By combining rare live performances, incisive accounts from the four surviving group members as well as archive interview footage of Alex himself, this film candidly reveals the secrets behind this groundbreaking rock act. Hugh Mckenna and Zal Cleminson demonstrate how the songs were written and constructed.
The Sensational Alex Harvey Band was a Scottish rock band formed in Glasgow in 1972. Fronted by Alex Harvey accompanied by Zal Cleminson on guitar, bassist Chris Glen, keyboard player Hugh McKenna (1949-2019), and drummer Ted McKenna, their music was a blend of glam rock, blues rock, and hard rock, with cabaret elements. Their stage performances incorporated theatrical elements. The band was popular in continental Europe, and influential in Australia, most notably on the young Nick Cave and his first band The Boys Next Door.
They adopted distinctive stage costumes: Harvey wore vaudeville-like clothes and his trademark striped shirt, while Cleminson assumed the identity of a "mime" in full make-up and green-yellow jumpsuit and Glen wore a dark blue jumpsuit reminiscent of a superhero costume incorporating a lighter blue codpiece. SAHB produced a succession of highly regarded albums and tours throughout the 1970s. The band did not enjoy large-scale success in the United States as it had in the UK, though they did acquire a cult following in certain US cities, notably Cleveland, where the group first played at the Agora Ballroom in December 1974. Thanks to airplay from WMMS, songs like "Next" and "The Faith Healer" became popular.
In January 1974, the band went to Advision Studios in London with the American producer Shel Talmy to record a third album. By April, the sessions were finished and the album was mixed. However, the band and management had some reservations about the overall sound and decided to scrap the entire album. Talmy returned to Los Angeles with his tapes. Most of the song titles appeared on the official album The Impossible Dream later that year with a different producer, though the songs were dramatically changed. The original recordings formed an album called Hot City, released in 2009 by Major League Productions.
The Sensational Alex Harvey Band had top 40 hits in Britain with the single "Delilah", a cover version of the Tom Jones hit, which reached number seven in 1975, and with "The Boston Tea Party" in June 1976. The song "Anthem" was a top 30 hit in Australia in 1975.
Harvey left the group late in 1975; the other members continued with the name "SAHB (without Alex)". They recorded a new album, Fourplay, in February 1977. The album steered towards a solid pop-rock with some slight prog influences. Harvey re-joined the group in mid-1977, while Hugh McKenna left. In 1978, The Sensational Alex Harvey Band recorded Rock Drill, with Tommy Eyre replacing Hugh McKenna, and disbanded shortly afterwards. Harvey died of heart failure on 4 February 1982 in Belgium.
Director: The Creative Picture Company
Stars: Malcolm Dome, Rob Corich, Michael Heatley, Doogie White
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