Stained Glass (HIRCD7003)
	Take It Easy You're A Big Girl Now The Last Farewell Oh What A Thrill Grace Looking Glass In The Rain (550k .wav) One Day	Looking For The Heart Of Saturday Night New Leather Shoes Stolen Heart Hey Buddy (490k .wav) Man In A Long Black Coat Immaculate Conception

Biography

Words such as artistry, charisma, endurance and integrity are often used in describing a legend. They all apply to Steve Gibbons, who has been in the music business for over four decades, surviving the ever-changing trends by being himself. His creativity as a writer is reflected in the scores of songs to his credit, 14 albums (not counting "greatest hits", singles, EPs and guest appearances) sales of which have long surpassed the 1 million mark. In the small country of Sweden alone (population 8 million) he sold over 100,000 copies of his hit album "Down in the Bunker". The most notable cover of a Steve Gibbons song is the title track for Roger Daltrey's (The Who) solo album "One of the Boys". Add to this material Steve's vitality and charisma as a storytelling performer, backed by a hard driving/country flavored classic rock & roll band, and it's easy to understand why Steve Gibbons has such a loyal and yet still growing audience.

Regardless of venue, whether a club, pub, festival or New York's Madison Square Garden, Steve has the magic of enthralling an entire audience. Fans and professional musicians are in awe of The Steve Gibbons Band, which is one of the tightest and best in the business of rock & roll. Whether as a solo artist with his acoustic guitar, or fronting The SGB, or being backed by a big band, Steve is equally at home on the stage as a performing artist. His audience is diverse; from motorcycle enthusiasts at the annual Isle of Man TT races to the jazz crowds at the famous Ronnie Scott's. Musicians involved with The Steve Gibbons Band through the years read like a Who's Who of British rock & roll superstars:

• Trevor Burton (The Move)
• Denny Laine (Moody Blues, Paul McCartney)
• Mike Kelly (Spooky Tooth, Joe Cocker)
• Robbie Blunt (Robert Plant)
• Alan Wickett (Paul Young's Q-Tips)
• Alan White (Yes)
• Dave Pegg (Fairport Convention, Jethro Tull)
• Richard Tandy (E.L.O.)
• Albert Lee (Eric Clapton)

In 1970 Steve emerged in the first of the "supergroups", Balls with Trevor Burton, Denny Laine and Mike Kelly, releasing the album "Short Stories". After the break up of Balls, Steve returned to Birmingham from London to join Idle Race for three months in 1971, from which he formed his own group, The Steve Gibbons Band. His new band worked the pub and club circuits until 1975 when they were spotted by Pete Townshend of The Who. This led to The Steve Gibbons Band joining The Who's management stable, recording their first Polydor album "Any Road Up" and touring with The Who in Britain, Europe and the USA. Playing the concert arenas, they shared the stage with acts like Little Feat, Lynard Skynard, E.L.O., J. Geils and Nils Lofgren. The English Top 10 hit "Tulane" led to three more albums with Polydor. This was Steve's second Top 10 hit, the first being his recording debut in 1965 with The Ugly's, whose "Wake Up My Mind" reached #1 in Australia. In 1981, after a change in personnel, The Steve Gibbons Band recorded "Saints & Sinners" for RCA and later responded to an invitation from the German Democratic Republic to become the first western rock band to tour the major cities of East Germany.

Nine more albums were released in the 1980's and 90's and the touring continues. The distances traveled by this legendary musician rival NASA's space shuttle program. Fans and those in the music business alike regard Steve Gibbons as one of Great Britain's all time finest singer/songwriters. His track record proves it.

Rock & Roll forever...

THE OFFICIAL STEVE GIBBONS DISCOGRAPHY

*Also released under: TREVOR BURTON, TREVOR BURTON AND BALLS, BURTON LAINE AND GIBBONS all WIZARD WIZ 101 (EMI).

