The Hill (band)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Hill were a short-lived British band whose members wrote and performed music for Chris Farlowe, with whom they released one album and three singles.[1][2][3][4] The Hill also released a preliminary single without Farlowe.[5] Though The Hill existed for only a brief period, its members had (or, in certain cases, went on to have) significant careers on their own.
During the 1960s, bassist Bruce "Bugs" Waddell was a member of The Thunderbirds, Chris Farlowe's backing band (along with Dave Greenslade and Carl Palmer).[6][7] He was involved in Farlowe's career as early as 1965, when Farlowe recorded "Stormy Monday Blues" under the name Little Joe Cook.[6][8] By 1969, Farlowe's label, Immediate Records, was on the verge of dissolution.[8][9] Around that time, Waddell formed a group with guitarist Steve Hammond (with whom he had co-written a single, "Dawn," for Farlowe[10][11]), keyboardist Peter Robinson (who had been in Episode Six with Ian Gillan[12]), cellist Paul Buckmaster (who had performed on David Bowie's "Space Oddity"[13]), and drummer Colin Davey.[8] It was this line-up of musicians that was called The Hill.
From Here to Mama Rosa and single releases
In 1969, The Hill recorded a promo single, "Sylvie" b/w "The Fourth Annual Convention of the Battery Hen Farmers Association Part II,"[5] which was the last single released by Immediate Records.[14] Shortly thereafter, the group set about writing and recording songs for a full-length album to be released on Polydor. Sensing that none among them had suitable singing skills, the band arranged for Farlowe to join them, since he had recently completed a nine-month tour of the United States and was available to contribute his vocals.[1][11] Stuart Mackay was brought in to produce the album and write the liner notes; he also assisted with the songwriting on a few tracks.[1]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Travelling into Make Believe" | Alcock/Crane | 4:40 |
| 2. | "Fifty Years" | Mackay/Waddell | 2:45 |
| 3. | "Where Do We Go From Here?" | Hammond/Waddell/Mackay | 4:58 |
| 4. | "Questions" | Waddell/Mackay | 3:48 |
| 5. | "Head in the Clouds" | Hammond/Waddell | 7:00 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Are You Sleeping?" | Hammond/Mackay/Waddell | 5:40 |
| 2. | "Black Sheep" | Hammond | 4:52 |
| 3. | "Winter of My Life" | Waddell/Hammond | 4:10 |
| 4. | "Mama Rosa" | Mackay/Hammond/Waddell | 7:45 |
From Here to Mama Rosa was released in September 1970[11] on Polydor.[1] Three singles resulted from the album sessions and were released that same year on Polydor:
- “Black Sheep” b/w “Fifty Years” (The A-side was given its full title in this context, with “Black Sheep Of The Family” printed on the label)[3]
- “Put Out The Light” b/w “Questions” (The A-side was a cover of a track by Ray Pohlman)[4]
- "Mama Rosa" b/w "Questions"[2]