Titanic (Norway 1970)

alexgitlin.com:

"Norway stunned the rock world when it produced one of the hottest new bands of the early Seventies. After all, it was a time of huge competition on the already overcrowded scene. Most of the heavyweight groups of the era hailed from America and the UK. Led Zeppelin, Santana, Sly & The Family Stone, Yes, Deep Purple - the list was endless. Despite this overwhelming dominance, such was the desperate hunger for 'live' music to satisfy local demand that many more countries began to nurture their own local artists. As musicianship improved, it wasn't long before there were excellent young rock groups playing throughout Europe.

One of the best was Titanic from the Norwegian capital Oslo. They enjoyed an encouraging response when they first sailed over the horizon in 1971. Yet they'd had to fight hard to establish a reputation. This wasn't necessarily due to their hailing from a small country. Admittedly, Norway far failed to make much of an impression on the pop scene. But rock'n'roll fans were not bothered about national boundaries. If you were good, you were accepted, and it didn't matter where you came from. The problem was the age-old one - of getting the right amount of exposure and promotion. Titanic had to gain recognition beyond their own borders if they were to become an economic success. They needed to convince the rest of the world that they could compete, both in terms of their music and their image. Fortunately, they had some lucky breaks to help them on their way.

The five-piece was originally formed in 1969, and included Kjell Asperud (percussion, vocals), Janny Loseth (guitar, vocals), John Lorck (drums) and Kenny Aas (organ and bass guitar). They rehearsed hard, wrote some good tunes, and so Titanic eventually became one of the first Norwegian bands to enjoy hit records in both England and Germany. They also recruited English lead singer, Roy Robinson, who helped give their music an international appeal. Roy wrote most of the lyrics which he sang in English, on a succession of fine albums and singles." more...

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Titanic - Something On My Mind