Axis -

Axis was an American hard-rock trio that released the 1978 RCA album It’s a Circus World. Guitarist/vocalist Danny Johnson and drummer Vinny Appice hailed from Derringer. Johnson later replaced Steve Vai in Alcatrazz. Appice joined the Mob Rules lineup of Black Sabbath and proceeded to the band of vocalist Ronnie James Dio. Bassist Jay Davis joined Rod Stewart‘s ’80s-era backing band.

Members: Danny Johnson (guitar, vocals), Jay Davis (bass, vocals), Vinny Appice (drums)

Background

Axis formed in Shreveport, Louisiana, around guitarist–singer Danny Johnson and drummer Vinny Appice. Johnson came from Louisiana club work, where Rick Derringer heard Axis at a private showcase during the mid-seventies. Appice was born in Brooklyn and began drum lessons at age nine. His teen group BOMF met John Lennon at Record Plant Studios and backed Lennon in performance settings.

Derringer brought Appice to New York, then added Johnson after the Louisiana showcase. The resulting band recorded the 1976/77 Blue Sky albums Derringer and Sweet Evil with bassist Kenny Aaronson. The same lineup appears on Derringer Live.

Bassist–singer Jay Davis came from Louisiana and rehearsed in New York with ex-Spooky Tooth guitarist Mick Jones in Trigger, the embryo of Foreigner. Johnson and Appice revived Axis after their Derringer tenure, with Davis completing the trio for a Hologram-linked RCA Victor album.

It’s a Circus World

Axis released their singular album, It’s a Circus World, in 1978 on RCA Victor/Hologram.

Circus World presents eleven powertrio numbers by the Johnson–Davis–Appice axis. Main writer Johnson co-wrote “Armageddon” with Davis, who submitted “Train.” Appice contributed to the group-written “Busted Love.”

“Brown Eyes” barrels through hard riff drive and blunt trio impact. “Busted Love” chops through short guitar figures and straight-ahead rock phrasing. “Juggler” grinds darker riff blocks into a pointed solo break. “Soldier of Love” charges behind fast kit work and heavy singer projection. “Train” slows into blues-marked phrasing and thicker lead bends.

“Armageddon” detonates from a drum-led opening into heavy riff surges. “Stormy Weather” leans into shadowed turns and off-center song movement. “Cats in the Alley” snaps through compact riff changes and direct singer phrasing. “Bandits of Rock” works knotty lead turns into a tougher midsection. “Circus World” broadens into mid-tempo acoustic figures and strings.

A1. “Brown Eyes” (4:21)
A2. “Busted Love” (3:50) – Davis, Johnson, Appice
A3. “Juggler” (3:26)
A4. “Soldier of Love” (3:41)
A5. “Train” (4:51) – Davis

B1. “Armageddon” (2:50) – Davis, Appice
B2. “Ray’s Electric Farm” (3:05)
B3. “Stormy Weather” (2:47)
B4. “Cats in the Alley” (2:56)
B5. “Bandits of Rock” (3:51)
B6. “Circus World” (3:42)

Axis recorded It’s a Circus World at Record Plant Studios in New York with producer–engineer Andy Johns, a veteran Seventies rock soundman (Free, Mott the Hoople, Rolling Stones) with credits on 1977/78 albums by Television (Marquee Moon), Eddie Money (Eddie Money), and Rod Stewart (Blondes Have More Fun). Record Plant staffer Gray Russell assisted the sessions amid 1978 credits on Television (Adventure) and Blondie (Parallel Lines).

It’s a Circus World appeared in a sleeve by Roger Dean — whose cover and logo work spans Yes, Osibisa, Uriah Heep, Gentle Giant, Budgie, and Midnight Sun — with design input from his brother Martyn Dean. The front cover places Dean’s Axis logo across a red space field above a ringed planetary form. Willie Christie photographed the red-tinted trio portrait on the back cover.

Postlude

Appice joined Black Sabbath during the 1980 Heaven and Hell tour and recorded Mob Rules and Live Evil. He followed Ronnie James Dio into Dio, where he played on Holy Diver, The Last in Line, Sacred Heart, Intermission, and Dream Evil before his late-1989 exit.

Johnson entered Los Angeles session and touring work after Axis. He recorded with Alice Cooper on Special Forces and Rod Stewart on Tonight I’m Yours, then replaced Steve Vai in Alcatrazz for their 1986 third studio album Dangerous Games.

Davis played bass and backing vocals in Stewart’s early-eighties band. Stewart and Davis co-wrote “Baby Jane,” a Body Wishes single that reached No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart and No. 14 on the Billboard Hot 100. Davis later joined Johnson in the final Alcatrazz lineup and carried their partnership into Private Life, a male/female hard-rock quintet behind the 1988–90 Warner albums Shadows and Private Life.

Discography: