Yes - Pink Floyd - Genesis - Rush - Peter Gabriel - Black Sabbath - Marillion - Jon Anderson - Fish - Iron Maiden - Steve Hackett - King Crimson - Joe Satriani - Extreme - Steve Vai - Meatloaf - Jim Steinman - Metallica - Roger Waters - ELO - Jeff Lynne - UFO - Ozzy Osbourne - REM - Jethro Tull... to name but a few.
In the mid-90's, after trawling around several South Devon metal bands as a lead singer, Nick Lee joined a band run by tall, moody bassist, Rich' Medland. Within a few months, the egotistical dictator Lee had fired everyone except Medland in the hope of finding some really good musicians to play his self-penned songs. He called the band 'Foundation's Edge', and no-one disagreed with him because he'd probably fire them, too. After a while he found the talented guitarist Al Swainger, and the three of them rehearsed for a long time with a variety of drummers (and the odd keyboardist), slowly building a repetoire of original material. Lee & Swainger (who turned out to be a talented multi-instrumentalist) had a chemistry. So much so, that just before they were to play a load of real, proper gigs, the two went off on their own to record the stuff, leaving the tall, moody bassist to get on with his day job. This pair of lab' boffins recorded two albums worth of demos over the next year (or two), Lee providing (most of) the songs (and the grumpy lyrics), Swainger arranging them and playing everything bar spoons. Lee then adding his production touches and mixing it. It was all good stuff. With a style either ten years too early or ten years too late to be relevant, no-one paid them the blindest bit of interest. In 1999 they stopped. Lee was ill. Swainger was ever more in demand as a jazz bassist, multi-instrumentalist, 'proper' musician. They stayed friends. But FE were consigned to history. They often talk of 'doing some more stuff' and Lee has lots of songs to 'do stuff' to. Who knows? Maybe one day they will.
Here, then, is a little bit of history. The band that disappeared up their own backsides. But quite enjoyed it while they were there.
