The Winkies (1975)
The Winkies were a British pub rock band from the '70's who are best remembered for their brief stint as Brian Eno's backing band during Eno's first and only solo tour in 1974, which was cut short after six dates and one session for the John Peel radio show when Eno was hospitalized with a collapsed lung. The Winkies also recorded one self-titled album in 1975 before calling it quits.
The Winkies consisted of Canadian-born singer/songwriter Philip Rambow (who was later a solo artist), guitarist Guy Humphries, bassist Brian Turrington, and drummer Mike Desmarais. Their album, released only in the U.K. and Brazil at the time, was produced by Guy Stevens. The album is currently available in the U.K. and Japan in CD and digital formats, but is not commercially available in most countries.
Although the Winkies were technically a part of the early-‘70’s glam rock scene, their music was more reflective of that era’s British pub rock scene. Despite a fairly convincing Bowie imitation on the closing track “Red Dog” – not to mention a Bowie name-check on “Twilight Masquerade” – most of the material on The Winkies is more reminiscent of early-'70’s Stones and Mott The Hoople. (In fact, Guy Stevens’ should-have-been-better production is similar to his production job on Mott’s 1971 Brain Capers album). At least two of the songs on the album – “Put Out The Light” and “Twilight Masquerade” – are somewhat reminiscent of Eno’s first two albums, which either demonstrates (a) what drew Eno to the Winkies as a choice for a backing band, or (b) how much influence Eno had on the band after they had worked together. It was most likely (b), but the band shows some sophistication on a pair of country tunes (“Wild Open Spaces”, Johnny Horton’s “North To Alaska”), and a cover of Bob Seger’s “Long Song Comin’” that will stay in your head afterwards. Rambow’s vocals are sometimes reminiscent of Keith Richards, sometimes of Ian Hunter, although his Canadian accent differentiates him from both of them. Not to say that the Winkies were too derivative or that their album is ever boring, but nothing on The Winkies is quite strong enough to earn the band their own distinguished place in music history.
Before recording that album, the Winkies originally began recording an album produced by Leo Lyons, the bassist from Ten Years After. Brian Eno and Ten Years After keyboardist Chick Churchill also took part in these recordings, which were scrapped. Has the internet coughed up any lost recordings from these sessions?
The Winkies "The Winkies" (Chrysalis CHR. 1066) 1975
Track Listing:
1. Trust In Dick
2. Mailman / It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry
3. Put Out The Light
4. Twilight Masquerade
5. North To Alaska
6. Out On The Run
7. Wild Open Spaces
8. Long Song Comin'
9. Davey's Blowtorch
10. Red Dog
The Winkies consisted of Canadian-born singer/songwriter Philip Rambow (who was later a solo artist), guitarist Guy Humphries, bassist Brian Turrington, and drummer Mike Desmarais. Their album, released only in the U.K. and Brazil at the time, was produced by Guy Stevens. The album is currently available in the U.K. and Japan in CD and digital formats, but is not commercially available in most countries.
Although the Winkies were technically a part of the early-‘70’s glam rock scene, their music was more reflective of that era’s British pub rock scene. Despite a fairly convincing Bowie imitation on the closing track “Red Dog” – not to mention a Bowie name-check on “Twilight Masquerade” – most of the material on The Winkies is more reminiscent of early-'70’s Stones and Mott The Hoople. (In fact, Guy Stevens’ should-have-been-better production is similar to his production job on Mott’s 1971 Brain Capers album). At least two of the songs on the album – “Put Out The Light” and “Twilight Masquerade” – are somewhat reminiscent of Eno’s first two albums, which either demonstrates (a) what drew Eno to the Winkies as a choice for a backing band, or (b) how much influence Eno had on the band after they had worked together. It was most likely (b), but the band shows some sophistication on a pair of country tunes (“Wild Open Spaces”, Johnny Horton’s “North To Alaska”), and a cover of Bob Seger’s “Long Song Comin’” that will stay in your head afterwards. Rambow’s vocals are sometimes reminiscent of Keith Richards, sometimes of Ian Hunter, although his Canadian accent differentiates him from both of them. Not to say that the Winkies were too derivative or that their album is ever boring, but nothing on The Winkies is quite strong enough to earn the band their own distinguished place in music history.
Before recording that album, the Winkies originally began recording an album produced by Leo Lyons, the bassist from Ten Years After. Brian Eno and Ten Years After keyboardist Chick Churchill also took part in these recordings, which were scrapped. Has the internet coughed up any lost recordings from these sessions?
The Winkies "The Winkies" (Chrysalis CHR. 1066) 1975
Track Listing:
1. Trust In Dick
2. Mailman / It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry
3. Put Out The Light
4. Twilight Masquerade
5. North To Alaska
6. Out On The Run
7. Wild Open Spaces
8. Long Song Comin'
9. Davey's Blowtorch
10. Red Dog
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