The opening 14 seconds of rhythm guitar on Any Given Sunday from Invisible Highway features Chris playing a Fender Stratocaster through a Kay 10 Solid State amplifier dating back to the 1970's. The amp, seen above during the recording of the song at Century Audio in October 2023 has been in the possession of Gary since the 1970's.
"I acquired the amp all those years ago as a practice amp. I remember obtaining a Hondo II bass guitar and playing it through this amp" says Gary. Over the years it has travelled with it's owner and has generally been used as a practice amp. The range was very common in the 1960's and 1970's and were often a guitar and amp combo as Kay did make a range of guitars and they could be bought from the likes of a home catalogue or high street stores like Woolworths. They were made in East Germany.
"The amp was used many times in Crow practice sessions at our home studio with our bass player usually playing through it. It was also used for bass on some radio shows we attended and i remember it being used on BBC Radio Kent Folk" says Gary.
When songs started forming in anticipation of a new album the amp was instrumental in the composition of Any Given Sunday - track number 10 on Invisible Highway.
"I was looking for a different sound and feel for the song. I plugged my Stratocaster into the Kay 10 and discovered this nice, sweeping rhythm feel for the chord structure of Any Given Sunday. The amp was taken to the studio for the recording and for some unknown reason the tone of the sound was different and did not really fit into what we wanted on the song. However, the opening bars of Any Given Sunday lasting for 14 seconds was played through the Kay 10 and is what you hear on the track."
The opening 14 seconds rhythm guitar provide a stark contrast to what is to come in the remainder of the song when the rest of the band join the action.
To hear the Kay 10 in action on Any Given Sunday click on the following link: -
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