Starry Eyed and Laughing
| Starry Eyed and Laughing | |
|---|---|
| Origin | London |
| Genres |
Rock folk rock, pub rock country rock |
| Years active | 1973–1976 |
| Labels |
CBS Aurora Records Road Goes On Forever Records |
| Associated acts | Starry Eyed |
| Website | starryeyedandlaughing |
| Past members | Tony Poole Ross McGeeney Steve Hall Nick Brown Iain Whitmore Mick Wackford Roger Kelly |
Starry Eyed and Laughing were a British Rock band of the 1970s. Formed in 1973, they released two albums on CBS, recorded three Peel Sessions and undertook a US tour, before briefly evolving into Starry Eyed, and finally disbanding in 1976.
Tony Poole and Ross McGeeney were friends from the age of six, and formed a band whilst they were still at school in Bedford. "The Chymes", comprised McGeeney and Pete Warren on guitars, Poole on Bass and Mick Roope on drums. On leaving school they separated, but reunited in London, and formed an acoustic duo, playing original numbers between covers of songs by Bob Dylan, The Beatles and The Byrds
They became an electric duo in May 1973, and adopted the name Starry Eyed and Laughing, from a line in Dylan's song "Chimes of Freedom", which they regularly performed. They recorded some songs at a studio owned by Steve Hall, who joined on bass, and then recruited drummer Nick Brown. They became early performers on the London pub rock circuit, before Hall left and Iain Whitmore, who'd been in Patches with Leo Sayer, took over on bass. They appeared at ZigZag Magazine's fifth anniversary concert at The Roundhouse on 28 April 1974, which was recorded, but not released until 2010. Brown left and was replaced by Michael Wackford just prior to their being signed in May 1974 by CBS Records, who released a single "Money is no Friend of Mine" followed by their first album Starry Eyed and Laughing, mostly written by Poole and McGeeney and noted for its Byrds like sound - Poole playing a Rickenbacker 12string, and McGeeney a Fender Telecaster in a style similar to that of Clarence White. The album, released in October 1974, also featured B. J. Cole, Peter Wood, Ray Jackson, Russ Ballard and Jeff Bannister, who'd been in The Alan Bown Set. They recorded three Peel Sessions; in July 1974, February 1975 and July 1975
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