Complex

Complex was an English band formed in 1968 consisting of lead guitarist Brian Lee, lead vocalist and drummer Tony Shakespeare, bass guitarist Lance Fogg and rhythm guitarist Tony Fisher. After some initial personnel changes, in early 1970 the line-up consisted of Brian, Tony (Shakespeare) and Lance with the addition of Steve Coe on keyboards. They were based in Blackpool in North-West England. In November 1970 they cut their first album, entitled simply "Complex". Originally devised as a demonstration record (demo) for bringing the band to the attention of major record companies for the purpose of obtaining a recording contract, it was recorded at "107 Studio" in St. Annes, engineered and mixed down by Graham Atkinson. 99 (vinyl) copies of the album were pressed by Craighall Studios in Scotland. The reason for such a limited release was the imposition of Purchase Tax on quantities greater than 99. The album went on to become quite famous in "psych" album circles - "... one of the 'Holy Trinity' items of rare British psychedelia ..." and at one stage was fetching $6,000 on eBay for each copy. An unauthorised bootleg was made in 1991 but the quality was poor. A 1999 limited-edition re-release was authorised by the band on Wooden Hill records (Vinyl and CD versions). This was of much better quality soundwise and was quickly sold out. In 2012, Spanish label Guerssen reissued the album on 180g vinyl, with the original artwork.