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''Rock Drill'' is the last studio album by The Sensational Alex Harvey Band, which was released in the UK in 1978. The album includes Tommy Eyre on keyboards; the band's original keyboardist Hugh McKenna was absent due to an internal dispute - however three songs from the album are co-credited to him. McKenna has since recorded his regrets at the confrontation, given what lay ahead in the next five years. The album cover shows the torso cast from Sir Jacob Epstein's challenging 1913 sculpture ''The Rock Drill'', symbolising mankind's descent into a less than human machine hybrid. Alex Harvey found this statue deeply moving and it influenced the entire "Rock Drill Suite." Zal Cleminson rates "The Dolphins" as one of the best things SAHB ever produced next to "Faith Healer" and "Give My Compliments To The Chef." One track recorded during the ''Rock Drill'' session that never made it onto the finished album is "Engine Room Boogie." The track ended up as the B-side of SAHB's final single release "Mrs Blackhouse" (1977 Mountain - Cat No: TOP 32). The band performed "Mrs Blackhouse" and "Engine Room Boogie" at the 1977 Reading Festival on Sunday 28 August with Tommy Eyre on keyboards. This was the SAHB's final gig. The album was re-released separately on CD on 2-in-1 album, coupled with the album ''SAHB Stories'', and as an individual CD. =="No Complaints Department"== "No Complaints Department" was the last song SAHB ever recorded in the studio and Alex broke down in tears after he finished it. The UK release of ''Rock Drill'' was originally to include "No Complaints Department", which appeared on the German and Norwegian Vertigo releases of the album (Cat No: 6370 423) but it was later pulled before the album was released on Mountain Records (TOPS 114). It also appeared on the 1987 CD compilation ''Portrait'' (Start STFCD1) where it was incorrectly listed as "Mrs Blackhouse." The ''Portrait'' CD was also released on LP and cassette in the UK, both containing "No Complaints Department" (listed as "Mrs Blackhouse."). The French issue of this CD (pressed by MPO) contains the song "Mrs Blackhouse" as listed. The story behind "No Complaints Department" is quite involved. The melody and structure of the song was inspired from a poem by Rudyard Kipling called "The Ladies." Jimmie Grimes (bassist with Alex's Soulband in the 1950s and '60s) adapted the poem, composed music for it and retitled it "I Learned About Women" (credited to Kipling/Grimes), which Alex recorded on his 1964 solo LP ''The Blues'' (Polydor HI FI 46 441 () & SLPHM 237 641 ()). In 1977 Alex took the music from this song and wrote the lyrics of "No Complaints Department" over it. In November 1977, Mountain Records were planning to release the song as a single "No Complaints Department" b/w "Anthem" (1977 Mountain - Cat No: TOP 34). Alan Freeman played an acetate of the single on his ''Saturday Show'' and announced that it would be SAHB's 'new single.' However, Alex was afraid of upsetting his parents, Leslie and Margaret with the lyrics "My brother was killed on the stage" and phoned up Jimmie Grimes telling him NOT to sign the publishing rights clearance form. Jimmie was offered money by Mountain Records, but he stuck to his guns and refused to sign. The single had to be pulled. Unfortunately, copies of the ''Rock Drill'' sleeve had been printed on Mountain listing "No Complaints Department" on Side Two. The album, due for release in November 1977 in the UK was held up and had to be re-pressed with a replacement track "Mrs Blackhouse" on it. ''Rock Drill'' was finally released in the UK in March 1978 (Mountain - Cat No: TOPS 114). Some early UK white label test pressings of ''Rock Drill'' contain "No Complaints Department", but an actual finished British copy of the album on the Mountain label has never been seen containing the track to this day (although the sleeve has an amendment sticker over the Side Two listing stating "Mrs Blackhouse"). In late 1977 ''Rock Drill'' was released on Vertigo in Germany and Norway containing "No Complaints Department", but the album was quickly withdrawn and replaced by copies with "Mrs Blackhouse" on them. The acetate of the single played by Alan Freeman is the original mix of the song. The David Batchelor remixed version of "No Complaints Department" appears on the UK edition of ''Portrait'' (LP/CD/cassette), the UK white label test pressing of ''Rock Drill'' and the German and Norwegian pressings of the album. "No Complaints Department" never reached the pressing stage as an actual single. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Rock Drill (album)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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