Last Exit - Savage Beast (1976)

Following their triumphant return to the UK from Spain, Last Exit were considering a move south to help secure that all important record deal, but during the autumn of 1975, John Hedley's enthusiasm was waning and he left the band. The seeds of punk were being sown, and he - correctly, as it turned out - suspected that even with a move to London, the band would still struggle to build a following. November 1975 saw them release their only piece of vinyl, a 7" single of two Gerry Richardson tracks featuring Sting vocals, 'Whispering Voices' and 'Evensong', on the Wudwink label, and the disc was once again recorded by Dave Wood back at Impulse Studios. In late 1975 the band were hired again for a follow-up to their previous rock opera 'Rock Nativity', with 'Hellfire' consisting of the Bible set to rock music. Further sessions at Impulse in 1976 were completed which resulted in new recordings of Sting's 'Carrion Prince', Richardson's 'Whispering Voices', a cover of Neil Young's 'Don't Let It Bring You Down', and another Sting track, 'Everyday's Just The Same'. On May 1st 1976 Sting and Frances married at Our Lady and St Oswin's Chapel, Tynemouth, and in July Sting handed in his notice to the school where he taught. That summer Frances made appointments in London to showcase the band's demo tape around various A&R men, whilst leaving Sting to fend for himself back in Newcastle. Eventually Virgin showed interest and promised to watch the band, and that Autumn they kept their promise and came to check out the band when they supported fellow Geordie Alan Price at Newcastle City Hall. Virgin were not impressed but music publisher Carol Wilson was persistent, and although the band didn't get a recording contract, a publishing deal was offered to Sting - one he accepted and later came to regret, and which resulted in a court battle to win back the rights to all his early material. Carol remained enthusiastic, and she arranged for the band to come to London for an A&R gig at Dingwalls supporting Isaac Guillory, and to spend three days at Pathways studio with Virgin picking up the tab. The time wasn't right, though, with every bunch of snot-nosed kids with ripped jeans being signed up, so the band returned to Newcastle, and they slipped back into their usual routine of regular gigs at local venues. 

Just before Christmas 1976, Curved Air played Newcastle City Hall, and afterwards Stewart Copeland asked local journalist Phil Sutcliffe to take him to see a local band. A long time champion of Last Exit, Sutcliffe took Copeland to see them at St. Mary's Teacher Training College, and although Copeland took an instant dislike to the group, he saw enough in the singer to be impressed, and the first seeds of what would become The Police were sown. In January 1977, Last Exit played their farewell to Newcastle gig at the University Theatre, and considered heading for London once again. Sting went there to meet his publisher and to sort out the move of Last Exit from Newcastle to the capital, and as he didn't know that many people in London he met up with Copeland, who had his heart set on Sting joining him in a new band, and within a few days the two of them started rehearsing with Henri Padovani. Last Exit followed Sting down to London and in January and February secured a few dates, and for a short period, Sting was rehearsing with both Copeland and Padovani, getting ready to record the 'Fall Out' single, and also playing gigs with Last Exit. Sadly, Last Exit failed to get the reviews and attention they needed to retain their enthusiasm, and at the end of February 1977 they decided to disband. On 1st March 1977 the Police played their first paying gig in Monmouth, Wales, and the rest as they say, is history. This second cassette from the band contains the b-side of their 1975 single, plus most of their 1976 demo sessions from Impulse Studios, which include reworkings of some of the songs from the first tape, alongside some newly-written material. 

Track listing

01 Evensong (b-side of 'Whispering Voices' 1975)
Impulse Studio Demos I (1976)
02 Every Day's Just The Same   
03 Don't Let It Bring You Down 
Impulse Studio Demos II (1976)
04 I Burn For You 
05 Untitled (Instrumental I) 
06 Fool In Love 
07 I'm On This Train (Alternate Version)  
08 Don't You Look At Me 
09 Savage Beast (Alternate Version) 
10 Untitled (Instrumental II) 
11 Soul Music 
12 Night In The Grand Hotel 

The complete history of Last Exit by Dave & Wendy can be found on https://www.sting.com/discography/album/319/Albums