SPLINTER ARE BACK !!!

10 Octobre 2020

Thursday October 29th 2020 sees a rare worldwide exclusive event for the group Splinter with the release of their new album!! Their first release for 39 years!!

“Never Went Back” is the prophetic title of their new album their first since 1981. The album consist of rehearsal sessions that culminated in new acoustic versions of some tracks from their last album and a selection of new tracks, all of which were going to be performed on their tour backing Leo Sayer. This album captures Splinter as worldwide fans never heard them on vinyl, a Brilliant Two Man Band!

Splinter themselves came to the fore in in 1974 when they signed for George Harrison’s Dark Horse Record Label, and released the superb “The Place I Love” album which sold successfully the world over and attained the band huge critical success and standing.“Costafine Town/Elly May” was clipped as a single and sold again all around the world attaining No2 in Australia.

Tours and two more Albums came from this highly acclaimed debut, and the next album Harder To Live which contained the haunting “Which Way Will I Get Home”, a song so personal that almost anyone can identify with the yearning for long lost times. “Lonely Man” was another song edited from the album. This song had first appeared in the George Harrison Apple film “Little Malcolm” in 1973.

This new album features both members of Splinter Billy Elliott and Bobby Purvis displaying their skill at writing, performing, and literally singing their hearts out together with effortless harmonisation and intricate melodies all put together with the simplest of musical backing, guitars , harmonica, and basic percussion, it’s simply breath taking and astonishing to think that we the world over have not had any new material from these guys since 1981, in fact it’s a crying shame, which has now been rectified by their new project “The Splinter Legacy”.

“Never Went Back” is the album the fans have craved for since 1981, it’s the boys playing as they were heard on tour live, A Brilliant Two Man Band! Well you need wait no longer, that album you craved for desired and pined for is now here, it has been well worth the wait!

Along with this entirely new project, there is a dedicated Splinter Legacy website www.splinterlegacy.com, which explains what this fascinating project is all about, their hopes, and gives you the fan a greater understanding of the entire project scope, that we plan to undertake. It is a living breathing legacy for one of the world most underrated bands ever. Don’t take my word, see and hear for yourself, it’s absolutely spellbinding!!

For Further information
Please contact
Nigel Pearce
PA and advisor to Splinter
Presenter/ Producer/ Writer
Groove Britain
Future Radio 107.8FM – Norwich
Swindon 105.5FM
Radio Stockton FM
UK RADIO – licensee New York City USA
Author The Apples of Our Eyes published by Novum Press March 2020

Never Went Back - New CD Album

Produit en prévente, sortie prévue le 29 oct.

Never Went Back - New CD Album

Welcome to this brand new album/CD from Splinter. It has been a long time coming, a very long time in fact. Splinter still consists of Billy Elliott and Bobby Purvis, both hailing from the North East of England, from the Newcastle area in fact. Both members are life- long friends, and despite some hiccups, ( and some of them were quite large ones too) along the way, they are still great friends today.

Billy now lives in Portugal, while Bobby has preferred to stay true to his roots and resides in the North East of England. As a group and members in the music industry, they decided to call it a day in the early 1980’s after the company they were contracted to - Bellaphon ceased trading and the fallout left a sizeable mess to which they realised it would be near impossible to climb out from, so it was off to pastures new for them, and it has largely stayed that way ever since.

Music is a veritable force to be reckoned with, and fan clamour is a most powerful ingredient in the mixture,- if there are enough fans not only holding on to memories, but still desiring new material. The best example known to everyone the world over is The Beatles clamour for new product from them is insatiable and will no doubt remain so. Splinter having links with the fab foursome, have now entered that field.

Not only were they an excellent singing duo who could effortlessly harmonize from each other taking vocal, they could play their own instruments, and write very good songs into the bargain, and that is a very powerful compound indeed, and one that will insure the name remains long in the memory.

It has done so here. Before we enter into their notes for the album and the songs, there is one thing that is so very important to this new album and to the Legacy Project - it’s that all of these recordings have not been enhanced or altered from when they were recorded. Yes, they have been gently and painstakingly cleaned , removing that irritating static that builds up and manifests itself as crackle n clicks. They have also been made crisper to the ear for pure listening pleasure, and that’s it! No re-mixing at all.

