The band came together in 1968 when singer Bill Thorndycraft and guitarist Mick Clarke met up in a South London blues band. Originally performing in a blues band known as The Loop, Killing
Floor founder members Mick Clarke (lead guitar) and Bill Thorndycraft (vocals/harmonica) formed the band in 1968 in London, England. After one unsatisfactory gig with the band the two decided to form a new unit together..Bill suggested the name Killing Floor. The band name came from the title of Howlin' Wolf's 1964 track, "Killing Floor". Bill had already met drummer Bazz Smith while touring in Germany, and ads in the "Melody Maker" music paper brought responses from bass player Stuart (Mac) McDonald and pianist Lou Martin.
The band rehearsed hard in various South London pubs and rehearsal rooms, learning a repertoire of Chicago blues standards, but adding their own rock influences. Their first live performance was at
London's "Middle Earth" with Captain Beefheart, and soon the band was playing at all the blues clubs of the time, including appearances at London's Marquee club with The Nice and Yes. The band were again indebted to Edward, who arranged for them to appear at the California Ballroom in Dunstable, where they supported Ten Years After, Jethro Tull, Chicken Shack, and The Herd. Favourite venues included the Blues Loft in High Wycombe where they literally brought the house down..the footstomping of the crowd bringing down the ceiling in the room below!
The first album was released in 1969 on the Spark Label, a subsidiary of the Southern Music publishing group, and licensed in the USA by Sire Records. It got good reviews and airplay, and the band played sessions for John Peel, Johnny Walker, Alexis Korner and other national radio shows. In 1970, the
band's second album, "Out of Uranus" was released on Penny Farthing Records. Although Edward retained record producer duties, Larry Page oversaw the recording sessions as executive producer. AllMusic commented that "Out of Uranus is rawer and more irreverent than most second-line British blues-rock of the late '60s and early '70s, as indicated by the title itself". A single from Out of Uranus, "Call For the Politicians", received airplay on BBC Radio 1, and also sold well in Germany.They released two albums and four singles before initially disbanding in 1972. They have issued another two albums since their reformation in 2002.
KILLING FLOOR - KILLING FLOOR 1969
The sheer toughness -- and overall derivative -- nature of Killing Floor's debut album, issued six months after Led Zeppelin's debut in 1969 on the Spark label, is a wondrous contrast to the overly slick treatment American blues were given by British artists. All of these tunes, with the exception of one, are revamped
versions of songs from the blues canon with different words. The lone "cover" in the set was written by Willie Dixon titled "Woman You Need Love," the tune Zep ripped for "Whole Lotta Love." This is a raw, immediate, overdriven, psychedelic blues record that offers an interesting historical counterpoint to the immediate impact of Page and Plant and Co., but it also offers a great contrast to the recent 1990s versions of American groups trying to rock up the blues in like style: Jon Spencer Blues Explosion immediately comes to mind. They also provide a heavier, less reverent, and altogether heavier update of the Yardbirds rave-up sound.
Killing Floor – 1969 - Killing Floor
Label: Repertoire Records – REPUK 1108
Format: CD, Album, Limited Edition, Reissue 2007
Country:
Released: 1969
Genre: Blues
Style: Electric Blues
TRACKS
01. Woman You Need Love 4:50
02. Nobody By My Side 4:53
03. Come Home Baby 4:03
04. Bedtime Blues 7:29
05. Sunday Morning 1:02
06. Try To Understand 2:37
07. My Mind Can Ride Easy 2:29
08. Wet 0:42
09. Keep On Walking 4:57
10. Forget It 5:32
11. Lou's Blues 2:38
12. People Change Your Mind 8:20
LINE - UP
Vocals, Harmonica ['Harp'] – Bill Thorndycraft
Piano – Lou Martin
Bass – Stuart MacDonald
Drums – Bas Smith
Harpsichord – Lou Martin (tracks: 5)
Lead Guitar – Mick Clarke
NOTES
Written-By – Smith (tracks: 8, 12), Thorndycraft (tracks: 2 to 4, 6 to 10, 12), Martin (tracks: 5, 8, 11), Clarke (tracks: 2 to 4, 6 to 10, 12), MacDonald (tracks: 2 to 4, 6 to 10, 12), Willie Dixon (tracks: 1)
Flac Size: 406 MB
KILLING FLOOR - OUT OF URANUS 1970
One of the hottest bands on the UK blues scenes was Killing Floor, that featured the powerful guitar of Mick Clarke and harmonica playing of vocalist Bill Thorndycraft. This was the Killer’s second album,
originally released in 1971 and packed with dynamic performances. The ten tracks range from the ‘psycho blues’ number ‘Out Out Of Uranus’ to the fast and funky ‘Acid Bean’ and explosive ‘Son Of Wet’, a raving jam session that features Buddy Rich inspired drummer Bazz Smith. Raised in an era when the Who and Led Zeppelin were all powerful, Killing Floor display some of their riff laden influences while creating their own distinctive sound. This exciting album has become legendary among fans of classic British rock and remains essential listening for all true collectors.
Killing Floor – 1971 - Out Of Uranus
Label: Repertoire Records – REP 4367-WP
Format: CD, Reissue 1993
Country: Germany
Released: 1971
Genre: Rock
Style: Blues Rock, Psychedelic Rock, Classic Rock
TRACKS
01. Out Of Uranus 4:35
02. Soon There Will Be Everything 3:52
03. Acid Bean 4:18
04. Where Nobody Ever Goes 5:20
05. Sun Keeps Shining 4:22
06. Call For The Politicians 2:20
07. Fido Castrol 4:40
08. Lost Alone 5:05
09. Son Of Wet 5:08
10. Milkman 5:27
LINE - UP
Guitar – Mike Clarke
Keyboards – Lou Martin
Lead Vocals, Harmonica – Bill Thorndycraft
Producer – John Edward
Violin, Effects [Special] – Paul Spencer Mac
Vocals, Bass – Stuart Mcdonald
Drums – Bas Smith
Written-By – Bas Smith (tracks: 4, 9), Bill Thorndycraft (tracks: 6), Killing Floor (tracks: 1 to 5, 7 to 10), Mick Clarke (tracks: 6)
NOTES
Originally released by Penny Farthing Records in 1971.
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