It’s quite unbelievable to think that with an internet so vast, an internet that seems to be as infinite as the universe, an internet overflowing with such contrasting dross and genius, that nobody has bothered, either on You Tube or on Spotify, to post Sharks’ debut album First Water in its entirety. (I would but I don’t know how).

Formed after Bassist/ piano player and songwriter Andy Fraser left Free, with his friend Marty Simon on drums and coolest session guitar player on the block, Chris Spedding, the line-up was completed by unknown singer Snips (aka Steve Parsons). Unfortunately after one album Fraser left replaced by Busta Cherry Jones on bass and ex Audience keyboard player Nick Judd. They soldiered on making another album, Jab It In Your Eye in 1974 but split soon after, Snips joining The Baker Gurvitz Army.

If you ever see this album then sell your car, your house anything, for this one track, Snakes And Swallowtails. I have posted the only version I can find outside the archive – live from East Park 1973. As usual with recordings like this, it’s thin, but you get used to it, so listen to it twice so the second time you don’t need to get used to it, you can just listen to the song.

Spedding continues to be a musical luminary, Snips appears now and again and Marty Simon seems to have left the universe along with the history of this great forgotten band. Andy Fraser sadly passed away in March. Read my tribute to him on the In Deep Music Archive here:

http://indeepmusicarchive.net/2015/03/18315-andy-fraser-3rd-july-1952-16th-march-2015/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharks_(band_formed_1972)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andy_Fraser

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Spedding