They didn't do so bad, did they? We heard a lot of them in the 70s and they became pretty famous. For one, I think The Tubes were even more underrated. But most underrated I think was several non-anglo/american bands. Lot's of great bands that almost nobody even heard of. But ok, that's a different issue I guess.
I saw SAHB (and Alex solo) on no less than 15 occasions all over England during their heyday. I was actually at the Hammersmith Odeon concert that became the 'Live' album and my head and arms even made it into some of the cover pics (a sad claim to fame I know). Alex Harvey was an entertainer...nothing more, nothing less. The theatrics that he put into his vocalizations were only magnified 100 times during live shows. The characters that he created (Vambo) became larger than life both in song and in words. He was a truly unique and iconoclastic musician who honed and moulded the old TearGas into HIS creation. He/They were far and away my favorite band and when he died (Feb 4 '82) I was indeed a sad man. And remember boys and girls, don't pish in the water supply! ;)
You are a fortunate indeed. I witnessed Alex & his stage presence with SAHB just the once. Never forgotten & every Alex fan remembers where they were when they heard the sad news of Alex passing. 😢 The really sad thing is so many Never saw him live at all.
1. Live 2. Tomorrow Belongs To Me 3. Next 4. Stories 5. The Impossible Dream 6. Framed 7. Penthouse Tapes 8. Rock Drill 'Live' was the first SAHB album I got which I got for Christmas 1975 from my parents, I was 13 years old. 48 years later I still love this band...
Hi Guys....you left your run about 50 years late. I first heard SAHB in '75 when a friend played Action Strasse....."I wanna take a walk....I wanna take a walk...I wanna take a walk along Action Strasse..". I bought the album Tomorrow Belongs and started my journey. Then I heard the song Anthem on the radio and bought the album Impossible Dream, it was incredible. Plus Next and the live album with the Alex Harvey intro "Good evening boys and girls....". I was hooked. I loved the implied unhinged nature of the band; there was a hint of menace, you weren't sure when they were going to implode. But they were too good for that
Delighted that you got around to this one Pete and to bring a fellow Scotsman to the piece adds a nice appropriate touch. Can't say I disagree (too much) on both your rankings. As a 15 year old kid in 1975 living in Rutherglen just outside Glasgow I was introduced to S.A.H.B. through an older brother of a friend. He was watching B.B.C. TV's 'The Old Grey Whistle Test' (a music show for 'non pop' acts) and on came the Alex Harvey Band, I was hooked there and then. The band appeared on the show more than once and their performances were thankfully not wiped by the BBC who in their infinite wisdom deleted/wiped much of both The Old Grey Whistle Test and Top of the Pops - gone forever. Their appearances on both TOTP and OGWT are available here on TH-cam. I have all of their albums on stand alone release (I'm with Steven on this one, I'm not keen on the 2 for 1 thing) as well as their Live albums, U.S. Tour '74, British Tour '76, Live and Live at the BBC. Alex Harvey released a solo album in 1969 entitled 'Roman Wall Blues' which is worth a listen, if you haven't heard it already. Interesting what you were saying around the 35 minute mark about the Bon Scott era AC/DC and SAHB, I must say that what you were saying hadn't occurred to me before. I think you're spot on with that. I never saw SAHB live but I was lucky enough to see the Bon Scott era AC/DC live 3 times at the old Glasgow Apollo in the late 70's. Although I did see Chris Glen with MSG and Ted McKenna with Rory Gallagher. Memories..........and I still have the ticket stubs.
One of my all time favorites. My rankings 1- Impossible Dream (A masterpiece) 2-Framed 3-Tomorrow Belongs To Me 4-Next 5- SAHB Stories 6- Penthouse Tapes 7- Rock Drill I did see them live when I was fourteen my first concert it made an indelibly impression on me that continues to this day. They were pure magic nothing like them since. Great show with excellent insight for us SAHB fans. Thanks
Had the privilege to see SAHB as 2nd on the bill to The Who at Swansea City Football Ground in 1976. Awesome live act. Alex sitting on the front of stage singing Amos Moses still in my memory
Alex was a fucking genius.. A poet who found a bunch of musicians who were brilliant, unique and ahead of their time. Zal plays guitar like Zal plays guitar. Seen him 3 times in the last couple of years with the sadly now defunct "SinDogs". Listen to it... raw lyrics, heavy heavy sounds. I got blown away again. SAHB live were brilliant. ZAL in 2018 / 19 wow!
SAHB blew my mind 1973 at Central London Poly. There were 13 people there (they filled in for another band at the last moment). They were possibly the best live act. As a band they nailed three key things as they were great musicians, were menacing and they were theatrical
I remember first seeing them live in the late or mid-70s at a small club in Hollywood called the Troubadour. I immediately became a fan and bought whatever I could find by them. I think the album releases in the US were different from in the UK. I think The Impossible Dream and Tomorrow Belongs to Me were the only ones I could find, but I seem to remember that The Impossible Dream was under a different name and maybe the track list was different. The later CD re-issues became confusing because there were a lot of versions with similar trackl ists, etc. Thanks for the trip down memory lane.
Phenomenal musicians both musically, and visually. Alex was a creative genius, and a bit of a chameleon. He could change his persona from song to song, and you never knew what to expect next from him. That may be part of what kept audiences watching.
Essence of Rock! / Sensationell Alex Harvey band.🙏 I bought my first album Sensational Alex Harvey band live . When I was a teenager in mid 70. Has of course acquired everyone album with this magic & Wonderful band since that time . Enjoy your Show!
WMMS Kid Leo and Denny Sanders used to play and sing the well deserved accolades SAHB. I wish that I could have experienced a live performance from these guys.
I’m 24 and my grandpa introduced me to them a few years ago. They’ve been a favorite of mine ever since. Never met a girl who enjoys them but when I do I will make her my wife
''Good evening, boys & grrrlsss...'' Hello, Pete & Steven! Oh, maaaaaaan, 'SAHB' was just so much in my DNA. I loved both your comments...very interesting and even if I've been a long-time fan (since the mid 70s) I learned something from your discussions. Cool stuff! Thanks, guys! Stay safe. Marty (Québec, Canada) *Oh, yeah, I always felt that Zal was so underrated as a guitar player.
Excellent. very insightful. Saw them twice live, 1974/75 in Sheffield. Sensational is the word - the atmosphere was unlike anything I've ever experienced. Shostakovich no. 7 at the Barbican probably runs it closest.
