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Different
Trains was a highly original and experimental band based in the
Portsmouth area, largely as a vehicle for the multi instrumental and
songwriting talents of Damon Shulman. The band had it's origins in a
punk outfit, the Working Stiffs, which began producing more complex and
challenging music in the early 1990's under the name of the D. Lewis
Band. In this guise they picked up national radio airplay with the
single Dust In The Wind, and performed a breathtaking unplugged session
on GLR radio.
By 1993, Damon's rock ancestry was becoming
self evident (he is the son of Phil Shulman, and nephew of Derek and
Ray, all of whom found fame with Gentle Giant and Simon Dupree and The
Big Sound). A harder and more modern slant on his family's complex and
eclectic progressive rock tradition resulted in the recording of
Different Trains' debut CD On The Right Track, which was finally
released by GEP in June 1994.
This proved to be a very diverse and
challenging CD incorporating a myriad of musical styles blended into a
most complex and individual piece of work. A small number of live
concerts followed in the UK and Germany, usually as the opening act for
IQ, but although the band were an awesome proposition on stage, the
desire did not appear to be there for further shows. Work began on a
second CD, but lack of motivation and internal squabbles resulted in
Different Trains' ultimate demise. An attempt to resurrect the band in
1998 proved abortive, and sadly their quirky originality and eccentric
genius, not to mention the occasional commercial hookline, Different
Trains are currently residing in the category of truly great bands that
might have been. The
following
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 ON THE RIGHT TRACK GEPCD1008 1. Birth |
