there are at least three artists with the name Christopher:

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1)

Christopher Nissen is a Danish pop singer from Amager. He released his first single "Against the Odds" in 2011.

2)

Hailing from Toronto Canada, Christopher, who found most conventions and current musical climates quite disagreeable, is a 3rd generation student drop out of Bela Bartok. Originally a classically trained guitarist, Christopher transmuted into a multi-ethnic dual gender vocal firestorm and fringe composer. The first incarnation was the 2001 release wer Next Projekt which according to writer Garry Sharpe-Young was "A truly remarkable piece of work."

Fast forward 5 years of relocating, reinventing, whimsical auditions for Finnish metal bands, studio fires and floods, Smoke and Origination is released; a 68 minute opus that shares some of the same discordant ambitions Brian Wilson laid down in "Pet Sounds" back in the 60's. Unlike the sunny disposition of Brian Wilson's opus, "Smoke and Origination" documents urban sprawl and the cannibalistic homogenization of western life.

3)

Another one of Texas' wealth of interesting late '60's psychedelic bands, Christopher came together in 1968 in the Houston area. Doug Tull (drums), Doug Walden (bass, vocals), and Richard Avitts (guitar, vocals) were the original members of the band, which was originally known as United Gas. Tull and Avitts, at the time playing in a series of R&B and soul-leaning groups, first met in 1966 when Tull sat in on drums with one of Avitts' bands. Tull, however, was not as serious about the music as Avitts, leading to an eventual split. Tull developed a friendship around this time with Jefferson Airplane guitarist and Texas native Jorma Kaukonen, and, in 1967, invited Avitts to jam with them. Certain that they had the makings of a band, the two went searching for a bassist who could sing, eventually finding Doug Walden. It was not long before United Gas developed a following in and around Houston, playing local clubs such as Tangerine Forest, whose owner, Nick Lee, developed an interest in the band, eventually becoming their manager. Walden and Avitts began writing their own material and recorded a demo that Lee had circulated around Las Vegas and Los Angeles by his connections in those cities. United Gas moved to Las Vegas for a brief time and then to Los Angeles after L.A. record label Metromedia offered them a two-year contract. At the behest of Metromedia, the band changed their name to Christopher so that they wouldn't be confused with similarly monikered California band Pacific Gas Electric. Walden and Avitts felt Christopher to be a religious band-the name is derived from Saint Christopher-and wanted to convey this through the music. Recording of their first album started in early 1969; however, it was hampered by Tull's drug use and his failed suicide attempt. He was fired (later returning to Houston and joining Josephus) and the sessioins were completed with drummers John Simpson and Terrence Hand. The result was Christopher's self-titled debut album, released in a single 1970 pressing of a thousand LPs by Metromedia. Walden and Avitts remained in Los Angeles playing as Christopher until Avitts returned to Houston later in the year.

The CD for this album was released on Gear Fab in 1997.

4)

Christopher

Personnel:

GARY LUCAS drms A

BILL McKEE bs A

STEVE NAGLE gtr A

FRANK SMOAK ld gtr A

ALBUM:

1(A) WHAT'CHA GONNA DO? (Chris-tee PRP 12411) 1970

NB: (1) reissued on Rockadelic subsidiary (Animus Ochlus AOLP 102) 1990 and later on (Atlas 12 411 15) 1999. (1) also reissued officially on CD (Scenescof SCOFCD 1003).

This is another fine album by an entirely different band, from North Carolina. Only 100 copies were pressed originally making it an ultra rarity, although the recent reissues on Rockadelic/Atlas will bring it to the attention of a wider audience. There's lots of good guitar work on this album, from the fuzz psych of Holiday (with its effective drumming) and Modern Day Oracle to the bluesy guitar on Day Of Sunshine and the title cut and the more melodic and mellow mood of The Great Clock and Fugue. Recommended.

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