The Army Knives

The Army Knives were a British rock band formed in London in 1972. The group consisted of Gilbert Garrick (Lead vocals, piano), William Walker (Rhythm guitar, vocals), Chris Kirby (Bass, vocals), Elizabeth Smith (Lead guitar, vocals), and Jim Byron (Drums, vocals). The band experimented with a lot of genres that mainly branched from Rock, such as Hard Rock, Blues, and Punk Rock. Later in the early 80s, the Army Knives' songs begun to develop Post-Punk and New Wave elements.

The Army Knives members all attended the Royal British Academy of Military Defence (RBAMD), and met each other through the academy with the exception of Byron and Smith, who knew each other beforehand in high school.

Since the formation of the Army Knives, they started out as a cover band, covering songs from bands such as Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, and The Velvet Underground. They remained a cover band until 1973, when they released their first album, "Transmissions from the Trenches", featuring the band's first hit song, "Rule Britannia (Britannia Rule the Waves)". The album gained recognition from the local public, and gained a small audience around the UK. They were still a small local band but slowly grew successful after they released their 1976 album, "Kingdom of War", that featured the hit song, "Liberty for the Pawns". The album was the band's transition from Punk to Hard rock, and showcased the experimental sound of the Army Knives.

In 1976, Smith and Byron joined the big band orchestra, The Billy Burton Orchestra, where Byron continued to play drums, while Smith was the pianist. The two balanced their career with the Billy Burton Orchestra and the Army Knives.

In the 1980s, the Army Knives strayed away from Hard rock and begun experimenting with Post-Punk and New Wave, but still kept their signature Rock sound in the background.

The Army Knives were disbanded in 1985, due to Kirby, Walker, and Byron graduating from the RBAMD in the early 80s. Smith left the same year the band had broken up, due to being convicted for attempted murder on infamous London gangster, Mickey Montgomery. Garrick soon graduated from the RBAMD later in the 80s.

1970 - 1972: Formation
The founding members met in a pub in London Soho during 1970. Guitarist Elizabeth Amelia Smith was a member of the Beat Quartet, a rock cover band that played a gig at the Lively Ivy, the pub where Smith and Gilbert Garrick met. Due to tensions in the band rising, Smith left the Beat Quartet. Garrick had just left his former band, Blue Ruse, in early 1970, and was in search for a new band. The two met at the Lively Ivy after Smith officially resigned from the band. Garrick and Smith were classmates at the Royal British Acadmey of Military Defence, and bonded through the Academy they both attended, as well as their passion for music. Garrick and Smith went on ahead to form a 3 man punk band called the Pigs of Communism, with fellow schoolmate and Drummer, Charles Callaway. The band name was named after George Orwell's Animal Farm. The band released one single, "Nuclear Family", due to Callaway graduating from the Academy in 1971. He went on to focus on his new duties as a Captain.

Garrick and Smith resorted to covering songs and playing acoustic. In 1971, William Walker, a student from the RBAMD, showed interest in joining the band. He was also the owner of the Lively Ivy, the pub where Garrick and Smith met. Walker auditioned for guitarist, and was then a member of the Pigs of Communism. They continued doing cover songs, planning on officially making original music once the band was fully complete. In the meantime, Garrick was on piano, while Smith and Walker were on guitar.

In late 1971, Garrick, Smith, and Walker placed advertisements for a bassist and a drummer, hoping to expand the band. In early 1972, Christopher Collin Kirby, also a student from the RBAMD, applied for auditions, where he played an improvised version of the bass line for And Your Bird Can Sing. He was accepted. Later in mid 1972, Smith introduced the band to her old friend from high school, James Oliver Byron, and auditioned for the last spot and was accepted, making the band complete. Garrick decided that this was a new band and it now needed a name. Because all the members were students of the RBAMD, they all agreed on a military related name. They all settled on the name, The Army Knives.

1972 - 1974: From covers to Transmissions from the Trenches and Tango Alpha Kilo
In late 1972, The Army Knives began the works on their debut album. Because they weren't signed to any record label, the band recorded the album theirselves in Walker's home, using a spareroom as a studio. They used a TASCAM reel-to-reel recorder to record their songs. In the meantime while they worked on it, they continued doing small gigs in pubs, playing covers from bands such as Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, and The Velvet Underground. The band planned on releasing the album by the end of the year, but was delayed until next year due to end of year exams at the Royal British Academy of Military Defence.

Members

 * Gilbert Garrick - Lead Vocals and Piano
 * Elizabeth Smith - Vocals and Lead Guitar
 * Charles Callaway - Drummer (Former)
 * William Walker - Vocals and Rhythm Guitar
 * Christopher Kirby - Vocals and Bass
 * Jim Byron - Vocals and Drummer

Studio Albums

 * Transmissions from the Trenches (1973)
 * Tango Alpha Kilo (1974)
 * Kingdom of War (1975)
 * Gambler (1976)
 * Devils Diary (1977)
 * The Kamikaze Fire (1978)
 * The Army Knives (1980)
 * Eros and the Snipers (1981)
 * A Ballad for the Forgotten (1982)
 * Time for (1983)
 * Mail from the Moon (1984)
 * Fleeting Memory (1985)

Live Albums

 * The Army Knives: Lively at the Ivy (1975)
 * Tango Alpha Kilo: The Army Knives Live at the BBC (1977)
 * The Army Knives At Wembley: Live from the Trenches (1980)

Compilations

 * Greatest Hits Vol. 1
 * Greatest Hits Vol. 2
 * The Army Knives: 1970s + The Pigs of Communism
 * The Army Knives: 1980s
 * Greatest Hits Vol. 3

Trivia

 * Originally, William Walker's name was to be Matthew Muller, but was scrapped.
 * In the early days when the Army Knives was first created, the band was originally going to be an influencial 70s band that became famous around the globe. Later, the Army Knives were decided to be a local London band that was considered a hidden UK gem.
 * Originally, the founding members of the Army Knives were Elizabeth Amelia Smith and James Oliver Byron. The band's original founding year was 1975 and ending year was 1987.
 * The instruments of the Army Knives are as follows:
 * Gilbert Garrick mostly plays a Yamaha Compact Piano. He would also play a Viscount Legend 70, and occasionally, a Novachord.
 * Elizabeth Smith plays a Black Fender Squire Strat that she nicknamed "Bomberbird".
 * William Walker plays a Gibson ES-335. He would also use an 1970s Inter-Mark Electric Guitar and an Epiphone Crestwood Electric Guitar.
 * Chris Kirby plays a Squire Classic Vibe 60s Precision Bass, nicknamed "Foxtrot".
 * Jim Byron owns a 1960s Ludwig 4 Pc. Drum Set that he mostly uses in studio recordings.
 * Mizakid, the creator of the Army Knives, has made some sample tracks on what the Army Knives' music sounds like.