Sailor (band)
Encyclopedia
Sailor are a British
pop
group
, best known in the 1970s for their hit single
s "Glass of Champagne" and "Girls Girls Girls", written by the group's lead singer and 12-string guitar player, Georg Kajanus
.
in 1971, although it was Richard's first British single
that failed to reach the Top 30. Sailor was formed out of the earlier incarnation of singer-songwriter duo, 'Kajanus Pickett', after Phil Pickett and Kajanus met in 1970 at E H Morris, a music publisher where Pickett briefly worked. They later recorded the album Hi Ho Silver for Signpost Records. Sailor first came together in 1973 with the addition of musicians Henry Marsh (ex-Gringo) and Grant Serpell
(ex-Affinity
).
The groups' work included Kajanus' invention, the Nickelodeon, made of piano
s, synthesisers, and glockenspiel
s that allowed the four piece band to reproduce on stage the acoustic
arrangement
s that they had done in the recording studio
.
The group's first UK single was "Traffic Jam" from their first album, Sailor. "Glass of Champagne", issued late the following year from the Trouble album, reached #2 in the UK Singles Chart. The follow-up, "Girls Girls Girls", also made the Top 10, but of their subsequent singles, only "One Drink Too Many" registered in the UK Top 40.
Sailor's original line-up split up in 1978, although Pickett and Marsh released more material as Sailor with Gavin and Virginia David in 1980, with an album of Pickett compositions called Dressed for Drowning, produced
by James William Guercio at his Caribou studio in Colorado
(Epic
/Caribou
).
The arrival of Peter Lincoln saw Sailor issue their first live album
, Live In Berlin. Original member Marsh left in 1999, and was replaced by Anthony England. In May 2001, England left the band to be replaced by Rob Alderton, and the new line-up recorded their first DVD
in November 2002. In 2004, Sailor were voted the 45th most successful pop band of the last 40 years in Germany
. A biography of Sailor by James McCarraher entitled A Glass Of Champagne - The Official Sailor Story was published in June 2004. In July 2005, Alderton left, and Marsh returned to the line-up.
In February 2006 Buried Treasure was released, a double album
of previously recorded material. By September, Lincoln left Sailor to join Sweet
. Afterwards, Marsh's son, Oliver, joined the band as their new lead singer.
, Scotland
. Written by Bill Blenman, the new musical
was made up entirely of Kajanus compositions.
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...
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...
group
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...
, best known in the 1970s for their 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...
s "Glass of Champagne" and "Girls Girls Girls", written by the group's lead singer and 12-string guitar player, Georg Kajanus
Georg Kajanus
Georg Kajanus is a Norwegian composer and pop musician, best known as the lead singer and songwriter of the British pop group, Sailor.-Early years:...
.
In the 1970s
The group's leader, Georg Kajanus, had previously written "Flying Machine" for Cliff RichardCliff Richard
Sir Cliff Richard, OBE is a British pop singer, musician, performer, actor, and philanthropist who has sold over an estimated 250 million records worldwide....
in 1971, although it was Richard's first British 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...
that failed to reach the Top 30. Sailor was formed out of the earlier incarnation of singer-songwriter duo, 'Kajanus Pickett', after Phil Pickett and Kajanus met in 1970 at E H Morris, a music publisher where Pickett briefly worked. They later recorded the album Hi Ho Silver for Signpost Records. Sailor first came together in 1973 with the addition of musicians Henry Marsh (ex-Gringo) and Grant Serpell
Grant Serpell
Grant Serpell was a member of several bands during the 1960s and 1970s, including Affinity and Sailor, and was an encouraging influence over two of the members of The Hoosiers while being their chemistry teacher at Waingels College.Serpell enjoyed a revival of Sailor's success, which started in...
(ex-Affinity
Affinity (band)
Affinity were an English jazz-rock fusion band, active from mid 1968 to January 1971.-Origins:The origin of Affinity was, circa 1965 in the science department of the University of Sussex in Brighton, England...
).
The groups' work included Kajanus' invention, the Nickelodeon, made of piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
s, synthesisers, and glockenspiel
Glockenspiel
A glockenspiel is a percussion instrument composed of a set of tuned keys arranged in the fashion of the keyboard of a piano. In this way, it is similar to the xylophone; however, the xylophone's bars are made of wood, while the glockenspiel's are metal plates or tubes, and making it a metallophone...
s that allowed the four piece band to reproduce on stage the acoustic
Acoustic music
Acoustic music comprises music that solely or primarily uses instruments which produce sound through entirely acoustic means, as opposed to electric or electronic means...
arrangement
Arrangement
The American Federation of Musicians defines arranging as "the art of preparing and adapting an already written composition for presentation in other than its original form. An arrangement may include reharmonization, paraphrasing, and/or development of a composition, so that it fully represents...
s that they had done in the recording studio
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...
