The Pilot EP was the first official release by British rock

Rock music

Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...

 band Reuben

Reuben (band)

Reuben were an English three-piece musical group from Camberley, Surrey. Their music was a fusion of alternative rock and heavy metal, as their songs cover a variety of styles, ranging from heavy and upbeat, such as their 2005 single "Blamethrower" to slower, more melodic songs such as their 2004...

. This recording was with the original Reuben line up, including Mark Lawton on drums. It was recorded in the summer of 2000 at Backline studios in Guildford

Guildford

Guildford is the county town of Surrey. England, as well as the seat for the borough of Guildford and the administrative headquarters of the South East England region...

 with ex Redwood

Redwood (band)

Redwood are an alternative rock band formed in Birmingham, and based in Guildford, Surrey, England, who were active for the majority of the 1990s before finally splitting up in 2000 after their record label Almo Sounds became defunct...

 guitarist Rob Blackham. The band had met Rob at Guildford festival, where he urged them to record a demo of some sort, so they set about recording five songs in four days. The EP was released on the Badmusic label in January 2001. The initial run was of 500 copies, which sold out fairly fast, but it is regularly repressed and is available at shows and by mail order. It was reviewed in Kerrang!

Kerrang!

Kerrang! is a UK-based magazine devoted to rock music published by Bauer Media Group. It was first published on June 6, 1981 as a one-off supplement in the Sounds newspaper...

by members of Taproot

Taproot (band)

Taproot is a four-piece rock group from Ann Arbor, Michigan. They are most known for their hit single "Poem" , as well as a number of other singles from 2000 to the present.-Pre-formation:...

, and received a KKKK rating, despite being described as 'cheesey' by the singer.

Track listing

1. "Alpha Signal Seven"
2. "Words From Reuben"
3. "Crimson"
4. "Death Of A Star"
5. "Shambles" (hidden track only on the first 500 copies - click for free download from the band's official site)

Personnel

Jamie Lenman: Guitar, Vocals

Jon Pearce: Bass Guitar

Mark Lawton: Drums

Miscellanea

(From the band's site)

• Alpha Signal Seven gained the band an early following by being played by DJ Steve Lamacq
  Steve Lamacq
  Steve Lamacq , sometimes known by his nicknames Lammo or "The Cat" is an English disc jockey, currently working with the BBC radio stations BBC 6 Music and BBC Radio 2.-Early career:He was born in Basingstoke, Hampshire...
  
   a number of times by the on his BBC Radio 1 show
  BBC Radio 1
  BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
  
  . It was also the track that convinced Badmusic to put out the EP.
• Words From Reuben was the song the band named themselves after. The title makes reference to receiving a letter from an old friend; 'Reuben' having been the first friend that Jamie ever made. It was decided to shorten the band name to just 'Reuben', because the band cited the longer version as 'way too emo
  Emo
  Emo is a style of rock music and its associated subcultureEmo may also refer to:- Businesses :* Emo , an Irish oil company and filling station chain* Emo Speedway, a racetrack in Emo, Ontario...
  
  '. The song was the first to be written with drummer Mark in the band. It was also featured on the Farnborough 'Groove Ten' compilation. The funny phased guitar sounds heard on the song were originally just for fun but were left in when the band ran out of time to mix.
• Crimson is said by the band to be "a failed attempt to sound like the Deftones
  Deftones
  Deftones are an American alternative metal band from Sacramento, California, founded in 1988. The band consists of Chino Moreno , Stephen Carpenter , Chi Cheng , Frank Delgado , and Abe Cunningham . Currently Sergio Vega is standing in on bass while Cheng recovers from a car accident...
  
  ". This is a big live favourite and was played a couple of times on XFM
  Xfm
  Xfm is a brand of two commercial radio stations focused on alternative music, primarily indie pop, and owned by Global Radio.-History:Xfm was created in London in 1992 by Sammy Jacob, who later co-founded NME Radio in 2008. Xfm subsequently expanded to a network of four stations; there are...
  
   around the time of the initial EP release.
• Death of a Star was written when the band were named Angel and with drummer Jason Wilcock, the song was a favourite of the band's at the time. It used to be the standard set-opener from their days at the Tumbledown.
• The first pressing of the EP (the first 500 copies) included a secret track, 'Shambles'. The track can be downloaded in full at the band's website.
• Reuben where unsure of whether or not they had enough money to record the EP, but decided to go for it after they won £100 in a 'battle of the bands' competition staged in Bookham
  Bookham
  Bookham refers to places:in Dorset, England*Bookham, Dorsetin Surrey, England:*Great Bookham*Little Bookham**location of Bookham railway station*Bookham Commonsin Australia*Bookham, New South WalesBookham also refers to a company:...
  
  barn hall in front of a panel of twelve year olds.
• The band changed their name from 'Angel' to 'Reuben' just before the release, for fear that it might get overlooked if it were under a different name.
• £100 of the fee for the last day of mixing was paid entirely in pound coins by drummer Mark.
• Fleet/Farnborough-based alternative rock band Pilot:X took their name from this EP. The band are also heavily influenced by Reuben
  Reuben (band)
  Reuben were an English three-piece musical group from Camberley, Surrey. Their music was a fusion of alternative rock and heavy metal, as their songs cover a variety of styles, ranging from heavy and upbeat, such as their 2005 single "Blamethrower" to slower, more melodic songs such as their 2004...
  
  , citing them as one of their main inspirations.