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Music > Albums > Alex Band Harvey - Live (1976) Retail CD
added on July 29, 2007, at 20:48 by Albanach

I first bought this album on vinyl over twenty years ago & I hadn't heard it for at least ten years having dumped my turntable for a CD player. Revisiting it is like a breath of fresh air. Alex & the band's showmanship & sense of humour shine through even though you can't see what they are doing - it's a pity that today too many bands take themselves so seriously. SAHB performances were like mini stageplays acted out to the tune of some wonderfully played rock music with scenery, props & outlandish costumes. Right from the start with the intro "Fanfare" (which is not the version on the original album by the way) you get the feeling that you are at the theatre & the lights have just gone down. Scene one introduces "Faith Healer" with its deep throbbing bass heartbeat followed by Ted McKenna's (or is it Hugh? - I always get the two mixed up!) simple but effective drum roll leading into the song then finally the slow majestic ending. Scene two "Tomahawk Kid" is pure Robert Louis Stephenson telling the story of buccaneering, sailing the high seas & treasure hunting in a childlike fantasy setting. Scene three is "Vambo" - Alex's slant on comic book superheroes - "Vambo" is Alex's own Clark Kent coming to your rescue. I have to admit to being surprised by the next song "Give My Compliments To The Chef" - on my vinyl album this was the first song on side two & I used to skip it to get straight to "Delilah" but on listening to it now it's an excellent rock song with a dubious theme. Which leads to the song that introduced me to Alex in the first place "Delilah". I've seen clips on cable channels recently of the band playing this on "The Old Grey Whistle Test" (when it was first released) & they really camp it up - Alex's over-the-top vocals really adding to the comic element (he apparently was once a cabaret singer in Germany!). The final track "Framed" is another take on the old blues ethos of being wrongly accused & there is some great audience participation included in this performance with Alex asking them whether they believe him or his band - to be told that they believe his band! Right! the show is cancelled Alex replies!! Again Alex adds a comic over-the-top touch to his vocals but for me this is probably the weakest song on the album & it's also too long but having said that I think you would have to have been there to experience the atmosphere. Superb musicianship from a very tight band (Zal Cleminsons excellent duets with Hugh McKenna on keyboards & his nicely restrained solo's, Chris Glenns throbbing bass lines driving the songs along with Ted McKenna's rhythmic drumming) plus the masterly showmanship of their leader make this an album I have really enjoyed revisiting - its been in the CD player for weeks now!

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