INCREDIBLE HOG
INCREDIBLE HOG - VOLUME 1
LIKE SO MANY EARLY 70s BANDS, THE THREE-PIECE LONDON BASED GROUP INCREDIBLE HOG WERE A BY PRODUCT OF THE 60s BRITISH BLUES BOOM. IN A ATTEMPT TO MIX MELODIC POP WITH HEAVY ROCK AND INTELLIGENT, MEANINGFUL LYRICS, GUITARIST/VOCALIST/SONGWRITER KEN GORDON AND BASSIST JIM HOLMES, WHO'D ACTUALLY BEEN AT HIGH SCHOOL TOGETHER AND PLAYED IN THE BAND SPEED AUCTION, FORMED INCREDIBLE HOG IN EARLY 1972, THE NAME ACTUALLY BEING A PLAY ON THE THEN POPULAR 'INCREDIBLE HULK' COMIC BOOK SERIES.
VARIOUS AUDITIONS FINALLY BROUGHT THE GROUP A PERMANENT DRUMMER IN THE SHAPE OF SOUTH-AFRICAN-BORN TONY AWIN. HOWEVER, GETING ANY KIND OF GIGS AT THE TIME WAS NOT SO EASY, SO IN AN EFFOT TO SLOVE THE PROBLEM THE BAND SET UP THEIR OWN CLUB, THE PIG STY, WHICH WAS BASED INITIALLY IN ILFORD AND THEN IN FOREST GATE, EAST LONDON. BY BOOKING ADVERTS IN THEN PRESTIGEOUS MELODY MAKER, THE BAND'S NAME STARTED TO GET KNOWN THOUGH THY STILL FAILED TO ATTRACT THE ATTENTION OF A RECORD COMPANY. A DETERMINED KEN GORDEN THEN MARCHED INTO OFFICE OF DART RECPORDS AND REFUSED TO LEAVE UNTIL SOMEONE HAD LISTENED TO HIS BAND'S DEMO TAPE. AFTER WAITING ALL DAY, AND HAVING THEATENED WITH EJECTION BY THE POLICE, HE MANAGED TO GET THE TAPE HEARD AND WITHIN TWO WEEKS, INCREDIBLE HOG WERE SIGNED BY THE LABEL.
DART TEAMED THE BAND WITH PRODUCER ROGER WATSON WHO'D PREVIOUSLY WORKED WITH COMEDY-ROCK OUTFIT SCAFFOLD. THIS PAIRING LED TO MANY BUST UPS IN THE STUDIO OVER MUSICAL DIRECTION, WITH THE BAND WANTING TO GO ONE WAY AND WATSON THE OTHER. HOWEVER, THIS CLASH OF STYLES ADDED TO THE EXCITEMENT AND ORIGNALITY SO EVIDENT ON "VOLUME 1" (DART 65372), AND WHEN IT WAS RELEASED IN MID 1973, IT RECEIVED A LOT OF CRITICAL ACCLAIM, BUT WAS TOO AHEAD OF ITS TIME TO GENARATE ACCEPTANCE FROM THE GENERAL PUBLIC. NONETHELESS, THE BAND TOURED THE UK TO PROMOTE THE ALBUM AND EVEN STARTED RECORDING A FOLLOW-UP, BEFORE A MIXTURE OF RECORD COMPANY APATHY AND LACK OF COMMERCIAL SUCCESS LED TO THE BAND FOLDING LATE 1973.
KEN GORDON TURNED TO SESSION WORK AND HELPED OUT ON RECORDINGS BY THE LIKES OF THE RUBERTS, THE TREMEOLOES, AND THE HEAVY METAL KIDS. TODAY HE STILL WRITES SONGS BUT IS BEST KNOWN FOR HIS ACTING CAREER, HAVING APPEARED IN TV SHOWS LIKE "THE BILL" AND "LONDON BURNING". TONY AWIN WORKED WITH THE CAZY WORLD OF ARTHUR BROWN AND JAMES LAST, AND TODAY IS STILL INVOLED IN LIVE AND SESSION WORK. JIM HOLMES MOVED INTO PRODUCTION WORK AND STARTED LEGENADARY SCARF STUDIOS WERE EVEN THIS WRITER WORKS TODAY, JIM RUNS A SUCCESSFUL PRODUCTION COMPANY.
TAKEN FROM THE CD REISSUE OF "VOLUME 1", 1994 REPERTORE RECORDS, REP4511-WP
INCREDIBLE HOG - LAME (7 INCH SINGLE)
HARD-ROCKIN' BLUES-ROCK POWER TRIO, INCREDIBLE HOG, WERE SIGNED TO THE LITTLE-KNOWN DART LABEL IN THE U.K. AND DECCA'S TELEFUNKEN IMPRINT IN GERMARMAY. THIS RARE PICTURE-SLEEVE SINGLE WASN'T ISSUED IN BRITAIN.
INCREDIBLE HOG - VOLUME 1 (LP VINYL REISSUE WITH 10 INCH VINYL)
