HARSH REALITY - "HEAVEN & HELL" SO VERY RARE 1969 LP
£
76
$
101
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Description
HARSH REALITY - "HEAVEN & HELL" EXTREMLY RARE, ORIGINAL 1969 UK pressing - on PHILIPS label SBL.7891 VINYL is A1 condition, plays well with no pops, clicks or scuffs. The gatefold COVER looks worse than it is....it has had all edges and spine taped with selotape(?) originally clear but now aged yellowish (see picture). Apart from the tape, there is not much wear, laminate is good and there are no tears or scuff marks. Complete in its original inner sleeve.
From Wikipedia
Harsh Reality are a little-known, proto-prog band born in Stevenage, Hertfordshire out of the remnants of the Freightliner Blues Band (formerly the Revolution) in the early sixties. The band consisted of Mark Griffiths and Dave Jenkins on guitars, Alan Greed on lead vocals and organ, Roger Swallow on drums, and Steve Miller on bass and backing vocals. They released a single for Phillips in 1968 ("Tobacco Ash Sunday"/"How Do You Feel") before releasing their only LP, Heaven and Hell, on Phillips in 1969. A final single followed soon after, before the band split in 1969.
Their Heaven and Hell LP is now a highly-sought rarity, going for hundreds of pounds between eager collectors. For this reason, Harsh Reality is somewhat famous/infamous in collecting circles.
Though technically proto-prog, their work represented a marriage between the sounds of Procol Harum and early Deep Purple.
Following the band's demise, Roger Swallow has lent his talent variously to Principle Edwards Magic Theatre, Matthews Southern Comfort, Plainsong, Albion Country Band, and Al Stewart before moving to California and establishing himself as an electronic musician, songwriter and entrepreneur. Alan Greed went on to work with Ray Russell[1] on the Rock Workshop albums and as a session singer. Mark Griffiths has worked with Matthews Southern Comfort, Jonathan Kelly, Al Stewart, David Essex, The Everly Brothers, and Cliff Richard & The Shadows. The rest of the band also went into session work.
The song "Tobacco Ash Sunday" was covered by Paul Weller for AOL Sessions.
Discography
Vocalist/ organist Alan Greed later fronted the jazzy/ progressive outfit The Running Man- a self-titled lp was released in the UK on the Neon label in 1972- along with Ray Russell and drummer Alan Rushton- Russell and Rushton both appeared a year later in the short-lived prog/ rock comb Mouse with the "Lady killer" lp issued in the UK on the Sovereign label.
- "Tobacco Ash Sunday" b/w "How Do You Feel"
- Heaven And Hell (Philips (S)BL 7891) 1969 [CD reissue: Progressive Line PL533 - Australia, 2002]
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