Week of July 17, 2005
The early 70s downer rock outfit Necromandus are perhaps primarily
remembered for two main reasons. The first of these is that the group, through
their dynamic live performances early on, came to the attention of
Black
Sabbath's Tony Iommi, who would later see fit to offer them some much needed
managerial guidance. Secondly, the band were to be handed a recording contract
in early '73 for a proposed album and single deal scheduled for release on
Phonogram's prestigious Vertigo label, and, as many of you will already know,
neither record appeared.
Yet although everything seemed to be coming together nicely for Necromandus,
as you will discover, with the best will in the world things don't always go
according to plan and, in their case, optimism would give way to frustration and
disillusionment, ambitions thwarted, hopes dashed.
However, several years before the gloom finally descended, reminiscent of the
swirling mirk which surrounds the craggy peaks of their native Cumbria, four
young and talented musicians had joined forces with sights set high, and rightly
so, as each individual was on the fast track to becoming a highly accomplished
musician in his own right.
Whilst still gigging under the name of Hot Spring Water, vocalist Bill
Branch introduced the band as follows in a hand-written letter he sent from his
home in Egremont to Birmingham-based promoter Norman Hood.
The group is a four-piece unit comprising lead and bass guitars, drums and a
vocalist doubling on mouth harp. We have been together for a period over two
years and have in that time graduated from a band playing Negro blues such as
that of John Lee Hooker and Sonny Boy Williamson, etc. to the
present stage where we are now playing entirely original material.
The band was formed from the splitting up of two local bands in our area, and
two members of the present line-up come from each of these. Barry Dunnery, the
lead guitarist and myself (vocals), come from a band called Jug, a
blues-orientated four-piece. Dennis, the bass player, and Frank, the drummer,
come from a similar outfit, called Heaven.
We began composing our own material just a short while after our formation and
have now composed thirty or more songs, probably about half of which we use on
stage at the present time. The more recent compositions have a jazzier leaning
than before, comprising some out of the ordinary time signatures and
incorporating many tempo changes, etc. to give what we hope is a nice variation
in material.
The personnel of the group is as follows: the lead guitarist is Barry Dunnery,
who, in my opinion, his 20 years is of exceptional ability. He has been playing
for some six years alongside myself in various different bands, and I have the
opinion that he could eventually become nationally recognised as he is far
superior to many people who already are. He plays a Rickenbacker 1998
three-pick-up and uses a Marshall stack of 100 watts. He composes all the
group's material apart from the lyrics.
The bass guitarist is Dennis McCarten who is 22 years old and has been playing
for some five years and plays some beautifully complementary bass guitar woven
into Barry's lead guitar very thoughtfully. He plays a Rickenbacker two-pick-up
bass guitar and also uses a 100-watt Marshall stack. An interesting point is the
unusual sound of two Rickenbackers together - has a nice ding to it.
The drummer is Frank Hall and he plays a midnight blue kit of George Hayman. He
is 22 years old and has a very strong, spectacular style and is very
entertaining to watch as he is covered from head to foot in hair and looks like
a mad gorilla when he plays!
The vocals are taken by myself, Bill Branch, and I, too, am 22 years old and
tend to rasp rather than sing, although it suits what we do very well. I also
write the lyrics to Barry's music.
We have spent most of our time together playing clubs and colleges, etc. in the
North of England and, in the North-West particularly, have amassed a
considerable following. We did spend a couple of fruitless and frustrating
months in London, but it is very much a closed shop and work is very hard to
come by.
On the strength of Branch's introductory letter, the way was paved for a string
of gigs in the West Midlands courtesy of Norman, who was in the process of
setting up Tramp Entertainment, an agency promoting other small bands such as
Bullion, Flying Hat Band, Orphan, Bulldozer and
Judas Priest.
Within a matter of months, following a non-stop schedule of gigs at which they
were going down a storm, it was deemed a good idea for them to actually move
down to Birmingham, a much more central location and closer to the very people
trying hard to raise their profile, including, of course, Tony Iommi.
Said Iommi of his Cumberland proteges, We used to play up that way quite a lot
and we played with Necromandus several times. We became friendly and when
we set up the agency, it seemed an ideal way of helping them, so I became their
manager. In many ways they are like
Sabbath both musically and as far as
their background goes. They write and play very technical material and always
keep it heavy, even though some of their songs are soft rock. For me, managing
Necromandus gave me the opportunity to see what life is like on the other
side of the fence. Apart from anything else, it was a challenge to pick up an
unknown band and try to get them off the ground. One good thing which has come
out of the operation already is the agency, as after I took the band on we built
the agency around them.
