The
REZILLOS
The Revillos!
Eugene & Fay's vision for the future artistic direction of The Rezillos differed from the remaining members of the band. In late 1978 they decided to go their separate ways with 2 bands being created in their wake. Jo, Angel & Simon formed the more rock orientated Shake, while The Revillos made their debut in the Autumn of 1979.
Eugene & Fay needed to go back to basics, learning how to write songs and play instruments while recruiting band members. Eugene called on his brother Rocky Rhythm who at the time was playing Drums with London based Punk band 'The Pork Dukes'.
Ex Rezillos' Guitarist Hi-Fi Harris returned and contributed to the song writing process. Edinburgh based Felix completed the line up on Bass Guitar.
To complement their desire to highlight an influence of american Girl Groups of the 1960's, 2 backing singers were added in the form of Babs and Cherie.
Although experimental in terms of constructing their early songs, The Revillos' sound developed into a more pop oriented output. Songs were formed using a Farfisa organ and on later recordings, Saxophone was employed to give more depth and variety.
The Revillos scored a hit single with their second release 'Motorbike Beat', but by this time line up changes were starting to occur. Felix had dropped out of the picture and was eventually replaced on a temporary basis by Rezillos Legend William Mysterious. Hi-Fi handed in his notice and was suceeded by the talented Kid Krupa. Krupa's guitar playing skills allowed the band to take a huge leap forward in terms of instrumental inteaction between Rocky's stylised drumming and Krupa's exciting guitar.
A total of 4 singles and 1 album were released on the band's own record label Snatzo ( a subsiduary of Virgin Records) by the time a permanent Bass guitarist was found in the form of Vince Santini. This line-up took great strides forward in song production and cemented their reputation as one of the U.K.'s top live acts of the early 1980's.
A tour of the U.S. was warmly recieved but by the time they returned for a longer tour a few months later, original backing singer Babs had decided to depart to further her own musical ambitions. Her replacment was Dracula's sister, Drax, who may of may not have been the inspiration behind the band's decision to cover Screaming Lord Sutch's classic song, 'Monster Man'
A series of singles were released on independent labels such as Superville, Aura and Reciever Records, however in 1982 the band were surprised to be learn that they had released a new album in the Form of Revillos Attack!
It would appear that Demo tapes recorded over a period of time had been gathered together by Superville Records and put out as a vinyl album. A court order meant that it was quickly withdrawn from sale. Copies can still be found for sale on Ebay. A different version of 'Attack' was reconstructed from remastered Demo tapes under the direction of Rocky Rhythm and was released on CD in 2002.
By the time a new contract with EMI had been agreed, the band had changed personel again. Drax had departed to be replaced in quick succession by Terri, then Wendy Revette.
More significantly, Kid Krupa had decided to up tremolo and move on. krupa recorded with several bands including Del Amitri, before finding his place as a talented record producer. Krupa would return to The Revillos fold for a tour of Japan in 1994.
Guitarist Max Atom stepped up to the mark and further developed The Revillos' sound that Krupa, Rocky , Vince and Eugene had developed. New releases emerged on the EMI label, with video and TV promotion and a UK tour in December 1983. Everything seemed to be going well until EMI started calling the shots over artistic control which were at odds with the band's independent style of self management . The contract was scrapped and the proposed, unfinished album, 'Jungle of Eyes' did not see the light of day for over 20 years.
The band soldiered on for several months during which a new Revettes-free line-up emerged. Vince had departed and was replaced by Buck Moon alongside an additional guitarist Fabian Wonderful. The band offically disbanded in 1985.
End of the Revillos story.........?
The Revillos reconvened their activities in 1994, travelling to Japan for a series of shows. A recording session produced new versions of 'Scuba Scuba' & Yeah Yeah.
Rocky Rhythm took charge of the band's back catalogue releasing a succession of live albums and compilations of previously unreleased material. Original album 'Rev-Up' was given a long overdue C.D. release.
In 1996 The Revillos reformed for what will likely be the last time. Luckily the ensuing gigs were captured on Video and released alongside a live album.
To most fans surprise, footage of the band at the height of their powers was rediscovered. A gig from New York in 1981 was re-edited for DVD release in 2011. The Revillos must hold the record for releasing more material since breaking up than they did when they were an active unit.
The band were hampered by a series of poor management decisions, lack of financial backing and plain bad luck. Despite this The Revillos survive in people's memories through their live show experiences and music which stands up to scrutiny today.
Nicky Forbes book gives a fascinating insight into how The Revillos career progressed and details a long, self funded tour of the USA in 1981. http://www.revillos.co.uk/rhythm/
