Morgan (band)
Encyclopedia
Morgan was an English
progressive rock
band
, formed and disbanded in the early 1970s.
member Tim Staffell
on vocals
and guitar
, Bob Sapsed of Springfield Park
on bass
, Maurice Bacon on drum
s and (the band's namesake) Morgan Fisher
on keyboards
, Morgan formed in 1971. The group was born from the joint Morgan Fisher–Maurice Bacon band Love Affair
, a reasonably successful pop
band that transmogrified into the band L.A., a fusion group who combined pop sensibilities with an underhand progressive rock approach.
Morgan formed shortly after L.A. lapsed, with the band deciding to discard all pop leanings and launch headlong into composing keyboard-driven progressive rock epics. They sequestered themselves in the newly constructed RCA
Studios
in Rome
, home to the then-cutting-edge of recording
technology (16-track studios were still considered an extravagant rarity). The profusion of unusual instruments
in the studio heavily influenced Morgan's on-record soundscape; a 1930 Neo-Bechstein
electric piano
, marimbas, celeste
, timpani
, tubular bells
and first-generation synthesizer
s all united to aid in the crafting of a unique and ground-breaking musical direction.
The band were fans
of Yes
, Pink Floyd
, The Nice
and King Crimson
, basing their progressive approach on the evolution of those celebritie
s. The group's modus operanda featured Fisher composing all the music
whilst Staffell focused on the lyrics
; their joint efforts inevitably steered the band towards science-fiction imagery and sprawling multi-suite compositions. Their first album
, entitled Nova Solis
, contained four songs, and concluded with the sprawling eponymous title track, the meandering chronicle of a galactic journeyman lamenting the destruction of the Earth. The album's sales were largely disappointing.
Morgan had signed a two-album deal with RCA, and in 1973 embarked on the recording of their second (and ultimately final) album, originally titled 'Brown Out'; the name of the album was changed when it became apparent that the band intended to include an insert of the themselves mooning
the casual record buyer. Thus 'Brown Out' became The Sleeper Wakes, save when it was released in the U.S.
in 1977 by Passport Records, who maintained the original name.
Due to tensions with the band, RCA opted not to release The Sleeper Wakes, and it did not see commercial availability until 1977. In the wake of these tensions the group disbanded, and the members went their separate ways. Staffell went on to craft models for the Thomas the Tank Engine
children's TV programme
and, more recently, founded the funk
band aMIGO; whilst Fisher continued performing, first with Mott the Hoople
and later recording as a solo
artist
.
Their second album, when released on CD
in 1999 by Angel Air Records
, was entitled The Sleeper Wakes.
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
progressive rock
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
band
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
, formed and disbanded in the early 1970s.
History
Featuring former SmileSmile (band)
Smile were a London-based blues rock band best known as the predecessor to renowned rock band Queen. The band was formed in 1968 by Brian May, who was to become Queen's guitarist. The group included Tim Staffell as singer and bassist, and, later, drummer Roger Taylor, who also went on to play for...
member Tim Staffell
Tim Staffell
Timothy "Tim" Staffell is an English rock musician and visual artist. He was a member of blues-rock outfit 1984 and later Smile, a band which included guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor. Upon Staffell's departure, Smile were joined by Freddie Mercury and John Deacon to form the band Queen...
on vocals
Human voice
The human voice consists of sound made by a human being using the vocal folds for talking, singing, laughing, crying, screaming, etc. Its frequency ranges from about 60 to 7000 Hz. The human voice is specifically that part of human sound production in which the vocal folds are the primary...
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...
, Bob Sapsed of Springfield Park
Springfield Park
Springfield Park may refer to:*Springfield Park, Liverpool, a public park in Liverpool, England*Springfield Park , a park in Upper Clapton, London*Springfield Park, Quebec, a neighbourhood in Longueuil, Quebec, Canada...
on bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, Maurice Bacon 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 and (the band's namesake) Morgan Fisher
Morgan Fisher
Morgan Fisher is an English keyboard player / composer, and is most known for being a member of Mott the Hoople in the early 1970s. However, his career has covered a wide range of musical activities, and he is still highly active in the music industry...
on keyboards
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, Morgan formed in 1971. The group was born from the joint Morgan Fisher–Maurice Bacon band Love Affair
Love Affair (band)
Love Affair were a London based pop, soul, R&B group formed in 1966. They had several UK Singles Chart Top 10 hits, including the number one success "Everlasting Love".-Personnel:The band primarily featured the following —...
, a reasonably successful pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
band that transmogrified into the band L.A., a fusion group who combined pop sensibilities with an underhand progressive rock approach.
Morgan formed shortly after L.A. lapsed, with the band deciding to discard all pop leanings and launch headlong into composing keyboard-driven progressive rock epics. They sequestered themselves in the newly constructed RCA
RCA Records
RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label...
Studios
Recording studio
A recording studio is a facility for sound recording and mixing. Ideally both the recording and monitoring spaces are specially designed by an acoustician to achieve optimum acoustic properties...
in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, home to the then-cutting-edge of recording
Sound 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...
technology (16-track studios were still considered an extravagant rarity). The profusion of unusual instruments
Musical instrument
A musical instrument is a device created or adapted for the purpose of making musical sounds. In principle, any object that produces sound can serve as a musical instrument—it is through purpose that the object becomes a musical instrument. The history of musical instruments dates back to the...
in the studio heavily influenced Morgan's on-record soundscape; a 1930 Neo-Bechstein
Bechstein
Bechstein is a surname and may refer to:*Johann Matthäus Bechstein , a German naturalist and forester.*Ludwig Bechstein , a German writer....
electric piano
Electric piano
An electric piano is an electric musical instrument.Electric pianos produce sounds mechanically and the sounds are turned into electrical signals by pickups. Unlike a synthesizer, the electric piano is not an electronic instrument, but electro-mechanical. The earliest electric pianos were invented...
