The Album Collection 1970 - 1978 Deluxe 10 Cds Box

Scotland’s hottest hard rock band of its time emerged in the early 1970s, when an idealistic Glaswegian—R&B/rock ’n’ roll solo showman Alex Harvey—joined forces with the city’s virtuoso hard rockers, Tear Gas. Together, this combination was like dynamite, creating a dizzying mix of prog, glam, proto-metal, soul, music hall, and offbeat cabaret—somewhere between a Roxy Music from the rough streets and a Led Zeppelin with an extra dose of “razzmatazz.”

What followed was a series of essential, landmark albums—from the explosive 1972 debut *Framed* to 1978’s *Rock Drill*— featuring career highlights such as the Top 20 hit singles (“Boston Tea Party” and the definitive cover version of Tom Jones’ “Delilah”) as well as the 1975 live album “Live,” which marked the pinnacle of their career and captured the band in all its theatrical glory on stage during their mid-career phase.

Although the band eventually disbanded in the late 1970s (followed by Alex’s untimely death in 1982), the Sensational Alex Harvey Band proved to be a major influence on so much of what came after: AC/DC, Iron Maiden, Nick Cave, the Sex Pistols, and Simple Minds are among the many artists who have cited the band as a key inspiration.

This new 10-CD set brings together all seven albums the band recorded together, including *Live*, and supplements them with *Four Play*, which was recorded during Harvey’s hiatus from the band and released as *SAHB (Without Alex)*. It also includes the two pre-Alex albums released under the name “Tear Gas.” In addition, there is extensive bonus material throughout, featuring live recordings, B-sides, single edits, and a 28-minute interview with Alex himself. “The Albums Collection 1970–1978” was mastered by George Shilling (Blur, Mike Oldfield, Primal Scream) and is presented in an attractive 7" x 7" package featuring reproductions of the original covers as well as a detailed new essay by Jason Draper, the biographer of Prince and Led Zeppelin. For those new to SAHB or anyone looking to complete their collection, this is the perfect testament to a British rock legend who is, in every respect, just as indispensable as worthy contemporaries such as Thin Lizzy or Black Sabbath.