Rainbows

Martin Cure    vocal
                       (ex-The Sabres, The Peeps, M.Cure & Peeps)
Graham Amos bass guitar
                        (ex-The Sabres, The Peeps, M.Cure & Peeps)
Roy Albrighton guitar
                        (ex-Hell Angels, The Peeps, M.Cure & Peeps)
Terry Howells  keyboards
                        (ex-Ray King Soul Band)
Gordon Reed   drums
                        (ex-The Vampires)

                                     Jochen Laschinsky, then Happy Times member, recalls Rainbows' Germany tour:

"In 1969/1970 - I was the singer with the Happy Times - I was a good friend of Martin Cure while the Rainbows were living
in Bremen and touring Germany. I met Martin in Bremen in the summer of 1969.The Rainbows had a flat in Bremen in the
Kohlhökerstraße at that time and toured intensively in the North of Germany for more than half a year. So they did not only
play in Hamburg, but in many different places, amongst them very often in  the  Lila Eule (violet owl) in Bremen, a former
Jazz - Club, which  was  the  home of  the Happy Times and one of the Beat - Centres in the region. At that time they were
already a quartet, without a guitarist. And they were fantastically good!  We had a lot  to  talk about  the music. He stayed
a couple of times in my home and we really became quite good friends. In  November of 69 the band decided to go back to
England and to change their name,  because  there was a German band called Rainbows, too,  who had a gigantic Europe
wide hit with a stupid song called  Balla balla. So we waved them farewell in Langelsheim, which was their last gig before
returning to England. From May 1970 to late 1971 I stayed in England as well, but did not have any address of Martin and
so lost track. In the summer of 1971, at one occasion we saw  Still Life in the Marquee-Club, but only talked very briefly to
Martin. But I bought the record of them then, which contains two songs of those, which they used to play in the Lila Eule."
                                                            (In my opinion a few private setence,  I cut off - Piotr)

                                                Below, photo from the last gig in Germany - Langelsheim - Nov.1969

The roots of Rainbows go back to a Coventry - based band called Martin Cure and the Peeps also known as The Peeps or
Peypes founded in 1965. The group comprised: Martin Cure - vocal (ex~The Sabres), Graham Amos - bass (ex~The Sabres)
Roy Albrighton -guitar (ex~Hell Angels) and Paul Wilkinson -drums (ex~The Sabres). Between 1965 and 1967, the Peeps record five singles for the Philips label, among them their biggest hit "Now is the time" in 1965. The group is very popular outside Great Britain. They tour Sweden and Germany. In the end of 1967, The Peeps enlisted a keyboardist Terry Howells(ex~Ray King Soul Band). It is a moment of great significance for the band from now on, they focus on instrumental, more diversified music. With the revitalized sound since the beginning of 1968, they seek a new name. Still as The Peeps, they record a song "New Day Dawning" at Radio Luxembourg Studios in London in March, 1968. For the record, produced by Albert Hammond, the group enlists two trumpeters Ritchie Cuthell (later to play with The Specials) and Ron Arnold. But the track isn't released until the next year, when group assumes a new name. In the end of 1968, Paul Wilkinson leaves to join Flying Machine (a venture of The Sabres guitarist Steve Jones). Then, The Peeps become Rainbows. Then they introduce a new drummer - Gordon Reed (ex~Vampires). Mike Ford ~the manager of The Peeps, works for Rainbows until the end of 1968. The group then goes on a tour to Sweden, where they have some adventures (take a look at the following photos)

In January, 1969 they sign a contract with a new manager - Ashley Kovacs. The group moves from Coventry to London and joins
CBS label there. The new year also sees them changing the image- they grow long hair (Vidal Sassoon style), wear make~up on their
faces and put on long rainbow~colored coats (check  the photo on the top of the page to see how they looked then). In February,
1969 Rainbows issues the first single "Rainbows". Meanwhile they play concerts in London clubs:

- 27.02.1969  - Marquee, London - with  Juniors Eyes                            - 22.03.1969-The Cobweb, St.Leonards-with Image                                            - 26.03.1969  - Marquee, London - with  Procession
                                      - 28.03.1969  - Seymour Hall, London - with Moody Blues, Chicken Shack
- 16.04.1969  - Marquee, London- with  Entire Sioux Nation                  - 23.04.1969  - Marquee, London - with  Clouds
- 15.05.1969 - Marquee, London - with Terry Reid                                 - 24.05.1969 - Marquee, London - with Procession

In the summer they play in Germany. In the same time, Roy Albrighton leaves for The Outsiders and next sets up Nektar (10.1969).
In October, 1969, CBS publishes the Rainbows second single "New Day Dawning" which they recorded as The Peeps.Oddly enough, in the same time in Germany there was a same named group. They recorded one hit "Balla, Balla", but the two don't have anything in common. In November 1969  they come back to England.

                     The following picture is a rare photo of band's gig in Germany (only four members, without Albrighton).

                                                                            Thank you very much Jochen !

Gordon Reed quits after coming back to England, and the rest of the band plays on but under a new name - Still Life.
More about the group -  Still Life

Rainbows' Discography:

                                                   1. Rainbows (Cure-Howells) / Nobody but you
                                                                (CBS 3995), in UK - 07.02.1969
                                                                (GRT 7), in US - 1969, as The Peeps
                                                   2. New day dawning (Howells-Cure) / Days and nights
                                                                (CBS 4568), in  UK-10.10. 1969

Song "Rainbows", also included:  LP "Circus Days vol.4" (Strange Things Happening, STZ 5011, 1991)
                                                   CD "Circus Days vol. 4 & 5"(Bam Caruso, BAM VP 1003CD, 1998)

Song "New day dawning", also included: CD "Jagged time Lapse Vol.4"(Flashback Productions, FBCD 04)
                                                                DLP "Lovin' fire"(Psychic Circle, PC 7001LP, 2007)
                                                                CD "Lovin' fire" (Psychic Circle, PC 7001CD, 2007)

The song "New Day Dawning"  was also recorded by Nektar and included on their LPs "Nektar" and  "Sounds like this".

                                       Last but not least - great thanks to Terry Howells  for all the photos!

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