"Music has the potential other arts do not have, which is to utterly change you within 3 minutes. Your whole body chemistry can change , your mood, your perspective….." Nick Cave
When did I stop saying “died”? Jon Lord died today.
Born in 1941 Lord was a huge influence on keyboard players that followed him. (You may detect that I am not the biggest fan of keyboard players, never as sexy as guitar players, let alone sax players) having said that, he was one of rock greats.
He began playing jazz with the Bill AshtonCombo, went on to play with the Artwoods, Best remembered for being a founding member of Deep Purple he was so much more than that. Jon Lord was a jazzer that took to rock and new the blues intimately. I, for one will miss him.
We went to see Think Pink at the weekend. It is a venue that is drawing better and better bands. (Gone are the God Squad days….) In the recent past they have hosted the excellent Blockheads and the totally wonderful Wilko Johnson.
Anyway, the set list was different from last year. The newer stuff (post Muddle – sorry Meddle) was the bulk of the first half with the Umma Gumma stuff providing the climax to the second set.
Now, Umma Gumma is MY Floyd. Set the Controls was well realised. Careful with that axe a bit short on shock but Saucer Full really hair on the back of your neck raising great.
To be fair no one can be Floyd, but Think Floyd get close.
14th June 1964. A girl, Carol Dryden tried to post herself to The Beatles. (Luckily she did not suffer the same fate as Waldo Jeffers in The Gift by The Velvet Underground).
Although there are plenty of references to the incident the details are vague. The basic story is that a girl known as Carol Dryden was ensconced in a tea chest that contained a thermos flask and blankets. The tea chest was then addressed to The Beatles. She was discovered before she was delivered and thus avoided Waldo’s fate.
The trouble with this story is that it seems to shift and fade as you get close to it rather like a mirage. The name remains constant, but her age does not. she was either 12, or 14, 16, or 21. The tea chest was either discovered in Crewe, London, or Sunderland. She came from Liverpool, or London, or the North East of England.
A cynical old hector, I wonder whether this story saw the light of day after being dreamed up by Brian Epstein as a good publicity wheeze.
(In case you are wondering on this day in 1964 The Beatles were in Australia. So even if this was a true story it was very badly conceived.)
In footnote, The Blade a newspaper from Toledo Ohio covered this story picking up a report from Rueters. The thing is according to them Carol was 21, and it happened in 1966! See their report here.
Never one to miss the chance to play the Velvets. Here is The Gift.
On this day in 1985 Big Joe Turner died. Sadly, he is little remembered today but he had a huge influence on the growth of Rock and Roll.
Born in 1911 Turner performed from 1920 until 1980. A Blues shouter he played with or on the same bill as many wonderful musicians such as Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday, and Wynonie Harris. He recorded throughout his career but found real fame in the ’50s. Moving away from Jazz and Blues he was a pioneer of rock and roll. He is best remembered for writing and recording “Shake Rattle and Roll”. His, original version was a hit but eclipsed by Bill Haley’s version. BH’s version removed all the innuendoes of the original (Elvis used the original lyrics) and was not as raw and powerful as Turner’s.
More hits followed notably; “Well All Right,” “Flip Flop and Fly,” “Hide and Seek,” “Morning, Noon and Night,” and “The Chicken and the Hawk”. His influence has been hailed by many people including the NME when reporting his death in 1985 they referred to him as “the grandfather of rock and roll.
Later in his life he returned to Jazz and Blues performing until 1980. He died of a heart attack.
On this day in 1955 one of the all time rock classics was recorded by Carl Perkins at Sun Records in Memphis. It later went on to reach number 2 in the US and number 10 in the UK. It has been covered by loads of artists including Elvis (also a Sun Recording artist) and John Lennon.
He had a very poor upbringing. The son of a sharecropper in Tiptonville Tennessee he started working in the cotton fields at the age of 6. He would often finish his school day and then work for several hours in the fields. This upbringing made him resilient and exposed him to Southern Gospel music, whether during regular worship on Sundays or while working in the fields as the black workers sang in the fields.
