Wild Horses (British band)
| Company type | Band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1978 |
| Founder | Brian Robertson, Jimmy Bain |
| Defunct | 1981 |
| Headquarters | London , United Kingdom |
| Products | Music albums, singles |
Wild Horses was a British rock group that operated from 1978 until 1981.
History
The band Wild Horses originated in the summer of 1978, founded by former Thin Lizzy guitarist Brian Robertson and ex-Rainbow bassist Jimmy Bain. Initial personnel included guitarist Jimmy McCulloch, previously with Stone the Crows and Wings, as well as drummer Kenney Jones from Small Faces. Eventually, the lineup settled with drummer Clive Edwards, who had played with Pat Travers and Uli Roth, and guitarist/keyboardist Neil Carter, formerly of Wilder and Gilbert O'Sullivan. This ensemble recorded their self-titled album in 1980, produced by Trevor Rabin, which EMI released after signing the band following their 1979 Reading Festival performance.
In August 1980, after completing a UK tour supporting Ted Nugent, Neil Carter departed to join UFO and subsequently collaborated with Gary Moore. He was succeeded by guitarist John Lockton, known from Next Band and Red Alert, who made his first appearance during the autumn 1980 Japanese tour. The band then issued Stand Your Ground in spring 1981.
Following their Paris Theatre concert in London in June 1981, Robertson and Edwards exited the group. Robertson went on to join Motörhead, contributing to the 1983 album Another Perfect Day before working with Scottish musician Frankie Miller on Dancing in the Rain in 1986. Edwards pursued projects including Bernie Marsden's S.O.S., Grand Prix, and Lionheart.
Bain reassembled Wild Horses with Lockton and former Lautrec members Reuben (vocals) and Laurence Archer (guitar), alongside drummer Frank Noon. Shortly thereafter, Archer and Noon left to establish Stampede, which led to Wild Horses disbanding. Bain joined Dio alongside his former Rainbow colleague Ronnie James Dio, while Lockton became part of German hard rock outfit Victory.
In the early 1990s, Laurence Archer and Clive Edwards joined UFO for the albums High Stakes & Dangerous Men and Lights Out in Tokyo, later collaborating with Medicine Head. After reuniting with Stampede, they launched X-UFO in mid-2011 together with Rocky Newton and Danny Peyronel.
Both Wild Horses albums have undergone several reissues: initially in 1993 through EMI-Toshiba Japan under the 'Legendary Masters' series; later European editions appeared with bonus material in 1999 (Zoom Club), 2009 (Krescendo), and 2013 (Rock Candy).
On 25 February 2014, a live album of bootleg quality titled Live In Japan 1980, recorded at Nakano Sun Plaza in Tokyo on 29 October 1980, was released by Krescendo. This recording had first surfaced as a Japanese bootleg named Heavy Ride in 2012.
Members
- Jimmy Bain – bass guitar, vocals, guitar, keyboards (1978–81; died 2016)
- Brian Robertson – guitar, vocals, keyboards (1978–81)
- Kenney Jones – drums (1978)
- Jimmy McCulloch – guitar (1978; died 1979)
- Neil Carter – guitar, vocals, keyboards (1978–80)
- Dixie Lee – drums (1978–79)
- Clive Edwards – drums (1979–81)
- John Lockton – guitar (1980–81)
- Laurence Archer – guitar (1981)
- Reuben Archer – vocals (1981)
- Frank Noon – drums (1981)
Studio albums
- Wild Horses (EMI, 1980; re-released by Toshiba-EMI/Insideout in 1993, Zoom Club in 1999, Krescendo in 2009, and Rock Candy in 2013)
- Stand Your Ground (EMI, 1981; subsequently reissued by Toshiba-EMI/Insideout in 1993, Zoom Club in 1999, Krescendo in 2009, and Rock Candy in 2013)
Live albums
- Live In Japan 1980 (Krescendo, 2014)
UK singles
- "Criminal Tendencies" / "The Rapist" (EMI, 1979)
- "Face Down" / "Dealer" (EMI, 1980)
- "Flyaway" / "Blackmail" (EMI, 1980)
- "I'll Give You Love" / "Rocky Mountain Way" (live) (EMI, 1981)
- "I'll Give You Love" / "Rocky Mountain Way" (live) / "The Kid" / "Saturday Night" (live) (EMI, 1981 – double single set)
- "Everlasting Love" / "The Axe" (EMI, 1981)
Japan singles
- "Face Down" / "Dealer" (EMI, 1980)
- "Fly Away" / "The Rapist" (EMI, 1980)
See also
External links
- Wild Horses on MySpace
- Wild Horses at MusicMight.com
- [Wild Horses biography at Allmusic.com]