THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH - Borderline

The Greatest Show on Earth were originally formed in 1968 by guitarist Garth Watt-Roy and his bass-playing brother Norman. Also featured in the original line-up were organist Mick Deacon, drummer Ron Prudence and three horn players, Dick Hanson, Tex Phillpotts and Ian Aitcheson. The band's first vocalist was black American Ozzie Lane but he returned to his native New Orleans a year later and was replaced by Colin Horton-Jennings, not only a strong gravel-voiced singer but also quite adept on the guitar, bongos and flute. The group's mixture of R&B soul, jazz and prog-rock brought them to the attention of EMI's progressive label Harvest Records, who signed the band and issued, in February 1970, the single, "Real Cool World"/"Again And Again" (HAR 5012) which, though not a hit in the UK, gave the band a medium-sized hit across Europe where they were also an in-demand live attraction. Both tracks featured on their March 1970 debut LP, "Horizons" (SHVL 769) which was housed in a distinctive sleeve designed by Hipgnosis and coincided with a Radio One session for Mike Harding on which they played three new songs: "Border Line", "Mountain Song" and "Time". A second session for Harding, in November 1970, featured "The Leader" and "Check Me Into Your Life", the latter of which has never officially been released. "Tell The Story"/"The Mountain Song" (HAR 5026) had failed to chart when released in September 1970, and the same fate awaited the band's second album "The Going's Easy" (SHVL 783) though one track from the LP, "Magic Woman Touch" was later released as a single by The Hollies.

Personnel:
Mike Deacon - keyboards
Dick Hanson - horns
Colin Horton-Jennings - vocals, guitar, drums
Tex Philpotts - sax
Ron Prudence - congas, drums
Garth Watt-Roy - vocals, guitar
Norman Watt-Roy - vocals, bass
Albums:
Horizons (Harvest SHVL 769) 1970 R1
The Going's Easy (Harvest SHVL 783) 1970 R1
Greatest Show On Earth (dbl.) (Harvest SHSM 2004) 1975

Category:

Music

Tags:

• The
• Greatest
• Show
• on
• Earth
• jazz
• prog
• rock
• Borderline
• 1970

[vangelisideras]

@holzindien que bestia!

[holzindien]

1970 Ostern Hamburg Ernst-Merk Halle dazu Nice,Amon Düül,Black Sabbath and so on and on ...

[skybirdmax]

@laurensnjono I picked it up in Cape Town - pure magic

[gaianaful1]

I saw the band in 1970 (Electric Circus) Lausanne - Switzerland

[hhm28061953]

wonderful piece of hard rock

[bokke1970]

Thanks for posting this awsome track, was searching years and years for it. I was absolutely stoned when I first listened to it in Durban of all places, drinking cane and coke and dancing around a swimming pool to the great instrumental solos. Good times. Thanks.

[laurensnjono]

heard it back in begin '70's- Joburg of all places, time of gravy train, rory gallagher andvan the man- great - thanks

andy in perth

[MrWandos]

@BrightonBeachBabe

great music

great time

wonderful

[BrightonBeachBabe]

@youngalistairyou - thats so true! I first heard this in Cape Town back in 72/73 and it blew me away - it was a big hit out there - not many people know who TGSOE were or this amazing track.

[tdevry]

Wonderful, I still have the LP and bought the CD a few years ago...