London Rock Tour

By Royal Appointment; Exclusive Gigs

2012-01-22T11:12:00.000-08:00

Fifty-years ago rock was about rebellion. Older rockers might remember the fuss when the Beatles were awarded their MBE medals, and attended Buckingham Palace to collect them from Good Queen Bess. (October 1965). The joke at the time was would the Beatles obey the signs and 'keep off the grass'!

How the world has changed; and so, has rock. Revolt into style, as George Melly once shrewdly observed. We now have a collection of 'Sirs' as well as MBEs, OBEs, and sundry other recognitions (like honorary PhDs awarded by self-promoting universities). Buck House is now a well-established rock venue, and even Status Quo have 'gongs'. Mind you, Quo deserve them a darn site more then some other of the recipients.

All this came to mind last week reading about St James Palace being the latest Royal Palace to host a rock concert. Admittedly, this was a promotional, PR turn by Van Morrison on behalf of the 'come to Northern Ireland' tourist campaign, but it counts and adds to Kensington Palace (Elton and Rod Stewart being regular performers for Princess Diana) and Whitehall Palace (Eric Clapton at some corporate do or other).

Rock has yet to reverberate from the walls of Windsor Castle yet, but maybe this is the year with it being QE2's 60th. We have still to hear what delights are to be provided for the masses as part of the festivities - though McCartney is bound to feature somewhere! Be a bit ironic if Windsor did feature given that the great National Jazz and Blues Festivals at Richmond and Windsor were one of UK rock's founding events. Just check who’s at the foot of the 1963 festival, and who lines up for 1967.http://www.ukrockfestivals.com/1967-windsor-festival.html

Thinking about it; rock has yet to have its first 'Lord'. Couple of certainties; it will get one eventually but count out Bowie and Keef Richards. Neither would accept any award of this nature. So who? Well, Lord McCartney of Strawberry Fields has a certain ring to it, and he's reigned nearly as long as Liz, God Bless her (and him!).

UFO Reunion UPDATE

2012-01-09T05:37:00.001-08:00

Planning continues apace for the UFO reunion (which is on March 23rd, not the 24th as advised in a prior blog).

'Zeitgeist 66', as the event has been christened, is being held at Nottinhgill's Tabernacle. It is somewhat ironic that the event is actually being 'planned' as spontaneity was the norm at the original UFO! 'We're all getting older, admitted Mouse O'Brien, one of the original UFO regulars, 'and at our age planning becomes a bit more prudent'.

One element that particularly requires forward thinking is the siting of a commemorative plaque. A formal unveiling will be one of the day's key events if this element comes to fruition. The hardest part of getting a plaque up is getting the agreement of the building owners. In this case it is the All Saints church authorities; the ideal position would be on a church wall adjacent to the original church hall, the initial UFO venue. Hopes are high that the church will welcome the initiative of a permanent memorial given the building's significance in local social history.

Watch this space for more news and contact Mouse directly if you want tickets, or have any memorabilia from the original UFO that can be included in the planned display. Tickets will be in high demand and numbers are strictly limited; mike@townhouse-gardens.co.uk

Where have all the Bootlegs gone?

2012-01-06T05:34:00.000-08:00

News of the surfacing of an early recording of the Stones’ ‘As Tears Go By’ secreteed from London’s Regent Sound Studio, evokes nostalgia for the old-fashioned vinyl or cassette bootleg where such illicit material often surfaced in the past. ‘Bootlegs’, by way of explanation for the younger rock fan, were unofficial releases; concert recordings or demos that, like this new Stones gem, somehow escaped the studio, were pirated, and found their way into twilight distribution channels where a lucky soul might chance upon them before the police did.

‘Lucky’ is a term to be used loosely here. In truth, the recording quality of a bootleg was often rubbish; most were taken from hand-held cassettes smuggled in past security. But some came off the mixing desk, or the artists own personal tape machines, and these became legendary and much sought-after. Certain acts were more prone to the bootlegger than others; usually those whose official output was a trifle sporadic, or whose canon failed to include ‘live’ performances when the band had a reputation for playing great live shows. The holy grails were those ‘legendary’ gigs or super-jams that were rumoured to have taken place with a tape machine left running - like the early Hendrix jams in London basement clubs with the likes of Traffic, Eric Burdon and Alexis Korner.

I remember the thrill of first discovering ‘Led Zep at the Royal Albert Hall 1970’ and ‘Hendrix at the Winterland Ballroom’. A particular prize in my collection is an anonymously-packaged, orange vinyl of Rod Stewart and the Faces. There were no liner notes, not even a track listing, so where and when this gem was recorded remains a mystery. A couple of other prized items include a range of tapes taken from the mixing desk at London’s ‘Half Moon’ pub venue. Discretion (and the fear of retribution!) prohibits a fuller explanation but suffice it say that I treasure performances from the likes of Guy Clarke and John Stewart. A similar mixing desk-sourced performance is of Julian Cope in Leicester.

Naturally, some artists fought back. The Grateful Dead allowed everyone to take in their recorders with the result that you’d see a forest of raised arms or cassettes atop of posts stretching before you. Frank Zappa took another route to ‘beat the boots’ and simply issued a zillion live albums. The quality was always excellent as you’d expect from the great man. And Dylan of course did the same by releasing the famed ‘Basement Tapes’.

It’s all too easy now. A quick trawl through the internet and you can download almost anything, and free. Pearls are truly being cast before the swine.

It Was 50-Years Ago Today that Sgnt Pepper...

2012-01-01T15:05:00.000-08:00

It happened on January 01 1962; fifty years ago. Let me write that again; fifty-years ago...

On that fateful day four young men from Liverpool filed into the Decca studios in North London for an audition. And as everyone knows, they failed it; Decca preferred to sign Brian Poole and the Tremeloes to this other band who didn´t quite measure up to the promise they´d shown when playing live at Liverpool´s Cavern Club.

Fifty-years and millions of records on, The Beatles are still the biggest name in popular music.

Who would have thought on that grey, early 1960s day (we didn´t even get a holiday for New Year´s Day in those far oft times!) that half a century later their music would not only still be selling by the truckload (or more recently download) but, for example, be providing the accompanyment to the New Year´s fireworks on Rio´s Copacabana Beach? Or indeed, that one of their surviving members would still be conducting world tours? Not bad for a band that didn´t show any promise!

2012 is a big year in Beatle history. Some might argue that it is the real 50th Anniversary of the band as it marked not only the begining of their recording career but the line-up that featured Ringo. Perhaps it´s unfair to write Pete Best out of the story in this way but 1962 was certainly a momentous year as it marked their arrival in London. Liverpool was now behind them; history.

Boy, did Decca screw up.

Fairplay though, the Tremeloes did go on to have some cracking hits and Brian Poole is still fronting a band today. Not too sure that I´ll be hearing their music on Copacabana beach anytime soon though...

Christmas songs... don't ya just love'em!

2011-12-25T09:17:00.000-08:00

Christmas comes but once a year... and with the same regularity does a plethora of past Christmas 'hits'. And if there's one thing guaranteed to make me scream 'Bah, Humbug!' it's a cliché-ridden festive toon!!!

I play this annual game with myself; on what date do I first hear Noddy Holder screaming 'It's Christmas'? First released in 1973, it has been a Yule-tide fixture ever since, but like Xmas sales it's played earlier every year. As soon as I hear it the radio goes off. Until January.

And let’s face it, if anybody out there doesn’t know its Christmas from the number of times you hear Band Aid then you're probably a Hindu living on Mars ...

It's kind of depressing; always the same old rotation. Chris Rea ('Driving Home this Christmas'), Wham ('Last Christmas'), Wings ('Wonderful Christmastime'); Johnny Mathis ('When a Child s Born'), Pogues ('Fairytale of New York'), Cliff Richard ('Mistletoe and Wine') and (just to show how universal rock is) José Feliciano ('Feliz Navidad'). Oh, and I mustn't forget Wizard (I wish it Could be Xmas Everyday'). Personally, no, I don't. But I do feel sorry for Roy Wood, songwriter extraordinaire, being remembered only for this lame sing-along favourite.

I've nothing against Christmas songs per se (excepting Bowie's biggest mistake), but wouldn't it be nice to reprise a few less-known ones? My votes would go to The Zombies ('Christmas for the Free'), U2 ('Christmas, Baby Please Come Home'), The Waitresses (Christmas Wrapping', The Sensational Alex Harvey Band ('There's No Lights on the Chrotmas Tree')and David Essex (Winter’s Tale').

Any other suggestions before Christmas 2012 (DJs request all entries to be in by August, please, as they want to be in before Slade ...).

Not too many Indonesians expected in 2012

2011-12-15T07:20:00.000-08:00

Amongst the 53 nationalities taking the rock tour this year were fans from some pretty surprising countries, proving rock's global appeal. Among the English-speakers, Latin Americans, and sundry Europeans were Russians, Indians, Syrians, Taiwanese and Malays! Remember, up to a relatively few years ago, rock was either banned or severly frowned on in many of these countries.

But while most of us across rock's globe can now listen openly to virtually uncensored rock, wear t-shirts advertising our heroes, and even dress to reflect our chosen genre, spare a thought for those who can't and for whom listening, or adopting a particular dress code is still an act of defiance - just as it was in those early years of rock.

Take Indonesia, for example. It's reported that police raided a punk rock festival in the city of Banda Acha this last weekend. Traditional drug raid? Alas no; it was a much more fundamental attack on rock. Attendees were rounded up and those with Mohawks, or similar punk hair styles, had their heads forcibly shaved. Body-pierced jewellery was yanked out, and some fans were literally thrown into nearby rivers and ponds for a spot of 'spiritual cleansing'.

On the one hand, it's somewhat reassuring that rock still has the power to frighten establishments, and to 'kick against the pricks'. I often fear the blandness of Coldplay is a reflection of where our beloved rock n roll is in this 21st century, but maybe, to paraphrase Zappa, rock ain't dead (at least not everywhere), it just smells funny.

On the other hand, we need to spare a thought for the youth of Indonesia in their fight against such stupid reactionalism and crack-downs such as these. Solidarity is required! Rock on, Banda Ache.

We had a couple of Indonesians on the tour this year, but given the current over-reaction Indonesian authorities have exhibited, we must doubt there will be too many Indonesians on our nationality list for 2012!

Keef Hartley dead. Who?

2011-12-06T01:52:00.000-08:00

Behind every publicly-acclaimed rock 'great', be it an individual or band, there are scores, if not hundreds, of others who never quite made it, despite their talents. I was reminded of this when reading of the death of the Lancashire-born drummer and band leader, Keef Hartley, last week (November 29th). Hands up, who recognises the name? He took over from Ringo in 'Rory Storm's Hurricanes' when Ringo joined the Beatles, went on to be one of John Mayall's troupe, played with 'The Artwoods' (band of Ronnie Wood's brother Art), formed his own 'Keef Harley Band' who... wait for it... played at Woodstock.

Woodstock? And you never heard of him?

And there's the rub. Keef Hartley could have, perhaps should have, been one of the drumming giants; his passing recognised by all rather than his slipping gently into that good night. Arguably Hartley missed his main chance because he's not actually in the Woodstock film. Why? Because he asked for money upfront, which was not forthcoming, so the performance was not filmed and didn't make Scorsese's edit. A legend was not born.

How many others made that one decision that robbed them of real fame and fortune? Terry Reid turning down the Led Zep vocals job? The Kinks missing out on US glory by falling out with the Teamsters Union? The Zombies who quit before what would have been their 'Time of the Season'. Can't even begin to count the number who simply shouldn't have taken that last drink, spliff or hit... bad decisions all. But the same could have happened to those that made it but for the grace of God and a little luck. If Rod Stwart had been just that bit better at football he might have signed for Brentford and his singing career been confined to the terraces in later years!

But back to Hartley. While the man may have gone, his music hasn't and it's not too late to get into it. Amazon inevitably has a range of his CDs including the great 'Battle of North West Six', 'Lancashire Hustler' and 'Dog Soldier'. RIP Keef Hartley.

UFO reunion for March 2012 is shaping up

2011-11-29T08:15:00.000-08:00

The UFO was an itinerant 'underground' club which briefly dominated the scene of '67. A good argument can be made for it being the cradle of the British psychedelic scene as it featured bands such as Pink Floyd, the Bonzo Dog Doh Dah Band, Arthur Brown, the Pretty Things, Procul Harem and Soft Machine. It was certainly (with OZ magazine) at the epicenter of the counter-culture, 'hippy' movement that came out of the London suburb of Nottinghill Gate.

It existed in part to fund the counter-culture newspaper IT, which perennially needed cash not only to ensure it came out regularly but to fight the numerous attempts of the 'establishment' to close it down.

Around the UFO gathered any number of now semi-legendary names of the British underground; Joe Boyd (Floyd's first producer), John 'Hoppy' Hopkins, artists Michael English and Nigel Weymouth (famed as 'Hapshash and the Coloured Coat'), poet Michael Horovitz and poet and lyricist, Pete Brown (check out Cream's 'Disrali Gears').

UFO gigs were 'happenings' in the true sense of the word; little was planned, anything could happen including mild chaos. A Beatle might turn up,and did, ad so might the 'fuzz' - and did! Naturally, as a hippy movement, they lost money but club nights at the Blarney on Tottenham Court Road, All Saints Church, Nottinghill, Chalk Farm's Roundhouse and the '14-Hour Technicolour Dream' at the Ally Pally, left an indelible mark on London’s musical heritage. The influence of the UFO cannot be understated.

One scene regular, ex-roadie legend, Mouse O'Brien, has had the brilliant idea of a UFO 'reunion'; a 'happening' for 2012 with three bands full of legendary 'musos', an original oil-lamp light-show projection, magic, art, Jeff 'Isle of Wight' Dexter as MC/DJ, an exhibition of original IT and UFO artwork, and what ever else transpires... he has already lined up all sorts of interesting performers, and many of the old 'faces and heads' have confirmed they'll be along.

It's not often that you get advance notice of a 'happening'. Generally there's a press report, and maybe a TV arts show, and you're left thinking 'Jeez, I'd like to have been there! How come these things are always only for those 'in the know?’ So, take a note of he date and place; March 24th, the Tabernacle, Nottinghill Gate. There will be a website 'Zeigeist' and look out ofr collectable publicity materials appearing as the event approaches. You read about it here first!

Freddie's 20th Anniversary 24th November 2011

2011-11-25T03:10:00.000-08:00

Touching scenes outside of Garden Lodge yesterday as people came to his last home to pay their respects to the memory of Freddie Mercury, dead now 20 years. There was a steady stream of individuals all day, many laying flowers or sticking affectionate notes to the Perspex sheets that now prevent graffiti from soiling the walls of Logan Place.

In some ways it was like an international fan club meeting. In the short time I was there, I talked with Brazilian, Argentinean, Japanese, American, French and British fans. There atmosphere was subdued rather than somber with fans swapping Freddie memories, some sporting classic tour T shirts, others carrying mementos.

The media has naturally been full of biographies of the man. Most portraits were flattering, but also many truthfully including 'warts and all' assessment of his character.

The amount of attention will no doubt attract a new generation of fans, previously unaware of Mercury or even Queen. It may sound surprising and even unlikely to long-term Queen fans that there can be people out there who don't know the band. I had a group of 30 plus French students (from Brittany) out for the day and probably less than 20% had any real knowledge of the band. A couple of weeks back I was helping Bebe Contemponi of Argentinean Canal 11 for a documentary. We were filming at Freddie's Felltham family home, now lived in by an Estonian immigrant. She had been completely unaware of the house's history, or even of Queen, until the TV cameras pitched up outside her door!

Abbey Road saved on its 80th Anniversary?

2011-11-12T00:52:00.000-08:00

One wonders how long Abbey Road can last as a recording studio? One the one hand, it is great news that its 'mothership', EMI, has been bought back from the bankers by the French-owned, Universal Music Group (tinged with a bit of sadness that there was no British company able to buy the company). On the other hand, what place has a traditional studio in the scheme of things when recordings can now so easily be made in bedrooms and mixed on mobile phones?

To date it has been great to be able to visit the studio (or at least the location as you can't get inside unless using it professionally) and to talk not only about its 80-year history and place in rock's pantheon, but also its current activities. It's a buzz to see the artists wondering in and out, and occasionally to see a real star (hats off to Taylor Swift incidentally, who came out of the studio to meet her fans earlier this year, creating crowd scenes last seen during its Beatle heyday).

But technology is evolving, as it has throughout the history of recording. Abbey Road was arguably the world's first purpose built studio (arguably as there may have been a few already in Italy) but its pre-eminence was constantly challenged by rivals acquring more advanced equipment. EMI artists might have preferred going to other facilities to record (as indeed the Beatles famously did on occasion) had they not been tied by their recording company to using the studios.

The days of a music company tying bands to its own studio are long gone. To survive in the modern world, a studio needs to offer a combination of the greatest technology, affordability, and that certain intangible 'something' that somehow feeds the artistic muse.

Abbey Road can fulfill the last criteria in spades; everyone wants to 'feel' that Beatle or Pink Floyd magic. Kate Bush might be an exception to this ... she liked Abbey Road because it is apparently situated on leylines. So much for technology. Maybe the studio doe shave a future and that would be magic indeed.

Jimmy Saville RIP

2011-10-30T13:29:00.000-07:00

So farewell, then, Jimmy.
You fixed it for everybody in your time,
Except me, that is.
I never had a Number One hit.

Of course, being able to sing,
play a guitar, or been a paraplegic might have helped.
My Mother loved you too,
Which shows how old you must have been.

I always wondered why;
you wore track-suits without a Nike badge
you didn't advertise Domestos bleach
and no one knew the brand of cigar you smoked.

I suppose that's why you remained an enigma.
But, batty as you obviously were, we all loved you, anyway.

Apologies to. E J Thribb

Original Band or Tribute Act?

