Demon Fuzz

Last updated

Demon Fuzz
OriginEngland
Genres Afro rock
Years active1968–1972
Labels Dawn

Demon Fuzz was an English rock band which was formed in 1968 and broke up in 1972. Its members had all immigrated to Britain from Commonwealth countries. The band's name means "devil's children or bad policemen". [1] Their album, Afreaka! , has become a popular source for sampling. [2] Since 2008, they have received sporadic airplay by the BBC radio presenters Huey Morgan and Gideon Coe. [3]

Contents

History

The band was promoted by The Red Bus Company agency in London, which also handled Mungo Jerry, Mike Cooper, Titus Groan and Wildmouth [4] which arranged for them to appear at a concert incongruously named the "Hollywood Music Festival", in May 1970 at a Leycett farm near Newcastle-under-Lyme. [5]

They played at the Phun City Festival, "a major concert event in Worthing". [6]

In November 1970, the band played a series of ten concerts called "A Penny Concert" along with Titus Groan, Heron and Comus. [7] Among performances was one at the Marquee Club.[ citation needed ]

They appeared on the BBC television show Disco 2 produced by Stephen Clive [8] Turner[ clarification needed ] who had been offered (but did not take) 25 pounds for having them on the program. After he told BBC management about the incident, he was fired. Subsequently, the News of the World ran a story about the event. [9]

They signed with the Dawn Records division of Pye Records, for whom they released two recordings: the studio album Afreaka! (catalogue number DNLS 3013) and a maxi-single with the songs "I Put a Spell on You" (written by Screamin' Jay Hawkins), "Message To Mankind" and "Fuzz Oriental Blues", both released in 1970. [10]

Demon Fuzz's cover version of "I Put a Spell on You" was included in the 1971 sampler album, The Dawn Take-Away Concert (catalogue number DNLB 3024). Priced at 99 pence, the LP also had songs by Mungo Jerry, Comus, The Trio, Heron, Paul Brett's Sage, Mike Cooper, Atlantic Bridge, Jackie McAuley, Bronx Cheer, John Surman, John McLaughlin, Dave Holland, Stu Martin, Karl Berger and the Be-Bop Preservation Society.

A Demon Fuzz maxi-single was published by Nippon Columbia around 1971. [11] The maxi-single was later made available as a CD. [12]

Afreaka! was distributed in the United States by Janus Records (catalogue number JLS 3028). [10] [13] It was a Billboard "4-STAR" selection in June 1971. [14]

Around 1971, their song "Hymn to Mother Earth" was included in the WDAS-FM Black Rock compilation album. [15]

In 1976, after the band dissolved, their second album, Roots and Offshoots, was self-published under the Paco Media Inc. label. [16]

A 1999 compilation CD, From Calypso to Disco: The Roots of Black Britain, includes the Demon Fuzz' recording of "Message to Mankind". [17]

Their performance of "Mercy" is included in Harmless Records' 2002 compilation CD (also published as a double-LP set) Paint It Black: Kaleidoscopic Funk Collision. [18]

In 2003, the Get Away label made a vinyl reissue in Italy of The Dawn Take-Away Concert (catalogue number GET 626).

Another vinyl pressing was made by Janus under the same catalogue number as the 1971 edition. [10]

Musical style

Demon Fuzz is often classified as an Afro rock band. [19] [20] The band's music was influenced by West African music, calypso, soul, jazz, and ska, and saxophonist/founder Paddy Corea had a background in playing ska music. [21] The music they heard during a trip to Morocco led to a change in their style. [22] [20]

Discography

Members

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Electric Light Orchestra</span> English rock band

The Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) are an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1970 by songwriters and multi-instrumentalists Jeff Lynne and Roy Wood with drummer Bev Bevan. Their music is characterised by a fusion of pop and classical arrangements with 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. From this point until their first break-up in 1986, Lynne, Bevan, and keyboardist Richard Tandy were the group's only consistent members.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bee Gees</span> Music group (1958–2012)

The Bee Gees were a musical group formed in 1958 by brothers Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb. The trio were especially successful in popular music in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and later as prominent performers in the disco music era in the mid-to-late 1970s.