 Side1: Leader Of The Band/Now You're Leaving/The Last Farewell/One Of Those Days/Alright now

Side2: You've Gotta Pay/Bye, Bye Buffalo/Brown Girl/Until She Comes Home/Don't Wanna Let You Down/Trouble

Take It Easy/You're A Big Girl Now/The Last Farewell/Oh What A Thrill/Grace/Looking Glass In The Rain/One Day/Looking For The Heart Of Saturday Night/New Leather Shoes/Stolen Hearts/Hey Buddy/Man In The Long Black Coat/Immaculate Conception

Colours To The Mast/When The Ship Comes In/Simple Twist Of Fate/Highway 61 Revisited/It Takes A Lot To Laugh It Takes A Train To Cry/4^th Time Around/I Am A Lonesome Hobo/Peggy Day/Stuck Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again/Dark Eyes/Down Along The Cove/Absolutely Sweet Marie/I Want You/Winterlude/Ring Them Bells

Colours To The Mast (S. Gibbons) / She Belongs To Me / When The Ships Comes In / Sweetheart Like You / Simple Twist Of Fate / Lonesome Hobo / Absolutely Sweet Marie / Tonight I´ll Be Staying Here With You / Down Along The Cove / Just Like A Woman / You´ve Gotta Serve Somebody / Dark Eyes / Highway 61 Revisited / Like A Rolling Stone

TV Talking Song / Someone's Gotta Hold of My Heart / I'll Be Your Baby Tonight / Mama You've Been On My Mind / You Angel You / Eternal Circle / Subterranean Homesick Blues / Santa Fe / Ballad of a Thin Man / One More Night / Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat / Heart of Mine / Billy / Tweeter and the Monkey Man / Make You Feel My Love / Tombstone Blues

Side 1: Wild Flowers/Light Up Your Face/Now You Know Me/Mr. Jones/Till The Well Runs Dry/Tulane

Side 2: Cross Me Over The Road/Till The Fire Burns Out/Low Down Man/Right Side Of Heaven/Rollin' On/Please Don't Say Goodbye/Tupelo Mississippi Flash (live)/Rounden

Side 1: Watching The River Flow/Light Up Your Face/Shopping For Clothes/Git It/Gave His Life To Rock 'n' Roll/And The Music Plays On

Side 2: Day Tripper/One Of The Boys/You Gotta Pay/Tulane/Speed Kills/Rollin'

 Side 1: No Spitting On The Bus/Any Road Up/Down In The Bunker/Big J.C./Mary Ain't Goin' Home

Side 2: Down In The City/Let's Do It Again/Eddy Vortex/Chelita/When You Get Outside/Grace

 Side 1: Get Up And Dance/Eddy Vortex/Natural Thing/Till The Fire Burns Out/Tulane/Johnny Cool/No Spitting On The Bus

Side 2: Down In The Bunker/Little Suzie/Mr. Jones/Grace/Git It/Gave His Life To Rock 'n' Roll

Side 1: British Rock 'n' Roll/New Romance/Give It Back/Abracadabra/Midnight Moon/Sonny Day And The Tropics

Side 2: A To Z/Saturday Night/Graffiti Man/Fair Play/I'm A Man/Street Parade

Side 1: A To Z/Human Race/Graffiti Man/Sonny Day And The Tropics/Blue Lagoon/I'm A Man

Side 2: British Rock 'n' Roll/New Romance/Abracadabra/Fair Play/Saturday Night/Midnight Moon/Street Parade

Side 1: B.S.A./Loving Me, Loving You/'till I Waltz Again With You/American Rock 'n' Roll/Biggles' Fly's Undone

Side 2: Social Dance/Somebody Stole My Synthesizer/Home From Home/Fiction Factory/The Rugged Rock

 Side 1: Down The Road Apiece/Chuck In My Car/Absolutely Gone/Love Part One/Trucker

Side 2: On The Loose/To Be Alone With You/Love 'n Peace/Like A Rolling Stone

Side 1: In Over My Heart/Don't Trade Me In/Schoolboy/The Chain/World Stops Turning/Don't Let'em Get Ya

Side 2: Let There Be Bop/The Train/Your World/Manyana/Slow Down/Wonderful World

 Side 1: Johnny Cool/No Spitting On The Bus/Don't Trade Me In/Let There Be Bop/The Chain

Side 2: Personal Problem/Speed Kills/Harley Davidson/Triumph Bonneville/Eddy Vortex

Side 1: You Can't Catch Me/It'll Be Me/More Than I Can Say/Boppin' The Blues/Jaguar And The Thunderbird/TT 92

Side 2: Memphis Flash/Sweetheart Like You/Bonnie/Alright Now/Love Letters/Bird With No Song/The Waiting Game

Bonustracks Disc 1: Back Street Cat/Dick Malone

Disc 2: Gave His Life To Rock 'n' Roll (studio)/Make The Good Times Last/ Dick Leaps In

Bonustrack: Tupelo Mississippi Flash (live from Rollin' On)

Bonustracks: Tulane/Gold Coast/Body Talk/Let Me Go/Satisfying Moves/I Am Here/Great Escape

 Bonustracks (RGF): Love Part One/Don't Wanna Let You Down/

TT 92 (from Birmingham To Memphis)/Triumph Bonneville/Harley Davidson/B.S.A.

