Last Exit (British band)
Encyclopedia
Last Exit was a British jazz fusion
band formed in Newcastle upon Tyne
England
in 1974, and is best remembered as the group Sting was in before finding stardom with The Police
. The band name came from the book Last Exit to Brooklyn
. Last Exit was composed of drummer Ronnie Pearson (also of the Phoenix Jazzmen), guitarists John Hedley
and then Terry Ellis, keyboardist Gerry Richardson, and bassist and singer Sting.
The band was a leading act around Newcastle for several years. They released a single
in 1975, "Whispering Voices" (a Richardson composition), and in 1976, Carol Wilson, Head of Richard Branson
's music publishing company, saw Last Exit play in the Gosport Arms in Newcastle and signed them. Virgin financed the recording of a demos
in the Pathway Studios
in London. Wilson organised a number of gigs, including Dingwalls
, and a double page feature in Sounds
and played the demo to every major record label. Most A&R men liked it but could not see an obvious category to market the band, so no record deal materialised. In 1977, Last Exit moved to London but after a few gigs half of the band returned to Newcastle, and Sting and Richardson started looking for other jobs. Richardson worked with Billy Ocean
's band as musical director, while Sting joined Stewart Copeland
and Henri Padovani and formed The Police
. That same year, Last Exit played their last concert in Newcastle.
In 1996 Sting invited Gerry Richardson to play organ on his album Mercury Falling
.
Several Last Exit songs were later reworked by Sting, to feature in The Police's and Sting's solo albums:
The songs "Don't Give Up Your Daytime Job" and "Don't You Look At Me" were considered for The Police album Ghost in the Machine, but were later dropped. They are, however, available as demos on several bootlegs.
Jazz fusion
Jazz fusion is a musical fusion genre that developed from mixing funk and R&B rhythms and the amplification and electronic effects of rock, complex time signatures derived from non-Western music and extended, typically instrumental compositions with a jazz approach to lengthy group improvisations,...
band formed in Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
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...
in 1974, and is best remembered as the group Sting was in before finding stardom with The Police
The Police
The Police were an English rock band formed in London in 1977. For the vast majority of their history, the band consisted of Sting , Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland...
. The band name came from the book Last Exit to Brooklyn
Last Exit to Brooklyn
Last Exit to Brooklyn is a 1964 novel by American author Hubert Selby, Jr. The novel has become a cult classic because of its harsh, uncompromising look at lower class Brooklyn in the 1950s and for its brusque, everyman style of prose....
. Last Exit was composed of drummer Ronnie Pearson (also of the Phoenix Jazzmen), guitarists John Hedley
John Hedley
John Hedley is a guitar player in the North East of England. He came to local prominence playing with Brian Davison, the Newcastle Big Band and the jazz rock group Last Exit...
and then Terry Ellis, keyboardist Gerry Richardson, and bassist and singer Sting.
The band was a leading act around Newcastle for several years. They released a 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...
in 1975, "Whispering Voices" (a Richardson composition), and in 1976, Carol Wilson, Head of Richard Branson
Richard Branson
Sir Richard Charles Nicholas Branson is an English business magnate, best known for his Virgin Group of more than 400 companies....
's music publishing company, saw Last Exit play in the Gosport Arms in Newcastle and signed them. Virgin financed the recording of a demos
Demo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
in the Pathway Studios
Pathway Studios
Pathway Studios was a North London studio in Islington run by producer Mike Finesilver for many years. Among the well-known artists who made their early recordings at Pathway Studios are Madness, Elvis Costello, The Police, Squeeze, Haircut One Hundred and John Foxx...
in London. Wilson organised a number of gigs, including Dingwalls
Dingwalls
Dingwalls is a venue adjacent to Camden Lock in London, England. It houses bars, cafes, clubs . The building itself is one of many industrial Victorian buildings that were put to new use in the 20th century. The original owner of the building, T.E...
, and a double page feature in Sounds
Sounds (magazine)
Sounds was a long-term British music paper, published weekly from 10 October 1970 – 6 April 1991. It was produced by Spotlight Publications , which was set up by Jack Hutton and Peter Wilkinson, who left "Melody Maker" to start their own company...
and played the demo to every major record label. Most A&R men liked it but could not see an obvious category to market the band, so no record deal materialised. In 1977, Last Exit moved to London but after a few gigs half of the band returned to Newcastle, and Sting and Richardson started looking for other jobs. Richardson worked with Billy Ocean
Billy Ocean
Billy Ocean is a Trinidad-born English Grammy Award winning popular music performer who had a string of rhythm and blues international pop hits in the 1970s and 1980s. He was the most popular British-based R&B singer / songwriter of the early to mid-1980s...
's band as musical director, while Sting joined Stewart Copeland
Stewart Copeland
Stewart Armstrong Copeland is an American musician, best known as the drummer for the band The Police. During the group's extended hiatus from the mid-1980s to 2007, he played in other bands and composed soundtracks...
and Henri Padovani and formed The Police
The Police
The Police were an English rock band formed in London in 1977. For the vast majority of their history, the band consisted of Sting , Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland...
. That same year, Last Exit played their last concert in Newcastle.
In 1996 Sting invited Gerry Richardson to play organ on his album Mercury Falling
Mercury Falling
Mercury Falling is the fifth studio album released by Sting. The album was marked by its tight studio production and use of brass reminiscent of recordings made at FAME Studios in the 1960s. This release was considered by many fans to signal the beginning of Sting's transition from heavier...
.
Several Last Exit songs were later reworked by Sting, to feature in The Police's and Sting's solo albums:
- "I Burn For You", "The Bed's Too Big Without You", and "Oh My God" were recorded by The Police under the same name, the first being on the Brimstone & Treacle soundtrack, the second on Reggatta de BlancReggatta de BlancReggatta de Blanc is the second album by The Police, released in 1979. It features the band's first two number 1 hits, "Message in a Bottle" and "Walking on the Moon".-Background:...
, and the third on SynchronicitySynchronicitySynchronicity is the experience of two or more events that are apparently causally unrelated or unlikely to occur together by chance and that are observed to occur together in a meaningful manner...
; - "Carrion Prince", "Truth Kills", and "Savage Beast" are early incarnations of "Bring on the Night" (from Reggatta de Blanc), "Truth Hits Everybody" (from Outlandos d'AmourOutlandos d'AmourThe LP initially flopped, due to low exposure and an unfavourable reaction from the BBC to its first two singles, "Can't Stand Losing You" and "Roxanne" . As Sting describes:...
), and "We Work the Black Seam" (from The Dream of the Blue TurtlesThe Dream of the Blue TurtlesThe Dream of the Blue Turtles is the first solo album by British pop singer-songwriter Sting, released in the United States on 1 June 1985, a year after The Police had unofficially disbanded...
) respectively; - The lyrics of "Fool in Love" were reused in The Police song "So LonelySo Lonely"So Lonely" is a song written and produced by American singer Mariah Carey and producer Rodney Jerkins. It is a duet between rapper Twista and Carey, featured on his album The Day After and Carey's The Emancipation of Mimi . Officially released in 2006 as the third single from The Day After...
" (from Outlandos d'Amour).
The songs "Don't Give Up Your Daytime Job" and "Don't You Look At Me" were considered for The Police album Ghost in the Machine, but were later dropped. They are, however, available as demos on several bootlegs.