ZEE BOX SETS LEAVE HOME

Compared to some bands with an equally long career, the story of Pink Floyd is a reasonably simple one. The classic line-ups between 1965 and 2014 - when they finally announced that they had called it a day - only actually included five people, one of whom (Syd Barrett) had exited stage left in March 1968. There were a number of interpersonal problems in the late 70s and early 80s, which lead to keyboard player, Richard “Rick” Wright, not being a proper member for several albums.

During his absence from the band, upon recovering from a fairly major crisis in his personal life, he formed a short lived side project, called Zee, together with a bloke called Dave Harris, who was best known as part of classic post-punk/new romantic band, Fashion. Have you ever wondered what would happen if you fused the sort of clever synth-pop that bands like The Human League were doing in the first half of the 1980s with the organic, cerebral, keyboard playing of one of the greatest soundscape architects of the progressive rock era? Well, you need wonder no more. The band only released one album – Identity – which came out in 1984, and which was – with ironic hindsight – a suitable date for such an iconoclastic set of tunes to be released.

The album has been unavailable for many years, which is a great pity, because I have always loved it. I always liked the concept of 1980s new romantic music, but felt that the results were somewhat lacking in emotion because of the conditions under which they recorded; when you add a big-hearted and eminently compassionate musician like Richard Wright to the mix, the results could be – and ultimately, were – utterly extraordinary. Now, eleven years after Wright’s death, those jolly nice fellows at Gonzo (which whom I am proud to be numbered) have re-released it in a number of exciting formats.

You don’t believe me? Well, as well as a purchase link that you can find here:

https://www.musicglue.com/zee-1/

Here are photographs of the first batch of boxsets leaving the production line:

And here are the first sales being dispatched:

Good’ere innit?

Watch this space...