A band

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A Band were a British musical collective formed in Nottingham in the late 1980's. Founded at the behest of saxophonist Vince Earimal who required a backing band, Earimal's habit of not turning up for live shows meant the unit quickly became an ever-changing, freeform improvisation unit including Richard Youngs who joined upon moving to Nottingham and Jim Plaistow and Neil Campbell, whom Youngs recalls as having been the only constantly present members. They could number up to 18 members on any given occasion and ceased to exist around 1994 with a 7" single, one LP and a cassette issued.

The group never performed under the name A Band or any obvious permuatation thereof (they are occasionally listed as The A-Band) rather a series of different names all of which began with the letter "a". Names used included Anusol, Artex and Advent, the latter in commemoration of the solo album then freshly released by Richard Youngs; it was at this show that the 10" record 171 Used Train Tickets that Youngs issued in 2004 was recorded. A posthumous CD of recordings from 1991 was released in 1997 and live activity, also from 1991, was given a vinyl release in 2002, the material being edited by Youngs with artwork from Campbell and Plaistow.

The following people are credited on A Band releases as participants. Many are known only by single or nicknames:

Stream Angel, Tim Barker, Neil Campbell, Jean-Emmanuel Dubois, Vince Earimal, Andrea Fletcher, Andrew Fletcher (possibly the same person, could be a typing error on a release), Sticky Foster, Ginge, Stewart Greenwood, Dave Higginson, Mick Horton, Billy MacLennan Irvine, David Large, Lenty (Neil Lent), Niggle, Neal Pates, Jim Plaistow, Barry Rothery, Sarah, Isabel Scott-Plumber, Stewart Walden, Dave Walters, Sharon Woodward, Richard Youngs.

Discography

This listing may be incomplete - there are probably other cassette releases extant.

Untitled - 7" single (Any Old Records, recorded and released 1991)
Anusol - cassette (Chocolate Monk recorded 1990, released 1992)
Artex / A Lot - LP (Siltbreeze, recorded 1990 and 1991, released 1993)
Alarms - C46 cassette (self-released, 1993)
Live @ 7th Annual Neil Young Convention - cassette (Union Pole, c.1993, recording date unknown)
A Band - CD (no label, issued by Plaistow and Campbell, recorded 1991, released 1997)
Live In Greece 1992 - cassette (label unknown, recorded 1992, released c.1999/2000)
A Band - LP (Qbico, recorded 1991, issued 2002)
TV Set For Winter - CDR (Qbico, recorded 1991, issued 2002, only available with the first 26 copies of the above LP on the same label)

Compilations, etc.:

Salivating Regina - split 7” with Simon Wickham-Smith / Richard Youngs track on other side (Baby Huey, 1992)
Martian Love Call - on compilation CD The Arbitrary Nature Of Meaning, credit reads Simon Wickham-Smith & A Band (Isomorphic, 1994)

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