.
The group's first UK single was "Traffic Jam" from their first album, Sailor. "Glass of Champagne", issued late the following year from the Trouble album, reached #2 in the UK Singles Chart. The follow-up, "Girls Girls Girls", also made the Top 10, but of their subsequent singles, only "One Drink Too Many" registered in the UK Top 40.
Sailor's original line-up split up in 1978, although Pickett and Marsh released more material as Sailor with Gavin and Virginia David in 1980, with an album of Pickett compositions called Dressed for Drowning, produced
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
by James William Guercio at his Caribou studio in Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
(Epic
Epic Records
Epic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A...
/Caribou
Caribou Records
Caribou Records is a record label which distributed some of the Brother Records releases by The Beach Boys. It is owned by James William Guercio, who also owns Caribou Ranch recording studios, and was the longtime manager of the band Chicago....
).
Revival
In 1989, Sailor reformed to release a new album after a ten year silence with two new singles, "The Secretary" and "La Cumbia". The band started touring again in 1993, and performed on many television programmes in Europe. In 1995, Kajanus departed the band again to pursue other projects.The arrival of Peter Lincoln saw Sailor issue their first live album
Live album
A live album is a recording consisting of material recorded during stage performances using remote recording techniques, commonly contrasted with a studio album...
, Live In Berlin. Original member Marsh left in 1999, and was replaced by Anthony England. In May 2001, England left the band to be replaced by Rob Alderton, and the new line-up recorded their first DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
in November 2002. In 2004, Sailor were voted the 45th most successful pop band of the last 40 years in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. A biography of Sailor by James McCarraher entitled A Glass Of Champagne - The Official Sailor Story was published in June 2004. In July 2005, Alderton left, and Marsh returned to the line-up.
In February 2006 Buried Treasure was released, a double album
Double album
A double album is an audio album which spans two units of the primary medium in which it is sold, typically records and compact discs....
of previously recorded material. By September, Lincoln left Sailor to join Sweet
Sweet (band)
Sweet was a British rock band that rose to worldwide fame in the 1970s as one of the most prominent glam rock acts, with the classic line-up of lead vocalist Brian Connolly, bass player Steve Priest, guitarist Andy Scott, and drummer Mick Tucker.Sweet was formed in 1968 and achieved their first...
. Afterwards, Marsh's son, Oliver, joined the band as their new lead singer.
Band members
- Georg KajanusGeorg KajanusGeorg Kajanus is a Norwegian composer and pop musician, best known as the lead singer and songwriter of the British pop group, Sailor.-Early years:...
: (born Prince Georg Johan Tchegodaieff, 9 June 1946, TrondheimTrondheimTrondheim , historically, Nidaros and Trondhjem, is a city and municipality in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. With a population of 173,486, it is the third most populous municipality and city in the country, although the fourth largest metropolitan area. It is the administrative centre of...
, NorwayNorwayNorway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
) 1973-1979, 1990–1995- lead vocals, 12-string guitars, acoustic guitars, charango, Veracruzana harp, harmonium, synthesisers, "Klockwork machinery"
- Henry Marsh: (born Ian Henry Murray Marsh, 8 December 1948, Bath, SomersetSomersetThe ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
) 1973-1999, 2005–present- Nickelodeon, accordion, piano, marimbas, synthesised brass and reed, synthesisers, acoustic/electric guitars, computer programming, vocals
- Phil Pickett: (born Philip Stuart Pickett, 19 November 1946, MünsterMünsterMünster is an independent city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also capital of the local government region Münsterland...
, GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
) 1973–present (except Checkpoint)- bass Nickelodeon, piano, guitarron, synthesised strings, calliope, xylophone, bass, cruz bass, Hammond organ, mandolin, autoharp, vocals (lead vocals on Dressed for Drowning)
- Grant SerpellGrant SerpellGrant Serpell was a member of several bands during the 1960s and 1970s, including Affinity and Sailor, and was an encouraging influence over two of the members of The Hoosiers while being their chemistry teacher at Waingels College.Serpell enjoyed a revival of Sailor's success, which started in...
