By Monk
The history of rock ‘n’ roll is littered with the stories of bands whose constituent members went on to “bigger and better” things, finding wider fame with more renowned acts, but usually as a result of their previous associations with acts that have subsequently have gone on to achieve massive cult status because of said associations. It could be very much argued that Midlands prog rockers Trapeze are one such outfit, with vocalist Glenn Hughes emerging from its ranks to become one of the most respected, recognizable and distinctive frontmen of the last five decades, while fellow band mates such as Mel Galley and Dave Holland also went on to achieve wider success through their involvement in the likes of Whitesnake and Judas Priest.
This six CD set is perhaps as definitive a collection of Trapeze’s legacy as you could wish for, encompassing as it does three studio albums – 1970’s self-titled debut, follow-up ‘Medusa’ and their definitive “farewell” ‘You Are The Music… We Are The Band’ – and two live offerings: a double disc set covering a previously unreleased recording from Dallas in 1973 (just before Hughes joined Deep Purple) and one of their handful of “comeback” shows, in the form a now legendary showcase at London’s Borderline in 1992, featuring and recorded by Asia/Yes keyboard player Geoff Downes.
Like most collections of this ilk, ‘Don’t Stop The Music…’ is very much of its time (and many of the songs have not stood the test of same) and will appeal to a very narrow demographic. For the musical archaeologist, such as myself, it does uncover some true gems (that riff on ‘Black Cloud’ is just sublime) and provides another invaluable insight into the development of modern hard rock, from the nascent folk-meets-prog of the self-titled debut through the (largely) rougher blues rock improvisations of ‘Medusa’, identifying a mien which Hughes has revisited time and again throughout his career.
Definitely a collection for the completists, the purists and the historians among us, ‘Don’t Stop The Music…’ is a definitive exemplar of a musical moment in time and a demonstration of the evolution of one of the most singularly identifiable characters in the story of British rock ‘n’ roll from the past 50 years onward.
- ‘Don’t Stop The Music – Complete Recordings Vol 1 1970-1992’ is released on 24 February. You can get your copy HERE.
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