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Along with Lucifer's Friend, Blackwater Park, and other bands even more obscure, Epitaph were members of acuriousfraternity of '70s German bands that featured British singers. Founded in Dortmund in late 1969 by vocalist/guitaristCliffJackson and his compatriot James McGillivray, plus locally bred bassist Bernd Kolbe, Epitaph were originally namedFagau'sEpitaph, but decided to shorten it after moving to Hanover, where they eventually signed with Polydor. Secondguitarist KlausWalz joined the fold halfway through the sessions for their eponymous debut (released in 1971), which, alongwith itssucc ...read more
Along with Lucifer's Friend, Blackwater Park, and other bands even more obscure, Epitaph were members of acuriousfraternity of '70s German bands that featured British singers. Founded in Dortmund in late 1969 by vocalist/guitaristCliffJackson and his compatriot James McGillivray, plus locally bred bassist Bernd Kolbe, Epitaph were originally namedFagau'sEpitaph, but decided to shorten it after moving to Hanover, where they eventually signed with Polydor. Secondguitarist KlausWalz joined the fold halfway through the sessions for their eponymous debut (released in 1971), which, alongwith itssuccessor, Stop, Look & Listen (1972), contained only five lengthy tracks, largely comprised of post-psych progressiverock,spiced with occasional jazz accents and widespread twin-guitar harmonies. Neither LP succeeded at introducing the bandtoa significant audience, though, and McGillivray had quit by year's end, being replaced by German drummer Achim Wielert,justas Epitaph were beginning to experiment with a more compact and direct hard rock style. This was previewed by thetwosingles they released in 1973, but Polydor still decided it was time to cut their ties to the group, who surprisingly headedoffto America almost immediately, drawn by the promises of a start-up indie label called Billingsgate.
Epitaph wound up recording their third and most critically acclaimed LP, 1974's Outside the Law, in Chicago,afterwardsembarking on a tour of the U.S. with ex-Karthago drummer Norbert Lehmann -- only to have it rudely interruptedwhenBillingsgate went bankrupt. Drained by their string of bad luck and feeling lucky simply to escape back to Germanywithoutbeing held responsible for Billingsgate's debts, Epitaph called it quits in January of 1975. But Cliff Jackson couldn'tresistreviving Epitaph just a few months later, gradually rebuilding their damaged reputation until a revamped band --rounded outby guitarist Heinz Glass, keyboardist Michael Karch, bassist Harvey Janssen, and drummer Fritz Randow -- finallyre-emergedwith 1979's Return to Reality album. Now pursuing a semi-heavy metal angle, this edition of Epitaph recorded twomore,poorly received LPs (1980's oddly named See You in Alaska and 1981's Live), and then Jackson reunited the Outside theLawlineup for 1982's Danger Man. Also given to heavier rock sounds, and also unsuccessful, the latter finally proved tobeEpitaph's, well, epitaph, barring very rare concert reunions thereafter.
Source: http://www.allmusic.com/artist/epitaph-mn0000772353 « hide |
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