 Bonustracks: No Money Down/Motorcycle

 Watching The River Flow/Spark Of Love/Natural Thing/Strange World/Tupelo Mississippi Flash/ All Right Now/Down In The Bunker/My Generation/One Of The Boys/Mr. Jones/Rollin/Tulane/Grace/Little Suzie

 Bonustracks: Includes the legendary Bunker tapes.

515538 (omitted from the soundtrack of the film McVICAR starring Roger Daltrey)

Down The Road Apiece/Absolutely Gone/To Be Alone With You (from On The Loose)

Old Time Rock 'n' Roll (from the single)

Don't Let Them Get Ya (from Maintaining Radio Silence)

Hey Buddy

Steve Gibbons lead vocal: Must've Been Dreaming, Backing vocal: Sing Baby Sing/Big Train

 Steve Gibbons backing vocal: Samson & Delilah's Beauty Shop/Like You're Lovin' Me Now/Family Affair/Hey Memphis/Let The Girl Rock 'n' Roll/Another Night With The Boys/Musta' Notta' Gotta' Lotta'

Steve Gibbons shared lead vocals: Singapore Joe, backing vocal: Searching For Sal P.J. Wright pedal steel: Searching For Sal

Steve Gibbons & The Refreshments: British Rock 'N' Roll Steve Gibbons & Bob Wilson: Where Was I Last Night

Note: all singles are 7 inch unless specified. Promo singles with the same song on both sides normally have one stereo version and one mono version.

Discography compiled by Hans Alehag for HAVIC RECORDS. Special thanks to Lars Alehag, Terry Bidle, Alan Clayson, Steve Gibbons, Phil Allen, SR (Swedish Radio archives) and Michael Vonau. Only physical evidence, reliable sources and eyewitnesses were used in this investigation without injuries to said parties or harm to the environment. Dick Malone himself would have been proud...

Reviews

STEVE GIBBONS BAND

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The Tawe Delta Blues Club - (June 13th 2006)

EVERY man, woman or child who wants to make music should have been at the Tawe Delta Blues Club on Tuesday (13 June) to witness the awe-inspiring masterclass that is Steve Gibbons.

Looking part medicine man, part debonair, supper-club crooner, part Jamesons-for-breakfast rocker, Gibbons channels the essence of riveting performance that gave Elvis his electricity, Chuck Berry his knowing mastery and Dinah Washington her verve.

The show was more an evangelical tent-show than a gig, and with the way in which he and the band summoned up the spirits of the greats, it might have been a seance. Classics from Ray Charles (Let's Go and Get Stoned), Buddy Holly, Gene Vincent and early Elvis (Trying to Get to You), were intertwined with Gibbons's own pulsing material, which genuflects to those visionary architects of rock'n'roll.

He is a willing slave to that rock'n'roll rhythm (he named his daughter Nadine, for crying out loud), but Gibbons is not a retro act, reliving past glories or grieving for a long-gone golden age, he is a scholar of great music and he carries the weight of knowledge that gives him the kind of unassailable authority to slip into a Johnny Mercer song as deftly as he kicks into Dylan's Rainy Day Women No 12 and 35.

Whether draping his arms wearily on his guitar, or enacting scenes with face and hands, he links songs with a malevolent-voiced rap that would have Allen Ginsberg, Lou Reed and Bob Dylan howling and back-slapping.

The band reads his every twitch and follows him like a leopard shadowing a springbok, to a man they play to the hilt, with discipline, precision and flair, and much of the time they perform with grins stretched across their faces. We were all in the presence of greatness.

Kate Lay (South Wales Evening Post)

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Half Moon, London

A MEAN-LOOKIN' dude, Steve Gibbons, dressed all in black, shoved his was through the crowd towards the stage and took up battle positions. As he hitched up his rhythm guitar, the drummer and bass man set up the most casual, funky back-beat this side of the Blue Ridge Mountains of Kentucky. Or perhaps one should say the Blue Boar on the M1, because Steve is from Bir-ming-ham (England, that is), but like many an Englishman before him has steeped himself in the accents, lore and attitudes of the American way.

