The Faith Healer – Advert: Feb. 1974

SAHB
Feb 16, 1974
2 min read

Updated: Feb 15

A one‑page Disc advert promoting The Sensational Alex Harvey Band’s new single.

📰 Excerpt

A striking full‑page advert announcing “The Faith Healer,” positioning Alex Harvey and his band as theatrical, dangerous, and utterly magnetic — a five‑star single from one of rock’s most unpredictable live acts.

📰 Key Highlights

• Full‑page Disc advert dated February 16, 1974

• Promotes the single “The Faith Healer” b/w “St Anthony”

• Branded as a “5 Star single from The Man and The Band”

• Features album plugs for Next… and Framed

• Strong Vertigo/Phonogram branding

• Iconic performance imagery capturing Harvey’s stage persona

📰 Overview

Published in Disc on February 16, 1974, this advert promotes The Sensational Alex Harvey Band’s single “The Faith Healer”, released on Vertigo. The design blends bold typography, theatrical photography, and cross‑promotion for the band’s albums Next… and Framed, presenting Harvey as a commanding, enigmatic figure at the centre of the band’s growing cult reputation.

📰 Source Details

Publication: Disc

Date: February 16, 1974

Issue: One‑page advert

Provenance Notes: Vertigo/Phonogram promotional advertisement for the single “The Faith Healer.”

📰 The Story

The advert presents “The Faith Healer” as a major moment for The Sensational Alex Harvey Band — a single bold enough to earn the tagline “5 Star single from The Man and The Band.” The imagery reinforces Harvey’s reputation as one of rock’s most theatrical frontmen: arms outstretched, body tense, a microphone suspended before him like a ritual object. It’s a visual that captures the band’s blend of menace, humour, and cabaret‑infused rock.

Vertigo’s branding is prominent, signalling the label’s confidence in the track. Alongside the single, the advert promotes the band’s albums Next… (6360 103) and Framed (6360 081), positioning “The Faith Healer” not just as a standalone release but as part of a broader creative surge. By early 1974, SAHB had built a reputation for explosive live shows, and the advert leans into that mythology — Harvey as preacher, showman, and provocateur.

The choice of imagery and typography reflects the band’s identity: gritty, theatrical, and slightly surreal. It’s less a sales pitch and more an invitation into Harvey’s world — a place where rock performance borders on performance art, and where a single like “The Faith Healer” feels like both a song and a ceremony.

📰 Visual Archive

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📰 Closing Notes

This advert captures The Sensational Alex Harvey Band at their most iconic — theatrical, intense, and impossible to ignore. “The Faith Healer” stands as one of their defining recordings, and this striking promotion reflects the band’s unique place in 1970s rock.

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