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Mel Collins

Mel Collins

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Contents

  • (Top)
  • 1Career
  • 2Selected discography
    • 2.1as Band member/sideman
    • 2.2Session work
  • 3Collaborations
  • 4Bands by years
    • 4.1Timeline
  • 5References
  • 6External links
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British musician

Musical artist

Melvyn Desmond Collins (born 5 September 1947, Isle of Man) is a British saxophonist, flautist and session musician.

Collins has played in several progressive rock groups, having been a member of King Crimson on two occasions (the first from 1970 to 1972 and the second from 2013 to 2021) and having played with Camel, the Alan Parsons Project, Roger Waters and Chris Squire. He has also worked in a wide variety of contexts ranging from R&B and blues rock to jazz.

Career

Collins was born into a family of musicians. His mother was Bebe Collins a singer while his father was Derek Collins a saxophonist and session musician who toured with Judy Garland and Shirley Bassey.

Collins has worked with a large number of notable recording artists,[1] including 10cc, Alexis Korner, Alvin Lee, Clannad, Eric Clapton, Bad Company, Pino Daniele, Dire Straits, Bryan Ferry, Roger Chapman, Marianne Faithfull, The Rolling Stones, Roger Waters,[2] Gerry Rafferty, Tears for Fears, Go West and Joan Armatrading.

He was a member of progressive rock bands King Crimson, Camel, and sessioned with the The Alan Parsons Project. For King Crimson he was Ian McDonald's replacement, playing on the albums In the Wake of Poseidon (1970), Lizard (1970), Islands (1971) and Earthbound (1972). He left King Crimson in 1972, later contributing to the album Red (1974) as a session musician. He played on the Crimson Jazz Trio's second album, The King Crimson Songbook, Volume Two, released in 2009.

Collins played the saxophone solo on The Rolling Stones 1978 hit single, "Miss You",[3] and played with Dire Straits on their live album, Alchemy. He was one of the members of Kokomo with Tony O'Malley, Neil Hubbard, Paddy McHugh, Frank Collins, Dyan Birch, and Alan Spenner, and is a frequent performer with Tony O'Malley.

In 1983, Collins played the saxophone solo on the hit single "Private Dancer", the title cut on Tina Turner's album by the same name. His solo was recorded in England at the Wessex Studios.[4]

In 1984, Mel Collins played saxophone in Pino Daniele’s album ’’Musicante‘’, having previously toured with the Neapolitan blues man. In the same year, Mel Collins toured with Roger Waters to support the album The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking. In 1985 Collins was part of the supergroup 'Willie and the Poor Boys' appearing in their video with Bill Wyman and Jimmy Page. He toured again with Waters on a second leg of the 'Pros and Cons' tour. That same year, he also appeared on the album Songs From The Big Chair by Tears for Fears, playing saxophone on "The Working Hour". In 1986 he was a musician on the animated film When the Wind Blows. He worked again with Waters in 1987, appearing on both the album Radio K.A.O.S. and the subsequent tour and in 1988 again with Daniele in the album ’’Bonne Soirée’’ and the subsequent tour.

In 2006 a band member on Die Harald Schmidt Show.[5]

From 2002–07 Collins was a member of the King Crimson offshoot group 21st Century Schizoid Band, with other former Crimson members.

In May 2008 Kokomo was reformed temporarily. With Collins were Tony O'Malley, Neil Hubbard, Mark Smith, Adam Phillips, Andy Hamilton, Paddy McHugh, Dyan Birch, Frank Collins, Bernie Holland, and Glen Le Fleur.

Collins played woodwinds on the 2011 King Crimson ProjeKct 7, A Scarcity of Miracles, appearing on a King Crimson related album for the first time since 1974. In September 2013, Robert Fripp confirmed that Mel Collins would be a member of King Crimson again, the band being referred to as King Crimson VIII.

Collins was also a member of Pete Haycock's reformation of the Climax Blues Band in 2013, prior to Haycock's death in October 2013.