Never mind if some of the patrons at the Half Moon, seemingly iconoclastic medical students and rugby players, occasionally mimicked his Southern Fried partner. They were swept away by Gibbons disarming, low-key style and patent sincerity. They appreciated what turned out to be a mighty fine combo, specialising in the slow burn rather than flash fire. The band hit a groove that reminded me of Little Feat, The Meters and, going back even further, the Coasters. Subtlety, warmth and a good deal of humor have helped make the current Gibbons band something of a legend on the gigging circuit. I am assured that in the Midland's Steve is regarded as a hero and has window displays of his records in the local stores.

He certainly lives as well as looks the part, driving around in a Ford Zephyr with tigerskin seats, invariably clad in black and sporting what is known as "The Look". Included in his repertoire are original songs from earlier albums, like the attractive "No Spitting On The Bus", which rolled along on a Bo Diddley beat. Another hotspot was "Mr. Jones (What's Goin' On)", a long and witty rap which reminded me of the Coasters but is a Gibbons original.

It's hard to define the Gibbons approach, it's not country, nor metal, nor soul. He takes off at a low altitude, building things consistently throughout the evening, reaching high points that are all the more effective and satisfying for that. Virtually every other band on the planet could learn a lesson from this approach.

Chris Welch

KERRANG

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If you enjoy watching a true professional re-working some of the classics and mixing them in with his own self-written observations of life, then the Steve Gibbons Band will give you a night you sure won't forget in a hurry.

Steve Gibbons has fronted bands for over 35 years and the four musicians who work alongside him now make up one of the tightest bands I've heard in a long, long time. Within five minutes of opening you just know that you're listening to a man who knows his subject - and that subject is rock and roll. He kicked off with a great, but very unusual, rendition of Chuck's "You Can't Catch Me" and followed this with his personal tribute to Elvis, taken from his new "Birmingham to Memphis" album, "Memphis Flash". The song, semi-narrated tells the accurate story of Presley's first visits to the Sun Studio, and I love the line where, immediately after he tells of Elvis, Scotty and Bill fooling around with "That's All Right", Sam Phillips was heard to yell "Don't stop!" because, in Gibbons' words, "He'd Found The Holy Grail".

Steve talks his way easily through his numbers and if I had to describe his style I would say it lies somewhere between Bob Dylan and Mark Knopfler, with superb backing that owes as much to the likes of Ry Cooder as it does to Berry or Holly. Many bands can be described as laid-back, but The Steve Gibbons Band takes the meaning to the extreme, almost defying the enthusiastic audience to get too excited.

Songs such as Holly's "Well... All Right" and the Sonny Curtis/Jerry Allison classic "More Than I Can Say" featured Afro-Carribean rhythms and I particularly enjoyed "Big J.C." and "The Train", both of which were new to my ears. Gibbons has a very appealing knack of adding part lines or part phrases to his songs, and during "The Train" I detected snatches of "People Get Ready", "Folsom Prison Blues", "Mystery Train" and "Proud Mary"! After a lengthy introduction, which had nothing to do with the original version, the band reworked Chuck Berry's "Nadine", disguising the number with rythm patterns that by rights should not have been there. A self-written song that sounded as though it came from the Leiber & Stoller songbook and should have been a smash for The Coasters was greeted with huge applause, as was the funky title track from an earlier album, "On The Loose".

If you can picture the effect of superb twin guitarists, both using bottlenecks, fronting a drummer and a bassist who had found the groove on the first number of the evening and then improved on it, you might have some idea of the sounds that were going on behind Steve's voice on numbers such as "The Natural Thing", "Harley Davidson" and the excellent "He Gave His Life To Rock n Roll". Gibbons tried to close his 90-minute set with his 1977 hit revival of Chuck Berry's "Tulane", but the attentive, and by now very excited, audience brought the band back on stage to round things off with "Chuck In My Car" and "Like A Rolling Stone".

This was the first time I had ever seen The Steve Gibbons Band. I went to Rotherham with an open mind. I'll be scanning the music press to find out when I can see them again.

John Stafford

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Mississippi

Flash

The motorways from Brum see regular trips down to the "smoke" by pub bands. Current faves The Big Town Playboys are one such, other more long time travellers are the STEVE GIBBONS BAND.

Here's a man who's kept his faith through thick and thin. I suppose he reached the heights back in '78 when "Tulane" reached the Top 10 but he's still rockin' today.

