Biography
Balls assembled considerable skill from various quarters yet produced little in the studio, releasing only a single undistinguished hard rock 45 titled "Fight for My Country"/"Janie Slow Down" in 1971. Over its lifespan the lineup at different points included Denny Laine, Trevor Burton, Steve Gibbons, Alan White, and Jackie Lomax, each of whom carried some name recognition among followers of British rock from the 1960s and 1970s. The short career therefore demonstrated, on a decidedly small scale, that even lineups stocked with experienced players seldom generated impressive results.
The project originated in February 1969 when Trevor Burton exited the Move, where he had handled bass, and linked up with the Birmingham group the Uglys, switching to guitar. After adopting the name Balls the musicians retreated to a cottage in Fordingbridge to rehearse in the manner Traffic had made familiar. During the summer original Moody Blues vocalist Denny Laine joined on guitar and vocals, although Steve Gibbons remained the primary frontman. By summer 1970 the ensemble had reorganized as a quartet that kept Laine and Burton while adding Jackie Lomax and future Yes drummer Alan White. Lomax departed after seven days, prompting Gibbons’s return. Momentum never truly developed, and the group dissolved in February 1971, though ex-Spooky Tooth drummer Mike Kellie had joined shortly before the end.
Pete Frame’s Family Trees presents the timeline above. Alternative accounts state that White actually departed at the close of 1969, that Kellie arrived much sooner, and that Lomax never participated at all. In addition, Laine and Burton spent portions of 1970 in Airforce and performed together as an acoustic duo during part of the same period.
Sorting the details proves difficult given that only one single ever surfaced. Burton’s “Fight for My Country” blended the Move’s pastoral folk leanings with chunky hard rock, though the song itself was unremarkable. Laine and White’s “Janie Slow Down” offered routine hard rock shaded by a boogie rhythm. In 1970 Melody Maker noted that Balls had recorded twelve tracks intended for an album that ultimately remained unreleased, partly because the band lacked a label deal at the time; some of those recordings have been rumored to feature Ric Grech. Both sides of the Balls single later appeared on the Move bootleg Family Tree.
The project originated in February 1969 when Trevor Burton exited the Move, where he had handled bass, and linked up with the Birmingham group the Uglys, switching to guitar. After adopting the name Balls the musicians retreated to a cottage in Fordingbridge to rehearse in the manner Traffic had made familiar. During the summer original Moody Blues vocalist Denny Laine joined on guitar and vocals, although Steve Gibbons remained the primary frontman. By summer 1970 the ensemble had reorganized as a quartet that kept Laine and Burton while adding Jackie Lomax and future Yes drummer Alan White. Lomax departed after seven days, prompting Gibbons’s return. Momentum never truly developed, and the group dissolved in February 1971, though ex-Spooky Tooth drummer Mike Kellie had joined shortly before the end.
Pete Frame’s Family Trees presents the timeline above. Alternative accounts state that White actually departed at the close of 1969, that Kellie arrived much sooner, and that Lomax never participated at all. In addition, Laine and Burton spent portions of 1970 in Airforce and performed together as an acoustic duo during part of the same period.
Sorting the details proves difficult given that only one single ever surfaced. Burton’s “Fight for My Country” blended the Move’s pastoral folk leanings with chunky hard rock, though the song itself was unremarkable. Laine and White’s “Janie Slow Down” offered routine hard rock shaded by a boogie rhythm. In 1970 Melody Maker noted that Balls had recorded twelve tracks intended for an album that ultimately remained unreleased, partly because the band lacked a label deal at the time; some of those recordings have been rumored to feature Ric Grech. Both sides of the Balls single later appeared on the Move bootleg Family Tree.
Albums
Season
2015
Sem Stress
2015
Prazer Te Conhecer
2014
Spotlight
2014
Uncut: The Complete Jamaica Plain Session
2013
Jungle in a Barrell
1995
Singles
