Blue Goose

Blue Goose was an English hard-rock band that made a 1975 self-titled album on Anchor. Pre-record guitarist Eddie Clarke surfaced in Motorhead.

Members: Eddie Clarke (guitar), Allan Callan (guitar), Nicky Hogarth (keyboard), Chris Perry (drums), Mike Todman (guitar)

Background

Blue Goose formed in London in 1974 when guitarist Eddie Clarke teamed with guitarist-vocalist Allan Callan.

In 1973, Clarke joined Curtis Knight and Zeus, the British-based rock group led by the American singer and pre-fame Hendrix associate. Clarke played on the 1973/74 Zeus albums Sea of Time and The Second Coming, the latter recorded at Olympic Studios in London. Zeus keyboardist Nicky Hogarth and drummer Chris Perry joined Clarke and Callan for a session at Command Studios in Piccadilly.

The quartet recorded four tracks at Command, three of which required only bass and vocal parts for completion. Anchor Records signed Blue Goose on the strength of the tapes. The group recruited bassist Nick South, formerly of Vinegar Joe and Ellis, the group led by ex-Love Affair singer Steve Ellis. South appeared alongside keyboardist Zoot Money on the 1973 Ellis album Why Not?

Blue Goose dismissed Clarke over a rehearsal dispute with Callan concerning their shared guitar amplification. Several days later, the group tried unsuccessfully to reinstate Clarke, who resurfaced in Motorhead. Blue Goose continued with guitarist Mike Todman. Anchor issued their April 1975 single “Loretta” (b/w “Call On Me”) ahead of the self-titled album.

Discography:

• Blue Goose (1975)

Sources

• Fast Eddie Clarke — “Back to the Blues,” Classic Rock Revisited. Direct Clarke interview. He describes Blue Goose as a loose arrangement, places Hogarth and Perry in the move from Curtis Knight, and states that he never recorded formally with Blue Goose. (Classic Rock Revisited)
• CROTCHBAT — Fast Eddie Clarke biography. Detailed account of the Zeus lineup, the 1974 recordings with Knight, Allan Callan’s Command Studios jam, the four resulting tracks, and the Anchor contract. The formation narrative appears to derive from the established Clarke biography circulated across multiple later sources. (CROTCHBAT)
• NTS — Blue Goose. Corroborates Command Studios, Anchor, the Clarke–Callan amplifier dispute, Clarke’s dismissal, the invitation to return, and his refusal. I do not accept its 1974 album date because contemporary 1975 evidence supersedes it. (NTS Radio)
• Official Love Affair archive — Ellis discography. Identifies Nick South as the bassist who replaced Jim Leverton in Ellis, lists South on Why Not? in 1973, cites his Vinegar Joe background, and dates his move to Blue Goose to 1974. (Mott Archive)
• The Musicians’ Olympus — Nick South. Supplies the Blue Goose personnel sequence: initial Clarke lineup, “Loretta” / “Call On Me,” Clarke’s departure, and Mike Todman as the album replacement. This source agrees with the LP personnel transcription but remains secondary. (Musicians Olympus)
• Wirz — Blue Goose discographical entry. Transcribes the Anchor ANCL-2005 personnel as Hogarth, Todman, Callan, South, and Perry, with Sean Locke listed separately. It also dates the Anchor LP to 1975. (Wirz)
• Disc, April 19, 1975. Contemporary review identifies “Loretta” as Anchor ANC 1015, establishing the single in circulation by that date. (World Radio History)
• Billboard, May 17, 1975. Contemporary album review identifies Blue Goose as Anchor ANCL-2005 and describes the act as a British quintet, confirming the 1975 LP release cycle. (World Radio History)
• MusicBrainz — Anchor Records catalog. Independent catalog check places Blue Goose, ANCL-2005, in 1975. (MusicBrainz)