Strider - Misunderstood (Reissue) (1974/2009)

Strider were a UK blues/rock outfit of tremendous potential. They were formed by guitarist Gary Grainger, keyboard player and lead vocalist Ian Kewley, bassist Lee Hunter and drummer Jimmy Hawkins. They spent their early days supporting the likes of Humble Pie, Status Quo and Deep Purple. Their debut album, ''Exposed", was released on Phillips Records in 1973, and it featured Babe Ruth's Jennie Haan on backing vocals, as did the second. A fairly good album, it was nonetheless overshadowed by their final effort, which now featured new lead vocalist Rob Elliott and Tony Brock in place of Jimmy Hawkins. Just as it seemed as if this great band were going places, they split, with Grainger going on to feature in Rod Stewart's band and Tony Brock moving on to The Babys.
Note: not to be confused with the nineties band of the same name.
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Strider released only two albums and only just made it as a footnote in rock's history but their legacy far outweighed their contribution as a band due to the work their members did after they broke up.
Although little known they built up a rabid following on the UK club and universities circuit and were regulars at the influential Marquee Club in London. Their hard rock & blues style were typical of the period but perhaps not distinctive enough to allow them to make it big.
The first album Exposed was recorded by Grainger, Hunter, Hawkins and Kewley and was a decent enough effort but wasn't going to set the world on fire. Internal disputes flared resulting in Hawkins and Hunter both leaving.
The band still managed to be a good live attraction and went down a storm at the 1974 Reading Festival particularly their stage anthem "Flying". By the time of the second album the bass and drum positions had been filled by Strzelczyk and Brock respectively and the band had been augmented by singer Elliot. Misunderstood was also fleshed out by the addition of Jenny Haan who was then on the threshold of quitting Babe Ruth.
The band had reached their plateau. They were limited in having a choice of only 16 original songs and often resorted to R&B covers. The internal squabbles finally became too much and the band folded in 1974. This situation was exacerbated by the efforts of Rod Stewart to lure Grainger away from them. Following the split Grainger spent some time with Stewart before working with the likes of Roger Daltrey and John Entwistle. Kewley formed Limey, worked with Paul Young before reaching his highwater mark by working with Manic Street Preachers. Brock was perhaps the most prolific as his career included The Babys, Eddie Money, Rod Stewart and Jimmy Barnes.