some gigs with the British guitarist Ronnie Caryl.

Hodgson is now head of Boomba-Bomba Records, and a percussion teacher in Huddersfield, Yorkshire.

Discography

Singles

Albums

CDs

Related Research Articles

Electric Light Orchestra English rock band

The Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) are an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1970 by songwriters-multi-instrumentalists Jeff Lynne and Roy Wood with drummer Bev Bevan. Their music is characterised by a fusion of Beatlesque pop, classical arrangements and futuristic iconography. After Wood's departure in 1972, Lynne became the band's sole leader, arranging and producing every album while writing nearly all of their original material. For their initial tenure, Lynne, Bevan and keyboardist Richard Tandy were the group's only consistent members.

<i>Face the Music</i> (Electric Light Orchestra album) 1975 studio album by Electric Light Orchestra

Face the Music is the fifth studio album by Electric Light Orchestra (ELO). It was released in September 1975 by United Artists Records and on 14 November 1975 in the United Kingdom by Jet Records. The album moves away from the large-scale classical orchestrated sound from the previous album, Eldorado, in favor of more "radio-friendly" pop/rock songs, though the string sections are still very prominent. The new sound proved successful for the group as Face the Music was the first ELO album to go platinum.

<i>On the Third Day</i> 1973 studio album by Electric Light Orchestra

On the Third Day is the third studio album by Electric Light Orchestra (ELO), and the first to be recorded without input from Roy Wood. It was released in the United States in November 1973 by United Artists Records, and in the United Kingdom on 14 December 1973 by Warner Bros. Records. From this album on, the word The was dropped from the band's name. The album was reissued on 12 September 2006.

<i>Discovery</i> (Electric Light Orchestra album) 1979 studio album by Electric Light Orchestra

Discovery is the eighth studio album by English rock band Electric Light Orchestra (ELO). It was released on 31 May 1979 in the United Kingdom by Jet Records, where it topped record charts, and on 8 June in the United States on Jet through Columbia Records distribution.

Kelly Groucutt

Kelly Groucutt was an English musician, and bassist and occasional vocalist for the English rock band Electric Light Orchestra (ELO), between 1974 and 1983. He was born in Coseley, West Midlands.

<i>ELOs Greatest Hits</i> 1979 greatest hits album by Electric Light Orchestra

ELO's Greatest Hits is a compilation by the Electric Light Orchestra (ELO), released in 1979.

<i>Strange Magic: The Best of Electric Light Orchestra</i> 1995 greatest hits album by Electric Light Orchestra

Strange Magic: The Best of Electric Light Orchestra is a compilation album by Electric Light Orchestra (ELO), released in 1995 only in the US.

Mik Kaminski

Michael Kaminski is an English musician. He is best known for playing violin in the rock band Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) between 1973 and 1979 and touring from 1981 to 1986, as well as being a member of Electric Light Orchestra Part II from 1991 till its end 2000 and The Orchestra from 2000-present.

Mike de Albuquerque is an English musician.

Necromandus are an English rock band from Egremont, Cumberland, England. They were formed in 1970 and were discovered by Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath in 1972. After recording one album in 1973, they split up. The album was not released until 1999. In 2007 they were mentioned by Classic Rock magazine as a "lost pioneer" of heavy metal. Author Ian Christe has cited the band as one of the earliest doom metal groups.

Dont Walk Away (Electric Light Orchestra song) 1980 single by Electric Light Orchestra

"Don't Walk Away" is a song by the Electric Light Orchestra (ELO).

Ticket to the Moon 1981 single by Electric Light Orchestra

"Ticket to the Moon" is a popular song written by Jeff Lynne and performed by Electric Light Orchestra (ELO).

The Orchestra (band)

The Orchestra is a rock band formed by former members of the Electric Light Orchestra and ELO Part II. It is the continuation of ELO Part II following Bev Bevan's departure and selling of his share in the rights to the ELO name to Jeff Lynne.

ELO Part II English rock/pop band

ELO Part II were a band formed by Electric Light Orchestra drummer and co-founder Bev Bevan. The band also included former ELO bassist and vocalist Kelly Groucutt, and violinist Mik Kaminski for most of its career, along with conductor Louis Clark who toured as a guest with ELO in its later years.

John Marcangelo is an English pianist, drummer and composer of folk rock.

<i>Ticket to the Moon: The Very Best of Electric Light Orchestra Volume 2</i> 2007 greatest hits album by Electric Light Orchestra

Ticket to the Moon: The Very Best of Electric Light Orchestra Volume 2 is a 2007 compilation album by Electric Light Orchestra, and is a companion to 2005's All Over the World.

<i>Light Years, The Very Best of Electric Light Orchestra</i> 1997 greatest hits album by Electric Light Orchestra

Light Years, The Very Best of Electric Light Orchestra is a two CD compilation album by Electric Light Orchestra (ELO), released in 1997.

<i>No Cause for Alarm</i> 1979 studio album by Violinski

No Cause for Alarm was the first album released by Violinski. It became a minor hit on the albums chart, and it contained their only hit single—"Clog Dance", it reached number 17 on the UK singles chart. Another single from the album, "Save Me", failed to chart. The album was re-released in the U.S. under the name Whirling Dervish in 1982. The cover photography was by Fin Costello.

<i>Clog Dance: The Very Best of Violinski</i> 2007 greatest hits album by Violinski

Clog Dance: The Very Best of Violinski is a compilation album by Violinski. It marked the first time a lot of Violinski's songs had appeared on CD, the reason being that their original master tapes had been missing for over 20 years and had only just been discovered in an unmarked London tape vault.

Starry Eyed and Laughing were an English rock band of the 1970s. Formed in 1973, they released two albums on CBS, recorded three Peel Sessions and undertook a US tour, before briefly evolving into Starry Eyed, and finally disbanding in 1976.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "VIOLINSKI | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". Officialcharts.com. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
  2. ↑ "Starry Eyed And Laughing". Starry Eyed And Laughing. Retrieved 29 July 2014.
  3. ↑ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 587. ISBN   1-904994-10-5.
  4. 1 2 "Violinski | Discography". AllMusic. Retrieved 29 July 2014.
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.