Druid (band)
Druid were a 1970s progressive rock band from England, and initially came to public attention by winning a 1974 unsigned band contest by Melody Maker magazine.[1] The band went on to perform on The Old Grey Whistle Test and to record two albums. Their sound was notably influenced by Yes.
Druid | |
---|---|
Origin | Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire, England |
Genres | Progressive rock, symphonic rock, art rock |
Years active | 1971–1977 |
Labels | EMI, BGO Records |
Past members |
|
After the demise of Druid, Neil Brewer and Dane Stevens formed the Never Never Band with a more commercial approach.
Former member Cedric Sharpley, who went on to back Gary Numan in the band Tubeway Army, died from a heart attack on 13 March 2012.[2] Keyboard player Andrew McCrorie-Shand later pursued a career composing for Ragdoll Productions, most notably their longest-running TV shows Rosie and Jim, while bass player Neil Brewer was the show's third and final presenter from 1997 to 2000.
Line-up
- Cedric Sharpley – drums (founding member; died 2012)
- Neil Brewer – bass (founding member)
- Dane Stevens – vocals, guitars (founding member)
- Andrew McCrorie-Shand – keyboards (joined 1974)
- Pete Griffiths - keyboards (1971–73)
Discography
Toward The Sun (1975)
Toward The Sun | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by Druid | ||||
Released | June 1975 | |||
Recorded | Morgan Studios, London, England | |||
Genre | Progressive rock, symphonic rock, art rock | |||
Length | 47:27 | |||
Label | EMI | |||
Producer | Bob Harris | |||
Druid chronology | ||||
|
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Allmusic | [3] |
- Side one
- "Voices" (McCrorie-Shand/Dane) - 8:13
- "Remembering" (Brewer/Dane) - 5:24
- "Theme" (Brewer/Dane/McCrorie-Shand/Sharpley) - 5:24
- "Toward The Sun" (Dane) - 5:03
- Side two
- "Red Carpet For An Autumn" (Brewer/McCrorie-Shand) - 3:10
- "Dawn Of Evening" (Brewer/McCrorie-Shand) - 10:02
- "Shangri-La" (Brewer/Dane) - 10:11
- Personnel
- Neil Brewer – Bass Guitar
- Cedric Sharpley – Drums, Percussion
- Dane – Guitars, Vocals
- Andrew McCrorie-Shand – Keyboards
- Bob Harris – Producer
- George Nicholson – Engineer
- Adrian Sadgrove – Artwork
Fluid Druid (1976)
Fluid Druid | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by Druid | ||||
Released | May 1976 | |||
Recorded | Advision Studios, London, England | |||
Genre | Progressive rock, symphonic rock, art rock | |||
Length | 39:32 | |||
Label | EMI | |||
Producer | Druid, Paul "Rockette" Hardiman | |||
Druid chronology | ||||
|
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Allmusic | [4] |
- Side one
- "Razor Truth" (Dane/Brewer) - 5:42
- "Painters Clouds" (Dane/Brewer) - 5:00
- "FM 145" (McCrorie-Shand) - 2:08
- "Crusade" (McCrorie-Shand/Brewer) - 7:48
- Side two
- "Nothing But Morning" (Dane/Brewer) - 4:09
- "Barnaby" (Dane) - 3:12
- "Kestrel" (McCrorie-Shand) - 3:35
- "Left To Find" (McCrorie-Shand/Dane/Brewer) - 7:12
- "The Fisherman's Friend" (McCrorie-Shand) - 0:46
- Personnel
- Neil Brewer – Bass Guitar
- Cedric Sharpley – Drums, Percussion
- Dane – Guitars, Vocals
- Andrew McCrorie-Shand – Keyboards
- Druid, Paul "Rockette" Harman – Producer
- Ken "Superstar" Thomas – Assistant Engineer
- The Cream Group – Artwork
Singles
- Barnaby/Kestrel/Nothing But Morning (1976, EMI)
Compilations
- Toward the Sun / Fluid Druid (1995, BGO Records)