Jet were an English

glam rock Glam rock is a style of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom in the early 1970s and was performed by musicians who wore outrageous costumes, makeup, and hairstyles, particularly platform shoes and glitter. Glam artists drew on diver ...

band from

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, England, formed in 1974. They released one album in 1975 before splitting up, with the bulk of the band going on to become the punk/new wave band

Radio Stars Radio Stars were an English new wave group formed in early 1977. They released two albums and had one UK Top 40 single. Career Radio Stars were formed by Sparks exile Martin Gordon (bass, songwriter) and also included ex-John's Children voc ...

History

The band formed in 1974 with a line-up of

Andy Ellison Andrew Ellison (born 5 July 1945 in Finchley, London, England) is an English musician and vocalist, best known as the frontman in John's Children, Jet and Radio Stars. He attended Box Hill School in Surrey, where he met Chris Townson. John's ...

(vocals, ex-

John's Children John's Children were a 1960s Mod (subculture), mod rock band from Leatherhead, England that briefly featured future T. Rex (band), T. Rex frontman Marc Bolan. John's Children were known for their outrageous live performances and were booted off ...

, solo artist),

Martin Gordon Martin Gordon (born 3 May 1954) is an English musician who plays bass guitar, double bass, and piano. After a long period as band member and session musician, he embarked on a solo career in 2004. His most recent album release was in 2021. B ...

(bass, ex-

Sparks Sparks may refer to: Places *Sparks, Georgia * Sparks, Kansas *Sparks, Kentucky *Sparks, Maryland * Sparks, Nebraska *Sparks, Nevada *Sparks, Oklahoma *Sparks, Texas * Sparks, Bell County, Texas * Sparks, West Virginia Books * ''Sparks'' (Raffi ...

Chris Townson Chris Townson (24 July 1947 – 10 February 2008) was an English musician, illustrator and social worker. He was a founding member of the 1960s rock group John's Children, and a member of several other bands, including Jook, Jet and Radio Star ...

(drums, formerly in

David O'List David O'List (born 13 December 1948) is an English rock guitarist, vocalist and trumpeter. He has played with The Attack, The Nice, Roxy Music (before being replaced by Phil Manzanera), and Jet (replaced by Ian Macleod). He also briefly deputi ...

(lead guitar, ex-member of

The Nice The Nice were an English progressive rock band active in the late 1960s. They blended rock, jazz and classical music and were keyboardist Keith Emerson's first commercially successful band. The group was formed in 1967 by Emerson, Lee Jack ...

and an early member of

Roxy Music Roxy Music are an English rock music, rock band formed in 1970 by Bryan Ferry—who became the band's lead vocalist and principal songwriter—and bassist Graham Simpson (musician), Graham Simpson. The other longtime members are Phil Manzanera ...

) and

Peter Oxendale Peter Oxendale (b. ) is an English forensic musicologist and an expert witness on copyright infringement in music. He was involved as an expert in the notable Blurred Lines lawsuit. He was a keyboardist in the glam rock bands Sparks and Jet and m ...

(keyboards for a short-lived live version of

).Thompson, Dave (2000) ''Glam Rock'', Collector's Guide Publishing Inc., , p. 156-8 They released one

eponymous An eponym is a person, a place, or a thing after whom or which someone or something is, or is believed to be, named. The adjectives which are derived from the word eponym include ''eponymous'' and ''eponymic''. Usage of the word The term ''epon ...

album from CBS in May 1975, produced by

Roy Thomas Baker Roy Thomas Baker (born 10 November 1946) is an English record producer, songwriter and arranger, who has produced rock and pop and songs since the 1970s. Career Baker began his career at Decca Records at the age of 14 and later worked as an a ...

. Preceding the release of the album was a brief UK tour supporting Ian Hunter &

Mick Ronson Michael Ronson (26 May 1946 – 29 April 1993) was an English musician, songwriter, arranger, and producer. He achieved critical and commercial success working with David Bowie as the guitarist of the Spiders from Mars. He was a session music ...