2011-10-20T01:15:00.000-07:00

I went to see one of my favourite early ‘70s bands, ‘Canterbury sound’ legends, Caravan, at the Shepherds Bush 02. They don’t tour that much now; getting on a bit I suppose, and only a couple of original members are still in the line-up (though founder Pye Hastings is still the rock on which Caravan park).

Great night of memories; girls growing plump in the land of the grey and pink, so to speak. Musically as strong as ever (though the sound mix left something to be desired) with Hasting managing to get most of the required vocal notes. But if left me wondering; how many changes in line-up can a band perform with and still legitimately call itself the original band? Especially when they make a virtue of playing the band’s ‘seminal’ music made 40-plus years ago.

Sharing the bill with Caravan was another progressive rock legend, Curved Air, stalwarts of the student union, who produced three memorable top-twenty albums (one being the first picture disc issued), and half a dozen stand-out tracks (Back Street Love and It Happened Today). Initially, Sonja Kristina was on vocal, the wonderfully named Florian Pilkinton-Miksa on drums, the amazing Darryl Way on violin, and on guitar, maestro Francis Monkman. The band admittedly had many changes over the years (including soon-to-be Police drummer Stuart Copeland) but the sole survivors at Shepherds Bush were Kristina and Pilkington-Miksa.

OK, you can’t expect to be seeing exactly the same line-up (or even the majority) as those playing in those dim dark day; time and excess inevitably thin the ranks. But when the ‘band’ is down to a single representative surrounded by newly acquired band members young enough to be the survivor’s grandchildren, then claiming the original name is perhaps disingenuous.

Would I have gone to see two newly-named bands, one featuring Hastings and the other Kristina? Probably not. It was the original branding of Caravan and Curved Air that attracted me. On the night I came away happy but was I listening to the originals or superior tribute acts, I wonder?

Did You Experience the Troubadour?

2011-09-23T11:49:00.000-07:00

What a great night! Again. The weekend of 17/18 September has turned into an annual commemoration of Jimi Hendrix's impact on London, and London's impact on Hendrix.

The date marks the anniversary of Hendrix's death in the city in 1970. It's truly remarkable that 41-years on Hendrix can still sell out Earls Court's Troubadour Club; at least he can in the guise of Are You Experienced, undoubtedly the UK's top Hendrix tribute band, admirably lead by the incomparable John Campbell.

The Troubadour Club is the ideal venue. It's a small, basement club, not much changed since Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, Nick Drake and other folk-rock luminaries launched their careers there. The low ceilings, alcoves and almost claustrophobic atmosphere engendered by 120 or so howling Hendrix acolytes send shivers up (and down!) your spine.

And Campbell knows how to manipulate his audience; with Purple Haze he give just enough pause for 120 voices to get to 'scuse me while I kiss the sky (this guy)' before he does, and everyone gets to 'where you going with that gun in your hand' that planned fraction early. It's a perfect, crowd-pleasing performance. But not just populist; AYE's rendition of Machine Gun is delivered every bit as meaningfully now in these current war-torn times as it was during the Vietnam years. Drummer, Kevin O'Grady, keeps time like an M16, and Mark 'I Blame it on Rio' lays base notes down like well-placed mortar rounds.

A good percentage of the crowd were 'Rhodes Rockers'; guys enjoying a reunion weekend having met at the Lindos Rock Festival (check it out: http://www.classicrocktours.com/). A fair number had gone to the bother of 'fancy dress' and it made for a colourful crowd in more ways than one.

Great night. Nice also to some regular faces, not just the Lindos crowd but 'authentics' like Mouse O'Brien who was a roadie at the gig where Hendrix jammed with Cream at the Regent's Street Poly. 'Good gig', said Mouse. 'Yeah, didn't Clapton walk off stage in tears?'. 'No, not that one. This one.' Praise indeed.

If you were there, please post a photo or two as your blogger was too into the band to take any!

Roll on Sept 17th 2012.

Macca names the day - well almost!

2011-09-16T12:56:00.000-07:00

So, we're on watch... sometime over the next couple of weeks Sir Paul is to marry again, with a ceremony at Westminster City Hall in London's Marylebone, where he and Linda tied the knot in 1969.

This latest Beatle bride to be is another American, Nancy Shevell.

The news emerged when Paul posted 'the banns' there. It's a legal neccessity to do so, so it's not something that can be kept quiet. Though the exact date is still unknown, the event has to take place within 16-days of the posting, which was on the 14th. If it does get out we can be sure that there'll be a lot of well-wishers lining the local streets to catch a glimpse of Mrs McCartney's little boy, as there was on the first occasion.

It will actually be the third Beatle marriage to take place there, it was George's preferred venue.

We're not expecting an invitation, but as the morning rock tour passes the City Hall maybe we'll catch a glimse!

The Boys were Back in Town

2011-08-25T13:52:00.000-07:00

The boys were back in town last weekend for Dublin’s Phil Lynott exhibition and birthday commemoration. It was a terrific weekend; not too much whiskey in the jar, but a lot of Guinness in the glass! Dublin on a Saturday night can be Live and Dangerous, especially when packed out with visiting French Rugby fans, but thankfully it was a peaceful and respectful commemoration with little need of any Sunday Jailbreak!

Enough of the clichés.

A good exhibition should keep the visitor both entertained and interested with the right balance of visual and audio presentations, and catch the eye with unique, preferably exclusive memorabilia. A visitor should leave with a feeling that they have learned more than they knew, and with a warm glow of affection for the subject. Get it right and the visitor should also leave with some merchandise tucked firmly under the arm, or at least a new tee-shirt. Dublin’s Lynott exhibition successfully fulfilled the above criteria.

Over 10 rooms or so, the exhibition traces Lynott’s story from Manchester birth, Dublin childhood and formative teens, through his glory years of Thin Lizzy success to the climax of his sad all-too-early end in London. Personal early photos and school reports were thankfully kept as a brief introduction to the man, with the bulk of the exhibition material concentrating on his musical career. Set lists, tour accounts, advertising posters, tour programmes, candid photos and personal letters home built up a picture of this complex man, following his rise from teenage band member to international headliner. DVD presentations of concert footage (including his Top of the Pops appearance), the reminisces of fellow-band members, and collections of his personal effects, put flesh on the man.

The ‘wow’ factor was provided by his Fender Precision bass, stage clothing and Manchester United jacket!

The pity is that it was a temporary exhibition as it would have been great addition to Dublin’s more permanent rock-heritage attractions. There was one well-known photo I half-expected to see; it’s of Lynott casually posing with Gary Moore and George Best in a local pub. It wasn’t there, but in a way that was as it should be. When the exhibition is over at least this bit of Dublin’s Lynott will still be there to discover for anyone taking a Guinness at O'Donohue's pub on Merrion Row.

And what did I learn? That Thin Lizzy's first London gig was upstairs at Ronnie Scotts Club; that Phil was a rampant Man Utd fan; that £40 was a considered quite a good fee at the begining of their career; that Tim Booth of Dr Strangely Strange (who I once met and can thank for turning me on to Paul Brady) designed the 'Thin Lizzy' type face; that the same money that bought you a Lizzy LP in 1976 buys you less than a third of a pint of Guinness in Dublin now; and that my mate Geoff, a normally fantastically talented photographer, forgets to activate his flash when over-awed by the presence of the famous! More of the last in my next post...

London's Burning!

2011-08-11T04:48:00.000-07:00

We've found ourselves playing some real classic songs as the soundtrack for our recent tours. It's amazing how appropriate lyrics written some 30 years ago are now. The Clash captured the disturbances and civil disobedience of the late 70s and early 80s on their first eponymous album; though the Nottinhghill area which saw the 70s violence was virtually unscathed this time as, thankfully, were all areas covered on our rock tours. Along with the descriptive 'London's Burning', Joe Strummer and his band cohorts also called for a 'White Riot, white riot, a riot of my own'. The classic 'Police and Thieves' (from the same album though originally written by Junior Murvin) contains the lines 'And all the crowd come in, day by day, no one stop it anyway' and this certainly described the early days of the disturbances when an over-whelmed and under-prepared police failed to meet the initial challenge. In truth, we could have done with a few more scenes such as grace the reverse picture from that Clash album; truncheon-weilding police, chasing rioters, ready and willing to dole out a bruising.

One tour client suggested the Stones 'Street Fighting Man' as an appropriate inclusion to our soundtrack. It's not; that was written in response to anti-Vietnam political riots and doesn't apply to the current looting mob. This was a cowardly lot who'd soon disappear if they were really faced with street fighting rather than the softly-softly and measured restraint approach shown by our London Met police.

The Jam's 'Town Called Malice' definitely makes the soundtrack cut though. As does Kaiser Chiefs 'I predict a riot'.

The Beatles inevitably have a comment; 'When the rain comes, they run and hide their heads'. Well, England's famed climate and 16,000 coppers on the streets seems to have dampened looter activity over the past few evenings.

Putting aside our flippancy, the real sadness is the damage and disruption caused, and the impact these events have and will have on so many innocent Londoners. And it could have a real impact on rock music. One event in the last few days was the burning down of Sony's Warehouse in the neighbourhood of Enfield. The fire reportedly destroyed the entire stock of CDs and vinyl of more than 100 small independent labels (including XL Recordings whose office we visit on our tours). Although some of the short-term problems of supplying product from the like of Artic Monkeys and Adele may be overcome, there's talk of the warehouse also having contained masters and and hard drives. If so, that may mean some recordings could be lost forever. It's also going to mean hard times for the indie labels themselves, along with their roster of artists and staff.

Whatever the causes of the misnamed 'riots' - social revolution, unemployed boredom, summertime blues, or simply mindless greed and hooliganism - most Londoners agreed with Lennon's sentiments, 'When you talk about destruction, don't you know you can just count me out'.

The Boys Are Back in Town! Lynott returns to Dublin

2011-07-26T03:38:00.001-07:00

Rock fans never need a reason to visit Dublin. For one thing there's always good live music to be had somewhere. For another the city has some tremendous record shops. And the third; it's one of the few cities (outside of perhaps Memphis and Liverpool) that really exploit their rock heritage.

One of the city's most famed sons was Phil Lynott, best known for his band 'Thin Lizzy'. Though born in the UK's West Midlands, Lynott's mother is a Dubliner and Lynott was brought up in the city and is buried there at St. Fintan's cemetery in Sutton, northeast Dublin. There's a fine permanent statue of the man just off Grafton Street, but over the next month the city also hosts a fantastic temporary exhibition, at St Stephen's Green Shopping Center, dedicated to the musician's life and times. Amongst a heap of memorabilia on display is Lynott's 1972 diary, containing hand-written lyrics to some of Lizzy's most memorable songs.

Lynott's birthday, on August 20th, is to be commemorated when a special pageant is planned for the city. Costumes have produced in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and will no doubt bring the colour and exuberance of Brazilian carnival to the streets of Dublin. Incidentally, one myth that has recently been exploded (by his mother, Philomena) is that Lynott's father was Brazilian; he was actaully British-Guyanian.

Unfortunately, the exhibition only runs until August 31st so it’s a case of getting your skates on if you want to be one of 'the boys back in town'.

Recommended accommodation: St Stephen’s on the Green. Not as pricey or as noisy as the Temple Bar hotels but just as conveniently situated for all Dublin’s attractions.

Memories are Made of This

2011-07-23T11:42:00.000-07:00

I was overjoyed recently to discover, on-line inevitably, some memorabilia that evoked long-forgotten personal memories. And it reminded me that preserving rock heritage very much includes ensuring that ephemera, even apparently the inconsequential, is saved. The history of the rock age will not be told and interpreted through the 'concrete' artifacts of buildings, stage gear and instruments. The real stuff of history will be the ticket stubs, handbills and posters that contextualise the personalities and performances.

On a recent ‘Classic Rock’ tour we stood outside Finsbury Park's Rainbow Theatre (nee the Astoria and now a Brazilian church). I did my best to bring the building to life with tales of Zappa's misfortunes there, Pink Floyd's seminal performance of Dark Side of the Moon, Hendrix's first guitar burning, The Who's 'Tommy' show, Van Morrison's historic BBC live broadcast, Clapton's return gig, and Bob Marley's triumph. But the thing that really brought the whole thing to life for tour participants was holding a facsimile ticket for the Beatles first fan club show, held in this very building, December 1964; a facsimile copied from an original to be found for sale on the MEM Cinema & Music Memorabilia site (http://www.rockpopmem.com/).

Palpable shivers were brought to collective spines as each in turn was presented their own 'ticket to ride'. So much history in such a little bit of paper. And to think that the original holder of this ticket would have paid just 8/6d for it. (Here's one for the historians; when did scalpers first appear?). In 'modern' money that's about 44p (75 US$ cents, half a €uro, less than one Brazilian Real). That's what a rock (pop) show was then worth; even for the biggest band.

Fantastic isn't it? McCartney's show in Hyde Park cost about £90 last year. How times have changed. But it is by examining such ephemera that historians begin to understand rock's changing position in our social history. It's not just so called 'valuable' memorabiliia that's the key. For a few months (perhaps years) Amy Whitehouse (RIP) material will now fetch a premium, but will it ever illustrate anything other than the story of yet another poor, troubled kid caught up in, and beliveing, the rock'n' roll dream'? Historians wil have plenty of examples to choose from. The key is to preserve the generic, not the specific. A poster for the Crawdaddy in Richmond will be worth a thousand autographed Stones LPs (especially since the vandals who now own the building have erased all memories of its illustrious rock past.

Me? My emphemera will only interest a limited audience. It's not the real stuff of history. My purchases from MEM’s site were a programme for Frank Zappa's 1972 Oval show (with Jeff Beck and Welsh band, Man, among the supports - and what a show!), and an original handbill for one of the first formal concerts I ever went to; a package tour with Gene Pitney headlining. But the real reason for going? To see my then 'fav' band, Amen Corner, who were also on the bill. It seemed a lot at the time (and a significant percentage of my weekly pocket money), but I'd wager the ticket was not more then 5s (anyone got one?). Happy days, happy memories, and two pieces of rock history that I'm now proud to own.

What your favourite piece of memorabilia? Will it broadly inform future generations or just be something for the grandkids to wonder at?

Be There or Be Square!

2011-07-15T12:49:00.000-07:00

London 60s Week is just around the corner.

This is a great event celebrating all things 60s. Think of it as a kind of 'Edinburgh Festival' , but in London and focusing on th 60s! Music, dance, cinema, talks etc., etc.

London 60s Week is organised by a collection of people who were actually 'there'. Perhaps surprisingly, they remember it! The beauty is that with every event you get authenticity not some cheap commerical rip off. The idea of 60s Week is very simple: connect today's youth with yesterday's creativity and see where the combination takes us.

One event to get into your diary if you're in London on Friday, July 29th, is the '60s Shake'n' at the GARAGE, Highbury Corner. There's a packed night's entertainment; three bands, retro DJs, GO-Go Dancers (yeh!). But for me the pride of place is taken by the tribute band 'Small Fakers'. They are great. I was lucky enough to have seen the Small Faces in their heyday and this is the nearest you'll get to recreating those mad, bad, Mod nights! And at just £7.50 a head it's a bit of a give-away.

Tickets are available through http://www.hmvtickets.co/events/3665

Groovy, man!

Rockin' All Over the World

2011-07-12T10:03:00.000-07:00

Thirty-nine nationalities and counting... Here we are early July, with nearly six months left of the year to run, and we've just recorded our 39th nationality aboard the London Rock Tour. Phenomenal. We carried 39 different nationalities in total last year (not counting Scottish and Welsh who we count as UK), so there's a good chance we'll top this in 2011.

The reach of rock is simply amazing. Its power and social impact immeasurable. A trivial force, think some, though (near) future historians will recognise its impact on things like anti-war and social change movements, fashion and even education. Rock has shrunken our planet; The Beatles, Led Zep, Hendrix, Queen et al, stand beside global brands like Coca Cola, Microsoft, F.C. Barcelona and Disney.

McCartney told a funny story illustrative of rock's reach, at his Hard Rock Calling, Hyde Park concert last year. As he looked out over the assembled masses, flags of all nationalities waving above our heads, he reflected, without false pride, on how Beatles lyrics had been used around the world to teach the English language - another globalising factor. The first time he was 'Back in the USSR' he was asked to say 'hi' to a senior member of the Russian government who had apparently learned his English from Beatle songs; 'Hello', said Macca, by way of an opening. ‘Goodbye', answered the Minister! But Russian politicians did learn that 'All You Need is Love' and the 'iron curtain' was drawn back.

Happily, we already count Russians amongst this year nationality crop, but perhaps more surprising are the Puerto Ricans, Maltese, Lebanese and Syrian rockers ('power to the people' there, too) who've stepped aboard the 'Magic Bus'.

Latin American is well represented with Ecuador, Chile and Peru in addition to Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay, but inevitable the big three to date are the UK, the USA and Australia.

What we're now interested to see is which will be the 40th country... Outer Mongolia, perhaps, or Malawi? I wouldn't bet against either as we're truly rockin' all over the world!

The Young Jagger

2011-07-08T03:43:00.000-07:00

London's National Portrait Gallery has a fascinating display of portraits of a very young Mick J on show until November. It includes previously unseen shots taken by Gered Mankowitz, who was just 18 when appointed the Stones 'official' photographer.

And what age-defining images Mankowitz created in that London epicentre of '60s counter-culture, Mason Yard. In his studio, right next door to the Scotch of St James club and the Indica Art Gallery, not only was the Stones image moulded, but also that of the new-to-London Hendrix.

Inevitably, there's not a plaque to be seen recording the history made in any of these buildings.

Arguably, two of his best Stones shots are those that graced the covers of 'Between the Buttons' and 'Out of Our Heads'. The latter looks like Mason's Yard might have been the location. It captures that 'bad boy' menace so important to the band's early market poitioning! What a truly great rock photo.

If you're felling flush then you can aquire limited edition copies of Mankowitz's photo's from Jill Furmanovsky's RockArchive.com. There's a great book, too; 'Hendrix at Mason's Yard', currently on Amazon for £18. If you're really loaded (or think it's a good investment) you can get an authographed copy for £330 from Snap Galleries, where they are exhibiting Mankowitz's work until November.

