Richard Last Group - Get Ready (1972) (1999)

With just an LP and a single, both issued by Car Juke Box and very rare, this group was surrounded by mystery for many years, even for the absolute lack of information on the record covers; only through the recollections of some musicians it was possible to rebuild their story.

The group Duu Duu had been formed in 1969 in Milan, playing in that area and Valtellina. In 1971 singer Maurizio Cal? asked the five musicians to play with him, first as Maurizio Jr. e i Duu Duu, then as Maurizio Jr. e l'Azienda Autonoma di Soggiorno, then using the name Richard Last Group after his choice of the nom de plume Richard Coley.
Cal? wanted to release the album as a solo artist, but given the popularity of rock groups at the time, the record company insisted to have it credited to the Richard Last Group.
The 12-track album Get ready included mainly covers (by the likes of Jethro Tull and Donovan) along with three originals, all sung in English, showing good technical qualities but little creativity.
Towards the end of the recording sessions there was a line-up change, with bassist Dal Toso leaving for his military duties and the entrance of second giutarist Mario Volanti and later the new bass player Fulvio Massi. This seven-piece line-up appeared on the LP and single cover pictures.
Volanti only played on the three original compositions of the LP (Confusion, He has gone away and Naple in rock) along with a guest bass player coming from the group La Luce.

The group broke up in September 1972 but Cal?/Coley recruited new musicians and created a new group with Rosario Brunetti (guitar), Enzo Menunni (bass) and Massimo Dinoia (drums), that played for some years with the name Richard Coley and the Last Group Show.
In 1977 Coley released with his name a remake of Get ready entitled Dedicated... containing the same twelve tracks as the previous one and was issued by his label, Alexandra.
After another line-up change Cal? started using his real name and with Dinoia and guitar/bass player Flavio Scansani recorded some tracks with jazz and funky influences for a new album that was never issued, although two of them appeared on a single in 1979, Folle evasione.

Coley/Cal? had a part of his musical career in France, and he was involved in many commercial productions after this brief period in the rock music scene.