You guys hit it bang on, SAHB is hard to explain but easy to love, once you get it. At first, people think it is all Alex but the band is just so good. As soon as you think you understand them, they throw some cabaret tune or something. Like Delilah, is it parody, is theatre or is it just fun. I don't know where to direct any newbies, probably Live since that was what they were, an event. Anyway my list: 1. Framed (So many of their best songs and my favourite St. Anthony) 2. The Impossible Dream (A very close second) 3. Tomorrow Belongs to Me (Pure Theatre - Fun) 4. Next (Some classics but I was spoiled by listening to the Live album first) 5. SAHB Stories (Something had to land in the middle) 6. Penthouse Tapes (Just a fun album to listen to) 7. Rock Drill (A bit too smooth and not eclectic & dangerous enough) 8. Without Alex (I had SO much hope for this, but aside from a couple songs noted, not hard and raw enough, needed more & louder Zal)
I'm surprised you didn't mention the Jacques Brel obvious connection. Not only did Alex cover "Next" and "The Impossible Dream" which were composed by Brel, but Brel was also very theatric and a beast of an entertainer and I'm sure he was a HUGE influence on him. Brel has been covered by many great artists (Alex, Bowie, Scott Walker to name a few), and although Brel was a french-speaking singer/ songwriter from the 50's and 60's (mainly), he definitly had a lot of the Rock 'n' Roll attitude.. Cheers!
Well done gentlemen, excellent review. 1975 at a young 15 years of age I was taken by my elder brother to Liverpool stadium to see a band that I only knew by "Delilah", WOW!!! You either love em or hate em, I love them!
Kneels and bows down.... Steve...Pete you have yet again done one of my all time favourite bands justice...I love these guys so much... Love how you mention Bon Scott era AC/DC as it was loving AC/DC that turned me onto the Alex Harvey Band through recommendation of my Dad...amazing here are my rankings... 1. Framed 2. Next 3. The Impossible Dream 4. SAHB Stories 5. Tomorrow Belongs To Me 6. The Penthouse Tapes 7. Rock Drill 8. (Also an honourable mention because I’ve never heard this one) Fourplay Thank you so much guys I am an avid SAHB fan in my top 10 bands
Thanks for ranking this band Pete...I love SAHB...got to see them live back in the early 70's ...I was amazed by these guys to say the least...by the way I'm wondering if you got enough catalogue to do an album ranking of the band "Tangerine Dream "....now that would be interesting....keep on rolling these fabulous shows Pete...your the best!!
Pete and Steven - your shows are always great but really enjoyed the discussions in this and the Roxy Music Shows. I remember reading a lot about The Sensational Alex Harvey Band in the music magazines read in the early to mid-70s - Creem, Hit Parader and anything else i could get my hands on. But here in north central Florida at that time, I cannot recall ever seeing an album by the band in the bins at the local record stores. And don't remember them getting airplay when we finally got an FM station here that played a variety of new music. So not really familiar with this group. But your show makes me want to listen to some of their music so using your recommendations and the comments herein to pick some to start. Thanks, gents, for a great show!
Thanks so much Pete and Steven. Some fantastic insight on one of the most underrated bands. Pete - you are bang on when you mentioned Alex should have been on a stage. I am 99% certain he took a starring role in a production of Hair in the late 60s/early 70s. Your album rankings are always eerily similar to my own. As an aside, I got hold of the Automatic Fine Tuning album you mentioned on the one album wonders vids. OMFG. Its absolutely amazing. Cheers Pete
I was lucky enough to see The Sensational Alex Harvey Band. They opened for Jethro Tull 1975. They totally blew me away. And a couple days later I went to the record store and there UT was. The Sensational Alex Harvey Band Live album. I scooped it up. And it was pretty much thecsame show I had just seen. Now, I've collected pretty much all of their albums plus bootlegs. Vambo, coming to the rescue !!!!
hello again from Aberdeen, Scotland ...Good to listen to this... SAHB - really interesting band ... super, super tight ... ... worth checking out for studio albums ... but live though - absolutely Sensational ... was fortunate to see SAHB after Alex's passing 3 times ... once at Drummonds in Aberdeen about 2005 or thereby (with Billy Rankine (wonderful)- ex Nazareth - on vocals and rest of original line up intact) ... gig was rammed - just heaving ... and EASILY ...and I mean EASILY ... the gig of the year ... by miles .... just epic ... so tight and Chris / Zal "giving it laldy!" (proper Scottish phrase that one!l... if interested I have a great 1 hour BBC Radio Scotland documentary broadcast on 10th anniversary of his death which I play regularly ... it goes through complete history of Alex ... some interviews with totally wonderful insights ... and will have you going straight to Amazon to buy some SAHB catalogue ...fantastic ... I bought all the digitaly re-mastered 2 on 1's CDs w/slipcases when released ... do also check out the live BBC recordings which are on CD .... Great, great band ... totally unique but with exemplary musicians / musicianship .... Faith-healer (the live version) as the intro music for any rock gig will set up any crowd for a good night ... p.s. check out Chris Glenn with 2 Cafe Jaques' albums .... interesting (p.p.s. talking of Fish as you were - his Weltschmerz album is just fabulous ... currently tied with Kansas as album of the year)
I saw them live about 20 years ago with my dad (who was a huge fan), obviously without Alex, but they were sensational. It was my first gig, it was unforgettable and we were standing right next to the amps and out ears were ringing for days afterwards. It was the first time I'd heard them. Great video.
I would highly recommend Zal Cleminson's Sin Dogs. Saw them live in 2019 at Weyfest in England and they were really good.There is footage on youtube if anyone's interested.
Brilliant stuff , thanks for this . I absolutely love this Band ,vastly underrated and utterly fearless . For me they never made a bad album , I discovered them with the Delilah single and have loved them ever since . A couple of things - The Fourplay album is definitely available on CD on the Coe Records label , maybe other labels too now . I think Alex was having health problems at the time of Fourplay , the Band recorded the album and also went on a small tour with it , I saw one of the gigs , superb ... The McKennas were cousins , both gone now RIP Hugh and Ted ... The song Tomorrow belongs to me is from the film Cabaret , which is set in pre WW2 Germany and in the film is sang by a young lad in the Hitler Youth ( I think ) ... Have a lookout for Alex's albums The Mafia Stole My Guitar and Soldier On The Wall , both recorded after the SAHB split , both have some superb songs on them ... Again thanks for bringing this great Band to peoples attention ... they deserve to be more well known ...
