Dinosaurdays - Heads, Hands and Feet

What a great band this was! They were formed in the UK in 1970 by guitarists Ray Smith and Albert Lee, drummer Pete Gavin and vocalist Tony Colton, all of whom had been in a late sixties outfit called "Poet and the One Man Band". They joined up with keyboard player Mike O'Neill and bassist Chas Hodges, established a record deal with Island Records and released their debut, self-titled album (which, incidentally, came out as a double album in the US and a single album in Europe), in 1971. It was a country/rock album which met with some critical acclaim, although the sheer class of the band was very much in evidence. Lee and Smith proved that they were no slouches in the guitar department (in fact, you may or may not recall that both Albert Lee and and Chas Hodges featured on the Ritchie Blackmore-inspired Green Bullfrog project in 1972). They had a very successful stint at "The Troubadour" club in Hollywood, and they toured with Procol Harum and Jethro Tull. Their third album, ''Old Soldiers never Die", was released in 1973, but they unfortunately split shortly after its release. Albert Lee went on to form The Albert Lee band and also featured with singer Chris Farlowe and Eric Clapton. Hodges became the other half of the Chas and Dave duo. A fourth "lost" album, "Home from Home", was released in 1995.

Biography by Steven McDonald
Following the dissolution of Poet and the One Man Band, Albert Lee (guitar), Pete Gavin (drums), Tony Colton (vocals) and Ray Smith (guitar) got together with Chas Hodges (bass, violin, vocals) and Mike O'Neill (keyboards) to form the country-influenced Heads, Hands and Feet and recorded a double album that had a great deal in common with the work of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and the Grateful Dead at that time. Their self-titled debut album, populated with guests from the folk and singer-songwriter scenes, was released as a double record in the U.S., but only as a single album in Europe. The record was very well regarded, with Lee's guitar work garnering attention.

Keyboardist O'Neill departed soon after the album's release, and the band proceeded to move away from country influences and towards rock. While the band was able to record and release Tracks to a certain amount of acclaim, internal strife caused continuing problems, splintering the band before the 1973 release of Old Soldiers Never Die, which marked the group's move to Atlantic Records. In 1996, See For Miles released Home From Home, a collection of recordings and demos made before the band's first label signing.

Albert Lee moved on to found the Albert Lee Band with Pete Gavin and Chas Hodges and eventually joined Eric Clapton's band. Chas Hodges later formed the duo Chas & Dave with Dave Peacock.