FIRST HE WAS A
RAT
THEN HE BECAME A
SPIDER FROM MARS...
Even In These Very Early
Psychedelic Phases
You Can Hear
Ronson Playing BREAKING OUT ...
The Rats
were an
English rock band,
first established in 1963,
from Hull,
East Riding of
Yorkshire, England.
In 1966,
Mick Ronson
joined
The Rats,
then including singer
Benny Marshall,
bassist
Geoff Appleby
and drummer
Jim Simpson
who was subsequently
replaced by
Clive Taylor
and then
John Cambridge
The group played
the local circuit
and made a few
unsuccessful trips
to London and Paris.
In 1967,
The Rats
recorded the
one-off psychedelic track,
"The Rise and Fall of Bernie Gripplestone"
at Fairview Studios
in Willerby, Hull,
and can be heard
on the 2008 release
Front Room Masters
Fairview Studios
1966–1973.1968
saw the band change
their name briefly to
Treacle
and book
another recording session
at Fairview Studios
in 1969,
before reverting
to their original name.
Around this time,
Ronson was recommended
by Rick Kemp
to play guitar
on Michael Chapman's
Fully Qualified Survivor
album.
In 1968,
Keith "Ched" Cheesman
joined The Rats
replacing
Geoff Appleby
on bass
and the line-up
of
Ronson,
Marshall,
Cheesman
and
Cambridge
entered Fairview studio
to record
"Guitar Boogie",
"Stop and Get A Hold of Myself"
and
"Morning Dew".
When
John Cambridge left
The Rats
to join his former
Hullaballoos bandmate
Mick Wayne
in Junior's Eyes,
he was replaced by
Mick "Woody" Woodmansey.
In November 1969,
the band recorded
a final session at
Fairview,
taping
"Telephone Blues"
and
"Early in Spring".
In May 1998,
the independent record label,
Angel Air
released a
CD compilation
of their work,
entitled
The Rats'
Rise and Fall of Bernie Gripplestone
and the
Rats From Hull.
Band Members
- Benny Marshall – vocals
- Jim Simpson – drums
- Frank Ince – guitar
- Brian Buttle – bass
- Geoff Appleby – bass
- Mick Ronson – guitar
- Clive Taylor – drums
- John Cambridge – drums
- Keith "Ched" Cheesman – bass
- Mick "Woody" Woodmansey – drums
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