''Gastank'' is an English television show that aired from 1982–1983 in the United Kingdom on

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...

. Hosted by former

Yes Yes or YES may refer to: * An affirmative particle in the English language; see yes and no Education * YES Prep Public Schools, Houston, Texas, US * YES (Your Extraordinary Saturday), a learning program from the Minnesota Institute for Talente ...

keyboardist

Rick Wakeman Richard Christopher Wakeman (born 18 May 1949) is an English keyboardist best known as a former member of the progressive rock band Yes across five tenures between 1971 and 2004, and for his solo albums released in the 1970s. Born and raised ...

, along with keyboardist

Tony Ashton Edward Anthony Ashton (1 March 1946 – 28 May 2001) was an English rock pianist, keyboardist, singer, composer, producer and artist. Biography Born in Blackburn, Lancashire, Ashton spent his formative years in the seaside town of Blackpool whe ...

, the show featured a mix of interviews with 1970s musicians and impromptu performances where the guest artist would join Wakeman and his house band in playing re-arranged versions of their classic songs or entirely new pieces, created for the show. The format was very informal with the setting likened to a bar, where Wakeman would interview the guest over a drink or two, followed by their performance, in front of a small studio audience, sitting in groups at tables. Wakeman would frequently cite the show as an opportunity for musicians from different bands to get the opportunity to work together. During its run, the show featured guests as diverse as

Ian Paice Ian Anderson Paice (born 29 June 1948) is an English musician, best known as the drummer and last remaining original member of the rock band Deep Purple. He is often cited as one of the greatest drummers of all-time. He remains the only member ...

Steve Hackett Stephen Richard Hackett (born 12 February 1950) is an English musician, singer, songwriter and record producer who gained prominence as the lead guitarist of the progressive rock band Genesis from 1971 to 1977. Hackett contributed to six Genesis ...

Andy Fairweather Low Andrew Fairweather Low (born 2 August 1948) is a Welsh guitarist and singer. He was a founding member and lead singer of 1960s pop band Amen Corner (band), Amen Corner, and in recent years has toured extensively with Roger Waters, Eric Clapton ...

John Entwistle John Alec Entwistle (9 October 194427 June 2002) was an English musician who was the bassist for the rock band The Who. Entwistle's music career spanned over four decades. Nicknamed "The Ox" and "Thunderfingers", he was the band's only member ...

Godley and Creme Godley & Creme were an English rock duo formally established in Manchester in 1977 by Kevin Godley and Lol Creme. The pair began releasing music as a duo after their departure from the rock band 10cc. In 1979, they directed their first music vi ...

Eric Burdon Eric Victor Burdon (born 11 May 1941) is an English singer. He was previously the lead vocalist of R&B and rock band the Animals and funk band War. He is regarded as one of the British Invasion's most distinctive singers with his deep, powe ...

Phil Lynott Philip Parris Lynott (, ; 20 August 1949 – 4 January 1986) was an Irish singer, bassist, and songwriter. His most commercially successful group was Thin Lizzy, of which he was a founding member, the principal songwriter, lead vocalist and ba ...

and

. The house band for the show was Rick Wakeman (keyboards), Tony Ashton (keyboards & vocals),

Chas Cronk Chas Cronk is an English musician, best known as the bass player and acoustic guitarist for the Strawbs from 1973 to 1980 and again from 2004 to the present. Chas also toured and recorded with Steve Hackett and Rick Wakeman in the 1980s and Cr ...

(bass, episodes 1-3, 5 & 6), Jerome Rimson (bass, episodes 1-4),

Tony Fernandez Tony may refer to: People and fictional characters * Tony (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Gregory Tony (born 1978), American law enforcement officer * Motu Tony (born 1981), New Zealand international rugby leagu ...

(drums). As of August 2020, all full episodes and selected individual performances are available on YouTube.

Episodes

Episode 1

Guests.

Rick Parfitt Richard John Parfitt, (12 October 1948 24 December 2016) was an English musician, best known as a singer, songwriter and rhythm guitarist with rock band Status Quo. Parfitt began his career in the early 1960s, playing in pubs and holiday cam ...

The Cimarons The Cimarons are a British reggae band formed in 1967. They were the UK's first self-contained indigenous reggae band. History Jamaican natives, the Cimarons migrated to Britain in 1967 with a lineup consisting of Franklyn Dunn (bass), Carl Lev ...