Collins is currently a member of Dire Straits Legacy, a band dedicated to playing music by Dire Straits, dubbed as "the closest you’re going to get!"[6] The band features Collins on saxophone, alongside fellow former Dire Straits touring members: Danny Cummings (percussion, vocals) and Phil Palmer (guitar, vocals), former Dire Straits members: Alan Clark (keyboards) and Jack Sonni (guitar, vocals) alongside record producer Trevor Horn (bass, vocals) as well as Marco Cavigila (lead guitar, vocals) and Primiano Dibiase (keyboards).[7] The band have recorded on Studio album "3 Chord Trick".[8]

Selected discography

as Band member/sideman

  • Circus: Circus (1969)
  • The Alan Parsons Project: Eye in the Sky (1982); Ammonia Avenue (1984)
  • The Byron Band: On the Rocks (1981)
  • Camel: Rain Dances (1977); A Live Record (Live, 1978); Breathless (1978); Pressure Points (Live, 1984)
  • Dire Straits: Alchemy (Live, 1984)
  • Jakko Jakszyk and Mel Collins: King Crimson's Night (Live, 2006)
  • Jakszyk, Fripp and Collins: A Scarcity of Miracles (2011)
  • King Crimson: In the Wake of Poseidon (1970); Lizard (1970); Islands (1971); Earthbound (1972); Ladies of the Road (1971–72, issued 2002); Red (1974); Live at the Orpheum (2015); Live in Toronto (2015); Radical Action to Unseat the Hold of Monkey Mind (2016); Live in Chicago (2017); Music is our Friend: Live in Washington and Albany (2021)
  • Kokomo: Kokomo (1975); Rise & Shine (1977)
  • Alexis Korner: Live on Tour in Germany (1973); The Party Album (Live, 1980)
  • Alvin Lee: In Flight (Live, 1974)
  • The Rolling Stones: Some Girls (1978)
  • 21st Century Schizoid Band: Official Bootleg V.1 (2002); In The Wake of Schizoid Men (2003); Live in Japan (2003, CD and DVD); Live in Italy (2003); Pictures of a City – Live in New York (2006)

Session work

Collins has done session work for many different artists, among them Joan Armatrading, Bad Company, Camel, Jim Capaldi, Clannad, Bryan Ferry, Alexis Korner, Alvin Lee, Phil Manzanera/801, Anthony Phillips, Chris Squire and Gerry Rafferty

Collaborations

  • Ain't Gonna Play No Second Fiddle - Dana Gillespie (1974)
  • Sneakin' Sally Through the Alley - Robert Palmer (1974)
  • Pressure Drop - Robert Palmer (1975)
  • Let's Stick Together - Bryan Ferry (1976)
  • Slowhand - Eric Clapton (1977)
  • Show Some Emotion - Joan Armatrading (1977)
  • In Your Mind - Bryan Ferry (1978)
  • Wet Dream - Richard Wright (1978)
  • The Bride Stripped Bare - Bryan Ferry (1978)
  • Snakes and Ladders - Gerry Rafferty (1980)
  • Celebration - Sally Oldfield (1980)
  • Tilt - Cozy Powell (1981)
  • Walk Under Ladders - Joan Armatrading (1981)
  • Playing in the Flame - Sally Oldfield (1981)
  • Sleepwalking - Gerry Rafferty (1982)
  • The Philip Lynott Album – Philip Lynott (1982)
  • Common Ground - Richie Havens (1983)
  • The Key - Joan Armatrading (1983)
  • Strange Day in Berlin - Sally Oldfield (1983)
  • Private Dancer - Tina Turner (1984)
  • Gone to Earth - David Sylvian (1986)
  • Cocker - Joe Cocker (1986)
  • Radio K.A.O.S. - Roger Waters (1987)
  • Introducing the Hardline According to Terence Trent D'Arby - Terence Trent D'Arby (1987)
  • Swamp - Phil Thornalley (1988)
  • North and South - Gerry Rafferty (1988)
  • Big Boy - Dana Gillespie (1992)
  • On a Wing and a Prayer - Gerry Rafferty (1992)
  • Taxi - Bryan Ferry (1993)
  • Over My Head - Gerry Rafferty (1994)
  • Another World - Gerry Rafferty (2000)
  • Life Goes On - Gerry Rafferty (2009)

