Geordie (band)

Geordie (/ˈdʒɔːrdi/ JOR-dee) were a British rock band from Newcastle upon Tyne, most notably active in the 1970s.[1]

Geordie
Geordie in 1973. L–R: Brian Gibson, Tom Hill, Brian Johnson, and Vic Malcolm.
Background information
Also known asPowerhouse, USA
OriginNewcastle, England
GenresRock, glam rock, hard rock, blues rock
Years active1971–80, 1982–85, 2001, 2018-present
Labels
Associated actsAC/DC
Past membersBrian Johnson
Vic Malcolm
Rob Turnbull
Tom Hill
Brian Gibson
David Stephenson
Micky Bennison

History

The original (from February 1972) Geordie line-up included: Vic Malcolm (lead guitar), Tom Hill (bass guitar), Brian Gibson (drums) and Brian Johnson (lead vocals).[1] Their first single, "Don't Do That" broke into the Top 40 of the UK Singles Chart in December 1972.[2] In March 1973, Geordie released their debut album, Hope You Like It on EMI label.[1] Trying to compete with such British glam rock outfits as Slade and Sweet (Geordie supported the former on a UK tour, as well as the latter at a concert at the Rainbow Club, London in March 1973), they achieved UK Top 10 status with "All Because of You" (April 1973) and had a UK Top 20 hit with "Can You Do It" (July 1973).[1] They also had several appearances on BBC Television including 15 appearances on Top of the Pops, one of which was in November 1972.

In the early 1970s, Geordie toured Australia regularly and gained a solid following in Newcastle, New South Wales, due to the "Newcastle" connection and the song "Geordie's Lost his Liggie" gained popularity and airplay in Newcastle. They were one of the regular touring bands to play at the "art deco" Savoy Theatre in Lambton. Their second album, Don't Be Fooled By The Name (1974),[1] including a cover of traditional "House of the Rising Sun", failed to yield a hit.

After their 1976 album Save the World, frontman Johnson left for a solo project.[1] The band's album, No Good Woman, in 1978 consisted of three unreleased tracks with Johnson and new material recorded by Malcolm with future Dire Straits keyboardist Alan Clark, vocalist Dave Ditchburn, bassist Frank Gibbon, and drummer George Defty. Johnson had meanwhile begun to perform as Geordie in a new line-up, sometimes also called Geordie II, in which he was the only original member. The band signed a recording contract in 1980, but finally folded that spring when Johnson replaced the late Bon Scott in AC/DC.[1]

Post break-up

After AC/DC's lead singer Bon Scott died in February 1980, AC/DC chose Brian Johnson (whose vocal talent had previously been praised by Scott) to take over lead vocal duties.[1] Johnson first appeared with AC/DC on their 1980 album, Back in Black.

In 1982, the original Geordie, but without Johnson, re-grouped as a quintet and went on to record an album titled No Sweat in 1983 with new singer Rob Turnbull and additional guitarist David Stephenson. The album was released on heavy metal independent record label, Neat Records. Critically acclaimed but with no major success, they disbanded for the second time. They re-grouped in the middle of 1980s, but Malcolm left, and they later changed their name to Powerhouse, to release an eponymous album in 1986, before disbanding indefinitely.[3]

At the end of 2001, during an AC/DC hiatus, Johnson had a one off reunion, for a short UK tour, with Geordie's 1977–80 line-up, performing largely hard rock cover versions. They were known as Geordie 2.

Rob Turnbull (Dr. Rob) is a member of the band Gadji as of 2013. In 2014, Vic Malcolm formed a new band, Dynamite, with Rick Mort and recorded an album, Rock 'Til You Drop, in 2014 on indie label Tabitha Records.

