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1975

Taken from "Pop" issue 1 1975

Ahoy - Hit in sight!

"The harbour quarters, sailors and prostitutes - it all fascinates me..." Georg Kajanus

This is the newest hit band from England: SAILOR. The four SAILORs - with not too long hair and not too small minds - bring us a completely new, moody sound. The band's captain Georg Johan Tjegodiev Sakonski Kajanus, son of a Russian prince, is the inventor of the electronic Nickelodeon - a new version of the old bar pianos that used to play music when a 5-cent piece (nickel) was entered with synthesisers.
Georg Kajanus (lead vocals, guitar), Henry Marsh (Nickelodeon, piano, accordion, vocals), Philip Pickett (Nickelodeon, piano, bass, vocals) and Grant Serpell (drums, vocals) manage to entertain their audience with the unique metal sounds of their special instrument and their harmonies and take them on a voyage of a new sound-style between dreamy sailors' romance and moody pub-music. Longing and loneliness on the sea, girls and short but funny times in the harbours - that's the life of the sailors. And that's the colourful and entertaining music of SAILOR. Between melancholy and happy party mood.

The story of SAILOR started 6 years ago in Paris: Georg studied at the Sorbonne, and Henry, Grant and Phil also came to the city near the Seine on different ways. Their ways had been adventurous, and so was their life in Paris. Where do you live in Paris? Well, of course at the Quartier Latin. The four English guys lived in the small streets in the city of Paris. There, between all those cafés, shops and all the lights they met each other: Georg, Henry, Philip and Grant. And it also seemed quite crazy for four English guys to form a band in Paris. Their first appearances took place in a café named "Le Matelot" - and that means nothing else but "SAILOR"...
Paris' café-atmosphere, the blood of a Russian prince, musical bohème and the restlessness of the sailors used to influence the music of SAILOR.
But in 1971 the end of SAILOR seemed to be there. The café burnt to the ground. The four SAILORS wee shipwrecked. They lost their engagement and went separate ways. C'est la vie.
Georg, Henry, Grant and Philip did different things, until Steve Morris, the son of a rich music publisher, met Philip in summer of 1974. The two of them decided to reform SAILOR again. Georg Kajanus, the leader of SAILOR, songwriter and inventor of the Nickelodeon liked this idea very much: "...because it gave me the opportunity to combine all my musical influences."
Georg travelled a lot since his time in Paris. "The harbour quarters, sailors and prostitutes - it all fascinates me", Georg smiles.
Philip and Georg wanted to get the old crew back together again. It was not easy. It took several months and a lot of phonecalls until they had found out where the others were. But when Henry and Grant were finally found it didn't take long to persuade them to get back on board and work on the SAILOR-idea.
A few weeks later SAILOR celebrated their second launching. At the world congress of the record company CBS they had a giant success. They also entertained England and many young fans in the famous TV show "In Concert" at the BBC London. Now they can also be heard here:
After their first melodic hit single "Traffic Jam" they now released the first album under the flag of SAILOR. "The Girls Of Amsterdam", "The Street" and "Sailor's Night On The Town" - that's lovely sung sailor-language with accordion and the unique metal sounds of their special Nickelodeon.
All we can say is: SAILOR ahoy, hit in sight.

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