Rare Bird
Rare Bird was a progressive rock band founded in 1969. They were formed in England, but had more success in other European countries than they did at home. They are mostly remembered for the haunting, organ based track "Sympathy". It sold one million copies globally.[1]
History
The band's initial line-up was as below, although there would be changes by the time they came to work on their third album. The first two members listed were a constant throughout the lifetime of the band.
- Steve Gould (lead vocals & bass, rhythm guitar) - born 25 March, 1950, Battersea, South London
- Dave Kaffinetti (pianos & assorted keyboards) - b. 17 April 1946, Folkestone, Kent
- Graham Field (organ & assorted keyboards) - b. 3 May 1940, Beaminster, West Dorset
- Mark Ashton (drums & backing vocals) - b. 23 June 1949, Bridge, Kent
The history of Rare Bird began when Graham Field placed an advertisement for a pianist in a musical periodical. He got thirty replies and formed a group called 'Lunch'. He met Dave Kaffinetti in November 1968, and together they formulated the basic ideas for Rare Bird. In August 1969, they finally found the ideal rhythm section in Steve Gould and Mark Ashton. Two weeks later, they had signed management and agency contracts, and three weeks later, were in the studio recording their debut album. With Van der Graaf Generator and The Nice, they were one of the very first bands that signed to Charisma Records, the record label that Tony Stratton-Smith had founded.[2]
Their late 1969 release "Sympathy" reached #2 in Italy, sold 500,000 copies in France and over one million globally.[1] It became their only UK hit single, reaching #27 and staying on the chart for 8 weeks. A 1970 cover version of the track by The Family Dogg, reached number two in the Netherlands. The song returned to the UK chart in 1992 when a version by Marillion reached #17.[3] In 2001, the track was sampled by Faithless in their song "Not Enuff Love", named after a chorus line in "Sympathy".
Later members included Fred Kelly (Nic Potter), Ced Curtis, Paul Holland, and Paul Karas on the Epic Forest album with Andy Curtis and Fred Kelly appearing on the album Somebody's Watching. The band finally split up in the mid 1970s.
Dave Kaffinetti (credited as David Kaff) played the part of Viv Savage in This Is Spinal Tap.
Discography
Studio albums
- Rare Bird (UK:Charisma, U.S.:Command/Probe, 1969)
- As Your Mind Flies By (UK:Charisma, U.S.:ABC, 1970)
- Epic Forest (Polydor, 1972)
- Somebody's Watching (Polydor, 1973)
- Born Again (Polydor, 1974)
- Rare Bird (Polydor, 1975)
- Who is who and how are you? (Universal , 2011)
Singles
Compilation albums
- Sympathy (Blue Plate, (1976)
- Polydor Special (Polydor, 1977)
- Third Time Around: An Introduction To Rare Bird (Universal, 2003)
References
- ^ a b Murrells, Joseph (1978). The Book of Golden Discs (2nd ed.). London: Barrie and Jenkins Ltd. p. 284. ISBN 0-214-20512-6.
- ^ Christopulos, J., and Smart, P.: "Van der Graaf Generator - The Book", page 60. Phil and Jim publishers, 2005. ISBN 0 9551337 0 X
- ^ David Roberts British Hit Singles and Albums, Guinness World Records Limited
- ^ Chartstats.com