Back Door
These guys added a whole new dimension to what on the surface looked like a jazz group, but was really far more than that. Seemingly appearing out of nowhere in the early 70s with a totally new take on the 3 piece sax/bass/drums format, they received much critical acclaim but ultimately didn't sell enough records. Sounds a familiar story, Joe Public never knows when he's well off.
We can thank the Lion Inn, Blakey Ridge, a remote pub hidden away on England's North Yorkshire Moors and its enthusiastic landlord Brian Jones, for nurturing the extraordinary talents of Colin Hodgkinson (bass), Tony Hicks (drums) and Ron Aspery (sax & flute). The Lion provided a regular gig and as the word began to spread Brian even financed the recording and initial pressing of their eponymous debut album in 1972. Entirely instrumental and without overdubs, this album defined their sound.
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OK but what's the music like? Short self composed tunes from Aspery and Hodgkinson extend the various jazz, blues and funk traditions that inspired them. The arrangements are tight, within which are fleeting windows for improvisation. I guess the most innovative thing about the whole package is Colin Hodgkinson's approach to the electric bass. In his hands the Fender Precision fulfills the roles of bass, rhythm and even lead guitar giving the potentially sparse sounding trio a much richer palette of sound than might be imagined. Nothing has sounded quite like this before or since. Big names across the Atlantic began to take notice and almost overnight they found themselves supporting Chick Corea's Return to Forever in a highly successful series of gigs at Ronnie Scott's in London. Shortly after they were signed by Warner Brothers and the first album re packaged and re released. |
The second album Eighth Street Nites (1973) was recorded in New York with ex Cream producer Felix Pappalardi at the controls. The gritty sound of the first album was augmented by vocals (from Colin) on a couple of Leadbelly numbers and occasional electric piano (Ron). The focus was shifted slightly but the fire, finesse, wit and skill were still present in bucketloads. They toured Europe and the States supporting other big name admirers, most notably Emerson, Lake & Palmer. Two more albums were recorded but failed to match the stunning first two releases. On Another Fine Mess the changed and expanded line up (Dave MacCrae - keyboards all tracks, Bernie Holland - guitar on a couple of tracks) seems to smooth out the sound making them sound like a lot of other funk/jazz influenced rock bands of the time. Activate (Tony Hicks replaced by Adrian Tilbrook) was produced by Carl Palmer and is apparently an improvement, I have yet to hear this album so will reserve final judgement. |
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By 1976 it was all over and the individual members moved on to diverse and extremely successful careers in the music industry.
There was a brief reformation in the mid 80s for a couple of festivals, then in the late 90s Ron and Colin began recording a few bits and pieces which eventually evolved into a new Back Door album. Askin' the Way (March 2003), combining new material with a few reworked oldies, was launched with a return to Blakey, their spiritual home. This was indeed exciting news, but would they still have the fire after all this time? I agonised for some weeks over whether to make the difficult journey from the south east of England up to that remote corner of the North Yorkshire Moors. In the end I reluctantly decided that the practicalities of a long journey, work and family commitments, and of course cost, outweighed the desire to see my favourite cult band attempt to roll back the years. I read about the shows, they'd had to play an extra one to satisfy the demand. The old magic was still there, they were hot as hell!! Oh well I thought, another time another place. Sadly it wasn't to be.
Unbelievably, as I wrote this (28th December 2003) I read of the death of Ron Aspery on 10th December after a long illness. He will be sadly missed. I sincerely hope he has gone on to a better place, his musical contribution down here will not be forgotten. In a further postscript news reached me in August 2006 that Tony Hicks had also left us. Thankfully at the age of 64 Colin Hodgkinson is still out there treading the boards with The British Blues Quintet. The BBQ are seasoned veterans of the UK scene, alongside Colin H are Maggie Bell, Miller Anderson, Colin Allen and Zoot Money. Check 'em out at http://www.thebritishbluesquintet.co.uk/index.htm