VdGG Profile: Nic Potter solo

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VdGG Profile

Nic Potter solo [1980 - present]
Personnel
Name Nic Potter: kbds, bass, gtr Guests: Guy Evans: drums, perc, kbds Huw Lloyd-Langton: gtr Steve Bolton: gtr Peter Hammill: gtr David Jackson: sax, flute John Ellis: gtr Stuart Gordon: violin Duncan Browne: gtr Lindsay Cooper: basoon Malcolm "Molly" Duncan: sax Snowy White: gtr Catherine Milliken: oboe Nick Magnus: kbds	ex The K Group The K Group Headstone Usher The K Group The K Group The K Group [solo] / Metro Henry Cow Average White Band Thin Lizzy / [solo] Steve Hackett	to Echo City / Big Buddha / [solo] Peter Hammill IV Peter Hammill IV / [solo] Stranglers [solo] [solo] [solo]

Discography
1980 1980 1983 1986 1987 1987 1990 1991 1992 1996 1987	Dolphins / Welcombe Mouth (with Guy Evans) The Long Hello Volume Two (with Guy Evans) Mountain Music Sketches In Sound Self Contained Dreams In View The Blue Zone The Blue Zone Party New Europe - Rainbow Colours Dreamworld Dreams In View 1981-87	Butt Butt Zomart Zomart Line Line Line Zomart Zomart Zomart Line	single lp cassette / lp lp lp lp lp cassette cd cd lp

History

Nicolas Potter started out playing double bass as a kid! His first band experience was with The Misunderstood. After VdGG he teamed up with Jeff Beck for a few months trying to get a new Jeff Beck Group together. Only rehearsals. He did sessions with Peter Hammill (2 albums), Paul Korda (one album that wasn't released), Roy Young Band (gigs) and Chuck Berry (one gig / The London Sessions album 1972). The latter with Dave Kaffinetti of Rare Bird. Nic and Dave also played sessions for Beach Boys' album Holland, but they didn't appear on the LP. Later Nic rehearsed with his old schoolmate Paul Kossoff of Free fame ca. 1974.

In 1980 he joined The Tigers which included Tony Jacks(on) (voc, gtr), Ross McGeeney (gtr), Nick Cola (kbds), Pete Dobson (drums - of Juicy Lucy I fame!) and Nic (bass). Their pop, rock & ska blend secured them a fat deal with American A & M Records. They cut one album Savage Music for A & M and toured in the US of A in 1980, but split later the same year. In 1987 Jacks gathered the same gang except Pete Dobson who was substituted with Johann James for recording purposes only and they evolved into The Pool Sharks. A small quantity of the resulting album Final Adjustments was pressed for their own Strike label (1987). It sounds very much like The Tigers without the ska.

In between Tiger commitments in the USA, Nic went home to England and visited Guy's new home and home studio Hidden Drive which he (Guy) was about to set up in Devon. Nic brought along some new instrument or device and boundless enthusiasm each time, says Guy, and they recorded The Long Hello Vol. Two at intervals throughout 1980 using the old valve desk from Long Hello (Vol. One) days. Jaxon added his horns and flute during a weekend. Guy: 'I mixed the whole album in one twenty-four hour sitting, then drove off in the snow to begin work on Sitting Targets.'

Nic's albums are dominated by synths, partly calm and moody. His last three albums are excellent! Nic / Zomart re-released The Long Hello (Vol. One), The Long Hello Vol. Two (with three bonus tracks off The Blue Zone Party) and Mountain Music / Sketches In Sound (two bonus tracks) on CD in 1993. Zomart released a CD by the late Duncan Browne (Songs Of Love & War) in 1994 featuring Nic on bass. Nic also participated on the soundtrack album Travelling Man (Prestige Records 1995) by Duncan Browne and Sebastian Graham-Jones.