The cheapest way to view Mankowitz's art though is at The National Gallery; that's free!

Rock Museum in Barcelona

2011-06-28T01:22:00.000-07:00

You'd perhaps not immediately put 'rock' and 'Barcelona' into the same sentence. I suspect that Anglo-Saxons would have a hard time naming a single Spanish rock musician; Anglo-Saxons have a hard time naming any rock musician outside of the English-speaking world. 'If it ain't in English, it ain't worth listening to' being the rather narrow-minded feeling. Barcelona would perhaps normally be paired with bull fights, the Nou Camp, Gaudi or San Miguel.

Spanish rock fans are not so culturally or linguistically hidebound, however, and the new museum illustrates this. Somewhat ironically, for Anglo-Saxon visitors, it is situated in the old bull ring, on the 4th floor of the new shopping centre Las Arenas at Plaça d'Espanya.

The museum houses a number of small galleries, some being permanent (inevitably those being Beatles, Stones, Punk and national music sections), while a couple of others are temporary. Queen fittingly in this their 40th year, take centre stage in the largest temporary gallery.

Inevitably perhaps, the range of exhibits is not as extensive as you'd find in the BME at London's O2. I doubt too many rock musicians have donated a chunk of their past here (perhaps they were never asked?). But it has some interesting local exhibits; posters advertising local gigs, local record sleeves and photographs. There's also a session room where local acts give shows, and a 'studio' where visitors can play out their rock dreams on a variety of instruments. Next door to their smallish merchandise outlet is an excellent rock-themed restaurant. Its size, food price and relative simplicity make it an interesting alternative to the Barcelona Hard Rock Cafe (one of the 135 world-wide...).

Add this new attraction to the more established Barcelona rock treat - a street of record and musical instrument shops, situated in the old town, just off La Rampla – and you have a great day out!

The records shops, by the way, are an Aladdin’s cave of delights. The selection of bootleg CDs and old vinyl spread over half a dozen shops is fantastic. Stuff you struggle to find elsewhere, especially the live performance bootlegs. What caught my eye on a recent visit was a new CD boxed package from the Godfather label; Pink Floyd's 1972 Rainbow Theatre appearance. The package consists of 4 discs, poster and facsimile ticket of what was basically the test launch of 'Dark Side of the Moon'. Given the historical importance of this particular performance, it’s probably a must-buy for Floyd fans, even at the hefy 89€ price tag.

And Spanish rock? Worth a listen are Héroes del Silencio. And check out flamenco-rock; a fusion of flamenco with progressive rock. Some of the most well-known examples of this scene from its 1970s heyday are the bands Smash and Crack.

Rock on Barcelona!

Big in Brazil?

2011-06-17T12:37:00.000-07:00

Purely by accident, we ran into a film crew from ESPM Brazil outside Abbey Road a couple of weeks back. This resulting clip was aired on their coverage of the Champions League Final (Manchester United v Barcelona). I guess it's a small compensation for the fact that Manyoo were turned over!

http://video.br.msn.com/watch/video/london-rock-tour-mostra-historia-do-rock-nas-ruas-da-capital-inglesa/1rgyd2w1c

If you're reading this in Argentina, keep you eyes open for a show on Canal 13 hosted by Bebe Contepomi featuring an interview with Roger Waters... it may include a little piece about our Pink Floyd Cambridge and London tour as we're taking the crew on a special tour of discovery. We'd love to hear if we make it onto Argentinean TV!

Queen's 'We Will Rock You!' Discount tickets

2011-06-15T05:23:00.000-07:00

It's in its 8th year so that must say something about how good it is. I know at least three people who have seen the show above six times! Honestly, I can't review it myself yet as, almost unbelievably, I've yet to see it ...

Anyway, a night at the Dominion theatre is a worthwile complement to one of our London Rock Tours. Not only would you be celebrating Queen's 40th, and 20-years since Freddie' untimely death, but see the theatre where it can be argued that rock fenzy first surfaced in London! In February 1957, Bill Haley travelled to England, the first rock 'n' roll star to tour abroad. He was mobbed when his train arrived in London and there were rabid scenes of fan mania when he performed at the Dominion.

Not much in the Dominion to record this, which is a bit remiss of them, but they do have a great Queen photo exhibition.

We have discount tickets fro tose who want to see the show; £30 for the best seats available, Monday to Thursday. Just ask the guide on your tour or let us know in advance when booking your Rock legends tour.

Does Tap Dance have a place in Rock? Lofgren in High Wycombe

2011-06-06T06:23:00.000-07:00

Somewhat self-indulgently perhaps, Keef Richards has heeded Nils Lofgren’s 1973 plea ‘Keith, Please Don’t Go’, though it’s a reminder of how long that eternal survivor Richards has seemed on the edge of self-destruction, even to his adoring peers.

Lofgren is himself another survivor. Patently, he hasn’t gone in for the same rock’n’roll lifestyle as the older Stone. Forty-three years ‘on the road’ and he still bounces around the stage (though the trampoline is long gone) with youth-like flexibility and athleticism. Lofgren looks like he’s the man who invented most of the rock-God guitar poses, arching his back as he sends notes soaring to the roof, roaming the stage like he’s checking territorial boundaries, or hunching over his axe like a demon goblin with fingers flying at impossible speed over the fret.

Though physically diminutive, Lofgren commands the stage like a giant. On this current UK tour he shares it with ‘the band’; the truly excellent Greg Varlotta who accompanies Nils on piano, guitar, trumpet or tap dance when required. Yes, tap dance. Lofgren was always one for the showmanship. Concerts have featured one-handed playing (‘I learned how to drink beer and play at the same time when on my first tour of the UK with Neil Young’, he confides), the occasional bow to Hendrix’s teeth-playing trick, and of course the famed trampoline, graphically immortalised as the front cover of 'Flip'.

He needs no gimmicks to electrify his audience though. They just give a man already in sharp 3D an extra dimension; tongue-in-cheek crowd pleasers. And God forbid the tap element should be considered ‘gimmick’. It was an integral part of the show; Varlotta’s tap rhythm to Lofgren’s powerfully strummed ‘Cry Tough’ was quite extraordinary. Lofgren is a virtuoso musician - and teacher - whether on electric or acoustic guitar, piano, harp (not often you hear the harp in a rock tune …), or executing a tap dance himself, as he did on ‘I Came to Dance’.

On the evidence of the Bruce Springsteen E Street Band T shirts at this High Wycombe gig, there were several fans of the Boss who’d obviously come to see a solo Lofgren out of curiosity. Playing over two hours of his own, rich, back catalogue material, and featuring ‘hits’ like ‘Going Back’, 'Here Comes the Night’ and ‘Back it Up Like Rain’, will have demonstrated that however important to the E Street band, he’s no simple side-man. The entire audience (and nowhere as big as Lofgren deserves) came out on a high, buzzing and giddy with adrenaline.

Overall, the show gets my ‘best of the year’ so far. Unmissable, if you’re reading this before the tour is through. And it’s nice when a musician of Lofgren’s stature comes out to meet fans and sign merchandise after a show. On the way into the venue Lofgren had been cheerily greeted by local character, the street-dwelling ‘Ed the Oracle’. ‘Are you coming to the show?’ asked Lofgren apparently. ‘No; can’t afford it’, sighed Ed. Lofgren reappeared 10 minutes later, personally, with a free ticket –unasked, unexpected and certainly not expecting this random act of generosity to be reported. That’s even nicer.

Forty-three years on it’s perhaps time someone wrote a homage to Lofgren; ‘Nils, please don’t go’ might be appropriate.

Zombies walk the Earth!

2011-05-29T02:55:00.000-07:00

If Zombies are lifeless creatures, existing trance-like in a state of limbo, then it has to be the most inappropriate name for the band started 50-years ago by Rod Argent, Colin Blunstone, Chris White and Hugh Gundy. These Zombies have the essential life force in them, not only performing at the highest standard but still producing fresh-sounding new material.

I well remember Saturday shopping expeditions forty-five year ago, and the excitement of finding Zombies singles for 6d – which was about all I could then afford out of my weekly pocket money. Fortunately, for me if not for the band, they were never very popular and their singles ended up (along with Pink Floyd’s early offerings, believe it or not) in the Woolworth ‘deleted and remainders’ bin. Lucky me; those singles are now worth about £40 apiece and the legendary original ‘Odessy and Oracle’ (which I bought full price at the then enormous price of 32s 6d) over £400!

I never saw them live in that early incarnation. They disbanded before I was old enough to be allowed by my parents to go to a gig. I never imagined that they’d still be around when I had money in my pockets, and was well old enough to choose how late I stay out!

Going to a Zombies show now is rather like going to one of the package tours that they’d have themselves taken part in during the early 60s. In those days the band would have been one amongst many, sandwiched between a couple of other ‘groups’, each playing their three of four most well-known numbers. Now with 50-years of material, various off-shoots and solo careers, this set-up has come full circle and provide the complete package themselves with career highlights and hits from The Zombies, Colin Blunstone, Rod Argent, and the 70s progressive band Argent. Separate acts but all connected by an unseen umbilical cord to the original Zombies.

Highlights of their 50th year anniversary show at London’s Shepherds Bush Empire included Zombies numbers like ‘Sticks n Stones’, ‘Tell her No’ and half a dozen from the aforesaid ’lost’ classic, 'Odessey and Oracle'. The four remaining original members of the band performed together for the latter. Half a dozen tracks from their latest CD, 'Breath in, Breath out' fitted seemlessly into the set. Blunstone contributed numbers from his solo career; ‘What becomes of the Broken Hearted’ and ‘I don’t Believe in Miracles’ were reminders of what a truly great voice he has. We were also reminded of just how good Argent were with an extended version of ‘Hold Your Head High’ and ‘God gave Rock’n’ Roll to you’, with the legendary Jim Rodford (Kinks) from the original band on bass.

Inevitably, it was everyone on stage for the most famed of Zombies numbers, ‘She’s Not There’. No one in the audience minded that they played it twice as an encore. What a night. What a band. What a history.

A Moment of Rock History

2011-05-14T03:18:00.000-07:00

Almost miraculously there he was taking his rightful place on top of The Wall. It only took the audience a few seconds to realize that the figure silhouetted by the broad shaft of back-projected, white light was Gilmour, recreating the iconic image first captured 30 years ago in Jill Furmanovsky’s photograph. A mighty roar from the auditorium almost drowned out the opening notes of ‘Comfortably Numb’. Gilmour and Waters were reunited. May 12th, 2011, The 02, London.

There had been the inevitable rumours and Twitterings that Gilmour would join Waters for one night; just one, somewhere on this European tour of The Wall. I don’t think anyone really thought they’d see it. And there was no speculation over the possibility of Mason being involve. But there he was, albeit swapping a drum kit for a tambourine. Mason, Gilmour, Waters and the 11-strong band, all standing front stage for the closing number, performed in front of the physical wreckage of the torn down Wall almost as an encore. Three members of Pink Floyd on stage together. May 12, 2011, The 02 London.

And Waters, hugging his old adversaries, making a public confession that during the Wall’s first outing at Earls Court 29 years and 329 days previously, he had been a grumpy, argumentative man, disaffected with both rock audiences and his colleagues. Gilmour nodded agreement. ‘But I’m a changed man now’. Gilmour nodded at that, too.

And what of The Wall itself? From the opening moments, when a large model plane crossed the audience to explode in a ball of fire stage right of a photo of Water’s own dead father, you knew you were in for something even greater than the normally memorable Water’s production. Seat belts on and prepare to have your senses bombarded.

From little acorns do mighty oaks grow. Waters has come a long way from performing at the UFO and Nottinghill’s All Saints church hall in front of patterns of coloured oil projected onto a loosely hung sheet behind the band. The visual effects were an absolute triumph of both creativity and technology. The Wall itself, slowly erected during the first half of the show, became the projection screen, filled with ever-changing kaleidoscopic colours and evocative images. Water’s anti-war and anti-corporatism message, and the Wall’s central story of ‘Pink’ the disaffected, alienated rock star, were rammed home, sometimes perhaps to audience discomfort - depending on political standpoint. Giant and grotesque puppets danced, pigs flew and familiar, though still shocking images from the film, like the trial scene, seamlessly complemented the familiar audio.

And lest it be said that the visual triumphed at the expense of the aural, that audio was an equal partner in this feast for eyes and ears. The band was tight and Waters individual performance amazing.

It was breath-taking. It was stunning. The Wall was both literally and metaphorically torn down. It will probably not be repeated; surely Gilmour’s appearance was a one-off and Waters can’t keep on touring (he is 67 after all).

This was truly a moment in rock history: 12th May, 2100, the 02 London. And I was there.

Links:
Jill Furmanovsky’s photograph: http://www.rockarchive.com/pink-floyd_photo_print_pf002jf.html

'Are You Experienced' in Brazil

2011-05-12T06:37:00.000-07:00

Just back from an amazing week in Brazil with 'Are You Experienced'. The band were invited to play at the launch in Rio de Janeiro of the film, 'Hey Hendrix', made by Pedro Paulo Caneiro and Roberto Lamourier during our commemorative weekend last September.

In amongst very many memorable experienced was a jam session the band did with Brazilian guitarist, Pepeu Gomes, at George Israel's studio for broadcast on MTV. Gomes was voted top Latin American rock guitarist by the prestigious Guitar Player magazine and he showed us why, trading Hendrix licks and tricks with John Campbell for an hour or so.

Alas, unless you live in Brazil you probably wont get to see the show but there's a strong possibility that Gomes will tour the UK later this year, and hopefully play with AYE somewhere.

Pedro Paulo and Roberto's film, incidentally, will be screened in the UK at film festivals later this year too. Watch this space for details of both events!

Get that Ealing Feeling!

2011-04-08T23:40:00.000-07:00

I wonder how many times the teenagers of 50 or so years ago had their father’s tell them ‘It’s rubbish this rock and roll. Rubbish. It won’t last’. I’d hazard a guess that everyone who fought to squeeze a ‘pop’ record onto the family gramophone between Dad’s Pat Boone and Grandma’s Doris Day heard it. Yet as Cliff Richard sang in his first 1958 hit, Move it, ‘They say it’s gonna die but let’s face it, they just don’t know what’s a going to replace it’ and the ensuing years have proven that rock’n’roll is, as more than one singer has screamed into his mic ‘here to stay’!

2012 marks a host of rock anniversaries with three big 50th celebrations; the Rolling Stones, the Beatles (yes, they were of course around before, but not with Ringo), and the legendary Ealing Blues Club.

The last is probably least well-known, yet in the annuls of rock history the Ealing Blues Club ranks right up there with the Marquee, Cavern and the Crawdaddy. Formed as a breakaway from the original Marquee by Alexis Korner, the club, its damp soaked walls giving it the better-known sobriquet the ‘Moist Hoist’, gave many a fledging artist their first opportunity of live performance. Jack Bruce, Ginger Baker, Charlie Watts, Graham Bond, Long John Baldry, Rod Stewart, Dick Heckstall-Smith, Paul Jones, Manfred Mann all played here; the list is endless. It was also where Jagger, Richards and Jones came together for the first time.

Unusually, the actual basement club is still there, occasionally even functioning as a nightclub. Needless to say, there’s no plaque recognition of the place’s history – despite Ealing borough council having spent zillions over the years in vain attempts to attract a tourist market. Thank God then for the guys who promote and run the annual Ealing Jazz and Blues Festival – itself celebrating 25 years in 2012 – who are working hard to get some form of official recognition for club site in time for the big 50th. There’s talk of some musicians who played at the original club playing at the annual festival, and of an appeal to locals for memorabilia with an exhibition in mind.

Meanwhile, just down the road, another Ealing landmark is disappearing. I doubt that many of its latter day hamburger-munching, chip-eating clients knew of its rock history but the West Ealing Wimpy Bar on Uxbridge Road was a post-gig, late night hang out for 1960’s bands. How do I know? Because Doug Sandom, original pre-Keith Moon Who drummer, told me while we were spending a memorable day scouting old Who sites around the borough.

More on the Ealing festival, exhibition and Doug’s memories in laer blogs but at least we go a picture of the Wimpey Bar before it was torn asunder!

Final Rio Despatch (for now!) CARNIVAL OVER

2011-03-17T14:23:00.001-07:00

So that's it. The Carnival is over. Although the main part is just 4-days in length, Rio's carnival holiday stretches over a good 8-days. This year saw the welcome return of the free street carnivals 'blocs' that were so popular of old. And they were back with a vengence with some 340 all over the city!

In theory, these street parties are meant for the locals of a particular block or neighbourhood. Each one has its own special carnival band featuring massed drumming, banjos, 'cavaquinhos' (similar to a ukelele and trumpets. A voclaist leads the chorus as the bloc winds its way through the neighbourhood with a long trail of happy, drunken, singing dancers in its wake. The music is a mix of samba and typical 'marchinhas de carnival' songs. Some blocs have a reputation and attract huge crowds. The 'Bala Preto' (black ball) and 'Mono-bloco' attracted somewhere between 400,000 and 500,000 each onto the streets. It's an experience you don't forget!

This year saw the launch of a new bloc: 'Sargent Pimenta'. Fifty drums of various sizes, eleven guitars and some odds and sods of wind playing Beatle songs, carnival style. The bloc was held in a street in Botafogo, a neighbourhood of Rio. About 100,000 attended. I tried but could get no nearer than 80 metres to the band, who wisely substituted a stage for the traditional 'parade'. I could just about hear them, though. And it sounded fantastic!

The Beatles are just amazingly popular here. Every Brazilian artist of note covers Beatle numbers at some time. The shops are full of Bealte merchandise. The bookshops stock a great range of publications. Beatle tee shirts abound. The number of people trying to groove to Sgt Pimenta, a first-time bloc band testifies to the continuing popularity of the Fab Four.

