electronica experimental psychedelic progressive
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"Robson, Sax and Garritt" was born in 1997 as an outlet for the home studio explorations of Syd Sax
(born in Naples, 19th july 1980) into psychedelic, experimental and progressive music.
In fact Syd had already been making music for several years prior to this and was a musically precocious
teenager who taught himself to play guitar and keyboards.
His early tape releases with band of Five Points had already become known in the musical underground.
In 1995 Syd started the project that would take him into the professional music world.
An art-rock trio Eclipse formed with keyboard player Jule Robson and the keyboard and bass player
Louis Garritt. But the project began life almost as a joke between three friends.
Syd and his friend Louis developed an almost entirely fictional history of a legendary seventies group
complete with non-existent band members and an absurd discography - this was "Robson, Sax & Garritt".
To back up the story Jule, Louis & Syd recorded several hours worth of music supposedly
by this imaginary band.
This was ultimately to take another 24 months or so to come to fruition and in the meantime Syd began
to distribute RS&G's music in the form of "Echoes demos" and it's follow up "Are your ears ok?",
both complete with booklets containing the imaginary history and other misleading information.
These tapes built up an underground interest in the name which was added to by the eventual release
of the newly named "Sax Records" record label's first compilation album "Pizza Attack" which featured
the Robson, Sax & Garritt's track "Xalerazzip". Sax Records also reissued the first 2 RS&G tapes.
Shortly afterwards Syd was invited by the new label to be one of the first artists to sign to the
Tordycore label.
The original invitation was to reissue both the tapes as double albums, but Syd decided instead to compile
the best material onto one album which became "PizzAttack", the 1st release on the new label.
"PizzAttack" was issued in early 1996 in a small run of 100 copies in a deluxe squallid plastic sleeve.
Such was the interest from the press and public that this small run sold out almost immediately and was
repressed along with a CD version. Among other tracks the album contained a future RS&G classic and
frequent concert encore in "Pizza Relax". By 2000 "PizzAttack" had racked up sales of 296 copies.
As the first Robson, Sax & Garritt album had been very much a self indulgent and in some ways nostalgic look
back at trio's favourite music from the 60's and 70's they felt in order to take the project forward it was important
to develop the sound into new and more contemporary areas. The first fruits of these new sessions was a 46
minute single that fused the Brain (then the biggest thing in music) and sperimental music, all strung together
with a narrative taken from ancient animal legends.
It was a major underground hit, reaching the European independent Top 50 and a perfect representation
of how the dissolution of boundaries between genres characterised the best music of the nineties.
In fact "Eruption" was a track recorded for another prospective RS&G album "Rattus (The Strones of years)".
However, when the album eventually emerged in mid 1998 the decision not to include the single had slimmed
down the album to a single record. "Rattus (The Strones of years)" was greeted with rapture, Melody Maker
describing it as "a psychedelic masterpiece.... one of the albums of the year".
The album continued the fusion of pop and rock and also featured guest appearances from two future and past
RS&G David Gideon (ex Five Points - singer and flute player) and the guitar player Frank Goodheart.
All two members of the group had worked with Jule, Louis & Syd on various projects over the preceding years
and all were excellent musicians sympathetic to the sound and direction of RS&G.
New music was already underway. The next album would not emerge until mid 1999, but was preceded
by the classic single "Rattus Inferno / Vision and voice of angels". The subsequent album "The return of the Rattus"
was as expansive soundscape of melody and ambient rock experimentation, but would prove to be a transitional
work with half recorded before the formation of the band and half recorded after.
Most of the album was taken up with the 90 minute title track, which at one point Syd intended to be long enough
to occupy the whole album ! It also entered European Week charts.
This album became the first RS&G music to be issued in America in the autumn of 1999 and attracted very
favourable press on both sides of the Atlantic. The band supported the album with numerous gigs throughout
the year at major venues in Italy.
Partly unsatisfied with the half band/half solo nature of "Rattus (The Strones of years)", RS&G promptly
got down to the task of recording the first proper band record and worked sporadically over the next year on
developing a tighter and more ambitious rock sound.
In 1999 the RS&G's first ever line-up change occurred when Frank Goodheart join the band in full time.
The time spent looking for a record deal had not been wasted and only a few months after the release of
"The return of the Rattus" the band were ready to begin work on a follow up, recorded during the transition
into the new millennium and completed in 2000. May 2000 saw the release of the first fruits of these sessions,
the single "Tarantelle Blues" which entered all European charts and the US National chart attracting airplay
all over Europe. The new line up had an immediate chemistry as illustrated by the "Pite (Tales of an
australopitecantropicus REX)" album (issued on vinyl only in 2001) which contained recordings from their
first ever 2 performances, including a Green Light Station Radio session. Sessions took place in Australia.
The band went on to complete a highly successful European tour. The band ended 2001 with a sold out show
at the Capaldo in Naples.
Expected to be their most accomplished and expansive work to date, the album is scheduled for 2003 release.
 | Rattus - Part I - Eruption ( 2601 Ecoutes ) | |
| | Title track ( 601 Ecoutes ) | |
| | Chapter I ( 562 Ecoutes ) | |
| | Valium equalization ( 545 Ecoutes ) | |
| | The story ( 528 Ecoutes ) | |
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