Starting out as a psychedelically minded quintet, they became the finest heavy funk outfit that England ever produced but the rise of TRAPEZE was cut short when the trio’s bassist Glenn Hughes went on to join a more popular ensemble, and even though guitarist Mel Galley and drummer Dave Holland carried on with their original band, it would never show the same potential and never reached the heights they hoped to scale in the early ’70s. This classic era is the focus of a reissue program which begins on September 18th with a new release of the group’s first three albums – remastered and expanded, with “Trapeze” spanning two discs, and “Medusa” and “You Are The Music” three each.
There’s not a lot of unheard studio stuff among bonus tracks, but there’s an abundance of concert recordings, including legendary live tapes from Texas that TRAPEZE toured with another three-piece, ZZ TOP, to find many aficionados. All of it is going to look like this – note the early on-stage rendition of “Way Back To The Bone” from 1971 on “Medusa”:
“Trapeze” (1970)
Trapeze
CD1 – The Album:
1. It’s Only A Dream
2. The Giant’s Dead Hoorah!
3. Over
4. Nancy Gray
5. Fairytale; Verily Verily; Fairytale
6. It’s My Life
7. Am I
8. Suicide
9. Wings
10. Another Day
11. Send Me No More Letters
12. It’s Only A Dream – Reprise
CD2 – bonus tracks:
1. Send Me No More Letters (UK single version)
2. Send Me No More Letters (US single version)
3. Across The Water, Across The Sea (demo)
4. Seafull (Demo)
5. New Life Again (demo)
6. 40,000 Voices (demo)
BBC Sessions – 1969:
7. Intro / Send Me No More Letters
8. Another Day
9. Send Me No More Letters
Colour Me Pop – Live At Lafayette Club, Wolverhampton, 1969:
10. Intro
11. Magic Carpet Ride
12. Meet On The Ledge
13. Open My Eyes
“Medusa” (1970)
Medusa
CD1 – The Album:
1. Black Cloud
2. Jury
3. Your Love Is Alright
4. Touch My Life
5. Seafull
6. Makes You Wanna Cry
7. Medusa
CD2 – bonus tracks:
1. Black Cloud (stereo edit)
2. Black Cloud (mono edit)
BBC Sessions:
3. Makes You Wanna Cry
4. Medusa
Colden Auditorium, Queens College, Flushing, NY – March 1971:
5. Black Cloud
6. Jury
7. Touch My Life
8. Seafull
9. Your Love Is Alright
10. Medusa
CD 3 – Live 1971
1. Black Cloud
2. Jury
3. Way Back To The Bone
4. Touch My Life
5. Medusa
“You Are The Music – We’re Just The Band” (1972)
You Are The Music –
We’re Just The Band
CD1 – The Album:
1. Keepin’ Time
2. Coast To Coast
3. What Is A Woman’s Role
4. Way Back To The Bone
5. Feelin’ So Much Better Now
6. Will Our Love End
7. Loser
8. You Are The Music
CD2 – bonus tracks:
1. Coast To Coast (mono)
2. Good Love
3. Dat’s It
Radio One In Concert – Off Air Recording, 1973:
4. You Are The Music
5. What Is A Woman’s Role
6. Way Back To The Bone
7. Your Love Is Alright
8. Black Cloud (Dallas, 1972)
Houston, 1972 – Part 1:
9. Way Back To The Bone
10. You Are The Music
CD 3 – bonus tracks:
Houston, 1972 – Part 2:
1. Jury
2. Seafull
3. Your Love Is Alright
4. Medusa
5. Black Cloud
6. Touch My Life
7. Keepin’ Time
