| OUT THERE: A Deep-Space Love Story by Russell Hoban and Andy Bown Released on November 21st 2025 The album will be available in two formats:
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Music by Andy Bown, lyrics by Russell Hoban Cover art by Terry Pastor - www.terrypastor.co.uk Produced by Mike Paxman |
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Andy explains how OUT THERE came about:
"I first met Russell in the mid-nineties when our sons attended the same school. I was a little in awe of such a successful novellist but when sharing a bottle of wine one afternoon he suggested we try and write a song together, I jumped at it. It was then that I read Riddley Walker. I was blown away and never looked back. Over the ensuing three or four years that song gradually morphed into a mind-bending operatic deep-space love story; a musical with cojones. We recorded a few demos and, pleased with the way it was going spent a little time attempting to find development funding. Short story: Brick wall. So Russ went back to his typewriter and I went back on the road with Quo and we thought no more about it. Sadly we lost Russell in 2011. Early on this year my memory was severely jogged by an email from Roland Clare to whom Russell had given a cassette tape of the demos way back when - and 2025 being Russ's centenary year Roland was trying to organise celebrations. He thought this weird song stuff might interest Hoban fans. That was food for thought. Hmm... maybe. Luckily all the original files were still lurking in the bowels of Mike Paxman's studio and we went through them. We liked what we heard. A lot. We went to work. Mike gave it the sonic French kiss of life. It lives, it breathes. We thought - let’s get it OUT THERE !"
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Andy Bown 
Andy has a rich musical heritage, starting from his sixties bands The Preachers and The Herd, where he gave the talented teenager Peter Frampton his first job, on through an endless list of recording sessions with artists such as Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Halliday, Dusty Springfield, Cilla Black, Tim Hardin, Pink Floyd, Roger Waters, Lesley Duncan, Paul McCartney, Carly Simon and many, many more, whilst part forming the ultimate 70's pop rock band, Judas Jump (opening The Isle of Wight Festival 1970) and also appearing with the cult folk band Storyteller. He played keyboards for Peter Frampton in the early 1970s, switching to bass for several tours after Rick Wills departed the band. Andy was the surrogate Roger Waters during Pink Floyd's 'The Wall' tour of 1980 and 81 and he also played on Pink Floyd's "The Final Cut" album and Roger Waters' subsequent release Pros and Cons of Hitchhiking". He has previously released five solo albums; "Gone To My Head" - released in 1972, "Sweet William" – 1973, "Come Back Romance, All Is Forgiven" – 1977, "Good Advice" – 1978, and 'Unfinished Business' – 2011. Andy also released a number of solo singles, including "New York Satyricon Zany", "Another Shipwreck", "Tarot" - the theme to the children's series "Ace Of Wands" and "Supersonic" - theme to the UK London Weekend Television music programme. Andy continued an intermittent solo recording career, whilst starting to work with Status Quo in 1973, first as a session musician, and then as a full time member, recording "Rockin' All Over The World" with the band in 1977. His live piano intro to Quo's performance of "Rockin' All Over The World" was the first music heard at the beginning of the original Live Aid concert at Wembley Stadium in 1985, which was broadcasted to approx 1.5 billion people worldwide. He plays keyboards, guitar and harmonica with Status Quo to this day and is an integral part of the band, having co-written many well known Quo songs, most prominently the group's hits "Whatever You Want", "Again and Again" and the 1988 hit "Burning Bridges" which, re-recorded, went on to reach No.1 in the charts as Manchester United Football Club's anthem. |
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Unfinished Business
A re-issue of Andy's fifth solo album Unfinished Business was released in 2019 by NoCut Entertainment in Germany. This special re-issue now features new cover artwork and eleven tracks including the previously unreleased bonus track 'Dancing In The Rain'. Unfinished Business features contributions from Henry Spinetti on drums, Mick Rogers on guitars, Trevor Bolder and Brad Lang on basses and vocalists Juliet Roberts and Sylvia Mason-James. The album was first released on Cherry Red records in the UK in 2011, and was produced by Mike Paxman and recorded by Chris West. |
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