Stray were formed in 1966 by vocalist Steve Gadd, guitarist Del Bromham, bass player Gary Giles, and drummer Steve Crutchley while they were all still at school. Ritchie Cole replaced Crutchley in 1968, and two years later they signed to Transatlantic Records, then mostly known for being a folk label. The group's brand of melodic, hook-laden hard rock proved to be a popular draw on the local club scene during the early 1970's, and they had a loyal following who bought their albums and treated them as their own well-kept secret. They released a few singles during their career, but none of them were hits, and I doubt that the band expected them to be as they weren't really chart material, but a couple of them did have exclusive b-sides as a treat for the fans. In 1975 their label issued the 'Tracks' compilation, which gathered together some of these songs, alongside a couple of rare out-takes, and so this post not only includes those b-sides and a few later-period out-takes, but also four demos that the band recorded for Pye Records in 1969, which show a more down-to-earth hard rock style, with just a hint of psyche on their cover of Fever Tree's 'The Man Who Paints The Pictures'.
Track listing
01 Change Your Mind (Pye Demo 1969)02 The Man Who Paints The Pictures (Pye Demo 1969)03 In The Night (Pye Demo 1969)04 Outcast (Pye Demo 1969)05 Mama's Coming Home (b-side of 'Our Song' 1971)06 Georgia (from the 'Tracks' compilation 1975)07 Get Out Right Away (from the 'Tracks' compilation 1975)08 Take A Life (b-side of 'You Went Away' 1976)09 Brand New Day (b-side of 'Hallelujah' 1973)10 Recover (b-side of 'Precious Love' 1975)11 Paramout (out-take from 'Stand Up And Be Counted' 1975)12 Johnny (out-take from 'Hearts Of Fire' 1976)13 Encore (out-take from 'Suicide' 1971)
