Ace (band)
Gli Ace sono stati un gruppo musicale britannico, attivo negli anni settanta.
Storia del gruppo
Gli Ace nacquero nel 1972 a Sheffield, originariamente come "Ace Flash and the Dynamos", per mano di Phil Harris ed Alan King, ex cantante e chitarrista delle band Mod Mighty Baby ed Action, assieme a Paul Carrack e Tex Comer che provenivano dagli Warm Dust e Steve Witherington, che lasciò la band l'anno seguente per essere sostituito dall'ex Bees Make Horney Fran Byrne. La band debutta nel dicembre del 1972 e divenne famosa nel circuito del pub rock per le forti influenze funky.
Nel 1974 il gruppo registra Five A Side per la casa discografica Anchor Records. L'album è una combinazione di pub rock e funk e il suo singolo How Long si affaccia alle classifiche inglesi ed americane, raggiungendo il 1 posto proprio in queste.
Segue Time For Another nel 1975 ed un tour negli Stati Uniti come spalla degli Yes senza tuttavia ottenere il successo sperato. Harris lascia il gruppo, sostituito da John Woodhead. Trasferitisi a Los Angeles incidono Noo Strings nel gennaio nel 1977, che passa completamente inosservato.
Il gruppo si scioglie e di tutti solo Carrack sarà capace di intraprendere una carriera autonoma, suonando con Roxy Music, Squeeze, Nick Lowe e con Mike + The Mechanics. Collabora anche con Roger Waters, con cui suona anche al megaconcerto The Wall a Berlino, nel 1990 davanti a 250.000 persone.
Formazione
- Alan King - chitarra ritmica e voce (1972-1977)
- John Woodhead - chitarra solista e voce (1972-1977)
- Paul Carrack - tastiere e voce(1972-1977)
- Terry Comer - basso(1972-1977)
- Fran Byrne - batteria(1972-1977)
Discografia
Album in studio
- 1974 - Five a Side
- 1975 - Time for Another
- 1977 - No Strings
- 1982 - Six Aside
Raccolte
- 1987 - How Long: The Best Of Ace
- 1993 - The Very Best Of Ace
- 2003 - The Best Of Ace (Varèse)
Ace were a British rock band who enjoyed moderate success in the 1970s. Their membership included Paul Carrack, who later became famous as a vocalist for Mike + The Mechanics and as a solo artist. Ace are best known for their hit single "How Long", which was a top 20 single in the United Kingdom in 1974, and reached no. 3 in the United States and Canada in 1975.
Career
The band were formed in December 1972 in Sheffield as "Ace Flash and the Dynamos", but the name was soon abbreviated to "Ace". The members were assembled from various professional bands. Carrack and Terry Comer had previously played with Warm Dust, and Alan "Bam" King with Mighty Baby, whose antecedents were the 1960s band The Action. Ace were popular on the pub rock circuit. Their music was a fusion of pop and funk.
Before the recording of their debut album, Five-A-Side, the former drummer of Bees Make Honey, Fran Byrne, replaced Steve Witherington. The single "How Long" was taken from this record, and was a significant chart success, achieving a Top 20 place in the UK Singles Chart, and reaching number three in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart in the spring of 1975. The Five-A-Side album did well on its own, too, peaking at number 11 on the Billboard 200. Carrack, the band's keyboardist and chief songwriter, sang lead on "How Long", but was not the band's only vocalist. Follow-up singles were sung by other band members.
Ace eventually moved to the United States, and replaced Phil Harris with Jon Woodhead in June 1976,[5] releasing their third and final album No Strings in January 1977. Unlike earlier Ace LPs, this album featured an emphasis on Carrack's vocals, and the two singles issued from the album both featured Carrack as lead singer. The singles, however, didn't chart and the group disbanded in July 1977, when Carrack, Comer and Byrne all joined Frankie Miller's backing band.
In addition to his solo career, Carrack has since played in Eric Clapton's band, Roger Waters' The Bleeding Heart Band, Roxy Music for the Manifesto album and tour, Squeeze in the early 1980s, and Mike + The Mechanics, for which he is best known. His solo re-recording of "How Long" became a UK Top 40 hit again in 1996.
Personnel
- Paul Carrack (born 22 April 1951, Sheffield, Yorkshire) – keyboards, vocals (1972–1977)
- Alan "Bam" King (born 18 September 1946, Kentish Town, London) – rhythm guitar, vocals (1972–1977)
- Terry "Tex" Comer (born 23 February 1949, Burnley, Lancashire) – bass (1972–1977)
- Phil Harris (born Philip Harris, 18 July 1948, Muswell Hill, London) – lead guitar, vocals (1972–1976)
- Steve Witherington (born 26 December 1953, Enfield, Middlesex) – drums (1972–1974)
- Fran Byrne (born 17 March 1948, Dublin, Ireland) – drums (1974–1977)
- Jon Woodhead – lead guitars, vocals (1976–1977)
Discography
Albums
| Year | Album | US | CAN | Record Label |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | Five-A-Side | 11 | 16 | Anchor Records |
| 1975 | Time for Another | 153 | — | Anchor Records |
| 1977 | No Strings | 170 | — | Anchor Records |
Compilation albums
- Six-A-Side – 1982
- How Long: The Best of Ace – 1987
- The Very Best of Ace – 1993
- The Best of Ace (Varèse) – 2003
Singles
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Record Label | B-side | Album | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | AC | CAN | UK | |||||
| 1974 | "How Long" | 3 | 24 | 3 | 20 | Anchor Records | "Sniffin' About" | Five-A-Side |
| 1975 | "I Ain't Gonna Stand for This No More" | — | — | — | 51 | Anchor Records | "Rock & Roll Runaway" | Time for Another |
| "Rock & Roll Runaway" | 71 | — | — | — | Anchor Records | "I Ain't Gonna Stand for This No More" (A-Side) | Five-A-Side | |
| "No Future in Your Eyes" | — | — | — | — | Anchor Records | "I'm a Man" | Time for Another | |
| 1977 | "You're All That I Need" | — | — | — | — | Anchor Records | "Crazy World" | No Strings |
| "Found Out the Hard Way" | — | — | — | — | Anchor Records | "Why Did You Leave Me" | ||
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1977 - Ace - No Strings - Rock And Roll Singer (Album Version)4:59
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1977 - Ace - No Strings - You're All That I Need (Album Version)3:46
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