Thankfully, the better bloc bands have a life throughout the year, with some even touring overseas. Imagine Sgt Pimenta playing at Liverpool's annual Matthews Street Festival! They's be a bit too big to fit on the Cavern Club stage but St George's Square might just about hold 'em! I can't wait to see it!

Syd Barrett Exhibition

2011-03-13T08:55:00.000-07:00

There´s a very time-limited exhibition on in London this month (and until early April) that´s a must for Pink Floyd fans.

Celebrating Syd Barrett’s creative output as a visual artist, the exhibition brings together the largest and most comprehensive collection of his artwork and photos to date. Revealing a lesser known side of Syd’s creativity, the original artworks will be exhibited alongside previously unseen photos of Syd and his band mates and the letters he wrote to his first loves Libby and Jenny.

It´s open from the 18th March until 10th April at The Idea Generation Gallery, 11 Chance Street, E2 7JB.

Walking Bossa Nova History

2011-03-13T08:48:00.000-07:00

Followers of this blog will be well aware of our ´mission´ at Access All Areas; to identity, preserve, protect and promote world-wide rock heritage. You´ll also be aware of our antipathy towards politicians and administrators who either willfully ignore their local heritage or do little to protect or promote it. It is gratifying to see that the Rio de Janeiro ´Prefectura´ are wise to their musical heritage, and its potential for generating tourism visits and jobs.

Rio is the cradle of many musical styles but perhaps the most famed (and alas perhaps under-appreciated) is bossa nova. Bossa Nova grew out of samba in the 1950s. It was a distinct musical revolution which may have had an even greater impact outside of its birthplace had not the ´beat-boom´ of the early 60s taken place. What makes boss nova so uniquely attractive is not only the gentle, summer-invoking rhythms (Rio boasts of being the city that invented summer´) but the lyrics. Early bossa was basically poetry set to music.

Some of the bossa names and tunes are of course known world-wide; Tom Jobin and Vinicius de Moraes with ´The Girl from Ipanema´, and Óne Note Samba´, Sergio Mendez, João Gilberto, Luiz Bonfá, and the vocals of Elis Regina. Sinatra, Bennett and a host of others paid homage by covering Brazilian-written songs. Inevitably, given it was usually sung in Portuguese, many more composers and performers never made it big on the international stage.

A visit to Rio can now include an ´education´ and an enjoyable voyage of discovery through Bossa Nova history (and discovery of contemporary sounds) as buildings and sites important in bossa heritage are having plaques erected on them (with more promised). Most visitors here manage to find the Ipanema bar where Jobin famously wrote ´The Girl´ but other sites, especially in Copacabana, were in danger of disappearing so well done Rio.

If you take a very short ´plaque trail´ walk (to the rear of the Copacabana Palace, you past clubs, homes, and an excellent music specialist shop. The photo,above, of the plaque identifying the legendary street of clubs, ´Bottle Alley´, is the shop location. Nearby, there is the Baden Powell theatre (not the BP or the boy scouts, but a legendary bossa/sama musician, named after him ) where you can hear music nightly for a pittance. And on Coapacabana beach front there´s a statue to another great, Danilo Caymmi.

It´s forward thinking by a city that´s gearing up to host the World Cup and Olympics. What a pity the good burghers of other cities with musical heritage don´t have the same forward-thinking approach.

Death of a Long-serving Friend ...

2011-03-13T07:44:00.000-07:00

And everywhere it’s the same; the forced closure of great record shops due to the ‘download revolution’.

Modern Sounds in Copacabana was an institution. As a retail outlet for CDs, old vinyl and even second-hand hi-fi, it was incomparable. It was a treasure trove; a light, spacious ground floor with case upon case of Brazilian and international music covering every genre, and a part-hidden vinyl basement to set the pulses racing! Add to the mix knowledgeable staff, headphone listening points and a fantastic café that regularly featured artists launching new product – with free attendance – and you get one of the world’s greatest ‘record stores’.

It’s no wonder that visiting stars from Madonna to Page would make Modern Sounds one of their first stops when in town.

And it has shut. Just like that. It was here in December, but it ain’t now. There should at least have been a wake.

RIP Modern Sounds, another victim to modern sound distribution chan

Andy Summers plays Rio

2011-02-16T08:58:00.000-08:00

The history of collaborations between Latin and particularly Anglo-Saxon musicians goes way back to Carmen Miranda (she-of–the-fruit-headress), but it took off in the late 50s and early 60s with the advent of bossa nova and the incomparable Tom Jobim. In the early 70s London became the temporary home of ‘Tropicalia’ exiles Gilbeto Gill and Caetano Veloso, both influencing and being influenced by the exploding rock culture. And look out for interesting 80’s collaborations between Phil Manzanera (Roxy Music) and Sergio Dias (Os Mutantes) on 1990´s album, ´Mato Grosso, and Manzanera produced the highly acclaimed album Severino from the Brazilian rock band Os Paralamas do Sucesso, which included a participation by Brian May. In more modern times rock’s aristocracy have turned up on Brazilian shores seeking inspiration, with many taking up part-time residence; amongst them Jimmy Page, the late Jim Capaldi, Wayne Hussey (The Mission), and Andy Summers of The Police.

A couple of nights ago I ventured out to catch the last in concert with one of Brazil’s greatest living bossa nova exponents, Roberto Mensecal. The gig was in a comparatively new venue here; the placa de mauai, a renovated warehouse in the somewhat threatening area of Rio’s docks, Unexpectedly, they were joined by the fantastic Marcus Valle and other well-know local musicians.

This was bossa-rock fusion of the most interesting kind. Imagine, if you will, ‘Roxanne’ and ‘Message in a Bottle’ done in bossa-nova style with just Summers on guitar accompanying vocalist Cris Delanno. And then imagine Summers as part of a three-man guitar line up with Valle and Menescal, performing bossa classics like Tom Jobin’s ‘Garota de Ipanema’ (Girl from Ipanema) and Chega de Saudade, Menescal’s own classic, ’Barquinho’ (Little Boat), and Valle’s Samba de Verao (Summer Samba).

Summers struggled with the heat and with his Portuguese but not with the music. His passion for the style, and respect of the history, was evident. The locals’ passion for The Police was equally evidenced by enthusiastic singing, and despite their being a relatively small crowd of approximately 250 souls, he was given a rousing ovation when the whole band encored with Every Breath you Take.

Actually, it’s one of the advantages of this town; you get to see bands and musicians cheaper and in much more intimate surroundings than you’d ever do ‘at home’. Worth the airfare, I’d say!

Bossa Nova affectionados, or simply the curios, will find it worthwhile investing in the DVD that this concert launched; ‘United Kingdom of Ipanema, Roberto Menescal convida Andy Summers’.

ROCK´n´ GOOOOOAL! Even Rio celebrates Rooney

2011-02-14T10:38:00.000-08:00

The return of footballing superstar, Ronaldinho, from Barcelona to Flamengo (the Man U of Brasil) has dominated the headlines here recently in ‘Beckam-esque’ fashion. However, the sports pages for Sunday 13th January are full of Wayne Rooney’s wonder goal that proved the difference between Manchester United and Manchester City yesterday.

Perhaps the biggest praise is that of Lance, the daily football paper (yes, there is a paper dedicated solely to the beautiful game). The game reviewer plunders the lyrics of Jorge Ben’s ‘Filho Maravilha’ to find his superlatives. The original is in praise of Flamego´s 70´s wizz João Batista de Sales. Jorge celebrates a particular goal as being ´foi um gol de classe´ (was a goal of class), ´celestial em gooool´, a celestial goal, straight off the sweet-spot , a ´gol de placa´.

Jorge Ben has been one of Brazil’s greatest and most popular musicians for at least 50 years, writing in the process some of the country’s instantly recognizable songs. Infectious is perhaps the best word to describe his style. Two bars in at any concert and everybody is on their feet, and if possible on the stage with him. And I do mean two bars and everybody, as I once witnessed a bemused set of security men discover at London’s Barbican. Rod Stewart ‘nicked’ one of his toons, covering it inadequately as ‘Do Ya Think I’m Sexy’.

Only in Brazil could a musician get away with making a complete album dedicated to football and its heroes – and it being an accepted classic. Rooney will probably remain blissfully unaware of the importance of this particular accolade. Que pena.

Check out the original on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dO2RrNBKdeQ

RIP Gary Moore

2011-02-07T05:30:00.000-08:00

Fifty-eight is not old. It´s the prime of life. And Gary Moore was definitely in the prime of his life with, we would have hoped, many years of performance and recording ahead. It just goes to show that you should ´catch ´em while you can´.

I had the opportunity of seeing Moore play a few times. The last was about three years ago in Oxford. I may have first seen him as a member of Skid Row or Thin Lizzy. Time takes the edge off the memory and you forget the individual line-up of bands seen through a ´high´, whether natural or chemically induced.

I do, however, vividly remember having a mild ´punch-up´ with Gary Moore in Manchester circa 1973. At my instigation, we´d hired his power trio band of the time to play at our college football team´s end-of-season, money-raiser. ´Disco, live band, late bar!´, as our homemade posters proclaimed. We were later to agree that the addition of a live band has been both unneccessary and a mistake.

Having arrived late, Moore and fellow members had to tune up and check their PA with the venue already half-full of people drinking and waiting for the disco to begin. Moore was patently ´out of his head´ and his tune-up consisted of his trade-marked feedback, blasted through speakers at the highest volume. It was truly excruitiating. With complaints building it fell to me to approach the stage area and shout at Moore to turn it down a bit. I was ignored at first but eventually, following an increasingly heated exchange, got them to leave the stage.

Scene two followed ninety minutes or so later when I had to go their ´dressing room´ to give them their ´on stage in 10´ warning. Their dressing room doubled as our college magazine editorial and print room, with our much valued print machine in one corner. To my absolute horror and fury I entered the room to find Moore, by now totally away with the fairies, pissing over the machine.

I´m afraid I lost it. Blows were exchanged. Luckily, we were pulled apart by wiser heads and, although late, the band went on.

Moore had his revenge. After what can only be called an hour of ear-bursting white noise, with people leaving in droves and an increasing portion demanding money back, Gary Moore and his electricity supply had to be parted.

It was a ruined evening, leaving a bitter taste in the mouth. I felt doubly bad not only having been the one to suggest hiring the band, but feeling personally let down by someone I held in high esteem. It took me many years before I could forget this episode and appreciate Gary Moore the musician again. About 35 in fact...

I am fortunate in having seem him at Oxford and to have a more positive memory of an undoubtedly great blues and rock guitar player.

Spot the difference: a dispatch from Rio

2011-01-29T07:04:00.000-08:00

January 11th, Hammersmith, London. Charity concert in aid of Killing Cancer, five acts headlined by The Who and Jeff Beck, average cost of ticket £100, programme, t-shirt and other slickly produced merchandise, extra.

January 27th Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Charity concert to support relief work in nearby towns devastated by the recent flooding (over 1000 dead, 30,000 homeless, with mediaeval diseases making an unwelcome return amongst survivors), ten top acts covering the gamut of Brazilian popular music. Cost of ticket? Three litres of water or two kilos of rice or flour paid at the door. No t-shirts, programme or ticket stub to collect. I’m lucky enough to be in Brazil for a few weeks and to get to the event - and to compare the two.

One event represented the way of the developed world, the other the developing. One was aimed at longer term investment needs, the other the immediate relief of those affected by natural disaster. The Rio event delivered direct, immediate action; goods to be distributed, no cash to be siphoned off in admin fees. Geldoff would surely approve.

Fundicao Progresso is a 2000 capacity venue under the breathtaking arches that make Rio’s downtown Lapa so exciting, distinctive and memorable. Crowds gather outside mixing with beer-sellers and makeshift food stalls. There’s a slightly chaotic feel to it. And not a ticket tout in sight. The venue is deceivingly big. You enter through a colonial period frontage behind which is a sprawling series of performance spaces. The main stage area is like a Brixton Academy but twice the size and without the sophistication (sic). There’s no seating and the vast majority of the crowd cram in front of the stage, like all Brazilian audiences ready for dance and involvement. It’s packed. There’s no air conditioning, and with summer night temperatures in the late twenties you sweat. Profusely.

The atmosphere is electric. The swaying, pulsating, expectant crowd can’t keep still. A warm-up DJ has them moving. Exotic creatures beside me move their feet and ‘shake their booty’ in the manner only a Brazilian manages. The acoustics are surprisingly good for such a venue with mix and the volume just right. Unusually, the event kicks off almost on time at eighty-thirty, much earlier than is the norm here. First on is crowd-pleasing local hero, Leandro Sapucai. Suddenly your feet take on a life of their own. No point in having seating; no one is going to sit it out.

Various acts follow, each doing a couple of numbers. The styles are eclectic. Although the audience is relatively young they both know and respect the traditional artists so veteran samba queen, Elza Soares, get’s a huge roar. She might be 74, require help walking to stage front but boy, her voice is undiminished! We’re also treated to other legendary artists, crossing genres: Alcione, Sandra de Sa, Jorge Vercilio. Inevitably, being just a few weeks before carnival, the great beats, humorous lyrics and easy to sing-a-long melodies of traditional carnival songs get the crowd really jumping.

The non-Brazilian spectator can tell the relative fame of the act on stage by the number of digital cameras held high during particular performances. From my rear back position the superb Zelia Duncan appears framed by hundreds of tiny screens held aloft. The younger Fernanda Abreu gets the same adulation.

The show climaxes first with George Israel, one of the countries best-known singers and song-writers. He has been the instigator of the event so says a few words. A heart-felt appeal and reminder why we are here is kept short but made poignantly. A few crowd-pleasers and then, graciously, he allows current rock sensation Lenine to wrap it up. This guy is great. But so are all of the acts. They may not be household names outside of Brazil but to the 200 million here they are all deservedly superstars.

It has passed in a flash. Three and a half hours without any pause, with musical styles switching easily between samba, funk, MPB, rap and rock. The exuberant rhythm that dominates Brazilian music has provided continuity. One act introduces the following, and with a shared backing band there’s no time wasted in equipment change or sound-checking.

Dripping with sweat, feet aching but totally exhilarated, I make my way out, leaving most of the audience there to continue the DJ-led party to whatever time. God knows when they sleep here.

Two weeks ago I walked out of the Hammersmith Odeon with the Who’s future on my mind and the intention of buying some more Jeff Beck CDs. I walked out of the Fundicao Progresso, past impressively high mountains of plastic bottles and bags of staple food, intent on giving further help. Charity events should inspire; to everyone’s credit, this one did.

News Flashes!

2011-01-17T23:27:00.000-08:00

Summer Festival

Where could you see AC/DC. Jimi Hendrix, Queen, Santana, Pink Floyd, ZZ Top and Led Zeppelin all on the same bill in 2011?

Dream on... or maybe not!

A line up like this is beyond the wildest imagination even if only because several of the bands are now only playing the great gig in the sky. However, the next best thing is probably the Rhodes Rock festival, held annually on the Greek Island of the same name.

UK based tour company, Classic Rock Tours, hit on the innovative idea of holding a festival featuring the best of the tribute bands a couple of years back and the popularity of the festival unsuprisingly grows year-by-year. Close your eyes under the Mediterranean sun and imagine ... let's face it, this is the nearest we'll all going to get to experiencing the dream festival line up!

The festival is to be held between June 8-15 this year. Check out their website www.classicrocktours.co.uk. Just the thought of it brightens up a cold January day!

And Now For Something Completely Different...!

If Greece is out in these recessionary times, maybe taking a self-guided rock tour of Manchester is one cheaper alternative?!

'The Manchester Musical History Tour' book by seasoned authors Phill Gatenby ('Morrisey's Manchester') and Craig Gill ('Inspiral Carpets'), comes out on February 3rd it can be bought and pre ordered from www.empire-uk.com for £6 UK orders, £7 overseas, free postage. It's a great way to explore the musical heritage of one of the UK's richest rock cities.

The first 30 people to order the book can also join a free Manchester Music walking tour on the afternoon of Saturday February 19th @ 3pm, followed at 6pm by a signing session launch party at the legendary Dry 201.

Who Are You? The BEST, that's what!

2011-01-14T09:35:00.000-08:00

Charity concerts have a special feel of their own. You get an eclectic and often unlikely combination of acts performing with a low-key, 'pally', informality. It's professional but not produced, and if it comes off you kind of feel you've been part of an event rather than just a spectator. When they don't come off it's a complete embarrassment, and you feel you just parted with the hard-earned a bit too readily.

Last night saw The 'Orrible 'Oo back in their old west London stamping ground at the Hammersmith Apollo, headlining a benefit for 'Killing Cancer' a charity promoting non-invasive therapy. It was an opportunity of catching what may turn out be their last outing, with rumours flying around that Townsend's hearing problem may preclude them taking 'Quadrophenia' on the road later this year as initialy projected.

The 'strange bed-fellows' for this mighty night were Richard Ashcroft of The Verve (wisely perhaps steering clear of performing 'The Drugs Don't Work' given the objective of the benefit!), Bryan Adams, Blondie, Jeff Beck and natch, The Who.

Ashcroft kicked off. He has a sound and a swagger that is pure 1990s Manchester even if he's from Wigan. Great solo stuff. Daltry then came out, bantered a bit with the audience, nodded to his own past history at the Apollo (which included seeing 1950's Saturday morning film legend 'Hop Along' Cassidy on stage here, with horse!)and with band played some typical Daltry solo-stuff. Thankfully his voice threatening throat-nodules appear to have been successfully removed. The three numbers laid the foundations for Bryan Adams to stroll on next and get everyone singing along to 'Run to You'. Alas, Adams spot was too short (particularly disappointing the lad from Kyrgyzstan sitting behind me and there specially to see him).

It was hairs-up-on-back-of-neck time next; Jeff Beck launched into Beck's Bolero, before playing an amazing version of the Beatles' 'Day in the Life' (available on Beck at Ronnie Scotts). Then out of the wings came the unmistakable Blondie to join Beck on 'Heart of Glass' and a couple of her other hits. Beck and Blondie? It worked. Blondie still looked good from where I sat... though it was a fair way back!

