Demon Fuzz

Demon Fuzz was an English band which was formed in 1968 and broke up in 1972. Its members had all immigrated to Britain from Commonwealth countries. The band's name means "devil's children or bad policemen".[7] The band's music has generally been described as progressive rock,[1][2][3][4] soul,[1][4][5] jazz rock[2][6] and funk.[1][5] Their album, Afreaka!, has become a popular source for sampling.[5] Since 2008, they have received sporadic airplay by the BBC radio presenters Huey Morgan and Gideon Coe.[8]

Demon Fuzz
OriginEngland
Genres
Years active1968–1972
LabelsDawn
Associated actsBlue Rivers and the Maroons

Performances

The band was promoted The Red Bus Company agency in London, which also handled Mungo Jerry, Mike Cooper, Titus Groan and Wildmouth[9] which arranged for them to appear at a concert incongruously named the "Hollywood Music Festival", in May 1970 at a Leycett farm near Newcastle-under-Lyme.[10]

They played at the Phun City Festival, "a major concert event in Worthing".[11]

In November 1970, the band played a series of ten concerts called "A Penny Concert" along with Titus Groan, Heron and Comus.[12] Among performances was one at the Marquee Club.

They appeared on the BBC television show Disco 2 produced by Stephen Clive[13] Turner had been offered (but did not take) 25 pounds for having them on the program. After he told BBC management about the incident, he was fired. Subsequently, the News of the World ran a story about the event.[14]

Musical style

The band's music was influenced by West African music, calypso, soul, jazz, and ska, and saxophonist/founder Paddy Corea had a background in playing ska music.[15] The music they heard during a trip to Morocco lead to a change in their style.[16] The band's music has predominantly been described as progressive rock,[1][2][3][4] soul,[4][5] jazz rock[2][6] and funk.[1][5] It has also been described as acid rock,[1] psychedelic soul,[1] jazz fusion,[5] and world music.[4] The band also played reggae.[6]

Discography

They signed with the Dawn Records division of Pye Records, for whom they released two recordings: the studio album Afreaka! (catalogue number DNLS 3013) and a maxi-single with the songs "I Put a Spell on You" (written by Screamin' Jay Hawkins), "Message To Mankind" and "Fuzz Oriental Blues", both released in 1970.[17]

Demon Fuzz's cover version of "I Put a Spell on You" was included in the 1971 sampler album, The Dawn Take-Away Concert (catalogue number DNLB 3024). Priced at 99 pence, the LP also had songs by Mungo Jerry, Comus, The Trio, Heron, Paul Brett's Sage, Mike Cooper, Atlantic Bridge, Jackie McAuley, Bronx Cheer, John Surman, John McLaughlin, Dave Holland, Stu Martin, Karl Berger and the Be-Bop Preservation Society.

A Demon Fuzz maxi-single was published by Nippon Columbia around 1971[18] The maxi-single was later made available as a CD[19]

Afreaka! was distributed in the United States by Janus Records (catalogue number JLS 3028)[17][20] It was a Billboard "4-STAR" selection in June 1971.[21]

Around 1971, their song "Hymn to Mother Earth" was included in the WDAS-FM Black Rock compilation album.[22]

In 1976, after the band dissolved, their second album, Roots and Offshoots, was self-published under the Paco Media Inc. label.[23]

A 1999 compilation CD, From Calypso to Disco: The Roots of Black Britain, includes the Demon Fuzz' recording of "Message to Mankind".[24]

Their performance of "Mercy" is included in Harmless Records' 2002 compilation CD (also published as a double-LP set) Paint It Black: Kaleidoscopic Funk Collision.[25]

In 2003, the Get Away label made a vinyl reissue in Italy of The Dawn Take-Away Concert (catalogue number GET 626).

Another vinyl pressing was made by Janus under the same catalogue number as the 1971 edition.[17]

Members
  • Paddy Corea, tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone, flute, vibes, congas
  • Ray Rhoden, piano and organ
  • Sleepy Jack Joseph, bass guitar
  • Smokey Adams, vocals
  • Steven John, drums
  • W. (Winston) Raphael Joseph, guitar
  • Clarence Crosdale, trombone[26]
  • Ayinde Folarin: credited for "additional congas" on Afreaka!. He was brought in on the recording session only.