Being away from the band while he's on the road can have its drawbacks for Tony,
but it also has its advantages. Wherever we go on tour, I always make a point
of personally meeting the promoter and the agent and trying to fix something up
for the band. That way I can pick the right venues for them.
Towards late '72, when Dunnery, Branch, McCarten and Hall uprooted themselves
from their native Lake District to hole-up in Brum, they were still going under
the dubious moniker of Hot Spring Water, which was almost unanimously
considered a name hardly appropriate for their solemn image, let alone their
dark, heavy sound. A more heavy-duty, eye-catching name was urgently needed, and
before Necromandus was suggested (surely one of the meanest names of all
time), they were temporarily booked out as Taurus.
In fact, a suitable title always appeared to be something of an issue up to that
point. With earlier suggestions including the likes of Urinal and
Heavy Hand, it's little wonder that the search was getting to the
desperation stage! The band did actually use the Heavy Hand suggestion
for a short while, the name apparently derived from drummer Frank's somewhat
'heavy-handed' style!
So exactly how did the name Necromandus come about and what is its
origin? Well, much controversy surrounds this. Norman Hood recalls: There was a
radio programme called Heavy Pressure on BBC Radio WM. It used to go out from
Pebble Mill Studios on a Tuesday and it was hosted by Malcolm Jay. As I remember
it, listeners (and it was a popular show) were told about the band, I think they
were Taurus at that stage, and asked to write in with suggestions for a
new name. Although Necromandus wasn't suggested, a few came in with
things like Necromancer (and Necrophilia probably!) and somehow Necromandus
evolved from that.
So the boys from the Lakes, oft-hailed 'A Second
Sabbath', at last had a
name with all the right connotations to match their sombre disposition. Mystical
and foreboding, the name fitted what they were all about right down to the
ground. Necromandus had arrived.
As 1972 wore on, and the band continued on the club circuit, a recording session
was arranged at nearby Zella Studios in Edgbaston. Norman Hood was present,
along with the boss of Zella, Johnny Haines, but Tony Iommi was in charge and
took care of production duties. Only one song was laid down, the choppy,
riff-laden Judy Green Rocket, and a handful of seven-inch acetates were
cut. Norman recounts: My contribution was holding Frank's drum kit down when it
threatened to walk across the studio floor, so I deserve a credit!
The trip to Zella wasn't their first visit to a recording studio, according to
Barry Dunnery. In an interview I held with the lead guitarist in 1998, the axe
man stated that the band had actually recorded some tracks at London's Marquee
Studios, but that the outcome was less than satisfactory. Several acetates were
rumoured to have been cut, some even accompanied by mock sleeves, but sadly
there is no evidence of anything having survived today. With things gathering
pace, early '73 became a hectic period for the group, and in February,
Necromandus were booked into London's Morgan Studios to lay down material
for an album. Once again the sessions were overseen by Iommi, who produced the
album and who also contributed some deft guitar work to what became the title
track, 'Orexis Of Death'.
The sessions went well with everyone pleased with the results. Iommi was able to
use his considerable influence to gain a deal for them with Vertigo, who by then
had already released four LPs by
Sabbath. Tony's doomy prog-rock
fledglings Necromandus were lined up as the next exciting young act to
grace the already highly acclaimed label.
Interestingly enough, as they resumed live work, one of their gigs took place at
Wormwood Scrubs!
The following month, Necromandus were invited as set openers on a
high-profile, prestigious UK tour by
Black
Sabbath. Also on the bill were
Tony Kaye's Badger who, by all accounts, had more than a little difficulty
following them. The tour began at Green's Playhouse in Glasgow on March 9th, and
other notable venues included the Mayfair Ballroom in Birmingham and London's
Rainbow Theatre. Reviews of Necromandus were largely favourable, with
Melody Maker journalist Michael Oldfield saying they 'should go far', but rather
curiously calling them 'a sort of
Black
Sabbath play Yes's
greatest hits band!'
Meanwhile their album's release date was put back until late April, but they
followed up their successful tour backing
Sabbath with a solo tour of
clubs and colleges throughout the land. Unbeknown to many of you, one of these
gigs, at the Casino, Blackpool, was privately recorded on 30th March and thirty
two years later, its release on CD has finally become possible.
By high summer '73, there was still no sign of the album, despite reports in the
music press that it had been due to hit the racks as early as March. At this
time, Sabbath were at their peak, and their workload - enormous, they
were also spending an ever-increasing amount of time outside of Britain and had
largely relocated to the States. With Tony Iommi unable to dedicate himself
continually to all of the managerial commitments necessary to ensure that
Necromandus's affairs ran smoothly, it was inevitable that something had to
give. The impetus of promoting the LP was lost. But it didn't end there. Tony's
massive obligations to
Sabbath resulted in the agency closing down too.