Skid Row were an Irish blues rock band of the late 1960s and early 1970s, based in Dublin and fronted by bass guitarist Brendan "Brush" Shiels. It was the first band in which Phil Lynott and Gary Moore played professionally before finding greater fame with Thin Lizzy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chick Corea</span> American musician and composer (1941–2021)

Armando Anthony "Chick" Corea was an American jazz pianist, composer, bandleader and occasional percussionist. His compositions "Spain", "500 Miles High", "La Fiesta", "Armando's Rhumba" and "Windows" are widely considered jazz standards. As a member of Miles Davis's band in the late 1960s, he participated in the birth of jazz fusion. In the 1970s he formed Return to Forever. Along with McCoy Tyner, Herbie Hancock and Keith Jarrett, Corea is considered to have been one of the foremost pianists of the post-John Coltrane era.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clan of Xymox</span> Dutch rock band

Clan of Xymox, also known as simply Xymox, are a Dutch rock band formed in 1981 best known as pioneers of darkwave music. Clan of Xymox featured a trio of singer-songwriters – Ronny Moorings, Anka Wolbert, and Pieter Nooten – and gained success in the 1980s, releasing their first two albums on 4AD, before releasing their third and fourth albums on Wing Records and scoring a hit single in the United States. The band is still active, continuing to tour and release records with Moorings as the sole remaining original member.

The country of Costa Rica has many kinds of music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Return to Forever</span> American jazz fusion group led by Chick Corea

Return to Forever was an American jazz fusion band that was founded by pianist Chick Corea in 1972. The band has had many members, with the only consistent bandmate of Corea's being bassist Stanley Clarke. Along with Weather Report, The Headhunters, and Mahavishnu Orchestra, Return to Forever is often cited as one of the core groups of the jazz-fusion movement of the 1970s. Several musicians, including Clarke, Flora Purim, Airto Moreira and Al Di Meola, came to prominence through their performances on Return to Forever albums.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Osibisa</span> Ghanaian-Nigerian-British band

Osibisa are a British-Ghanaian-Caribbean Afro-rock band founded in London in the late 1960s by four expatriate West African and three London based Caribbean musicians.

<i>Fireball</i> (album) 1971 studio album by Deep Purple

Fireball is the fifth studio album by English rock band Deep Purple, released in 1971 as the second album with the Mark II line-up, consisting of Ritchie Blackmore, Ian Gillan, Roger Glover, Jon Lord and Ian Paice. It was recorded at various times between September 1970 and June 1971. It became the first of the band's three UK No. 1 albums, though it did not stay on the charts as long as its predecessor, Deep Purple in Rock. Even though the album has sold over a million copies in the UK, it has never received a certification there.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caravan (band)</span> English band from the Canterbury area

Caravan are an English rock band from the Canterbury area, founded by former Wilde Flowers members David Sinclair, Richard Sinclair, Pye Hastings, and Richard Coughlan in 1968. The band have never achieved the great commercial success that was widely predicted for them at the beginning of their career, but are nevertheless considered a key part of the Canterbury scene of progressive rock acts, blending psychedelic rock, jazz, and classical influences to create a distinctive sound.

Dawn Records was a subsidiary of Pye Records. Active from 1969 to 1975, it was established as Pye's 'underground and progressive' label rivalling the EMI and Phonogram equivalents, Harvest and Vertigo.

<i>Deepest Purple: The Very Best of Deep Purple</i> 1980 compilation album by Deep Purple

Deepest Purple: The Very Best of Deep Purple is a compilation album by the English hard rock band Deep Purple, released in 1980 on LP. It features the original hits of Deep Purple before their 1984 reunion. Aided by a TV advertising campaign it would become Purple's third UK No. 1 album. In 1984 this compilation additionally was published on CD.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Under My Thumb</span> 1966 song by The Rolling Stones

"Under My Thumb" is a song recorded by the English rock band the Rolling Stones. Written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, "Under My Thumb" features a marimba played by Brian Jones. Although it was never released as a single in English-speaking countries, it is one of the band's more popular songs from the late 1960s and appears on several best-of compilations, such as Hot Rocks 1964–1971. It was included as the fourth track on both the American and United Kingdom versions of the band's 1966 studio album Aftermath.

<i>Focus 3</i> Album by Focus

Focus 3 or Focus III is the third studio album by Dutch rock band Focus, released as a double album in November 1972 on Imperial Records. Recorded after touring in support of their previous album, Moving Waves (1971), the album saw the band write extended pieces and is their first with bassist Bert Ruiter in the group's line-up.

<i>Miles Davis at Fillmore</i> 1970 live album by Miles Davis

Miles Davis at Fillmore is a 1970 live album by jazz trumpeter Miles Davis and band, recorded at the Fillmore East, New York City on four consecutive days, June 17 through June 20, 1970, originally released as a double vinyl LP. The performances featured the double keyboard set-up Davis toured with for a few months, with Keith Jarrett and Chick Corea playing electronic organ and Fender Rhodes electric piano, respectively. The group opened for Laura Nyro at these performances.

Calla Records was a small, New York City-based independent black owned Soul record label run by Nate McCalla (1930-1980) and active from approximately 1965 to 1977.

