Drummer Mick Underwood's pedigree is impressive. Playing with guitarist Ritchie Blackmore when they were both in their teens, Underwood (after a brief spell with The Herd) then moved on to play alongside Ian Gillan and Roger Glover in Episode Six at the end of the sixties - and it was he who indirectly got them into Deep Purple, leaving himself without a band! He went straight on to start Quatermass, one of the classic progressive rock Harvest label signings. They split when bassist/singer John Gustafson was poached by... Ian Gillan, and Underwood was again left looking for a gig.

After a couple of different projects, Mick formed Strapps in 1974. This was a well-regarded straight ahead rock band - Mick wasn't interested in much else. After cutting their teeth on the circuit for a year or so, they - like Quatermass before them - were eventually signed up by Harvest Records, and launched their debut album in 1976 - reissued here in full.

The band comprised Mick, with Noel Scott on keyboards, Joe Read on bass, and Aussie vocalist Ross Stagg. The keyboard led line-up mirrored that of Quatermass, though they did employ guitarist Gary Grainger on a couple of tracks.

The album was produced by Roger Glover (and Ian Gillan studio engineer/producer Lou Austin). Glover had quit Deep Purple in mid-1973 and gone into full time production, working with Rory Gallagher, Nazareth and many others. With the album cut in February 1976, Harvest geared up for a promotional push and managed to secure the band the opening spot on Deep Purple's long awaited UK tour in spring (The album did well enough to prompt a second, SECRET DAMAGE, issued the following year). The band found a ready audience in Japan, and issued two further albums there which never came out back home. The band split in mid 1979, when Mick was offered a job with Ian Gillan's new band. Ironically a couple of years later the New Wave of British Heavy Metal sprang into life, and Strapps would have undoubtedly have fitted right in and probably gone on to much greater things.

Put together by Purple Records’ Simon Robinson and on CD for the first time, this album is a must!

School Girl Funk / Dreaming / Rock Critic / Oh! The Night / Sanctuary / I Long To Tell You Too / In Your Ear / Suicide