Fuchsia (band)
Encyclopedia
Fuchsia was a British progressive
folk rock
band formed in 1970. Named after Fuchsia Groan
they released one album before disbanding. Their self titled album was featured as one of Mojo
's Forgotten Classics. Their style was similar to their contemporaries Jade
and Comus
.
The band was formed by Tony Durant (acoustic guitar, electric guitar, lead vocals), while a student at Exeter University
, and comprised Michael Day (bass guitar), Michael Gregory (drums, percussion). The trio was soon augmented by Janet Rogers (violin, backing vocals), Madeleine Bland (cello, piano, harmonium, backing vocals) and Vanessa Hall-Smith
(violin, backing vocals) so that Durant could explore his musical ideas.
Produced by David Hitchcock the album was recorded at Sound Techniques Studios
by Vic Gamm. It was released by Pegasus (PEG 8) in the UK and Kingdom (KV 6002) in France. A single advertisement in the Melody Maker
and their manager's failure to arrange an often promised tour resulted in minimal sales and the demise of the band. Durant went to work in Australia with Dave Warner
and later learned of the popularity of the album amongst collectors and the unlicensed re-pressings. Using his original master tapes he digitally remastered the album at Sound Practices Studios in Sidney which was released on CD (Night Wing NWRCD 02).
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
folk rock
Folk rock
Folk rock is a musical genre combining elements of folk music and rock music. In its earliest and narrowest sense, the term referred to a genre that arose in the United States and the UK around the mid-1960s...
band formed in 1970. Named after Fuchsia Groan
Fuchsia Groan
Fuchsia Groan is a fictional character: The daughter of Sepulchrave, 76th Earl of Groan, in Mervyn Peake's novels Titus Groan and Gormenghast...
they released one album before disbanding. Their self titled album was featured as one of Mojo
Mojo (magazine)
MOJO is a popular music magazine published initially by Emap, and since January 2008 by Bauer, monthly in the United Kingdom. Following the success of the magazine Q, publishers Emap were looking for a title which would cater for the burgeoning interest in classic rock music...
's Forgotten Classics. Their style was similar to their contemporaries Jade
Jade (UK band)
Jade were an English folk rock band founded in 1970 by Dave Waite & Marianne Segal who had been performing as a folk duo since the mid 1960s. In the United States the group was known as Marianne Segal and Silver Jade...
and Comus
Comus (band)
Comus is a British progressive rock / folk band which had a brief career in the early 1970s; their first album, First Utterance, gave them a cult following which persists. They have revived in the late 2000s and played several festivals.-History:...
.
The band was formed by Tony Durant (acoustic guitar, electric guitar, lead vocals), while a student at Exeter University
University of Exeter
The University of Exeter is a public university in South West England. It belongs to the 1994 Group, an association of 19 of the United Kingdom's smaller research-intensive universities....
, and comprised Michael Day (bass guitar), Michael Gregory (drums, percussion). The trio was soon augmented by Janet Rogers (violin, backing vocals), Madeleine Bland (cello, piano, harmonium, backing vocals) and Vanessa Hall-Smith
Vanessa Hall-Smith
Vanessa Frances Hall-Smith MBE was the director of the British Institute of Florence from 2004 - 2011.Hall-Smith came from a family of doctors. She attended Roedean School, lived in Italy where she attended the University of Perugia, later studying law at the University of Exeter and conducted...
(violin, backing vocals) so that Durant could explore his musical ideas.
Produced by David Hitchcock the album was recorded at Sound Techniques Studios
Sound Techniques (studio)
Sound Techniques was a popular London recording studio at 46a Old Church Street, Chelsea, London, SW3 founded in December 1964. The premises were originally built as a dairy. It quickly became one of the top independently-owned studios in England. In 1976 the original location in Old Church Street...
by Vic Gamm. It was released by Pegasus (PEG 8) in the UK and Kingdom (KV 6002) in France. A single advertisement in the Melody Maker
Melody Maker
Melody Maker, published in the United Kingdom, was, according to its publisher IPC Media, the world's oldest weekly music newspaper. It was founded in 1926 as a magazine targeted at musicians; in 2000 it was merged into "long-standing rival" New Musical Express.-1950s–1960s:Originally the Melody...
and their manager's failure to arrange an often promised tour resulted in minimal sales and the demise of the band. Durant went to work in Australia with Dave Warner
Dave Warner
David Robert "Dave" Warner is an Australian rock musician, author and screenwriter.-Biography:Dave Warner was born in Bicton, Western Australia in 1953. He attended Aquinas College and then the University of Western Australia where he graduated with a B.A. , majoring in psychology...
and later learned of the popularity of the album amongst collectors and the unlicensed re-pressings. Using his original master tapes he digitally remastered the album at Sound Practices Studios in Sidney which was released on CD (Night Wing NWRCD 02).