<i>Afreaka!</i> 1970 studio album by Demon Fuzz

Afreaka! was the first album released by the English rock band Demon Fuzz. It was initially issued in 1970 by Dawn Records, to which the group was signed. The following year, a U.S. pressing was made by Janus Records. It was a Billboard "4-STAR" selection in June 1971. In the 21st century, another pressing on vinyl was made by Janus under the same catalog number as the 1971 edition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Summer Tour 2016 (Weezer and Panic! at the Disco)</span> 2016 concert tour

Summer Tour 2016 was a co-headlining concert tour by American rock bands Weezer and Panic! at the Disco, supporting their respective albums, the White Album and Death of a Bachelor. Beginning June 2016, the bands played over 40 shows in North America.

<i>1980</i> (album) 1980 studio album by Gil Scott-Heron and Brian Jackson

1980 is a studio album by American singer-songwriter Gil Scott-Heron and keyboardist Brian Jackson. Their ninth album together, it was recorded from August to October 1979 during a period of creative tension between the two musicians and released in February 1980 by Arista Records.

Heron are an English folk-rock band who released two albums in the early-1970s and have continued to perform since reforming in the 1990s.

References

  1. ↑ "Demon Fuzz". Wax Poetics. 12 July 2010. Archived from the original on 18 September 2012. Retrieved 30 January 2013.
  2. ↑ "Afreaka! [Bonus Tracks] - Demon Fuzz". Allmusic. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
  3. ↑ "Music – Demon Fuzz". BBC. Retrieved 3 February 2013.
  4. ↑ "Amusement Business". Amusement Business. 82 (1). Billboard Publications: 15. 1970. ISSN   0003-2344. LCCN   63057670.
  5. ↑ "Hollywood Music Festival 1970". Ukrockfestivals.com. Retrieved 3 February 2013.
  6. ↑ David A. Carson (2006). Grit, Noise, & Revolution: The Birth of Detroit Rock 'n' Roll. University of Michigan Press. p. 251. ISBN   0472031902.
  7. ↑ "Heron – Artist Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 3 February 2013.
  8. ↑ "Three in England Fined $250 Each in Payola Case". Billboard. Vol. 86, no. 22. 1 June 1974. p. 42. ISSN   0006-2510 . Retrieved 2 February 2013.
  9. ↑ Michael Cable (1977). The pop industry inside out. Allen. p. 108. ISBN   9780491023818. LCCN   78304025. [...]to accept money—albeit only a miserable £25—for featuring a group called Demon Fuzz on his BBC 2 show Disco 2. Turner—who had already confessed this to the BBC and been fired before the News of the World exposé was published—never actually took the money although the group did indeed appear on[...] But it nevertheless remained a fact that Demon Fuzz had been carefully selected by the News of the World specifically because[...] Even more important in minimising the impact of the News of the World's payola revelations was the inevitable[...]
  10. 1 2 3 "Demon Fuzz – Afreaka!". discogs. Retrieved 3 February 2013.
  11. ↑ "International News Reports from the Music Capitals of the World". Billboard. 26 June 1971. p. 51. Retrieved 16 May 2017.
  12. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 1 February 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  13. ↑ "New LP/Tape Releases". Billboard. 26 June 1971. p. 52. Retrieved 31 January 2013.
  14. ↑ "4-STAR". Billboard. 26 June 1971. p. 51. Retrieved 31 January 2013.
  15. ↑ Simpson, Kim (4 August 2011). "The WDAS-FM Black Rock LP". Early 70s radio. Retrieved 31 January 2013.
  16. ↑ "Demon Fuzz". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved 30 January 2013.
  17. ↑ Thompson, Dave (11 May 1999). "From Calypso to Disco: The Roots of Black Britain – Various Artists : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 3 February 2013.
  18. ↑ "Paint It Black – Kaleidoscopic Funk Collision Dble LP". The Freak Emporium. Archived from the original on 16 February 2013. Retrieved 3 February 2013.
  19. ↑ Pinfold, Will (15 November 2022). "Demon Fuzz: Afreaka!". Spectrum Culture. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
  20. 1 2 "Demon Fuzz "Afreaka!" (1970, Music On Vinyl)". Music Is My Sanctuary. 8 September 2017. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
  21. ↑ "1970: Demon Fuzz - Afreaka". Tiny Mix Tapes.
  22. ↑ "Demon Fuzz". Beat Instrumental & International Recording (93). Beat Publications: 18. 5 January 1971. Retrieved 1 February 2013.
  23. ↑ "What's all the fuzz about?". Melody Maker. 21 November 1972. Retrieved 1 February 2013.

Additional sources

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.