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44

Artist: Rats
Release: Don't Let Go/Dragon Child 7" [single]
Genre: Heavy Rock/Proto Metal/Hard Rock
Country: UK
Bitrate: 320kbps
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Info

RATS - Don't Let Go/Dragon Child 7" (1974) UK
MAM Records MAM 113 (Germany)

Terry Cooke - Vocals
Sammy Rimington - Horns & Vocals
Geoff Skates - Guitar
Brian Stanley - Bass
Alan Wicket - Drums

ARMADA were a five piece UK Prog Rock band led by multi instrumentalist Sammy Rimington.
The concept was Progressive music under the influence of KING CRIMSON, GENESIS, MAHAVISHNU ORCHESTRA and FRANK ZAPPA.
Armada played regularly at the Marquee and the Lyceum in London, toured with WISHBONE ASH and RARE BIRD.
Original material written by Sammy and his wife Nina was recorded throughout 1972, 1973 and 1974.
However, despite a record deal with the MAM label only two singles were released during the band's lifetime.
The first of these,"In The Grip Of The Mullah", was issued in 1973 under the new band name RIMINGTON.
By the time of their second 7" release, the Heavy Rocking "Don't Let Go", the band were known as RATS.
Rats were no relation to the UK band who recorded the LP "First Long Player", or the earlier Mick Ronson band of the same name.
Eventually the band fizzled out, with Rimington returning to the Jazz world.
In 2011 the RPM Record label issued a 12 song Armada anthology CD, "Beyond The Morning : Unreleased Recordings 1972-1974".
Today Sammy Rimington is known as one of the great Trad Jazz Clarinettists with dozens of releases to his name as a solo artist and as part of other bands.
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01. Don't Let Go
02. Dragon Child

[metalfink]

Thanks. And here's another image of the band (the one with the cool logo) just to please fans like me.

[riptorn]

RIPTORN,mega thanx for another 70s obscure gem!!Much needed and appreciated!!Your posts reminding me the sadly missed NICE AND OTHERWISE LIVE.... blog!! CHEERS!!! porosimetal

You're very welcpme Porosimetal.
It's not surprising that you are reminded of New Improved live & Otherwise Blog, that was me too. (As Bigfootkit)

[porosimetal]

RIPTORN,huge amounts of thanks and respect for all your precious work in that awesome blog and in STRAPPADO now too!!You provided and you still provide to us mega obscurities that only we could dream about in the past!!!God bless you and all the other uploaders too!!! porosimetal

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Porosimetal, as always you are very kind.
Thank you for your open-mindedness, enthusiasm and encouragement.
Your obvious love of the music is what keeps people like me contributing.

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http://www.amazon.com/Beyond-the-Morning/dp/B006Z00QOE

The track names seem to be wrong here. Is this a legit release or is the track names wrong only in the Amazon preview section?
When I checked the preview of track 9, 'Dragon Child', it sounded nothing like the Rats song. The length of this track is 3:58 (the length of the Rats version is 'bout 2:37), so I thought that this was just a different take on the song. But then I listened to the next track, track 10, 'Obsessions', which has a length of 2:40 (closer to the length of the Rats version of Dragon Child) and found out that this is, indeed, the song, 'Dragon Child'!

[metalfink]

Just found the correct track listing.

[riptorn]

Amazon have been a bit sloppy recently, i've noticed similar mistakes on quite a few releases on their pages lately.
I'm quite tempted to try that Armada album out, the more i hear the Rats single the more curious i get about Armada.

[metalfink]

A friend has been recommending me Spotify for some time but I have always ignored it 'cos I assumed that it won't have the old school stuff I dig. But to my surprise, Spotify had Armada's Beyond the Morning! I immediately got Spotify and listened to the tracks. It has an interesting version of Dragon Child but I have to say, the original single version is better. Sadly, the last time I checked, the album has been removed.