After the great success of TRAPEZE ‘Lost Tapes Vol.1’ last year, the follow-up album ‘Lost Tapes Vol.2’ will be released on 15th November by Metalville Records.

When rock band Trapeze called it a day, they left behind them a series of now classic albums. Their influence on other groups has been immense; individual members themselves going on to join heavy weight rock acts such as Deep Purple, Whitesnake, Judas Priest & Uriah Heep. But their story’s not over, as TRAPEZE – LOST TAPES VOL. 2 continues to prove!

Recorded either side of album releases these are great songs, stockpiled, but never released; some with the intention of developing them even further later, as Trapeze hit the ground running, playing live relentlessly; honing their craft while rarely seeing home. Here too you’ll find rare lineups featured – previously only rumoured at, often considered fable at best – but now revealed proudly for the first time & given their deserved day in the sun.

Hard-wired guitars, wailing synthesisers, rhythm sections that kick-ass then get the funk out, with out-of-sight vocal performances throughout guaranteed. Be that on hard rockers such as Fighting and Loser, ballads like the exclusive early rendition of Coast To Coast, even near-country rock asides in Must Be In Love through to progressive AOR rock explorations on Welcome To the Real World. Then of course there’s their pioneering brand of funk rock on tracks like Can You Feel It? & Way Back To The Bone among others. Plus, the song that tells you exactly what made this English band tick; the heartfelt rush of Homeland.

Poignantly, TRAPEZE – LOST TAPES VOL. 2 also features Live Fast, Die Laughing, the last song ever recorded by founding member, band leader & guitarist/vocalist Mel Galley before his passing in 2008.

Having practically retired from the music business, except for the odd session, Galley had a change of heart. “He got his hunger back!” revealed his brother, songwriter & producer Tom Galley. “We started working on various things and he was very much up for putting Trapeze back together; we’d got the players he wanted to use, and were recording again.” The guitarist also played a soldout local solo gig, unaware what destiny had in store when he was later diagnosed with cancer. “He was still up for for it. It was so special just to get him in the studio – What you hear is pretty much live single takes of him singing, laying down guitars and bass, with drum programming by Gary Alkins done out at Bloxwich in the UK.”

Rocking out with urgent vitality, in Live Fast, Die Laughing you feel Mel Galley’s zest for life; play it loud and he’s here with us again, offering sound advice with Trapeze style pizazz.

TRAPEZE – LOST TAPES VOL. 2 was collated by Tom Galley with assistance from band manager Tony Perry, alongside Marcus Galley once more honouring his father’s legacy by designing this very special collection that features rare & exclusive photos by Carl Dunn.

TRACK LISTING
01 Homeland
02 Hold On
03 Loser
04 Take It On
05 Must Be In Love
06 Live Fast Die Laughing
07 Wake Up Shake Up
08 Coast To Coast
09 Can You Feel It
10 Way Back To The Bone
11 Turn It On
12 Fighting
13 Welcome To The Real World
14 Midnight Flyer

TRAPEZE release their new single “Destiny”. The song is taken from the forthcoming album “Lost Tapes Vol.1“, which will be released on November 24th on Metalville Records.

“Destiny” comes from one of TRAPEZE’s first recording sessions in the early 70s. The song was created together with other tracks in the studios of 10cc, but didn’t fit the album being recorded at the time. Now this further jewel from the fantastic TRAPEZE, full of timeless hard rock, is made available to the music world for the first time; together with other previously unreleased TRAPEZE song treasures from Tom Galley’s private archive.

“LOST TAPES VOL.1” will be released on November 24th on Metalville Records.

The tracks on “Lost Tapes Vol.1” are a collection of previously unreleased TRAPEZE songs compiled by Tom Galley, brother of TRAPEZE founding member Mel Galley. The tracks are from various recording sessions, starting in the early 70s until the band’s break-up in the 90s.

