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Tuesday 26 November 2019

Pool Of Sound - Shack

The Head brothers

Michael and John Head re-emerged from the ashes of  'The Pale Fountains', who disbanded in 1986, to form 'Shack' with an original line-up of Mick Head on vocals and guitar, John Head on guitar, Justin Smith on bass guitar and Mick Hurst on drums. They signed to the Ghetto Recording Company, the home of record producer Ian Brodie's 'Lightning Seeds' and another British soul band 'Distant Cousins'.
Their first album 'Zilch' was released in 1988 but was neither critically nor commercially successful, perhaps because of Michael Head's protest on behalf of his city against the havoc wreaked by Margaret Thatcher, plus Ian Broudie's heavy-handed production. The album was later re-released on the Red Flag Recording Company label with three extra tracks in 2007. With Peter Wilkinson replacing Justin Smith in 1990 and Ian Templeton being replaced by Alan Wills on drums, the follow-up album, 'Waterpistol', was recorded in 1991 at London's Star Street Studio and Chapel Studios, Lincolnshire. However, shortly after the recording of 'Waterpistol' was complete, the Star Street studio burnt down and most of the tapes were destroyed. The only remaining DAT of the album was in the possession of producer Chris Allison who was in Los Angeles at the time. It was only when he returned that it was discovered it had been left in his hire car. By the time the stray tape was miraculously recovered from the glove compartment of the hire car, somewhere in New Mexico, and 'Waterpistol' went on sale, via a German record label, it had missed the moment as during that time Ghetto had folded so the record was without a distributor. This resulting in the band splitting up with bass guitarist Peter Wilkinson joining fellow Liverpudlian John Power, formerly with 'The La's', to form a new band 'Cast'.

Michael Head

Ian Templeton tells an amusing anecdote. "In 1992 I fell out with Mick Head, so I left, but when I saw them at the Everyman pub in town (later that year), he said, ‘Up for a jam sometime?’. I said, ‘Yeah, why not,’ and he said, ‘Well, how about a tour of Japan?’ So I ended up back with them, we went over to Japan, got to Osaka, got out of the bullet train (Shinkansen), and there were hundreds of people there. We were like, ‘What the f-?’. Then we turned around, and Gary Lineker was behind us. Mick shouted out, ‘Alright, Gary, yer bluenose!’. Straight out. There he is in Japan, just got into the city, and someone’s called him a Bluenose! Ha! Hilarious."
'Waterpistol' was finally released in 1995 on the German independant record label 'Marina'. By this time Mick Head was receiving acclaim from NME who were describing him as a "lost genius and among the most gifted British songwriters of his generation". The album was later re-released with new artwork on the Red Flag Recording Company label in 2007. Michael Head went on to form 'Michael Head & The Strands' with his brother John, which found them further critical acclaim with their record 'The Magical World Of The Strands' on its release in 1996.

Shack

The Head brothers, along with Iain Templeton and bassist Ren Parry reformed' Shack' in 1998, releasing 'HMS Fable' in 1999 after which Parry was replaced by Guy Rigby on bass for 'Here's Tom With The Weather' released in 2003. Wilkinson rejoined in 2005, replacing the departed Rigby and, championed by Noel Gallagher, the band signed to his 'Sour Mash' label in 2006, releasing their fifth album, 'The Corner Of Miles And Gil'. The album's title was a reference to the musical partnership between Miles Davis and Gil Evans, a cited influence of Micheal Head's music. The band were invited to support Oasis on live dates in 2006 promoting the album. In 2007 they released a greatest hits compilation album 'Time Machine' which included two new tracks.

In February 2008 the band re-formed the 'Pale Fountains' for two critically acclaimed live shows in Liverpool and London. The members of the reformed band were Michael Head, John Head, Martyn Campbell, Andy Diagram, Thomas 'Jock' Whelan & Iain Templeton.

see also :- http://www.thefootballvoice.com/2019/11/pool-of-sound-buster.html

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