, marimbas, celeste
Celeste
- People :* Celeste Holm , US actress* Madame Céleste , French dancer and actress* Celeste , American former pornographic actress* Dick Celeste , governor of Ohio from 1983 to 1991...
, timpani
Timpani
Timpani, or kettledrums, are musical instruments in the percussion family. A type of drum, they consist of a skin called a head stretched over a large bowl traditionally made of copper. They are played by striking the head with a specialized drum stick called a timpani stick or timpani mallet...
, tubular bells
Tubular Bells
Tubular Bells is the debut record album of English musician Mike Oldfield, released in 1973. It was the first album released by Virgin Records and an early cornerstone of the company's success...
and first-generation synthesizer
Synthesizer
A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
s all united to aid in the crafting of a unique and ground-breaking musical direction.
The band were fans
Fan (person)
A Fan, sometimes also called aficionado or supporter, is a person with a liking and enthusiasm for something, such as a band or a sports team. Fans of a particular thing or person constitute its fanbase or fandom...
of Yes
Yes (band)
Yes are an English rock band who achieved worldwide success with their progressive, art, and symphonic style of rock music. Regarded as one of the pioneers of the progressive genre, Yes are known for their lengthy songs, mystical lyrics, elaborate album art, and live stage sets...
, Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...
, The Nice
The Nice
The Nice were an English progressive rock band from the 1960s, known for their blend of rock, jazz and classical music. Their debut album, The Thoughts of Emerlist Davjack was released in 1967 to immediate acclaim. It is often considered the first progressive rock album...
and King Crimson
King Crimson
King Crimson are a rock band founded in London, England in 1969. Often categorised as a foundational progressive rock group, the band have incorporated diverse influences and instrumentation during their history...
, basing their progressive approach on the evolution of those celebritie
Celebrity
A celebrity, also referred to as a celeb in popular culture, is a person who has a prominent profile and commands a great degree of public fascination and influence in day-to-day media...
s. The group's modus operanda featured Fisher composing all the music
Melody
A melody , also tune, voice, or line, is a linear succession of musical tones which is perceived as a single entity...
whilst Staffell focused on the lyrics
Lyrics
Lyrics are a set of words that make up a song. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist or lyrist. The meaning of lyrics can either be explicit or implicit. Some lyrics are abstract, almost unintelligible, and, in such cases, their explication emphasizes form, articulation, meter, and symmetry of...
; their joint efforts inevitably steered the band towards science-fiction imagery and sprawling multi-suite compositions. 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...
, entitled Nova Solis
Nova Solis
-Track listing :All tracks composed by Fisher and Staffell , with "Nova Solis" incorporating "April Lady" and "Earth" by Staffell's earlier band, Smile....
, contained four songs, and concluded with the sprawling eponymous title track, the meandering chronicle of a galactic journeyman lamenting the destruction of the Earth. The album's sales were largely disappointing.
Morgan had signed a two-album deal with RCA, and in 1973 embarked on the recording of their second (and ultimately final) album, originally titled 'Brown Out'; the name of the album was changed when it became apparent that the band intended to include an insert of the themselves mooning
Mooning
Mooning is the act of displaying one's bare buttocks by removing clothing, e.g., by lowering the backside of one's trousers and underpants, usually bending over, whether also exposing the genitals or not...
the casual record buyer. Thus 'Brown Out' became The Sleeper Wakes, save when it was released in the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1977 by Passport Records, who maintained the original name.
Due to tensions with the band, RCA opted not to release The Sleeper Wakes, and it did not see commercial availability until 1977. In the wake of these tensions the group disbanded, and the members went their separate ways. Staffell went on to craft models for the Thomas the Tank Engine
Thomas the Tank Engine
Thomas the Tank Engine is a fictional steam locomotive in The Railway Series books by the Reverend Wilbert Awdry and his son, Christopher. He became the most popular character in the series, and the accompanying television spin-off series, Thomas and Friends.Thomas is a tank engine, painted blue...
children's TV programme
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
and, more recently, founded the funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
band aMIGO; whilst Fisher continued performing, first with Mott the Hoople
Mott the Hoople
Mott the Hoople were a British rock band with strong R&B roots, popular in the glam rock era of the early to mid 1970s. They are popularly known for the song "All the Young Dudes", written for them by David Bowie and appearing on their 1972 album of the same name.-The early years:Mott The Hoople...
and later recording as a solo
Solo (music)
In music, a solo is a piece or a section of a piece played or sung by a single performer...
artist
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
.
Their second album, when released on CD
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
in 1999 by Angel Air Records
Angel Air Records
Angel Air Records is an English independent record label established in February 1997, specialising in reissues of classic pop and rock albums originally issued in the 1960s and 70s and latterly new albums from known artists up to the 21st century, formed by Peter and Shirley Purnell...
, was entitled The Sleeper Wakes.
Discography
- Nova SolisNova Solis-Track listing :All tracks composed by Fisher and Staffell , with "Nova Solis" incorporating "April Lady" and "Earth" by Staffell's earlier band, Smile....
(1972) - The Sleeper Wakes (1976) (aka Brown Out, recorded in 1973, posthumously released in 1976)