Progressive rock band from England
Druid were a 1970s progressive rock band from England, and initially came to public attention by winning a 1974 unsigned band contest by Melody Maker magazine.[1] The band went on to perform on The Old Grey Whistle Test and to record two albums. Their sound was notably influenced by Yes.
After the demise of Druid, Neil Brewer and Dane Stevens formed the Never Never Band with a more commercial approach.
Former member Cedric Sharpley, who went on to back Gary Numan in the band Tubeway Army, died from a heart attack on 13 March 2012.[2] Keyboard player Andrew McCrorie-Shand later pursued a career composing for Ragdoll Productions, most notably their longest-running TV shows Rosie and Jim, while bass player Neil Brewer was the show's third and final presenter from 1997 to 2000.
Line-up
- Cedric Sharpley – drums (founding member; died 2012)
- Neil Brewer – bass (founding member)
- Dane Stevens – vocals, guitars (founding member)
- Andrew McCrorie-Shand – keyboards (joined 1974)
- Pete Griffiths - keyboards (1971–73)
Discography
Studio albums
Toward the Sun (1975)
- Side one
- "Voices" (McCrorie-Shand/Dane) – 8:13
- "Remembering" (Brewer/Dane) – 5:24
- "Theme" (Brewer/Dane/McCrorie-Shand/Sharpley) – 5:24
- "Toward the Sun" (Dane) – 5:03
- Side two
- "Red Carpet for an Autumn" (Brewer/McCrorie-Shand) – 3:10
- "Dawn of Evening" (Brewer/McCrorie-Shand) – 10:02
- "Shangri-La" (Brewer/Dane) – 10:11
- Personnel
- Neil Brewer – Bass Guitar
- Cedric Sharpley – Drums, Percussion
- Dane – Guitars, Vocals
- Andrew McCrorie-Shand – Keyboards
- Bob Harris – Producer
- George Nicholson – Engineer
- Adrian Sadgrove – Artwork
Fluid Druid (1976)
- Side one
- "Razor Truth"(Dane/Brewer) – 5:42
- "Painters Clouds" (Dane/Brewer) – 5:00
- "FM 145" (McCrorie-Shand) – 2:08
- "Crusade" (McCrorie-Shand/Brewer) – 7:48
- Side two
- "Nothing but Morning" (Dane/Brewer) – 4:09
- "Barnaby" (Dane) – 3:12
- "Kestrel" (McCrorie-Shand) – 3:35
- "Left to Find" (McCrorie-Shand/Dane/Brewer) – 7:12
- "The Fisherman's Friend" (McCrorie-Shand) – 0:46
- Personnel
- Neil Brewer – Bass Guitar
- Cedric Sharpley – Drums, Percussion
- Dane – Guitars, Vocals
- Andrew McCrorie-Shand – Keyboards
- Druid, Paul "Rockette" Harman – Producer
- Ken "Superstar" Thomas – Assistant Engineer
- The Cream Group – Artwork
Singles
- Barnaby/Kestrel/Nothing But Morning (1976, EMI)
Compilations
- Toward the Sun / Fluid Druid (1995, BGO Records)
References
- ^ Paul Du Noyer: Deaf School: The Non-stop Pop Art Punk Rock Party, p.50 (Liverpool: Liverpool University Press, 2013 - accessed 30 May 2016
- ^ Cedric Sharpley: Drummer Who Played With Tubeway Army. The Independent (UK) 23 March 2012 - accessed 30 May 2016
- ^ Allmusic review
- ^ Sputnikmusic reviews
- ^ Allmusic review
- ^ Sputnikmusic reviews
External links
- Neverneverband.co.uk
- Tinderfish.com
