Warhorse - The Recordings 1970-1972

When original Deep Purple bassist Nick Simper left the band in 1969, he joined singer Marsha Hunt's band, but after playing some gigs that he said weren't very good and realizing that it wasn't really his musical style, he told Marsha that he was leaving the band.  She told him that he should stay as the band leader and form a new lineup and she would fire the rest of them.  He decided he would stay on and started by recruiting guitarist Ged Peck, followed by drummer Mac Poole.  He had initially asked Sweet drummer Mick Turner, but he didn't want to leave that band and suggested Poole, who interestingly enough had previously been asked by Robert Plant to join Led Zeppelin during their formation.  Prior to joining Marsha's band, Nick was playing on a BBC session with Rick Wakeman who told him if he ever formed a band that he would like to be a part, so he ended up joining along with vocalist Ashley Holt who was playing with Wakeman at the time.  At this point the band was torn between being Marsha Hunt's band and wanting to do their own thing, but that was resolved when said she was quitting because she was pregnant.  Unfortunately, a short time after the band's formation, Wakeman, who had many other things going on, was unable to make rehearsals on a regular basis.  They told him if he couldn't commit, he would have to leave.  That left them without keys, but after recording a demo they decided they really needed them, and contacted Frank Wilson, who was already in the band The Rumble.  He agreed to do the recording session, and really liked the result, deciding to leave The Rumble to join the band. They signed a licensing deal with Vertigo Records and released their self-titled album in 1970 followed by Red Sea in 1971.  Remastered versions of both albums, along with eleven bonus tracks consisting live songs and demos, are now available together with the release of The Recordings 1970-1972, 

Their debut opens with “Vulture Blood”, which starts with a church like organ and then explodes into a heavier track that has a slight Deep Purple vibe with some prog tendencies.  The progressive side of the band is in the forefront on the powerhouse “No Chance”, which also has some bluesy elements and is a very dynamic track shifting back and forth from laid-back sections to more intense ones.  “Burning” is an interesting cut that opens with an almost military like drum beat and organ, leading into a hard rocking, psychedelic swagger and a bit of a funk beat before ending with an instrumental section that really allows everyone in the band to shine.  The album’s lone single was a cover of the Easybeats “St Louis”, and while it failed to do anything with the exception of charting in Holland, it is an excellent take that’s makes for a fun listen.  It also includes a great wah wah solo and really shows just how strong Holt’s vocals were.  Somewhat reminiscent of Deep Purple (especially their song “Wring That Neck”), “Ritual” is a hard charging, bluesy rocker.  The gorgeous prog ballad “Solitude” is an epic track that at almost nine minutes is definitely one of the standout tracks here.  The album ends on a high point with “Woman of the Devil”, which starts slow and doomy (like a lighter Sabbath) then builds in intensity adding a bit of a Deep Purple feel to the mix, along with a somewhat funky beat and some great organ.  Disc one also contains five bonus cuts comprised of four live versions of album tracks and a demo of “Miss Jane”.  The live tracks are a nice addition and while they sound pretty good there are no audience noises, which would lead me to believe that maybe these were recorded live in a studio.  As for the demo of "Miss Jane", it has a loose, almost late sixties San Francisco jam band vibe, that’s an interesting change of pace for the band.  

The band played a lot of shows following the release of the debut, but somewhere in the midst of that time there were some personality conflicts and control issues that led to the departure of Peck.  He was replaced by Pete Parks from the band Black August, and this new lineup recorded their sophomore album Red Sea, which was released in 1971.  Unfortunately, the recording of the album had to be finished abruptly when part of the promised budget was pulled in the middle of recording, and while it’s another good release it’s definitely not as good as the debut.  Having said that, the album starts strongly with the Hammond organ driven title track, which also features some great guitar work from Parks.  At first, the almost eight minute “Back In Time” is a slower, heavier organ driven tune, but about halfway through it lets loose with a great guitar solo and a faster paced climax.  “Confident But Wrong” is a more mainstream R&B tinged rocker that finds them shifting gears a bit, quite possibly an attempt at airplay.  Following “Feeling Better”, a fairly generic ballad, is “Sybilla”, a catchy track that has more of a funk beat.  The instrumental “Mouthpiece” is an almost nine-minute track that gives everyone in the band a chance to show their talent, but it’s really a mess that sounds like something that should’ve been saved for the live show as opposed to an album cut.  The album closer is a cover of the Shirley Bassey song “I (Who Have Nothing)”, and while that sounds like an odd choice, it is a heavier, organ driven take with a slow, powerful and emotional groove that works really well.  Disc two contains six more bonus tracks consisting of another live version of “Ritual” and five demos that were recorded for a potential third album.  Although for the most part, they aren’t quite as heavy as before, these demos show promise for what could have been.  With it’s chugging beat and standout organ, “Bad Time” is the most radio friendly track here but is still a very catchy rocker.  “She Was My Friend” is a very emotional, soulful and bluesy ballad that is my favorite of the demos.  It’s a real shame it never reached its full potential.  The remaining three cuts all show that they still had their hard rocking side, be it “Gypsy Dancer” and “Standing Right Behind You”, both with a touch of a funk groove, or “House Of Dolls”, once again bringing to mind Deep Purple. 

Unfortunately, the budget issues during the recording of Red Sea created friction between the band and their label, causing a six-month period where they couldn't record.  They were eventually approached by an A&R person from Warner who wanted to sign them, and they had a handshake deal, but the next day an oil embargo was announced creating a fear of a vinyl shortage. Due to this he was forbidden from signing anyone new.  During this time Marc Poole also left the band to join Gong and was replaced by Barney James.  They toured and recorded more demos, but never released another album.  They did in fact have another record deal offered to them, but Holt and James were playing with Wakeman at that time and when Nick told them about the offer, they told him they were leaving the band to join Wakeman permanently, which lead to the band's end.  

(Esoteric Recordings)