Watch a young Phil Collins with pre-Genesis band Flaming Youth

New and rare footage of Phil Collins' pre-Genesis band Flaming Youth has surfaced on YouTube. A half hour set from German television recorded in December 1970 and broadcast on WDR Koln Germany shows the young psych/progressive rockers just prior to the point where they broke up. You can watch the set below.

The band formed out of a touring act backing John Walker from The Walker Brothers and were originally known as Hickory, recording a 1969 single Green Light/The Key. They changed their name to Flaming Youth and recorded their sole album, Ark 2, for the Uni label, having teamed up with producers Ken Howard and Alan Blaikley who had penned The Legend Of Xanadu for Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich.

The band performed a five song set for Dutch television station Dutch TV Station TROS studio, which was thought to be the only known footage off= the band until this new set appeared.

it features a youthfully hirsute Collins singing on both Changes and the band's take on Gustav Holst's Planets. The full set contains Earthglow, Guide Me Orion, Weightless, The Planets, Changes, In The Light Of Love and Pulsar.

Soon after Collins auditioned for and joined Genesis, replacing drummer John Mayhew, having previously auditioned for Vinegar Joe and Manfred Mann's Chapter Three. Flaming Youth guitar player Ronnie Caryl also auditioned for Genesis but lost out to Steve Hackett (he would later work with Lulu and Maggie Bell and appears on Collins' Dance Into The Light and Going Back). Keyboard player Brian Chatton joined Jackson Heights with former The Nice bassist Lee Jackson.

Artists

Writer and broadcaster Jerry Ewing is the Editor of Prog Magazine which he founded for Future Publishing in 2009. He grew up in Sydney and began his writing career in London for Metal Forces magazine in 1989. He has since written for Metal Hammer, Maxim, Vox, Stuff and Bizarre magazines, among others. He created and edited Classic Rock Magazine for Dennis Publishing in 1998 and is the author of a variety of books on both music and sport, including Wonderous Stories; A Journey Through The Landscape Of Progressive Rock.