Genre: p
Rating: 3 stars ***
Title: What a Bloody Long Day It's Been
Company: Capitol
Catalog: SMAS-862
Year: 1972
Country/State: G
Grade (cover/record): VG+ / NM
Comments: cut out hole top right corner
Available: 1
GEMM catalog ID: 5
Price: $
I'
"What a
Bloody Long Day It's Been" track listing:
(side 1)
1.)
(side
2)
1.)
Their final studio release the three members went on to a number of other projects.
Ashton briefly joined Medicine Head, followed by a brief stint in Family. That was followed by an album with Jon Lord, and then a couple of LPs as Paice, Ashton & Lord. Only 55,he died of cancer in May 2001.
Dyke and Gardner joined up with Badger. In a weird coincidence Gardner also died from cancer in October 2001. He was also 55 at the time of his death.
Ashton, Gardner & Dyke was a pop/rock trio from England formed in 1968 and made up of Tony Ashton (keyboards), Kim Gardner (bass) and Roy Dyke (drums). They scored a Top 40 hit in 1971 with "Resurrection Shuffle," which went to number three in the U.K., but they broke up in 1972
Personnel:
Tony Ashton - keyboards, vocals
Roy Dyke - drums
Kim Gardner - bass
Albums:
Ashton, Gardner And Dyke (Polydor 583 081) 1969
The Worst Of Ashton, Gardner And Dyke (Capitol EST 563) 1971
What A Bloody Long Day It's Been (Capitol EAST 862) 1972
NB: Ashton, Gardner And Dyke reissued on CD Line (LMCD
9.51136) 1992. The Worst Of Ashton, Gardner And Dyke and What A Bloody Long
Day It's Been reissued on CD (Repertoire REP 4458-WY and REP 4457-WY
respectively) 1994.
45s:
Maiden Voyage/See The Sun In My Eyes (Polydor 56306)
1969
Resurrection Shuffle/Hymn To Everyone (Capitol CL 15665) 1970
Can You Get It/Delirium (Capitol CL 15684) 1971
Something of a supergroup, Kim Gardner had been in The
Birds and Creation prior to joining this band and
Tony Ashton and Ron Dyke had been in The Remo Four.
Their debut album lacked a certain amount of verve but was liberally laced
with R&B influenced compositions and they scored an unexpected hit with
the goodtime rock 'n' blues song Resurrection Shuffle in
1971.
Their second album explored a range of soul-flavoured rock styles with
lyrics that often reflected on the evils of war. Eric Clapton
and George
Harrison guested on one of its better moments, I'm Your
Spiritual Breadman and Chicken
Shack's Stan Webb played guitar on another, Let It Roll.
The final album was less political and more personal than the predecessor.
Musically we're talking blues-rock here with the occasional track which
veers more towards jazz-rock.
After their demise, Tony Ashton went on to play for Medicine
Head and was briefly in Family
before teaming up with Deep
Purple's Jon Lord in Ashton and Lord.
Kim Gardner was later in Badger.
The trio was also featured on a couple of compilations: Supergroups,
Vol. 2 (1970) included Rolling Home and Rock
Party contained Maiden Voyage.
Taken from The Tapestry of Delights - The Comprehensive Guide to British Music of the Beat, R&B, Psychedelic and Progressive Eras 1963-1976, Vernon Joynson ISBN 1 899855 04 1
Though chiefly remembered for their UK No.3 hit, "Resurrection
Shuffle", the careers of Ashton, Gardner & Dyke
stretched back a long way before they achieved that sole international smash
in 1971.
Bassist Kim Gardner (born 27 Jan 1946, Dulwich, London) began his musical
adventures in 1961 in the Middlesex based R&B outfit The Birds
along with future Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood,
vocalist Alistair McKenzie, guitarist Tony Monroe and drummer Pele McDaniels.
They made three singles for Decca between 1964 and 1965, "You're
On My Mind"/"You Don't Love Me",
"Leaving Here"/ "Next In Line"
and "No Good Without You Baby"/"How
Can It Be" and also appeared in the horror movie, "The
Deadly Bees" (as well as having a legal battle with the
American Byrds) before splitting in late 1966 (though a
further single, "Say These Magic Words"/"Daddy
Daddy", was released, credited to Birds, by Reaction
at the same time). Gardner then teamed up with guitarist Eddie
Phillips, vocalist Kenny Pickett and drummer Jack Jones in The
Creation and scored minor chart success with the singles "Making
Time"/"Try And Stop Me" (Planet
116, No.49 July '66) and "Painterman"/"Biff
Bang Pow" (Planet 119, No. 36 November '66) though their
further singles, "If I Stay Too Long"/"Nightmares"
(Polydor 56177) and "Life Is Just Beginning"/"Through
My Eyes" (Polydor 56207), both failed to chart as did two
other singles, featuring Gardner's old Birds colleague
Ronnie Wood who'd replaced Phillips, "How Does It Feel"/"Tom
Tom" (Polydor 56220) and "Midway Down"/"Girls
Are Naked" (Polydor 56246). With the band splitting in
mid-'68, Gardner, along with Wood, Twink and Jon Lord recorded as Santa
Barbara Machine Head before teaming up with Ashton and Dyke.