Then Daltry and Beck did their duet, paying homage to the Chicago blues that underpinned the birth of British metal in the early to mid 60's. Daltry's voice and Beck's guitar, throwing them back 50-years to their own beginings around the mean streets of west London; aka 'The Thames Delta'!

The heart-stopping, throat drying, nostalgia-tear provoking synth opening of Baba O'Reilly announced the main men. Oh, Christ! 30 seconds in and you KNOW you're watching one of the all time greatest bands. Daltry doesn't hurl his mic quite as high, or swing it quite as far from his body as of old (after all he does wear glasses onstage now...) and Townsend's trademarked kicks, jumps and windmilling seem to be executed with an eye on balance. But there's no aging process at work with the delivery of the musical material. Ringo's lad, Zac, flails Moon-like at the drum kit, underpinning his dad's pals in their faultless renditions of 'Who Are You' and an all too quick final number, 'Wont Get Fooled Again'.

That's the downside and danger of the charity gig. Just that little bit unfocused and there's just that chance of feeling you've have been fooled again. But not this time. With all and sundry (apart from a mysterious disappearance of Ascroft) on stage to belt out 'Join together in the Band' it was the perfect crowd-pleasing finale - even if Bryan Adams seemed less than familiar with the lyrics! It might have been an expensive ticket but if it turns out that this was the last Who performace then it may prove to hve been a ticket beyond price.

Hendrix Film

2011-01-07T05:15:00.000-08:00

Our weekend commemoration of the 40th anniversary of Jimi Hendrix's death last September was recorded for posterity and is part of a Brazilian film looking at Jimi's time in London.

The film will be shown on national Brazilian TV and has been entered for at least 5 film international festivals, including several in Europe

You can see a trailer for it, recently posted by the producers, here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCWx784jfQc

Most non-Brazilians watching this will not appreciate that the musicians being interviewed represent the cream of Brazil’s rock talent. The film is to be officially launched in March with a concert featuring many of these stars playing Jimi's music.

Working in London with the Brazilian TV crew, and rock star Pitty, was 'interesting' to say the least, and there's a great back-story to the making of this film. But that's for another time... The picture accompanying this blog is of Pitty with the legendary John McCoy, trying on one of Hendrix's stage jackets inadvertantly left at John Teeside club in 1967.

The Hendrix weekend was so well-received, by the way, that we'll be repeating it this year with John Campbell’s 'Are You Experienced' playing at the Troubadour on the night of September 17th. It'll be the next best thing for those who can't be in Rio for the film launch!

RIP Gerry Rafferty

2011-01-05T01:33:00.000-08:00

It has to be the most memorable sax line in rock. You don't need to hear many bars to know you're listening to 'Baker Street'. We play it on our rock legends tour, just as we turn into this major London thoroughfare. Gerry wrote the number while living with friends here.

There's no doubt that despite associations with Sherlock Holmes, the Apple boutique and writer H G Wells, the musical soundtrack to this street will always be Gerry Rafferty's.

Glasgow born Gerry died of alcohol-related issues on Jan 04th, aged 63. Rock music has lost a great singer-songwriter whose potential was never fully realised.

The Battle for 9 Madryn Street

2011-01-02T09:23:00.000-08:00

To the Liverpool councilors and council officials who might be reading this blog, a New Year quiz for you; rearrange the following words into a well-known phrase or saying ; Noses own your can't beyond see you.

Liverpool Council have apparently decided that Ringo's childhood home in Liverpool's Dingle district is 'beyond economic repair' and should be bulldozed along with the rest of the street. Thankfully, Grant Shapps, the British coalition government housing minister, has stepped in to ensure this dreadfully short-sighted action is further thought through.

'fer Christ’s sake! Here's a simple math question for the good burghers of Liverpool; How much would it cost to completely rebuild a two-up, two down Victorian working class brick terrace? Now, based on an entrance fee of say £5 per person, how many people would have to visit it to repay the rebuild costs in just one year, and let’s discount the next 20-years worth of tourist visits?

Now add a few immeasurables; what message are you sending to the world when you refuse to protect and preserve so important a part of global heritage? How many additional people would be attracted to visit Liverpool if there was another Beatles site on the 'Magical Mystery Tour' circuit? But conversely how many may start to say, 'sod you, Liverpool, if you can't be bothered to look after World heritage site'? And is their no benefit to the pride the locals of the deprived Dingle might feel in having a bit of their somewhat sparse history preserved?

Still worried about the economic cost? How many Beatle fans might be prepared to sponsor the rebuild by donating a nominal £1 a brick (donator's names to be inscribbed for posterity)? And if Ringo, with his well-known antipathy to his physical roots, might not be prepared to donate a bob or two in these economically straightened times, would not big-hearted Paul?

Save 9 Madryn Street! Liverpool councilors and officials your economical analysis is completely flawed. Think instead of the cost of NOT saving this piece of global rock heritage. And just in case your English skills are equally as challenged as your economics, the well-know phrase you were asked to rearrange was 'you can't see beyond your own noses'!

Another year's over ...

2010-12-31T09:22:00.000-08:00

The year passes. Amongst the greats bowing out from Rock’n’Roll over this last year have been the irreplaceable irreplaceable Malcolm McLaren, heavy-metal heavyweight Ronnie James Dio, the great Don Van Vliet (Captain Beefheart) and Micky Jones (Man). We lost the remarkable Ari Up of The Slits. It was a terrible year for drummers with Rubén Basoalto (Argentine legends Vox Dei), Richie Hayward (Little Feat)and Stuart Cable (Stereophonics. From the wider world of music, shuffling off their mortal coil were reggae star Gregory Isaacs, soul-men Solomon Burke and Martin Isley, blues guitarist Little Smokey Smothers, Boney M's Bobby Farrell, jazz legend Sir John Dankworth, Lena Horne and folk’s Kate McGarrigle.

All gone. But not forgotten thanks to their recorded legacy. But if we are not careful, we lose not only the musicians but the world that was their stage; studios, stages and other monumental landmarks.

The challenge, though, is how to ensure that when part of rock’s built heritage dies it is remembered. Should the 100 Club lose its fight against closure what sort of memory (other then the ethereal) will it leave? Within a few 100 yards of the 100 Club once stood The UFO, the Astoria and countless Soho clubs. There’s not a even a gravestone (plaque) to mark their passing. And what about the loss of the great Olympic Studios? Bloody scandalous.

Thankfully, we occasionally get good news; a heritage site is protected. Well done to those who campaigned earlier this year to save EMI’s Abbey Road Studios. And most recently to Jeremy Hunt, the UK’s current Secretary of State for Culture, who has given the famed Abbey Road pedestrian crossing a ‘listing’ – meaning it cannot be moved.

Alas, this time next year we shall again be remembering a list of greats whose legacy will be their music. It would be fantastic to also celebrating the preservation of a few more rock heritage sites. And maybe even celebrating a new commemorative statue or two.

Happy New Year and have a great 2011.

It's Christmas time ....

2010-12-21T13:46:00.000-08:00

It's Christmas. Be happy!

Yes, it can be difficult. It's not just the indignity of having to buy Simon Cowell's latest XFactor confection for your too-young-to-be-discriminating niece, but having to listen to those perennial bloody Christmas hits. I like Slade but no, I don't wish it could be Xmas every day. Somebody on the BBC must have been taking the proverbial to have scheduled Chris Rea's 'Driving Home this Christmas' on the day we had the biggest, traffic-clogging, flight-stopping, Eurostar-derailing snow storm in recorded history. AC/DC's Highway to Hell would have been somewhat more appropriate. And, sorry, Bowie, but I simply can't hear you and Bing Crosby eulogising about the Little friggin' Drummer Boy one more time... But this year's winner of the 'arrgh no! I'm an atheist, get me out of here..!' competition, and one that sent me personally screaming into the cold winter's night, was Cliff Richard's 'Mistletoe and Wine' snuck in-between 'Come All Ye Faithful' and 'Hark the Herald Angles Sing' at our local school's annual Christmas carol concert this year!

Thank Heaven Gary Glitter is still disgraced ; at least we're spared 'Another Rock 'N' Roll Christmas'.

Oh go on then, I'll admit it; it isn't all 'bah, humbug'. Elvis doing 'It'll be Lonely this Christmas Without You' can still send a Christmas shiver down my spine. And it's literally the one time a year I spin James Brown's very worthy Christmas album.

Christmas morning might bring a bit of cheer, too. I've asked Santa for Keith Richard's autobiography, and an autographed Beatles' album (and if I get the latter, I'll start believing in Santa...).

But, seriously for a moment, let's not forget there are people out there who don't know it's Christmas, and as 'it (still) doesn't snow in Africa' Band Aid's lyric is still as relevant today as it was 26 years ago. Spread a bit of festive cheer where you can.

Finally, we've a special Christmas competition for you with compilation CDs and a copy of Dave Bedford''s excellent 'Liddypool' as prizes. To enter you must post your answer as a comment to the blog. Question 1: what did Dora Bryan want for Christmas in 1963? We'll draw the winners from all entrants received by January 15th.

Happy Christmas.

Macca v The Pretty Things

2010-12-18T13:00:00.000-08:00

Undoubtedly the nearest thing to rock gold dust this week was a ticket to see McCartney's Friday lunchtime gig at the endangered 100 Club. Of course, it was mission impossible trying to get your hands on one of the 300 tickets available for what must be the smallest show Macca has played in a long while. There was almost no advance notice; a note posted just a couple of days back on the 100 Club website informed surfers that tickets would be on sale at 10.00 on Thursday. Yeh, right. Good chance of getting one then... if chance somehow allows one to beat the zillions of others simultaneously trying to log on at 10.00. I can now add this failure to be one of the chosen few to my failed attempts at getting to Cream's 2005 reunion concert at the Royal Albert Hall, and Led Zeps 2007 appearance at the O2.

Now there was potentially worse to follow; a kind of potential 'salt in the wound' situation. Several weeks ago I'd actually bought tickets for the 100 Club, and ironically for a gig on the same night that Macca played his lunchtime show. Imagine, descending the stairs to the club knowing that just a few hours earlier Macca had walked those same treads...

Thanks, however, to a blinding performance by the legendary Pretty Things, further disappointment was not forthcoming. It made me somewhat reflective though, not just on the random nature of chance in obtaining 'chicken teeth' tickets, but also on the chance element that underpins rock success itself.

Here, just a few short hours after the world's most famed living rocker graced the stage, two other guys who have been around for just as long, took control of it. It could almost have been a case of 'from the sublime to the ridiculous' but the only aspect of the Pretty Things that could be called ridiculous is their lack of real, lasting success. While still enormously popular with those 'in the know', I doubt they'd ever be the cause of a web site crashing under the weight of ticket applicants.

They had their brushes with fame and were 'contenders', both as one of the original R&B bands (current band member, Dick Taylor, can claim to have virtually been an early Rolling Stone), and through a string of late 60s/early 70s progressive albums. But they never quite cracked the ‘big time’, or stepped up from the festival circuit, concert hall and student union to the stadium. It was down to chance, not ability. Their seminal album S.F. Sorrow is widely recognised as being the first concept album released, paving the way for the Who's Tommy and others. Albums like Parachute and Silk Torpedo stand the test of time and ought to be in any self-respecting rock fan's collection.

The band, like many who still perform under an original 60s 'brand' name, comprise a couple of original members, backed up by younger unknowns. Phil May, the 'face' (and hair) of the many Pretty Things line-ups, takes on lead vocals, while Dick Taylor illustrates where over 50 years of practice of playing lead guitar gets you. I'm sorry to say that the other members of the band must remain 'unknown' as I didn't get their names. Together though they delivered what the handbill promised, 'maximum R&B'! And in one of London’s most historic venues.

So, what could have been a real downer, supping pints where Macca just supped (and maybe from the same glass...) actually turned out to be a memorable blast. Macca was playing to draw attention to the fact that the 100 Club's existence is endangered by a hike in their rent; the Pretty Things, in all their historic glory, simply showed why a club like this must survive.

Rock Statues

2010-12-12T05:03:00.000-08:00

If you're not a football fan and have no knowledge of the late, great Sir Stanley Matthews, or equally the name 'Wedgewood' doesn't instantly evoke the industrial revolution or unique blue and white china pottery, you will be forgiven for not knowing of this fine (and illustrious) English town. In truth, its contemporary music connections have never really meant it featured high on the on the rock'n'roll map.

But, thanks to the (almost unimaginably) far sighted burghers of this relatively small town, its position on the rock heritage trail is about to be cemented (perhaps quite literally!).

Go on then, trivia-quiz, who are the rock son's of Stoke? Give up? How about Robbie Williams... and Slash... and, wait for it... Lemmy! Usually towns wait until the death of a famed son until he's remembered in stone or bronze, but seemingly not Stoke. No, such is the distinguished career of the grizzled one, Ian Kilmister, a.k.a. Lemmy, that he is be memorialised while still living. Slightly bizarre this may be, but definitely welcome.

My friend, Graham, tells the great story of Lemmy climbing into the lighting rigging at Manchester Electric Circus while he was doing the lights there in the late 70s. Lemmy, apparently well out of it (no, surely some mistake...), bent his ears for several hours with repetition of the line 'they can't sack me from Hawkwind... it's my band... anyway, I slept with all their wives. The bastards...'.

Stoke like honouring their sons; Stan Matthews already stands proud outside the local footie stadium, as does Josiah Wedgewood in another part of town. Why should not Motorhead's Lemmy join them? And indeed why wait until mortality does catch up with this death-defying, icon of heavy metal excess?

Who else in rock has the honour of a statue? Buddy Holly in Lubbock; Elvis in Memphis; Freddie Mercury in Montreux; Phil Lynott in Dublin (see photo); Lennon in Liverpool; Stevie Ray Vaughan in Austin; Brian Jones in Cheltenham; Bob Marley in Kingston; Hendrix in Seatle; Johnny Ramone at Los Angeles’ Hollywood Forever Cemetery; Bon Scott in Fremantle; and Zappa has two, one in Vilinus, the other in Baltimore. Jerry Garcia is supposedly to get one in Fairfax, CA. And soul stars, Otis, James Brown and Ray Charles have also been 'erected'. There's the 'annonymous'rock star posed in Xi Dan Shopping District in Beijing, China.

Does anyone know of others? Sculptress, Laura Lian, has been trying to get support for another of Lennon in NYC but I don't think the project has come to fruition. I think the local Cambridge council vetoed a statue of Syd Barret. Shame on them.

And who else should be thus immortalised? Keith Moon? George Harrison? Jim Morrison could have his bust returned to Paris Père Lachaise Cemetery for his 30th anniversary. Surely Townes Van Zandt deserves one? As does Janis Joplin.

Of course, in these financially-challenging times, perhaps we should be content with a body part, if not running to the life-sized figure; Jerry Garcia's hand (even to the missing half-finger) has bizarrely been immortalised in bronze in Santa Barbara. Now there's a thought... maybe there's a new role for ‘plastercast’ Susie, or perhaps this is what the burghers of Stoke are anyway planning for Lemmy!

2011 Anniversaries

2010-12-02T06:10:00.000-08:00

While it's not quite as big a year of anniversaries as 2010 was, 2011 nevertheless marks at least three major commemorations.

The first definitely falls into the 'welcome' category! It will be 40-years since the formation of royal rockers, Queen! Being old enough to remember their beginnings, I can recall that critics generally didn't think much of them at the time. I'd lay odds that not too may people actually bought the debut 'Queen' when it first came out. Their longevity has confounded the critics, that's for sure. Of course, the tragedy is that Freddie didn't live as long as the band, and in truth, there'll be some who say 'it's not really Queen' without Freddie.

Whit is remarkable is the number of new younger fans the classic band are winning. The success of the 'We Will Rock You' show is both the cause and the mark of this continued popularity. One event sticks out in my mind from this last year's tours; I was guiding a party of 40 French students on a morning tour. Visiting Freddie's Logan Place home was a highlight for them, but for me it was 40 young voices beating out 'We Will, we will rock you, rock you' on the coach seats!

Two other anniversaries fall into the 'not-so-welcome' category. July 1971 saw the death of Jim Morrison in Paris. May 1981 saw the death of Bob Marley in Miami. Two great losses to rock'n'roll. Whose death had the greatest impact, I wonder? Marley's legacy is probably the stronger, and his influence felt over a much wider global audience than Morrison’s. But Morrison continues to inspire and the Doors music remains uniquely iconic.

London was important in the history of both Queen and Bob Marley, and the city has myriad sites and locations that tell their particular stories of the bands. The Doors only played London once, at the Roundhouse. It's Paris that is particularly associated with Morrison thanks to his death and burial there.

We'll be running special commemorative Queen and Bob Marley tours in London throughout the year, and we'll have a 'one-off' weekend in Paris to honour and commemorate Jim Morrison.

If there are any other significant anniversaries we've missed, please let us know. Otherwise, it's counting down to 2012 and two of the biggest anniversaries; the 50th birthdays of both the Beatles and Rolling Stones!

There’s good news, and there’s bad news …

2010-11-26T13:33:00.000-08:00

On the good news front is the ever-increasing number of plaques and memorials commemorating rock landmarks that are appearing in London. However, counter-balancing this is the ever-existing threat of closure of other equally important sites, or worse, their possible destruction.

October was an exceptional month. Not only did Lennon finally get recognition (see my last post), but Beatles manager, Brian Epstein has his name attached to a wall. Interestingly, the site chosen was in Monmouth Street, on the edge of Covent Garden. While this was undoubtedly an important place in Brian’s career, with it being NEMS first London office, there are several other buildings that arguably deserved association with him. There’s Chapel Street for example, where he died. Or perhaps Sutherland House, another former office of Brian Epstein’s NEMS organisation, where John Lennon made his famous remark in 1966 that the Beatles were “bigger than Jesus”. Presumably, it’s all determined who is willing to have a plaque on their frontage.