An absolute supergroup in terms of musicianship at the service of the songs, charisma and witty humor. Alex, Ted and Hugh Mckenna RIP, the latter being an unsung genius player and song-writer. Zal is on my top 5 guitar players of all time too, no doubt.
Great stuff lads been into this mega band since the 70s,for me the most theatrical band ever,and yeah Pete the live album by far the best.also big boy was redone off foreplay by Nazareth on malice .zal cleminson one of my fav players .for me the best ranking yet
Tear Gas also covered Tull's "Love Story" on their self-titled second album. They bought it over and played it live with the SAHB, so I'm guessing that's why they covered it again later.
The Sensational Alex Harvey Band: Impossible Dream Album is one of my all time favorite albums. I love all the S.A.H.B. Albums but Impossible Dream is my favorite. The Sensational Alex Harvey Band,so Brilliant in every way.
Great underrated band! Killer rhythm section with Glen & McKenna, unique front man in Alex as well. Zal Clemenson was a big influence on Tony Bortko of TKO and copped some of Zal's stage moves and so on. The TKO guys told me they opened for Nazareth in `79 with Zal in the band and it was a big thrill for them and hung out with the Nazareth guys on their bus.
So glad to discover you ranked the Sensational Alex Harvey Band ! I really love that band and Alex, the frontman from "Vibrania". Sensational, the adjective was appropriate ! "Rock Drill" (with "No complaints department" instead of "Mrs Blackhouse") and "The Impossible Dream" are my favourites. I never listened to SAHB without Alex. Both of you gave me the desire to hear it.
Love SAHB. They have a nice following here in Cleveland, OH. I've been a fan since 1981. They're popular on the Classic Rock station here. I'd play them on my college radio show, too.
Wonderful show about SAHB. It's true what was said they were a great live band. Wasn't a fan until I saw them as support to The Who at Parkhead in Glasgow and they were Sensational. Just so good and "theatrical rock" at it's best. Can't disagree with the rankings but like Pete my 3 can jump about. 1 wee thing wrong Hugh and Ted McKenna were cousins not brother's. Ted was vastly underrated as a drummer but he was very supportive of new bands in the Glasgow area and was a fantastic guy to talk to. SAHB left a great legacy and recommend checking them out.
Thank you Pete for doing this! The sensational Alex Harvey Band is one of my favorites. Unfortunately they did not do very well in America. A friend of mine from Ohio had heard them on the radio and when he moved to Texas he had a copy of next and a couple of other Alex Harvey albums that he turned me on to and this was like in 1985 years after they were released. Since then they have become one of my all time favorite 70's era bands.
As A 12 year old boy discovering the world in 1977 , me and my best friend played the Sensational Alex Harvey Band live album all summer long..What a glorious time to be discovering music , and to be a kid..” I would like to introduce you to my band..The SENSATIONAL ALEX HARVY BAND”.
Great reviews on an awesome band. Glad you covered Fourplay, which I thought was a bit of a forgotten album. Special mention to Alex's The Mafia Stole My Guitar album, made without SAHB. It's an amazing and original set of recordings. Vambo Rools!
I always thought Alex and Bon had so many similarities. SAHB was an instant favorite of mine. First thing I heard was Impossible Dream. Just struck home to me. Loved it instantly. Went out and bought it right away. Still one of my go to bands. What is it? 50 years later? Incredible
My favourite band of all time. I’ve a signed copy of framed(swirly label)-next-the impossible dream-and fourplay. Asked you a few times for this review , thanks 👍👍 I would say live!! Incredible live show. I’ve the full uncut version😜. Followed by the studio release of framed then next!!. Yes fourplay is a German cd release. I always compare Alex vocals with Bon,what you think? The McKenna’s are cousins btw. Great show thanks 🙏 vambo rool ok. Mentioned bon before end of review commenting as I’m watching ☝️☝️
@@limmoblack hi thanks for feedback the cd I have a double cd called “live in the Hammersmith 1975 The complete show” it’s an official fan club only release from WWW.SAHB.CO.UK it’s recorded from the live board mix. Tracks as follows Disc 1 Fanfare Faith healer Action strasse Tomahawk kid Give my compliments to the chef Delilah Soul in chains Tale of the giant stone eater Disc 2 Gang bang Midnight Moses Vambo Tomorrow belongs to me Framed Hope this helps. Thanks
Rock Drill is my fave maybe because i am very much a prog rocker these days. I bought NEXT back in 1976 when i became a young fan. Thanks for the review.
What a great reviewer Steven is , always like Pete's approach but Steven has no problems expressing himself without coming over as big headed, excellent stuff
Alex Harvey finally at Sea of Tranquility. Alex Harvey rules. Always did. Wonderfull band, great albums...one of the best and more underestimated rock acts in history. Killer band, with...ZAL!!!!
i'm so glad you mentioned bon scott, 'cause i remember when ac/dc put out their first album in australia and i picked it up and thought immediately that it was alex harvey singing..always wished alex did some bon covers....and you mentioned jerry reed...framed was also a cover of a jerry reed tune...and of course tomorrow belongs to me was the song the nazis sang in the film 'cabaret'....lots of great covers and originals...great ranking...peace...rocky
What a great Band I saw them twice once at the Victoria Apollo and at Charton In 1976 supporting The Who what I can really remember was about 50 Thousand people singing Delilah ringing around the Stadium. The first time I heard them was in a pub called the London Hospital Tavern which was across the road from The Blind Beggar in Whitechapel which played rock music and this track came on and it was The Faith Healer.
A band far ahead of its time. "Isobel Goudie" is one of my all time favourites. Great live version on "British Tour '76". Absolutely unique. 1) Framed 2) Next 3) The Impossible Dream 4) Rock Drill 5) SAHB Stories 6) Tomorrow Belongs To Me 7) The Penthouse Tapes 8) Fourplay (Just because it's imho not a SAHB album)
I do not own "British Tour 76" yet...I own his appearance at the Cleveland Agoura, LIve, and the BBC stuff ...how is the British Tour 76 CD? Would you recommend gettng it?
@@dancalmpeaceful3903 I love this album. The only live album with "Isobel Goudie". Then there are great live performances of the "actual" album: "Amos Moses", "Boston Tea Party" and "Dance To Your Daddy". Then there is the "usual" live stuff. But even "Framed" has different and extremely weird lyrics. On this album Tommy Eyre is playing keyboards. He had just joined the band, but does a great job on this record.
@@Katzeninsel1 Excellent. You've sold me. I'll be hunting that one down. Love "Isobel Goudie"....great song. Any Harvey bootlegs you might recommend (good performance/great sound)?
@@dancalmpeaceful3903 The only bootleg I know is from the performance on the Reading Festival in 1977. The quality of the recording is not very good. Only the audience is captured extremly well. This is amazing. But overall the other live recordings are better.
I am sad that you guys don't have the vinyl copies of all these albums' I got in to the band in the mid seventies and collected them all. Still have them.
Their appearances on the TV concert shows were memorable. I taped those on cassette and listened to them over and over, great to find them on TH-cam now.
I have been wanting to go through their discography. My brother was a fan and the Tomorrow Belongs to Me album was one I grew up on. My brother was fortunate to see them in concert.
Great stuff Pete and I really enjoyed Steven's take on the magic that was the SAHB. Perhaps a show on the greatest 'front-men' and women in rock beckons. Alex is in the top ten. These are the guys who you couldn't ignore or take your eyes off. They weren't necessarily up there with the very top singers, but they were great vocalists in their own way. They were performers, characters, rogues, actors, disguises, personas and entertainers. They could be strange, funny, lovable, dangerous, bizarre, even madmen or grotesques like Alex Harvey. You get the idea. Bon Scott who you mentioned was one such; Jim Morrison another. Ozzy Osbourne. Strictly no fakers though. Great show.
Thanks for this ranking the albums video guys! Also I wanted to note that in 1974 Shel Talmy produced an album for them that was shelved. They eventually released most of the songs on The Impossible Dream. The tapes were thought to have been lost in Chris Glen's house fire but were discovered and released as "Hot City - The 1974 Unrelased Album" around 2010. This is worth tracking down for the version of "Tomahawk Kid" alone! Killer version of the song only appears on this release.
Sacred Reich? Kingdom Come? Enuff Z Nuff? Great White? LA Guns? Anthrax? Death Angel? King Diamond? Metal Church? Testament? Sepultura? Warrior Soul? Yngwie? C'mon Pete!
Think Malcolm and Angus Young had clocked the attitude of Alex Harvey, and the sound of Zal's guitar work for sure. Both playing an SG which does have a particular tone. Bon Scott also coming from where he did. Hard, honest rock music that smacks you in the face. It touched me and I come from the West Country. Timeless.
A great band which I was lucky to see once in the early 70s. The albums are great, especially the first 3 which I find impossible to rank. Try and find the Old Grey Whistle Test performances on TH-cam and see what this band was about. Great stuff.
I'm Australian and the first i heard SAHB was when I was 19. It was 1975. I was at a mates place and he slapped Tomorrow Belongs To Me on the turntable. We had imbibed some "green leafy substance", "Action Strasse" fired up and that slow thumping rhythm just took me somewhere else. It was somehow hypnotic, yet slightly threatening and foreboding at the same time with a very sexual undertone...or was it just the drugs? That's it. I was hooked. My body was free but they kept my soul in chains...
The most underrated band in the whole history of Rock. Amazing.
They didn't do so bad, did they? We heard a lot of them in the 70s and they became pretty famous. For one, I think The Tubes were even more underrated. But most underrated I think was several non-anglo/american bands. Lot's of great bands that almost nobody even heard of. But ok, that's a different issue I guess.
I saw SAHB (and Alex solo) on no less than 15 occasions all over England during their heyday. I was actually at the Hammersmith Odeon concert that became the 'Live' album and my head and arms even made it into some of the cover pics (a sad claim to fame I know). Alex Harvey was an entertainer...nothing more, nothing less. The theatrics that he put into his vocalizations were only magnified 100 times during live shows. The characters that he created (Vambo) became larger than life both in song and in words. He was a truly unique and iconoclastic musician who honed and moulded the old TearGas into HIS creation. He/They were far and away my favorite band and when he died (Feb 4 '82) I was indeed a sad man. And remember boys and girls, don't pish in the water supply! ;)
You are a fortunate indeed. I witnessed Alex & his stage presence with SAHB just the once. Never forgotten & every Alex fan remembers where they were when they heard the sad news of Alex passing. 😢 The really sad thing is so many Never saw him live at all.
1. Live
2. Tomorrow Belongs To Me
3. Next
4. Stories
5. The Impossible Dream
6. Framed
7. Penthouse Tapes
8. Rock Drill
'Live' was the first SAHB album I got which I got for Christmas 1975 from my parents, I was 13 years old. 48 years later I still love this band...
50 years later I'm still grateful
Probably the most underrated band ever, and the first ranking I've ever seen were NO album is weak. Excellent stuff 😀👍.
Hi Guys....you left your run about 50 years late. I first heard SAHB in '75 when a friend played Action Strasse....."I wanna take a walk....I wanna take a walk...I wanna take a walk along Action Strasse..". I bought the album Tomorrow Belongs and started my journey. Then I heard the song Anthem on the radio and bought the album Impossible Dream, it was incredible. Plus Next and the live album with the Alex Harvey intro "Good evening boys and girls....". I was hooked. I loved the implied unhinged nature of the band; there was a hint of menace, you weren't sure when they were going to implode. But they were too good for that
Framed and Next are my top two because almost every track is gold.
This band really was a live act.
Totally entertaining in every respect! Some bands are better live than on record!🇬🇧✌🏻
Delighted that you got around to this one Pete and to bring a fellow Scotsman to the piece adds a nice appropriate touch. Can't say I disagree (too much) on both your rankings. As a 15 year old kid in 1975 living in Rutherglen just outside Glasgow I was introduced to S.A.H.B. through an older brother of a friend. He was watching B.B.C. TV's 'The Old Grey Whistle Test' (a music show for 'non pop' acts) and on came the Alex Harvey Band, I was hooked there and then. The band appeared on the show more than once and their performances were thankfully not wiped by the BBC who in their infinite wisdom deleted/wiped much of both The Old Grey Whistle Test and Top of the Pops - gone forever. Their appearances on both TOTP and OGWT are available here on TH-cam. I have all of their albums on stand alone release (I'm with Steven on this one, I'm not keen on the 2 for 1 thing) as well as their Live albums, U.S. Tour '74, British Tour '76, Live and Live at the BBC. Alex Harvey released a solo album in 1969 entitled 'Roman Wall Blues' which is worth a listen, if you haven't heard it already. Interesting what you were saying around the 35 minute mark about the Bon Scott era AC/DC and SAHB, I must say that what you were saying hadn't occurred to me before. I think you're spot on with that. I never saw SAHB live but I was lucky enough to see the Bon Scott era AC/DC live 3 times at the old Glasgow Apollo in the late 70's. Although I did see Chris Glen with MSG and Ted McKenna with Rory Gallagher. Memories..........and I still have the ticket stubs.
One of my all time favorites. My rankings
1- Impossible Dream (A masterpiece)
2-Framed
3-Tomorrow Belongs To Me
4-Next
5- SAHB Stories
6- Penthouse Tapes
7- Rock Drill
I did see them live when I was fourteen my first concert it made an indelibly impression on me that continues to this day. They were pure magic nothing like them since. Great show with excellent insight for us SAHB fans. Thanks
Had the privilege to see SAHB as 2nd on the bill to The Who at Swansea City Football Ground in 1976. Awesome live act. Alex sitting on the front of stage singing Amos Moses still in my memory
Saw them on that tour at Parkhead in Glasgow. Became a fan that day.
Alex was a fucking genius.. A poet who found a bunch of musicians who were brilliant, unique and ahead of their time. Zal plays guitar like Zal plays guitar. Seen him 3 times in the last couple of years with the sadly now defunct "SinDogs". Listen to it... raw lyrics, heavy heavy sounds. I got blown away again. SAHB live were brilliant. ZAL in 2018 / 19 wow!
SAHB blew my mind 1973 at Central London Poly. There were 13 people there (they filled in for another band at the last moment). They were possibly the best live act. As a band they nailed three key things as they were great musicians, were menacing and they were theatrical
I remember first seeing them live in the late or mid-70s at a small club in Hollywood called the Troubadour. I immediately became a fan and bought whatever I could find by them. I think the album releases in the US were different from in the UK. I think The Impossible Dream and Tomorrow Belongs to Me were the only ones I could find, but I seem to remember that The Impossible Dream was under a different name and maybe the track list was different. The later CD re-issues became confusing because there were a lot of versions with similar trackl ists, etc. Thanks for the trip down memory lane.
Phenomenal musicians both musically, and visually. Alex was a creative genius, and a bit of a chameleon. He could change his persona from song to song, and you never knew what to expect next from him. That may be part of what kept audiences watching.
You two are just brilliant..I enjoy your shows every time!👍
Thank you for Ranking the Studio Albums: Sensational Alex Harvey Band.🎤🎸🎵🥁
Essence of Rock! / Sensationell Alex Harvey band.🙏
I bought my first album Sensational Alex Harvey band live . When I was a teenager in mid 70. Has of course acquired everyone album with this magic & Wonderful band since that time . Enjoy your Show!
If you grew up a rocker in Cleveland Ohio in the 70's you would know Alex Harvey intimately
i was 12 when i got introduced to SAHB in 1972! Loved them ever since!!!
WMMS Kid Leo and Denny Sanders used to play and sing the well deserved accolades SAHB. I wish that I could have experienced a live performance from these guys.
@@scottmcgregor562 yeah me too i was a little too young
Darryl Lawrence I’m too young too but my dad reminds them quite fondly
I saw them at the Joker in Elyria Ohio sometime in the mid 70s . Harvey took quite a fall from on top of the speakers .
Saw them at the Cleveland Agora Monday Nights Outs around 1975 for 2 measly bucks. Great show.
OMG! The greatest rock band ever.
I’m so happy this video exists 👍🏻👍🏻
The original live album is killer.
Great songs, great production, left of center, cool hard rock.
Steven Reid is my favourite guest along with Rich Catino. His taste and range of musical genres is amazing. Love the accent too..
Thank you. Very much appreciated!
@Iain MacLennan Get them to give me a shout and I'll see what I can do Iain.
Very enjoyable discussion about a unique band. Steven explains the appeal of SAHB perfectly. Good job gents👍
Thanks Nigel!
I’m 70 and definitely a late comer. Never heard of em until about a month ago.
Welcome. The second coming of Alex is near 😂
I’m 24 and my grandpa introduced me to them a few years ago. They’ve been a favorite of mine ever since. Never met a girl who enjoys them but when I do I will make her my wife
This is spot on btw and glad you got there in the end Steven. You do it proud here!
Tomorrow Belongs To Me is in my top 10 favorite albums of all time. I was 13 the first time I heard Sharks Teeth and I was hooked from that moment on.
''Good evening, boys & grrrlsss...'' Hello, Pete & Steven! Oh, maaaaaaan, 'SAHB' was just so much in my DNA. I loved both your comments...very interesting and even if I've been a long-time fan (since the mid 70s) I learned something from your discussions. Cool stuff! Thanks, guys! Stay safe. Marty (Québec, Canada) *Oh, yeah, I always felt that Zal was so underrated as a guitar player.
Excellent. very insightful. Saw them twice live, 1974/75 in Sheffield. Sensational is the word - the atmosphere was unlike anything I've ever experienced. Shostakovich no. 7 at the Barbican probably runs it closest.
You guys hit it bang on, SAHB is hard to explain but easy to love, once you get it. At first, people think it is all Alex but the band is just so good. As soon as you think you understand them, they throw some cabaret tune or something. Like Delilah, is it parody, is theatre or is it just fun. I don't know where to direct any newbies, probably Live since that was what they were, an event.
Anyway my list:
1. Framed (So many of their best songs and my favourite St. Anthony)
2. The Impossible Dream (A very close second)
3. Tomorrow Belongs to Me (Pure Theatre - Fun)
4. Next (Some classics but I was spoiled by listening to the Live album first)
5. SAHB Stories (Something had to land in the middle)
6. Penthouse Tapes (Just a fun album to listen to)
7. Rock Drill (A bit too smooth and not eclectic & dangerous enough)
8. Without Alex (I had SO much hope for this, but aside from a couple songs noted, not hard and raw enough, needed more & louder Zal)
I'm surprised you didn't mention the Jacques Brel obvious connection. Not only did Alex cover "Next" and "The Impossible Dream" which were composed by Brel, but Brel was also very theatric and a beast of an entertainer and I'm sure he was a HUGE influence on him. Brel has been covered by many great artists (Alex, Bowie, Scott Walker to name a few), and although Brel was a french-speaking singer/ songwriter from the 50's and 60's (mainly), he definitly had a lot of the Rock 'n' Roll attitude.. Cheers!