Bands by years

  • Eric Burdon; saxophonist:1965;1980
  • Phillip Goodhand-Tait and the Stormsville Shakers; saxophonist 1966
  • Circus (previously the Stormsville Shakers) saxophonist, flautist 1967–70
  • King Crimson; saxophonist, flautist, keyboardist and backing vocalist 1970–72, 1974, 2013–2021
  • Alexis Korner; saxophonist 1972–82
  • Kokomo; saxophonist, flautist 1973–75; 2015–16
  • Alvin Lee; saxophonist 1973–2000
  • Bad Company; saxophonist 1974–82
  • Snafu; saxophonist 1974–75
  • Humble Pie; saxophonist 1974–75
  • Uriah Heep; saxophonist 1975
  • Chris Squire; saxophonist 1975
  • Phil Manzanera; saxophonist 1975–87
  • Bryan Ferry; 1976–93
  • Eric Clapton; saxophonist 1977
  • Small Faces; saxophonist 1977
  • Streetwalkers; saxophonist 1977
  • Camel; saxophonist, flautist 1977–84
  • Joan Armatrading; saxophonist 1977–83
  • The Rolling Stones; saxophonist 1977–78
  • Richard Wright; saxophonist and flautist 1978
  • Ian Matthews; saxophonist 1978–79
  • Roger Chapman and the Shortlist; saxophonist 1979
  • Gerry Rafferty; saxophonist 78–94
  • Anthony Phillips; saxophonist and flautist 1977-80
  • Sally Oldfield; saxophonist 1980–83
  • Jim Capaldi; saxophonist 1980–88
  • The Byron Band; saxophonist 1981
  • Marianne Faithfull; saxophonist 1981
  • Caravan; saxophonist 1981
  • The Alan Parsons Project; saxophonist 1982–84
  • Cliff Richard; saxophonist 1982–83
  • Dire Straits; saxophonist 1983
  • Wang Chung; saxophonist 1983 (alto sax solo on the hit single "Dance Hall Days", from the album Points on the Curve.)
  • Tears for Fears; saxophonist 1983–85
  • 10cc; saxophonist 1983
  • Eberhard Schoener; saxophonist:1983
  • Roger Waters and the Bleeding Heart Band; saxophonist 1984–87, and played on the last shows of the 2000 In the Flesh tour.
  • Go West; saxophonist 1985
  • Clannad; saxophonist 1985, 1994–98
  • 21st Century Schizoid Band; saxophonist, flautist, keyboardist and backing vocalist 2002–04
  • Dire Straits Legacy; saxophonist 2020–present

Timeline

References

  1. ^ "Collins". Answers.com. Retrieved 15 January 2011.
  2. ^ McPherson, Ian. "Collins with the Rolling Stones". timeisonourside.com. Retrieved 15 January 2011.
  3. ^ "'Miss You' – Rolling Stones". timeisonourside.com. Retrieved 29 August 2008.
  4. ^ "'Private Dancer' - Tina Turner". Discogs.com. Retrieved 24 February 2017.
  5. ^ "Mel Collins". IMDb. Retrieved 15 January 2011.
  6. ^ "Why DSL ?". DSL* Dire Straits Legacy. 5 December 2019. Retrieved 17 May 2022.
  7. ^ "The Band". DSL* Dire Straits Legacy. 15 March 2019. Retrieved 17 May 2022.
  8. ^ Legacy - 3 Chord Trick, retrieved 17 May 2022

