Spontaneous Combustion | Musician/band
Spontaneous Combustion
Phone: +61 474 854 928
Reviews
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24.01.2022 This takes my breath away! Don't know how I never heard this fantastic band and album before. Excellent symphonic rock!
19.01.2022 Spontaneous Combustion, the early days. Originally named Transit Sound, the group gained a following playing their own original music in clubs around Dorset, in...cluding a number of shows at the Oakdale Boys Club hall about 300 meters/1000 feet from Greg Lake's house. Greg was looking to help local bands after achieving his own great success as a singer, songwriter, producer, bassist, and guitarist in King Crimson and Emerson, Lake & Palmer. Greg's friend, rock manager John House, introduced the group to Greg and asked Greg's opinion about proposed song titles for a record the group was planning to record. Greg was excited about the band's music and talent, and he offered to produce their records and finance their first single. He suggested their name change to Spontaneous Combustion. He brought the group to EMI Records' A&R manager Nick Mobbs, who signed them to EMI with their new group name, and brought their records out on EMI's progressive rock label Harvest in the UK and Capitol Records in the U.S., alongside fellow artists Deep Purple, Pink Floyd, Yes, Electric Light Orchestra, Roy Harper, and more. (Six years later, Nick Mobbs signed the Sex Pistols to EMI - a famously short-lived relationship, as the Pistols soon were fired a few months later after an obscenity-filled insulting tirade during a live radio interview.) In summer 1970, Transit Sound played a show at the Bournemouth Regatta beat group contest and were awarded first place. The Bournemouth and Poole newspapers reported their win, with a photo of them receiving their award. The article teased that Transit Sound would be recording an album, and changing their name. Ooh, a mystery! All was not completely happy, though. The group originally was started in 1969 by 16-year-olds Gary Margetts (guitarist, songwriter, lead singer, pianist) and his longtime best friend Steve Evans (guitarist and singer). They convinced Gary's brother, 14-year-old Tris Margetts, to learn bass and join, and completed the group with their 15-year-old high school friend Tony Brock on drums, percussion, and vocals. All of the group were extremely talented musicians and innovative songwriters, and were responsible for the group's strong following. But as the time came to begin recording, there was pressure to have the group be a trio. There was pressure for Gary to give the news to his best friend that management wanted the group to be one guitarist, one drummer, one bassist. It was a decision Gary long regrets, and it is a true testament to the power of friendship that their friendship survived and both remain friends. Spontaneous Combustion's first single, with three songs ("Lonely Singer" and "200 Lives" backed with "Leaving"), produced by Greg Lake, was released in November 1971. Their eponymous first album, also produced by Greg Lake, was released in January 1972. The album's gatefold sleeve had comic-strip-style cartoon illustrations by designer Paul May, depicting a superhero theme of the group's manager rescuing them by speedboat, from gangsters holding them back from getting to the recording studio where Greg Lake was waiting for them; and it featured cartoons of Gary Margetts, Tris Margetts, Tony Brock, and Greg Lake. And Spontaneous Combustion went on tour with Emerson, Lake & Palmer in 1971 and 1972, opening for ELP in the UK and Europe at ages 15 (Tris), 16 (Tony), and 17 (Gary). They also were supposed to open for ELP in the U.S. in early 1972, but my government denied the teenagers work visas, depriving me also of the opportunity to see Spontaneous Combustion play live. I saw ELP for the first times on 24 and 25 March 1972, in San Francisco - only my second and third-ever rock concerts my parents allowed me to attend. I regret the missed opportunity to see the band, whose great musicianship I love! Spontaneous Combustion's first professional recording was arranged, performed, and produced on the spur of the moment in just about two hours in late 1970 or early 1971, when Greg Lake called the Margetts brothers to tell them Keith Emerson and Carl Palmer had to leave an ELP "Tarkus" album recording session a couple of hours early; the studio time was already booked; Greg wondered if Spontaneous Combustion would like to come in to Advision Studios and record something? Gary grabbed the lyrics to a song written by his friend Mike Rowe, that Gary had composed a piano accompaniment for. Tris and Tony had never heard it before. Gary played the piece for everyone, and all three plus Greg arranged the song on the spot. Greg then played piano, so Gary could concentrate on singing lead vocals. Everyone sang harmony on the chorus. Famed recording engineer Eddy "Are You Ready, Eddy?" Offord recorded the song, with Greg producing. Greg did not instruct Eddy to put in a new tape, so the song "Just A Dream" was recorded on an ELP "Tarkus" recording session tape. Forty years later, when a remix engineer remastered ELP's "Tarkus" album, he found the song on a master tape, and not knowing it was a different band, he included "Just A Dream" as a bonus track on the 2012 deluxe reissue of "Tarkus" - an honest mistake, easily understandable. (Two other bonus tracks were included also, including Greg's incredibly beautiful "Oh, My Father"). He titled the song "Unknown Ballad," and credited Keith Emerson as composer, Greg for lyrics, and ELP as performers. Another thing that made the mixup very understandable was that there are only a few recordings of Keith Emerson singing, and in this particular song, Keith's voice had some similar qualities to Gary Margetts's. Here's Keith Emerson singing - "Little Arabella" with The Nice; followed by "Just A Dream" aka "Unknown Ballad," and two songs by Spontaneous Combustion with Gary Margetts's lead singing - the latter three songs all recorded in 1971. What do you think - does the lead singing of "Just A Dream"-"Unknown Ballad" sound like Keith Emerson, or Gary Margetts? The Nice - Keith Emerson singing "Little Arabella" https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=o9Jg6Nxns0E Spontaneous Combustion - "Just A Dream" 1971 aka Emerson, Lake & Palmer - "Unknown Ballad" https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=S_gqlbALbAU Spontaneous Combustion - "Leaving" 1971 https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=9Rlbk-TqZ7g Spontaneous Combustion - "Lonely Singer" 1971 https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-lK7cnyIyWY Tony Brock - drums, percussion, vocals Gary Margetts - guitar, lead vocals, composer Tris Margetts - bass, harmony vocals Mike Rowe - lyrics, "Just A Dream" Greg Lake - piano, harmony vocals, producer Eddy Offord - recording engineer Recorded at Advision Studios, London Arranged by Spontaneous Combustion and Greg Lake
14.01.2022 Tris Margetts' bandmate in the Greg Lake Band (along with Greg Lake, Ted McKenna, and Tommy Eyre), the great Gary Moore, playing with fellow guitar legends Albert King and Albert Collins. Thank you Steven Crayn for sharing.
12.01.2022 Happy weekend and enjoy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jUaUs0ceZbs
06.01.2022 This could be interesting! https://deadline.com//radar-pictures-develop-emerson-lak/ ... Emerson Lake and Palmer - "Karn Evil 9" full (29:37) - 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Impressions From album "Brain Salad Surgery" (1973) https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=fLS0Med0s6E
04.01.2022 Here's an insightful and entertaining interview with Greg Lake and Carl Palmer, published in Newsweek in October 2016, several months after Keith Emerson's sad passing, and only weeks before Greg himself sadly passed away of cancer. Yet there are moments Greg has me laughing with his answers. Really a wonderful interview with two people I hugely admire, whose music I adore. Great pictures, too. https://www.newsweek.com/interview-greg-lake-and-carl-palme
