Complex

The Blackpool, England group Complex concocted a sound -- a breezy mix of bubblegum, leftover psychedelia, and early traces of prog -- that proved to be a hard sell in the early '70s. They spent the bulk of the decade playing local clubs and making demos, trying and failing to reach the big time. Neither of their self-recorded albums -- 1970's Complex and 1971's The Way We Feel -- scored the band a record deal, and they finished their career hustling for a break that never came. Complex's legend grew over time, and eventually their recordings became sought-after rarities. With the release of 2022's Live for the Minute: The Complex Anthology, their entire recorded output was finally given deluxe reissue treatment.The band's roots lie in a mid-'60s beat group named the Ramblers that featured guitarists Brian Lee and Tony Fisher. The combo grew popular playing clubs around their native Blackpool area, nearly reaching their goal of a record deal. When things didn't pan out as hoped, Lee returned to school and the group folded. Once he graduated and was back in Blackpool, he formed a new band with Fisher, this time with bassist Lance Fogg and vocalist/drummer Tony Shakespeare. Named Complex, they began playing together in 1968 and were soon hit with lineup changes. Fisher left and was replaced by 12-string guitarist Chip Hughes, who didn't last long. Fisher came back briefly, then left to join the army. The band changed gears and replaced him with organist Steve Coe, who brought with him a batch of original songs. These were a timely addition to the group's repertoire, which up until then had consisted mostly of cover songs. The band continued to play shows, hone their sound -- which by now incorporated elements of baroque psychedelia, spacy neo-prog, West Coast harmony pop, and bubblegum -- and look for a record deal to no avail. Taking matters into their own hands, Complex cut a self-financed single in 1970. The A-side was a rambling version of Deep Purple's "Hush," the flip was the stately Coe-penned soft psych ballad "Images Blue." Soon afterward, they hatched the plan to record an album as a demo they could send to record companies. Assembling in local pub during off-hours to record the music, and decamping to the Lee family home for vocals, the result was a spirited, very lo-fi example of a band at the tail end of psychedelia who were looking for a new sound, whether it was jaunty ska, light bubblegum, or lengthy jazz-rock excursions. They pressed up 99 copies of the poorly mastered self-titled album and dutifully sent them off to record labels. The only reply they got was from EMI, which asked the band to visit the label's in-house studio to record a real demo; the results still didn't earn them a deal. Undeterred, the band began work on a second album. Gathering up the songs that went over best at live dates, Complex set up in the pub again, this time using a little more production savvy. Once finished, they titled the album The Way We Feel -- after its catchiest song -- pressed up 99 copies again, and went through the same cycle of hopefulness and defeat. That no labels were interested was painful enough; the bigger blow was the loss of Coe. He left the group to teach music and was replaced by Steve Proctor, a keyboardist who had released the single "Mr. Commuter" in 1967. Before joining Complex, he was in a prog band named Innocent Child and his presence pulled the group in that direction. This new lineup recorded a five-song demo in early 1972 comprised of two long progressive pop songs and three covers, including a far-out take on "Theme from Shaft." Again, the recordings did little to drum up interest in the band, and Proctor left shortly thereafter to be replaced by Keith Shackleton. The group continued to bang their head against the wall, recording demos, participating in talent contests, and playing shows regularly. By the mid-'70s, they were back to being a cover band, casting aside any prog leanings in the process. Finally getting lucky in 1975 on the heels of a glam rock-inspired demo, they were able to get a deal with Pye Records for a single. Minus bassist Lance Fogg, who quit just before they got their long-awaited break, Complex entered the studio and exited with two songs, the disco-fied "Who Got the Love" and the soft rock-smooth "She Turns Me On," which were released to little fanfare (or sales) in April 1976. The group kept plugging away in the studio, looking for a song the label wanted to release, but a year later they parted ways with Pye. After adding drummer Carl Hutchinson to the band, they recorded yet another demo that fell on deaf ears, then made an abrupt left turn into punk rock with the song "Dial 999." After briefly considering a name change to Ronnie Nose & the Snot Gobblers to go along with their new aggressive sound, the group instead made the decision to break up. Complex's music was largely forgotten, which was not a surprise since it was barely heard in the first place; however, a small cult still grew around their first two albums. Complex was bootlegged in 1991, then in 1999 Wooden Hill Records released an authorized version of both albums. Further reissues followed, but it wasn't until 2022 that all their music was finally heard, in fully remastered fashion, thanks to Grapefruit Records and its release of Live for the Minute: The Complex Anthology.
© Tim Sendra /TiVo