Clouds (60s rock band).html



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Clouds were a 1960s Progressive rock band that disbanded in October 1971. The band consisted of Ian Ellis (bass & lead vocals), Harry Hughes (drums) and Billy Ritchie (keyboards).

Biography

Early Days: The Premiers

In early 1964, Ian Ellis and Harry Hughes were playing in a band called The Premiers. The band itself consisted of Bill Lawrence (bass guitar), ‘Shammy’ Lafferty (rhythm guitar), Derek Reid (Lead guitar), Harry Hughes (drums) and Ian Ellis (vocals). It was decided that an organ would help the sound of the band, and Billy Ritchie joined.

Cyril Stapleton took the band to London to record some demos, but nothing came of that, and Derek Reid, Bill Lawrence, and James Lafferty decided to leave. It seemed that Ritchie joining the band had prompted more changes than had been intended. Ian Ellis decided that he would take up the position of bass guitarist as well as lead vocalist. The group decided to move in a new musical direction, and changed their name from The Premiers to 1-2-3.

1-2-3

1-2-3 had a much different sound from the previous band, or from almost any other band at that time.¹ After achieving little success in Scotland, the band moved to London, England where they hoped that their original music would catch on, but "early audiences were confused by the lack of a guitarist."²

The band were given a headlining residency performing at the Marquee Club, which was unusual, as they hadn't first performed the customary support spots. At the time, they were described as "a unique group...who have created an entirely new sound in pop group music". The same publication referred to "the truly exciting nature of 1-2-3."³ During the time the group performed at the club during 1967, they were signed by NEMS management company and Brian Epstein of Beatles fame. This event was heralded in the National Press, complete with photograph and accompanying article.⁴

Among the Marquee audiences were future superstars such as Keith Emerson, Rick Wakeman, King Crimson, Yes, and David Bowie, who said, when interviewed by Record Mirror in 1967, that they were "three thistle and haggis voiced bairns [who] had the audacity to face a mob of self-opinionated hippies with a brand of unique pop music which, because of its intolerance of mediocrity, floated, as would a Hogarth cartoon in Beano."⁵

The death of Brian Epstein, founder of NEMS, left the band in the care of Robert Stigwood, his successor. But Stigwood had just signed The Bee Gees, fellow Australians, and was preoccupied with making them a success. This brought an end to the management relationship shortly afterwards. After parting company with NEMS, the band kept busy playing in the local London club circuit. At a club in Ilford, east London, the band were seen by Terry Ellis who quickly signed them to his new agency, and re-named the band Clouds.

Clouds

Originally known as the Ellis-Wright agency, the organisation grew and became Chrysalis. Clouds had also risen in prominence, playing many major tours, and appearing at the Royal Albert Hall and many of the headlining concert venues in the world, including the Fillmore East in New York.⁶ The band released a number of albums during this period. The recordings were generally very well received by the critics, with respectable sales.⁷ Concert reviews were also favourable. A review of a 1970 concert at the Arragon ballroom, Chicago, began by saying 'This band will be a giant.' ⁸

But despite some initial success for the band, Chrysalis increasingly focused its attention on Jethro Tull, and the momentum was lost. Only in hindsight was the pioneering role of the group revealed, and in that light, it was 1-2-3 who had carried the torch.⁹ Ritchie, the organist, was credited as being the first of his kind, providing a role model for others, such as Keith Emerson and Rick Wakeman.¹⁰ Though the later incarnation, Clouds, was interesting, the music had become somewhat watered-down and mainstream, and the group disbanded in October 1971, unable to find a niche in an overcrowded progressive rock scene.¹¹

Scrapbook (album)

The record cover of this album says :

Riches in search of a place to belong,

Such are memories. Such are songs.

Scrapbook is a concept album in the fashion launched by Beatles' Sgt Peppers. The concept is of course the « scrapbook », one of these life booklets filled by remembrances and quotation, with the following songs :

1. Introduction-Scrapbook (initial theme, a simple acoustic guitar introduction, contrasts with the sophisticated following)
2. The Carpenter (is making you a bed) : fast rhythm. Who is the carpenter making a bed for, and why ?
3. The Colours Have Run : complaint on the vanishing of love in a couple.
4. I'll Go Girl : continuation of that theme, but with a lot of polyphonic effects : the break-up must not bring despair, for a new love will some day happen.
5. Grandad. A great guy who saw a lot in his life, too.
6. Ladies And Gentlemen, in the pure tradition of the Britannic dinner speech ("toast"), querying the listener' complicity; orchestral accompaniment.
7. Humdrum, drums and choirs intermede
8. Union Jack, the memoirs of a respected old trade-unionist who passed by
9. Old Man. Time, which speads on all things, led to the end of a life
10. Waiter, There's Something In My Soup. Here is the time to ponder on one's own existence. There is always something about which to complain, and we let it spoil our lives instead of living.
11. . Scrapbook. Why was that scrapbook opened ? At the time it seemed a good idea / I did not know that sadness was so near. This is how a man lived, or forgot to live.

Discography

Date of release	Title	Record label
1969	"Make No Bones About It" b/w "Heritage" (single)	Island WIP6055
1969	You Can All Join In (sampler)	Island IWPS2
1969	Scrapbook (album)	Island ILPS9100
1969	"Scrapbook" b/w "Carpenter" (single)	Island WIP6067
1969	"Scrapbook" b/w "Old Man" (single)	Island (European continent only)
1969	Bumpers (sampler)	Island IDP1
1969	Up Above Our Heads (album)	Deram Records DES18044 (USA/Canada only)
1970	"Take Me To Your Leader" b/w "Old Man" (single)	Island (European continent only)
1971	Watercolour Days	Island/Chrysalis ILPS9151, Deram
1996	Scrapbook/Watercolour Days (re-issue)	BGO Records BGOCD317
1999	Coda	Sunrise Records
2007	Strangely Strange but Oddly Normal	Island-Universal Records 9822950 Box set

References

External links

• www.cloudsmusic.com
• Clouds at Allmusic