Taking their name from the Disney cartoon character, Pluto were formed in North London in 1970. The key members, Gardner and Alan Warner were two highly experienced campaigners from widely disparate musical backgrounds. Following extensive and exhausting auditions, the rhythm section was in place.On the road; their bluesy, hard-rock set quickly won them a fair old reputation and a loyal following on the university/college circuit, which they quickly expanded upon, eventually establishing themselves as regulars at many of the more prestigious gigs. They toured with just about everybody, whose sound was clearly reflected in Pluto’s set. Finally, the Dawn label signed them for their only studio album, recorded in early 1971.“Rag A Bone Joe”, the only track not written by Gardner/Warner in the album, features the bulk of their live set, albeit in a considerably less manic vein than their live performance. Gardner’s material (on which he takes the lead vocals) tends to be the more mainstream rock material: “Down And Out” (with its typically powerful riffing), “Stealing My Thunder” (featuring some tasty slide guitar), “Cross Fire” (which brings to mind early Black Sabbath), and “Bare Lady” (ditto) all being outstanding.Warner’s tracks (on which he sings lead) tend to be heavier and more menacing, notably “And My Old Rocking Horse”; “She’s Innocent” and “Road To Glory” with their power chords, riffing and liberal use of fuzzbox.A few tracks find them experimenting with vocal harmonies, somewhat in the manner of early ELO: “Mr. Westwood”, “Beauty Queen” and “Something That You Loved”.The standout of the outing is easily “I Really Want It”, built on a familiar riff (sounding remarkably like some of the early 70s glam rock), it’s easy to see why it picked up the airplay. In early 1972 the band began recording their second album, but recorded only a single and broke up. Line-up / Musicians Paul Gardner/guitar,vocals Derek Jervis/drums Alan Warner/guitar,vocals Michael Worth/bass Discography Pluto 1971
1.Crossfire 2.And My Old Rocking Horse 3.Down and Out 4.She's Innocent 5.Road to Glory 6.Stealing My Thunder 7.Beauty Queen 8.Mister Westwood 9.Rag a Bone Joe 10.Bare Lady
