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The Great Express

Musical Genre/Type: Indie-rock

Formed: 1986 Split: 1988

Band Members:

Lead Vocals/Guitar:
Julian Amos (Stonydelph)

Lead Guitar/Backing Vocals:
Ted Wilson (Dosthill)

Bass Guitar:
Mark Mortimer (Gillway)

Keyboards/Backing Vocals:
Chantal Weston (Bonehill)

Drums:
Dave Burgess (Witherley)

Band Variations:

From: early 1988 to: summer 1988
Same line up as above but in 1988 Dave Burgess left the band and he was replaced by Simon Harvey.

Songs

Graveyard Faces (Mark Mortimer)	Silent Head (Mark Mortimer)
Witch-Well (Mark Mortimer)	Miles High (Julian Amos)
Pieces (Ted Wilson)	(You Could) Change My World (Mark Mortimer)
Heavenly, Heavenly (Mark Mortimer)	Firework (Mark Mortimer)
Black Flower (Mark Mortimer)	Total Excess At 200 Yards (Mark Mortimer)

Gigs

The gigs were always real fun and quite intense in some ways. Remember we did a gig on The Isle of Wight, having played in Salisbury the night before and we also played in mid-Wales to abject ignorance from the audience. We did a number of university gigs including Leicester University and lots of local venues including the ubiquitous Tavern In The Town, the Rathole etc. Mark Mortimer

Recordings

Recording 1 - Demo #1
Track List: Graveyard Faces (Mark Mortimer) / Total Excess At 200 Yards (Mark Mortimer)/ Climbing Pain Palm (Mark Mortimer)
Format: Demo

Recording 2 - Title: Witch-Well
Track List: Witch-Well (Mark Mortimer) / Pieces (Ted Wilson) / Heavenly, Heavenly (Mark Mortimer)
Format: Demo

Recording 3 - Title: (You Could) Change My World
Track List: (You Could) Change My World (Mark Mortimer)
Format: Demo

Recording 4 - Title: Black Flower
Track List: Black Flower (Mark Mortimer) / Silent Head (Mark Mortimer)
Format: Demo

Right-click and Download	Play	Right-click and Download	Play
(You Could) Change My World		Silent Head
Witch-Well
Silent Head was a second Great Express line-up recording done at the Expresso Bongo in 1988. It's a song I wrote and features, heavily, Chantal's keyboardy sitar sounds together with Ted Wilson's excellent 12-string guitar (what a great musician he was/is). Lead vocals were from Julian Amos. Chantal sang the backing vocals too - and it was my gibberish backwards vocals at the end of the track. The bass of course was also played by yours truly and the drums were by Simon Harvey. Mark Mortimer

All the demos were recorded at The Expresso Bongo Studios, Tamworth and engineered by Paul Speare. "(You Could) Change My World" was produced by the then Julian Cope guitarist Donald Ross Skinner (he also played keyboards on it). Paul Stansfield (ex-Dream Factory and Expresso Bongo Orchestra) played tenor trombone on the "Witch-Well" demo. Ex-Dream Factory and Terroah drummer Andy "Batman" Holt played drums on "Total Excess At 200 Yards", Brian Lacey was lead vocals and guitar on "Graveyard Faces."

Memories

The band began life as a "side project" to Mark Mortimer's successful other band The Dream Factory but when the Factory split late in 1986, the Great Express was off, full steam ahead. Initially the lead singer was Brian Lacey (ex-Private Property, The Parade) but he left after only a few weeks.

Tamworth Herald – 12/12/86

The Great Express
Mark Mortimer and Bryan Lacey – have recruited a new drummer from Witherley. He is 17-year-old Dave Burgess who has worked in the past with Europe After The Rain and The Australians.

The Gallery

Caption: Bryan Lacey and Mark Mortimer…time for a change.

If you have any photographs of The Great Express please send them to: info@tamworthbands.com

Thanks to: Mark Mortimer - www.jazzfish.co.uk


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All photographs unless otherwise stated - courtesy of the Tamworth Herald.