The tracks not only prove how good the various TRAPEZE line-ups were, but also capture the passion, energy and enthusiasm in the making of the songs themselves.

“Lost Tapes Vol. 1” contains a total of 14 songs that are just as first-class as the well-known tracks on the band’s albums. And some of these tracks will probably become classics in the same way. “Lost Tapes Vol. 1” offers the opportunity to hear TRAPEZE with all its original energy, and shows that there was much more untapped potential lying dormant between the musicians involved than had previously been assumed.

TRAPEZE never stood still over the years. If time and circumstances had been different, we can well imagine the heights this unique band could have reached.

TRACK LISTING
Cool Water
Lover
Breakdown
Don’t Let Them Push You
Destiny
Lights Of Tokyo
So In Love
Bad Kid From School
Catching Up On You
Do You Understand
Enough Is Enough
You’ve Got It
Who Do You Run To
Going Home

“Breakdown” is a cracking hard rock statement and the first single from “Lost Tapes Vol.1”, an album full of previously unreleased TRAPEZE song gems from Tom Galley’s private archive – Great songs finally seeing the light of day! – The song is from the band’s last phase in the 90s and still sounds tremendously fresh and contemporary today. The lead vocals are by Glenn Hughes, who delivers a vocal masterpiece on “Breakdown”.

“LOST TAPES VOL.1” will be released on November 24th on Metalville Records.

The tracks on “Lost Tapes Vol.1” are a collection of previously unreleased TRAPEZE songs compiled by Tom Galley, brother of TRAPEZE founding member Mel Galley. The tracks are from various recording sessions, starting in the early 70s until the band’s break-up in the 90s.

The tracks not only prove how good the various TRAPEZE line-ups were, but also capture the passion, energy and enthusiasm in the making of the songs themselves.

“Lost Tapes Vol. 1” contains a total of 14 songs that are just as first-class as the well-known tracks on the band’s albums. And some of these tracks will probably become classics in the same way. “Lost Tapes Vol. 1” offers the opportunity to hear TRAPEZE with all its original energy, and shows that there was much more untapped potential lying dormant between the musicians involved than had previously been assumed.

TRAPEZE never stood still over the years. If time and circumstances had been different, we can well imagine the heights this unique band could have reached.

TRACK LISTING
Cool Water
Lover
Breakdown
Don’t Let Them Push You
Destiny
Lights Of Tokyo
So In Love
Bad Kid From School
Catching Up On You
Do You Understand
Enough Is Enough
You’ve Got It
Who Do You Run To
Going Home

When rock band TRAPEZE called it a day, they left behind them a series of now classic albums. Their influence on other groups has been immense; individual members themselves going on to join heavy weight rock acts such as Deep Purple, Whitesnake, Judas Priest & Uriah Heep. But their story’s not over, as TRAPEZE – LOST TAPES VOL. 1 will soon reveal!

These are tracks recorded on tour, and either side of album releases; great songs that were stockpiled just never released as the various line-ups hit the ground running, playing live relentlessly; honing their craft while rarely seeing home.

However, guitarist Mel Galley did take those tapes to his elder brother Tom’s house. There, they – as co-writers of many of the band’s best-known songs – would review them, making various decisions that felt right at the time. Mel also had the foresight, to leave them with Tom for safekeeping, so they didn’t get lost.

“One of Mel’s last wishes, before he passed away, was that I’d get together with Trapeze manager Tony Perry and put all these things together,” said Tom Galley, who went onto produce the celebrated Phenomena album series, “And that’s what we’ve done!”

LOST TAPES VOL. 1 is an opportunity to hear Trapeze with all the primal energy of young men stretching out; demonstrating there was even more untapped potential between the musicians involved than had hitherto been imagined.

