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....Where The Groupies Killed The Blues

Artist: Lucifer's Friend
Label: Vertigo
Catalog#: 6360 602
Format: Vinyl
Country: Germany
Released: 1972
Tracklist
A1 Hobo 4:15
  Notes:

John Lawton - Words By
John Lawton - Written-By
Peter Hesslein - Written-By

A2 Rose On The Vine 8:19
  Notes:

John O'Brien-Docker - Words By
John O'Brien-Docker - Written-By
Peter Hesslein - Written-By

A3 Mother 7:25
  Notes:

John O'Brien-Docker - Words By
John O'Brien-Docker - Written-By
Peter Hecht - Written-By

B1 ....Where The Groupies Killed The Blues 5:07
  Notes:

John O'Brien-Docker - Words By
Dieter Horns - Written-By
John O'Brien-Docker - Written-By

B2 Prince Of Darkness 5:37
  Notes:

John O'Brien-Docker - Words By
John O'Brien-Docker - Written-By
Peter Hesslein - Written-By

B3 Summerdream  
  Notes:

John O'Brien-Docker - Words By
John O'Brien-Docker - Written-By
Peter Hesslein - Written-By

B4 Delirium  
  Notes:

Peter Hecht - Written-By

B5 No Reason Or Rhyme 8:56
  Notes:

John O'Brien-Docker - Words By
John O'Brien-Docker - Written-By
Peter Hesslein - Written-By

B6 Burning Ships 4:32
  Notes:

John Lawton - Words By
Dieter Horns - Written-By
John Lawton - Written-By
Peter Hesslein - Written-By

Credits

Peter Hecht - Arranged By [Strings & Brass]
Lucifer's Friend - Arranged By [The Group]
Witt - Design [Album Design]
Addy Rietenbach - Drums, Percussion
Dieter Horns - Electric Bass [Fenderbass], Double Bass [Bass-fiddle]
Conny Plank - Engineer
Peter Hesslein - Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Percussion, Vocals
Foth - Photography By
Peter Hecht - Piano, Organ, Electric Piano, Synthesizer [Moog], Mellotron
Addy Rietenbach - Producer
Conny Plank - Producer
Dieter Horns - Producer
Herbert Hildebrandt-Winhauer - Producer
Peter Hecht - Producer
Peter Hesslein - Producer
John Lawton - Vocals

Notes

Recorded at Windrose - Dumont Time Studio
& Star Music Studio, Hamburg, January 1972
Released in a gatefold cover with an additional poster.

Strawberry Bricks Entry: 
Lucifer's Friend had their roots in Hamburg in a group called The German Bonds. Founded by organist Peter Hecht and bassist Dieter Horns, they were a typical 60s beat group, releasing a few singles to no acclaim; however, they also all worked as studio musicians in the bustling Hamburg music scene. By 1970, with guitarist Peter Hesslein and drummer Joachim Rietenbach, they teamed up with two singer, Englishman John Lawton and Tony Cavanna, and released an album of heavy rock for Decca Records as Asterix. Shedding Cavanna and gaining producer and former Rattle Herbert Hildebrandt, they recorded their debut album proper—which carried the band's new name, Lucifer's Friend. It's an excellent album of heavy rock, rivaling similar works from Deep Purple or Uriah Heep, and best encapsulated with the stone-classic track "Ride the Sky." Their second album, …Where The Groupies Killed The Blues, changed musical direction, something the band would continue to do throughout their career. Released in 1972, it features lyrics and music from John O'Brien-Docker, founder of The City Preachers (a band that morphed into Frumpy). Not surprisingly, the acoustic "Burning Ships" opens the album, with Lawton's robust voice to the fore. "Prince of Darkness" sports a heavy riff, but Hecht's piano tempers any potential sonic onslaught. "Hobo" is an instant classic, while "Mother" features Horns on bass-fiddle; the tense, shifting arrangement goes from hard blues to symphonic. "Summerdream" shows Hecht's hand at orchestration, but it's the diverse structure of "Rose on the Vine" that's the album's highlight. It's an interesting record: one that attempts to embrace the burgeoning progressive with mostly excellent results. Like many of their releases, the album did see a US release on Passport Records (with an improved track order), but not until almost three years after it was recorded. Lucifer's Friend carried on throughout the 70s, releasing several albums of mainstream hard rock; but Lawton left the band in 1977 to join Uriah Heep.
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