Hank Marvin - ...and on guitar (2007)

Brian Robson Rankin, known professionally as Hank B Harvin, was born on 28 October 1941 in Newcastle upon Tyne, and as a child he played banjo and piano, but after hearing Buddy Holly he decided to learn the guitar, and also adopted Holly style dark-rimmed glasses. He chose his stage name while launching his career, being an amalgamation of his childhood nickname Hank, which he used to differentiate himself from friends also named Brian, and the first name of Marvin Rainwater, the country and rockabilly singer. When he was 16 Marvin and his Rutherford Grammar School friend, Bruce Welch, met Johnny Foster, who was Cliff Richard's manager, and who was looking for a guitarist for Richard's UK tour. He was considering Tony Sheridan, but instead he offered Marvin the position, which he accepted on condition that Welch could join as well, and so both became members of The Drifters, as Richard's group was then known. To avoid confusion with the American vocal group of the same name, The Drifters changed theirs to The Shadows, and both with and without Richard they ruled the UK charts throughout the 60's. In 1970, Marvin and Welch formed Marvin, Welch & Farrar with John Farrar, being a vocal-harmony trio which failed to appeal to either Shadows or contemporary music fans. After Welch left they then became 'Marvin & Farrar' for a vocal album in 1973 and they then reverted to the Shadows in late 1973 for the superlative instrumental 'Rockin' With Curly Leads' album. During the 60's Marvin wrote a number of songs, including 'Driftin'', 'Geronimo', and 'Spider Juice' for the Shadows, and 'The Day I Met Marie' for Richard, and this carried on after he left the band, writing and playing on 'Work's Nice – If You Can Get It' by Spaghetti Junction in 1972. In 1976 he was asked by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice to add his distinctive guitar to their 'Evita' album, and that seems to have given him a taste for guest spots, appearing on albums by Tracey Ullman, Roger Daltry, Wings, Dennis Waterman and Leo Sayer over the next few years. He co-wrote Olivia Newton-John's 1977 hit 'Sam' with John Farrar and Don Black, and produced albums for the British showman Des O'Connor, while in 1988 he collaborated with French keyboardist and composer Jean Michel Jarre on the track 'London Kid', and he is the only artist to appear on two volumes of the 'Guitar Speak' series. In 2005 he was immortalised on Richard Hawley's 'I'm Absolutely Hank Marvin', on which he also played, as his name has become the rhyming slang for "starving" (Marvin-starvin'), but obviously it will be as one of the best UK guitarist of all time, and a major influence on a host of young musicians of the 60's and 70's, that he will primarily be remembered. 

Track listing

01 Work's Nice – If You Can Get It (single by Spaghetti Junction 1972)
02 Buenos Aires (from 'Evita' 1976)
03 Another Whiskey Sour (from 'Waterman' by Dennis Waterman 1977) 
04 Parade (from 'One Of One Boys' by Roger Daltry 1977)
05 So Glad to See You Here (from 'Back To The Egg' by Wings 1979)
06 You Broke My Heart in 17 Places (from 'You Broke My Heart In 17 Places' by 

                                                                                                                Tracey Ullman 1983)
07 Don't Wait Until Tomorrow (from 'Have You Ever Been In Love' by Leo Sayer 1983)
08 Teardrops (single by Shakin' Stevens 1984)
09 London Kid (from 'Revolutions' by Jean Michel Jarre 1988) 
10 Captain Zlogg (from 'Guitar Speak' by Various Artists 1988)
11 All Alone With Friends (from 'Guitar Speak II' by Various Artists 1990)
12 You're My World (single by Jane McDonald 1998)
13 I'm Absolutely Hank Marvin (b-side of 'Coles Corner' by Richard Hawley 2005)
14 My Cup Of Tea (from 'Fingerprints' by Peter Frampton 2007)

Treebound Story - My Life's Example (1989)

If Treebound Story are known for anything, it's for including a very young Richard Hawley in their line-up. Hawley formed the band while still at school, with the help of Paul Infanti (vocals, guitar), Paul Currie (bass) and Rob Gregory (drums), and the jangly pop that they played in their hometown of Sheffield was very much in the style of Orange Juice, Aztec Camera and The Smiths. At the age of 19 Hawley and the band were invited to record a session for John Peel, which led to a record deal with Fon Records, who released two EP's in 1986. Two more EP's followed in 1989 on Native Records, after which the band broke up and Hawley moved on to form The Longpigs with Crispin Hunt in 1993. After playing with them for seven years the band split in 2000, and he was asked to join Pulp by his friend Jarvis Cocker, as a touring guitarist. While with Pulp he perfected his songwriting, and was encouraged by Cocker to record some of his songs for a solo album, which was released in 2001 to acclaim from both press and public alike, and he is now feted as one of the UK's best singer/songwriters. This collection includes everything that Treebound Story ever recorded, including all the songs from their records, and one otherwise unavailable recording from the Peel session. You can tell from listening to these songs that Hawley was definitely an emerging talent, and it's a shame that the band never released an album, as tracks like 'My Life's Example', 'Hunger Mountain High', and 'Take It' are great songs.  

Track listing

01 My Life's Example (single 1986)
02 Forever Green (b-side of 'My Life's Example')
03 I Remember (12" single 1986)
04 Like A Fool (b-side of 'I Remember')
05 Hunger Mountain High (b-side of 'I Remember') 
06 If I'd Known (b-side of 'I Remember')
07 My Life's Example (Cement Mix) (b-side of 'My Life's Example')
08 Your Kind (John Peel Session 1986)
09 Something (John Peel session 1986)
10 Swimming In The Heart Of Jane (12" single 1989)
11 On The Rocks (b-side of 'Swimming In The Heart Of Jane')
12 The Butterfly Dies (b-side of 'Swimming In The Heart Of Jane')
13 Rain, Rain, Rain (b-side of 'Swimming In The Heart Of Jane')
14 Trains And Boats And Planes (b-side of 'Take It')
15 Take It (12" single 1989)