Tranquility: 1971 - 1974

"Their first tour...[in the United States]...was in mid-1972 and was so successful that it was extended by two months...and reliable sources told us they blew more than one big-name U.S. band off the stage..."

(CBS Inner Sleeve Issue III, 1973)

Tranquility fell into that odd category of bands, such as Foghat and Rare Bird, or to bring the comparison slightly more up-to-date, Hole, who were almost completely unknown or ignored at home in the UK, but surprisingly popular in the United States. So who were they, and why is it, with the recent re-appraisal of similar bands, such as Rare Bird, with the advent of Internet music news-groups subscribed to by fanatical fans, that still no-one has heard of Tranquility in the UK?

The band was formed in 1971 by Ashley Kozak, formerly Donovan's manager, and built around the song writing abilities of Terry Shaddick. Kozak had long wished for a "...gentle tranquil band that could create its own hybrid of pop, rock and English folk music" (CBS Inner Sleeve Issue III, 1973), and in Shaddick, he saw the focal point for creation of just such a band.

In a way, the band started where Donovan and Open Road had left off, and the first album was a curious mix of Beatles/Hollies-type pop, through soft 'countryesque' folk songs, and into territory currently being tested by the recently reformed Rare Bird or new band Home. The LP's opening track, "Try Again", would even have comfortably fitted on Genesis' first Charisma LP, "Trespass".

We're moving ahead a bit here, however. The original line-up included a 'heavyweight', to make up for the lack of well-known names. Eric Dillon, direct from Noel Redding's ill-fated Fat Mattress, was brought in on drums., and the rest of the line-up was completed by Terry Shaddick, on guitar, Kevin McCarthy, from Cressida, on bass, Tony Lukyn, on piano and organ and Berkeley Wright, on lead guitar. Kevin initially played bass on four songs before leaving the band only to rejoin again some months later on guitar. In the meantime Eric's ex Fat Mattress buddy, Jim Leverton, was invited to join on bass. He stayed for a while before being replaced by John Perry from Grapefruit.

The band was signed to Epic, an offshoot of CBS Records, probably on the strength of the Donovan connection, as Donovan had been signed to Epic in the US throughout the 1960s, and had just signed with them in the UK, following the lapse of his Pye/Dawn contract. The band now went into Olympic Sound Studios in London with engineer Keith Harwood, to record their first album, before launching into a promotional tour of the USA. By the time the tour of the States was organised, John Perry and Eric Dillon had both left to be replaced by Bernie Hagley, on Bass, and Paul Francis, from Tucky Buzzard and Fuzzy Duck (sounds like the drinking game when you start to get it wrong!), on drums, also by now, Kevin McCarthy, had been drafted back into the band on rhythm guitar..

After a few warm-up dates in England, which include two nights at the Rainbow Theatre Finsbury opening for the Byrds, they were off to the USA. The response of the American crowds to this unknown British support act was quite astounding, and the band found themselves being offered extra dates for their tour, leading to an extra two months touring around America. This caused some problems, however, because the band had not yet released their LP, and the American fans clamoured for a record, as did their US record company.

To satisfy demand, Epic in the US rush-released the album "Tranquility", E 31084, with photos on the sleeve of the band before the change of line-up and not of the members that had actually toured the States. There were eventually three different versions of the rear cover art work released. Version one included some photos taken at Berkeley's wedding and showed Terry, Tony, Berkeley, Eric Dillon and John Perry (with Maggie Gapp, Ashley's assistant sitting on his lap) Version two was in black and white but showed the line-up that toured the States including Bernie Hagley and Paul Francis. The third version was also of the same line up but this time using colour photos shot in a Hollywood Studio and included a photo of Ashley and his wife Gypsy at the bottom of the rear sleeve.

The LP was released in the UK (EPC 64729) with an extra two tracks, "Black Currant Betty", and a snippet of "Saying Goodbye" played backwards as an introduction to "Try Again". To promote the album, the single "Thank You" / "Saying Goodbye" (S EPC 7603) was released with a production credit of 1971, despite being issued in early 1972. This was followed up in late 1972 by a special single re-recording of "Saying Goodbye", coupled with "Happy Is the Man" (EPC S 8243).

