Dinosaurdays - Pink Fairies

The Pink Fairies were a hard rock trio from London's Ladbroke Grove area, originally evolving out of an outfit called The Deviants, which featured bassist/vocalist Duncan Sanderson and drummer Russ Hunter, both of whom would form The Pink Fairies with guitarist/vocalist Paul Rudolph and drummer John Adler, a.k.a. Twink, in early 1971. They released their debut album, " Never Never Land" on Polydor Records in May 1971. This album contained their so-called "signature" tune, "Uncle Harry's last Freak out", the track which was featured on the Glastonbury Fayre album which came out in the early seventies. The next a lbum, "What a bunch of Sweeties", released in 1972, featured ex-Move guitarist Trevor Burton. Guitarist Mick Wayne, ex-Junior's Eyes, replaced Paul Rudolph who joined Uncle Dog, and would later end up in Hawkwind. The third album, "Kings of Oblivion", saw Larry Wallis, previously of Blodwyn Pig and UFO, replace Wayne. The band split in March 1974 but reformed for a once off reunion gig at The Roundhouse in July 1975. The reformed Pink Fairies returned to the studio but split again in 1977, just one single being recorded as a result of the reformation. The Deviants reformed in the mid eighties, as did the Fairies, releasing an album called " Kill ' em and Eat ' em". Later reformations featured Twink and Paul Rudolph, and an album called "Pleasure Island" was released in 1996.

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Biography by Jason Ankeny
The excessive, drug-fueled Pink Fairies grew out of the Deviants, a loose-knit band formed in 1967 by members of the West London hippie commune Ladbroke Grove. Initially dubbed the Social Deviants and consisting primarily of vocalist Mick Farren, guitarist Paul Rudolph, bassist Duncan Sanderson and drummer Russell Hunter, the group also featured satellite members Marc Bolan, Steve Peregrine Took and players from the band Group X, later rechristened Hawkwind. After three noisy, psychedelic albums and a U.S. tour, Farren exited to become a music journalist; the remaining Deviants returned to London, where they recruited vocalist and former Pretty Things drummer Twink (born John Alder), who suggested the name Pink Fairies. Despite gaining a reputation for mythic debauchery, the group remained largely an underground sensation before signing to Polydor and issuing their 1971 debut Never Never Land, a manic, decadent album featuring the live staples "Do It" and "Uncle Harry's Last Freak Out."

Shortly after the record's release Twink departed, and the Pink Fairies continued on as a trio for 1972's What a Bunch of Sweeties; recorded with assistance from the Move's Trevor Burton, the album reached the Top 50 on the U.K. charts, and was the group's most commercially successful effort. Soon, Rudolph exited to become a full-time member of Hawkwind, and was replaced by UFO's Larry Wallis for 1973's hard-rock excursion Kings of Oblivion. Twink rejoined the Pink Fairies' ranks a short time later, but the group nonetheless disbanded before the end of the year.

In 1975, the Kings of Oblivion-era line-up reunited for a one-off London gig; an enthusiastic response led to the official reformation of the nucleus of Rudolph, Sanderson and Hunter, who added former Chilli Willi and the Red Hot Peppers vocalist Martin Stone before again disbanding in 1977. A decade later, the original line-up — minus Rudolph, but including Wallis — reunited for the album Kill 'Em and Eat 'Em before calling it quits yet one more time.