. The band's debut single, "My River".Thompson, Dave " Jet Biography

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

, retrieved 2010-05-08 was released to coincide with the tour, and was followed by a second single, "Nothing To Do With Us", which received enthusiastic review but failed to make an impact upon the charts. Dropped by CBS in 1975 due to poor sales, they split up in 1976 during sessions for a second album. O'List and Oxendale were replaced by guitarist Ian MacLeod. Subsequent sessions at Island Studios resulted in four recordings which were rejected by

Island Records Island Records is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded in 1959 by Chris Blackwell, Graeme Goodall, and Leslie Kong in Jamaica, and was eventually sold to PolyGram in 1989. Island and A&M Records, anoth ...

but welcomed by

Chiswick Records Chiswick Records was a British independent record label. Established in 1975, Chiswick was the "first true 'indie' label to be established in Britain for nearly a decade". The label has been described as "significant" in the "punk era". It rel ...

. The band changed their name to

, and found themselves redefined by the press as a punk/new wave band. The band briefly reformed in 2000 for a European tour, playing dates in the UK, Germany and the Netherlands, which resulted in the live album, ''Music for the Herd of Herring''. Ellison, Gordon, Townson and Macleod were augmented for the tour by Trevor White (a former member of

) and

Boz Boorer Martin James "Boz" Boorer (born 19 May 1962 in Edgware, Middlesex, England) is an English guitarist and producer most known for his work founding the new wave rockabilly group the Polecats; and later for his work as a co-writer, guitarist and m ...

(

Morrissey Steven Patrick Morrissey (; born 22 May 1959), known professionally as Morrissey, is an English singer and songwriter. He came to prominence as the frontman and lyricist of rock band the Smiths, who were active from 1982 to 1987. Since then ...

's musical director). Posthumous Jet releases include ''More Light than Shade'', a collection of live cuts and demos for the band's unrecorded second album, and ''Some Flotsam'', two live sets from their debut UK tour with Hunter-Ronson in 1975. The first officially sanctioned release of the eponymous ''Jet'' album was released in October 2010, on the UK

label A label (as distinct from signage) is a piece of paper, plastic film, cloth, metal, or other material affixed to a container or product, on which is written or printed information or symbols about the product or item. Information printed dir ...

RPM Records (UK) RPM Records is the name of: *RPM Records (United Kingdom) *RPM Records (United States) RPM Records was an American Los Angeles-based record label launched in 1950. This is not the same RPM used by Tony Bennett, nor is it related to labels in the ...

, as part of a

double album A double album (or double record) is an audio album that spans two units of the primary medium in which it is sold, typically either records or compact disc. A double album is usually, though not always, released as such because the recording i ...

release (''Jet/Even More Light than Shade''), including previously unreleased material.

Sony Music Sony Music Entertainment (SME), also known as simply Sony Music, is an American multinational music company. Being owned by the parent conglomerate Sony Group Corporation, it is part of the Sony Music Group, which is owned by Sony Entertainment ...

finally released the Jet album to digital service providers in 2020. After a long period as a sideman/producer,

embarked on a solo career in 2001, releasing six albums in the so-called 'Mammal Trilogy', with

playing drums, on

Radiant Future Records Radiant Future Records is a British independent record label and home to one-time Sparks bassist Martin Gordon, Jet, Radio Stars, John's Children, the Blue Meanies and related artists. The label began operations in 2002 with the release of a ...

. Gordon continues to record, his most recent solo release being in 2022 with
Another Words - the Phone Call
which featured

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...

on vocals.

Discography

Albums

* ''Jet'' (CBS, S-80699, May 1975, digital release 2020)

Singles

* "My River" / "Quandary" (CBS, CBS-3143, March 1975) * "Nothing to Do with Us" (CBS, CBS-3317, June 1975)

Posthumous releases

* ''Jet'' (

RFVP002CD, 2001) - now withdrawn,

re-issue In the music industry, a reissue (also re-release, repackage or re-edition) is the release of an album or single which has been released at least once before, sometimes with alterations or additions. Reasons for reissue New audio formats Reco ...

d by RPM Records and subsequently withdrawn, released digitally in2020 by Sony Music * ''More Light Than Shade'' (Radiant Future Records RFVP003CD, 2001) - now withdrawn * ''More Flotsam'' (Radiant Future Records RF015, 2010) - download only, now withdrawn * ''Jet / Even More Light Than Shade'' ( RPM Records RETROD 882, 2010) (''Even More Light'' now withdrawn)

References

External links

Jet
at glam-rock.de
Jet on Martin Gordon's websiteRadiant Future
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jet English glam rock groups Musical groups established in 1974 English pop rock music groups Musical groups disestablished in 1976