Prelude (band)
Encyclopedia
Prelude are an English
based vocal folk
group, who in their most famous line-up consisted of Brian Hume (vocals
, guitar
), his wife Irene Hume (vocals) and Ian Vardy (guitars, vocals). They formed in their native Gateshead
in 1970.
their first album
, How Long Is Forever?, on Dawn Records
at Rockfield recording studios
in Wales
. From it came their best known recording, an a cappella
version of the Neil Young
song "After the Gold Rush
", on Dawn
. In the UK
, it entered the Top 50 on 26 January 1974, had a nine-week stay, peaking at Number 21. In America
, it entered the Billboard Hot 100
on 11 February 1974, and had a five-week stay, peaking at #22.
Hume explained (in 1974) how the song came about: “We were standing at a bus stop
in Stocksfield
and we just started singing it. There was no particular reason, it was just a nice song. The way we do it now is really no different from the way we did it at the bus stop. We included it in our act and it went down really well – even the rowdier clubs listened to it. We certainly never thought of it as a possible single. In any case we always thought of ourselves as an album group rather than making singles and included the song on the album How Long Is Forever as an afterthought”.
The group subsequently toured the U.S.
, but "After the Gold Rush" proved their only U.S. chart success. They then toured the UK
, supporting Ralph McTell
and Joan Armatrading
. In 1981 they toured the UK with Don McLean
. Also in 1974, they recorded backing vocals
for the Ralph McTell's hit single
, "Streets of London
".
The group signed with EMI
, and in 1980 scored their second UK hit with "Platinum Blonde". The group appeared on Top Of The Pops
to promote the single. The follow-up "Trick Of The Light" failed to chart, but was noted in one review of its similarity to Fleetwood Mac
. Further success was achieved in 1982 when a re-recorded version of "After the Gold Rush" made the UK Top 30. The group released three further singles in the same year, namely, "Only The Lonely" (a cover
of the Roy Orbison
song
), "City Tonight" and "Silent Night". However, no album was released around this time.
Vardy left the band in 1985. Irene and Brian Hume continued as a duo
until 1987, when they were joined by Jim Hornsby (guitarand dobro). By 1993, Hornsby had left and Prelude continued as a duo once more. They still write and perform on the folk circuit, along with Chris Ringer (bass/vocals).
As a three-piece band (Hume/Hume/Ringer) they performed as a trio but in 2008 they were rejoined by original member Ian Vardy and performed as a four-piece. Rediscovering much of their back catalogue with Ian Vardy back on board, the group are going from strength to strength and have added a percussionist to the line-up where stage space allows. Plans for a new album are underway.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
based vocal folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
group, who in their most famous line-up consisted of Brian Hume (vocals
Singing
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
), his wife Irene Hume (vocals) and Ian Vardy (guitars, vocals). They formed in their native Gateshead
Gateshead
Gateshead is a town in Tyne and Wear, England and is the main settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead. Historically a part of County Durham, it lies on the southern bank of the River Tyne opposite Newcastle upon Tyne and together they form the urban core of Tyneside...
in 1970.
Career
They began to write their own material and built a following on the folk circuit and in 1973 they recordedSound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
their first album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
, How Long Is Forever?, on Dawn Records
Dawn Records
Dawn Records was a subsidiary of Pye Records. Active from 1970 to 1975, it was set up largely as Pye's 'underground and progressive' label, a rival of the EMI and Phonogram equivalents, Harvest and Vertigo....
at Rockfield recording studios
Rockfield Studios
Rockfield Studios, near Monmouth in Wales and just outside the village of Rockfield, Monmouthshire are where many of British rock music’s most successful recordings have been made.-History:...
in Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. From it came their best known recording, an a cappella
A cappella
A cappella music is specifically solo or group singing without instrumental sound, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. It is the opposite of cantata, which is accompanied singing. A cappella was originally intended to differentiate between Renaissance polyphony and Baroque concertato...
version of the Neil Young
Neil Young
Neil Percival Young, OC, OM is a Canadian singer-songwriter who is widely regarded as one of the most influential musicians of his generation...
song "After the Gold Rush
After the Gold Rush (song)
"After the Gold Rush" is a song written by Neil Young from the 1970 album of the same name. In addition to After the Gold Rush, it also appears on Decade, Greatest Hits and Live Rust....
", on Dawn
Dawn Records
Dawn Records was a subsidiary of Pye Records. Active from 1970 to 1975, it was set up largely as Pye's 'underground and progressive' label, a rival of the EMI and Phonogram equivalents, Harvest and Vertigo....
. In the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, it entered the Top 50 on 26 January 1974, had a nine-week stay, peaking at Number 21. In America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, it entered the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
on 11 February 1974, and had a five-week stay, peaking at #22.
Hume explained (in 1974) how the song came about: “We were standing at a bus stop
Bus stop
A bus stop is a designated place where buses stop for passengers to board or leave a bus. These are normally positioned on the highway and are distinct from off-highway facilities such as bus stations. The construction of bus stops tends to reflect the level of usage...
in Stocksfield
Stocksfield
Stocksfield is a small, sprawling commuter village situated close to the River Tyne, about west of Newcastle upon Tyne and east of Hexham in the southern part of Northumberland, England...
and we just started singing it. There was no particular reason, it was just a nice song. The way we do it now is really no different from the way we did it at the bus stop. We included it in our act and it went down really well – even the rowdier clubs listened to it. We certainly never thought of it as a possible single. In any case we always thought of ourselves as an album group rather than making singles and included the song on the album How Long Is Forever as an afterthought”.
