Life -

Life was an English hard-rock band that released the album Life After Death on Polydor in 1974. The prior year, three-fourths of the band cut two singles for Epic under the name Moonstone.

Members: Roger Cotton (keyboards, vocals, guitar), Ian Gibbons (keyboards, flute), Richard Thorpe (bass, vocals), Paul Thorpe (drums, vocals)

Background

Life emerged in 1973 as an outgrowth of Moonstone, comprised of singer/guitarist/keyboardist Roger Cotton, keyboardist/flutist/singer Ian Gibbons, bassist Richard Thorpe, and drummer Paul Thorpe. They assembled through London’s rock networks.

Gibbons mastered accordion at age 9 through festival solos, then led his own band at 14; Cotton penned the 1969 B-side “Happy To See You Again” for The Rainbow People on Pye Records. Cotton, Gibbons, and the Thorpes—three-fourths of the lineup—cut two singles as Moonstone on Epic Records.

Moonstone Singles

In April 1973, Moonstone released “The World’s Too Good For You,” a Roger Cotton composition backed with “When The Moon Has Lost It’s Stare,” another Cotton original. They recorded both sides with producer Chris White, formerly of The Zombies and a songwriter for Argent.

A. “The World’s Too Good For You” (2:59)
B. “When The Moon Has Lost It’s Stare” (3:08)

In November 1973, Moonstone released “A Place To Hide,” a Roger Cotton composition backed with “Drinking Song,” another Cotton original. White produced, with Pip Williams arranging orchestra.

A. “A Place To Hide” (3:30)
B. “Drinking Song” (4:10)

Moonstone changed their name to Life and recorded their debut album with Chris White.

Life After Death

Life released their sole album, Life After Death, in September 1974 on Polydor.

Roger Cotton drives piano and lead guitar lines against Ian Gibbons’ Hammond organ clusters and flute accents, anchored by the Thorpe brothers rhythm section. Cotton and Gibbons layer harmony vocals over lead shifts from Cotton and the Thorpes. Cotton wrote eight songs; Gibbons penned two.

The tracks split between side one’s party-rock stomp—with honky-tonk piano bursts and flute accents—and side two’s organ-led gravity. “Riding Around” moves in rhythmic cycles as Gibbons’ Hammond surges connect it to “Oupus” and “I Don’t Want To.” “Highway” stretches across eight minutes of steady pace, a flute solo slicing through its instrumental passages. “Sleepless Night” opens side two within tense organ frames. “Woman” centers the vocal lead against swelling keyboards. “Looking Out” carries mid-tempo rock with edges of blues phrasing. “Everybody’s Queuing to Be Last” injects reflection into its organ-driven rise. “The Plank / Devil on the River” closes the album in dual momentum, guitar and drums trading rhythmic volleys.

A1. “Riding Around” (4:18)
A2. “Oupus” (1:41)
A3. “I Don’t Want To” (3:38)
A4. “Black Eye” (3:29)
A5. “Highway” (8:52)

B1. “Sleepless Night” (3:59)
B2. “Woman” (3:37)
B3. “Looking Out” (4:29)
B4. “Everybody’s Queuing To Be Last” (5:20)
B5. “The Plank / Devil On The River” (6:13)

Sessions occurred at Advision Studios in London with producer Chris White and engineer Phil McDonald.

Life After Death features cobweb-faced artwork reminiscent of Uriah Heep‘s 1970 debut Very ‘Eavy Very ‘Umble, with birdsong interludes between tracks.

Polydor issued “Woman” (b/w “Bless My Soul”) as a 1974 single, catalog number 2058 500.

Ian Gibbons joined The Kinks for their 1980 live album One For the Road and stayed through their 1993 swan song Phobia.

Discography: