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TRAPEZE
Lost Tapes Vol. I
Metalville Records

My journey into Heavy Music fandom started decades ago as a wee lad. I listened to AM radio on a little one speaker system that could also play Vinyl. Not that I had any to play back then. Then a favorite Auntie of mine (who the family lost touch with eons ago) gave me a cassette of KISS Alive!, along with a purple T-shirt with an iron-on transfer of the Destroyer cover for Christmas in 1976. And that started the obsession. I soon graduated to an AM/FM radio, and since I had no siblings, that FM radio opened my eyes to a whole world of monumental music. Midnight albums, rock blocks, and cuts by bands who were out on the road hitting H-Town or just played there. I remember hearing a band called TRAPEZE, and just being floored by the music that I heard. Unfortunately I never got to see them in any incarnation, even though they played (and were very successful I might add) in Houston. Now granted I was too young to see the classic lineup (Glenn Hughes - bass & vocals, Mel Galley - guitar & vocals, and Dave Holland - drums) and by the time the late 70's hit, I was into VAN HALEN, TED NUGENT, ANGEL and other bands and never did catch up with this very underrated band.

The story of TRAPEZE starts in 1969, with the merging of two bands (THE MONTANAS and FINDERS KEEPERS). Initially a 5-piece, their self-titled debut came out in May, 1970 on THE MOODY BLUES' Threshold Records. A mix of pop and a little psych, it wasn't really the style they would become known for. Honing itself down to that classic power trio mentioned above, the second album, Medusa, released November 1970 is a bonafide Hard Rock staple! One of the 70's most underrated albums and one no self-respected rocker should be without! The band toured relentlessly, finally releasing a new album, You Are The Music....We're Just The Band in December 1972. A bit more melodic, and adding more of the 'funk' style that set them apart from other rock bands, that album charted in Billboard, peaking at No.#9. As the band set sail for more touring, the initial end to this amazing incarnation of TRAPEZE came in July of 1973, when Ritchie Blackmore, Jon Lord & Ian Paice asked Glenn to join DEEP PURPLE, as Ian Gillan and Roger Glover had recently departed to form the IAN GILLAN BAND. Along with an unknown young vocalist named David Coverdale, DEEP PURPLE Mk III was born. But the TRAPEZE machine did not roll over to die. Enlisting Rob Kendrick on second guitar and Pete Wright on bass, the band released Hot Wire on Warner Bros Records in December of 1974. Another self-titled album came out in 1975, after which a brief reunion with Hughes was attempted. A major drug addiction from Glenn ground the reunion to a halt in 1976. The last TRAPEZE album, with new frontman Pete Goalby, Hold On was released on Aura Records in 1979. Dave Holland left to join JUDAS PRIEST in August of '79. Pete left to join URIAH HEEP in '81. Mel Galley left to join WHITESNAKE in October of '82. And thus ended TRAPEZE.

The band had a turbulent but brilliant career with some monumental songs & albums. So when I heard that a compilation of unreleased TRAPEZE songs was going to be unleashed, I about shit myself. Compiled from tapes encompassing all incarnations of the band by Tom Galley, Mel's older brother, along with help from TRAPEZE's longtime manager Tony Perry, there is a plethora of quality music to finally be heard. A very exciting time indeed for TRAPEZE fans everywhere who have played their copies of those magic albums to death! Thankfully to help me help you with breaking down these tracks, a press release describing some of the songs and their timeline was included. But not everything was cut and dry, so I had to make my best guesstimations from what/who/when I could figure out from the info given. So if I got some of the facts wrong, please forgive me. The magic is in the songs, not the info included therein.

14 tracks covering almost an hour of 'new' music should be value for money for any TRAPEZE fan. Starting off with "Cool Water" from around the '79 era with Pete Goalby on vocals, this sounds amazing with that classic Hard Rock meets Funk style that TRAPEZE was famous for. If this doesn't get heads bobbing and toes tapping, you might check your pulse. "Lover" from around '74 is a Hard Rock masterpiece with a cool echo effect on the guitar. For early fans, this is a real treat! All the signature TRAPEZE elements are there. "Breakdown" is a monster track! From a 90's reunion of the classic TRAPEZE lineup, that has Glenn in fine form with a real hard rockin' cut from Mel and Dave. Think primetime WHITESNAKE and that should get you in the ballpark. Also from that reunion is "Don't Let Them Push You" with Mel taking over lead vocals. That familiar groove that these gentlemen created gives this track a familiar feel, although being heard for the first time.

"Destiny" comes from the early 5-piece incarnation and has lush harmony vocals that accunate Glenn's lead vocals. A much heavier offering than most of the original album it must be said. Along with that same era is "Lights of Tokyo", another high octane track that outshines most of the debut album to these ears. "So In Love" comes from around '75 and has Mel singing. Mel had an extremely melodic voice and carried on admirably after Glenn left. This is a more subdued cut. "Bad Kid from School" is the classic '72 era band and you can hear that it's a direct from tape cut that has been saved. Not that it sounds bad, but it's not as quality sounding as some of the other tracks. A good rockin' tune however with that funk/rock TRAPEZE hybrid. "Catching Up On You" comes from these same sessions, and is a driving rock song with a faint echo effect on Glenn's vocals. It's a pity this song wasn't flushed out further back in the day with a proper studio production. This was initially supposed to be an instrumental, and it's a real corker with vocals!

"Do You Understand?" is from the reunion tapes from '93, and it's amazing how 20-odd years passed between the OG songs and the reunion tapes, and the songs themselves are seamless like they were written at the same time. A testament to the band and the players themselves. Amazing. And it's a kickass cut too in case I failed to mention that little bit of info. "Enough Is Enough" starts off with that 70'd staple, Cowbell!! I'm guessing around '74, and it has a real commercial feel like it could've been from that poppier era of the 80's. Sounds like Mel singing as well. "You've Got It" is from the '79 era, and has Pete Goalby's golden throat on it. That soulful funk/rock hybrid in full effect, even without Glenn singing, showing that it was a band thing and not necessarily a 'Glenn' thing. Also from that era is "Who Do You Run To?", with some amazing harmony vocals. I must take another look at that era of TRAPEZE as these songs are just top notch kickass 70's rock! One of my favorite tracks on this album. The album closer is "Going Home" from '74's Hot Wire era and is another smokin' track that for some reason didn't get the love it deserved initially, but can now be given the proper reverence it so rightfully deserves. Some tasty soloing midsong just adds to the flavor. A proper album closer for sure!

When you hear about bands putting out unused songs you tend to be a tad hesitant, as normally the best songs get used leaving the also-rans behind for good reason. But I can tell you that for myself, this is a quality assortment that any well-meaning TRAPEZE fan should be salivating over. While not every cut is super studio quality, they all sound good and the songs shine brightly through as this compilation does it's intended job. I saw the golden voice of Glenn this year paying tribute to his DEEP PURPLE years and his voice is so good it's mind boggling, while the same can't be said for his vocal partner in DEEP PURPLE sadly. And Glenn is now the only surviving member of the classic era TRAPEZE as Mel sadly passed away in July 2008, and Dave as well in January of 2018. So this is even more of a tribute to a much missed band that never realized the heights they should have. And to that end, if you'd like to hear that era of the band, in 2021 for Record Store Day, a double live album (also a download if you're so inclined) from a gig at the sadly defunct Sam Houston Coliseum here in Houston from 1972 that is a crusher! Touring on the recent You Are The Music album, they play cuts from the legendary Medusa album as well. A powerful statement that I sadly missed (as I would have been all of 9 years old at the time. C'mon Mom, let's Gooooo!😁) but listening to that amazing sounding Live release is the next best thing to being there!

All in all this is a must-have purchase for any true TRAPEZE fan or if you dig on the much missed 70's sounds with a little funkified rock infused in it, then give this a listen. And the fact that this is called Vol. I gives me great hope that there might be a Vol. II! Peace signs crossed. Rock On brothers and sisters.

And there is Vinyl coming for this! Release day around the 15th or so of December. You can bet your sweet ass that I'll have my copy! Will You?

4.7 Out Of 5 Skulls