There aren’t many interiors that celebrate their rock heritage so the new room that the Clissold Arms in Muswell Hill has dedicate to its Kinks history is to be applauded. This pub, standing literally opposite the Davies brother’s Demark Terrace home, was the site of the first performance by the band that was later to find fame as the Kinks. The pub owners have turned their large front room into a virtual shrine for the band, decorating it with press cuttings, photos and album covers. Apparently, the last owners were given some original memorabilia by Ray but it disappeared when the pub changed hands. Unfortunately, and understandably, Ray is unlikely to be as generous with his own heritage again.

Now to the bad news… this year we have already lost the great Olympic Studios in Barnes now the 100 Club is under threat. If it was to go, it’s not only heritage we’d lose but one of London’s current great venues. Standing eponymously on Oxford Street, the 100 Club has seen everyone from the Stones and Who through the Sex Pistols and Clash to Oasis on stage. In fact, it was one of the original launch pads of punk, hosting an infamous festival here in 1976. A night out here is truly a trip down the time tunnel as you descend the stairs to a beer-soaked, sticky-carpeted basement. It needs your support if its not to close: http://www.the100club.co.uk. It'll definitely have mine of December 17 for The Pretty Things, and probably again late in the month for Wilco Jonhson (ex Dr Feelgood). What a great way to end the year!

A PLAQUE FOR JOHN - AT LAST!

2010-11-19T08:08:00.000-08:00

It has been a long time coming but at last John Lennon has a commemorative 'Blue Plaque' on a London building. It was fittingly unveiled by Yoko Ono in October on the first home that she and John shared as a couple; 34 Montague Square.

The actual wording on the plaques certainly doesn't tell the full story of this monumental landmark. The ground floor and basement of this lovely central London Georgian period building had its first rock'n'roll resident in the shape of Ringo Star. There's a great photo of Paul and Ringo taken outside on their way to collect their MBEs. When Ringo decided to move out to the country, Jimi Hendrix and manager, ex-Animals bassist, Chas Chandler moved in, with their respective ladies.

Jimi was reputedly not the ideal tenant, as we heard from Jeff Dexter, who spent many an evening with Jimi there, at our recent Hendrix Commemorative weekend. It was while living there that Jimi wrote 'The Wind Cries Mary'.

Anyway, Jimi's exit led to John's Liverpool-based mother-in-law moving in. But this was but for a brief interlude as John's split from first wife, Cynthia, meant that John now required a new place to stay himself. Montague Square thus became John and Yoko's first, and in fact last, home in London before upping sticks for NYC.

Behind these basic facts, however, there's a raft of stories, other players and rock history and legend. Paul worked at a studio in the basement, starting work on Eleanor Rigby; American author William Burroughs also recorded here; and the infamous photo of a naked John and Yoko, taken for the front of the Two Virgins album was shot here.

We'd like to think that all those who have signed our petition while on a tour over these past few years (and there were over 5000 of you from a total) of 52 countries worldwide) has contributed to this honour for John Lennon.

So that's two Blue Plaques now; John and Jimi. There are other commemorative plaques, of course, (see my next posting) but these are 'unofficial'. Who, or what, would you like to see commemorated from rock's heritage?

Hendrix Lives On!

2010-09-21T03:14:00.000-07:00

I've been very remiss with postings of late, but with good reason.

September 18th marked the 40th anniversary commemoration of the death in London of Jimi Hendrix. To commemorate this auspicious occasion we organised a weekend of special events. Understandably, Jimi took precedence over blogging.

And what a weekend it was!

One overriding objecive was for us to mount a plaque at the Hyde Park Hotel, in London's Bayswater district. This was Jimi's first 'home' but, incredibly,there was nothing here to mark the fact. I'm proud to be able to say that the hotel now has a suitable recognition of its place in rock history, with the plaque being 'unveiled' by the incomparable Jeff Dexter, a personal friend of Jimi's from his London days.

An allied objective was to mark the occasion fittingly, with a gig in a London club that Jimi himself would have known, and in front of the size of audience he was playing to back in his early days with the Experience. Authenticity was the key as there seem to be so many other commemorations where commercialization was the driving force (and a certain London hotel is especially to be castigated for its attempt to jump on the bandwagon).

With the amazing tribute band 'Are you Experienced' playing at the 120 capacity Troubadour Club, it could not have been more authentic. Even down to my ears still ringing after 3 days...

John Campbell, who 'does' Jimi, is truly fantastic, but he couldn't do it without the support of Kevin Grady, drums /backing vocals and Mark Arnold on bass. Every number of their 2 hours was note perfect.Kevin's rumming on the demanding 'Machine Gun' was superb! You didn't have to close your eyes to 'see' Jimi; he was there in front of you in the persona of John. The place rocked. Our special guests, the Brazilian rock superstars of 'Pitty' (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9nIvh-6sQiQ&a=GxdCwVVULXfxd3IKue0RWY3lAXkFJLNg&list=ML&playnext=1), claimed it was one of the best evenings they'd had, adding that they had no regrets over missing their MTV award presentation ceremony back in Brazil for this. A compliment indeed.

Complementing the raw energy of 'Are Your Experienced' was a late night set from an incredible new Brazilian duo, 'Sambulus', comprising husband and wife team, Luana and Ceasar Barbosa. These guys have been officially sanctioned by the Hendrix estate and their interpretation of Hendrix numbers, female vocal accompanied by piano and guitar, is memorable. To be quite truthful, with their level of professionalism and playing ability, they would not have been out of place at Ronnie Scott's commemorative night where classic violinist, Nigel Kennedy, performed with special guests (including Eric Burdon). A name to watch out for I suspect.

In my next blog I'll report back on our Friday evening where we were privileged to host four incredible rock'n'roll characters, all of whom had personal memories of Jimi that they unselfishly shared with us.

If you were at any of our events, including the special city tours, then let us know what you felt and what memories of Hendrix they brought back for you.

The Legend that is Stan Webb

2010-08-19T00:16:00.000-07:00

Perhaps the greatest of all historic London venues was the famed club on Eel Pie Island in the western, riverside-suburb of Twickenham. The bands that graced its tiny stage though the 60s read like a rock'n'roll hall of fame. The Stones, Who, Yardbirds, Genesis, Pink Floyd, are just a few of the greats who learned their craft at the Eel Pie.

Alas, the original club burned down, amidst the usual rumours that accompany such events. In 2002, a group of fans, headed by Gina Way and Warren Walters, decided that the name was just too iconic to lose; the Eel Pie Club was reborn. It is still in Twickenham,now upstairs in the Cabbage Patch pub, and dedicated to preserving those great musical traditions. It’s a marvellous place to see some half-forgotten legends, and even the odd celebrity slumming it!

Stan Webb, and version 567 of Chicken Shack, graced its stage this week. And one has to say that he, as expected, did not let the history down. I suspect that for many readers this is a name that will simply evoke a response of 'who'? Well, Stan Webb is not only a legend in his own lifetime, but his early recorded output deserves the accolade of 'hidden nuggets'. He's also a true rock'n'roll survivor.

Way back in the mid 60s, when British bands were first discovering the blues and riding the electric rhythm and blues wave, two very similar bands competed in friendly rivalry. Aspiring amongst those to be the top blues band were Fleetwood Mac and Stan Webb's Chicken Shack (version 1, with a certain Christine Perfect on vocals. Ms Perfect was to defect from the latter to the former, and to become Mrs John McVie). Mac, boasting the fabled Peter Green, turned away from the pure R&B sound and produced a number of classic hits like 'Albatross' and 'Man of the World'. As everyone knows, the ensuing soap opera that marked 45 years or so of Mac history included a move to LA, new band members, madness, religious cult conversions, splits, band changes, marriages, divorces, drug abuse and multi-million selling classics.

Meanwhile, on another planet... Stan Webb soldiered on, and on, and on. Mostly with ever-changing line-ups of Chicken Shack, but also having a spell with Savoy Brown. Thought by many to be at least as good a guitarist as Eric Clapton, real success (in terms of record sales) has eluded him. And stadium-sized performances have been few. But Stan’s fans are lucky; catching Webb at a small venue like the Eel Pie Club can be a real pleasure. Small enough to allow you to get up close and personal, I watched his fingers (and thumb!) dance at impossible speeds up and own the fret. He still retains a great voice and sustains high notes from the back of his throat like someone 40 years his junior. Delivering a couple of numbers in Elvis and Johnny Cash toning reminded me of an interview I once did with Stan where he ran through a range of vocal impersonation he could do. He did a great impression of the comedian Kenneth Williams from the ‘Carry on’ films! What’s nice too is the rapport he develops with the audience, helped by his unpretentious manner and dress.

So why didn’t he crack it? The only song he’s really remembered for is ‘I’d rather Go Blind’ which Chicken Shack (with Christine Perfect) took to No. 14 in the 1969 UK charts. Unlike the Fleetwoods, Stan and band didn’t really move on. They were one of the many excellently rocking progressive bands that got overtaken by punk and new wave. Pity really as Stan Webb could have been a contender for top-dog. Still, if you’re into R&B played stunningly well then you’ll go a long way before hearing anyone better.

And if you're in London, or thinking of visiting, you could do worse than get on the Eel Pie Club mail list; you never know who you might catch there.

Hidden Nuggets
Forty Blue Fingers Freshly Packed And Ready To Serve/ Blue Horizon 1969
OK Ken / Blue Horizon 1969

Links:
Chicken Shack’s I’d rather go blind’ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ohx9Ve7-GS0
Eel Pie Club http://www.eelpieclub.com/

Britain-Brazilian Rock Connections

2010-08-09T14:44:00.000-07:00

The ABC Trust (patron, one Jimmy Page), a charity existing to support Brazilian street kids, hosted an exclusive gig at the Embassy Club in London this evening. The sublime Bebel Gilberto previewed some of her new CD, delivering an acoustic set to about 90 lucky invited guests.

Not a name that you recognise? No? This Grammy-award nominated lady is the daughter of the famed João Gilberto and singer Miúcha. Her uncle is singer/composer Chico Buarque. Still no glimmer of recognition? Shame on you! But it is hardly surprising, though I'll bet Spanish, French and Italian readers of this blog will know the names. And it goes without saying that the Brazilians will! But we English-speaking Anglo-Saxons are very limited in our appreciation of any music where the lyrics are not sung in our familar tongue. OK, admittedly there's a limited appreciation of bossa nova and salsa but I'll lay short odds right now that Santana and the Buena Vista Social Club are about the only two Latin acts most can immediately call to mind. That we voluntarily cut ourselves off from the richness of other cultures is our loss, believe me.

It hasn't happened the other way though. No such cultural myopia in Brazil where local musicians have long looked to England for inspiration. Trawl through a 'sebo' in Rio (second-hand book and music shops) and you'll find stacks of 1960s and 70s UK vinyl gold as an indication of listening tastes. It's not just the popular chart stuff but real obscurities. Look at the gig list in Sao Paulo today and there are contemporary UK Indie bands filling the clubs. Scan the tracks of Brazilian superstars and wannabees alike are you'll find covers of Lennon & McCartney, Jagger and Richards, and many more recent songwriters.

Two names stands out as being conduits through which rock flowed into Rio; Gilberto Gil and Cateano Veloso. These two' fleeing Brazil's then military government, lived the lives of London-based exiles for three years in the early 70s. While here, they absorbed the musical landscape. Gil played and toured with some of the 70s greats. He in turn influenced British contemporaries. It came as little surprise, just a few years back, to see Eric Clapton in the audience for one of Gil's regular London returns.

Gil and Veloso lived in Chelsea, off the Kings Road, and in Nottinghill Gate. The property became a centre for artistic Brazilian exiles I read somewhere that Gil shared a flat with Terry Reid but inevitably, this being Bob Marley's territory and the 70s his time, it was reggae as well as rock that they took with them back to Brazil.

Look them up on Wiki. Gil became Minister of Culure under the populist President Lula.

Modern Brazilian rock albums show off these multi-cultural influences. Listen to Os Mutantes, the only non-English-language psychadelic album considered a classic by the critics. The influence of UK rock is there but tempered and twisted into a distinctly Brazilian feel with bossa and samba patterns often creeping in. One fine contemporary CD I heard the other day was by Rodrigo Santos. His skillful re-arrangments of standard Beatle numbers really freshen them up.

Anyway, I digress. Bebel Gilberto was wonderful. Two short sets, mostly bossa-based, and if I'm not mistaken with at least one Veloso-penned number. It was great of this international star to give her services free to help the ABC Trust recruit a few new well-heeled supporters. It is to be hoped that at least 90 people went home with a new appreciation of music not sung in English!

British Sea Power to play 'Festinho'

2010-07-29T14:11:00.000-07:00

Breaking news!

Just heard that 'British Sea Power' has been signed to play 'Festinho'!

For those who don't know, Festinho (translation from the Brazilian-Portuguese 'little festival') is a cracking festival taking place at Hinwick House, Bedford, over the Bank Holiday weekend, 27th to 29th August.

Forget the queues, the crowds, the rank commercialisation, the over-priced entry ticket, and the officious, crowd controlling 'security'. Festinho is the antidote to the run-of-the-mill festival. And they don't come much cheaper!'Cool' is really, for once, the correct description. Around 2000 people attend this annual 'best-kept-secret' festival, raising money for Brazilian street children.

The guys in charge of booking bands are all 'Big Chill' graduates so quality acts are guaranteed. But securing British Sea Power is a major play! Personally, I can't wait to see a band on their way to being a stadium act, playing in the rather more intimate environment of an English Stately home!

Tickets are available here: http://festinho.com

Get film tickets FREE

2010-07-28T22:42:00.000-07:00

The British Film Institute (BFI) has an interesting evening on August 17th, fittingly following up on the London 60s Week. Entitled 'We Love Dusty Springfield', Emma Smart explores the woman behind the legend through a plethora of clips and classic Dusty performances. It's an unusual angle as the talk asks why Dusty became such an icon for gay audiences.

The BFI is also celebrating the career of the ultimate Hollywood maverick, Steve McQueen throughout August. Be it detective or soldier, cowboy or thief McQueen always emerges as the quintessence of cool, the rebel, the loner. Titles range from his '60s classics like The Great Escape and Bullit to McQueen's later character work in Papillon where he delivered a near Oscar winning performance. McQueen's career was cut short by his premature death in 1980 but he will always be regarded as the first, modern movie star. http://www.bfi.org.uk/whatson/bfi_southbank/film_programme/august_seasons/steve_mcqueen

McQueen inspired a few rock lyrics from acts including Sheryl Crow, Prefab Sprout and the Drive by Truckers. Fancy going to see a movie? Well answer this question correctly and we'll send you two free tickets. Which of the above sings the following?

Steve McQueen Steve McQueen
When I was a little boy I wanted to grow up to be
Steve McQueen Steve McQueen
The coolest doggone motherscratcher on the silver screen

The festival runs to the end of August but the sooner you send your answer, the more choice of movies you'll have.

Rock'n'Roll and the fall of communism

2010-07-28T03:04:00.000-07:00

I have this theory that in a hundred or so years time, when historians are trying to make sense of the broad sweep of 20th century history, there will be a general recognition that rock music played as important a part in the fall of communism, and lifting of the 'iron curtain', as any other factor.

David Smith is a blog-follower and general supporter of our rock tours, recommending us to his local friends if coming to London. He currently works in Skopje, Macedonia and writes 'We have had Bob Dylan and Billy Idol so far this summer, so not too bad'.

For those who political geography is rusty, this was formally part of communist Yugoslavia. One of my first overseas 'adventures' was hitch-hiking to Sarajevo (also then in Yugoslavia) with the intention of seeing where Gavrillo Princip had fired the fatal shots that provided the spark for the start of the Great War of 1914. I didn't expect to find any rock music; in fact, I'd read that it was virtually banned on the other side of the curtain.

It was quite an adventure crossing the border into the east in those early 70s. Everything was austere. With no advertising there was little colour other than the incredibly bold state propaganda posters. Grey, bleak and superficially unwelcoming. Uniforms everywhere. The atmosphere was made edgier by the fact that at the time there were three or four Brits being held in a Yugoslavian lock-up for taking pictures of planes. 'Be careful' and 'Don't expect people to talk to you; they're all watched by their secret police', were the warnings I got before entering the country.

So there I was, tingling with suppressed excitement and not a little fear, looking for a bar down some back alley in a town on the coast of what is now Croati. Feeling a little like a cold war spy,I romantically imagined I was being followed. Suddenly, to my disbelieving ears I heard the unmistakable strains of a rock riff and kick-drum pattern. It wasn't possible, was it? I stealthily made my way to a half-open door as the beat grow closer and louder. Deep Purple's 'Smoke on the Water' pounded out from a tiny, portable Dansette in the corner of a room filled with kids.

I hesitantly peered in. I was spotted. I felt the urge to turn tail and run but I was rooted to the spot by sheer magnetism of that heart-grabbing riff. They sussed I was a foreigner immediately; probably due to the length of my hair and Levis. You can guess the rest; I was welcomed in, handed a beer, found myself surrounded by pretty young women who wanted to know what life was like in the West. I'm still unclear as to how I got back to the 'pension'where I was staying, much, much later that night.

That's it, I thought. Communism can't last. You can't stop the kids listening to rock; it's an aspirational bridge to the West. Six or so years later, with Brezhnev still in power and the Soviet army invading Afghanistan, Elton John was performing in Moscow, Zappa was an icon of the dissadent Czechs, and Beatle records were being openly sold in East Germany and Hungary (see http://www.beatlemania.hu/hng.htm). We had launched the 'nuclear option' but it was called rock'n'roll not Trident, and 30 years on the idol of the east is a Billy not a Karl or Josef.

There be dinosaurs about!

2010-07-23T10:20:00.000-07:00

You don't need to visit London's Natural History Museum to see dinosaurs in London this weekend (24th and 25th July). There is a herd of them in Victoria Park.

Gracing the High Voltage festival stage this weekend are the likes of Uriah Heep, Steve Hacket, Marillion, (the fantastic) Argent, Backman Turner and the wonderful Wishbone Ash. Bands you'd have sworn were extinct but remembered with respect through the dim, distant mists of time. I had to look at the site address twice to make sure it did read Victoria Park and not Jurassic...