Gibbons and his oh-so-tight guitar band had the house full signs up at the Putney Half Moon and guaranteed more with a fine set of macho rock 'n roll.

From the opener of Chuck Berry's "Nadine" to an encore of Dylan's "Like A Rolling Stone" Gibbons followed the classic rock 'n roll trail of automobiles and tricky women. Apart from the delivery what really impresses is the way his set flows, here's a man who's done it all and is in complete control. With little or no chat between numbers he has a clever line in a kind of jive-talk within the songs to draw his audience in.

So if you want a band that plays really hard, loud rock and roll wait for Steve Gibbons next trip South - Rock 'n Roll Lives!

CAPITAL M

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Steve Gibbons Band, Harveys Club Cafe, Stockton on Tees, October 17, 1996

Its been nineteen years since Tulane hit the pop chart, but I can tell ya that Steve Gibbons is still Eddie Vortex, as flash as he can be. Sure, that suave hair is grey now, but after all, the man's pedigree stretches back to 1958 in Birmingham with The Dominettes and The Uglys. And he's been an untouchable icon of rock ' n' roll cool ever since, with Brum beatsters and future luminaries like Dave Pegg, Trevor Burton, Denny Laine and Alan White all passing through his bands. (At other times, they populated combos such as Fairport Convention, Jethro Tull, The Move, Moody Blues, Wings and Yes.) Steve's solo career launched in February 1972, notably with Bob Wilson on guitar/vocals and Bob Lamb on drums. Bob Lamb produced the latest, highly recommended album Stained Glass earlier this year.

The current line-up has long, tall implacable P. J. Wright (playing the Strat with a wonderful chunky, 'picking across the chords' style, from that James Burton school from which Billy Bremner also graduated), Steve Dolan on steadfast bass, Mickey Barker on drums, Steve on vocals, harp and occasional guitar. Sheer experience, talent and intuition are what you're getting here. A delicate start to The Everly's Let It Be Me builds gradually and we knew then that Steve's got the right stuff in spades and that his band are absolute naturals.

They've trapped us, we're locked into the narrative, flowing Gibbons world where every song he ever wrote has a story, and every story grips your attention. He's never put his name to a throwaway song in his life. Taking a different edge to the usual 'Its so nice to be back here in so-and-so a venue in such-and-such a town', Steve gives us What's a Beautiful Girl Doing In a Dump Like This. Then its Catch Me Catch Me before PJ's wubba-wubba guitar intro to Bo's Mona mutates into the skanking, shave-and-a haircut-two-bits beat of No Spitting On The Bus... (Excited As A Lighted Fuse), one of the funniest lyrics of the '70s. If you couldn't dig it by this point, it was too late to get down to B & Q for a new spade. An inspired sprinkling of cover versions continued with a heartfelt take on Bob Dylan's Just Like A Woman, with the crowd, long since won over, joining in on the chorus. A surprising choice was Down In The Bunker, which, in its 1978 recorded state, is a big production number. But the four-piece did it more than justice, a testament to the talents of the musicians on stage. As Steve said afterwards 'Normally I would only attempt that one with a bigger line-up, but that's where I'm so lucky having these guys.' With PJ jokingly preparing to windmill his guitar arm, Bunker segues into a wonderfully stuttering tribute to The Who with My Generation. Keith Moon is alive and well, masquerading as Mick Barker: Acton Town pilled-up mod thrash comes to Teesside via Birmingham. A trilogy of Steve's allegoric wide-screen, panoramic epics Jaguar and the Thunderbird, The Train and Mr. Jones, each with its own intriguing parable: and somewhere in there we're into Hey Buddy from the latest CD. No doubt I've missed a couple, but Bollocks to it, I was having a ball.

For the encore, an attenuated, highly original arrangement of All Along The Watchtower precedes the inevitable set closer, Tulane. If there's a better live act on the circuit right now, I've yet to catch it. Take my word for it, The Steve Gibbons Band are tighter than a camel's arsehole in a sandstorm. Check them out... now!

Peter Innes

ROCK 'N' REEL MAGAZINE

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Dylan tribute is real triumph

The Dylan Project,

The Brook, Southampton, England

PLUCKING some plangent plums from Bob Dylan's back pages Steve Gibbons and his cohorts PJ Wright, Simon Nicol and Dave Pegg pleased a big crowd at The Brook. Opening with his own homage to Bob, Colours To The Mast, Steve soon brought it all back home with She Belongs To Me.

Highlights of the first half included A Sweetheart Like You, A Simple Twist Of Fate and Fourth Time Around, distinguished by some intricate mandolin playing from Dave Pegg. Vibrant versions of Positively Fourth Street and Absolutely Sweet Marie closed an effervescent first half.

The second set opened with a compelling take of You Gotta Serve Somebody before Dave Pegg picked up the mandolin again for Winterlude. Blonde On Blonde favourites Just Like A Woman and I Want You had the crowd buzzing, but things really started to rock with Highway 61, led by PJ Wright's driving slide guitar.

The band encored with a rollicking Like A Rolling Stone, which segued into Twist And Shout and La Bamba before reverting seamlessly back to the original song.

A triumphant performance from the ultimate tribute band, brilliant vocals from Steve Gibbons and masterful back-up PJ, Simon and Dave.

Peter Ashton (march 11, 1998)

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STEVE GIBBONS

THE DYLAN PROJECT

He admits as much himself in the sleeve notes (and less directly in a self-penned opening track), but, since his leadership of Birmingham beat group, The Uglys (sic), in the mid-60s, Steve Gibbons has turned as regularly to the Bob Dylan songbook as a monk to the Bible.

Furthermore, as much as Bryan Ferry did in the 1970s, he impregnates each track with a true individuality while treating originals - principally from the post-protest decades - with respect on a tribute album that, if a long time coming, has been almost inevitable.

The majority of the selections aren't obvious choices: no Blowing In The Wind or Knocking On Heaven's Door. Indeed, in embracing items from such as Empire Burlesque or 1989's Oh Mercy as tightly as I Want You - the only Dylan hit single included - there is practical evidence of hard listening and abiding fondness for the music that hasn't been blinded by rose-tinted memories of The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan, Like A Rolling Stone or even 1976's million selling Desire.

Taped in Fairport Convention's Oxfordshire studio, The Dylan Project is to be promoted this autumn on a nation-wide tour in which the artist will be backed by both the godfathers of folk-rock (with ex-Ugly Dave Pegg on bass) and long-time collaborator, guitarist P.J. Wright. Don't miss it - because, whilst some of you will think I'm being a bit silly for saying so, I think that these latest professional activities might confirm Steve Gibbons as one of the planet's most inspired Dylan interpreters since... well, since his 21- year old self was asked "You ever heard of this guy?", as, with deceptive casualness, Freewheelin' was slipped onto the turntable.

ALAN CLAYSON

The Beat Goes On (Nov.98)

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STEVE GIBBONS

The Dylan Project

Veteran Brummie rocker plays fast and loose on 14 Dylan songs, with a little help from Fairport Convention.

Steve Gibbons joins the ranks of Joan Baez, Judy Collins, The Hollies and Barbara Dickson by recording a whole album of Dylan songs. Rather than get locked in the '60s, The Dylan Project does Bob from soup to nuts: from the inspiring When The Ship Comes In to the reflective Ring Them Bells, from the amphetamine anarchy of Stuck Inside Of Mobile... to the stately Dark Eyes.

While the album obviously is an homage to Dylan, it is very much Steve Gibbons's take. The Dylan project is a tribute in the best possible sense. Touching and deftly handled, it makes you marvel, once again, at the scope and majesty of this singular writer's work.

Patrick Humpfries

MOJO '98

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Nearest thing to Dylan

Steve Gibbons & Fairport Convention, Ronnie Scott's, Birmingham, England

IT MAY not have been the real thing , but this Bob Dylan tribute was as close as it gets. Veteran Brummie rocker Steve Gibbons teamed up with PJ Wright and Fairport Convention's Dave Pegg and Simon Nicol for this special one-off tour.

The four have produced an album, appropriately called The Dylan Project, with superb interpretations of a sample of the folk legend's many classic songs. Gibbons, a self-confessed Dylan fan for more than three decades, manages to sound uncannily like the "master" - even down to his excellent harmonica playing.

The splendid band opened with Gibbons' own Colours To The Mast, but then it was pure Dylan all the way including a sublime Positively 4^th Street. Great songs emanated from one memorable album to another, ranging from Blonde On Blonde and The Times They Are A-Changing to John Wesley Harding.

If you closed your eyes, you could easily imagine it was Dylan himself on stage.

TONY COLLINS

EVENING MAIL