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One
of the most dramatically accomplished of all the bands that appeared in
Britain's late 60s prog-rock explosion. Curved Air was formed in 1969 by
violinist Darryl Way, and two former members of Sisyphus, keyboard
player
The
group were originally formed to provide accompaniment for producer Galt
McDermott's musical Who the Murderer Was; it was McDermott who
suggested, once the stage show closed, that they add vocalist Sonja
Kristina Linwood she was an English musician, usually known as Sonja
Kristina, and at one point, she was married to Stewart Copeland of The
Police. The
musicians developed from quite different artistic backgrounds, classic,
folk, and electronic sound, which resulted in a mixture of progressive
rock, folk rock, and fusion with classical elements. With
this line-up the band launched a well-received U.K. tour and, that
summer, they signed with Warner Bros. the first British band on the
company's books. The
band's groundbreaking 1970 debut , Air Conditioning, divided
neatly between ambitious hard rockers and deeply classically influenced
pieces, the album reached number eight in the
UK
Albums Chart, it
included the single "It Happened Today," and the live favorite
"Vivaldi." An intriguing blend of
electronics,
progressive rock, acoustic folk, classical flourishes, and a bit of jazz
fusion. The
personnel changes that were to plague the band began in April of 1970,
as Rob Martin left and was replaced by Ian Eyre. Between concert tours,
the new lineup recorded the "Second Album." This record
included their only Top 5 hit, "Back Street Luv." Ian Eyre
soon departed and was replaced by Mike Wedgwood. Curved Air bounced back
in spring 1972 with their masterpiece, Phantasmagoria, home to the
spectacular "Marie Antoinette" and Monkman's side-long
"Phantasmagoria" suite. Once again, however, sales were low
and, with the album bottoming out at number 20. Unfortunately, following
tours of the UK and USA, the band fell apart, victims of inter-band
disputes. Retaining
the band name, Kristina and bassist Mike Wedgwood brought in an entire
new lineup -- Jim Russell (drums), Kirby Gregory (guitar), and Eddie
Jobson (violin, synths). In this form, the band released spring 1973's
Air Cut album, but it was very much a last gasp. Although the group did
record a second album, Love Child was shelved when Curved Air broke up
that summer. (The album was finally released in 1990.) Jobson swiftly
resurfaced as Eno's replacement in Roxy Music; Wedgwood joined Caravan. Curved
Air's original core quartet of Kristina, Way, Monkman, and
Pilkington-Miksa reunited for a one-off British tour in 1974, with the
lineup completed by bassist Phil Kohn, the band rekindled all of the
past's most precious memories, captured for posterity on the
blockbusting Curved Air Live album. The rejuvenation could not, however,
heal the breaches that had destroyed the lineup the first time around
and, when Curved Air resurfaced in fall 1975, Kristina and
Way alone remained, alongside
guitarist Mick Jacques, bassist John Perry, keyboardist Pete Woods, and
drummer Stewart Copeland. (Perry would be replaced by Greenslade's Tony
Reeves during 1976.) Curved Air regrouped occasionally in the 80's and
90's one such reunion resulted in the
release of the CD, "Alive, 1990." Curved
Air were a truly unique band which synthesized an eclectic blend of
musical styles into an instantly identifiable sound. Those who were
there in person to witness the violin pyrotechnics of Darryl Way, the
soaring guitar and virtuosic keyboards of Francis Monkman, the nimble
percussion of Florian Pilkington-Miksa, and the sultry, silken vocals of
Sonja Kristina are fortunate, indeed. ALBUMS · Airconditioning (1970) i· Second Album (1971)· Phantasmagoria (1972) · Air Cut (1973) · Live (1975) · Midnight Wire (1975) · Airborne (1976) · Lovechild · Live At The BBC (1995) · Alive, 1990 (2000) · Reborn (2008) SINGLES · It Happened Today" / "Vivaldi" / "What Happens When You Blow Yourself Up" (1971) · "Back Street Luv" / "Everdance" (1971) UK #4[3]· "Sarah's Concern" / "Phantasmagoria" (1972) · "Desiree" / "Kids to Blame" (1976) · "Baby Please Don't Go" / "Broken Lady" (1976) · "Renegade" / "We're Only Human" (1984) |
