Label: Air Mail Archive (Japan), AIRAC-1566
Style: Blues Rock, Progressive Rock
Country: England
Time: 59:18
Format: Flac Tracks 16/44,1 kHz
Size: 318 Mb
Steamhammer:
- (noun) A ram worked piston-wise by steam striking downward.
- (verb) Blows whose force and level are delicately adjustable.
Steamhammer’s
origins began with the blues. Like many of their peers, they soon
experimented with instrumental passages, introspective lyrics, and
ultrasonic guitar effects, along with folk, jazz and classical
influences. After making a name for themselves in the English pubs of
the late 1960s, Steamhammer’s self-titled album debuted on Columbia
Records in 1968. It featured their trademark single, “Junior’s Wailing” —
a pumping “…Rock me baby, rock me all night long” number that sold well
in Europe. Their first album proved formative to the band’s memorable
sound, with performances built on a series of complex movements: changes
of key and rhythm, one moment delicate, the next, hard-hitting ‘body’
music. Each instrument – drums, guitar, bass, and flute — alternated
lead, the rest providing a background framework for the solos. These
were the qualities that captured blues legend, Freddie King’s attention,
when he asked the band to back him on two European tours. “It was a
real blast,” Martin remembers. “Steamhammer would play their set, then
Steve Davy, Mike Rushton and Martin Quittenton would stay up on stage
with Freddie to play his set. White and I would sit in the audience to
watch Freddie play. He could surf, he could rock – a real master, he
was.”Steamhammer stayed on the road as one of the era’s hardest working
bands, relentlessly refining their live set to create sophisticated
arrangements and a generous helping of spontaneity, where everyone
always got a crack at the whip.
Beginning in 1970, personnel changes shifted the band’s sound, which ultimately helped them expand their musical scope:
-Drummers
Mike Rushton and Mickey Waller were replaced by Mick Bradley, whose
aggressive drumming pushed the band to further experiment.
-Flute player Steve Joliffe left in 1970, later emerging in Tangerine Dream
-Bassist Steve Davy left in late 1970, replaced by the classically trained Louis Cennamo
-Lead
vocalist Kieran White left the band in early 1973 to record solo
albums, after which, the band decided to proceed as a trio, with a focus
on complex arrangements and a more progressive rock sound
The
genesis of Armageddon began, in fact, with the final Steamhammer album,
Speech, in 1973, produced by ex-Yardbird and Renaissance frontman, Keith
Relf. In the winter of ‘74, two years after drummer Mick Bradley’s
sudden death from leukemia, Relf sought Louis and Martin out to form a
band in California. Armageddon exploded onto the scene in late 1974,
their potential so great that Rolling Stone magazine ran two articles on
them before they had a drummer, a contract, or even a name for
themselves. Relf brought in Bobby Caldwell on drums, and introduced the
band to A&M Records producer Jerry Moss. Half a song into a set at
the Charlie Chaplin Sound Stage in Hollywood, Moss signed Armageddon.
After
much industry buzz, Armageddon released a stunning self-titled effort
that landed in stores, fall of 1975. Liner notes on the album describe
the band’s music as, “breathtaking, intense, and highly sophisticated.”
The band’s secret weapon was their musicianship. Given complete creative
reign over the project, the stark, powerful energy of their “live”
sound quality was integral to the album’s success. “We were pleased with
how the record came out,” Pugh recalls, “but to hear the band live was
to witness the real epicenter of where we were coming from. Armageddon
was all about four guys who were just crazy about the music.”
Armageddon
never took their mind-blowing record on the road, due to another string
of setbacks that stunted their momentum. Foremost was Relf’s battle
with chronic asthma, which forced him to retire in spring of 1976. (Relf
died suddenly in May of that year.) Punk and “arena” rock also loomed
large on the horizon, a sharp veer away from the band’s interests.
Through it all, Martin Pugh had been a central figure in the
Steamhammer-Armageddon story. Pugh appeared on each album and co-wrote,
co-produced, and co-arranged every track on the Armageddon LP. Martin
also pushed forward with various musical efforts when the band
dissolved. He and Caldwell tried to reassemble Armageddon in the early
1980s, producing a number of songs for a second LP under Capitol Records
with Jesus Christ Superstar’s lead singer on vocals, and were literally
hours away from completing the deal, when it fell through, due to
creative differences. Caldwell eventually returned to Captain Beyond,
Louis reunited with his former band, Renaissance, and Martin stayed in
Los Angeles, continuing to pursue musical projects. Although their
careers took them in different directions rather prematurely, rock
aficionados agree that Armageddon was one of the most inspired
collaborations ever undertaken, bringing together four extremely
talented musicians, and garnering a loyal group of fans — many of them
Steamhammer followers — worldwide.
(steamhammer.com/about-steamhammer)
01. Supposed To Be Free (05:56)
02. Johnny Carl Morton (04:35)
03. Sunset Chase (01:39)
04. Contemporary Chick Con Song (04:52)
05. Turn Around (03:32)
06. 6/8 For Amiran (03:00)
07. Passing Through (05:03)
08. Down Along The Grove (00:41)
09. Another Travelling Time (16:07)
10. Fran & Dee Take A Ride (03:16)
11. Autumn Song (04:04)
12. Blues For Passing People (06:26)
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