Widowmaker (Official Thread)

[LOU/REALM]

WIDOWMAKER .....were a British band put together in 1975 by ex MOTT THE HOOPLE guitarist Ariel Bender [ aka Luther Grosvenor ]. They were at the time regarded as a bit of a supergroup as it boasted the vocal talents of Steve Ellis [ previously with chart pop band LOVE AFFAIR ] ,guitarist Hugh Lloyd Langton [ ex Hawkwind ],Australian Bob Daisley [ ex Chicken Shack ] on bass and ex LINDISFARNE drummer Paul Nicholls.
They soon released the debut album in 1976 which showed a variety of styles of rock music, but maybe not as menacing as the album cover showing a jackhammer going through a wall that bleeds [ red paint ] Never the less its a fine album with excellent vocals by Ellis and even some fine catchy ballads my Mother,even today still absolutely adores... eg" pin a rose on me"

They toured the U.K with NAZARETH then the U.S with ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA.....but when returning Ellis announced his departure stating he was tired of clashing repeatedly with Bender .Singer John Butler replaced him for 77s release "Too late to cry" but the band split soon after .
The album was yet again varied in good hard rock styles with even the song "the hustler" having a caribbean feel to it !...but not the ballads this time. Butlers vocals were faultless.​

Widomaker on Wikipedia

 

[joe]

Re: Widowmaker

Great band LOU! I have both on vinyl. Luther Grosvenor was a member of Spooky Tooth before he changed his name and went on to Mott The Hoople. Here's one of my fav tracks. Sounds Zeppelin-esque, but none the less a great track.

 

[LOU/REALM]

Re: Widowmaker

Excellent track Joe ! Any Zeppelin purist would love it ! I was pleasantly surprised to see WIDOWMAKERs debut make it in your top 75 of 1976,and the fact that someone else out there remembers this band.
I bought the" too late to cry" album just after Id left school with pocket money [crikey wheres time gone....]and was one of the first albums I bought... alongside.moving waves-Focus ,in rock -Deep Purple , a few Geordie albums.etc
So WIDOWMAKER bring back good memories
Steve Ellis will always be remembered for his LOVE AFFAIR days and the massive hit "everlasting love" .....but to me proved a quality rock singer aswell.
One album I never did track down was ELLIS, though I have the excellent single "El Doomo"......which also sounds Zeppelinesque

 

[LG]

Re: Widowmaker

When I first read you commenting about Joe's pick in his 1976 album thread I automatically thought of this.."Widowmaker"...

But after reading and listening to a few of the songs you have posted, I'll see if I can "purloin" a copy of their albums to give them a proper inspection.

 

[Sox]

Re: Widowmaker

Very Zeppy some of them tracks .. really like what I hear though.

 

[Sweaty]

Re: Widowmaker

Like them, hard to get them on CD though, would be interested in getting some of their stuff, thanks again LOU

 

[DaKillerWolf]

Re: Widowmaker

Cool band LOU. I though it was Dee Snider's ( Ex-Twisted Sister ) WIDOWMAKER when I first saw this thread

 

[Lola]

Re: Widowmaker

never heard of this band, but hell i am a fan now!

 

[LOU/REALM]

Re: Widowmaker

Good to see other people take an interest in this old 70s supergroup. Sweaty the 2 WIDOWMAKER albums were released as a double on cd a few years back, if you can track it down.
Heres 2 more fine tracks by the band, including a ballad my mother loves....

 

[Big Ears]

Widowmaker were an excellent live band. I remember Huw Lloyd-Langton's guitar work standing out, despite the presence of Luther Grosvenor. I am not sure that Lloyd-Langton was a fully paid-up member at the time (it must have been a contractual thing).

Somewhere in my collection, I've got a Love Affair album. Everlasting Love is one of my favourite childhood singles. Luther Grosvenor plays guitar on Spooky Tooth's 'Better By You, Better Than Me' (from Spooky Two), which has one of the most menacing heavy rock riffs of all time.