Play Me Out
Encyclopedia
Play Me Out is the first solo record by former Deep Purple
and Trapeze
bassist/ vocalist Glenn Hughes. It was first released in July 1977. The album marked a definite change in style to Hughes’ hard rock albums with Deep Purple, moving into a funk
and soul
inspired direction. The album was reissued in 2010 as a special on-demand release, with the audio remastered from the original quarter inch tapes.
had been initially lined up to produce the album; Bowie himself had been delving into similar musical territory at the time with Young Americans
. However due to Deep Purple’s touring schedule it was impossible for Hughes to find the time to make the album.
After Deep Purple fell apart in 1976 Hughes returned to the album and started recording at the Lee Sound Studio in Pelsall. Hughes’ former Trapeze band-mates Mel Galley
and Dave Holland
supplied the guitars and drums, respectively for the album and in 1976 Trapeze reunited for a tour. The reunion was short lived and the US tour was not completed.
Hughes came back to the studio in the autumn of 1976 to make finishing touches to the album, but it was almost a year before the album was released. With the rise of Punk rock
, it was hard for Hughes to get backing for his record and Play Me Out was initially only released in Germany. It wasn’t released in the UK until 1978 where it received little attention and was deleted not long after.
The album had limited re-issues in 1983 and 1990. In 1995 Play Me Out was again re-issued on RPM Records, this time including five bonus tracks: Smile, an intended single that was never released, two tracks taken from an abandoned 1978 follow-up and two from sessions in 1994, which Hughes believed sounded similar in spirit to Play Me Out.
Deep Purple
Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in Hertford in 1968. Along with Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, they are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal and modern hard rock, although some band members believe that their music cannot be categorised as belonging to any one genre...
and Trapeze
Trapeze (band)
Trapeze were an English rock band formed in March 1969, by vocalist John Jones and guitarist/keyboardist Terry Rowley , with guitarist Mel Galley, singer/bassist Glenn Hughes, and drummer Dave Holland...
bassist/ vocalist Glenn Hughes. It was first released in July 1977. The album marked a definite change in style to Hughes’ hard rock albums with Deep Purple, moving into a funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
and soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
inspired direction. The album was reissued in 2010 as a special on-demand release, with the audio remastered from the original quarter inch tapes.
History
Hughes had originally planned to release a solo album prior to Deep Purple splitting up. David BowieDavid Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
had been initially lined up to produce the album; Bowie himself had been delving into similar musical territory at the time with Young Americans
Young Americans (album)
Young Americans, released in 1975, shows off David Bowie’s 1970’s shift to his “obsession” with soul music . For this album, Bowie let go of the influences he had drawn from in the past, replacing them with sounds from “local dance halls”, which, at the time, were blaring with “…lush strings,...
. However due to Deep Purple’s touring schedule it was impossible for Hughes to find the time to make the album.
After Deep Purple fell apart in 1976 Hughes returned to the album and started recording at the Lee Sound Studio in Pelsall. Hughes’ former Trapeze band-mates Mel Galley
Mel Galley
Mel Galley was an English guitarist and a former member of the Hard rock bands Whitesnake, Trapeze, Finders Keepers and Phenomena. He was born in Cannock, Staffordshire, England...
and Dave Holland
Dave Holland (drummer)
Dave Holland is an English rock drummer, best remembered from his stint with Judas Priest between 1979 and 1989. He served time in prison for attempted rape of a 17-year-old boy...
supplied the guitars and drums, respectively for the album and in 1976 Trapeze reunited for a tour. The reunion was short lived and the US tour was not completed.
Hughes came back to the studio in the autumn of 1976 to make finishing touches to the album, but it was almost a year before the album was released. With the rise of Punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
, it was hard for Hughes to get backing for his record and Play Me Out was initially only released in Germany. It wasn’t released in the UK until 1978 where it received little attention and was deleted not long after.
The album had limited re-issues in 1983 and 1990. In 1995 Play Me Out was again re-issued on RPM Records, this time including five bonus tracks: Smile, an intended single that was never released, two tracks taken from an abandoned 1978 follow-up and two from sessions in 1994, which Hughes believed sounded similar in spirit to Play Me Out.
Track listing
- "I Got It Covered" – 5:38 (Hughes)
- "Space High" – 4:57 (Hughes)
- "It's About Time" – 4:59 (Hughes)
- "LA Cut Off" – 4:27 (Hughes)
- "Well" – 1:29 (Hughes)
- "Soulution" – 5:40 (Hughes)
- "Your Love Is Like A Fire" – 6:28 (Hughes)
- "Destiny" – 4:56 (Galley, Holland, Hughes)
- "I Found A Woman" – 4:03 (Hughes)
1995 Re-issue Bonus Tracks
- "Smile" – 4:26 (Hughes)
- "Getting Near To You" – 4:08 (Hughes)
- "Fools Condition" – 4:07 (Hughes)
- "Take Me With You" – 4:48 (Hughes)
- "She Knows" – 4:57 (Gowdy, Hughes)
Performers
- Glenn Hughes – Vocals, BassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, GuitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
and KeyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments... - Mel GalleyMel GalleyMel Galley was an English guitarist and a former member of the Hard rock bands Whitesnake, Trapeze, Finders Keepers and Phenomena. He was born in Cannock, Staffordshire, England...
– GuitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
s - Bob Bowman – GuitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
s - Pat TraversPat TraversPatrick Henry "Pat" Travers is a Canadian rock guitarist, keyboardist and singer who began his recording career with Polydor Records in the mid-1970s...
– GuitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
s - Dave HollandDave Holland (drummer)Dave Holland is an English rock drummer, best remembered from his stint with Judas Priest between 1979 and 1989. He served time in prison for attempted rape of a 17-year-old boy...
– DrumDrumThe drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
s - Terry Rowley – PianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
- Robert Bailey – PianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
- Ron Asprey – BrassBrass instrumentA brass instrument is a musical instrument whose sound is produced by sympathetic vibration of air in a tubular resonator in sympathy with the vibration of the player's lips...
- Henry LowtherHenry Lowther (musician)Henry Lowther is an English jazz trumpeter.Lowther's first experience was on cornet in a Salvation Army band. He studied violin briefly at the Royal Academy of Music but returned to trumpet by 1960 though he sometimes played violin professionally...
– TrumpetTrumpetThe trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air... - Mark NauseefMark NauseefMark Nauseef , is a drummer and percussionist who has enjoyed a varied career, ranging from rock music during the 1970s with his time as a member of the Ian Gillan Band and, temporarily, Thin Lizzy, to a wide range of musical styles in more recent times, playing with many notable musicians from all...
– PercussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration... - Tim Gehrt - DrumDrumThe drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
s on tracks 11 & 12 - Marc BonillaMarc BonillaMarc Bonilla is a guitarist. He has worked with Keith Emerson , Glenn Hughes , David Coverdale and Kevin Gilbert...
– Various Instruments on track 13 - Bruce GowdyBruce GowdyBruce Gowdy is an American guitarist, best known for his work with World Trade and Unruly Child.-Biography:Gowdy was a founding member of World Trade with Billy Sherwood and Guy Allison. He later formed Unruly Child with Allison. He was also a member of Stone Fury and has worked with musician...
– Various Instruments on track 14