RockScotland

platterpete wrote:All I can say is that there are an awful lot of people out there who still want to see this band live. (I just know that one of you will say ah but without Alex and Zal...... well what about Quo without Lancaster and Coghlan or AC/DC without Bon, are they not allowed to carry the flag for those bands)

Nobody is disputing anything about people wanting to see SAHB. I'm a SAHB fan myself and have been to every gig I could manage - including 3 Chris Glen & The Outfit gigs. However, if there were all these people desperate to see them they'd be playing bigger venues, would they not?

The posts were disputing the exaggerated claims about SAHB being the biggest UK band in the mid-70's, which much as I'd like to have seen it, wasn't as I remember it!

Your examples, AC/DC and Status Quo aren't really comparable as with AC/DC one of the irreplaceable members (Angus) is still there and with Quo both of the main members are still there (Rossi and Parfitt). The SAHB was really only Alex Harvey and Zal - unfortunately none of whom are still there. No disrespect to Chris, Ted and Hugh, but their roles could be taken by any professional musos. The difference with Alex and Zal was that they were "characters" and had their own "larger than life" personnas.

While everyone likes to see old bands carry on there are quite a few that couldn't do it without the main players. i.e. The Police without Sting or Rush without Geddy Lee and a lot of others. Using one of your original examples - would Status Quo manage without Rossi and Parfitt? Of course not.

platterpete wrote:Every SAHB gig I have been to, whether in Cardiff, Bilston, Nantwich, Glasgow or Edinburgh has been to a full or almost full house

Yes but sadly in tiny wee venues that can be filled by most of the average touring acts whereas, to use your examples again, AC/DC are still playing the World's largest arenas and even Quo can still sell out the SECC and similar sized venues all over the UK.

platterpete wrote:As for the history books, they were regarded as a great live act and have influenced many bands throughout the years (I'm not sure about the biggest) but they were and are SENSATIONAL.

Yes they were a fantastic live act to those of us who appreciated them back in the 70's but unfortunately I remember that at the time I was going to the SAHB gigs on my own because my mates were all into Zeppelin and other larger rock acts and regarded the SAHB as a "comedy" turn. Without a doubt they were an acquired taste and just didn't achieve the mainstream rock acceptance that they deserved.

However there's no point in trying to make exaggerated claims of how BIG they were back in the day because they were never ever the huge mainstream act that some people are now trying to make out and the majority of rock fans just didn't "get" what they were doing.

fergy

The facts are as they are and no amount of narrow mindedness can alter that.

Stretching the imagination just a tad - hmm! you'd have to have an imagination to stretch.

Alex Harvey, in all his guises, up to and including The Sensational Alex Harvey Band, was indeed a rock legend - whether you like it, or not. He set precedents; the band influenced so many of the artists that we have admired since.

SAHB had an active life span of only 5 years in the seventies and did so much more than Delilah and The Boston Tea Party. If that is where your knowledge of the band grinds to an ill informed halt then you have no valid comment to make.

Asking your Dad really doesn't count.

From just being on the bill on year to topping it the next at Reading Festival - Oh! of course! Comedy rock acts do that all the time. Around the same time as being the top grossing act of the time. How did they manage that? They toured, played and recorded non stop for five years as opposed to rolling up every now and again with another prog rock effort.

There is no point at all or whatsoever in even attempting to enter into debate with those whose blinkered eyes, deaf ears and worse yet, narrow little minds permit them no access to information or education, no boudaries to be stepped over.

Why is it ok to badmouth people of whom you clearly know nothing?

Sad, really, more to be pitied than scorned.

Alex Harvey is a Scottish Rock legend and in his partnership with Tear Gas, to become The Sensational Alex Harvey Band he merely reinforced that fact.

As a wise man once said........you just can't educate pork.

The content of this post has been removed by the moderator.

Please keep on topic!

There's no point in silly wee attacks on ROCKSCOTLAND because people are saying stuff that you don't agree with.

Posts are the personal opinions of the individual posters

This is a discussion forum and opinions are going to differ - that's the whole point of discussion. Play nice!

JJ
Admin, RockScotland

Catherine wrote:The facts are as they are and no amount of narrow mindedness can alter that.

This is exactly what the other posters are trying to show - unfortunately SAHB were never the biggest UK band of the 70's!

Catherine wrote:Alex Harvey, in all his guises, up to and including The Sensational Alex Harvey Band, was indeed a rock legend - whether you like it, or not. He set precedents; the band influenced so many of the artists that we have admired since.

Don't get so excited dear, who's disputing this? The only thing being disputed is the exaggerated claim that the SAHB were the biggest band of the 70's.

Catherine wrote:Asking your Dad really doesn't count.

