This was the band I formed aged 18. It comprised of Ben Clark, Alex Urch, Michael Goozee and myself (Andy Napleton was the brief Fourth Father, but we kept the name regardless). This was the album we made in 2010 (released 2011), aged 19. We broke up in 2012 and all went off to do other things both music and non-music related. It was all a lot of fun and we went all over the country meeting and playing to many brilliant people along the way.
Sadly, in 2019 Ben Clark passed away. Ben and I had been playing together as a duo after we met at college and had written and recorded some things together before this band started. Ben was an extremely talented musician and artist who arranged all of the orchestral parts to this album and played the guitar to an unbelievable standard. He was the best musician I'd ever met. More importantly, he was also a wonderful person.
I've found 15 copies of the LP in my flat which I will sell and donate all the money to the charity Jessie's Fund – a music therapy charity set up by the clarinet teacher at York University where Ben was a student after the band stopped. You can read more about Jessie's Fund and the work they do here:
jessiesfund.org.uk/about-us/
I'll also sell the digital version and donate the money in the same way.
I hope you enjoy what you hear. To me it is clearly the sound of four 19 year old young men with a brazen confidence, trying to make ambitious orchestral guitar pop beyond their means. None of it would have been possible without Ben's contribution.
credits
released February 28, 2011
William Doyle - Lead Vocal, Acoustic Guitar, Fender Rhodes Piano, Keyboards
Ben Clark - Electric Guitar, Viola, Vibraphone, Glockenspiel, Fender Rhodes Piano, Keyboards, Percussion
Michael Goozee - Bass guitar
Alex Urch - Drums & Percussion
Additional musicians
Nathan Gash - Tuba & Trombone on tracks 1, 8 & 10
Mark Gibson - Trumpet on tracks 1, 3 & 10
Lucy Leleu - Trumpet on tracks 1, 8 & 10 and Flugelhorn on track 3
Sam Pearce - French Horn on tracks 1, 8 & 10
Songs written by W. Doyle & B. Clark except
Dark Times, Luminous People written by W. Doyle
Shape & Form written by W. Doyle, B. Clark, M. Goozee, A. Urch
Copyright Control
Recorded, produced, mixed & mastered by Neil Kennedy at The Ranch, Nursling, Hampshire, October 18th - November 5th 2010
Engineer - Stephen Bega
Brass recorded at P.K. Studios, Hammersmith, December 2nd 2010
Engineer - Paddy Kingsland
Brass & Strings arranged by Ben Clark
Inner photos - Paul Vanezis
Design - Mark Aaron