(c’86-’87) Keith Davies (guitar), Alex Marler (vocals), Paul Dreczko (keyboards), and Rob Selway (bass).

In November ’86, Guildford based Kamaleon’s demo cassette earned them a letter of interest from CBS Records; as a result, they spent 11 hours in Catch 44 Studio, Godalming and left with an Ampex mastering tape, paying £8/hour and an extra £1 for the tape, on 28 November.

The band were subsequently invited to meet with CBS Records International at Soho Square, London; but Lincoln Elias (then 18/19 and the A&R guy who would sign Terence Trent D’Arby, Des’ree, Reef, Toploader, and Jamiroquai among others) was looking for something more commercial, like ‘Frankie‘ by Sister Sledge. Kamaleon choose to get back to him on that.

Dreczko, who’d previously replaced Philip Joseph on keyboards in La Maison du Chants, would later audition to join Sweetlife, but didn’t, and joined Nightshift in the early ’90s. Selway had been in Blank Expression before co-forming Pied Piper and The Rats and went onto play in Big Belief after Kamaleon.

Gallery:

Kamaleon (L-R: Davies, Marler, Dreczko, and Selway. Source: Paul Dreczko
Kamaleon publicity photo c’86 (L-R: Davies, Marler, Dreczko, and Selway). Source Paul Dreczko
Kamaleon’s Letter of Interest from CBS Records from Nov ’86. Source: Paul Dreczko
Kamaleon’s Ampex mastering tape from Catch 44. Source: Paul Dreczko