Organist/vocalist Tony Ashton (born 1 March 1946, Blackburn) began his
career in North West England beat group The Executives,
who, whilst he was with them, released two singles, "March Of
The Mods"/"Why Why Why" (Columbia
DB 7323) and "Strictly For The Beat"/"No
Room For Squares" (DB 7393). He was also briefly a
member of The Collage Boys and The Mastersounds
before, in March 1965, accepting an offer from Liverpool group Remo
Four. The band's drummer was Roy Dyke (born 13 February 1945,
Liverpool) who'd been with the group since 1961 and had released two singles
prior to the arrival of Ashton, "I Wish I Could Shimmy Like My
Sister Kate"/"Peter Gunn" (Picadilly
7N 35186). Together with bassist Phil Rogers and guitarist Colin
Manley they played in Hamburg for almost two years and also released a
single "Live Like A Lady"/"Sing
Hallelujah" (Fontana TF 787) before splitting in early 1968,
by which time Ashton and Dyke had met up with Gardner and the trio decided
to form their own outfit.
Their first job was to provide backing on one of P.P.Arnold's
tours after which, in late '68, they secured a deal with Polydor Records who
released the single "Maiden Voyage"/"See
The Sun In My Eyes" (BM 56306) plus the threesome's
self-titled debut LP (583081) which included the single's A-side. A
heavy touring schedule throughout most of 1970 paved the way for their
second album, "The Worst Of…", by which time
they'd signed to Capitol Records (EST 563), which featured contributions
from guests like George
Harrison, Eric Clapton, Stan
Webb and P.P.Arnold. Later in the same
year, they released the single "Resurrection Shuffle"/"Hymn
to Everyone" (CL 15665) which promptly shot to No.3 in the UK
charts, spending over three months in the Top 75, as well as hitting No.22
in Germany and No.40 in America. However, this proved to be their only
UK hit as the follow-up, "Can You Get It"/"Delirium"
(CL15684) failed to register (though it did hit No.44 in Germany). Likewise,
their third album, "What A Bloody Long Day It's Been"
(EAST 563) also failed to chart and so, after providing the soundtrack,
alongside Jon Lord, for the U.S. movie, "The Last Rebel"
(Capitol 062 80964), the trio disbanded in early 1973.
Tony Ashton had also worked with Green Bullfrog, Mike
Hurst, Third World War, Tucky
Buzzard and Jon Lord, whilst with Gardner and
Dyke and he continued session work by helping out the likes of Family,
Chris Barber, Jerry Lee Lewis and Longdancer.
His first solo single "You, Me And A Friend Of Mine"/"I'm
Dying For You" (CL 15702), taken from "The Last
Rebel" LP, had come out in early 1972 and he followed it in
1973 with "Celebration"/"Sloeback"
(Purple PUR 109). He also continued working with Jon Lord appearing on
the single, "We're Gonna Make It"/"Band
Of The Salvation Army Band" (PUR 121) and LP, "The
First Of The Big Bands" (3507). He also released two
further solo singles, "Resurrection Shuffle"/"Ballad
Of Mr. Giver" (Oyster OYR 101) and "The Crezz"/"Somethin'
Something" (Handkerchief Hanky 14) as well as working with Chicken
Shack, John Entwhistle and Medicine
Head before forming PAL with Lord and Ian Paice,
releasing the 1977 LP, "Malice In Wonderland"
(Oyster 2391269), and taking part in the Wizards
Convention project. Since then he's concentrated on
producing though he did appear at the all-star Concert For Kampuchea
in 1979. Roy Dyke joined Badger
and appeared on their LPs, "One Live Badger" and
"White Lady". He also worked with Chris
Barber, Family
and Medicine Head, as well as Pat Travers,
and continued as a leading session drummer. Kim Gardner joined Badger
for their second LP and then worked with the likes of Mike Hugg,
Chris Barber and Dwight Twilley before
becoming a permanent member of Billy Burnette's backing
group.
Mark Brennan
Founding band member, Tony Ashton first met the drummer Roy Dyke, when playing with various Blackpool based groups.
Ashton was invited to join the Liverpool beat group, The Remo Four as organist/vocalist, whilst Roy Dyke became the group's drummer, having joined them in 1963. Their best work came in 1966 when they released their album Smile!. Before their break-up in 1968, they backed George Harrison on his album Wonderwall Music.
Ashton and Dyke then joined forces with the bass guitar playing Kim Gardner, who had previously played in minor British groups, The Birds and The Creation. The triad simply called themselves Ashton, Gardner and Dyke. Mick Liber formerly of Python Lee Jackson played lead guitar with the group.
They released their first single "Maiden Voyage"/"See The Sun In My Eyes" on Polydor Records in 1969, but it flopped. However, their next single release on Capitol Records, made them household names. It was entitled "Resurrection Shuffle". They poached their brass section, Lyle Jenkins and Dave Caswell, from Birmingham band Galliard. It entered the UK singles chart on 16 January 1971, had a chart life of 14 weeks and peaked at Number 3, and reached number 40 in the US Charts.[1] This one-off triumph ultimately garnered for them the tag of one-hit wonder.
Equally unfortunately, their follow-up single "Can You Get It" lacked the general boisterous appeal of "Resurrection Shuflle", and failed to chart. Nevertheless, Ashton Gardner and Dyke persevered and recorded three albums (see discography below).
Their last recording together was a collaboration with Jon Lord on the soundtrack for a b-movie called "The Last Rebel", starring former gridiron star, Joe Namath. Ashton also appeared on Jon Lord's first solo album Gemini Suite in 1972.
The trio finally split the same year.
[edit] Afterwards
[edit] Album discography
- Ashton, Gardner And Dyke
(Polydor 583 081) (1969)
- The Worst Of Ashton, Gardner And Dyke
(Capitol EST 563) (1971)
- The Last Rebel - film soundtrack
(1971, with Jon Lord)
- What A Bloody Long Day It's Been
(Capitol EST 862) (1972)
- Let It Roll - Live 1971
(Purple) (2002)
[edit] Band members