The group subsequently toured the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, but "After the Gold Rush" proved their only U.S. chart success. They then toured the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, supporting Ralph McTell
Ralph McTell
Ralph McTell is an English singer-songwriter and acoustic guitar player who has been an influential figure on the UK folk music scene since the 1960s....
and Joan Armatrading
Joan Armatrading
Joan Anita Barbara Armatrading, MBE is a British singer, songwriter and guitarist. Armatrading is a three-time Grammy Award-nominee and has been nominated twice for BRIT Awards as Best Female Artist...
. In 1981 they toured the UK with Don McLean
Don McLean
Donald "Don" McLean is an American singer-songwriter. He is most famous for the 1971 album American Pie, containing the renowned songs "American Pie" and "Vincent".-Musical roots:...
. Also in 1974, they recorded backing vocals
Backing vocalist
A backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
for the Ralph McTell's hit single
Hit single
A hit single is a recorded song or instrumental released as a single that has become very popular. Although it is sometimes used to describe any widely-played or big-selling song, the term "hit" is usually reserved for a single that has appeared in an official music chart through repeated radio...
, "Streets of London
Streets of London (song)
"Streets of London" is a song written by Ralph McTell. It was first recorded for McTell's 1969 album Spiral Staircase but was not released in the United Kingdom as a single until 1974...
".
The group signed with EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
, and in 1980 scored their second UK hit with "Platinum Blonde". The group appeared on Top Of The Pops
Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops, also known as TOTP, is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly from 1 January 1964 to 30 July 2006. After 25 December 2006 it became a radio program, now hosted by Tony Blackburn...
to promote the single. The follow-up "Trick Of The Light" failed to chart, but was noted in one review of its similarity to Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac are a British–American rock band formed in 1967 in London.The only original member present in the band is its eponymous drummer, Mick Fleetwood...
. Further success was achieved in 1982 when a re-recorded version of "After the Gold Rush" made the UK Top 30. The group released three further singles in the same year, namely, "Only The Lonely" (a cover
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of the Roy Orbison
Roy Orbison
Roy Kelton Orbison was an American singer-songwriter, well known for his distinctive, powerful voice, complex compositions, and dark emotional ballads. Orbison grew up in Texas and began singing in a rockabilly/country & western band in high school until he was signed by Sun Records in Memphis...
song
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
), "City Tonight" and "Silent Night". However, no album was released around this time.
Vardy left the band in 1985. Irene and Brian Hume continued as a duo
Duet (music)
A duet is a musical composition for two performers. In classical music, the term is most often used for a composition for two singers or pianists; with other instruments, the word duo is also often used. A piece performed by two pianists performing together on the same piano is referred to as...
until 1987, when they were joined by Jim Hornsby (guitarand dobro). By 1993, Hornsby had left and Prelude continued as a duo once more. They still write and perform on the folk circuit, along with Chris Ringer (bass/vocals).
As a three-piece band (Hume/Hume/Ringer) they performed as a trio but in 2008 they were rejoined by original member Ian Vardy and performed as a four-piece. Rediscovering much of their back catalogue with Ian Vardy back on board, the group are going from strength to strength and have added a percussionist to the line-up where stage space allows. Plans for a new album are underway.
Singles
- 1973 "Out There" (DawnDawn RecordsDawn Records was a subsidiary of Pye Records. Active from 1970 to 1975, it was set up largely as Pye's 'underground and progressive' label, a rival of the EMI and Phonogram equivalents, Harvest and Vertigo....
) - 1974 "After the Gold RushAfter the Gold Rush (song)"After the Gold Rush" is a song written by Neil Young from the 1970 album of the same name. In addition to After the Gold Rush, it also appears on Decade, Greatest Hits and Live Rust....
" (Dawn) UKUK Singles ChartThe UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
#21 - 1974 '"Here Comes the Sun" (Dawn)
- 1974 '"Dear Jesus" (Dawn)
- 1975 "Fly" (Dawn)
- 1975 "A Love Song" (Dawn)
- 1980 "Platinum Blonde" (EMI) UK #45
- 1980 "Trick of the Light" (EMI)
- 1981 "When Two Worlds Collide" (EMI)
- 1982 "After the Gold RushAfter the Gold Rush (song)"After the Gold Rush" is a song written by Neil Young from the 1970 album of the same name. In addition to After the Gold Rush, it also appears on Decade, Greatest Hits and Live Rust....
" (new recording) (After Hours) UK #28 - 1982 "Only The Lonely" (After Hours) UK #55
- 1982 "City Tonight" (After Hours)
- 1982 "Silent Night" (After Hours)
Albums
- 1973 How Long Is Forever? (DawnDawn RecordsDawn Records was a subsidiary of Pye Records. Active from 1970 to 1975, it was set up largely as Pye's 'underground and progressive' label, a rival of the EMI and Phonogram equivalents, Harvest and Vertigo....
) - 1974 Dutch Courage (Dawn) (titled After the Gold Rush in the USA)
- 1975 Owlcreek Incident (Dawn)
- 1976 Back Into the Light (Pye)
- 1984 Prelude (CMP)
- 1997 Archive (Rialto) (Compilation)
- 2000 Floating on the Breeze: The Dawn (Castle) (Compilation of 1970s material)