Wikipedia Sources List http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:PeRFECT_WORDS_%26_MUSIC http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAK_Records http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woody_Woodmansey http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerry_Bron http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Spiders_From_Mars http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sex_Pistols http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Private_Stock_Records http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Numan http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reading_and_Leeds_Festivals http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Les_Dawson http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woody_Woodmansey
Phil Murray and Dave Black were in a local Tyneside band together. In 1975, Dave was asked to replace Mick Ronson as lead guitarist in The Spiders From Mars, as they reformed after their David Bowie era.
In 1976 Dave left The Spiders, and put Phil Murray in contact with Woody Woodmansey; together with Phil Plant, Frankie Marshall and eventually Martin Smith, U-Boat came into being.
Signed to Bronze Records, their first album entitled U1, was recorded at the Roundhouse Recording Studios, produced by Gerry Bron. Gerry placed U-Boat as support band on the extensive 1977 Uriah Heep UK and European tour. Gerry suggested that prefixing Woody Woodmansey’s, to the name U-Boat, would for marketing purposes help sales, thus the name was edited just before release of the first album.
U-Boat broke attendance records at The Marquee Club during their five week residency in the summer of 1977. The band were influential with many emerging punk outfits. Gary Numan was a fan, emerging with a remarkably similar group image during the Are Friends Electric time period. The Sex Pistols sent U-Boat a telegram to say that regardless of not being invited, they would support headline act U-Boat at the ill fated 1976 Burstow Festival, which was cancelled due to security issues, being so close to Gatwick Airport.
One of the last appearances U-Boat made was at The Reading Festival of 1977.
They had begun recording their second album, when friction between Woodmansey and their manager caused a damaging rift. Phil Murray and Martin Smith remained with the manager, whilst the other three formed another band. Phil Murray signed to Private Stock Records and then had three years signed to Mickie Most at RAK Records, before eventually embarking on a successful personal development book writing career.
Had they not split, their second album could have been called U2!
Immediately following his time with RAK, Phil acted in theatrical tours of a Mike Harding Comedy called Fur Coat And No Knickers, and Paddington Bear’s Magical Musical. He appeared in Eastenders, The Les Dawson Christmas Show, Dempsey and Makepeace, Cat’s Eyes, Spender, Auf Wiedersehen Pet and many others on television, together with a cameo appearance in the movie Victims.
His three solo albums then followed, PLUS, Separate Holiday and Forever Again. Whilst recording the latter, he wrote a personal development audio programme called You Can Always Get What You Want, which became an international bestseller as a book, translated into many languages.
The work that followed as books and in a variety of audio formats included: Before The Beginning Is A Thought, Empowerment, The 49 Steps To A Bright Life, Phil Murray BITES On Personal Development, You And Me Make Three (The Most Explosive Equation In History), Staying Awake Forever, The Flow Of Life (And How To Get Into It), and 2001 A Success Odyssey.