CD TRACKLISTING
| 1. The Pain Of Love 2. Understand It 3. Soft Touch 4. Child Of The City 5. Violent Love/Secret Damage 6. Down To You 7. I Wanna Know 8. School Girl Funk BONUS TRACKS – studio 9. Rikki (alternative mix) 10. Suffer (alternative mix) 11. Rita B (alternative mix) |
MICK UNDERWOOD started life playing with RITCHIE BLACKMORE when both were in their teens. After a brief spell in The HERD he joined EPISODE SIX (to play alongside IAN GILLAN) then formed QUATERMASS leading him to form in 1974 STRAPPS - a unique rock band.
Sadly the band split in 1979 after releasing some 4 albums and recording a packed out concert at The Rainbow which has never before been released with the masters having been kept in Mick’s tape archives all these years.
Mick joined GILLAN after the demise of Strapps and achieved worldwide success as part of that group. Had he continued Strapps, with NWOBHM arriving a couple of years later they would have undoubtedly gone on to greater things. Play loud!
MUSICIANS
ROSS STAGG, MICK UNDERWOOD, JOE READ, NOEL SCOTT
Reviews
Workmanlike classic rock with clear influences by way of Zeppelin, Deep Purple and even Bowie on occasion there is plenty of impressive guitar work and some occasionally dominant keyboards too hinting that they probably just lacked the killer song required to get attention, despite some high profile support slots.
If you're already aware of Strapps then chances are you'll want this live CD anyway, additionally perhaps thanks to three extremely impressive studio alternate mixes included as bonus tracks.
If like me, they've passed you by so far, then selling for under a tenner this is a fine way of checking them out. It's certainly convinced me to seek out more by them. ***1/2
Bill Leslie, www.getreadytorock.com (January 2008)
...there's enough showing on this album to suggest that Strapps could have had something going for them if timing had been a little different...There's some very good solid heavy rock on display...
Classic Rock Society
...massive in their bluesy stomp...There's enough commercial gloss in the likes of 'Child Of The City' but who listened...
Let It Rock www.dmmme.net
The Rainbow show captured them in all their fiery glory...Classic rock come back to conquer anew
All Music (March 2008)
The whole is very classic and typical of its time.
Odymetal, www.myspace.com (May 2008)
The way the band played on stage was similar to many of the NWOBHM bands: a straight forward DIY sound with no tampering with the sound. Stagg’s voice is in good shape and we all know how good a drummer Underwood is but it’s Read’s bass that shines throughout the recording.
As live recordings go in general, the sound quality is okay. What makes this CD an even better purchase is the inclusion of three bonus tracks, which are alternative studio versions of ‘Rikki,’ ‘Suffer’ and ‘Rita B.’ ‘Live At The Rainbow 1977’ should be of interest to any fan of all things related to the crazy world of Gillan/Purple.
Neil Daniels, Fireworks magazine (Issue 32)
Angel Air Twitter