1: Passing Through 2: Don’t Leave Me Now 3: Another Time Another Place 4: Sail Away 5: Pull On Your Heart Strings 6: Fixing To Stay 7: Too Far Down The Line 8: Never Went Back 9: Take It Or Leave It 10: A Plane Leaving Tokyo 11: Innocent

PRE SPLINTER : HALF BREED ACETATE ON APPLE SENT BY MAL EVANS TO JOHN LENNON

The Lifeline of Splinter

Billy Elliott and Bobby Purvis both hail from Newcastle Upon Tyne, in the North East of England, In July 1972 Bobby married his girlfriend Marilyn, they were renting a basement flat in London and Bobby was working with Mike Gibbons from Badfinger on a solo project. Billy was lead singer in a band called The Truth in the North of England – sadly musical differences and personality problems reared their ugly head and Billy decided to leave the group.

Rob Hill was Billy’s Manager (and also a very close friend of Bobby) and he was staying with Bob and Marilyn in London. Rob explained things were not working out with The Truth and that Billy was available. Bob invited Billy to come down and stay. Bill and Bob were both natural singers totally in sync with each other musically. They had worked together in 1970 as a duo called Stone Blind singing and writing songs, so they knew each other’s strengths and weaknesses. They found that the magic was still there, and too good to pass on it, and so Splinter was born in August 1972.

This was the beginning of Splinter leading to the world famous duo we know and love today, and within a short time they were offered a deal with Threshold Records primarily, and some other fashionable labels began to take notice of their undoubted talent and put various packages on their table as well.

Mal Evans was one of those gifted people, and wrote a song with Bobby with a working title of “Another Chance That I Let Go”. This link opened a door for both members as they were offered a part in the George Harrison production of “Little Malcolm and his Struggle against the Enuchs”. The song was used as the main-score for this offering, and Splinter also sang it in the film. For the record, the film starred amongst others the superb actors John Hurt and David Warner. (It is now available on Blue Ray and DVD).

After George met both members of Splinter and listened to their catalogue the plan of producing and releasing a single was shelved. The talent that Splinter possessed was now going to be geared up for a full album.

George by this time had formed Dark Horse Records, and Splinter were duly signed to the label. The resulting album was called “The Place I love” and a huge selling single “Costafine Town” was clipped from it and sold in great quantities around the world. “Splinter” was indeed the only act to have major success on George’s label. Today in 2020, that album still stands out as a truly remarkable debut album, having lost none of its musical direction, vision and outlook. It is excellently produced by George Harrison and has a stamp of true quality all over it. The harmonies and melodies ring close, loud and true and the lyrics speak for themselves.

With this album safely tucked under their belt, their lives changed completely and world-wide travel, and tours very soon came along. Over the next few years they somehow found the time to make two more albums for Dark Horse Records.

Both members of Splinter recognised that this was truly a magical time, and yet they always seemed to have their feet firmly on the ground.

By this time Billy had married Yvonne (his childhood sweetheart), and was living back in the North of England.

Working with one of The Beatles is not something that comes along everyday (if hardly at all), yet both Billy and Bobby were able to use their talent to be offered this opportunity, and they responded in the best way they could by becoming the only hit making act for George’s Dark Horse Records. A truly superb achievement!!

Some 6 years later the parting of the ways occurred, and Splinter carried on touring, making some more albums, and becoming extremely popular in Japan. (More of that will be revealed at a later date). Another album came out in 1981, but things somehow were not quite the same. They carried on until 1984, when they both went their separate ways. They have continued in this vein keeping their lives separate, and even living in different countries. Bobby resides in North East England, and Billy lives in the sunny climes of Portugal.

From 1984 until 2020 there had not been any new Splinter releases, and perhaps both of them felt that they would not be in a position to be able to do just that. However in 2019, things somehow clicked in a far, far away, place and slowly paths were made to both members, and by diligence, patience and the understanding of many things that happen, we find ourselves here today.

Billy and Bobby are very grateful and thankful that you, the true fans out there not only remember Splinter, but there has been a genuine feeling that the both of them have not had the recognition that they truly deserve. Now with these new and recent developments, beginning to join together, that situation shows every sign of changing, and I am very glad to have been able to play my part (so far) in that.

