UK (band)


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U.K.
Origin England
Genre(s) Progressive rock
Years active 1977-1980
Label(s) E.G. Records
Polydor Records
Virgin Records
Associated acts Asia, Roxy Music, Frank Zappa, King Crimson, Bruford
Former members
John Wetton
Bill Bruford
Eddie Jobson
Allan Holdsworth
Terry Bozzio

U.K. were a short-lived British progressive rock supergroup active from 1977 through 1980.

In September 1976, singer/bassist John Wetton and drummer Bill Bruford, alumni of King Crimson, worked on forming a band with Yes keyboardist Rick Wakeman. The project was stopped by Wakeman's label. According to Bruford, "A&M Records were unwilling to let their 'star,' Wakeman, walk off with a used, slightly soiled King Crimson rhythm section, and the idea failed." [1]

Determined to work together, Bruford and Wetton next asked guitarist Robert Fripp to reform King Crimson [2] which Fripp had disbanded in 1974. [3] When Fripp declined, Bruford and Wetton decided that each would bring in a musician of his choice to formulate a band. Wetton brought in keyboardist/violinist Eddie Jobson, whom Wetton knew from his work with Roxy Music in 1976 – "stealing" him from Frank Zappa.[4] Bruford recruited guitarist Allan Holdsworth (formerly of Soft Machine and Gong) who had played guitar on Bruford's 1977 debut solo album, Feels Good to Me.

U.K. released their self-titled début album in 1978 and followed it with a supporting tour.

Following two lengthy American tours (June-October 1978), first Holdsworth and then Bruford departed U.K. over musical differences,[5] going on to form the jazz rock fusion group Bruford. After the departure of Bruford and Holdsworth, U.K. didn't bring in another guitarist. Drummer Terry Bozzio (another one-time Frank Zappa band member) joined Wetton and Jobson, and as a result U.K. became a trio with a progressive rock lineup of keyboards/bass/drums (albeit supplemented by Jobson's violin). The trio recorded the album Danger Money, released in March 1979, and spent much of that year touring North America as opening act for Jethro Tull. A live album, Night After Night, was recorded in Japan that Spring and released in September. Following a final European tour in December 1979, and in spite of plans to record a new studio album in America in March 1980, U.K. disbanded. The reason for this was Jobson's and Wetton's different ideas on how the band should have gone on. Jobson wanted UK to go on with more long instrumental pieces, while Wetton thought that performing shorter songs was a better idea. [6] Jobson stated that one song in particular was the reason of the band to disband: "When Will You Realize"[7], a non-LP B-side (to date still unavailable on CD) featured on the "Night After Night" single, which Wetton would re-record (with slightly different lyrics) in 1980 on his solo album Caught In The Crossfire.

Jobson worked with Jethro Tull on the album A and went on to a solo career. Wetton, following a brief stint with Wishbone Ash (October-December 1980), and the recording of his solo album Caught In The Crossfire (Summer 1980), eventually left E.G. Records to sign with Geffen Records and ex-Yes manager Brian Lane and started Asia with Steve Howe, Carl Palmer and Geoffrey Downes. Bozzio formed Missing Persons with his then-wife Dale Bozzio, guitarist Warren Cuccurullo and bassist Patrick O'Hearn - all four also from line-ups with Zappa.

Throughout their brief existence, U.K.'s music was characterised by skilled musicianship, jazzy harmonies, close harmony vocals, use of odd time signatures (like 7/4 on the song "In the Dead of Night"), electric violin solos, and unusually varied synthesiser (Yamaha CS-80[8]) sonorities.

From 1995 to 1998, Jobson and Wetton worked together on a proposed U.K. reunion album, also recording contributions by Bruford, Tony Levin, Steve Hackett and Francis Dunnery. However, when Wetton departed, "Legacy" became an Eddie Jobson solo project, with Wetton replaced on lead vocals by Aaron Lippert. Two tracks intended for the project found their way onto Voices of Life, a collaboration between Jobson and the Bulgarian Women's Choir.[9]

In October 2007, Jobson announced a new band, UKZ, with Lippert and former King Crimson bassist/guitarist Trey Gunn among others. They are recording an album for release in 2008.

Discography

References

  1. ^ DPRP : Counting Out Time : UK - UK
  2. ^ Robert Fripp on June 18, 1979 in Chicago
  3. ^ King Crimson
  4. ^ U.K. Humbled in U.S.A
  5. ^ DPRP : Counting Out Time : UK - UK
  6. ^ Interview with John Wetton in Big Bang Magazine
  7. ^ New UK bootleg / New editions
  8. ^ DPRP : Counting Out Time : UK - UK
  9. ^ On The Edge With Eddie Jobson






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