'The City Lights shine high Above you'

As far as the band’s creative output goes, it was nearly spent by the time the sessions for 1989's 'Southern Town' were over. Arguably Ralph were at their best when Pat Joslin was driving the creative output, between the years of 1985 to the end of 1986 - when the band moved up to London, well, Crawley to be exact.

Much of Ralph’s material was actually never properly recorded. Experimental - certainly, eclectic - absolutely. But what's for sure was the best time to catch the band was always live. Songs like 12.30, Bon Voyage, War Factory, Quiet Life, Dry and Caravan were sadly never produced in any decent way and most of the demo tapes from that time were lent, lost and destroyed.

[ A 2CD version of the Studio Sessions 'Best of...' album is available through special request. The four track recordings and demos show the creative potential of the band in their prime. ]

So who were ROTA? Well, if you lived in Devon throughout the 1980’s you may well have caught the band on one of their many ‘South West Overkill’ tours. ROTA were formed in 1982, Ralph was a small rabbit with a waistcoat and a watch and the Arb was a large area of land behind the Village Church.

As goes Studio offerings, Ralph had two albums in their long and drawn out history; the hideously named, ‘No More than a Lie’ in 1987, and the more airwave friendly follow up ‘Southern Town’ in 1989, from which the bulk of the photography on the site is taken.

With such successes as airplay on Radio Devon and the A&R man at Virgin saying, ‘Not bad’, the band finally decided to call it a day after their final gig at the Beer Engine, New Years Eve 1993.

Ralph of the Arb (17 images)

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Press Clippings

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