References
  1. "Demon Fuzz "Afreaka!" (1970, Music On Vinyl)". Music Is My Sanctuary. demonstrates their excellence in playing psychedelic soul, dub-heavy funk, progressive rock, afro-jazz and black acid rock.
  2. "Afreaka!". Record Collector. despite the tribal imagery and ethnic progressive rock label, Afreaka! is a mixed bag of jazz-rock
  3. Corbett, John (18 May 2017). Vinyl Freak: Love Letters to a Dying Medium. Duke University Press. p. 71. a strange progressive rock record
  4. "Demon Fuzz "Afreaka!" (1970)". Jive Time Records. Demon Fuzz’s blend is just right and succeeds in cooking up an appetising dish of progressive rock/soul/jazz/world fusion
  5. "Afreaka! [Bonus Tracks] - Demon Fuzz". Allmusic. a wild mash of Afro-Latin funk, breakbeats, tripped-out soul, jazz fusion, and psychedelic journeying.
  6. "Demon Fuzz". WaxPoetics. Demon Fuzz went out of their way to keep people guessing; at gigs, they’d let people assume they were a reggae band, only to launch into some African-influenced jazz/rock number.
  7. "Demon Fuzz". Wax Poetics. 12 July 2010. Retrieved 30 January 2013.
  8. "Music – Demon Fuzz". BBC. Retrieved 3 February 2013.
  9. "Amusement Business". Amusement Business. Billboard Publications. 82 (1): 15. 1970. ISSN 0003-2344. LCCN 63057670.
  10. "Hollywood Music Festival 1970". Ukrockfestivals.com. Retrieved 3 February 2013.
  11. David A. Carson (2006). Grit, Noise, & Revolution: The Birth of Detroit Rock 'n' Roll. p. 251. ISBN 0472031902.
  12. "Heron – Artist Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 3 February 2013.
  13. "Three in England Fined $250 Each in Payola Case". Billboard. 86 (22): 42. 1 June 1974. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 2 February 2013.
  14. Michael Cable (1977). The pop industry inside out. Allen. p. 108. ISBN 9780491023818. LCCN 78304025. [...]to accept money—albeit only a miserable £25—for featuring a group called Demon Fuzz on his BBC 2 show Disco 2. Turner—who had already confessed this to the BBC and been fired before the News of the World exposé was published—never actually took the money although the group did indeed appear on[...] But it nevertheless remained a fact that Demon Fuzz had been carefully selected by the News of the World specifically because[...] Even more important in minimising the impact of the News of the World's payola revelations was the inevitable[...]
  15. "1970: Demon Fuzz - Afreaka". Tiny Mix Tapes.
  16. "Demon Fuzz". Beat Instrumental & International Recording. Beat Publications (93): 18. 5 January 1971. Retrieved 1 February 2013.
  17. "Demon Fuzz – Afreaka!". discogs. Retrieved 3 February 2013.
  18. "International News Reports from the Music Capitals of the World". Billboard: 51. 26 June 1971. Retrieved 16 May 2017.
  20. "New LP/Tape Releases". Billboard: 52. 26 June 1971. Retrieved 31 January 2013.
  21. "4-STAR". Billboard: 51. 26 June 1971. Retrieved 31 January 2013.
  22. Simpson, Kim (4 August 2011). "The WDAS-FM Black Rock LP". Early 70s radio. Retrieved 31 January 2013.
  23. "Demon Fuzz". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved 30 January 2013.
  24. Thompson, Dave (11 May 1999). "From Calypso to Disco: The Roots of Black Britain – Various Artists : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 3 February 2013.
  25. "Paint It Black – Kaleidoscopic Funk Collision Dble LP". The Freak Emporium. Archived from the original on 16 February 2013. Retrieved 3 February 2013.
  26. "What's all the fuzz about?". Melody Maker. 21 November 1972. Retrieved 1 February 2013.

Additional sources
  • Corbett, John. "Afreaka!: Demon Fuzz" Down Beat 71. 1 (January 2004): 18.
  • Thompson, Ben. "Pop: Demon Fuzz: Afreaka!", The Sunday Telegraph 8 January 2006: p. 36.
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