Yes it does! He's old enough to remember - whereas I'm not. He was actively involved with and going to see rock bands in the 70's. He is also a SAHB fan but he does admit that they had a very limited audience. There's nothing to be ashamed of in being original (which Alex very definately was) or playing to a niche market!

Catherine wrote:There is no point at all or whatsoever in even attempting to enter into debate with those whose blinkered eyes, deaf ears and worse yet, narrow little minds permit them no access to information or education, no boudaries to be stepped over.

I agree whole heartedly and there's also no point in trying to debate anything with those who don't want anyone else to have their own opinions. Your knee-jerk reply is commendable but unfortunately you're just going way off track just for the sake of it. Calm down love and read what's been written by previous posters - they're mostly admitting support for the SAHB but just questioning the claims of them being the biggest band of the 70's.

Catherine wrote:Why is it ok to badmouth people of whom you clearly know nothing?

It's only you who's badmouthing people with your immature rant just because they have a different opinion to yourself. Again the only thing being disputed is the claim to being the biggest band of the 70's - nobody's badmouthing the SAHB or their comedy theatre rock.

fi

ONLY band to open a festival one year.....and headline it the following year !!, first band to sell out the glasgow apollo 3 nights on the trot !!.....go take a look in the history book.

I don't think anybody is saying that SAHB where the biggest band in the 70's but for a while they where the band that sold the most amount of tickets in the shortest time & Alex has most definately been an influence on many a singer/frontman & still is.

A few wee facts for those who seem to regard the Sensational Alex Harvey Band as a tribute pub band, well back in the 70s they were the only ones other than Billy Connolly to sell out the Apollo 3 nights in a row.

When The Who were doing their UK stadium tour, tickets were not selling well, the Sensational Alex Harvey Band were added to the bill and were paid more than The WHO, and the tour became a sell out, now while nobody is suggesting tha SAHB was the greatest band of the 70's, they were one of the greatest and also one of the most innovative, talented, and completely original artists of their era, a previous poster mentions a few "big name" bands, all great talents in their own right, be it Prog-Yes, Genesis etc, or Led Zeppellin -Heavy Rock, but that was and is the beauty of SAHB, they cannot be pigeonholed like that.

So in conclusion, for those who have posted that they believe the musical legacy Alex Harvey and the Sensational Alex Harvey Band aren't relevant, have a wee listen, open your mind to one of Scotland's fearless musical pioneers, and if you don't believe me ask Fish, John Lydon, Alice Cooper, Thom Yorke(Radiohead), Biffy Clyro, Def Leppard, Iron Maiden, The Tubes, Nick Cave, all of which are big fans, and while we all like different things, no one is saying you have to like SAHB, but don't dismiss a talented hard working band who have survived many trials and tribulations and still are a force to be reckoned with in the Live Arena, and if you're a Scottish person, naturalised or "imported" Alex Harvey and SAHB are a major part of Scotlands rich and varied contributions to the world of music, give them a try, you've nothing to lose but your inhibitions!!!!

Caveman wrote:back in the 70s they were the only ones other than Billy Connolly to sell out the Apollo 3 nights in a row

thetomahawkkid58 wrote:first band to sell out the glasgow apollo 3 nights on the trot !!.....go take a look in the history book.

The Singing Kettle sold out the SECC 7 nights in a row - take a look in another history book!

Doesn't make them the biggest act in the UK though just to sell out a few gigs locally?

SergeantFury wrote:I don't think anybody is saying that SAHB where the biggest band in the 70's

The post by "Brokenantler" stated that, ""Alex/SAHB in the mid 70's were the biggest live act in the uk" and that's when the knee jerk reactions started.

"Brokenantler" then back-pedalled and claimed that he/she didn't say that and that they had said, "IN THE MID SEVENTIES IN THE UK, SAHB WERE THE BIGGEST LIVE GROSSING ACT".

Nobody is saying that they were rubbish and only one person said that they weren't relevant - all people were disputing was the "biggest live act in the uk" claim made by "Brokenantler". Most of the posters have stated that they liked the band.

Jazzer

jazzer wrote:The Singing Kettle sold out the SECC 7 nights in a row - take a look in another history book!

Doesn't make them the biggest act in the UK though just to sell out a few gigs locally?

Well noted and I think they were also the first act to sell out the SECC 7 nights in a row!

This illustrates the main point better than all the waffle in most of these posts!

SAHB - fantastic act and without doubt a legend! Sadly Alex never got the support that he deserved while he was alive and while SAHB had a respectable following in Glasgow (hence being able to sell out the Apollo etc) they were certainly, whether they deserved to be or not, they were never the biggest act in the UK.

rb

Alright,alright,alright,calm down people. An internet forum where people disagree,who would have thought it.
Seriously , I couldnt care less if the guy sold more tickets and more albums than anyone else on the planet or none at all. In my eyes he was "Sensational"