Mighty amongst these lumbering giants are the headliners, ZZ Top and ... wait for it ELP! Yes, Emerson, Lake and Palmer.

ELP are celebrating their 40th anniversary with this 'final', farewell gig. Then fossilisation sets in (though there were those in the late '70s punk movement who'd have argued the process actually began then).

They were a fantastic band though. A supergroup if ever there was one. The memory of Emerson plunging knives into his organ (electric, that is!) is unforgettable, though I remember my first ELP concert at the Colston Hall, Bristol, 1970, for entirely different reasons. As we waited expectantly for them to appear I looked in amazement at a girl sitting on the stage. It couldn't be could it? She looked so like an old flame from the grammar (high) school back home in South Wales. In my pre-college years she'd dumped me. 'Rebbecca?', I shouted up from the foot of the stage. She turned to see me. 'What are you doing?', I shouted. 'Oh,' she replied nonchalantly, 'I'm Carl Palmer's girlfriend now.'

I got a gasped 'pardon!?' out as the lights dimmed, and she faded into the side-stage gloom never to be seen again though I looked long and hard after the concert, hoping for introductions, backstage parties or even a souvenir drumstick... And I was so deflated. No wonder she'd have none of me when she could pull a rock god!

I never found out what became of her. Certainly not Mrs CP. Pity in a way. I'd have shot down to Jurassic Park to see her and meet the grand kids, and maybe, finally, Mr Palmer himself.

It's a Convention, man!

2010-07-21T02:57:00.001-07:00

I used to be a trifle suspicious of music conventions celebrating this or that particular band. The genre hinted at being unhealthy; too many freaks and wierdos stuck in their teen past with a terrifyingly detailed and obsessive knowledge about one band, and with album collections devoid of anything released since 1971. To be honest, I did once guide a largish group on their way to the Liverpool Beatles festival around London sites. Amonsgt whom there were a high number of folk I wouldn't have wanted to be next to on a 4-hour coach journey... I swear that one of their number could even told me what colour socks George was wearing on any given day had I been foolish enough to ask!

The annual Matthews Street Beatle festival, held over the August Bank Holiday weekend in Liverpool, is probably the grandaddy of the genre. I avoided going for many years. I knew too many of the regular 'professional' attendees from around London. I successfuly manage to avoid them here but the 'pool is a much smaller city; nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. A couple of years back I relented. I discovered that the nutters were actually easily spotted, and avoided; copy-cat hairstyled, badge-covered, bags overflowing with photos, media clipping and EP covers to be autographed, tee shirts boasting of previous convention attendance. They had big signs over their heads stating 'approach me at your peril'!

Much to my surpise, I enjoyed the weekend, especially the tribute bands who had come from Argentina, Mexico and Brazil. Musically tremendous with tango, bossa nova and salza arrangements freshening up the golden oldies. There's nothing worse than a band simply trying to copy a Beatle number.

Conventions have proliferated, worldwide. And why not. They offer a great opportunity to wallow in a bit of nostalgia, buy a few bits 'n' pieces of memorabilia or maybe a CD or vinyl missing from your collection, and to commune with like-minded souls. The majority of attendees, it seems to me, are of the interested variety, rather thsn the gimlet-eyed obsessional. Don't expect a real live band member though (even if they aare still with us on the planet); the best you can normally hope for is a third-cousin, twice removed. In the UK there's the Queen convention, held in that Queen-inspired town of Great Yarmouth (sic) on England's east coast and which celebrated its 25th anniversary this year. Led Zep fans stage another, as do fans of the Rolling Stones. Fast approaching is our own Hendrix 40th anniversary weekend, and The Who convention.

'Oo fans will already know of this event; it's in its 29th year apparently. This year it takes place over the weekend of October 2nd and 3rd, with the main event held at Camden's Dingwalls on the Sunday. They've a great line-up that includes Thunderclap Newman. Definitely something in the air. Also present will be past asociates of the band including Doug Sandom (the original Detours drummer) and 'Irish' Jack, the 'Face' from the Oo's Goldhawk Road days.

You'll find details at http://thewhoconvention.com/

The really great thing about the majority of these events is that they are run by real fans, with any profits often donated to a worthwile cause. The Who Convention is no exception. I'll have some more on Who-related matters in a forthcoming blog, including an interview with both of the above gentlemen.

If anyone knows of any other interesting conventions, I'd be delighted to hear about them. The George Formby one doesn't count by the way!

Swinging Sixties London Week & a new book to read

2010-07-17T13:59:00.000-07:00

This weekend marks the beginning of the inaugural London 60s Week. The best way to describe the festival is as an umbrella for multiple independent events that will be going on throughout the capital, each taking the 'swinging sixties' as their theme. Music, art, literature, theatre, all kinds of 'happenings' taking their cue from that revolutionary decade. The event kicks off with an attempt to break the world record for the number of people dancing the twist at any one time... And where better to launch this than Carnaby Street with legendary DJ , Jeff Dexter, doing the turntable honours from the safety of a local rooftop!

'Be there or be square'?

The idea is the brainchild of Chris Pleydell. Though Chris wasn't actually around for that mind-expanding decade, he's a big fan of the creativity that was spawned throughout the arts during that period. Having a belief that it should be celebrated and used as an inspiration for today's young talent, he's spent the last year pulling it all together.

If you are in London over the next week to ten days it will be worth checking out what’s on: www.london60sweek.co.uk)

Coincidentally, I was sent a new book to review this week; 'The Beatles and the Stones in the Swinging Sixties' by Steve Overbury. Overbury's last book was the highly informative 'Guns, cash and Rock 'n' roll: the managers', and this is a worthy follow-up.

As the title suggests, the material concentrates on the two bands that dominated the decade. It explores not only the dynamics of each band, and their inter-relationship, but puts them into their social context, introducing a cast of hangers-on, drug-dealers, gangsters,sexual deviants,birds and sundry London 'bight young things' that made west London swing.

There's a lot of juicy information here; not a lot new, but much that has deservedly been moved from the footnotes to the main page. Some of it is pretty sleazy. What Overbury highlights is that the revolution was art driven, not political, but was not without its casualties. The pages are littered with the dead and dying. Most, it seems, dying of self-inflicted drug wounds. Selfish and uncaring excess appears to have been the order of the day. The survivors don't always come out smelling of roses. It can make uncomfortable reading and there are a few tales that might provoke a reassessment of your favourite stars.

It's a fairly weighty book at nearly 400 pages, though this could undoubtedly have been shortened by better editing. Overbury is good at holding the reader's attention. While readers of a certain age will have heard of many if not most of the individuals the book is great at making the connections between them. For those taking their first 'trip' into the decade, this is a great primer.

There's a fair amount of repetition, though perhaps it serves to remind the reader of the characters in this cast of hundreds. A good proof-reader might also have spotted the many typos in the text.

All-in-all, a very interesting read with the right balance struck between anecdote and general overview of the period. A perfect companion to London60s Week, it retails at £12.99. A special discounted price of £10 (plus postage) is available to followers of this blog.

It was 25 years today.... Live Aid

2010-07-14T03:14:00.000-07:00

Well, 25 years ago yesterday to be accurate! Live Aid at Wembley Stadium. What a day it was, there with great mates Johnno, Barbara, Lindy and Pauline (all back 'down-under' in Australia now). If the angel Gabriel gave me a final week on earth to relive 7 days of my life before passing into the hearafter... this would be one. If I'm honest, I can't remember every detail of the day; though I suppose that's hardly surprising given the amount of alcohol etc that was consumed during that long, hot day!

I do remember Status Quo kicking it off (after a military band); 'Rockin' all over the World'! It's been a favourite ever since. And I remember Bono throwing himself into the audience. I thought him a right pratt at the time, and, as it happens, this turned out just to be the first 'pratt-action' in a career that has boasted many (with assuredly more to follow!).

Of course, there were other highlights; Queen and Crosby Stills Nash and Young being two. And Bob Geldof's impassioned pleas. And then there was the disappointment of Macca's mic not being on for the finale.

Talking Geldof, a short time later I was at a record company Xmas party, with Geldof there in attendance. A young lady in our company sauntered over to the great man to congratulate him on his efforts and press a glass of champagne into his hand. She came back to our group a mite crestfallen. 'What's he say?' We asked. 'Fuck off. I don't drink champagne' was apparently his gracious reply. Ah, the great and the good, eh? They have this way with words.

Competition for Blog followers

2010-07-12T14:27:00.001-07:00

It's encouraging to see our list of followers growing. Thanks to all those who are already 'in'. I hope that forthcoming blogs will make it worthwhile. We are often getting last minute free gig and show tickets and our blog-followers will not only be first to find out, but will also be given the first chance to get their hands on them.

All those who sign up during this month of July WILL BE ENTERED INTO OUR PRIZE DRAW.

Sign up now, and get your friends to do likewise! We've a large number of prizes to give away including a Paul Rogers autographed CD, a Bill Wyman signed 'Sticky Finger's' tee-shirt, DVDs, rare vinyl, annual subscriptions to Classic Rock and gig tickets. Something for everyone, no matter where you're from.

Macca, Hendrix and Andy Fairweather Low

2010-07-11T07:05:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks back, I went to see Paul McCartney play Hyde Park. Beautiful day, fantastic concert, London and classic rock at its best. Macca played a magical selection of 'greatest hits' spanning oldie Beatles, solo stuff and Wings material. One particular piece of music immediately stood out though, probably because it wasn't a Lennon/McCartney or Harrison original; Hendrix's Foxy Lady.

Macca accompanied his short and playful rendition with a memory of Hendrix. He told us of the famed Sunday concert at the Beatles' own Saville Theatre where Jimi played the title track of St Peppers. With two Beatles sitting themselves in the audience that afternoon, and Pepper only having been out a few days, it was either audacious or arrogant. Take your pick. Macca thought it a great compliment. Whatever, it was good to hear a story we tell on our morning rock tour confirmed from Sir Paul's own lips.

In my own view, Hendrix was a supremely confident musician who knew his own worth but wasn't afraid to indulge in a stunt if he thought it might generate some publicity. Copying another band's signature didn't bother him if he could do it better. I was always struck by Brian Jones' almost alternative view of Hendrix; far from being the supreme innovator, he actually copied things he thought cool from other musicians on the scene at the time, often simply improving them (Pete Townsend might agree that this was certainly so with regard to stage antics).

I was set to deliberating on this theme last night on my way home from a gig at the Corn Exchange, Cambridge. I went along to see the musician's musician, Andy Fairweather Low, guesting as support to the Robert Gray Band. Andy was indirectly responsible for my seeing Hendrix during that all too brief golden period 40-years ago.

At the time, Andy was fronting the excellent soul/pop band, Amen Corner. My mates and I had a special affinity with them, considering them as virtually our school band since they rehearsed at the near-by Cowbridge Rugby Club in South Wales, and called on the services of our school porter as a sometime roadie. Naturally, where Amen Corner played, we followed. When they 'made it' with 'Gin House' and the 'Bend me, Shape me', they were included on the old-fashioned package tour. These were the days when half a dozen bands toured as part of a package, during which they played their chart hits, or more often, hit, or even more often 'nearly a hit'. One such package included Hendrix, and, believe it or not, Pink Floyd (still with Syd Barrett), The Nice, Roy Wood's Move and Eire Apparent (who sank without trace ...). On another package our heros played alongside Gene Pitney, The Mike Cotton Sound, Don Fardon (the one-man-band) and ... it's so long ago that I forget.

Still, I owe Andy a debt of honour. Had it not been for Amen Corner I'd not have seen arguably two of the greatest of the late 60s bands.

What a great deal this particual 'package' is. Fair Weather Low's Low Riders and Cray. It's not often the support is as strong as the headline. It's also not that often that a famed one comes to the bar at the break to sign CDs and have quick yarn with the punters. Nice touch, Andy.

I've neither the space or intention to review either band in this particular blog, but I will recommend that you catch the package on one of the remaining gigs if you read this in time. And if the name Andy Fairwether Low is new to you (which it wont be if you read liner notes to albums from Eric Clapton, the Who, Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings, Geroge Harrison, Roger Walters or hundreds more!) then I suggest you acquire a copy of the 'best of Amen Corner' and 'best of AFL'.

One last, entirely unconnected snippet; getting into convesation with the guy sitting next to us we learned that his uncle had lived only a few doors away from the reclusive Syd Barrett (a citizen of Cambridge, or course) and another acquaintance of his was the district nurse who'd sat beside Syd literally as he'd shuffled off this mortal coil... amazing who you meet, innit!?

2010-06-25T13:56:00.001-07:00

HIDDEN NUGGETS

One of the most common questions we get while touring London’s rock heritage sites is what ‘new’ music we can recommend. Actually what people mean is what can we recommend that they might have missed first time round, rather than what can we recommend from today’s crop of rock hopefuls; ‘old’ music but ‘new to them’.

It’s only when you start discussing this that it becomes apparent how much people do actually miss getting into, and how much great and generally ageless stuff there actually is out there. I suspect that budget is always an issue for us all and there is only so much you can afford to buy from the huge amount offered.

On another level, we also get a heap of younger fans who weren’t ‘there’ first time round and want to catch up with a bit of rock history, or hear what today’s bands might have been influenced by.

So, responding to popular demand (!), future blogs will include ‘hidden nuggets’, being reviews of albums that perhaps people would enjoy discovering. Here goes the first couple:

Cressida

A ‘prog-rock’ or ‘art-rock’ band who enjoyed a short-lived career from 1968-70, releasing two albums (Cressida and Asylum). For a brief period, they were regulars on the traditional London club circuit playing the Marquee, Blaises, the Speakeasy etc. They also did the legendary Hamburg Star Club. The original vinyl is on the hard-to-get and expensive Vertigo ‘swirl’ label but re-releases are available from repertoirerecords.com. The first album is the best, containing some really good playing and fine melodies from ‘classic’ prog-rock instruments including flute, organ, paino and Mellotron, all complementing guitars and drums/percussion. The vocals are in the pleasant-on-the-ear range, without being particularly distinguishing. It does sound a bit dated now but anyone liking Moody Blues of this period will love them!

Soft Machine

This is a band we regularly mention, especially on our morning ‘The Psychedelic and Summer of Love’ tour.

The city of Canterbury contributed much to the sound of these years and the ‘Softs’ were to the forefront of the scene with musicians like Kevin Ayres and Robert Wyatt, who were later to forge great solo careers (and Andy Summers was on the first album, following his stint with Zoot Money).

Avant garde, esoteric, jazz fusion, psychedelic, progressive rock; it’s difficult to describe the style. It was certainly ground-breaking at the time. And unique. Perhaps they can be best described by association; they were the ‘other band’ to Pink Floyd at the Roundhouse and Marquee UFO benefit concerts. You can never quite tell where a Soft’s track is taking you; it’s certainly somewhere no one else ventured, not even Floyd.

The music wont suit anyone who is looking for hard, driving rock, or metal, or soft melodic rock, or, well any common genre. The Softs had no copyists – at least not until Matching Mole. They were a musician’s band; even their improvisation seemed scored. Were they rock? Yes, but it was no surprise that their final incarnation said ‘goodbye’ with six nights at Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club.

Which of their albums to get? Hmmm, difficult, especially with their being 9 studio albums, each with differing line-ups,and many, many live or retrospective releases. Their last studio album ’Land of Cockayne’ featuring Jack Bruce on base and no original members! Choose their first from 1968, 'Soft Machine'; 'Bundles' from 1975 (released by cherryred.co.uk); or perhaps go for 'Out-Bloody-Rageous' (a compilation, 1967–1973) re-released by Sony, 2005.

Anyone got any other suggestions of hidden nuggets?

Green Day @ Wembley Stadium

2010-06-23T03:45:00.000-07:00

Going to Wembley for a concert always brings back memories of past glories. It seems like only yesterday that I sat there for Live Aid. What a day that was; 25 years ago. What a year. I think it was the same year that both Queen and Springsteen played there too. Or maybe that was the previous year… memory plays tricks, especially when recalled through a chemical haze…

I wish I had as happy memories of watching the England football team playing there. But that’s another story (and not for during a disappointing World Cup).

I’ve only ever been to Wembley as a ‘punter’. My mate, Graham, who joined me for this show as actually ‘played’ there. He was with ‘The Beatmasters’ (a dance music band who enjoyed a few late 1980’s hits) on a bill that included Bros. He’d never told me that before though I can’t think why …

It’s a great venue now. The acoustics are good. The facilities first class and even refreshments are reasonably priced.

I have to admit I was surprised that Green Day could sell out a stadium, but with a history stretching back to 1987 and covering some nine albums (65 million sales, 4 Grammies!); they have patently garnered a huge following. I’d not really been exposed to their brand of anthemic post- punk rock other than the recent ‘American Idiot’ album, but following the show I invested in their back catalogue (available for pennies through Zoverstocks) and have been pleasantly surprised.

Maybe I was influenced by singer Billie Joe Armstrong’s crowd-pleasing claim that ‘London is the World’s GREATEST rock n roll city’, (agreed!) and that British rock crowds ‘really get it’.

The problem when you are not familiar with any band’s material, especially when, like Green Day, much of it is formulaic, is that tracks do run into each other. Similarities submerge subtleties. Chopping chords and pounding beat hide melodies.

I couldn’t tell you what they played, I’m afraid, but with the average song running at about 3 minutes and a near 2-hour show, they must have played most of their canon. From the air punching, lip-syncing, shoulder-dipping, pogo-ing and general screams of the crowd, the boys done well as far as the true fans were concerned. If I had one major criticism it’d be that Armstrong overdid the obligatory ‘get-the-crowd-to-sing-alone’ routine. He was good though at bridging the potential stadium gap between fan and act by dragging folk onto the stage at regular intervals.

