Alvin Lee Band
1976-06-06
Offenburg, Messegelaende (Exhibition Grounds)
"Sunrise Festival"

Please note:
1. The only known recorded show of this band!
2. Uncirculated recording and first time on Dime

Lineage: Master reel > CD-R (in 2008 trade/swap) > wav > Audacity (for editing out gaps, auto-boosting levels, tracks marks etc.) > wav > FLAC (level 8)FLAC (level 8) > Dimeadozen > all TYAionados!

Sound quality vg+/3 out of 6
mp3 sample in comments.
Cover artwork with contemporary memorabilia and pix in torrent (PDF)

Track list:
1. GONNA TURN YOU ON
2. FRIDAY THE 13TH
3. MIDNIGHT SPECIAL
4. UNRELEASED NUMBER
5. AIN�T NOTHIN� SHAKIN� (end)
6. THE DEVIL�S SCREAMING (gap/tape flip edited at 7:37")

Bonus tracks:
7. SEA OF HEARTBREAK (promo single A-side)
8. IT�s A Gas (promo single B-side)

Line-up:
Alvin Lee (guitar & vocals)
Tim Hinkley (keyboards)
Andy Pyle (bass)
Bryson Graham (drums)

INFO ON THE TOUR AND SHOW:
Alvin had dissolved his first solo outfit Alvin Lee & CO. for TYA's massive mid-1975 farewell US tour and then formed his first (of many to follow) Alvin Lee Band in late 1975/early 1976 for furthering his solo career. This four-piece band (with the same instrumentation as TYA!) recorded an album which was to be titled "Saguitar" (a coinage of Alvins zodiacal sign Sagittarius and his instrument) which was scheduled for release in late May 1976. The band did one 10-date theatres and universities UK tour from late April to May 1976 to back their forthcoming release. Their 23 May 1976 London Chalk Farm Roundhouse show got much press coverage, but mainly due to Jeff Beck's surprise support appearance with Jan Hammer, his first UK show since BBA's breakup in early 1974. A tape of Jeff's & Jan's 30 min. show is in circulation, BTW.

Alvin's band then did one last UK show on 31 May 1976, headlining a charity open air festival for the benefit of the Sound End Charity Commitee and were obviously booked as a surprise late addition for one last and only show abroad, the "Sunrise Festival" in Offenburg, West Germany (an extremely hot and sunny affair, that fest - and that entire summmer). Given that Alvin was not announced, we Alvinatix may consider ourselves extra-lucky that one fan had his equipment ready to record their set, if only partially and in ...well, "oper air quality" - and all the more since that tape never got into circulation and I only received it in 2008 after much gentle ...er, "pestering" from a (Hungarian, IIRC) collector.

Seems Alvin dissolved this band straight afterwards and once said when Punk broke loose during that year he wouldn't touch his guitar for an entire year. Sounds likely as there are no known live acitivities by him up until April/May 1977 (see below).

INFO ON THE LOST "SAGUITAR" ALBUM:
Although there is a poster ad for "Saguitar" and even t-shirts with an emblazoned "Saguitar" lettering and logo were sold from the merch stands along the UK tour (see back cover artwork), and a promo single with two tracks off the album was produced (the two bonus tracks in this torrent), the album was never released. Asked what happened, Alvin stated in an interview he himself had to pull the plug on the album at the 11th hour because one of his co-musicians' manager obviously got "too greedy". That surely p*ssed off his record company Chrysalis, and Alvin's contract expired in 1977.

As an Alvinionado, that lost album has of course driven me NUTS - and the recordings ever leaked out of Alvin's Space Studios. Now, what's rather interesting and revealing about this show is to see that the band played not less than FOUR songs that would appear in 1978 on Ten Years Later's first album "Rocket Fuel"! Also, the promo single's B-side track "It's a Gas" was re-recorded by TYL in 1979 for their second album "Ride on" (as "It's a Gaz"). Therefore, I'd say it is pretty safe to assume that these were already part of that lost "Saguitar" album, right? When I met Alvin before a show in September 1985 and asked him what became of "Saguitar" he replied that that was "Let It Rock", Chrysalis' 1978 archival release to cash in in Alvin's renewed popularity with TYL. However, is seems that album only contained studio leftovers and numbers Alvin didn't take along for release with TYL - hence it's lameness (IMHO).

When Alvin decided to touch his axe again and TYA reformed briefly for album sessions in April/May 1977 (with one David Potts replacing Ric Lee), some of these numbers were tried again; however, acc. to Alvin that album "was not good and it wasn't TYA anyway", so the band band dissolved and an already scheduled US tour supporting Peter Frampton was cancelled. Alvin would then quickly form his new outfit TYL, and luckily, a tape of their first session from June 2, 1977 exists and reveals that FRIDAY THE 13TH, AIN�T NOTHIN� SHAKIN� and THE DEVIL�S SCREAMING were already played there! Alvin's new record company Polydor encouraged him to go for a harder-edged sound, maybe to go along the then burgeoning New Wave of British Heavy Metal, and that may be why he chose the trio format for the first time in his career. TYL would eventually release their excellent debut album in spring 1978. So, it took these "lost" numbers not less than three recording attempts and two years to finally see the light of day!
I'd still realy like to hear the entire lost album before I pass the Pearly Gates... :-)

Please do NOT sell this show or spread it in lossy formats - otherwise: trade, share, collect � and enjoy! Always looking forward to your comments and possibly even further info...

Uploaded to Dimeadozen on 12 February 2020 by DocDondy for all fellow-Dimers to enjoy.

Alvin ahoy!
Th:)mas