Flaming Youth (band)
Encyclopedia
Flaming Youth was an obscure British
rock
group
, who recorded an album
in 1968 before breaking up. Today, the band is more known as the original group of singer Phil Collins
, then 18 years of age, who was the group's drummer
.
The band consisted of keyboardist
Brian Chatton (born Brian Charles Chatton, 19 July 1948, Bolton
, Lancashire
, England
), Ronnie Caryl
(on bass guitar
and guitar
), Gordon Smith on guitar and bass guitar, and Collins on drum
s. Toward the group’s end, Rod Mayall briefly joined on organ
, and the group became more free-form.
The group released an album, Ark 2
, in 1969. In November 1969, the British
music magazine, NME
, reported that the concept album
was the subject of an hour long television special, which the group had filmed in the Netherlands
. The LP was released on the Fontana Records
label to some critical but no commercial success. There was also a follow-up single
recorded, “Man, Woman, and Child”. After a brief tour, the group dissolved.
Collins and Caryl both auditioned for Genesis
the following year, although Caryl was not successful. Caryl later played with Collins as his guitarist on his solo tours. Collins also kept in touch with Chatton, playing on at least one song by the band Boys Don't Cry
on their second album.
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...
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...
group
Ensemble
Ensemble may refer to:* Musical ensemble* Ensemble cast * Dance ensemble* Statistical ensemble ** Quantum statistical mechanics, the study of statistical ensembles of quantum mechanical systems...
, who recorded an 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...
in 1968 before breaking up. Today, the band is more known as the original group of singer Phil Collins
Phil Collins
Philip David Charles "Phil" Collins, LVO is an English singer-songwriter, drummer, pianist and actor best known as a drummer and vocalist for British progressive rock group Genesis and as a solo artist....
, then 18 years of age, who was the group's drummer
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
.
The band consisted of keyboardist
Keyboardist
A keyboardist is a musician who plays keyboard instruments. Until the early 1960s musicians who played keyboards were generally classified as either pianists or organists. Since the mid-1960s, a plethora of new musical instruments with keyboards have come into common usage, requiring a more...
Brian Chatton (born Brian Charles Chatton, 19 July 1948, Bolton
Bolton
Bolton is a town in Greater Manchester, in the North West of England. Close to the West Pennine Moors, it is north west of the city of Manchester. Bolton is surrounded by several smaller towns and villages which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, of which Bolton is the...
, Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
, England
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...
), Ronnie Caryl
Ronnie Caryl
Ronnie Caryl is an English musician. Over the years Caryl has worked alongside Phil Collins, plus David Hentschel, Michel Polnareff, Lulu, Stephen Bishop, Eric Clapton, Gary Brooker, Maggie Bell and John Otway.-Biography:...
(on bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
and 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...
), Gordon Smith on guitar and bass guitar, and Collins on drum
Drum
The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
s. Toward the group’s end, Rod Mayall briefly joined on organ
Electric organ
In biology, the electric organ is an organ common to all electric fish used for the purposes of creating an electric field. The electric organ is derived from modified nerve or muscle tissue...
, and the group became more free-form.
The group released an album, Ark 2
Ark 2
Ark 2 is a 1969 concept album released by obscure British rock group Flaming Youth. Released in October, the album featured the theme of an evacution from a dying Earth. The main single from the album was "From Now On". The album and its space theme were influenced by the media's attention to...
, in 1969. In November 1969, the British
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...
music magazine, NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
, reported that the concept album
Concept album
In music, a concept album is an album that is "unified by a theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, narrative, or lyrical." Commonly, concept albums tend to incorporate preconceived musical or lyrical ideas rather than being improvised or composed in the studio, with all songs contributing...
was the subject of an hour long television special, which the group had filmed in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
. The LP was released on the Fontana Records
Fontana Records
Fontana Records is a record label which was started in the 1950s as a subsidiary of the Dutch Philips Records; when Philips restructured its music operations it dropped Fontana in favor of Vertigo Records. In the seventies PolyGram acquired the dormant label....
label to some critical but no commercial success. There was also a follow-up single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
recorded, “Man, Woman, and Child”. After a brief tour, the group dissolved.
Collins and Caryl both auditioned for Genesis
Genesis (band)
Genesis are an English rock band that formed in 1967. The band currently comprises the longest-tenured members Tony Banks , Mike Rutherford and Phil Collins . Past members Peter Gabriel , Steve Hackett and Anthony Phillips , also played major roles in the band in its early years...
the following year, although Caryl was not successful. Caryl later played with Collins as his guitarist on his solo tours. Collins also kept in touch with Chatton, playing on at least one song by the band Boys Don't Cry
Boys Don't Cry (band)
Boys Don't Cry are a British pop/rock band known for the hit single "I Wanna Be a Cowboy", which peaked at #12 on the Hot 100 in 1986 and charted around the world...
on their second album.