External links

  • Mel Collins's full discography on Elephant-Talk.com
  • Mel Collins Live with Kokomo – video.
  • Mel Collins' page on www.kokomo.band
King Crimson
  • Robert Fripp
  • Mel Collins
  • Tony Levin
  • Pat Mastelotto
  • Gavin Harrison
  • Jakko Jakszyk
  • Jeremy Stacey
  • Peter Sinfield
  • Michael Giles
  • Greg Lake
  • Ian McDonald
  • Peter Giles
  • Gordon Haskell
  • Andy McCulloch
  • Boz Burrell
  • Ian Wallace
  • Bill Bruford
  • John Wetton
  • David Cross
  • Jamie Muir
  • Adrian Belew
  • Trey Gunn
  • Bill Rieflin
Studio albums
  • In the Court of the Crimson King
  • In the Wake of Poseidon
  • Lizard
  • Islands
  • Larks' Tongues in Aspic
  • Starless and Bible Black
  • Red
  • Discipline
  • Beat
  • Three of a Perfect Pair
  • THRAK
  • The Construkction of Light
  • The Power to Believe
ProjeKcts albums
  • Space Groove
  • Heaven and Earth
  • A Scarcity of Miracles
Extended plays
  • VROOOM
  • Happy with What You Have to Be Happy With
Live albums
Standard release
  • Earthbound
  • USA
  • The Great Deceiver
  • B'Boom: Live in Argentina
  • THRaKaTTaK
  • Epitaph
  • The Night Watch
  • Absent Lovers: Live in Montreal
  • Live in Mexico City
  • The ProjeKcts
    • Live at the Jazz Café
  • Heavy ConstruKction
  • VROOOM VROOOM
  • Ladies of the Road
  • EleKtrik: Live in Japan
  • Live at the Orpheum
  • Live in Toronto
  • Radical Action to Unseat the Hold of Monkey Mind
  • Live in Chicago
  • Live in Vienna
  • Meltdown: Live in Mexico City
  • Music Is Our Friend: Live in Washington and Albany
Collector's Club
  • Live at the Marquee
  • Live at Jacksonville
  • The Beat Club, Bremen
  • Live at Cap D'Agde
  • On Broadway
  • Live in San Francisco
  • The Vrooom Sessions
  • Live at Summit Studios
  • Live in Central Park, NYC
  • Live in Hyde Park
  • Nashville Rehearsals
  • Live at Plymouth Guildhall
  • Live in Mainz
  • Live in Berkeley, CA
  • Live in Northampton, MA
  • Live in Detroit, MI
  • Live in Nashville
  • Live at the Zoom Club
  • The Champaign–Urbana Sessions
  • Jazz Café Suite
  • Live in Austin, TX
  • Rehearsals & Blows
Compilations
  • A Young Person's Guide to King Crimson
  • The Compact King Crimson
  • Heartbeat: The Abbreviated King Crimson
  • Frame by Frame: The Essential King Crimson
  • Sleepless: The Concise King Crimson
  • Cirkus: The Young Persons' Guide to King Crimson Live
  • The Deception of the Thrush: A Beginners' Guide to ProjeKcts
  • A Beginners' Guide to the King Crimson Collectors' Club
  • The Power to Believe Tour Box
  • The 21st Century Guide to King Crimson Volume One: 1969–1974
  • The 21st Century Guide to King Crimson Volume Two: 1981–2003
  • The Condensed 21st Century Guide to King Crimson: 1969–2003
  • The Elements of King Crimson
Major Box Sets
  • In the Court of the Crimson King
  • Larks' Tongues in Aspic
  • The Road to Red
  • Starless
  • THRAK
  • On (and off) The Road
  • Sailors' Tales
  • Heaven & Earth
  • The Complete 1969 Recordings
Singles
  • "The Court of the Crimson King"
  • "Cat Food"
  • "Epitaph" / "21st Century Schizoid Man"
  • "Matte Kudasai" / "Elephant Talk"
  • "Thela Hun Ginjeet"
  • "Heartbeat"
  • "Three of a Perfect Pair"
  • "Sleepless"
  • "People"
  • "Sex Sleep Eat Drink Dream"
Other songs
  • "I Talk to the Wind"
  • "Moonchild"
  • "Islands"
  • "Larks' Tongues in Aspic"
  • "Fallen Angel"
  • "Starless"
Videos
  • Déjà Vrooom
  • Neal and Jack and Me
  • Eyes Wide Open
Related
Articles
  • Discography
  • Members
  • Discipline Global Mobile
Bands
  • Giles, Giles and Fripp
  • Yes
  • McDonald and Giles
  • Emerson, Lake & Palmer
  • Camel
  • Bad Company
  • Foreigner
  • U.K.
  • Asia
  • Mr. Mister
  • Bruford Levin Upper Extremities
  • Tuner
  • HoBoLeMa
  • Stick Men
  • TU
  • 21st Century Schizoid Band
  • Crimson Jazz Trio
  • Crimson ProjeKct
  • The Vicar
  • Category
Camel
  • Andrew Latimer
  • Colin Bass
  • Denis Clement
  • Pete Jones
  • Andy Ward
  • Peter Bardens
  • Doug Ferguson
  • Mel Collins
  • Richard Sinclair
  • Jan Schelhaas
  • Dave Sinclair
  • Kit Watkins
  • Chris Rainbow
  • David Paton
  • Ton Scherpenzeel
  • Paul Burgess
  • Mickey Simmonds
  • Dave Stewart
  • Guy LeBlanc
  • Jason Hart
  • Duncan McKay
Studio albums
  • Camel (1973)
  • Mirage (1974)
  • The Snow Goose (1975)
  • Moonmadness (1976)
  • Rain Dances (1977)
  • Breathless (1978)
  • I Can See Your House from Here (1979)
  • Nude (1981)
  • The Single Factor (1982)
  • Stationary Traveller (1984)
  • Dust and Dreams (1991)
  • Harbour of Tears (1996)
  • Rajaz (1999)
  • A Nod and a Wink (2002)
Live albums
  • Greasy Truckers Live at Dingwalls Dance Hall (1974)
  • A Live Record (1978)
  • Pressure Points: Live in Concert (1984)
  • Never Let Go (1993)
Singles
  • "Never Let Go"
Related articles
  • Discography
  • Caravan
  • King Crimson
  • Kayak
The Alan Parsons Project
  • Alan Parsons
  • Eric Woolfson
  • Ian Bairnson
  • Andrew Powell
  • David Paton
  • Stuart Elliott
  • Stuart Tosh
  • Richard Cottle
  • Laurence Cottle
  • Duncan Mackay
  • Mel Collins
  • Lenny Zakatek
  • Chris Rainbow
  • Geoff Barradale
  • John Miles
  • Colin Blunstone
  • Jack Harris
  • Dave Townsend
Studio albums
  • Tales of Mystery and Imagination (1976)
  • I Robot (1977)
  • Pyramid (1978)
  • Eve (1979)
  • The Turn of a Friendly Card (1980)
  • Eye in the Sky (1982)
  • Ammonia Avenue (1984)
  • Vulture Culture (1985)
  • Stereotomy (1985)
  • Gaudi (1987)
  • Freudiana (1990)
  • The Sicilian Defence (2014)
Compilations
  • The Best of the Alan Parsons Project (1983)
  • The Best of the Alan Parsons Project, Vol. 2 (1988)
  • The Instrumental Works (1988)
  • The Definitive Collection (1997)
  • The Essential Alan Parsons Project (2007)
Singles
  • "(The System of) Dr. Tarr and Professor Fether"
  • "The Raven"
  • "I Wouldn't Want to Be Like You"
  • "Games People Play"
  • "Time"
  • "Sirius"
  • "Eye in the Sky"
  • "Old and Wise"
  • "Don't Answer Me"
Related articles
  • Discography
  • Keats
  • Ladyhawke
  • Freudiana
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  • BnF data
  • Germany
  • United States
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  • Netherlands
Artists
  • MusicBrainz
source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mel_Collins
News / On Record / Reviews / To Be Cool: The Rehearsal Sessions

