Ross -

Alan Ross was an English rock guitarist and singer who led the bands Ro Ro, Ross, and the Alan Ross Band.

He emerged in Ro Ro, a rock duo that made three singles and the 1972 album Meet at the Water. In 1974, he formed Ross with Indian Summer keyboardist Bob Jackson. Ross made the 1974 RSO funk-rock albums Ross and The Pit & the Pendulum.

Alan reemerged with the 1977 solo album Are You Free on Saturday, followed by Restless Nights, credited to the Alan Ross Band. As a sideman, he played on albums by John Entwistle, Tim Hardin, and Ric Parnell’s Stars.

Members: Bob Jackson (keyboards, vocals), Alan Ross (guitar, vocals), Steve Emery (bass, vocals), Tony Fernandez (drums), Reuben White (percussion)

Ro Ro

Alan Ross emerged as the guitarist and singer of Ro Ro, a rock duo with Warwick Rose, the ex-bassist of Tangerine Peel, a late-period psychedelic pop band managed by Mike Chapman. They debuted with the September 1971 Parlophone single “Here I Go Again” backed with “What You Gonna Do,” both Ross/Rose originals co-produced by Keith West and his Tomorrow songwriting partner Ken Burgess. In March 1972, Ro Ro recorded an album for Regal Zonophone.

Meet at the Water contains nine Ross/Rose originals, including both sides of their July 1972 second single “Goin’ Round My Head” (b/w “Down On the Road”).

The backing band includes Canadian keyboardist Neil Sheppard and two English rock journeymen: guitarist/violinist John Weider (Family, Stud) and drummer Rod Coombes (Trifle, Juicy Lucy). Weider and Sheppard co-wrote “Beautiful Lady.”

A1. “Goin Round My Head” (5:06)
A2. “Beautiful Lady” (5:01)
A3. “Something About Her” (4:41)
A4. “Down On the Road” (2:27)
A5. “Meet at the Water” (4:53)

B1. “Mandala” (2:11)
B2. “Give Me the Benefit” (6:00)
B3. “June” (5:00)
B4. “Wild, Wild Woman” (4:07)
B5. “Whole Fire Burning” (5:42)

Budding soundman John Alcock produced Meet at the Water ahead of the May 1972 sessions for Whistle Rhymes, the second solo album by Who bassist John Entwistle. The Water lineup (minus Rose) plays on Whistle Rhymes, which also features guitarist Peter Frampton. Entwistle’s album appeared in November alongside Painted Head, the sixth album by American songwriter Tim Hardin, who used Ross, Sheppard, and Frampton for the sessions.

In February 1973, Ro Ro issued their third and final single: “Blackbird” backed with “Feel It Coming,” both Ross solo compositions produced by Groundhogs frontman Tony McPhee.

In late 1973, Alan assembled Ross, a namesake band with Indian Summer keyboardist Bob Jackson, Legs bassist Steve Emery, drummer Tony Fernandez, and percussionist Reuben White.

Ross

Ross released their self-titled debut album in March 1974 on RSO.

Ross balances hard rock arrangements with funk and Latin soul inflections, where Alan Ross’s dense guitar phrasing plays against Bob Jackson’s sustained keys and a rhythm section that favors clipped percussion and syncopated basslines.

“Help Me Understand” builds around staggered guitar–organ interplay before opening into an extended instrumental passage. “Caroline” softens the tone with suspended keyboard voicings and slow guitar bends, while “Blackbird” layers harmonies over open chords. “Leave It All Behind You” leans into a slow blues form, stretching the vocal line across descending guitar figures.

A1. “Alright By Me” (6:43)
A2. “You’re Looking Down a Road” (4:32)
A3. “Wherever You Go” (3:56)
A4. “Caroline” (3:27)
A5. “Changes” (3:42)

B1. “Help Me Understand” (6:37)
B2. “Blackbird” (3:08)
B3. “I Need Your Love” (3:35)
B4. “Buxton” (3:57)
B5. “Leave It All Behind You” (3:54)

Mike Finesilver produced and mixed the album with engineers Anton Mathews and Garry Leach. Alan Ross wrote the bulk of the material, co-writing the opener with Jackson and bassist Steve Emery, who helped shape the album’s funk undertow.

Patrick Woodruff illustrated the cover image of a castle shaped like an armored female torso rising from twisted roots, its scaled hips, jeweled towers, and ruffled cuffs forming a hybrid of architecture and anatomy. The chrome Ross logo hangs above as red banners stream from green domes and a pink pig rests below in a surreal, storm-lit landscape.

The Pit & the Pendulum

Ross released their second album, The Pit & the Pendulum, in November 1974 on RSO.

The record sheds the funk undertow of its predecessor for denser rock arrangements built around keyboard layering and thematic variation. Alan Ross trades lead passages with Bob Jackson, who amplifies the sonic weight through layered ARP synthesizer parts and piano flourishes.