Discography

Studio albums (as Geordie)

Studio album (as Powerhouse)
  • Powerhouse (1986) (Ambush/EMI)

Compilation albums
  • Geordie - Masters of Rock (1974) (EMI)
  • Geordie featuring Brian Johnson (1980) (Red Bus)
  • Strange Man (1982) (compilation) (Red Bus)
  • Keep on Rocking (1989) (digitally mixed & mastered) (Anchor/DCC)
  • Rocking with the Boys (1992) (Australian compilation) (Raven)
  • A Band from Geordieland (1996) (compilation – 24 tracks) (Repertoire)
  • The Very Best of Geordie (1997) (compilation) (CMC/Play records)
  • The Best of Geordie (1998) (compilation) (Platinum)
  • Can You Do It? (1999) (compilation) (Delta)
  • The Singles Collection (2001) (compilation) (7T's records)
  • No Sweat (2002) (re-release compiled with 4 live sessions recorded at the BBC) (Castle Records)
  • Can You Do It (2003) (compilation) (Pickwick – Holland)
  • Unreleased Tapes (2005) (12 rare tracks) (OVC Media – Russia)
  • The Very Best of Geordie – The original versions (2009) (compilation) (Spectre/Universal records)
  • Keep on Rockin' – The Very Best Of (2009) (compilation) (Spectre/Universal records)
  • Greatest Hits (2012) (compilation) (Zebra Studio records)
  • The Albums (2016) 5 CD 66 track set of all five albums recorded by Geordie.

Singles
  • "Don't Do That" b/w "Francis Was a Rocker" (Regal Zonophone, September 1972) – UK No. 32
  • "All Because of You" b/w "Ain't It Just Like a Woman" (EMI), February 1973) – UK No. 6
  • "Can You Do It" b/w "Red Eyed Lady" (EMI, June 1973) – UK No. 13, AUS No. 69[4]
  • "Electric Lady" b/w "Geordie Stomp" (EMI, August 1973) – UK No. 32 [2]
  • "Black Cat Woman" b/w "Geordie's Lost His Liggie" (EMI, November 1973)
  • "She's a Teaser" b/w "We're Alright Now" (EMI, August 1974)
  • "Ride on Baby" b/w "Got to Know" (EMI, October 1974)
  • "House of the Rising Sun" b/w "Goin' Down" (Vogue, 1974, France only release)
  • "Goodbye Love" b/w "She's a Lady" (EMI, June 1975)
  • "Don't Do That" b/w "Keep on Rocking" (remix by Colin Thurston) (Red Bus, February 1981)
  • "Nutbush City Limits" b/w "No Sweat" (Armageddon, April 1982)

Band members

1972–1977 line-up:

  • Brian Johnson (vocals)
  • Vic Malcolm (guitar, vocals) (1972-1975, 1976-1977)
  • Tom Hill (bass)
  • Brian Gibson (drums)
  • Micky Bennison (guitar) (1975-1976)

Line-up for some tracks on No Good Woman (1978):

  • Dave Ditchburn (vocals)
  • Vic Malcolm (guitar)
  • Alan Clark (keyboards)
  • Frank Gibbon (bass)
  • George Defty (drums)

Line-up with Johnson ("Geordie II"), 1977–1980, 2001:

  • Brian Johnson (vocals)
  • Derek Rootham (guitar)
  • Dave Robson (bass)
  • Davy Whittaker (drums)

1982–1985 line-up:

  • Rob Turnbull (vocals)
  • Vic Malcolm (guitar)
  • David Stephenson (guitar)
  • Tom Hill (bass)
  • Brian Gibson (drums)

Line-up as Powerhouse, 1986

  • Rob Turnbull (vocals)
  • Martin Metcalf (guitar)
  • Tom Hill (bass)
  • Brian Gibson (drums)

2018–Present date line-up:

  • Mark Wright (vocals)
  • Steve Dawson (guitar)
  • Tom Hill (bass)
  • Brian Gibson (drums)

See also

References
  1. Colin Larkin, ed. (1995). The Guinness Who’s Who of Heavy Metal (Second ed.). Guinness Publishing. p. 144. ISBN 0-85112-656-1.
  2. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). Guinness World Records Limited. p. 225. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  3. "Biography by Richie Unterberger". AllMusic. Retrieved 2 January 2009.
  4. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 123. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
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