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Warhorse remasters

WarHorse-remasters-2cd-cover

Cherry Red Records is preparing a remasters of the two Warhorse albums — the 1970 self-titled one, and the ’72 Red Sea. Both will be packaged together on a 2CD set, with 11 bonus tracks between them and an illustrated booklet. Release date is set for April 26, 2024.

Formed in early 1970 by former Deep Purple bassist Nick Simper, the band began life as backing band for singer Marsha Hunt. The group also initially featured Rick Wakeman, but he departed the band in April 1970 to join Strawbs. Signing a licensing contract with Vertigo Records, the band’s self-titled debut album was released in November 1970. The release was followed by touring, but the band’s line-up evolved further before the recording of their second album, ‘Red Sea’, issued in June 1972.

Soon after this, drummer Mac Poole departed join Gong and was replaced by Barney James. Warhorse would continue until 1974, but vocalist Ashley Holt and Barney James would depart to join Rick Wakeman in his band The English Rock Ensemble.

The two albums recorded by Warhirse are fine examples of Progressive Hard Rock of the era. They are both featured in this collection, along with eleven further bonus tracks comprising demos and live recordings.

Track listing

DISC ONE
Warhorse

  1. Vulture Blood
  2. No Chance
  3. Burning
  4. St. Louis
  5. Ritual
  6. Solitude
  7. Woman of the Devil
  8. Ritual (live)
  9. Miss Jane (demo)
  10. Solitude (live)
  11. Woman of the Devil (live)
  12. Burning (live)

DISC TWO
Red Sea

  1. Red Sea
  2. Back in Time
  3. Confident But Wrong
  4. Feeling Better
  5. Sybilla
  6. Mouthpiece
  7. I (Who Have Nothing)
  8. Ritual (live)
  9. Bad Time (demo)
  10. She Was My Friend (demo)
  11. Gypsy Dancer (demo)
  12. House of Dolls (demo)
  13. Standing Right Behind You (demo)

More info and pre-orders are available on cherryred.co.uk

Thanks to Uwe Hornung for the heads-up.



7 Comments to “Warhorse remasters”:

  1. 1
    Gregster says:

    Yo,

    Good stuff, no-doubt Nick will be pleased to be both remembered & reissued lol !…

    Further scoping reveals that there’s some DP material available from these folks, namely an expanded release of “Perpendicular” but it’s out-of-stock with no restock update, the black-sheep but US-of-A aimed AOR sounding “Slaves & Masters”, & an amazingly good Mk-II live offering “Stuttgart 1993″…

    There’s no Rainbow available.

    There’s some Be Bop Deluxe “Hot Tubes”, but all sold out, with no restock update…

    Mountain are listed, but there’s no recordings.

    West Bruce & Laing are available, but only the live offering “Live & Kicking”, with the incredible sophamore release ” Whatever turns you on” listed, but unavailable….(Big bummer here with this news)…

    One wonders how these labels manage to get some, but not all discographies of bands…But at the least it’s an avenue to possibly find that elusive, missing CD…The prices are fair imo, but watch-out for shipping costs, as all of a sudden your CD becomes quite expensive imo. Better for local / UK markets only perhaps.

    I’d be considering an e-bay or Discogs search first if I didn’t live in the UK for these releases.

    Peace !

  2. 2
    Max says:

    Well, ‘Stuttgart 1993’ is out there for quite some years now and is indeed a great sounding recording. I attended the show and it must have been one of the best ones I have ever been to. ‘Anya’ alone is worth the purchase.

    https://www.amazon.de/Live-Stuttgart-1993-Deep-Purple/dp/B000LRY97W

  3. 3
    Rock Voorne says:

    @ 1

    ” Further scoping reveals that there’s some DP material available from these folks, namely an expanded release of “Perpendicular” but it’s out-of-stock with no restock update”

    Were you high typing this or am I going retard?

    Years ago I bought 2nd hand the Japanese version incl Dont hold tour breath.

    I even bought that weird fanclub EP with some bandmembers fooling around.Was its name Dick Pimple?
    No contest to the earlier on pressed 12 Inch of Son of Alerik.

  4. 4
    Uwe Hornung says:

    Good from a historical viewpoint that these are re-released – though if truth be told Warhorse is probably my least liked pre- or post-Purple membership spin-off outfit of any former DP player. I like Trapeze, Zephyr, James Gang, Kansas, Captain Beyond, Rainbow, Whitesnake, Episode Six, IGB/Gillan, PAL, Hughes Thrall, Black Sabbath, Joe Lynn Turner’s Fandango, Nick Simper’s Fandango, Colosseum II and even Gary Moore all better.

    Warhorse sounds incredibly archaic to me (more Iron Butterfly than Deep Purple), much more 60ies than 70ies, operatic vocals, clumsy & lumbering arrangements, quaint production – if you compare Red Sea (the album) to Machine Head, the idea never crosses your mind that these are works from the same era as indeed they are. Machine Head introduced a sound for the future, Warhorse was firmly rooted in the past: There is a reason why that band never made it.

    Needless to say, I’m still gonna buy it! :mrgreen:

  5. 5
    Gregster says:

    Yo,

    @3 said qt.”Were you high typing this, or am I going retard”?…

    Neither lol ! If you go to the website, click-on-bands, & A-Z appears…Click on D, then scroll down to find Deep Purple…All I could find I mentioned, 3 x albums, with only 2-available…They also had some Alan Parsons Project albums too, that were “deluxe” editions with bonus CD’s & books etc etc, but I didn’t mention that as its not close enough to DP in any regard. The 11-album Boxed set from 2011 is cheaper than these on offer & has the complete discography, but some folks need the full-Monty, so-to-speak on particular albums.

    Peace !

  6. 6
    Uwe Hornung says:

    RV, the 2014 HNE Recordings (a Cherry Red sub-label for Hard Rock/Heavy Metal just as their 7 T’s label is for Glam and their Esoteric Recordings labels dedicated to Prog) reissue did indeed for the first time pull together

    DON’T HOLD YOUR BREATH (Japan bonus track)

    and

    SOMETIMES I FEEL LIKE SCREAMING (Single edit)

    on one release. Calling their Purpendicular release “expanded” because of that is perhaps a stretch though. It’s still well worth having as it was remastered by Andy Pearce and offers a lot of sonic detail you don’t hear on the original master (without being shrill, Pearce opts for a warm sound), it’s all more ‘there’, Gillan’s vocals too. I’d say it’s the best version of Purpendicular available.

    Pearce has remastered quite a bit of Purple Family stuff in the past:

    https://www.discogs.com/artist/397869-Andy-Pearce?searchParam=deep+purple

    Since Cherry Red sometimes only obtain fixed term licenses for their reissues, there is no reprinting once all stocks are sold after a few years. The original rights are likely still with Sony Music as legal successor of RCA —> BMG —> Sony BMG.

  7. 7
    Rock Voorne says:

    Ok, thanx guys.

    Not that I ll be rushing out to seach for it.

    “I never been a easy man, so hard to please”

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_Fnpo5DhOg&ab_channel=JustASimpleMan

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