Alan Murphy
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Alan Murphy | |
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Finsbury, London, United Kingdom |
| Years active | 1977 - 1989 |
Alan Murphy (1953–October 19 1989) was an English guitarist, best remembered for his brilliant guitar work with Kate Bush, Go West and Level 42.
SFX
SFX was band of Alan's own creation. Featuring fellow luminaries of the session world, Felix Krish on bass, Tony Beard on drums and Richard Cottle on keyboards. The standard of musicianship was awe-inspiring. The band originated from the covers band "The Stapleton Allstars" (I remember a stunning interpretation of Larry Carltons "It was only yesterday") into SFX having created a set of all original fusionesque tunes. Undoubtedly, Alan used the band to experiment with sounds, writing and equipment. They played the occasional interrupted residency at the aforementioned Cricketers round the back of the Oval cricket ground. The good news is…., is that the band recorded an album which was subsequently released after Alan's death. The album is still available on the NAIM record label [1].
SFX at The Cricketers
This album is a fine example of the band's prowess and gives a fascinating reflection of Alan's fluid style and energy. From the most delicate melodies of "April showers" to the bombast of "6/8", the final track, each track demonstrates Alan's versatility and depth as a player. An absolute must for Murphy fans everywhere.
GoWest
In 1985 Alan recorded the first Go West album. This album was subsequently re-released as a double album titled "Bangs & Crashes" containing all the 12 inch mixes of the original plus an additional live track recorded at the Hammersmith Odeon. Using a standard Fender Champ and a Squire Strat, these albums are arguably Alan's best work, complimenting effortlessly the soulful vocal talents of Peter Cox. Go West were successful world wide and as a result the band toured extensively, taking in Europe, the US, and the Far East. "One way steet" was used in the film "Rocky IV". A second Go West album "Dancing on the couch", saw Alan contributing to the writing on three tracks. Though not as successful commercially, still a fine and well produced album seeing Alan playing to his usual standard. Check out the lush "From Baltimore to Paris" from that album where the Murphy guitar lends a deft touch to the proceedings.
Kate Bush
Alan was enlisted to play on the one and only Kate Bush tour of the Europe & UK (1978). Both a live video and EP were released with material taken form this tour. Though Alan did not play on the first two Kate Bush albums, he did however contribute to the "Never for Ever" album, the highlight being a wild solo on "Violin". Alan's unique ability to extract the most amazing sonics out of his guitar was well suited to Kate Bushes graphic soundscapes. Alan was also featured on her next album "The Dreaming" released two years later. He also worked on "The hounds of love". One of the last sessions Alan ever recorded was "Rocket Man" for kate.
Level 42
In 1998 Alan was asked to replace Boon Gould and was to record the "Staring at the Sun" album with funk-pop superstars Level 42. This was followed by a round of touring. A live album was recorded during this period , "Live at Wembley". This was one of the last major projects that Alan worked on, as it was in October 19th 1989 that he died. During the Level 42 period, a video was made called 'Fait Accompli' which featured an insight into life behind the scenes with the band. More info can be found at www.level42.com. In 2000 Polydor released a double album containing both albums. "Running in the family and "Staring at the Sun". Included are various remixes of tracks on the latter. Of particular note for Murphy aficionados would be the outro section on the "Tracie" remix with Murphy allowed to show what he can do. There are some nice touches on the extended mix of "Take care of yourself". "Heaven in my hands" demonstrates Murphy's rocking rhythm playing on what is possibly the albums best track.
Other works
As pointed out earlier Alan was a much in-demand session man. There is a hefty list of artists for whom he worked, such as, Long John Baldry, Joan Armatrading, Mike and the Mechanics (including their hit single "The living Years"), Ami Stewart, Scritti Politti, So ("Horseshoe & the glove" great album), Miquel Brown and many others.
Gear
Alan was not afraid to experiment with equipment. He rarely played a stock guitar. He was a Strat man for the large part because he found them easy to experiment with and change bits and pieces. In the early days of his career he played a Gibson ES-335 before changing to Fenders. He played everything from butchered Squiers to custom made Strats made by Roger Giffin as well as Aria Esprit's. These guitars gave him his signature bell-like rhythm guitar sound, typical of his playing in Go West. On his Squier he had a Kahler tremolo with a palm lever. His amplifiers were mainly Boogies and Fenders which he rewired regularly. He preferred to record with nothing more that a Fender Champ. Live, he used extensive rack equipment, preferring the cleaner sound to that of pedals, and power amps to boost the signal of the 10-watt Champ. Alan constantly experimented with guitars, leads, amps and anything he could lay his hands on, and was a perfectionist to truly stunning effect.