In what now seems to be almost trite his first guitar was home made cigar box and broom handle affair made by his dad. He learnt to play being taught by a 60 year old John Westbrook a fellow field worker who Carl referred to as “Uncle John”. The African American played Gospel and blues and instilled a love of music into a willing Carl.
Later the family moved to Madison County and so closer to Memphis and more musical influences. From the age of 14 Carl and his brother played in local bars (while still having day jobs in the fields). Gradually, his repertoire and confidence grew. In 1954 he auditioned for the great Sam Phillips of Sun Records. Later Phillips would say of Carl “I knew that Carl could rock and in fact he told me right from the start that he had been playing that music before Elvis came out on record… I wanted to see whether this was someone who could revolutionize the country end of the business.”
Records followed but the great success was “Blue Suede Shoes” recorded on this day in 1955 (or on 19th December depending on who you believe. Carl’s immortality was assured.
Perkins was the son of poor sharecroppers near Tiptonville, Tennessee.[3] He grew up hearing Southern gospel music sung by whites in church, and by black field workers when he started working in the cotton fields at age six. During spring and autumn, the school day would be followed by several hours of work in fields. During the summer, workdays were 12–14 hours,
1955, Carl Perkins recorded ‘Blue Suede Shoes’ at Sun Studios in Memphis. The rock ‘n’ roll classic became a US No.2 & UK No.10 hit for Perkins in 1956, and has been covered by many acts including Elvis Presley and John Lennon.
I should point out before I begin that I am not EC’s biggest fan – I have never forgiven him for 461 Ocean Bvd.
Having got that off my chest I must say that I enjoyed this book. It is well written with lots of insights and honesty (as far as anyone can tell). He acknowledges his arrogance and failings though he becomes a bit self serving towards the end of his book. All in all, however, it comes across as an honest account of his life.
The account of his upbringing seems so removed from the experience of today’s youth, it is even removed from those of us born just 10 years later than him. The privations of the post war years, the birth of skiffle, the part played by the old jazzers in introducing the Blues to these shores are covered. That EC became fixated with the blues resonated with me. I remember the effect of listening to Muddy, Howlin’ Wolf etc. for the first time and understand what that would mean to a socially inadequate, but talented youngster.
The lost years, fogged by various addictions, are covered openly. EC makes no excuses. The one question that I have is how much of the past can he really remember, but then I asked myself that when ready Life by Keith Richard.
Worth buying? I would say yes. You will not get a track by track explanation of the albums as you sometimes find in other biographies. What you do get is a worthy attempt to put his life into context. Motives and feelings are the name of the game here. It is an exceptional book because it is so personal. The flaws and mistakes are addressed (though I would have liked a bit more about the Birmingham racist comments). This is a man who was known to be a bastard to his family and friends, a man who dodged his responsibilities for years, a man who took the easy way out and relied on others.
EC started as an exceptional talent who could not live up to other peoples’ expectations. He became a jobbing guitarist, going through the motions. He both believed his own hype and hated the attention that it brought to him. That he survived is a testament to his resilience, that he survived and reclaimed happiness and the ability to play sublime music is a testament to his strength.
I still have not forgiven for 461 but I understand better, I just wish that I had not bought it. This book should be on your Christmas list, you will not be disappointed.
On this day in 1971 “Coz I Luv You” hit the number 1 spot in the UK. It was Slade’s first number one and was followed by another 5.
Slade were a jobbing band in the West Midlands of the UK. After adopting a skinhead persona that was ill judged (skinheads had associations with football hooliganism and the far right) they dove head first into glam rock. There followed a series of UK hits directed by their manager Chas Chandler (Ex of the Animals and manager of Hendrix). Although they had a substantial following in the UK they never cracked the US despite moving to the USA in ’75 and touring continuously.
They have been credited as being an influence on a number of bands including; Kiss, Queen, Poison, Def Leppard, Oasis (who covered “Cum On Feel the Noize”, Cheap Trick, Hot Leg, Twisted Sister, The Clash, The Undertones, Cock Sparrer, The Runaways and Girlschool.
