Bandit -

Bandit was an English hard-rock/funk band that released a self-titled album in 1976 on Arista, followed by a second effort in 1978 with a revised lineup on Ariola.

Members: Danny McIntosh (guitar, vocals), Graham Broad (drums, 1976-?), Jim Diamond (lead vocals, 1976-?), James Litherland (guitar, 1976-?), Cliff Williams (bass, 1976-77), Tony Lester (bass, vocals, ?-1978), Theodore Thunder [aka John Dentith] (drums, percussion, vocals, ?-1978), Gerry Trew (lead vocals, harmonies, ?-1978)

Background

Bandit formed in 1976 when singer Jim Diamond teamed with guitarist James Litherland, bassist Cliff Williams, and drummer Graham Broad.

Diamond (b. 1951) first fronted bands as a teenager on the mid-’60s Glaswegian beat scene. In 1975, he issued the solo single “Clean Up the City” (b/w “Back On the Line”) on Bradleys.

Litherland (b. 1949) started in brass-rockers Colosseum. He played on their first two albums, Those Who Are About to Die Salute You and Valentyne Suite (1969), then formed his own band Mogul Thrash, which issued a 1971 self-titled album on RCA. He also played on albums by Jade, Edwards Hand, and Leo Sayer (Just a Boy).

Williams hailed from rustic-rockers Home, which issued the 1971–73 albums Pause for a Hoarse Horse, Home, and The Alchemist. Broad had been active as a sessionist since age fifteen as a drummer for The Temptations and Ben E. King.

Bandit completed its lineup with guitarist Danny McIntosh, a newcomer. They signed with Arista and recorded their debut album with producer John Alcock.

Bandit

Bandit released their self-titled debut album in December 1976 on Arista.

Bandit is a polished hard–soul set framed by Jim Diamond’s high-tension vocals and the twin-guitar interplay of Danny McIntosh and James Litherland. The album presents their full five-piece lineup with bassist Cliff Williams and drummer–keyboardist Graham Broad.

Diamond wrote half the album. Litherland contributed “Mr. James” while the group cut one 1964 hit associated with the Shangri-Las (“The Leader of the Pack”).

“Ohio” opens the set with an elastic, jogging pace and panned chordal movement. Diamond moves from rasp to uplift across the sparse “The Leader of the Pack.” “Dance When You Boogie” shifts from hazy, suspended chords to tightly sliding guitar figures and a sudden lift in Diamond’s range. Side B peaks with “Hung Up on Your Love,” where bending dual-channel lines and accelerated drum passages drive a lengthy, sectioned arrangement. The closing “Love and Understanding” stretches into slow, open harmonies with drawn-out chords, octave runs, and a rising string presence.

A1. “Ohio” (4:31) uptempo jogging rhythmic pattern (in A major) with panned chordal waves (Leslie and loose wah-wah); galloping verses with exuberant vocals, flanked with left/right guitar fills; lively harmonized chorus.
A2. “Hard on a Loser” (2:50)
A3. “The Leader of the Pack” (3:09) ballad with “threshold” opening of violin, acoustic strum, and thematic melodica; restrained verses that showcase Diamond’s raspy, soulful range; brief acoustic filigree.
A4. “Dance When You Boogie” (3:23) opens with spacey Leslied chordal sustain (in G7 minor), revved with slick, sliding precision amid Diamond’s low-registered vocal delivery. Post chorus, he soars hi and low against intensified backing; lightning guitar break swarmed in drum smoke;
A5. “Mr. James” (4:29)

B1. “Hung Up on Your Love” (5:41) panoramic tom-tom opening signals and uptempo trad-off of bending dual-channel licks and ringing, scratching leads (in A minor): the backbone of Diamond’s vocal swagger across the brisk, funky verses and chordal dips along the hi-hat-sliding chorus; snaky guitar middle with revved drum fills and pinched runs, followed by quieter, looser with call-and-response chants, ad libs, and clipped triads; all accelerated for the final play out.
B2. “Rocking My Soul Out” (2:48)
B3. “Pulling Them Punches” (3:29)
B4. “All Coming Back to Me” (2:39)
B5. “Love and Understanding” (5:51) ballad with slow Leslied chordal intro and spacious rhythmic pattern (in G with emphasis on the dominant 5th: D); restrained backing to Diamond’s high-registered delivery; winding octave guitar breaks; advancing strings; layered, voluminous fadeout.

Sessions occurred in 1976 with producer John Alcock. Bandit received a spread in Trouser Press but received scant promotion from their marketing-challenged label.

In March 1977, Bandit members accompanied Old Grey Whistle Test host Bob Harris to a London pub where the party got drawn into an altercation with members of the Sex Pistols. The band collapsed around Danny McIntosh, who assembled a new four-piece lineup for a second album.

Partners in Crime

Bandit released their second album, Partners in Crime, in November 1978 on Arista.

Partners in Crime presents the reconstituted Bandit around singer Gerry Trew, whose bright, tensile delivery drives a set of tightly arranged hard–soul rock framed by Danny McIntosh Jr’s chordal bite and Matthew Fisher’s sleek production.

Trew wrote the majority of the material. McIntosh Jr supplied “One Way Love,” and the team rounded the album with Lester’s slow-build “Best of You” and Thunder’s closer “Don’t You Worry.”

“Stick Around” opens with an ascending theme that reappears in the chorus amid echoing leads and interlocked bass. “One Way Love” pivots on a finger-picked figure with clipped chords and a chorus that lifts in sharp, sliding turns. Side B’s “Best of You” settles into a medium-slow R&B pace shaped by fuzzy guitar and plunging chords, while “Don’t You Worry” accelerates with taut fuzz, forceful verses, and a redoubled final surge after an acoustic drop-out.

A1. “Stick Around” (3:22) ascending intro/chorus theme with echoing leads and interlocked bass; tight verses with fuzzy chordal sustain, foldout harmonized chorus.
A2. “High on Your Love” (3:33)
A3. “Love Song” (3:01)
A4. “One Way Love” (5:24) Knopfer-esque finger-picking electric figure on perky mid-tempo pattern; cutting chordal sustain flanks Trew’s assured verses; angular, hi-hat-sliding chorus; elongated middle with faint, layered harmonies and fiddling guitar.
A5. “Visions of You” (4:46)

B1. “I’m a Rocker” (3:20)
B2. “Best of You” (3:38) fuzzy guitar across medium-slow R&B boogie pattern (in A minor), chordal plunges and open cadence flourishes land the chorus; searing, scaling lead on the break.
B3. “Memories of You” (4:16)
B4. “Change of Heart” (3:04)
B5. “Don’t You Worry” (5:10) opens with brisk, taut fuzz chords entwined with low-end staccato filigree; driving uptempo verses with commanding vocals and rapidfire tom fills; drop-out middle of plucked acoustic guitar and distant vocals; song redoubles with force.

Sessions occurred in 1978 at The Old Recorders in Surrey with producer–engineer Matthew Fisher, who recorded and mixed the album.

Bandit featured Trew on lead and harmony vocals, McIntosh Jr on guitar and harmonies, Tony Lester on bass and harmonies, and Theodore Thunder on drums, percussion, and harmonies.

Cover design came from deNise with photography by Paul Barnett.

Postlude

By 1979, Bandit lost their last original member when Danny McIntosh cleared for ex-Cochise guitarist Mick Grabham. The final lineup (Trew, Lester, Grabham, Thunder) toured as an opening act for John Miles. They disbanded during sessions for an unfinished third album, of which five songs appeared in 2016 on the EP BANDIT3 EP.

Discography: