Brinsley Schwarz were a 1970s English pub rock band, named after their guitarist Brinsley Schwarz. With

Nick Lowe Nicholas Drain Lowe (born 24 March 1949) is an English singer-songwriter, musician and producer. A noted figure in power pop and New wave music, new wave,Bob Andrews and drummer Billy Rankin, the band evolved from the 1960s pop band Kippington Lodge. They were later augmented by Ian Gomm on guitar and vocals.

Formation

Brinsley Schwarz (guitar, piano, vocals) originally met Nick Lowe at

Woodbridge School Woodbridge School is an independent school in Woodbridge, Suffolk, England, founded in 1577, for the poor of Woodbridge. It was later supported by the Seckford Foundation. Woodbridge School has been co-educational since September 1974. Histor ...

where they played in school bands with Barry Landeman (keyboards, vocals) and Phil Hall (guitar). In 1964, whilst still at school, they toured

RAF The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

bases in Germany as "Sounds 4+1". On leaving school, Schwarz formed "Three's A Crowd" with Pete Whale (drums) and Dave Cottam (bass). Landeman joined in 1967 and they renamed themselves "Kippington Lodge". Their first two singles, produced by

Mark Wirtz Mark Philipp Wirtz (3 September 19437 August 2020) was a German-French pop music record producer, composer, singer, musician, author, and comedian. Wirtz is best known for the never-completed '' A Teenage Opera'' concept album, a project he devi ...

, in a close-harmony pop style, both flopped. Cottam left, and Schwarz invited Lowe to join. Landeman then left to join

Vanity Fare Vanity Fare (often misspelled ''Vanity Fair'', due to the similarity of the novel and magazine title) are an English pop/rock group formed in 1966. They had the million-selling song, " Hitchin' a Ride", which became a worldwide hit in 1970. C ...

, Bob Andrews joined on keyboards, and finally, Whale was replaced by Billy Rankin on drums. Although the next three singles also failed, they had a residency as support band at

The Marquee The Marquee Club was a music venue first located at 165 Oxford Street in London, when it opened in 1958 with a range of jazz and skiffle acts. Its most famous period was from 1964 to 1988 at 90 Wardour Street in Soho, and it finally closed whe ...

. The band's style was changing from pop into "a folk-rock band with psychedelic pretentions". Allmusic Biography of Brinsley Schwarz by Stephen Thomas ErlewineRetrieved 19 March 2009 In 1969 they renamed the band after their guitarist, and performed their new music under this name, whilst continuing to play pop as Kippington Lodge. One of the band's first managers, John Schofield, was at the time the lover of

Hattie Jacques Hattie Jacques (; born Josephine Edwina Jaques; 7 February 1922 – 6 October 1980) was an English comedy actress of stage, radio and screen. She is best known as a regular of the ''Carry On'' films, where she typically played strict, no-non ...

(who would occasionally make bacon sandwiches for the band members when they visited Schofield's home). In the early part of their career the band shared a communal home in a large old house in Beaconsfield and these premises were used as a rehearsal space by The Band, who came to the UK as part of the

Warner Brothers Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...

tour. The Band borrowed Brinsley Schwarz's instruments to rehearse.

Publicity campaign

Brinsley Schwarz signed a contract with manager Dave Robinson, of Famepushers, who devised a plan to earn the band extensive publicity. They were to open for

Van Morrison Sir George Ivan Morrison (born 31 August 1945), known professionally as Van Morrison, is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist whose recording career spans seven decades. He has won two Grammy Awards. As a teenager in t ...

and

Quicksilver Messenger Service Quicksilver Messenger Service is an American psychedelic rock band formed in 1965 in San Francisco. The band achieved wide popularity in the San Francisco Bay Area and, through their recordings, with psychedelic rock enthusiasts around the globe, ...

at the

Fillmore East The Fillmore East was rock promoter Bill Graham's rock venue on Second Avenue near East 6th Street in the (at the time) Lower East Side neighborhood, now called the East Village neighborhood of the borough of Manhattan of New York City. I ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

, on 3 and 4 April 1970. Robinson would fly a plane full of British journalists to the show, so they could review it, along with the winners of a '' Melody Maker'' competition, arranged in order to get pre-publicity. Though the band had planned on leaving a few days early, so they could rehearse,

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problems prevented this, so they went to Canada and entered the US in a light aircraft. They arrived in New York shortly before they were due on stage, and had to use hired equipment with which they were unfamiliar. The journalists were due the following day, but their plane was delayed for four hours, so they had free use of the bar, and eventually arrived at the show either drunk or hung over. The show did not go over well, and the band received a flood of negative reviews over the following weeks, including bad reviews of their first album, '' Brinsley Schwarz'', which was released shortly after their return to the United Kingdom. This incident became known as the ''Brinsley Schwarz Hype''.

Casey Kasem Kemal Amin "Casey" Kasem (April 27, 1932 – June 15, 2014) was an American disc jockey, actor, and radio personality, who created and hosted several radio countdown programs, notably ''American Top 40''. He was the first actor to voice No ...

's version of this story, in a September 1979 episode of ''American Top Forty'', implied that the presence of the critics was a surprise to the band.

Pub-rock

Later in 1970, Brinsley Schwarz released their second album, '' Despite It All'', which had a definite

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while ...

sound to it. They were heavily influenced by Eggs over Easy, who they first saw perform at 'The Tally Ho' in

Kentish Town Kentish Town is an area of northwest London, England in the London Borough of Camden, immediately north of Camden Town. Less than four miles north of central London, Kentish Town has good transport connections and is situated close to the open ...

, and admired their laid-back style and extensive repertoire. In 1971, guitarist Ian Gomm joined the band, and they recorded their third album ''

Silver Pistol ''Silver Pistol'' is an album by Brinsley Schwarz, released in 1972. It was the first album to include Ian Gomm. Critical reception AllMusic wrote: "''Silver Pistol'' isn't the definitive pub rock album, but it is the first great record to surf ...

''. In response to "the hype", they became anti-commercial and spent much of 1971 rehearsing, although they toured on the 'Downhome Rhythm Kings' package with

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and Ernie Graham (ex

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), who were all managed by Dave Robinson. This led to them backing Ernie Graham on his eponymous solo album. Brinsley Schwarz played at the second Glastonbury Festival (1971), and one track, "Love Song", appeared on the subsequent '' Glastonbury Fayre'' album. Their solid live performances soon garnered the

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a large fanbase in London, and, along with bands like Eggs over Easy, Brinsley Schwarz were soon dubbed " pub rock" by rock journalists. They sounded rather like The Band, with Schwarz's guitar work influenced greatly by Robbie Robertson's. In February 1972, they supported

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and

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at the Greasy Truckers Party, which was issued as a double album, and brought critical acclaim. Unfortunately, for a band known for its live performances, this was their only live album. 1972's ironic take on country-rock, '' Nervous on the Road'', also received excellent reviews. It did not reach the charts, but earned them a slot opening for

Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained worldwide fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John Lennon. One ...

's Wings 1973 UK Tour. The same year, they also acted as

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 ...

's band for his debut album '' Once in a Blue Moon''. Their fifth studio album '' Please Don't Ever Change'', issued in 1973, was less well received by the critics, and achieved poor sales. However during this time they made successful appearances on ''

The Old Grey Whistle Test ''The Old Grey Whistle Test'' (sometimes abbreviated to ''Whistle Test'' or ''OGWT'') is a British television music show. The show was devised by BBC producer Rowan Ayers, commissioned by David Attenborough and aired on BBC2 from 1971 to 1988. ...

'' with Lowe on guitar and vocals, Gomm on bass and Schwarz on piano alongside Andrews on keyboard and recorded sessions for John Peel's

BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, ...

show. In 1974, they arranged for Dave Edmunds to produce their sixth album '' The New Favourites of... Brinsley Schwarz'', which was more polished, and again received good reviews. This association also led to their touring as Dave Edmunds' backing band, appearing on the live tracks of his ''

Subtle as a Flying Mallet ''Subtle as a Flying Mallet'' is the second solo album by Dave Edmunds, principally focused on sound-alike remakes of late 1950s and early 1960s hits. All of the vocals (except on the live tracks) are by Edmunds, and many of the songs are true s ...

'' album. In addition to the albums, Brinsley Schwarz also issued a series of singles under their own name, and various pseudonyms, such as "The Hitters", "The Knees", "Limelight" and "The Brinsleys" but these all failed. They recorded a final album, ''It's All Over Now'', in 1974 but this was not released at the time. They finally disbanded in March 1975.