In fact, the re-recorded "Saying Goodbye" acted to promote the new LP, "Silver" (EPC 65418), released late 1972, on which Epic had increased the budget to present a much better produced and packaged LP, including a lyric sheet. The band presented on "Silver" was a lot more together, and a lot heavier. The soft songs were still present, but were much 'tighter', whilst the McCartneyesque "Dear Oh Dear", actually sounded a lot more like the Beatles. Tony Lukyn had added a mellotron and clavinet to his bank of keyboards to excellent effect, and tracks such as "Eagle Eye", "Whip Wheel", "Couldn't Possibly Be", and "Silver", showcase a very confident, and original band. The album can be likened to "Epic Forest", or "Somebody's Watching" by Rare Bird, and, taking into account the harmony vocals, "Voice" by Capability Brown, though without the affected English 'tweeness' of the latter.

Epic had great hopes for this album, and Tranquility suddenly found themselves back in the US, signed to Frank Barcelona's Premier Artists and trying to repeat the success of their previous US tours. They were put on high profile tours, supporting Yes, The Eagles, David Bowie, J Geils Band, New Riders of the Purple Sage, Black Oak Arkansas, and Edgar Winter, but the predicted sales never materialised, and in the UK, the band was still completely unknown. A final Epic single, "Dear Oh Dear" coupled with "Nice and Easy" came and went with no-one much the wiser. Perhaps there might have been a bit more notice taken if either "Eagle Eye", "Couldn't Possibly Be" or "Whip Wheel" had been lifted as the single. Who's to say?

The contract with Epic was allowed to lapse, and it was almost two years before the band released another record, and this was a low-key 1974 single on Island, that also sank without trace. The a-side, "Midnight Fortune", mirrored the almost poppy feel of the new Rare Bird, as displayed on "Born Again", thanks to the use of synthesiser and clavinet, but the b-side "One Day Lady", is a beautiful back-to-basics Terry Shaddick tune, sensitively played and well-produced. The Island deal was for one single only, although a third album of new songs was in the process of being recorded at Islands Studios in London, but unfortunately it was never finished and after that one single, the band was back without a recording deal. The band had just begun to get a well-defined sound, but too late: it was all over.

Curiously enough, having compared Tranquility to Rare Bird throughout this article, a Rare Bird connection presented itself in 1975, with Tony Lukyn adding synthesiser to the Headstone album, "Bad Habits" (EMI EMA 766), which also included ex-Rare Bird musicians Dave Kaffinetti, Steve Gould, and Mark Ashton. He also played on the final Colin Scot LP, "Out Of the Blue" (WB K 46281), various Rare Bird musicians having played on the previous two Scot albums.

The rest of the band seemed to disappear without trace, excepting Paul Francis, who entered the wonderful world of sessions, playing on Maggie Bell's "Suicide Sal" (1975, Polydor 2383 313), Brian Friel's "Arrividerci Ardrossan" (1975, Dawn DNLS 3064), and, probably due to the Bowie tour of 1972, Mick Ronson's "Play Don't Worry" (1975, RCA APLI 0681). Jim Leverton is currently to be seen playing and singing with Caravan (2002/2003). Bernie Hagley worked with Jonesy for a while playing sax on their third album "Growing" and on the as yet unreleased fourth album and then briefly with rock guitarist Bernie Torme' in Scrapyard before joining Vanity Fare in 1974.

So that was it, two excellent LPs and four singles, none of which have ever been considered for re-issue yet. The communication revolution that is the Internet has generated interest in other long-lost bands, and more to the point, generated interest in some of these bands to the point that much of their work is now being re-issued on CD and, for those with bottomless wallets, on extremely expensive 180 gram vinyl. Isn't it about time somebody got around to re-appraising the music of Tranquility...or have I already started the process? I hope so.

Mark Clinton Jones, Bristol, 17 September 2001. (www.vynilattic.co.uk)
Since writing the above (slightly updated 7 January 2003), I have received many e-mails from fans asking where they can get the CDs...well, no CDs yet, but I'm still nagging Sony for a reissue! You never know.

Here is an account of Tranquility appearing on TV in the US from Rick Snyder (by e-mail, 27 September 2001).

Yep -- I actually did 'see' "Tranquility". The television show, as I said before, was called "Headshop" and it broadcast in the early '70s on a small UHF channel (Channel 52, specifically) out of Corona, California. The show featured two hosts (at separate times) over their history: A young, articulate black gentleman named David Moses -- and the even more youthful-appearing and even *more* articulate Elliott Mintz (later gaining recognition as an entertainment newscaster on a major network -- and achieving much greater notoriety as a cautious public relations expert for such stars as Don Johnson and the dynamic duo of John & Yoko).