Smashing the doors open across America by pioneering a heavy funk rock sound that would later be taken up by The Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Extreme and others, back in the 70s Glenn Hughes (Vocals, bass), Mel Galley (Guitar, vocals) & Dave Holland (Drums) barely had time to catch their breath while stepping into studios to lay down several unique songs that you’ll find on this collection, as well as tracks later recorded at Garage Studios in the UK during their 90s reformation.

Strident hard rocker Breakdown comes from that latter period. “This features Glenn singing – His voice is one of the wonders of the world!” Tom remarked, and it truly is, the song sounding immensely fresh and contemporary even today. From the same period, with Don’t Let Them Push You it’s a case of “More cowbell!” and Mel’s guitar weaving tirelessly with him also taking lead vocals.

On the trio’s older tracks, with songs like Bad Kid From School and Enough Is Enough it’s their classic sound you’ll relish hearing afresh. “I was able to get that funky heavy rock sound out of those old tapes – And that’s what I call the Trapeze style!” With various co-writing tracks from that period recovered, Tom also noted how Catching Up On You had ”started off as an instrumental but they decided to add vocals.”

These tracks embrace both powder-kegged bravado performances as well as the band’s more nuanced emotional side – With nothing off limits as the musicians involved can be heard exploring their potential both collectively and as individuals. Powerful with deft time changes, tinged with subtly or bleeding out ferociously; belting rockers find them surging forward as one only for a propulsive rhythmic heartbeat to take hold over which solos soar.

Initially a five-piece patronised by The Moody Blues, even as that line-up fractured, Galley, Holland and original keyboard player Terry Rowley went into 10cc’s recording studios and some of those songs will also see the light of day for the very first time on this record. “Destiny and Lights Of Tokyo were songs that were overlooked and never ended up on an album,” recalled Tom. Important pathfinders on the band’s journey they pre-empt the heavier rock & progressive sounds that the band would find acclaim with, beginning with 1970’s Medusa album.

Following Hughes’ joining Deep Purple, Mel Galley took the helm; both singing and playing guitar, while bringing in bass player Pete Wright and second guitarist Rob Kendrick. This was their 1974 Billboard charting Hot Wire era, finding them particularly prolific laying down tracks in studios like Island in the years either side. Going Home is a fiery arena-ready alternative rendition of that album’s classic pinpointing exactly why The Rolling Stones had Trapeze open for them back then.

From a little later we get So In Love. ”If you listen to Chances on the second self-titled Trapeze album; it’s So In Love with different lyrics, sung by Glenn, and Mel sings this,”we’re told of a more melodic number. Likewise, Lover finds the guitarist in particularly good form on vocals. Blending funk rock with a little soul, this so should have been a single, back in those days when music crossed the airwaves without fear of genre-boundaries, and only good taste mattered.

When Kendrick joined Budgie, Pete Goalby came forward and stepped up to the mic; oozing impressive vocal charisma and allowing Galley a chance to ease his voice. From that late 70s golden patch we get the mainstream appeal of You’ve Got It and Who Do You Run To while on Cool Water it’s slick, funky with a blues rock edge that’s sat somewhere in between The James Gang and Little Feat in their prime. “Mel wrote and sang on an original version, but this is a version with him and Pete both singing. It also had Terry Rowley on keyboards,” recalled Tom, noting the ongoing bonds between former members, before astutely noting in conclusion:

“This collection of recordings show not only how good the various line-ups were, but capture the passion and excitement of the creation of the songs themselves.”

Never a band who stood still. These recordings are often paths less taken. Had time, circumstances and other opportunities not proved otherwise we can only imagine what heights Trapeze would have reached… As listeners will discover, LOST TAPES VOL. 1, features Trapeze songs as classy as any on their previous rock album releases, with some likely to become classics still!

TRACK LISTING

Cool Water
Lover
Breakdown
Don’t Let Them Push You
Destiny
Lights Of Tokyo
So In Love
Bad Kid From School
Catching Up On You
Do You Understand
Enough Is Enough
You’ve Got It
Who Do You Run To
Going Home