Shape of the Rain was a band from Sheffield , founded around 63/64 by Keith Riley, his brother Len, Brian Wood and Ian Waggett. They started out called The Gear and then The Reaction. ‘If we couldn’t get gigs because they didn’t like us, we’d just change the name, If they liked us we’d stick with the same name,’ says Keith Riley. The band’s first professional recordings were in Nottingham in 1966.They released an album on RCA/NEON called “Riley Riley Wood and Waggett” in 1971, which was produced by Tony Hall. Their Manager was David McPhie. They were influenced by American West Coast music and the British psych/progressive scene as well as many other styles and came up with a sound that was all their own.Twelve string and slide guitars were used to create a different sound to what was then the norm. They played The Marquee, London, The Cavern, Liverpool and Manchesters Hard Rock and Magic Village.