Their influence was summed up in New Musical Express; “They embodied the glorious absurdity of the greatest pop, in the sideburns, the mirrored top hat and Dave Hill’s pudding bowl haircut. As such they were the simplest, most effective possible, riposte to prog rock’s bloated pretensions and pseudo-intellect.” (and I thought that Punk was the ultimate riposte).
So the positives (of which there are many) about Slade. Noddy Holder had a voice that was made for rock, it is certainly up there with Paul Rogers, Robert Plant, and any other rocker that you can think of. As a band they put on a great show, Dave Hill with the strangeness that always appeals in a lead guitarist. A solid rhythm section ensured that they were always straight on and never stumbled. Above all they revelled in good time rock and roll.
However, they were responsible for quite possibly the most annoying and down right gut wrenching single ever (followed closely by Kid Rock – but don’t get me started on him). I refer to, of course, that scourge of all who love rock -“Merry Xmas Everybody”. If ever a single should have been strangled at birth…………….
On this day in 1959 Johnny and The Moondogs played an audition for a talent show. Sadly they did not win.
Why should we be bothered about a failed band? Simply because they later became The Silver Beetles, then The Silver Beats and eventually The Beatles. It seems that Lennon took names seriously as The Beatles had some 8 names, including The Beatles (twice!).
Carroll Levis was Canadian born but moved to the UK to work for the BBC. In 1958 and 1959 he ran talent shows and the prize was to appear on either his radio or TV shows both called “Star Search” (some sources say it was called “Search for a Star”). The set up was that the acts performed and later reprised their act while the audience applauded. Using a clapometer it was decided which act was most popular and so the winner.
On 15 November 1959 (or possibly 26th November) The Quarrymen morphed into Johnny and the Moondogs for the talent show. Their line up was John, Paul, George, Colin Hanton (drums), and John Lowe (piano). The auditions took place in The Hippodrome Theatre, Manchester and the band turned up to play. However, they did not have enough money to stay overnight if they had progressed to the next heat and returned to Liverpool without knowing whether they has won or not (they didn’t).
There are several questions about this whole episode. The 15th November 1959 was a Sunday, would the theatre be open on a Sunday in those days? Possibly not. An alternative date given for their performance is the 26 November 1959. There is also some question as to what, if anything Lennon was playing at the time. There are reports that Lennon was singing but notplaying at this time. There are other reports that Lennon was indeed playing guitar, a Hofner Club 40. It is known that Lennon was playing this guitar a little later when the Quarrymen (they had changed the name back) played the Casbah club. This is the guitar that Lennon’s aunt Mimi bought for him. The photo above is from 1958 and shows Lennon without a guitar, but obviously that proves nothing. There are also reports that Lennon actually stole a guitar to play at the competition. (It has to be said that I was told that some time ago but I have not been able to corroborate this story).
So what do we know? The proto-Beatles took part in a talent show, did not win but did not give up. It is hard for us to look back now and appreciate the change that was happening to society. In post war Britain skiffle had roused something among the youngsters. They became enamoured of the energetic music that was coming from the States, then rock and roll took their desire to express themselves further. There were difficulties and deprivations but a generation was beginning to reject the old staid mores of their parents and the existing society. From such small beginnings………..
On This Day in 1945 Vince Martel was born. He was the lead guitar player in a proto hard rock band Vanilla Fudge who recorded “You Keep Me Hangin’ On”.
The Fudge, formed in 1966 by Mark Stein and Tim Bogert were originally called The Pigeons. (There must be a series of posts about band’s original names that I can do). They then changed their name and were managed by a gangster related figure called Phillip Basile. (I should say that Basile was
allegedly
connected to the Luchese crime-familly).
Their biggest hit was “You Keep Me Hangin’ On” a reworking of the Supremes’ hit. Slowing it down and rocking it proved to be a success. While it only made number 67 in the USA it reached the 18th spot in the UK. It was also a forerunner in the growing hard rock movement. In fact during their 1969 US tour The Fudge had Led Zep supporting them!
The Fudge did many good covers, making the songs their own. There were covers of various Beatles’ songs and “Season of the Witch” a Donovan ditty.
