Gun

This late-'60s high-powered U.K. trio had an interesting ancestry, as two of its members were the offspring of the Kinks’ irreverent and exuberant road manager Sam Curtis. Paul Curtis (aka Paul Gurvitz) and Adrian Curtis (aka Adrian Gurvitz) joined drummer Louie Farrell at a time when the boundaries between pop and progressive music were still a matter of hot debate. Gun were featured on John Peel’s influential BBC Radio show Top Gear, and enjoyed a strong chart hit with the driving, riff-laden "Race with the Devil" in 1968, which was uncannily similar to Moby Grape’s "Can’t Be So Bad." Uncertain of their appeal in the pop market, they came unstuck with their follow-up, the frantic "Drives You Mad," and when "Hobo" also flopped, it was clear that their chart days were over. Their record label attempted to market them as counterculture heroes with advertisements proclaiming "the revolutionaries are on CBS," but Gun failed to establish themselves as album artists. After dissolving Gun, Adrian and Paul Gurvitz formed Three Man Army. After three albums they teamed up with Ginger Baker to form the Baker Gurvitz Army. In 1982, Adrian Gurvitz achieved a surprise U.K. Top Ten hit with "Classic."