Right.
Well done gentlemen, excellent review. 1975 at a young 15 years of age I was taken by my elder brother to Liverpool stadium to see a band that I only knew by "Delilah", WOW!!! You either love em or hate em, I love them!
Kneels and bows down....
Steve...Pete you have yet again done one of my all time favourite bands justice...I love these guys so much...
Love how you mention Bon Scott era AC/DC as it was loving AC/DC that turned me onto the Alex Harvey Band through recommendation of my Dad...amazing here are my rankings...
1. Framed
2. Next
3. The Impossible Dream
4. SAHB Stories
5. Tomorrow Belongs To Me
6. The Penthouse Tapes
7. Rock Drill
8. (Also an honourable mention because I’ve never heard this one) Fourplay
Thank you so much guys I am an avid SAHB fan in my top 10 bands
Thanks for ranking this band Pete...I love SAHB...got to see them live back in the early 70's ...I was amazed by these guys to say the least...by the way I'm wondering if you got enough catalogue to do an album ranking of the band "Tangerine Dream "....now that would be interesting....keep on rolling these fabulous shows Pete...your the best!!
Pete and Steven - your shows are always great but really enjoyed the discussions in this and the Roxy Music Shows. I remember reading a lot about The Sensational Alex Harvey Band in the music magazines read in the early to mid-70s - Creem, Hit Parader and anything else i could get my hands on. But here in north central Florida at that time, I cannot recall ever seeing an album by the band in the bins at the local record stores. And don't remember them getting airplay when we finally got an FM station here that played a variety of new music. So not really familiar with this group. But your show makes me want to listen to some of their music so using your recommendations and the comments herein to pick some to start. Thanks, gents, for a great show!
Thanks John!
The SAHB Without Alex-Fourplay was released in 1993 on Phonogram GmbH (cd) Steve Reid.
Thanks for the info Jim. I'll keep my eyes peeled for a copy.
@@TranquilityFireReid your welcome Steve! Love the SAHB!!!!
It's awful
Thanks so much Pete and Steven. Some fantastic insight on one of the most underrated bands. Pete - you are bang on when you mentioned Alex should have been on a stage. I am 99% certain he took a starring role in a production of Hair in the late 60s/early 70s. Your album rankings are always eerily similar to my own. As an aside, I got hold of the Automatic Fine Tuning album you mentioned on the one album wonders vids. OMFG. Its absolutely amazing. Cheers Pete
OMG, haha. My name is also Alex Harvey. crazy.
I was lucky enough to see The Sensational Alex Harvey Band. They opened for Jethro Tull 1975. They totally blew me away. And a couple days later I went to the record store and there UT was. The Sensational Alex Harvey Band Live album. I scooped it up. And it was pretty much thecsame show I had just seen. Now, I've collected pretty much all of their albums plus bootlegs. Vambo, coming to the rescue !!!!
Great contributions as always from your Scottish friend. A friendly, no pressure reminder - Mr. Big top ten was mentioned a while back...
Great reviews/rank !! Big SAHB fan from Norway.
AWESOME BAND!!!!!! VERY UNDER RATED BAND!!!
First band i ever seen live. Bristol Colston Hall 1973 . Supporting Slade. I was 12 .Never forget that night.
thanks for this wonderful show, I absolutely love that band!
Seen SAHB in Akron Civic Theater mid 70s was 20 ft from the stage fantastic show!!!!!! Vambo Rules
Love Faith healer and midnite moses. Great stuff. Thanks guys.
Nice to hear the respect you two give to this fabulous band. Excellent show!!
Tne Impossible Dream!!! me hizo explotar mi cabeza con 16 años
hello again from Aberdeen, Scotland ...Good to listen to this... SAHB - really interesting band ... super, super tight ... ... worth checking out for studio albums ... but live though - absolutely Sensational ... was fortunate to see SAHB after Alex's passing 3 times ... once at Drummonds in Aberdeen about 2005 or thereby (with Billy Rankine (wonderful)- ex Nazareth - on vocals and rest of original line up intact) ... gig was rammed - just heaving ... and EASILY ...and I mean EASILY ... the gig of the year ... by miles .... just epic ... so tight and Chris / Zal "giving it laldy!" (proper Scottish phrase that one!l...
if interested I have a great 1 hour BBC Radio Scotland documentary broadcast on 10th anniversary of his death which I play regularly ... it goes through complete history of Alex ... some interviews with totally wonderful insights ... and will have you going straight to Amazon to buy some SAHB catalogue ...fantastic ... I bought all the digitaly re-mastered 2 on 1's CDs w/slipcases when released ... do also check out the live BBC recordings which are on CD .... Great, great band ... totally unique but with exemplary musicians / musicianship ....
Faith-healer (the live version) as the intro music for any rock gig will set up any crowd for a good night ...
p.s. check out Chris Glenn with 2 Cafe Jaques' albums .... interesting
(p.p.s. talking of Fish as you were - his Weltschmerz album is just fabulous ... currently tied with Kansas as album of the year)
I saw them live about 20 years ago with my dad (who was a huge fan), obviously without Alex, but they were sensational. It was my first gig, it was unforgettable and we were standing right next to the amps and out ears were ringing for days afterwards. It was the first time I'd heard them.
Great video.
Saw s.a.h.b supporting slade at Earl's Court in 1973 ,a superb evening , great live they really were .
I would highly recommend Zal Cleminson's Sin Dogs. Saw them live in 2019 at Weyfest in England and they were really good.There is footage on youtube if anyone's interested.
Brilliant stuff , thanks for this . I absolutely love this Band ,vastly underrated and utterly fearless . For me they never made a bad album , I discovered them with the Delilah single and have loved them ever since . A couple of things - The Fourplay album is definitely available on CD on the Coe Records label , maybe other labels too now . I think Alex was having health problems at the time of Fourplay , the Band recorded the album and also went on a small tour with it , I saw one of the gigs , superb ... The McKennas were cousins , both gone now RIP Hugh and Ted ... The song Tomorrow belongs to me is from the film Cabaret , which is set in pre WW2 Germany and in the film is sang by a young lad in the Hitler Youth ( I think ) ... Have a lookout for Alex's albums The Mafia Stole My Guitar and Soldier On The Wall , both recorded after the SAHB split , both have some superb songs on them ... Again thanks for bringing this great Band to peoples attention ... they deserve to be more well known ...
