Home

South London conceived the astute talents of a group called Home that were highly underrated when it came to improvisation. Home comprised of ex Four Fables / Sugar Laurie Wisefield (guitar) ex Sugar Cliff Williams (bass), Will Weider violin, ex Man keyboardist Clive John , ex Blue Rondos / Syndicats Mick Stubbs ( guitar, vox) and ex Blue Rondos / Syndicats drummer Mick ‘Cookie’ Cook. Now here was a group that knew no boundaries and could far better be described as a free spirited entity that conjured some of the most definitive twin guitar solos ever applied to wax. Laurie’s distinctive guitar picking style created a fluid stream that washed and soaked with extensive guitar solos changing spontaneously at any given point.

Laurie started his musical career as a cover band called the Four Fables with a brief appearance on the Stubby Kaye TV show. His next venture after an ad in the Melody Maker was the powerdriving Sugar with future AC/DC bassist Cliff Williams. Home cut three albums the debut Pause for a Hoarse Horse, Home and their magnificent conceptual The Alchemist with ex Aardvark Dave Skillen on vox. Home’s 1972 BBC sessions were progressively way ahead of time such as the lengthy “Red E. Lewis & the Red Caps” which tells the story of Mick’s older brother Billy who sang for the group, which included a young Jimmy Page. The guitar cross talking “In My Time” remains Home’s most aggressive axe gauntlet which defaced the BBC on the Jeff Griffin produced Sound Of The Seventies. It originally appeared on Pause For A Hoarse Horse but developed into extensive free form which included some marvellous pedal work by Cliff Williams. Cliff would often use a violin bow on his bass, particularly the live epic “My Lady of the Birds”. Further sessions included the bass trafficking “How Would It Feel” and Telecaster tracing “Dreamer”.The group made a major impact after supporting Led Zeppelin at Wembley in July 1973 in celebration of their concept The Alchemist, technically a masterpiece with keyboards now by Jim Anderson. Laurie’s fret board display on “Death Of The Alchemist” has the fingers performing surgery deep in the heart of the neck. Stubbs opted for family life and Home dissolved with the remaining members supporting Al Stewart as his official backing band.

Thanks to Andy Powell’s intervention Laurie would go on to spearhead his talents with Wishbone Ash. Cliff Williams eventually ended up with AC/DC after Bandit, while drummer Cooke displayed his crosscut style with veteran blues group the Groundhogs. Thirty years later Laurie stood in the pit to back up the Queen celebrated rock operaWe Will Rock You and later War Of The Worlds live tour.