One of the Greatest Rock’n’Roll Performances You Have Never Seen

Alex Harvey, the leader of the Scottish rock band The Sensational Alex Harvey Band, was born 80 years ago next week on February 5th, 1935, just a few weeks after Elvis.  He died 33 years ago next week on February 4th, 1982, one day short of his 47th birthday, the victim of a heart attack.  I first encountered Alex and the SAHB in the mid-70’s on the ABC late night rock show, “In Concert”.  “In Concert” was a great series, and often featured new music from artists not yet known in the US.  It’s where I discovered Roxy Music for the first time, doing a great version of “Song For Europe”.  But I digress…   Alex and the band appeared on the show, doing their song “Vambo Marble Eye” and I immediately became a fan.  They were part of the “glam rock” scene, but had a heavy foundation in rhythm and blues.  By this time, Alex was almost 40, but he had an undeniable stage presence and a theatrical flair.  They never became big in the US, except in Cleveland, where they were headliners.  At around the same time that I encountered them on “In Concert” the SAHB played the Ragnarock Festival in Norway, where this performance was filmed.  Alex and the SAHB put their own special twist on the Leiber/Stoller classic “Framed’  The Norwegian hippies seem a bit perplexed by Alex and band, but sit back and enjoy the show, featuring a great guitar solo by Zal Cleminson.  Oh, and I will be featuring the band on Monday’s show, 12-4 PM CST at http://uicradio.org/ for Alex’s 80th.  http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FG6aLs8zzrs