: (born Stephen Grant Serpell, 9 February 1944, MaidenheadMaidenheadMaidenhead is a town and unparished area within the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, in Berkshire, England. It lies on the River Thames and is situated west of Charing Cross in London.-History:...
, BerkshireBerkshireBerkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
) 1973-1979, 1990–2011- drums, percussion, vocals
- Gavin David: 1980
- vocals
- Virginia David: 1980
- lead and backing vocals
- Peter Lincoln: 1996-2006
- 12-string and 6-string acoustic guitars, electric guitar, charango, lead vocals
- Anthony England: 1999-2001
- Nickelodeon, vocals
- Rob Alderton: 2001-2005
- Nickelodeon, accordion, vocals
- Oliver Marsh: 2006–present
- guitar, lead vocals
- Thomas Marsh: 2011-present
- drums, percussion, vocals
Studio albums
- Line up: Kajanus, Marsh, Pickett & Serpell, except as noted. All compositions by Kajanus, except as noted
- Sailor (1974)
- Re-released in 2008 on a single CD with Trouble with a bonus track: "Harbour"
- Trouble (1975) – UKUK Albums ChartThe UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
#45- Re-released in 2008 on a single CD with Sailor
- The Third Step (1976)
- Re-released in 2008 on a single CD with Checkpoint
- Checkpoint (1977) – Kajanus, Marsh & Serpell
- Re-released in 2008 on a single CD with The Third Step with a bonus track: "Down By the Docks" (single version)
- Hideaway (1978)
- Re-released in 2008 with bonus tracks:
- Dressed for Drowning (1980) – David, David, Marsh & Pickett. All compositions by Pickett
- Sailor (1991)
- Street Lamp (1992)
- The Very Best of Sailor (1998) – Lincoln, Marsh, Pickett & Serpell. All tracks are new recordings.
- Sailor (1974)
Compilations
- Greatest Hits Vol.1 (1978)
- Includes two new recordings:
- Girls,Girls,Girls: The Very Best of Sailor (1990)
- Includes a new recording of "Sailor" (with new lyrics). Re-released in 2001 and 2003.
- Hits and Highlights (1994)
- A compilation of Sailor (1991) and six tracks from Street Lamp (1992)
- Greatest Hits - Best of the Best (double CD; 1995)
- Re-released in 1996 with only the first CD
- Legacy: Greatest and Latest (1996)
- Includes five new recordings by Lincoln, Marsh, Pickett & Serpell:
- Re-released as Greatest and Latest in 2001
- Girls Girls Girls (1999)
- Sailor (2002)
- Best: Down By the Docks (2005)
- Buried Treasure (2CD box set; 2006)
- Re-released as Treasure Trove: Anthology 1975-2005 in 2007.
- Buried Treasure (2007)
- A single CD compilation with (confusingly) the same name and cover art as the 2006 box set.
- The Best of Sailor (2007)
- A Glass of Champagne: All the Hits (2007)
- Traffic Jam: Sound and Vision (CD/DVD set; 2008)
Live albums and DVDs
- Live In Berlin (1998)
- Re-released in 2002, 2003 (as A Glass of Champagne), 2005 (as Greatest Hits: Live)
- Pirate Copy: Sailor Live in Concert (DVD; 2003)
- Sailor Live (2005)
- Sailor Live: One Drink Too Many (2CD; 2005)
- Re-released as A Glass of Champagne: Live in 2006
Selected singles
- "Traffic Jam" (1974)
- "Glass of Champagne" (1975) - 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 ...
#2 - "Girls Girls Girls" (1976) - UK #7
- "Stiletto Heels" (1976)
- "One Drink Too Many" (1977) - UK #35
- "Down By The Docks" (1977)
- "All I Need Is a Girl" (1978)
- "Stay The Night" (1978)
- "La Cumbia" (1991)
- "The Secretary" (1992)
- "It Takes Two to Tango" (1992)
Sailor, the Musical Journey
July 2006 saw the premiere of Sailor, the Musical Journey at the Carnegie Hall, DunfermlineDunfermline
Dunfermline is a town and former Royal Burgh in Fife, Scotland, on high ground from the northern shore of the Firth of Forth. According to a 2008 estimate, Dunfermline has a population of 46,430, making it the second-biggest settlement in Fife. Part of the town's name comes from the Gaelic word...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. Written by Bill Blenman, the new musical
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
was made up entirely of Kajanus compositions.