Shagrat (band)
| Shagrat | |
|---|---|
| Origin | London, England |
| Genres | Rock |
| Years active | 1970–1971 |
| Labels | Captain Trip Records Shagrat Records |
| Past members |
Steve Peregrin Took Larry Wallis Tim Taylor Phil Lenoir Dave Bidwell Mick Farren |
Shagrat was a British supergroup formed by Steve Peregrin Took and Mick Farren in February 1970 after they split with Twink, their partner in the prototype Pink Fairies supergroup of late 1969. They recruited Larry Wallis (guitar, backing vocals) and Tim Taylor (bass). Mick Farren left the band shortly after and never recorded with them. Shagrat then became Took's band outright with Wallis, Taylor, Phil Lenoir (drums), and later Dave Bidwell (percussion).
As well as being an offshoot of the birth of the original Pink Fairies incarnation of 1970-1972, Shagrat set the template for Took's solo/frontman career (into which the band eventually mutated). Shagrat would also prove to be an ancestor of the 1973 Pink Fairies incarnation which recorded the Kings Of Oblivion album, after Farren recommended Wallis to the Fairies as a guitarist/singer, based on his guitar playing with Shagrat.
The band was named after the orc Shagrat from The Lord of the Rings and was a contraction of 'Shagrat The Vagrant', the name under which Steve Took had been credited on Mick Farren's album Mona – The Carnivorous Circus. Larry Wallis offers an alternative explanation. "'Steve Took' was Steve Took's real name as far as we were concerned, so he decided to take on another persona, 'Shagrat' who was the guy with the slanty eyes, pointed beard and the suede shoes."
Interviewed in 1972, Took himself offered yet another explanation: "I am gutter Rock, I'm a schneide. That's why I had Shagrat - it was a rat trip. Rats turn over at an amazing pace and they have a lot of kids. Not only do they eat the poison but they thrive on it and get bigger and they can still slip under doorways. It's the ecology trip. Do you know how many rats were killed in New York last year? 'Cos I don't! Hah! I can't remember my figures."
At Strawberry Studios in , they recorded a session, produced by Wallis's father, of which three tracks are known to survive, "Boo! I Said Freeze", "Peppermint Flickstick" and "Steel Abortion". Having been previously scheduled to appear at the May 1970 Hollywood Music Festival in Newcastle-under-Lyme, the band finally undertook their first gig, at the Phun City Festival near Worthing, Sussex on 24–26 July 1970. The band played a 30-45 minute set, including all the songs from the Strawberry Studios session. The gig had certainly got the band off to a good start, but problems set in immediately afterwards. Phil Lenoir left (Took claimed that they never saw him again after the festival) as did Tim Taylor, leaving Shagrat in search of a new rhythm section.
...
Wikipedia