Alan Hull
b. 20 February 1945, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, England. Alan Hull's career began as a founder member of the Chosen Few, a Tyneside beat group which also included future Ian Dury pianist, Mickey Gallagher. Hull composed the four tracks constituting their output, before leaving to become a nurse and sometime folk-singer. In 1967 Alan founded Downtown Faction, which evolved into Lindisfarne. This popular folk-rock act scored hit singles with Meet Me On The Corner and Lady Eleanor, both of which Hull wrote, while their first two albums were critical and commercial successes. PIPEDREAM, Hull's debut album, was recorded with assistance from many members of Lindisfarne, in 1973. Its content was more introspective than that of his group and partly reflected on the singer's previous employment in a mental hospital. Although Hull continued to lead his colleagues throughout the '70s and '80s, he pursued a solo career with later releases SQUIRE and PHANTOMS, plus a one-off release on the Rocket label as Radiator, a group formed with the assistance of Lindisfarne drummer Ray Laidlaw. None of these albums was able to achieve the same degree of success as PIPEDREAM, the second decade proved more low-key, resulting in only one collection, ON THE OTHER SIDE.