* Eric Burdon &

Alvin Lee Alvin Lee (born Graham Anthony Barnes; 19 December 1944 – 6 March 2013) was an English singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He is best known as the lead vocalist and lead guitarist of the blues rock band Ten Years After. Early life He w ...

Music.

* Rick Parfitt: Little Lady * Rick Parfitt:

Rain Rain is water droplets that have condensed from atmospheric water vapor and then fall under gravity. Rain is a major component of the water cycle and is responsible for depositing most of the fresh water on the Earth. It provides water f ...

* Rick Wakeman: Catherine Howard * The Cimarons: He Give Up To I * Tony Ashton: Cigarettes! * Eric Burdon & Alvin Lee: Heart Attack * Eric Burdon & Alvin Lee: Trying To Get Back To You * Eric Burdon & Alvin Lee: Rock and Roll Medley

Interviews.

* Rick Parfitt * Eric Burdon

Episode 2

Guests.

Kevin Godley Kevin Michael Godley (born 7 October 1945) is an English singer, songwriter, musician and music video director. He is known as the singer and drummer of the art rock band 10cc and later as part of collaboration duo Godley & Creme with Lol Creme ...

Lol Creme Laurence Neil "Lol" Creme (born 19 September 1947) is an English musician and music video director, best known for his work in 10cc. He sings and plays guitar, bass and keyboards. Biography Creme was born in Prestwich, Lancashire, England. ...

Ronnie Scott Ronnie may refer to: *Ronnie (name), a unisex pet name and given name * "Ronnie" (Four Seasons song), a song by Bob Gaudio and Bob Crewe *"Ronnie," a song from the Metallica album '' Load'' *Ronnie Brunswijkstadion, an association football stadium ...

Maggie Bell Margaret Bell (born 12 January 1945 in Maryhill, Glasgow, Scotland) is a Scottish rock vocalist. She came to fame as co-lead vocalist of the blues-rock group Stone the Crows, and was described as the UK's closest counterpart to American singe ...

Music.

* Tony Ashton: Aeroplane * Andy Fairweather Low: Man Smart, Woman Smarter * Andy Fairweather Low, Kevin Godley & Lol Creme:

Wide Eyed and Legless "Wide Eyed and Legless" is a song written and performed by Andy Fairweather Low in 1975. The track peaked at No. 6 in the UK Singles Chart in December that year. It had originally been published on Fairweather Low's album, ''La Booga Rooga'', wh ...

In the Midnight Hour "In the Midnight Hour" is a song originally performed by Wilson Pickett in 1965 and released on his 1965 album of the same name, also appearing on the 1966 album ''The Exciting Wilson Pickett''. The song was composed by Pickett and Steve Cropp ...

* Ronnie Scott: Gerrard Street * Rick Wakeman: Catherine Parr * Maggie Bell: Blackpool's First Twist Victim * Maggie Bell:

Crazy Insanity, madness, lunacy, and craziness are behaviors performed by certain abnormal mental or behavioral patterns. Insanity can be manifest as violations of societal norms, including a person or persons becoming a danger to themselves or t ...

Interviews.

* Kevin Godley & Lol Creme * Andy Fairweather Low * Ronnie Scott

Episode 3

Guests.

* Phil Lynott &

John Sykes John James Sykes (born 29 July 1959) is an English guitarist, best known as a member of Whitesnake, Thin Lizzy and Tygers of Pan Tang. He has also fronted the hard rock group Blue Murder and released several solo albums. Following a stint in ...

Donovan Donovan Phillips Leitch (born 10 May 1946), known mononymously as Donovan, is a Scottish musician, songwriter, and record producer. He developed an eclectic and distinctive style that blended folk, jazz, pop, psychedelic rock and world mus ...

Chris Farlowe Chris Farlowe (born John Henry Deighton, 13 October 1940) is an English rock, blues and soul singer. He is best known for his hit single " Out of Time" written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, which rose to No. 1 in the UK Singles Chart in 196 ...

& Alvin Lee * Rick Parfitt * Ian Paice

Music.

