Marseille

This band was formed in London, England, in 1976, ostensibly to record the soundtrack to the Jane Birkin film The French Way. The original line-up comprised Paul Dale (vocals), Neil Buchanan (guitar), Andy Charters (guitar), Steve Dinwoodie (bass) and Keith Knowles (drums). Signing to the now-defunct Mountain Records label, the band released their debut album in 1978. Red, White And Slightly Blue was a subtle blend of melodic rock and pop. A couple of tours followed, supporting UFO among others, on whom the band later modelled themselves. This was most noticeable on Marseille, where a more traditional hard rock sound was embraced. The group then encountered difficulties when Mountain Records went bankrupt. This left Marseille in limbo, but they resurfaced in 1983 with new personnel and a record contract. The new line-up comprised ex-Savage Lucy vocalist Sav Pearse, Mark Hays (guitar), Neil Buchanan (guitar), Steve Dinwoodie (bass) and Keith Knowles (drums). They went on to record the band’s third and final album, Touch The Night, which appeared on the Ultra Noise Records label in 1984. Still failing to make any real impact with either press or public, the band folded soon afterwards.