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Curved Air: Live on ‘Musikladen’ from 1971
12.10.2011
05:06 pm
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British psychedelic prog. rockers Curved Air perform “Propositions” and “Vivaldi (With Canons)” on the classic German TV show Musikladen, March 1971.

This is the first incarnation of Curved Air, which consisted of Sonja Kristina - lead vocals; Rob Martin - bass; Francis Monkman - guitars, keyboards; Florian Pilkington-Miksa - drums; Darryl Way - violin, backing vocals. Their appearance on Musikladen came a few months after the release of their debut album Airconditioning, a pioneering work, which reached number 8 in the UK charts, but did little elsewhere. It was also the first picture disc, released in a limited edition of 100,000.

Their second album Second Album captured Curved Air’s unique mix of Progressive Rock and acoustic folk music, and netted the band their first hit single “Back Street Luv”. The band then went through various changes, including stints with Mike Wedgwood as bass guitarist, and Eddie Jobson on keyboards and violin. Wedgwood went onto fellow Prog Rockers, Caravan, while Jobson went on to Roxy Music.

Curved Air has continued under various line-ups and still play today, but this is them near the beginning, when they were considered “one of the most dramatically accomplished of all the bands”.
 

 
Previously on Dangerous Minds

British 70s Prog/Folk Rockers Curved Air

 
Bonus clip of Curved Air’s ‘Phantasmagoria’, after the jump…
 

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Posted by Paul Gallagher
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12.10.2011
05:06 pm
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British 70s prog/folk-rockers Curved Air
03.26.2011
12:46 pm
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And speaking of Terry Riley’s Rainbow in Curved Air, it’s where nearly forgotten 70s British prog/folk/rock group, Curved Air got their name. Led by gorgeous (and sometimes scantily-clad) vocalist/songwriter Sonja Kristina (formerly in The Strawbs and the West End production of Hair), Curved Air was known for their innovative use of the violin and Moog synthesizer. The group had an ever-changing cast of characters including Eddie Jobson (Roxy Music, Frank Zappa), Stewart Copeland, latter of the Police and 801‘s Francis Monkman). Copeland was originally the band’s roadie and was married to Kristina from 1982 to 1991.

Sonja Kristina later became active in London’s “acid folk” scene and has reformed Curved Air for live performances from time to time. A 2011 reunion tour with key members of the group has been announced on the Curved Air website.

Here they are on a TV show from Belgium in 1972 singing “Melinda (More or Less)”:
 

 
More Curved Air performances after the jump…

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Posted by Richard Metzger
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03.26.2011
12:46 pm
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