When "Tranquility" were announced, the TV screen revealed unto me a vision that would cause any reasonably insecure heterosexual male to recoil in near horror (we *are* remembering that this was the early '70s, aren't we?): Billowing puffy-sleeved shirts hovering over tapered, well-fitting satinesque bell-bottoms and, in the case of lead singer/songwriter/guitarist Terry Shaddick, some not-so-subtle mascara application overwhelmed by a full set of "I-dare-you-not-to-look-away" darkly painted fingernails. One must keep in mind that ol' Terry was not the best looking of the bunch to begin with; a rough complexion surrounding scraggly teeth, all topped off with a long, side-parted mane of "Brillo"-ish hair. However, when they launched into "Walk Along The Road", I was bought and sold by their tight instrumentation, inspired vocal harmonizing -- and, of course, by the greatness of the song itself. Very soon thereafter, my brother managed to find their debut LP in the used bins at the local independent record shop (quite possibly an audition copy that never managed to make the cut of some short-sighted radio programmer or record reviewer, due to the recency of its release).

The rest of their self-titled disc was not to disappoint, either. Songs like "Try Again", "Thank You", "Where You Are (Where I Belong)", "Lady Of The Lake" and "Happy Is The Man" kept the disc moving along at a brisk, yet high-quality, pace. I played the damn thing over...and over...and over -- to the point that my brother eventually relinquished ownership of the LP to me, since he'd probably had enough of it by then anyway.
When it came to trying to find fellow converts to bond with, there were no "Tranquility" fans to be found, however. Too pop to be part of either the upcoming "Glam Rock" or the established "Prog Rock" scenes that they shared some visual/musical elements with, it seemed that they had found themselves floundering in a musical limbo -- a marketing nightmare that consigned the debut LP of this talented bunch of neo-hippie gypsies to the used bins that I managed to discover them neglectably ensconced in.
With the release of "Silver" there was a glimmer of hope that they might get rescued from total obscurity as "Couldn't Possibly Be" and "Eagle Eye" managed to gather a little steam on the local airwaves. The promise of stardom still eluded them, however -- as their proverbial "15 minutes of fame" didn't seem half that by the time they decided to knock it on the head once and for all.


Thank you Rick
________________________________________

** NEWS **
Sony have finally decided to re-release the Tranquility albums!
" Tranquility" Now available on CD through "Rock and Groove Records"
"Silver " to be re-released late 2005

GET IT NOW - ROCK AND GROOVE RECORDS

Discography:

LPs

Tranquility (UK issue, Epic EPC 64729)

Released 1972

Track listing:
Click on Track for an MP3 Snippet. If you want to save the track right click & select "save as"

Try Again (with backwards intro. from "Saying Goodbye")
Ride Upon the Sun
Where Are You (Where I Belong)
Look At the Time It's Late
Lady Of the Lake
Walk Along the Road
Thank You
Oyster Catcher
Black Currant Betty
Happy Is the Man
Saying Goodbye

Tranquility (US issue, Epic E 31084)

Track listing is the same as the UK release, except that the backwards intro. To "Try Again" is missing, as is "Black Currant Betty". The back sleeve is also different, with pictures of an earlier line-up.

Silver (UK issue, Epic EPC 65418; US issue, Epic E 31989)

Released 1972, with lyric sheet

Track listing:
Click on Track for an MP3 Snippet. If you want to save the track right click & select "save as"

Eagle Eye
Can I See You
Linda
Whip Wheel
The Driver's Engine
Couldn't Possibly Be
Nice and Easy
Dear Oh Dear
Silver
The Tree

Singles

Thank You / Saying Goodbye (Epic S EPC 7603) - released 1972

"Saying Goodbye" is the LP version, timed at 5.42.

Saying Goodbye / Happy Is the Man (Epic EPC S 8243) - released 1972

"Saying Goodbye" is a specially recorded single version, timed at 2.45.

Dear Oh Dear / Nice And Easy (Epic EPC 1486) - released 1973

Midnight Fortune / One Day Lady (Island WIP 6192) - released 1974

Oddities

"The Driver's Engine" from "Silver" was covered by Henry Gross on his LP, "Plug Me Into Something".

It also looks as though Terry Shaddick finally made some money by composing Grammy Award winning songs for Olivia Newton John. Including her number one hit "Physical"

Berkeley Wright plays on the following albums (and has also played with Richard Pinhas)...

Pascal Comelade - Musiques Pour Films, Vol. 2 (1996) Banjo, Guitar
Pascal Comelade - Samedi Sur La Terre (1997) Guitar
Pascal Comelade - Musique de Genres (1997) Banjo
Pascal Comelade - Tal Jazz (1998) Banjo, Guitar

Bernie Hagley played saxophone on "Growing" by Jonesy (Dawn label LP). Before joining "Vanity Fare" in 1974