Galahad (UK band)

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Galahad
Galahad performing live, December 2018
Background information
Origin	England, United Kingdom
Genres	Neo-progressive rock, progressive rock, progressive metal
Years active	1985–present
Associated acts	Galahad Acoustic Quintet, Galahad Electric Company, Dean Baker, Lee Abraham
Website	www.galahadonline.com
Members	Stuart Nicholson Spencer Luckman Dean Baker Mark Spencer Lee Abraham
Past members	Mark Andrews Tim Ashton Karl Garrett Mike Hewetson Nick Hodgson Mike Hooker Roy Keyworth Mike Kneller Pat McCann John O’Callaghan Paddy O’Callaghan Steve Pearson Neil Pepper Peter Wallbridge Paul Watts Craig Wilson

Galahad are an English progressive rock band formed in 1985. They have released 10 studio albums, 6 live albums and 3 rarities collections as well as a couple of offshoot project albums in the guise of the Galahad Acoustic Quintet and the Galahad Electric Company. Over the last 35 years they have played with the likes of Pendragon, IQ and Twelfth Night. Galahad have performed their own shows and at festivals in Europe and North America, and have sold tens of thousands of albums despite never having had a major record deal. All releases are on their own 'Avalon Records' imprint other than some re-issues which are released in association with Polish label 'Oskar Productions'. In 2012 and after 27 years of existence Galahad released their first ever vinyl LP 'Battle Scars' in conjunction with Ritual Echo Records, on high quality 180 gram vinyl, in a gatefold sleeve, as a limited edition pressing of 300 which is already fast becoming a collectors item.^[1] Since then the band has released several more albums on vinyl i.e. 'Beyond the Realms of Euphoria' (a double LP/EP album available on red/orange vinyl), 'Empires never Last' (double LP including an 'orchestral' version of the title track, available on blue or black vinyl), 'Seas of Change' (Standard single LP on black or turquoise blue vinyl and also on limited edition picture disc in a die cut sleeve) and most recently in 2020 'Sleepers' on a double gatefold LP (available on standard black or white vinyl).

History[]

The band's vocalist Stuart Nicholson described Galahad's early days thus: "...the band was formed just after the so called second wave of ‘Prog’ bands such as Marillion, Pallas, IQ, Twelfth Night, Pendragon etc. of Prog bands came to the fore in the early Eighties. They all started around 1978 – 1981 and we started in 1985 after the bubble had effectively burst, but didn’t really get going seriously until 1990 onwards. To be honest we really did play just for fun in the early days and weren’t really that concerned about record deals etc. It was only after playing with some of the bigger bands when we thought. Actually, we are just as good as these guys so why not give it a go..."^[2]

Founder member Roy Keyworth left the band in March 2017. Producer Karl Groom filled in for Keyworth on the band's Quiet Storms album released in May 2017,^[3] but will not join the band full time.

Lee Abraham was officially announced as the new Galahad guitarist on 23 October 2017 after having already recorded all the guitar parts for their 2018 Seas of Change album, which was released in January 2018.

In 2020 Galahad released what was, ostensibly, a 21st anniversary edition of 'Following Ghosts. This expansive release brings together all of the ‘Following Ghosts’ related material and consists of a three CD package containing a completely new re-mix of the original ‘Following Ghosts’ album by Karl Groom who used digitised versions of the original 2" analogue multi-tracks in order to create the new 2019 mix. CD2, ‘Alternative Ghosts’, contains alternative versions of every track from the original album, again engineered and mixed by Karl Groom and featuring Mark Spencer playing bass guitar on a Galahad album for the very first time.

Also included is a re-mastered version of the rather experimental ‘De-Constructing Ghosts’ album which was originally a separate companion release to the main album in 1999 under the guise of the ‘Galahad Electric Company’. This CD contains tracks written and arranged by various other musicians, DJs and re-mixers pieced together from the original Galahad ‘Following Ghosts’ multi-tracks resulting in completely different songs in most cases! In all this expanded release contains a whopping 37 tracks!

In many ways this was a comeback album, a fresh start after the difficult trials of the previous ‘Sleepers’ album. An album which seemed to polarise opinion at the time within Prog circles, mainly because of its diverse and, ironically, truly progressive nature. Two decades years later, we think it actually still sounds pretty fresh and perhaps will be assessed in a positive way in today’s more accepting musical climate as far so called ‘Progressive Rock’ is concerned.

This package includes new artwork, rare photos and notes by various band members and others who were involved at the time. The re-mixed version of the original album will also be released as a double LP on 180gm Gold vinyl in a gatefold sleeve at some point in the near future.

2020 also saw the re-release of 'Sleepers' on vinyl for the first time, 25 years after the original CD release, in conjunction with Oskar Records in Poland and including several extra tracks. The album was released as a double gatefold 2xLP on standard black or white vinyl.

October 2020 saw the release of the first 'Galahad Electric Company' album in 21 years which was effectively a 'Covid lockdown' album written and recorded by Dean and Stu at their respective homes. Entitled 'When the Battle Is Over', it is one of the quickest Galahad related albums to have been written, recorded and released, writing having only commenced in late April 2020! A second album has also already been written and recorded as at the end of December 2020 which will, hopefully, see the light of day in the Spring of 2021!

Meanwhile the forthcoming new Galahad studio album 'The Last Great Adventurer' is being worked on slowly but surely.

