Introducing: Alan Murphy

In the early part of the Millennium I had a column called “Super Unknown” in the now defunct Guitar One magazine. I was lucky enough to have free reign to write about any guitarists I thought under recognized. I tried, even then, to expose readers to modern guitarists like, Eivind Aarset, Knox Chandler, Gerry Leonard, G.E. Stinson and others. Though not as experimental as some of the aforementioned, Alan Murphy was unique in bringing fusion level chops and noises as well as notes to subvert the soul pop music of Go West. Unfortunately, Murphy had already died when I began my column, but I got to interview his band mate in Go West, drummer Tony Beard. Here is that piece as well as video of this major guitar talent.

It is now [almost thirty years] since the world lost a brilliant musician in the person of Alan Murphy. Imagine if you will, the chops and tone of Allan Holdsworth, combined with the melodic sense of Larry Carlton, then throw in the go-for-broke attitude of Jeff Beck (a fan), and you get the magnitude of the loss. Tony Beard, drummer for guitar heroes like Beck and Peter Frampton— and no mean guitarist himself—says, “He was all about melody; my reference for him was ‘Allan Gilmour’—he had the melodic aspect of [Dave Gilmour] and the chops of Holdsworth.” Beard played with Murphy in Go West, as well as an instrumental band called SFX. SFX doubled as “The Fender Hot Squad” for Fender Musical Instruments in England, doing clinics throughout the UK, where Murphy would wrest alternately demonic and divine tones out of a Squire Strat and the Paul Rivera designed Fender Super Champ. A typical Murphy solo would begin with a whammy dive, deliver some heartbreakingly beautiful melody and culminate with a blistering run.
A gig with British Blues legend, Long John Baldry led to an audition for Kate Bush who liked his “whale noises” and promptly hired him. SFX fans Peter Cox and Richard Drummie invited Murphy to join their band, Go West, a nominal pop group, but with killer players. Murphy was just achieving recognition for his instrumental prowess with Level 42 when he lost his battle with Aids in 1989. Beard laments, “It is only in later years that you realize what talent this guy had. I just think he would have been a force to reckon with if he had been lucky enough to stay around.”

Here is an edited bio from Wikipedia:

Alan Murphy’s first musical group was called Blackmass, named in tribute to Deep Purple guitarist Ritchie Blackmore, an early influence. It existed for about two years until some of the band’s equipment was stolen and the group disbanded.

SFX was an instrumental jazz-rock fusion band that originated from the covers band The Stapleton Allstars, morphing into SFX after creating a set of original instrumental fusion tunes. It featured Murphy and fellow luminaries of the session world, Felix Krish on bass, Tony Beard on drums and Richard Cottle on keyboards. They played the occasionally interrupted residency at the Cricketers pub, near The Oval cricket ground. The band recorded an album that was subsequently released after Murphy’s death.

Murphy performed with Fusion Orchestra for the better part of 1975. In 1982 he handled onstage guitar duties for London-based New Wave vocalist Zaine Griff (originally from New Zealand), performing music that was in many ways a stylistic precursor to the Go West sound that he would help forge several years later.

In 1984, Murphy worked on the album Cold in a Warm Climate with the band Paparazzi, becoming a member in preparation for a major European tour. When Paparazzi unexpectedly dissolved over internal disagreements and managerial problems, Murphy was recruited to play on the debut Go West album in 1985, shortly thereafter becoming an official member and a key component in the band’s sound.

Murphy was enlisted to play on the first and only Kate Bush tour of the Europe and UK (1979). Both a live video and EP were released with material taken from this tour. He also contributed to her albums Never for Ever, The Dreaming, Hounds of Love, The Sensual World, and the single “Rocket Man.”

In 1988, Murphy was asked to replace Level 42 guitarist Boon Gould, and recorded with the band on their Staring at the Sun album. A live album was recorded during this period, Live at Wembley. This was one of the last major projects that Murphy worked on before his death.

Murphy was a session man who worked with many artists, including Nick Heyward, Long John Baldry, Joan Armatrading, Mike + the Mechanics, Amii Stewart, Andrew Caine, Eikichi Yazawa, and Scritti Politti.

During 1989 Murphy played at the British Music Fair, but it was evident from his appearance that he was not well. On October 19,1989, weakened by the AIDS virus, Murphy died of pneumonia in Westminster City Hospital, near his old school. He had kept the facts of his illness a secret even from his colleagues and bandmates. murphy

In the music video for Kate Bush’s version of “Rocket Man,” released as part of the 1991 Two Rooms: Celebrating the Songs of Elton John & Bernie Taupin tribute album, she performs with her band but there is an empty chair, a guitar, and a candle where Murphy would have been and cross-faded footage of him playing in the closing choruses. “This is one of the last tracks that he did with us and it’s particularly nice for me to feel that it’s not only keeping him alive, but I know he would be really thrilled to know that [the single] was doing so well,” Bush told BBC Radio 1, “And it’s nice for all of us that loved Al to know that he can be a part of this now.”

