Back Door
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| Back Door | ||
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 Back Door
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| Background information | ||
| Origin | Blakey, Yorkshire | |
| Genre(s) | jazz fusion | |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, bass, percussion, saxophone | |
| Years active | 1971 – present | |
| Label(s) | Warner Bros. Records Cultural Foundation |
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Back Door was a jazz-rock trio, formed c. 1971, which featured bass player, Colin Hodgkinson, as its front man, Ron Aspery on saxes and Tony Hicks on drums, who was substituted later by Adrian Tilbrook. Hodgkinson made an innovative use of the electric bass, making it a lead instrument rather than a part of a rhythm section.
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[edit] History
Colin Hodgkinson first met Ron Aspery whilst the two were playing in the jazz-rock trio "Eric Delaney's Showband". The two began to talk about forming their own band around 1969 and eventually Back Door came to fruition in 1971 with Tony Hicks on drums.
Their unique brand of jazz-rock and Hodgkinson's totally original playing was a hit at their regular venue; the Lion Inn on Blakey Ridge, Yorkshire. However, record companies were not so keen and the band were repeatedly told "No singer, no contract." Ever the innovators, the band decided to record their first album themselves. It was recorded on a 4-track Ampex mixer in 8 hours and mixed in 4 hours the next day. Around 1,000 copies were first printed by RCA. The album was sold over the bar at Blakey Inn and at a few record shops in the local area.
A copy of the record somehow made its way to the NME headquarters in London and a superb review by Charles Shaar Murray was printed. After a few more reviews, the band passed an interview and began playing a regular slot at The Senate in Peterlee despite Aspery snapping a key off his saxophone moments before the audition. The band's popularity skyrocketed when they were asked to play a 2-week stint at Ronnie Scott's bar in London opening for Chick Corea. The run was eventually lengthened to 3 weeks. The record companies changed their tune and after receiving many offers the band decided to sign with Warner Brothers. The band rejected an offer from Richard Branson (who was just starting up Virgin at the time) because according to Hodgkinson: "they were successful - this other guy seemed really nice, but he had no track record." Warner Brothers then re-released their debut album.
In 1974, the band went to New York to record their second album 8th Street Nites. The album was produced by former Cream producer Felix Papallardi. This was the first album to feature vocals, provided by Hodgkinson because "we needed a singer, and I was the least bad out of us." Papallardi himself also played on a few tracks. Warner Brothers released the record and a tour of the USA supporting Emerson, Lake and Palmer followed. Subsequent tours (usually as the support act) included touring with Alexis in Germany and J Geils in the USA, as well as a few headlining tours of the university circuits in the UK.
By the time they recorded their third LP "Another Fine Mess", Dave McRae had joined the band on piano. He was a friend of Hicks' that he met whilst in Australia. The band shifted style slightly on this album, and more effects processing and electronic sounds were used though they were still defined as jazz-rock. McRae's stint in the band only lasted about a year however, and by the time they recorded Activate in 1976 he had departed the band as had long-time drummer Tony Hicks. The band hired Adrian Tilbrook as a replacement on drums, claiming they needed "a more hard-hitting drummer". The album was produced by Carl Palmer.
After the release of Activate, the band played less and less together and eventually "broke up" around 1977. Ron Aspery went on to do a lot of work as a session musician, and Colin Hodgkinson joined a string of bands including the Spencer Davis group and a few bands with Jan Hammer of the Mahavishnu Orchestra.
[edit] Reunion
The original line-up briefly reunited for what was initially one night at the Ronnie Scott club in London in 1986, though this was subsequently followed by a short tour of the UK.
In 2003, the original line-up reunited once again to record a new album. The album "Askin' The Way" was mainly re-workings of old sonds, with a few new songs thrown in. Hodgkinson also played accordion on this album. The official launch took place in the Blakey Inn, where the band had first started out back in 1971. Due to overwhelming demand, a second date was added. The band then played a few more shows, with Rod Mason on saxophone: Aspery had been suffering from an illness for quite some time, and had decided that the rigours of the road were no longer for him so he set about to find a replacement and eventually picked Mason.
On the 10th December that year, Ron Aspery died at his home in Saltdean, Sussex.
The band played a few more UK shows with Mason on saxophone, including the Guildhall venue at the Brecon Jazz festival in 2005.
Tony Hicks died in Sydney, Australia on the 10th August 2006.
[edit] Discography
- Back Door, released via Warner Bros. Records (1973)
- 8th Street Nites, released via Warner Bros. Records (1974)
- Another Fine Mess, released via Warner Bros. Records (1975)
- Activate, released via Warner Bros. Records (1976)
- The Human Bed, released via Hux (2002)
- Askin' The Way, released via Cultural Foundation (2003)