Subsequent careers

Brinsley Schwarz and Bob Andrews joined Graham Parker & the Rumour, which functioned as a unit through 1981. Later Andrews moved to

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

. Schwarz, meanwhile, continued playing as a sideman for various artists through the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s. Schwarz joined a reunited Ducks Deluxe in 2009, then both Schwarz and Andrews joined a reunited Rumour in 2012. Billy Rankin joined

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and then

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's Tiger. He retired from the music industry in 1977, though he was persuaded to play with a reunited Ducks Deluxe for their 30th anniversary reunion show in 2007. Nick Lowe and Ian Gomm both began solo careers, achieving moderate mainstream success. Lowe's 1978 album '' Jesus of Cool'' received considerable critical acclaim and reached number 22 in the

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. It included the track " I Love the Sound of Breaking Glass", which reached number 7 in the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

. The album also included Bob Andrews on keyboard and Dave Edmunds on guitar. Lowe also co-wrote Dr. Feelgood's top ten hit " Milk and Alcohol", which reached number 9 in 1979. Lowe's 1979 single and biggest worldwide hit "

Cruel to Be Kind "Cruel to Be Kind" is a song by Nick Lowe, co-written by Lowe and his former Brinsley Schwarz bandmate Ian Gomm. Written by Lowe and Gomm while the pair were in Brinsley Schwarz, the song was saved on a demo until Columbia Records convince ...

" was co-written with Gomm and originally recorded by Brinsley Schwarz for their unreleased final album. This version was included on the 2008 30th anniversary edition of the '' Jesus of Cool'' album. In 1979, Gomm had a hit with "Hold On", which reached number 18 in the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart. The original version of "

(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding" is a 1974 song written by English singer/songwriter Nick Lowe. Initially released by Lowe with his band Brinsley Schwarz on their 1974 album '' The New Favourites of... Brinsley Schwarz' ...

", which was written by Lowe and was later covered by Elvis Costello, was released by the band in 1974 on their album '' The New Favourites of... Brinsley Schwarz''. Costello knew of the song as both a fan and part-time roadie for the band, which is where he and Lowe first met. Another rendition was featured on the multi-million-selling film

soundtrack A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack ...

'' The Bodyguard: Original Soundtrack Album'', performed by

Curtis Stigers Curtis Stigers (born October 18, 1965) is an American jazz singer. He achieved a number of hits in the early 1990s, most notably the international hit " I Wonder Why" (1991), which reached No. 5 in the UK and No. 9 in the US. Career S ...

. Bill Murray's character sang the song at a party in Sofia Coppola's film ''Lost in Translation.''

Discography

Studio albums

* '' Brinsley Schwarz'' (April 1970) * '' Despite It All'' (December 1970) * ''

'' (February 1972) * '' Nervous on the Road'' (September 1972) * '' Please Don't Ever Change'' (October 1973) * '' The New Favourites of... Brinsley Schwarz'' (July 1974)

Singles

(1974)

Archive release

* ''It's All Over Now'' (recorded 1974, officially released 2017)

Compilations

* ''Original Golden Greats'' (1974) (includes two live tracks and two studio tracks not included on other albums) (LP) * ''15 Thoughts of Brinsley Schwarz'' (1978) (includes two singles not included on other albums) (LP) * ''Surrender to the Rhythm'' (1991) (CD) * ''Nervous On The Road/The New Favourites Of... Brinsley Schwarz'' (1995) (CD) * ''Hen's Teeth'' (singles) (1998) * ''Rarities'' (July 2000) * ''What IS So Funny About Peace Love & Understanding?'' (BBC recordings) (2001) * ''Cruel to Be Kind'' (BBC recordings) (2004) * ''Last Orders!'' (2021) (early recordings for radio and television, outtakes, rehearsals, and home recordings)

Various artists albums

* '' Glastonbury Fayre'' (April 1972) * '' Greasy Truckers Party'' (April 1972)

As a backing band

* ''Ernie Graham'' (1971) - Ernie Graham's only solo album * '' Once in a Blue Moon'' (1973) -

's debut album * ''

'' (1975) - Dave Edmunds, only the live tracks

References

External links

Pete Frame on the band's Fillmore East debut, ZigZag magazine, May 1970

Rolling Stone's Brinsley Schwarz

Performance of Surrender to the Rhythm on The Old Grey Whistle Test 1973
* {{Authority control English rock music groups British pub rock music groups Musical groups established in 1969 Musical groups disestablished in 1975