* Tony Ashton: TV Set * Phil Lynott & John Sykes: Growing Up * Phil Lynott & John Sykes: The Man's A Fool * Rick Wakeman & Tony Ashton: Keyboard Ad-lib * Donovan:

Mellow Yellow "Mellow Yellow" is a song written and recorded by Scottish singer-songwriter Donovan. In the US, it reached No. 2 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Outside the US, "Mellow Yellow" peaked at No. 8 in the UK in early 1967. Content The song was ru ...

* Donovan: Lalena * Chris Farlowe & Alvin Lee: Staring Outta Windows * Chris Farlowe & Alvin Lee: Stormy Monday Blues * Chris Farlowe, Alvin Lee, Rick Parfitt, Ian Paice: Lucille

Interviews.

* Chris Farlowe

Episode 4

Guests.

Steve Harley Steve Harley (born Stephen Malcolm Ronald Nice; 27 February 1951) is an English singer and songwriter, best known as frontman of the rock group Cockney Rebel, with whom he still tours, albeit with frequent and significant personnel changes. Ea ...

The Strawbs Strawbs (or The Strawbs) are an English rock band founded in 1964 as the Strawberry Hill Boys. The band started out as a bluegrass group, but eventually moved on to other styles such as folk rock and progressive rock. They are best known fo ...

* John Entwistle * Rick Parfitt * Ian Paice

Music.

* Steve Harley:

Mr. Soft "Mr. Soft" is a song by the British rock band Cockney Rebel, fronted by Steve Harley, which was released in 1974 as the second single from their second studio album ''The Psychomodo''. The song was written by Harley, and produced by Harley and Al ...

* The Strawbs: The Hangman and the Papist * John Entwistle:

Twist and Shout "Twist and Shout" is a 1961 song written by Phil Medley and Bert Berns (later credited as "Bert Russell"). It was originally recorded by the Top Notes, but it did not become a hit in the record charts until it was reworked by the Isley Brothers ...

* Rick Wakeman: Elgin Mansions * Tony Ashton: It's Weird * John Entwistle & Steve Harley: Go America

Interviews.

* Steve Harley *

Dave Cousins Dave Cousins (born David Joseph Hindson; 7 January 1945) is an English musician who has been the leader, singer and most-active songwriter of Strawbs since 1967. Career Cousins is a founder member of the Strawbs, which started out as the S ...

(The Strawbs) * John Entwistle

Episode 5

Guests.

Howie Casey Howard William Casey (born 12 July 1937) is a British rhythm and blues and rock saxophonist. He came to prominence in the early 1960s as a member of Derry and the Seniors, the first rock and roll band from Liverpool to play clubs in Germany, ...

Suzi Quatro Susan Kay Quatro (born June 3, 1950) is an American singer, bass guitarist, songwriter, and actress. In the 1970s, she scored a string of hit singles that found greater success in Europe and Australia than in her homeland, reaching No. 1 in th ...

Music.

* Alvin Lee: I May Be Wrong * Alvin Lee: Tell Me Baby * Ian Paice & Howie Casey: Resurrection Shuffle * Ian Paice & Howie Casey: Possibly * Suzi Quatro & Steve Hackett: My Babe * Suzi Quatro & Steve Hackett: CC Rider * Suzi Quatro & Steve Hackett: Sweet Little Rock 'n' Roller

Interviews.

* Alvin Lee * Ian Paice * Suzi Quatro

Episode 6

Guests.

Roy Wood Roy Wood (born 8 November 1946) is an English musician and singer-songwriter. He was particularly successful in the 1960s and 1970s as member and co-founder of the Move, Electric Light Orchestra and Wizzard. As a songwriter, he contributed a n ...

Frankie Miller Francis John Miller (born 2 November 1949) is a Scottish rock singer-songwriter and actor. Miller wrote for and performed with many recording artists and is best known for his 1977 album ''Full House'', the singles "Be Good To Yourself", " D ...

* Howie Casey * The Cimarons * Steve Hackett

Music.

* Roy Wood: California Man * Roy Wood: Down To Zero * Rick Wakeman: Gone But Not Forgotten * Frankie Miller & Howie Casey: He'll Have To Go * The Cimarons: My Soul Wants To Be With Jah * Steve Hackett: Camino Royale (Hackett To Pieces) * Steve Hackett: Hackett's Boogie

Interviews.

* Roy Wood * Steve Hackett

References

{{Reflist 1982 British television series debuts 1983 British television series endings 1980s British music television series Channel 4 original programming