Those Alex solo albums are awesome!
An absolute supergroup in terms of musicianship at the service of the songs, charisma and witty humor. Alex, Ted and Hugh Mckenna RIP, the latter being an unsung genius player and song-writer. Zal is on my top 5 guitar players of all time too, no doubt.
Great stuff lads been into this mega band since the 70s,for me the most theatrical band ever,and yeah Pete the live album by far the best.also big boy was redone off foreplay by Nazareth on malice .zal cleminson one of my fav players .for me the best ranking yet
Tear Gas also covered Tull's "Love Story" on their self-titled second album. They bought it over and played it live with the SAHB, so I'm guessing that's why they covered it again later.
Bonn Scott was a huge Alex Harvey fan, as was Nick Cave.
right! and it shows in Bob's performance and interpretation.
yeah thats right, ive heard Nick talking about SAHB, im an aussie too
I always suspected Bon being heavily influenced by Alex in both image and performance.
As are Killing Joke....their guitarist Geordie Walker bought Chris Glenn's blue brothel creepers in an auction some time in the 80s..
The Sensational Alex Harvey Band: Impossible Dream Album is one of my all time favorite albums.
I love all the S.A.H.B. Albums but Impossible Dream is my favorite.
The Sensational Alex Harvey Band,so Brilliant in every way.
Great underrated band! Killer rhythm section with Glen & McKenna, unique front man in Alex as well. Zal Clemenson was a big influence on Tony Bortko of TKO and copped some of Zal's stage moves and so on. The TKO guys told me they opened for Nazareth in `79 with Zal in the band and it was a big thrill for them and hung out with the Nazareth guys on their bus.
Loved TKO! Saw them open for Cheap Trick. Also caught Zal with Nazareth on two occasions.
@@willfitzpatrick1107 - very cool! Yeah they did like 20 shows or so opening for Cheap Trick in 1979 after surviving opening for the Kinks.
So glad to discover you ranked the Sensational Alex Harvey Band ! I really love that band and Alex, the frontman from "Vibrania". Sensational, the adjective was appropriate ! "Rock Drill" (with "No complaints department" instead of "Mrs Blackhouse") and "The Impossible Dream" are my favourites. I never listened to SAHB without Alex. Both of you gave me the desire to hear it.
Scotland ROCKS.
Love SAHB. They have a nice following here in Cleveland, OH. I've been a fan since 1981. They're popular on the Classic Rock station here. I'd play them on my college radio show, too.
I am 61 years old now and SAHB was my first ever concert way back when at Sheffield City Hall. I have loved SAHB since.
It's hard to believe Alex would be celebrating his 86th birthday this year.
Bon Scott was fearless in a fight it was well known in Australia.He sounds like Alex"s young brother from a different mother for sure....2 LEGENDS!!
Alex Harveys brother was electrocuted on the stage with STONE THE CROW
Love them--mine
1. Impossible Dream
2.Tomorrow Belongs To Me
3.Next
4.SAHB Stories
5. Rock Drill
6.Framed
7. Penthouse Tapes.
Wonderful show about SAHB. It's true what was said they were a great live band. Wasn't a fan until I saw them as support to The Who at Parkhead in Glasgow and they were Sensational. Just so good and "theatrical rock" at it's best. Can't disagree with the rankings but like Pete my 3 can jump about. 1 wee thing wrong Hugh and Ted McKenna were cousins not brother's. Ted was vastly underrated as a drummer but he was very supportive of new bands in the Glasgow area and was a fantastic guy to talk to. SAHB left a great legacy and recommend checking them out.
From the moment I first heard the song 'Next' when I was 16 yrs old, i fell in love with this band. Thank you so much for this video!
Thank you Pete for doing this! The sensational Alex Harvey Band is one of my favorites. Unfortunately they did not do very well in America. A friend of mine from Ohio had heard them on the radio and when he moved to Texas he had a copy of next and a couple of other Alex Harvey albums that he turned me on to and this was like in 1985 years after they were released. Since then they have become one of my all time favorite 70's era bands.
As A 12 year old boy discovering the world in 1977 , me and my best friend played the Sensational Alex Harvey Band live album all summer long..What a glorious time to be discovering music , and to be a kid..” I would like to introduce you to my band..The SENSATIONAL ALEX HARVY BAND”.
Great reviews on an awesome band. Glad you covered Fourplay, which I thought was a bit of a forgotten album. Special mention to Alex's The Mafia Stole My Guitar album, made without SAHB. It's an amazing and original set of recordings. Vambo Rools!
One of my favorites!! thanks for doing this!
I always thought Alex and Bon had so many similarities. SAHB was an instant favorite of mine. First thing I heard was Impossible Dream. Just struck home to me. Loved it instantly. Went out and bought it right away. Still one of my go to bands. What is it? 50 years later? Incredible
My favourite band of all time. I’ve a signed copy of framed(swirly label)-next-the impossible dream-and fourplay. Asked you a few times for this review , thanks 👍👍 I would say live!! Incredible live show. I’ve the full uncut version😜. Followed by the studio release of framed then next!!. Yes fourplay is a German cd release. I always compare Alex vocals with Bon,what you think? The McKenna’s are cousins btw. Great show thanks 🙏 vambo rool ok. Mentioned bon before end of review commenting as I’m watching ☝️☝️
What else was on your uncut live album and how long was it ? thx
@@limmoblack hi thanks for feedback the cd I have a double cd called “live in the Hammersmith 1975 The complete show” it’s an official fan club only release from WWW.SAHB.CO.UK it’s recorded from the live board mix. Tracks as follows
Disc 1
Fanfare
Faith healer
Action strasse
Tomahawk kid
Give my compliments to the chef
Delilah
Soul in chains
Tale of the giant stone eater
Disc 2
Gang bang
Midnight Moses
Vambo
Tomorrow belongs to me
Framed
Hope this helps. Thanks
@@stephenconlin1840 Cheers Steve for the list, much appreciated. Keep the faith
Rock Drill is my fave maybe because i am very much a prog rocker these days. I bought NEXT back in 1976 when i became a young fan. Thanks for the review.