Nigel Pearce – Presenter/Producer,

‘Groove Britain’ Future Radio Norwich 107.8FM
Swindon 105.5FM
Radio Stockton FM
UK Radio – Licensee New York City/USA/SoundCloud
Author of – “The Apples of our Eyes” Published March 2020 Novum Press

https://www.splinterlegacy.com/

THE PLACE I LOVE SESSIONS PHOTOS JEAN HELFER COLLECTION

THE PLACE I LOVE SESSIONS PHOTOS JEAN HELFER COLLECTION

DRAWING BY JEAN SOLE

BBC Transcription Disk
Top Of The Pops - 606

vinyl album	CD album
UK) BBC / 139220	----------

London release date : June 16 1976

track listing
live track	studio track
Real Thing - You To Me Are Everything	Real Thing - You To Me Are...
Gallagher & Lyle - Heart On My Sleeves	BSC - Stop Doing What...
Back Street Crawler - Stop Doing What...	ELO - Strange Magic
Electric Light Orchestra - Strange Magic	HMK - She's No Angel
Heavy Metal Kids - She's No Angel	Splinter - Halfway There
Splinter - Halfway There
David Bowie - TVC 15

musicians
Bill Elliott :	vocals
Bobby Purvis :	vocals
Chris Spedding :	guitars

SPLINTER WITH JEAN HELFER AT THE BOTTOM OF THE EIFFEL TOWER PHOTO TAKEN BY ALAN CLARK LATER KEYBORDIST FOR DIRE STRAITS

Splinter in Paris
November 11, 1977 photos and memories by Jean Helfer
edited by Tom Brennan

Background:
In 1974, I was the secretary for the French Beatles Fan club and we made a special magazine about the Dark Horse Label George had just created. In 1975, we received with surprise a letter from George thanking us for the special Dark Horse magazine, asking for more copies, and offering all the help we could need from his office. That is how I met Billy and Bobby in the Dark Horse office of Berkeley Square in the Chelsea area of London in July, 1975. The meeting was warm; they were so nice. They signed me a copy of my magazine and offered me the acoustic vinyl LP they said was meant to be sent to radio stations.

Paris (1977):
The second time and last time I met them was during the Gregg Allman/Cher tour where they opened for them at The Theatre Des Champs Elysees. I spent nearly 24 hours with them. I picked them up at their hotel in Pigalle called Hotel Gisambre Rue Gisambre. They were with their agent and a keyboardist, Alan Clarke, later playing keyboards for Dire Straits. We spent all day doing the tourist stuff (visiting Paris, etc...)

Then we went to the Theatre des Champs Elysees for the soundcheck and I spent plenty of time backstage with them in their dressing room where Bobby played guitar next to me (the guitar he was playing on was given to him by George; it is the white guitar he used in the Madison Square Garden for the Concert For Bangla Desh. [Later, Bobby was angry after George wrote me that he sold the guitar]. I have a memory of Cher coming half-dressed into the room for a chat; she seemed nice.

The concert was great. I had a backstage pass on my arm, and I took so many pictures. I was the only photographer interested in them. They kept smiling at me from time to time during the show. They played: China Light/Costafine Town/Domingo Bay/White Shoe Weather...

I made copies of all the slides and sent them to their address in Durham (England). I received a warm letter thanking me and inside were lots of polaroid pictures of them with George during the recording of "The Place I Love" album. Polaroid meant they didn't have negatives and that no other copies existed. I wrote to them from time to time without any answers. The end of Dark Horse Records made them bitter and despite a success in Japan, there was no future for them. They still mean something to me. Such talent wasted. It was not the time nor the place; 1974 was Glam Rock, then Disco came and the world did not need harmony vocals and melodies.

http://www.splinterlibrary.com/

SPLINTER NOVEMBER 11TH 1977 AT THE EIFFEL TOWER PHOTOS BY JEAN HELFER

SPLINTER NOVEMBER 11TH 1977 AT THE EIFFEL TOWER PHOTOS BY JEAN HELFER

The Beatles: George Harrison's Harptone 12 String Guitar. George Harrison received this guitar prior to recording The Beatles' 'White Album.' While there is currently no evidence that it was used on any Beatles recording, it was used by George and members of Badfinger on the sessions for George's All Things Must Pass LP set and by Badfinger member Tom Evans at Madison Square Garden during the Concert For Bangla Desh charity shows. In 1974, George gave the guitar to Bob Purvis, a member of the band Splinter. George produced Splinter's debut LP, 'The Place I Love,' and played this guitar during those sessions. The original tuners were replaced some time before George gave the guitar to Mr. Purvis. An endpin mini-jack and Barcus Berry pickup were professionally installed in the mid to late 1970s. Harptone's instruments were built in Newark, New Jersey, from 1966 until the mid-1970s. This instrument comes with a letter of authenticity on Harrison's letterhead. George Harrison was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988 as a member of The Beatles. He has been inducted again this year, 2004, as a solo artist.