Record Collector review: Hot Stuff from an ultra cool band

Review of “To Be Cool: The Rehearsal Sessions” from Record Collector magazine.
Hot stuff from an ultra cool band
Four stars

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Half Moon, October 2016

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By general agreement, these were the best gigs since the 2014 re-union – two sold-out nights with crowds in the weekend mood helped. For the record, Mel Collins was back on sax (“Bet …

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British soul pioneers, Kokomo, built their reputation and loyal following with awesome live shows. A series of packed reunion gigs since 2014 proved that the band is grooving as well as ever. This led to the "Soul Summit", with old touring partners the Average White Band, that sold out the Royal Festival Hall in 2015.

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Interviews

Tony O'Malley

A 2015 interview with Craig Chaligne of the 'Louder Than War' site, timed for the release of his Back in the Bag album, and including some Kokomo insights.

In conversation with Keef Trouble in 2010 (video)

Frank Collins

Frank talks about his life and times in music (video)

Neil Hubbard

A backstage video interview

Jim Mullen

Jim's unusual guitar technique explained

Mel Collins

Mel talks about his career to Chris Groom.

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Thanks to Steven Cropper, John 'Ziggy' Parkes, Anita Corbin and Neil Holmes for their photos, Peter Hubbard, Doug Dean and David Bird for doing the lots of leg work on the gig dates and the reviews/clippings.

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