Bush’s song “Moments Of Pleasure” referenced Murphy and several other people dear to her who had died.

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20 thoughts on “Introducing: Alan Murphy

  1. Alan’s guitar work and especially the solo on the Total Contrast song “Takes A Little Time” always fascinates, inspires and leave me with a very good feeling. It has always been a great tune but the guitar certainly elevates it.

  2. I was fortunate enough to see (and appreciate) Alan when he was with Go West and latterly with Level 42. He had a fantastic style which was totally laconic, he used to make the guitar literally sing but with , what looked like, the minimum of effort.
    There was 7 years between my brother and I and we had completely different music tastes, I have always appreciated bands or soloists with great voices so I grew up with Slade then Spandau and then Go West, Austin liked heavy rock and was in to Iron Maiden, AC/DC etc, although he too liked Slade because our father promoted them amongst other bands during the 60’s and 70’s. So there was quite a divide between us musically, until he heard me playing SOS and Innocence (still one of my favourite tracks) and he heard Alan playing his guitar and he said ‘wow’ that blokes good!!!
    Alan Murphy the guitar legend and the artist who transcended genres because he was THAT good!! RIP Alan ? Murphy

    • Happy to see people finding this post. One of my few regrets in live is that when I was working with John Suhr at Rudy’s Music Stop, he told me he was going to see Go West at Radio City Music Hall and I neglected to get tickets, missing my one chance to see Alan live.

  3. Alan was working on a Fender Alan Murphy signature guitar with myself and Dan Smith, based on the Eric Clapton signature model I helped design that he gave Alan but with a Gibson type mini humbucker and a new design tremolo with locks and locking machine heads with a glider nut. I know where most of Alan’s gear is from the Super Chamo prototypes to his guitars and especially the ones I gave him! Alan deserves his place amongst the very best and greatest British guitarists the British Isles has produced. RIP mate, think of you and your music everyday!

  4. Thank you for doing this piece on Alan. Huge influence of mine. Awful that he passed on so young. What a musical impact he had on me for the all too short time he was alive.

  5. I saw Alan performe with a bass player at British Music Fair once (can’t remember which year but in the eighties sometime) I was on visit from Sweden because my grandmother lived in Stokr Newingtom. Even if the performance was short I got so impressed of his tone and I loved his playing ! When I came back to Sweden I started to listen to Go West. Great guitar player!
    / John, Sweden

  6. Alan was a regular customer of ours at Roka’s in Denmark Street in the 80s. I fitted Kahler trems to a few of his early Jap strats and also had the pleasure of him buying an acoustic guitar, which I’d made a few years earlier and needed to sell. I’d loved to know whatever happened to that guitar. Does anyone have any information on what happened to his collection when he passed?

    • Hi Mark. Lovely story about Alan Murphy… the only thing I am aware of is that Alan’s white Aria is now in the possession of Jaz Lochrey, who played bass with Go West in the ’80s and later went on to play with Paul Rogers (and, no doubt, others I am unaware of). Jaz’s son Ben now plays guitar in Go West and is a fine player in his own right. Other than that, I don’t know where Alan’s gear ended up. As the 30th anniversary of Alan’s passing approaches it just goes to show how time flies… we can only wonder what manner of brilliance his playing would have offered us had he not been taken from us so young. Best regards, Mick

      • Alan had a will and made John Hill (who is/was a lawyer) the executor for guitar related stuff. Jaz Lochrie got Alan’s Aria as you say. Nico Ramsden from the Stapleton All Stars got Alan’s MSG standard. If John Hill is still alive, he’s probably the only person now who knows what happened to all the other kit.

  7. Michael,
    Thank you for highlighting this amazing player. He developed a style and a sound all of his own and I wish he’d had more time with us.
    Excellent work and thank you for keeping the memory of this remarkable musician alive.
    Christopher

    • Great to hear from you Mr. Bradshaw. John was the one who introduced me to Go West when we worked together at Rudy’s. One of my few regrets is not going with him to see them when they played NY

      • I was lucky enough to see Alan with Go West when they first came on the scene in the mid ’80s. His playing was truly extraordinary and has been greatly missed since his passing in 1989. Thankfully, there are many recordings/videos of his playing, which sounds as strong, fresh and original nearly 30 yeras later as it did back then. The Go West Runaway Train Tour videos above are as good an example of Alan’s beautiful way with a guitar as any.

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