Rare Bird
Rare Bird were a progressive rock band founded in 1969. They were formed in England, but had more success in other European countries than they did at home. They are mostly remembered for the haunting, organ based track "Sympathy".
History
The band's initial line-up was as below, although there would be changes by the time they came to work on their third album. The first two members listed were a constant throughout the lifetime of the band.
- Steve Gould (lead vocals & bass, rhythm guitar) - b. March 25th, 1950, Battersea
- Dave Kaffinetti (pianos & assorted keyboards) - b. April 17th, 1946, Folkestone
- Graham Field (organ & assorted keyboards) - b. May 3rd, 1946, Beaminster
- Mark Ashton (drums & backing vocals) - b. June 23rd, 1949, Bridge
The history of Rare Bird began when Graham Field placed an ad for a pianist in a musical periodical. He got thirty replies and formed a group called Lunch, which only existed to sort out a decent drummer, pianist, singer and bass player. Eventually he met Dave Kaffinetti in November 1968, and together they formulated the basic ideas for Rare Bird. In August 1969, they finally found the ideal rhythm section in Steve Gould and Mark Ashton. Two weeks later, they had signed management and agency contracts, and three weeks later, were in the studio recording their debut album.
Legend has it that they were playing with an obscure group that recorded one unsuccesful album and had just started to perform live....named Genesis. They were the ones who suggested Tony Stratton-Smith, Charisma's owner, to check them out.
The band split up in the mid 1970s.
Discography
Studio albums
- Rare Bird (UK:Charisma, U.S.:Command/Probe, 1969)
- As Your Mind Flies By (UK:Charisma, U.S.:ABC, 1970)
- Epic Forest (Polydor, 1972)
- Somebody's Watching (Polydor, 1973)
- Born Again (Polydor, 1974)
- Rare Bird (Polydor, 1975)
Singles
- Sympathy (UK chart #27, 14th February 1970)[1]
Compilation albums
- Sympathy (Blue Plate, 1976)
- Polydor Special (Polydor, 1977)
- Third Time Around: An Introduction To Rare Bird (Universal, 2003)