Dinosaurdays - A Foot in Cold Water

A Canadian band, A Foot in Cold Water were formed in Toronto in 1971, evolving out of two bands, The Lords of London and Nucleus. The initial members were Greg Fitzpatrick on vocals (later replaced by Alex Machin, ex-Island), keyboard player Bob Horne, guitarist John Richardson (later replaced by Paul Naumann, also ex-Island), drummer Danny Taylor and bassist Hughie Leggat. Horne was from New York, Naumann from Frankfurt, Germany, Leggat and Machin both from Glasgow, Scotland and Taylor was from Toronto, Canada. Their debut single, "(Make me do) Anything you Want" gave them their first hit, and their debut album was musically competent and it attained a consistent standard throughout. The second album, aptly titled "The Second Foot in Cold Water", released the following year and featuring the same line-up, was equally as good as the debut, but demonstrated a more melodic and refined brand of hard rock. It also spawned their biggest Canadian hit, " Love is Coming", which peaked at number 27 on the charts. A third album, "All Around Us" came out in 1974 and a final album, "Breaking Through", was released in 1976. When the band folded in 1977, Leggat went on to form Thunder Road and then the Rolling Stones inspired Private Eye in 1979. He also formed a progressive outfit under his own name with his brother, Gordon. Machin later sang with Champion. A couple of A Foot in Cold Water compilation albums surfaced in the early 80's and the band reformed for a series of concerts in 1988.

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Biography by Charlotte Dillon
A Foot in Coldwater, sometimes shortened to simply AFIC by fans, had a number of other names and false starts before settling into what fans would remember them being. Members of this '70s progressive rock group included lead singer Alex Machin; guitarist, bassist, and singer Paul Naumann; drummer and percussionist Danny Taylor; singer, bassist, and acoustic guitarist Hughie Leggat; and keyboardist Bob Horne.

In 1971 A Foot in Coldwater was formed out of members from two bands, Island and Nucleus, and a year later a self-titled album was completed. One of the debut's singles, "(Make Me Do) Anything You Want," found its way straight onto the Canadian music charts. In 1973 a sophomore album was released, A Second Foot in Coldwater, recorded under the Daffodil Records label. The second offering didn't do very well, but the band went on with a third, All Around Us. Some of the singles landed on the charts, one rising up to a Top Ten spot.

After the third album, A Foot in Coldwater ran into trouble. First, its record label folded, then there were some problems between members that cost them Bob Horne in 1976. There were a few more recordings, but things were pretty much over by 1977.

In 1988 a few of the original members came together to tour a little. Some of the albums from the '70s were reissued around the same time. In 1998 many of the group's best-known songs were placed on a new two-CD set, The Very Best of a Foot in Coldwater. Some of the tunes fans can sample from this group include "Breaking Through," "Midnight Lady," "How Much Love Can You Take," "In Heat," "Deep Freeze," and "Love Is Coming."