What a great reviewer Steven is , always like Pete's approach but Steven has no problems expressing himself without coming over as big headed, excellent stuff
Thank you for the kind comments. Very much appreciated!
Alex Harvey finally at Sea of Tranquility. Alex Harvey rules. Always did. Wonderfull band, great albums...one of the best and more underestimated rock acts in history. Killer band, with...ZAL!!!!
i'm so glad you mentioned bon scott, 'cause i remember when ac/dc put out their first album in australia and i picked it up and thought immediately that it was alex harvey singing..always wished alex did some bon covers....and you mentioned jerry reed...framed was also a cover of a jerry reed tune...and of course tomorrow belongs to me was the song the nazis sang in the film 'cabaret'....lots of great covers and originals...great ranking...peace...rocky
yeah ive always liked tomorrow belongs to me(not a fascist)...and little feat did framed too
Thanks for the show. Hope to see more badass rock bands from the same era such as Dr. Feelgood, Steve Gibbons Band and The Angels on the show.
What a great Band I saw them twice once at the Victoria Apollo and at Charton In 1976 supporting The Who what I can really remember was about 50 Thousand people singing Delilah ringing around the Stadium. The first time I heard them was in a pub called the London Hospital Tavern which was across the road from The Blind Beggar in Whitechapel which played rock music and this track came on and it was The Faith Healer.
Discovered your channel a few weeks ago. It's great.
Got into this band just this year. So glad to see this episode.
So much music. Too little time.
A band far ahead of its time. "Isobel Goudie" is one of my all time favourites. Great live version on "British Tour '76". Absolutely unique.
1) Framed
2) Next
3) The Impossible Dream
4) Rock Drill
5) SAHB Stories
6) Tomorrow Belongs To Me
7) The Penthouse Tapes
8) Fourplay (Just because it's imho not a SAHB album)
I do not own "British Tour 76" yet...I own his appearance at the Cleveland Agoura, LIve, and the BBC stuff ...how is the British Tour 76 CD? Would you recommend gettng it?
@@dancalmpeaceful3903 I love this album. The only live album with "Isobel Goudie". Then there are great live performances of the "actual" album: "Amos Moses", "Boston Tea Party" and "Dance To Your Daddy". Then there is the "usual" live stuff. But even "Framed" has different and extremely weird lyrics. On this album Tommy Eyre is playing keyboards. He had just joined the band, but does a great job on this record.
@@Katzeninsel1 Excellent. You've sold me. I'll be hunting that one down. Love "Isobel Goudie"....great song. Any Harvey bootlegs you might recommend (good performance/great sound)?
@@dancalmpeaceful3903 The only bootleg I know is from the performance on the Reading Festival in 1977. The quality of the recording is not very good. Only the audience is captured extremly well. This is amazing. But overall the other live recordings are better.
Unique band
I am sad that you guys don't have the vinyl copies of all these albums' I got in to the band in the mid seventies and collected them all. Still have them.
Saw';em on Don Kirschner's Rock Concert in the early 70's. Instant fan. Got all their albums. Wish they were bigger in the U.S..
S.A.H.B. Still my all time fave band....they could do it all.....Filling the mid 70's gap between Glam and Punk. Vambo rool. OK
Pete... If you haven't heard Zal Cleminson's Sin Dogs it's an absolute must. Very Heavy!
Agreed!!!
Their appearances on the TV concert shows were memorable. I taped those on cassette and listened to them over and over, great to find them on TH-cam now.
I have been wanting to go through their discography. My brother was a fan and the Tomorrow Belongs to Me album was one I grew up on. My brother was fortunate to see them in concert.
I think the Mafia Stole my Guitar should be included here. Even though it's billed as the New Band.....it's really a SAHB lp....and it's excellent.
Agree. & I've only just discovered the posthumous album 'Soldier on The Wall'.
Midnight Moses is one of the most ass kicking songs of all time
🎸💥🎸💥🎸
great show, thanks
Great stuff Pete and I really enjoyed Steven's take on the magic that was the SAHB. Perhaps a show on the greatest 'front-men' and women in rock beckons. Alex is in the top ten. These are the guys who you couldn't ignore or take your eyes off. They weren't necessarily up there with the very top singers, but they were great vocalists in their own way. They were performers, characters, rogues, actors, disguises, personas and entertainers. They could be strange, funny, lovable, dangerous, bizarre, even madmen or grotesques like Alex Harvey. You get the idea. Bon Scott who you mentioned was one such; Jim Morrison another. Ozzy Osbourne. Strictly no fakers though. Great show.
Thanks for this ranking the albums video guys! Also I wanted to note that in 1974 Shel Talmy produced an album for them that was shelved. They eventually released most of the songs on The Impossible Dream. The tapes were thought to have been lost in Chris Glen's house fire but were discovered and released as "Hot City - The 1974 Unrelased Album" around 2010. This is worth tracking down for the version of "Tomahawk Kid" alone! Killer version of the song only appears on this release.
Sacred Reich? Kingdom Come? Enuff Z Nuff? Great White? LA Guns? Anthrax? Death Angel? King Diamond? Metal Church? Testament? Sepultura? Warrior Soul? Yngwie? C'mon Pete!
Think Malcolm and Angus Young had clocked the attitude of Alex Harvey, and the sound of Zal's guitar work for sure. Both playing an SG which does have a particular tone. Bon Scott also coming from where he did. Hard, honest rock music that smacks you in the face. It touched me and I come from the West Country. Timeless.
A great band which I was lucky to see once in the early 70s. The albums are great, especially the first 3 which I find impossible to rank. Try and find the Old Grey Whistle Test performances on TH-cam and see what this band was about. Great stuff.
right on, man they are amazing ,i love the synchronized choreography...those 3 are my favorites too
My father knew Alex he was also at the Tommy Steele contest Alex won!I've been fan longtime!
I'm Australian and the first i heard SAHB was when I was 19. It was 1975. I was at a mates place and he slapped Tomorrow Belongs To Me on the turntable. We had imbibed some "green leafy substance", "Action Strasse" fired up and that slow thumping rhythm just took me somewhere else.
It was somehow hypnotic, yet slightly threatening and foreboding at the same time with a very sexual undertone...or was it just the drugs?
That's it. I was hooked. My body was free but they kept my soul in chains...