Current members[]

• Stuart Nicholson: vocals (since 1985)
• Spencer Luckman: drums (since 1987)
• Dean Baker: keyboards (since 1997)
• Lee Abraham: bass (2005–2009), guitar (since 2017),^[4]
• Mark Spencer: bass & guitar (2012–2014), bass (since 2018)

Occasional member on recordings only: Sarah Bolter: Flute, clarinet, alto and tenor sax, vocals (Since 1994)

Previous members[]

• Roy Keyworth: guitar (1985–1998, 1999–2017)
• Paddy O’Callaghan: drums (1985–1987)
• John O’Callaghan: guitar (1985) (deceased)
• Mike Hooker: keyboards (1985–1987)
• Nick Hodgson: keyboards (1985–1987)
• Paul Watts: bass (1985–1989)
• Steve Pearson: drums (1987)
• Mike Hewetson: keyboards (1987–1988)
• Mark Andrews: keyboards (1988–1991)
• Pat McCann: bass (1989)
• Tim Ashton: bass (1989–1992, 2014-2017)
• Karl Garrett: keyboards (1991–1997)
• Neil Pepper: bass (1992–2002, 2009–2011) (deceased)
• Craig Wilson: guitar (1998–1999)
• Peter Wallbridge: bass (2002–2004)
• Mike Kneller: bass (2004–2005)

Timeline[]

Discography[]

Tapes[]

• Studio 95 Demo: Autumn 1995
• One Knight at Mr Cs: August 1987
• In a Moment of Madness: May 1989
• Otherworldly Pleasures (Promo): January 1991
• Other Crimes and Misdemeanours: January 1992
• Suffering in Silence (Promo Only): February 1992
• Galahad’s Christmas Lecture: Spring 1993
• In a Moment of Complete Madness (Polish Version): April 1993
• Nothing Is Written (Polish Version): April 1993
• Other Crimes & Misdemeanours II: August 1995
• Not All There (Polish Version): September 1995
• Sleepers (Polish Version): September 1995
• Classic Rock Live (Polish Version): July 1996
• Following Ghosts (Polish Version): Autumn 1998

LPs[]

• Battle Scars - Single Gatefold LP: April 2012
• Beyond the Realms of Euphoria - Double Gatefold LP/EP: October 2012
• Empires Never Last - Double Gatefold LP: October 2016
• Seas of Change - standard single LP on black or turquoise vinyl and picture disc : January 2018
• Sleepers - Double Gatefold LP on black or white vinyl: Spring 2020

Singles[]

• Dreaming From the Inside/The Opiate July 1987
• Rollercoaster (single sided flexi single) February 1992
• Victory (Download only) June 2020

Studio CDs[]

• Nothing Is Written: June 1991 (Japan version: April 1992, remastered: 2007)
• In a Moment of Complete Madness: April 1993, remastered: 2008)
• Sleepers: September 1995 (Japan version: April 1995, 20th anniversary, remastered: October 2015)
• Following Ghosts: June 1998 (remastered reissue: 2007; expanded edition: September 2020)
• Year Zero: September 2002 (10th anniversary expanded and remastered edition: September 2012)
• Empires Never Last: Spring 2007 (deluxe edition, remastered: January 2015)
• Battle Scars: April 2012
• Beyond the Realms of Euphoria: October 2012
• Quiet Storms: May 2017
• Seas of Change: January 2018

Live CDs[]

• Classic Rock Live: April 1996, Japanese version: September 1996
• Resonance - Live in Poland 2006: 2006
• Two Classic Rock Lives: 2008
• Sleepless in Phoenixville - Live at Rosfest: October 2009
• Whitchurch Live 92/93 - Live Archives Vol. 2: February 2012
• Solidarity - Live in Konin: September 2015

EPs[]

• Voiceprint Radio Sessions EP: January 1994
• Seize the Day: February 2014
• Guardian Angel: June 2014
• Mein Herz brennt: October 2014 (single)
• 30: July 2015

Compilation CDs[]

• Decade (Germany only): March 1997
• Other Crimes and Misdemeanours II: May 1997
• Other Crimes and Misdemeanours III: September 2001
• Other Crimes and Misdemeanours: 2008
• Other Crimes & Misdemeanours II & III: 2009
• When Worlds Collide: Winter 2015

Downloads/Streams[]

• Empires Never Last: Spring 2007
• Galahad’s Christmas Lecture; Spring 2012
• Battle Scars; April 2012
• Beyond the Realms of Euphoria: October 2012
• Seize the Day EP: February 2014
• Guardian Angel EP: Summer 2014
• Mein Herz brennt EP: Autumn 2014
• Empires Never Last - The Deluxe edition: January 2015
• Empires: A Curious Companion: January 2015
• Seas of Change: January 2018
• Following Ghosts - Expanded Edition: September 2020
• Resonance - Live in Poland 2006: December 2020

Spin-off projects[]

• Not All There CD (Galahad Acoustic Quintet): January 1995
• De-Constructing Ghosts CD (Galahad Electric Company): August 1999 (Re-mix album)
• Open Water EP Download/stream (Galahad Electric Company): September 2020
• When The Battle Is Over CD/Download/stream (Galahad Electric Company): October 2020

DVDs[]

• Resonance – Live in Poland: 2006
• Whitchurch 92/93 - Live Archives Vol. 2: February 2012 (Digipack)
• Solidarity - Live in Konin: September 2015 (Digipack)

References[]

External links[]

• Official website;
• Galahad discography at MusicBrainz