Week of December 16, 2001
Bob Cook - Guitar
Paul Dean - Bass
Bill Hinde - Guitar
Ray Sparrow - Drums
Lynden Williams - Vocals
Jerusalem (Deram SDL 6) 1972
Kamakaze Moth/Frustration (Deram DM 358) 1972
Jerusalem was a raunchy early '70s British heavy rock
five-piece outfit. The band released one self-titled album worldwide in 1972 on
Deram (UK cat. no. SLD6), produced by
Ian Gillan of
Deep Purple.
Jerusalem's only other release was a 45 rpm 7' single, the non-album 'Kamikaze
Moth' backed with 'Frustration' from the LP.
The band's unpolished and brutal rock was way ahead of its time and, therefore,
the band never made it in a true commercial sense at the time. They were very
much a live band and whilst many other rock bands were into getting their
audiences to sit down and listen, Jerusalem were all about making their
audiences stand up, move and join in. They gigged throughout Europe and shared
the same stage as
Black Sabbath,
Deep Purple,
Uriah Heep and
Status Quo. They also played at some of the major festivals in Europe to
audiences of 50,000+ and usually went down a storm because they were different,
raw and uninhibited. It has often been stated within the music business that
Jerusalem were a substantial influence on many of the second generation
metal and punk bands of the 80s. Founders Paul Dean and Ray Sparrow eventually
split the band and formed a three-piece with Bob Cooke called Pussy, who
released a single on Deram, 'Feline Woman' (there is also an unreleased
album), also produced and managed by
Ian Gillan. In recent
years Jerusalem's only album has been reissued by Universal as a Japanese
CD (2004) and has also become available through many rock music websites. It
would appear that Jerusalem is still continuing to grow as a cult band
throughout the world.
This is the first album by Jerusalem, a band which excites me very much; they are rough, raw and doomy with their own strong identity. As they are young and a bit green, they don't follow many rules, so their material is almost crude - but still immensely powerful in content.
I believe that, whenever possible, the work of writers and players in their formative stages should be recorded; before inhibition and self-consciousness set in, before fire and aggression die down, and while they are still absorbing influences and doing things which others might consider 'uncool'. Most important though, before they might develop that self-imposed rigidity which afflicts so many. I hope none of these things happen to
Jerusalem, we'll have to wait and see, this album is just in case.
I hope you like it as much as I do.
Ian Gillan (producer of this album)
Discography taken from The Tapestry of Delights
- The Comprehensive Guide to British Music of the Beat, R&B, Psychedelic and
Progressive Eras 1963-1976, Vernon Joynson
ISBN 1 899855 04 1