Relationships and chance encounters is the background for the formation of US act VISUAL CLIFF. Rob Perez (guitars) had become aquainted with Rick Mals (drums) in the 80's, and in the early 90's with Rob Klan (keyboards). In both cases circumstances saw to it that they drifted apart though, but in 1999 Perez sought out Rick with some ideas in mind in terms of creating music together, and a chance encounter with Klas in a restaurant and then later in the year hooking up with Eric Fuller (bass) resulted in a band forming - more or less. A demo was made at first, but as Fuller had an education to finish, as well as getting married, concrete results didn't appear until 2003, with the release of Visual Cliff's debut album "Lyrics For The Living", and it wasn't until one year later that Fuller could join the band in earnest, for the recording of the second album "Key To Eternity".Both albums were pretty succesfull, and are currently on their second print run. For their third album Perez decided to contact vocalist Shane Lankford of Orphan Project, who made quite an impression on Perez, and asked if he's like to hook up with Visual Cliff for vocal duties there as well. He was positive, and in 2005 "Freedom Within" was issued, to great success. The album is currently in it's third pressing, after selling out the first two.In 2007 "Into The After" saw the light of day, and this time around Lankford's vocals were given more place than on their 2005 album. Line-up / Musicians Rob Klan/keyboards Rick Mals/drums,bass Rob Perez/guitars Discography(Album) Lyrics for the Living 2003
1.Piercing the skies (Psalm 33) 2.The endless generation (Psalm 49) 3.Spirit filled (Psalm 96) 4.Conquering mind (Psalm 118) 5.Leap ff faith (Psalm 115) 6.For all she is 7.Wisdom's call 8.Rapture
The short-lived band named Asterix was a direct precursor of the better-known Lucifer's Friend, having in fact the same exact lineup of vocalist John Lawton, guitarist Peter Hesslein, organist Peter Hecht, bassist Dieter Horns, and drummer Joachim Rietenbach when they recorded their sole, eponymous album, in 1970. A single called "Everybody" (b/w "If I Could Fly") had actually been released earlier that year while the group was still working with one George Monroe as singer, but it was obviously Lawton's presence that catalyzed their evolution into Lucifer's Friend, whose classic eponymous album would soon emerge through Phillips and signal the retirement of the Asterix moniker. Line-up / Musicians Peter Hecht/keyboards Peter Hesslein/guitar Dieter Horns/bass George Monroe/vocals Joachim Rietenbach/drums Discography(Album) Asterix 1970
1.Look Out 2.Gone From My Life 3.Broken Home 4.Time Again 5.Jump Into My Action 6.Open Up Your Mind 7.Corner Street Girl 8.Chance In You 9.Morning At My Dawn
Canadian brass rock band LIGHTHOUSE were formed in Toronto 1969. Unusually, the band leader Ronn "Skip" Prokop (born 13 December 1946 in Ontario) was a drummer, he has played previously with artists such as Janis Joplin, Carlos Santana and Al Kooper before forming his first band THE PAUPERS. Of these, the Kooper connection is probably the most significant, as the music of Lighthouse is based around a solid brass section and big arrangements, similar to those of BLOOD SWEAT AND TEARS and CHICAGO (TRANSIT AUTHORITY).Prokop's ambitions were made clear from the outset when the first line up of Lighthouse had no less than 11 members. The were quickly picked up by RCA Victor, who release the bands self titled debut in 1969. Further albums followed quickly, but the punningly titled "Peacing it all together", their third release, would see the end of their relationship with RCA. The move to GRT records coincided with the recruitment of vocalist Bob McBride, whose contribution to the fourth album "One fine morning" proved to be a commercial turning point for the band. The album spawned the bands first two hit singles, including the striking title track. Prokop's penchant for jazz/fusion and classical music led to a number of live collaborations with orchestras which, when combined with the band's appearances at a number of high profile pop/rock festivals (they declined an offer to appear at Woodstock though), meant Lighthouse's fortunes continued in the ascendancy. Perhaps realising letting the band go had been a touch premature, RCA quickly put together a compilation of the material they still owned in 1971, in the form of the rather cheekily titled "One fine light" compilation. The following year, the band's first live album, the superb "Lighthouse live" was released, becoming Canada's first platinum selling album. Singer Bob McBride would leave the band after the release of the "Sunny days" album, a time which in retrospect was the beginning of the end for the band in both commercial and creative terms. Despite the fact that it was on reality his band, Prokop left in 1974 after the next album "Good day". The rest of the band soldiered on for a while, but the soul of the band had gone, and they eventually bowed to the inevitable and split in 1976. Line-up / Musicians Dick Armin/cello Ralph Cole/guitar,vocals Don Dinovo/viola Paul Hoffert/keyboards Keith Jollimore/vocals,wind Bobby McBride/percussion,vocals Pete Pantaluk/trumpet Skip Prokop/guitar,drums,vocals Howard Shore/saxophone Larry Smith/trombone,vocals Louis Yacknin/bass Discography(Album) One Fine Morning 1970
1.Love Of A Woman 2.Little Kind Words 3.Old Man 4.Sing Sing Sing 5.1849 6.One Fine Morning 7.Hats Off (To The Stranger) 8.Show Me The Way 9.Step Out On The Sea 10.Sweet Lullaby