With frustration obviously running high within the band, Necromandus
carried on regardless, hopeful that things would right themselves soon.
The next major event for the group was back on home territory. They were invited
to play at the Kendal Festival, which was to take place on August 26th at the
County Showfield and would be headlined by
The Groundhogs. The location
was situated in a perfect setting surrounded on all sides by mist-enshrouded
mountains (actually heat mist), and for once it didn't rain! The day began with
the little-known outfit called Cosy Mole, and other acts included
Hackensack, who managed to get most of the crowd up on their feet,
Brewers Droop, England, Aqua Vibra,
Greenslade and a
special appearance by saxophonist/poet-extraordinaire, Lol Coxhill.
Necromandus had gone on early, and Melody Maker writer Irene Reed
reported, Necromandus, a local band, were dogged by poor acoustics and
fuzzy mikes. They weren't playing under the best of conditions, but even when
the singer managed to get his voice through the fuzz, he wasted his time. The
words were, to say the least, paltry and insignificant. Funny how hardly any
female critics approved of loud, heavy bands. Yet, an all-girl outfit, namely
Bitch, who closed the event, were, according to Miss Reed, the best thing
that happened the whole day, this despite them being a noisy hard-rock quintet!!
The only hassle of the day came with the Darlington chapter of Hell's Angels,
who turned up, but it wasn't serious enough for the police to be called.
By September, there were still sporadic reports circulating about the
forthcoming Necromandus album. However, Baz Dunnery was about to drop a
bombshell to his band mates that would seal the group's fate forever. According
to Frank Hall, Barry announced that he was leaving the band due to conflict over
musical direction. Devastated by his untimely decision to quit, Bill, Dennis and
Frank nevertheless wanted to carry on and offered to try and find a replacement.
However, Tony Iommi, who was a great admirer of Dunnery's fretboard mastery,
thought that without him the group were dead in the water, and he was right.
Everything then just ground to a halt, the LP and single axed.
However, they certainly were not forgotten by all. In fact just a few years
later, by a strange twist of fate, they were remembered by
Ozzy Osbourne
who was finding the constraints placed upon him in his role as
Black
Sabbath's
front man increasingly restrictive. Seeking to find new avenues, he invited
Barry and the rhythm section of Dennis and Frank, who had all been mates of his
for years, down to his cottage in Staffordshire to enable him to play with some
different musicians and experiment by rehearsing new material.
Naturally enough, it never got off the ground properly, and the sessions, some
of which were apparently captured on a reel-to-reel tape machine, slowly
deteriorated into a massive piss-up!
Baz Dunnery did go on to play on an album called, No Cause For Alarm in
1979 by Violinski, and this time it was released! In fact, it appeared on
the Jet label, which was also the same label as
Ozzy's first solo record,
Blizzard Of Ozz.
Now, sadly, two former members of Necromandus have since been taken from
us. Brilliant vocalist Bill Branch passed away first, some years back, and he
has now been joined by bassist Dennis McCarten, who died recently.
Fortunately, you can still hear much of what they left behind in a series of three CDs available via Audio Archives.
Necrothology (AACD 030)
features extended and alternate versions of songs from the Morgan Studios
sessions together with some otherwise unavailable tracks, a very rare live
number from 1971 and a special tribute song which serves to illustrate just what
an impact the band have made on various recent heavy rock bands.
Orexis Of Death plus... (AACD 051) is a newly re-mastered and
repackaged edition of the studio album that now boasts two monstrously rare
bonus tracks never previously available. Two versions of the doomy, riff-laden Judy
Green Rocket now augment this abandoned Vertigo masterpiece.
Finally, we are proud to present Live (AACD 050), which offers you the
chance to hear the full performance of the powerhouse set as it happened on
March 30th, 1973 at the Casino, Blackpool.
Necromandus were most certainly a gifted young band made up of talented
individuals, highly rated by Tony Iommi and Vertigo, who both signed them up.
Through no fault of their own they failed to get any of their recorded work
released in the early 70s, when it should first have been heard and when it
really mattered.
The band, who possessed an acute awareness of their musical exploration used a
unique combination of unlikely styles from technically challenging progressive
jazz-rock to doom-laden power chords in order to forge their own mysterious
sound and identity.
Now, three decades on, they surely deserve their place in the annals of British
Rock. If only one could turn back the clock perhaps...
Pete Sarfas
March 2005
Taken from the CD reissue of Orexis Of Death plus... (AACD 051), Audio Archives 2005