Robert Bathurst - Lead & rhythm guitar; Martin Day - Vocals & guitar; Simon Bartlett - Bass, backing vocals; Andy Clark - Drums; Pete Milner - Sax, keyboards, tap dancing.
Influences
Frank Zappa, Rush, Peter Gabriel, Joe Jackson, Mott the Hoople, The Smiths, Alice Cooper, The Beatles, U2, Pink Floyd
Sounds Like
U2, Beautiful South, The Smiths, Joe Jackson, B52s, Keane, Maroon 5, Oasis, Coldplay, Travis
It all started at the turn of the 80s. Rob Bathurst was teaching himself guitar and Martin Day was writing stand alone lyrics. They met at a buzzing church youth club in Woking, England and started to write together. Simon Bartlett moved into the area and was quickly recruited as bass player. Kenton Keys was added on Keyboards, but transferred to drums when the original drummer Martin Gibbs stormed out shortly after the first gig.
The band learned to play together as they learned to play. They chose the name "Mervyn Sprocket and the Crankshaft Assembly" as it looked like fitting whether the band turned out to be good or bad. They remained a four-piece for the next couple of years whilst choosing the hard road of a cover-free set. Higher education then beckoned Kenton away, and he was replaced by Doug McKellar on drums for the next 3 years. Doug played drums big and loud, and it was about this time that the name changed to Salt Solution with more focussed objectives. Songs in the early days had been a mix of humorous skits and urgent Christian comment, but the accent was on entertaining and earning the right to be heard.
Doug decided to abdicate the drum stool and Andy Clark joined the band. Doug continued as manager for a while and lent his expertise to the recording process. The music matured and 1986 turned out to be something of a golden year with an independent single on the Embryo Arts label and a place on the bill of the Brixton Academy on one hand, and a growing prophetic ability on the other.
A strength of the band had always been the common roots despite any personnel changes. All the members had been part of the same church and shared the same mindset and objectives. But then, seemingly by chance, they stumbled into Pete Miler, mid-concert one night. He jammed with them on stage, and after a fortnights deliberation they decided to invite him and his sax into the band. He brought with him keyboard skills too, and the band transformed from a solid rock quartet into a multifaceted song crafting outfit, with Martin, Rob and Pete sharing the writing credits and sparking off each other. The line-up continued the same until the group disbanded in the mid-90s, thirteen years after inception.
The band remained firm friends and continued to work together to complete the outstanding recordings, eventually completing their first and last and retrospective album, “Arctic Frosties” in 2000.
Salt Solution's definitive Arctic Frosties album is now available from , , Napster and "all good online etailers".
Salt Solution opened the set of their 1987 gigs at the Brixton Academy with `The Blood`. It was recorded by the band for posterity. See it here. Also see `videos` for other clips from the same gig.
This was neat clip of big surf that Martin caught in the 80`s on an old Fergason Videostar. He then simply replaced the existing soundtrack with a copy of Salt Solution`s `New Life`. Enjoy the results of this primitive piece of editing...
Catch some Sumo wresting action to the sounds of Salt Solution`s `When`s it Gonna Change`. A mix produced by Martin to promote his Sumo wresting business Sumo Experience
And finally here is evidence of the ongoing but some what sub-global apeal of Salt Solution
Hey hey! Remix Bar, woking STUDENT NIGHT this Wed. FREE ENTRY & Happy hour ALL NIGHT!what more could you ask for, not to be missed.
Also noticed your an ACM bunny...if you wanan come down and preform at Remix Bar we are always on a mission to support our local bands/musicians/ DJ's so please contact me: charlie@remixbar.com 01483 730041