“Swallow Your Dreams” opens in half-time with subdued piano figures underlining Alan Ross’s phrasing, while “Gotta Get It Right Back” turns sharp, with clipped percussion and a tandem vocal arrangement pushed by syncopated bass. “Madness In Memories” stretches across dual sections, shifting from a muted mid-tempo verse into a percussion-heavy instrumental with flickering guitar phrasing over modal keyboards.

“Standing Alone” contrasts cathedral organ swells and bright twelve-string voicings, while “Discovery,” composed and sung by Bob Jackson, centers on locked piano–guitar riffing and a brighter rhythmic gait. Side two leans into slower tempos and ballad structures, notably on “Now I See” and “I’ve Been Waiting,” where double-tracked leads and stacked harmonies fill the space between verses. “The Edge” injects a brief instrumental with off-kilter rhythms and staccato guitar lines, while “Free” touches briefly on acoustic twang before fading.

A1. “Swallow Your Dreams” (4:15)
A2. “Gotta Get It Right Back” (4:19)
A3. “Madness In Memories” (5:26)
A4. “Standing Alone” (4:09)
A5. “Discovery” (4:41) – Lead vocals, written and arranged by Bob Jackson

B1. “Now I See” (4:14)
B2. “So Slow” (3:59)
B3. “The Edge” (1:50)
B4. “Nearer and Nearer” (4:14)
B5. “Free” (1:00)
B6. “I’ve Been Waiting” (5:37)
B7. “Oh, I’m Happy Now” (2:05) – Words by Edgar Allan Poe

Bruce Botnick produced the album at Hollywood Sound Recorders with engineering and mixing by Rik Pekkonen. Bob Jackson sings and arranges “Discovery,” the only track not fronted by Alan Ross, who otherwise composed or co-composed the remaining material. Jack Nitzsche contributed string orchestration, and Tom Wilkes Productions handled the design.

Ken Marcus photographed the front, a stark and unsettling image of a disembodied human arm rests on a wooden slab, restrained at the wrist by a thick leather strap and buckle. Perched just above the wrist, a large rat sniffs the hand, which displays several oversized rings and elaborate fingernails, implying both vulnerability and stylization.

Are You Free On Saturday

Alan Ross released his first solo album, Are You Free on Saturday, in 1977 on Ebony Records.

The album blends extended guitar lines with layered keyboard textures, pairing Ross’s phrasing with alternating figures by Frank Wilson and John Cooke. Several tracks stage dynamic interplay between guitar and synth, with percussionist Chris Fletcher adding tonal color across the arrangements. Bassist Pete Dennis sings backing vocals while drummer Ed Spevock doubles on sundry percussion.

Ross composed most of the album apart from select outside contributions, including the Peter Gabriel–co-written “Get the Guns,” Dave Mason’s “Baby Please,” and the politically themed “Punishment Park” by Mike Finesilver and Pete Ker.

A1. “Are You Free on Saturday” (5:27)
A2. “What You Gonna Do About It” (3:56)
A3. “Man With the White Glove” (6:28)
A4. “Mystified” (4:47)

B1. “Get the Guns” (3:24) – originated as a 1976 Peter Gabriel demo that served as a prototype for “Down the Dolce Vita” from his debut solo album, co-written with Marin Hall.
B2. “Nothing Gets In My Way” (4:26)
B3. “Baby Please” (2:58) – originated on It’s Like You Never Left, the 1973 third solo album by Dave Mason.
B4. “Punishment Park” (4:39) – originated as a 1973 RCA b-side by Finesilver, a studio one-off group by Ross producer Mike Finesilver.
B5. “Love Is Love” (6:22)

Ross co-produced the album in March–April 1977 with Colin Thurston and Tony Visconti at Utopia Studios.

Restless Nights

The Alan Ross Band released their second album, Restless Nights, in 1978 on Ebony.

Restless Nights contains eight songs co-written with lyricist Alain Presencer and one track (“I Will Be Alright”) by Fox drummer Jim Frank.

The album expands their melodic hard rock approach with textural layers and longer instrumental passages, built around the coordination between lead guitarist Alan Ross and second guitarist Craig Anders. John Cooke’s keyboard accents alternate between supportive pads and lead motifs, shaping the harmonic direction alongside Ross’s phrasing. He retains the Dennis/Spevock rhythm section.

A1. “Restless Nights”
A2. “Ain’t It a Shame”
A3. “Kamina”
A4. “I Will Be Alright” – written by Jim Frank

B1. “Angel”
B2. “Joe Henry”
B3. “Land of the Snows”
B4. “Salvation”
B5. “Don’t Back Away”

Ross recorded the album with Tony Cox at Sawmills Studio and completed the mixdown at Ramport Studios. Bob Searles handled photography and design, with art direction by John Dyer.

Discography: