The Gass was a
rock
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
band formed in May 1965 by
Robert Tench, Godfrey McLean, and Errol McLean. They were managed by Rik Gunnell
and Active Management. The band fused
melodies
A melody (from Greek μελῳδία, ''melōidía'', "singing, chanting"), also tune, voice or line, is a linear succession of musical tones that the listener perceives as a single entity. In its most literal sense, a melody is a combinati ...
with soul, Latin influences, blues and
progressive rock
Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog; sometimes conflated with art rock) is a broad genre of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom and United States through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early 1970s. Initi ...
often employing complex rhythms with an eclectic mix of other influences.
History
1965-1969
Formed in 1965 original line up was
Bobby Tench
Robert Tench (born 21 September 1944) is a British vocalist, guitarist, sideman, songwriter and arranger.
Tench is best known for his work with Freddie King and Van Morrison, as well as being a member of The Jeff Beck Group, Humble Pie, Street ...
on bass guitar (credited as Robert Tench), percussionist Errol McLean, his brother drummer and vocalist Godfrey McLean, saxophonist Humphrey Oka and guitarist Alan Roskams.
Tench soon became the band's vocalist and lead guitarist
and between 1965 and 1967 they released singles on the
Parlophone
Parlophone Records Limited (also known as Parlophone Records and Parlophone) is a German–British record label founded in Germany in 1896 by the Carl Lindström Company as Parlophon. The British branch of the label was founded on 8 August 1 ...
and
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...
labels and as their music progressed the line up changed.
They also played at clubs and venues in U.K and at fashionable music venues in London's
Soho
Soho is an area of the City of Westminster, part of the West End of London. Originally a fashionable district for the aristocracy, it has been one of the main entertainment districts in the capital since the 19th century.
The area was develop ...
such as The
Ad Lib club,
The Flamingo and the
Bag O'Nails. Eric Burdon sang with them at The
Scotch of St James where they were employed as the house band and Jimi Hendrix jammed with them.
During 1968 they were supporting bands such as
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are cite ...
. In 1969 they became the band for the rock musical
Catch My Soul-Rock Othello produced by
Jack Good and their participation was billed as 'music interpreted by Gass'.
1970-1971
By this period the band were known simply as Gass and they released their first album
Juju (1970) which featured guitarist
Peter Green.
In the same year Godfrey McLean appeared on
Peter Green's ''End of the Game'' (1970). Gass were also featured on the album
Catch My Soul (1971), which was recorded with the original cast of the UK stage production of ''Catch My Soul-Rock Othello''.
In 1971 the band recorded the single "Something's Got To Change Your Ways" which was released the
Polydor
Polydor Records Ltd. is a German-British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in the United States. ...
label.
Pete Masden mentions in his book Funk guitar and Bass, that during this period Godfrey McLean and Tench performed at regular
jam sessions
A jam session is a relatively informal musical event, process, or activity where musicians, typically instrumentalists, play improvised solos and vamp over tunes, drones, songs, and chord progressions. To "jam" is to improvise music without ext ...
with other musicians at
Ronnie Scott
Ronnie may refer to:
*Ronnie (name), a unisex pet name and given name
* "Ronnie" (Four Seasons song), a song by Bob Gaudio and Bob Crewe
*"Ronnie," a song from the Metallica album ''Load''
*Ronnie Brunswijkstadion, an association football stadium ...
's club. These sessions led to an embryonic line up for the fusion band
Gonzalez.
Post disbanding
In May 1971 Tench joined
The Jeff Beck Group
The Jeff Beck Group was a British rock band formed in London in January 1967 by former Yardbirds guitarist Jeff Beck. Their innovative approach to heavy-sounding blues, rhythm and blues and rock was a major influence on popular music.
Firs ...
and Gass finally disbanded. Godfrey McLean recorded with ''
Brian Auger
Brian Albert Gordon Auger (born 18 July 1939) is an English jazz rock and rock music keyboardist who specialises in the Hammond organ.
Auger has worked with Rod Stewart, Tony Williams, Jimi Hendrix, John McLaughlin, Sonny Boy Williamson, a ...
and The Oblivion Express''. Delisle Harper who was the band's bass player in a later lineup appeared with Tench on
Freddie King
Freddie King (September 3, 1934December 28, 1976) was an American blues guitarist, singer and songwriter. He is considered one of the "Three Kings of the Blues Guitar" (along with Albert King and B.B. King, none of whom were blood related). Mos ...
's ''Burglar'' (1974) also ''Larger than Life'' (1975). and Roskams moved on to work with
Herbie Goins
Hubert Leroy "Herbie" Goins (February 21, 1939 – October 27, 2015) was an American rhythm & blues singer. He worked mainly in England in the 1960s, notably with Alexis Korner and then as the leader of Herbie Goins & The Night-Timers (or Ni ...
Band members
1969-1971
*
Robert Tench-bass, guitar, organ and vocals
* Godfrey McLean-drums, congas, vocals and percussion
* Delisle Harper-bass and percussion
* Derek Austin-organ, piano, flute and percussion
* Michael Piggott-violin and guitar
1965-1969
*
Robert Tench-bass, guitar, organ and vocals
* Godfrey McLean-drums, congas, vocals and percussion
* Alan Roskams-lead guitar
(left in 1967)
* Stuart Cowell-lead guitar (left in 1967)
* Frank Clark-Organ
* Humphrey Okan-Saxophone
* Errol McLean-Congas
Discography
Albums
*''Supergroups Vol 2'' (1970) (track 1. "Black Velvet" featuring Peter Green).
*''
Juju'' featuring
Peter Green Polydor 2485 003 (1970). Re-released as ''
Gass'' in the same year with the same personnel, track listing and catalogue number.
*''
Catch My Soul'' Polydor 238 3035 (1971)
Singles
as The Gass
* "One Of These Days"/"I Don't Know Why" Parlophone R 5344(1965)
* "The New Breed"/"In The City" Parlophone R 5456 (1966)
* "Dream Baby (How Long Must I Dream)"/"Jitterbug Sid"
CBS 2647(1967)
* "Something's Got To Change Your Ways"/"Mr. Banana" Polydor 2058 147 (1971)
Notes
References
*Celmins, Martin. ''Peter Green Founder of Fleetwood Mac'', foreword by BB King. Sanctuary Publishing, (1998) 2nd edition.
*Hjort, Chris and Hinman, Doug. ''Jeff's book : A Chronology of Jeff Beck's Career 1965-1980 : from the Yardbirds to Jazz-Rock''. Rock 'n' Roll Research Press, (2000).
*Joynson, Vernon. ''The Tapestry of Delights - The Comprehensive Guide to British Music of the Beat, R&B, Psychedelic and Progressive Eras 1963-1976''. Borderline (2006). Reprinted (2008).
*Larkin, Colin. The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Guinness (1992). Item notes: v.2. Digitized (19 Jun 2007).
*Madsen, Pete. ''Funk Guitar and Bass: Know the Players, Play the Music''. Backbeat (2007).
External links
Jack GoodNew Vitality on London Management Scene. Billboard 13 November 1971
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gass (Band)
British rock music groups
Musical groups established in 1965
British funk musical groups
British soul musical groups
Musical groups disestablished in 1971