The Gun (band)
Encyclopedia
The Gun was a late 1960s British
rock
guitar trio
who had a single British Top Ten hit, "Race With The Devil" and recorded two albums before disbanding. Two of its founders, brothers Paul and Adrian Gurvitz
, later took the name Three Man Army
and then, after joining up with Ginger Baker
, the Baker Gurvitz Army
.
, Buckinghamshire
- he was known by the surname Curtis until the early 1970s after which he returned to his original name Gurvitz). The Knack changed its name with the development of a psychedelic
style in the spring/summer of 1966, and became a power trio
consisting of Paul Curtis, bassist
, his younger brother Adrian Curtis (Adrian Gurvitz
), guitarist
/vocalist, and Louie Farrell (born Brian John Farrell, 8 December 1947, Goodmayes
, Essex
), drummer
, who had joined The Knack in mid 1966. The Gun performed at the UFO Club
, supporting bands such as Pink Floyd
, Arthur Brown
and Tomorrow
. Recording sessions at Olympic Studios
produced the unreleased single
"Lights On The Wall", while in November 1967 they recorded for the BBC
alternative music radio programme Top Gear and twice played on air.
After being signed to CBS Records
in early 1968 the band scored a hit
with the opening track from their eponymous album (1968), "Race With The Devil". Issued as a single in October 1968, it reached the top 10 in its native UK and #35 on the Australian Singles Chart (Go-Set) in March 1969. Jimi Hendrix
quoted the song's riff during his song "Machine Gun" at the Isle of Wight Festival
in 1970. "Race With The Devil" has been covered
by Judas Priest
(on the remastered CD version of Sin After Sin
), Black Oak Arkansas
(on their album Race With The Devil), Girlschool
(on their album Demolition
), and Church of Misery
(on their 1996 demo, released as a split album with Acrimony
, and on their full-length LP Vol. 1).
Their debut album's cover is noteworthy as an early example of the work of Roger Dean. Allmusic describes it as having a "distinctive psych-flavored proto-metal" sound. Their second album, Gunsight was released in 1969.
Despite releasing a number of other singles, and an an attempt by their record label to identify them with the underground counter-culture, the band had no further hits. The Gurvitz brothers, after a short time working separately, formed Three Man Army in 1971 and between 1974 and 1976 became the Baker Gurvitz Army with Ginger Baker
, the former drummer for Cream
in the line-up.
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
guitar trio
Power trio
A power trio is a rock and roll band format where the traditional power trio has a lineup of guitar, bass and drums, leaving out the rhythm guitar or keyboard that are used in other rock music to fill out the sound with chords...
who had a single British Top Ten hit, "Race With The Devil" and recorded two albums before disbanding. Two of its founders, brothers Paul and Adrian Gurvitz
Adrian Gurvitz
Adrian Gurvitz is an English singer, musician and songwriter.-Career:...
, later took the name Three Man Army
Three Man Army
Three Man Army was a British hard rock band active in the first half of the 1970s.-History:The group was formed by Adrian Gurvitz and Paul Gurvitz, formerly of The Gun. Following the band's dissolution, Adrian played with Buddy Miles and Paul played with Parrish & Gurvitz, then reunited as Three...
and then, after joining up with Ginger Baker
Ginger Baker
Peter Edward "Ginger" Baker is an English drummer, best known for his work with Cream and Blind Faith. He is also known for his numerous associations with World music, mainly the use of African influences...
, the Baker Gurvitz Army
Baker Gurvitz Army
Baker Gurvitz Army was an English rock group. Their self-titled debut album featured a blend of hard rock laced with Ginger Baker's drumming. The lengthy "Mad Jack" was that album's outstanding track, and the album hit the US Billboard 200 chart, and peaked at #22 in the UK Albums Chart...
.
History
The Gun were renamed in 1967 from The Knack, formed by guitarist/vocalist Paul Gurvitz (born Paul Anthony Gurvitz, 6 July 1944, High WycombeHigh Wycombe
High Wycombe , commonly known as Wycombe and formally called Chepping Wycombe or Chipping Wycombe until 1946,is a large town in Buckinghamshire, England. It is west-north-west of Charing Cross in London; this figure is engraved on the Corn Market building in the centre of the town...
, Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
- he was known by the surname Curtis until the early 1970s after which he returned to his original name Gurvitz). The Knack changed its name with the development of a psychedelic
Psychedelic
The term psychedelic is derived from the Greek words ψυχή and δηλοῦν , translating to "soul-manifesting". A psychedelic experience is characterized by the striking perception of aspects of one's mind previously unknown, or by the creative exuberance of the mind liberated from its ostensibly...
style in the spring/summer of 1966, and became a power trio
Power trio
A power trio is a rock and roll band format where the traditional power trio has a lineup of guitar, bass and drums, leaving out the rhythm guitar or keyboard that are used in other rock music to fill out the sound with chords...
consisting of Paul Curtis, bassist
Bassist
A bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...
, his younger brother Adrian Curtis (Adrian Gurvitz
Adrian Gurvitz
Adrian Gurvitz is an English singer, musician and songwriter.-Career:...
), guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
/vocalist, and Louie Farrell (born Brian John Farrell, 8 December 1947, Goodmayes
Goodmayes
Goodmayes is a district of Ilford in north-east London, England. It is a suburban development in the London Borough of Redbridge and forms part of the Ilford post town, situated approximately two miles to the east of Ilford town centre....
, Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
), drummer
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
, who had joined The Knack in mid 1966. The Gun performed at the UFO Club
UFO Club
The UFO Club was a famous but shortlived UK underground club in London during the 1960s, venue of performances by many of the top bands of the day.-History:...
, supporting bands such as Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...
, Arthur Brown
Arthur Brown (musician)
Arthur Brown is an English rock and roll musician best known for his flamboyant, theatrical style and significant influence on Alice Cooper, Peter Gabriel, Marilyn Manson, George Clinton, Kiss, King Diamond, and Bruce Dickinson, among others, and for his number one hit in the UK Singles Chart and...
and Tomorrow
Tomorrow (band)
Tomorrow were a 1960s psychedelic rock band. Despite critical acclaim and support from DJ John Peel who featured them on his "Perfumed Garden" radio show, the band was not a great success in commercial terms. They were among the first psychedelic bands in England along with Pink Floyd and Soft...
. Recording sessions at Olympic Studios
Olympic Studios
Olympic Studios was a renowned independent commercial recording studio located at 117 Church Road, Barnes, South West London, England. The studio is best known for the huge number of famous rock and pop recordings made there from the late 1960s onward....
produced the unreleased single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
"Lights On The Wall", while in November 1967 they recorded for the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
alternative music radio programme Top Gear and twice played on air.
After being signed to CBS Records
CBS Records
CBS Records is a record label founded by CBS Corporation in 2006 to take advantage of music from its entertainment properties owned by CBS Television Studios. The initial label roster consisted of only three artists; rock band Señor Happy and singer/songwriters Will Dailey and P.J...
in early 1968 the band scored a hit
Hit record
A hit record is a sound recording, usually in the form of a single or album, that sells a large number of copies or otherwise becomes broadly popular or well-known, through airplay, club play, inclusion in a film or stage play soundtrack, causing it to have "hit" one of the popular chart listings...
with the opening track from their eponymous album (1968), "Race With The Devil". Issued as a single in October 1968, it reached the top 10 in its native UK and #35 on the Australian Singles Chart (Go-Set) in March 1969. Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
quoted the song's riff during his song "Machine Gun" at the Isle of Wight Festival
Isle of Wight Festival
The Isle of Wight Festival is a music festival which takes place every year on the Isle of Wight in England. It was originally held from 1968 to 1970. These original events were promoted and organised by the Foulk brothers under the banner of their company Fiery Creations Limited...
in 1970. "Race With The Devil" has been covered
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
by Judas Priest
Judas Priest
Judas Priest are an English heavy metal band from Birmingham, England, formed in 1969. The current line-up consists of lead vocalist Rob Halford, guitarists Glenn Tipton and Richie Faulkner, bassist Ian Hill, and drummer Scott Travis. The band has gone through several drummers over the years,...
(on the remastered CD version of Sin After Sin
Sin After Sin
Sin After Sin is the third album by British heavy metal group Judas Priest, released in 1977. It was the band's first album on Columbia Records after their contract with Gull Records was terminated, as a consequence of which they lost all rights to Rocka Rolla and Sad Wings of Destiny, and any...
), Black Oak Arkansas
Black Oak Arkansas
Black Oak Arkansas is an American Southern rock band named after the band's hometown of Black Oak, Arkansas. The band reached the height of its fame in the 1970s with ten charting albums released in that decade...
(on their album Race With The Devil), Girlschool
Girlschool
Girlschool are a British heavy metal band originating out of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal scene in 1978 and frequently associated with contemporaries Motörhead. They are the longest running all-female rock band, still active after more than 30 years...
(on their album Demolition
Demolition (Girlschool album)
Demolition is the first studio album by British heavy metal band, Girlschool.It was released in Europe on Bronze Records in 1980, with the catalogue number Bronze BRON 534...
), and Church of Misery
Church of Misery
is a doom metal band from Tokyo, Japan. Church of Misery's style melds early-era Black Sabbath style doom with psychedelic rock.-History:Most songs by Church of Misery are about serial killers and mass murderers...
(on their 1996 demo, released as a split album with Acrimony
Acrimony
Acrimony was a British stoner metal band who were active during the 1990s. Releasing their debut album in 1994, they are regarded as the pioneers of stoner metal in the United Kingdom, and an important influence upon the scene...
, and on their full-length LP Vol. 1).
Their debut album's cover is noteworthy as an early example of the work of Roger Dean. Allmusic describes it as having a "distinctive psych-flavored proto-metal" sound. Their second album, Gunsight was released in 1969.
Despite releasing a number of other singles, and an an attempt by their record label to identify them with the underground counter-culture, the band had no further hits. The Gurvitz brothers, after a short time working separately, formed Three Man Army in 1971 and between 1974 and 1976 became the Baker Gurvitz Army with Ginger Baker
Ginger Baker
Peter Edward "Ginger" Baker is an English drummer, best known for his work with Cream and Blind Faith. He is also known for his numerous associations with World music, mainly the use of African influences...
, the former drummer for Cream
Cream (band)
Cream were a 1960s British rock supergroup consisting of bassist/vocalist Jack Bruce, guitarist/vocalist Eric Clapton, and drummer Ginger Baker...
in the line-up.