Graham left well before the end, excusing himself on the grounds that they were ‘not musical enough for me’. I lasted the pace as much because I enjoyed the crown watching as the pyrotechnics of the stage show. It was good to watch a powerful, crowd-pleasing, fluid and professional act at the top of their game. Maybe the England footie team should have been in attendance and learned something …

2010-06-14T22:11:00.000-07:00

Book Review

'Liddypool' by Dave Bedford (pub. Dalton Watson Fine Books)

There are as many guide books of Liverpool's Beatle heritage as there are Beatle songs. More. The challenge facing anyone wanting to enter this competitive market is how to make theirs stand out from the crowd. On page 25 Bedford asks 'Do you need another Beatles book?' and advises that 'if you can answer the following 10 questions, 'you probably don't need this book'. I could, but I am still pleased I have it.

Really you can only really justify owning yet another Beatle history if it a) adds new information, b) presents new photographs, c) offers a new context for understanding the rise and rise of the Fab Four, or d) presents the material in a better fashion than existing books. I'm not sure that this book expands hugely on what already exists on the information and photographic front (even with over 800 shots) but it is certainly comprehensive and extremely well-presented. Bedford is a Liverpool boy and he justifies his claim that you need to know Liverpool the city if you want to know the band. On this level the book really works.

A particular strength lies in the layout. The history of the band, and the important individuals surrounding it, are rehearsed by topic or personality, making it an easy book to dip into. This comprehensive section covers some 225 well-illustrated pages. The second half of the book suggests 20 separate walking or driving tours a fan can follow, with maps, photos and information 'nuggets'.

The product lives up to the publisher's claim to produce 'fine books'. Glossy, 11" x11" in size and heavy enough to crack a coffee table top! And therein lies a criticism; this is not a book you could actually take with you on a walk. What it is though is the best one to date for the 'virtual tourist' who's unlikely to get to Liverpool. For the Beatle fan who has 'been there, done that' you could do as I've done; cleared the shelves of existing guides and replaced with this. I don't need any others.

2010-06-10T23:20:00.000-07:00

Paul Weller blows us away

It always intrigues me how certain bands or individuals can be huge in Europe, Australia and even Brazil, yet never reach the same heights of fame and fortune in the USA or Canada. Paul Weller is a classic example. On today’s tour, I mention I attended his gig at the Royal Albert Hall last night and am met with blank stares from the North Americans on board. There’s no rhyme or reason for this strange state of affairs but from the evidence of his concert last night you Yanks are missing out on one of the greats.

I put Weller’s continuing success here down to the incredible variety of his music, his ability to write the sort of songs that make up life’s soundtrack, his energy-filled live delivery and his remarkably unpretentious manner.

Over a two-hour plus show ‘the Modfather’, as he is referred to here, delivered a powerful and varied set to a rapturous and noisy audience. Although you could argue that it’s all connected by classic ‘mod’ influences (ska, soul, rock) his musical cannon can’t be easily pigeon-holed. A Weller show gets its continuity from the man himself, not a particular style of music. He split his performance into easily-digestible, crowd-pleasing sections covering the dance-inducing Style Council years, the ‘up an at ‘em’ punk favourites of The Jam, the reflective man-with-guitar solo balladry of recent times,all topped off with some great driving rock. What is apparent from audience reaction is that he’s carried his many fans through each of his musical periods.

Bowie is often touted as the great musical chameleon but Weller is surely his match.

He’s also a ‘regular bloke’. He might be considered to be stylishly mod (and it’s along time since I’ve been in an audience of so many look-alikes! Weller could probably make as much by patenting his hair style as selling his music … ) but on stage his dress is a muted v-necked T shirt and ‘ordinary’ trousers. There’s no flash, no ‘dressing to impress’. It’s the same with his delivery. He gets the job done. Any rock poses struck are authentic not contrived, growing out of the demands of the song, not added as a visual appendage. He commands the stage although never being Pima donnish.

All-in-all, a great gig. I’d advise those who aren’t familiar with the man’s music to invest in a few downloads (any suggestions from followers?). I’m envious; you’ve an exciting musical find ahead.

2010-05-25T10:31:00.000-07:00

Accessing All Areas!!

I have this real ‘thing’ about rock’n’roll heritage being dismissed as frivolous or unimportant, and landmark buildings being lost or anniversary dates being ignored. Great to see, therefore, that at least a couple of this year’s anniversaries are being commemorated properly.

Visitors to our own website will know that we are commemorating the 40th anniversary of Hendrix’s death in London with a weekend of events (September 17th to 19th inclusive). We’re particularly thrilled that the Handel House Museum are hosting an exhibition of the great rocker’s life and times (and will include some really cool memorabilia).

Hendrix fans are not normally catered for at this central London site, other than to be able to gaze in speculative awe at the official ‘blue plaque’ mounted on the outside wall. It’s actually the only truly official plaque for any rock musician in London. Not even Lennon apparently deserves such recognition.

Hendrix’s comparatively small abode usually houses the Handel House management office so we’re to be grateful that they are putting up with the inconvenience of moving out for a few months.

Needless to say, we’ll be including a visit on our weekend.

Another notable event is taking place ‘oop north’. The 30th anniversary of the death of Ian Curtis, lead singer with the near legendary Joy Division (forerunners of New Order, as most fans will know), is being commemorated in Macclesfield. This Cheshire town, approximately 170 miles north of London, will be the venue for the ‘Unknown Pleasure’ festival.

Commencing from July 29th in the 1813 Sunday School Heritage Centre, the festival features an exhibition of the band’s memorabilia, original artwork, set lists and some of Curtis’s personal letters. There’s also a walking tour map of the town available and a series of musical events.

The idea and organization has been led by Joy Division’s drummer, Stephen Morris (also of New Order) and rock writer Jon Savage. And well done to both.

The only downside to these two events is that they are both commemorating the deaths of two superb musicians who would no doubt have continued to make all of our lives that more pleasurable had they lived longer.

London Sixties Week

2010-05-20T10:42:00.000-07:00

'London Sixties Week' is begining to take shape. The brain-child of Chris Paydell, this week long July festival aims to provide an umbrella under which a whole host of events will take place celebrating the golden decade.

Kicking the week off will be a 'twistathon' and an attempt at creating the world record for the number of people dancing the twist at the same time! The main event will be held in that epicentre of 60's cool, Carnaby Street. Be there or be square, is what I say!

Check out other events and happening on http://london60sweek.co.uk/about.html

Sightings!

2010-05-20T10:33:00.000-07:00

It's always a kick getting a celebrity sighting on a tour, and while it's a fairly regular occurance (recent sightings include Jamiroquai, Chris Martin and a Sex Pistol), it's not often you get two Stones in a day!

Well, that's what happened today. Firstly, Charlie Watts is seen exiting a house in Chelsea, then almost before the excitment has died down and the cameras put back in their cases, up pops Ronnie Wood at the 'Sticky Fingers' restaurant! Cue for much more excitment and some more photos ...

As ever, however, privacy is important and we oggle from afar and are content with soem longer range photos. Having said that, Brian May kindly posed with a couple of one of our groups when bumping into him last year. A gentleman of the first order.

2010-04-19T09:43:00.000-07:00

Paul Rodgers goes home to Middleborough

It's really heart-warming when a 'star' remembers their roots, and what's more, plays homage to them. Last Saturday night, the great Paul Rodgers (in case you need reminding; Free, Bad Company, The Firm, The Law, most recently, Queen) turned out to do a guest spot at the very humble Marton Hotel, Middlesborough, in honour of John McCoy and the 50 years he's been promoting rock'n'roll on Teeside, England.

John McCoy is himself one of rock's legends (albeit somewhat unsung). He was a stalwart of the Ealing Blues Club, Flamingo and Marquee thru the '60s. He was the man who stepped down at the Cromwellian Club to allow North-Eastern mate, Chas Chandler, to launch a certain Jimi Hendrix on an unexpecting London. He was the man behind the famed Middlebrough 'Kirk Club' which, amongst many others, gave the Stones their first out-of-London gig. And he was the man who helped dozens of musicians find a home on Chris Blakwell's Island label. That's where Rodgers comes in and why he's doing this gig. Local boy makes good, and comes back to thank those who made it possible.

Repaying his acknowledged debt to the 'Kirk', and celebrating his recently awarded honorary Doctorate of Letters (Teesdide University), Rodgers took to what could just about be called 'the stage' to treat an adoring and select Middlesborough in-the-know crowd to a selection of half-a-dozen blues standards and, sending the crowd into orbit, 'The Hunter' and 'All Right Now'.

It must have all seemed a bit incongrous to Mr.Rodgers. I mean his last gig was at Wembley; last night of the Bad Company reunion tour. In front of 12,500 people. And here, in the Marton Hall function room, I'll bet there's no more than 400. At Wembley he was with fellow-heavyweights Mick Ralphs and Simon Kirke. At the Marton Hotel and Country Club he's in front of a scratch band of local musicians(complemented admirably though by 'Nottinghillbilly' Stephen Phillips). Paul didn't look too happy with the man on the skins at times, but the rest of the band did him proud. They'll be boring the grandkids for years with tales of their night!

The incongruity doesn't stop there; in the room next door, young local hairdressing students are oblivious to his presence and are concentrating on preparing for a Sunday morning, hair-styling competition. Pity Paul doesn't still have that mane he could once shake with such style. The hairdressers would have crimped for free, I'm sure, even if they didn't know how famous the head was.

Age might have seen an inevitable thinning of the hair, but it cannot wither the voice. Man, he was friggin' good! 'It's great to be back at the 'boro', he announced before launching into a short but satisfying set that had the Teesiders baying for an encore. That wasn't to be, despite the demands. Momentarily, I thought he'd got the locals wound up a tad too much. A riot looked on the cards if he didn't return! It took all John McCoy's 50 years of experience to cool the crowd (though I have to say that any crowd who will queue, uncomplaining for 30 minutes at a time, to get a beer probably aren't rioting material).

Crammed in between the night's house band and Rodgers, the angelic-voiced Claire Hammill tried to deliver a few acoustic numbers. She did her best but couldn't really compete against the noise an excited, beer-swilling, North-Eastern blues crowd makes. Shame. Claire was another of John McCoy's 'Island' protogees who illuminated the London scene briefly but memorably during the 70s.

I have to thank fellow London Rock Tour guide Ian 'Lucky' Luck for insiding me on this one, especially since he made sure I arrived in time to make the pre-show, warm-up, 'Paul meets his band' session. Remarkable experience watching a great pro preparing the local semi-pros for one of the biggest nights of their lives. He treated them as equals, with not a second of 'prima-donna' to be seen. Jeez, Paul even stayed the night at the Marton!

Great night all round, though. Whey aye. I wonder who won the hairdressing competion...

2010-03-07T03:30:00.000-08:00

To Go or not to Go?

Ah, decisions, decisions.

Macca's lad, James, is turning out for a rare public perfomance, with band, on Wednesday at the 100 Club, Oxford Street. I've caught him before and he's worth a listen. What's the betting a proud father is in the audience?

The problem is that Manchester United taken on Milan in the second leg of the Champions League round on the same night. As 3-2 victors in the earlier meeting we should go through but with Rooney probaly out it might be a nail-biter...

Watch this space!

2010-03-07T02:25:00.000-08:00

John Cale plays Paris 1919

Marketing men hit on a great ploy when they decided to reawaken the moribund careers of legendary artists by promoting '40-year anniversary' reunions, or cleverer still, one-off performances of complete albums. The Zombies did it a couple of years back to fantastic effect with 'Odyssey and Oracle', their near legendary Sixties 'lost album' which became a hit after their break-up and which was therefore never performed live at the time.

It doesn't actually need to be an anniversary now: the reformed band just picks an album and markets a tour around the promise of playing it in its entirety. The idea, I suppose, is that it becomes an 'event' and we'll all be more prepared to buy a ticket than if it was simply going to a regular performance of 'greatest hits and other favourite medleys'. Latest, in what has become a rather long-line of performers milking the idea, is John Cale: Welsh-wizard and alumni of the Velvet Underground. Cale, along with the Heritage Orchestra and three-piece band rolled out the 1973 released Paris 1919 at the Royal Festival Hall on Friday last.

Why Cale should have picked to perform Paris 1919 as his oeuvre somewhat defeats me. Probably it was his best seller. It wasn't his strongest single album by any means though. In fact, if truth be told, none of Cale's albums could be called classics. He's a man, if there is one, who benefits more from a greatest hits collection. I met a US serviceman at the Lakenheath base on Saturday who admitted that he'd never been as bored as when at a Cale solo gig a few years back. I have to listen on vinyl rather than CD as at least you have to rise from the torpor to turn the thing over and make a concrete decision to hear it through completely.

The RFH was packed anyway so the marketing worked. Interestingly, the crowd was multi-generational. Normally at these reunions or replay gigs what you get is grey-haired nostalgia seekers with a smattering of curious off-spring wanting to see what 'dad' was into. I went to see Stackridge at the 100 Club just before Christmas and that was like re-living an early 70's Friday night at the Student Union; the only difference was the price of a beer and the folically-challenged nature of the audience.

Cale opened with track one: 'Child's Christmas in Wales'. Though the title is evocative of Dylan Thomas the words aren't, unless general obtuseness counts. He likes Thomas though. Later he'll do a great version of 'Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night' and on other occasions I've heard him sing the Rev. Eli Jenkins’s Prayer from 'Under Milk Wood'.

He follows the tracking order of the album faithfully, and pretty much the original arrangements. There are some flat tracks on the LP and so there are some flat moments tonight but the faithful (and that definitely describes the audience)whoop, holla and clap with deference and even enthusiasm. The title track sticks out as does Macbeth. Half Past France actually works much better live than on the original. Antarctic Starts Here is as anti-climatic a finish live as it is on the original vinyl.

Being only a about 40 minutes long, Cale is bound to comes back on after a short break and give us a second half of 'hits'. The set lifts off. He plays his pre-punk take on Elvis' 'Heartbreak Hotel', belts out Thomas's. 'Do Not Go Gentle', and tips his hat to material he did with Nico amongst other old 'favs'.

Unlike most Welshmen he's not too garrulous on stage. It would have added to the experience if he'd reached out a bit and communicated.

Worth going to? Yes, on balance. He is an inventive and iconic performer and rock 'n' roll would have been so much poorer without Cale's input, especially his early work. He's worth seeing if only for that. A bonus was that the ticket price was under £30. Not bad at all in market where you're often having to pay twice that to see the more fashionable bands. I don't think the US serviceman would have been bored with this one, even if you didn't come out with that elated feeling you get when really uplifted by hear a favourite 'oldie' re-performed.

I once had dinner with Cale. It was in Tel Aviv of all places. The British Council had brought him out as part of their cultural mission and he was to play a small auditorium in the city. The Council was short-staffed that week. I was there doing a consultancy project for them. They needed someone to host their guest at dinner on his first night in town; would I 'help out and take him out?' Under duress (ho ho!) I agreed and spent a most convivial evening with the great man. We talked about the Land of our Fathers; though ashamedly I couldn't talk with him in our national language (Cale didn't speak English until he was 7). Fantastic stories about his early life, the madness of trying to produce Happy Mondays and his life in the US. I suspect I heard more than I would have done if he'd felt I was interviewing him rather than chewing the 'vegetarian' fat.

If I'd had an opportunity to chat on this occasion I 'd have asked him when he was going to play 'Slow Dazzle' in its entirety, Now that was a much stronger LP than Paris 1919 and one I can play on CD ...

2010-02-26T01:35:00.000-08:00

Saving Abbey Road Studios

Thankfully, it looks as if the recent decision to give Abbey Road a 'Grade 2 Listed' status means that the threat to the building from redevelopment has been lifted - at least temporarily.

However it still leaves us with the wider debate on how we protect and preserve our other rock-related heritage.

It is the so-called 'establishment' who determine the tourism and cultural policy of this country, as much as individual companies like EMI, owners of Abbey Road, who do not apparently realise the importance of rock'n'roll to this country's economy. At a time when every other British industry seems to be in long-term decline our music heritage should be protected and not sold off for probable property redevelopment.

Abbey Road Studio is just one iconic site that is either under threat or has already been lost. Westminster councillors were seriously debating whether to move the crossing! Elsewhere in the city, we have lost the Astoria, and Marquee, famous record company offices and studios such as Polydor and De Lane, John and Yoko's flat at Emperor's Gate and the birthplace of Pink Floyd in Nottinghill Gate. And not to mention the scores of clubs and boutiques around Chelsea and Soho. In Ealing, the site of the Ealing Blues Club lies abandoned and drinkers in Edwards, Richmond, would not have a clue that they were sitting in the original Crawdaddy, where the Rolling Stones gave their first performances. Lennon, it seems, does not even deserve a blue plaque.

When it comes to a choice between 'high' and 'low' culture, it is the former that wins. London's Handel House Museum, for example, has no plans to commemorate the 40th anniversary of Jimi Hendix's death later this year even though the property was once owned amd lived in by the near legendary guitarist.

In Manchester, probably the UK's greatest rock city, a block of flats stands where the famed Hacienda once gave birth to 'Madchester'. The tourism department resolutely ignores protecting or promoting sites connected with bands that include from Herman's Hermits, The Hollies, Bee Gees, The Smiths and Oasis.

Yet, the tourists arrive in droves seeking out the landmarks. We carried over 4500 customers, from 55 different countries (including Outer Mongolia!) on our Legends of Rock London tour.

It is the same throughout the country. Rock'n'roll is here to stay. For many tourists coming here it is a case of 'Never Mind The Palaces! We want a rock tour'! Preserving our popular music culture will pay as many dividends in years to come as castles, gardens and palaces pay now.

Rock Anniversaries 2010

2009-12-05T09:29:00.000-08:00

C’mon everybody! Ain’t no cure for the Summertime blues!

It’s fifty years since the death of Eddie Cochrane, a man who inspired an early generation of rock’n’rollers with his magnificent calls to rock action!

It was on the road to Bath, England, one April morning that his car hit a post. Did for poor Eddie and nearly for sweet Gene Vincent, co-traveller, too. His guitar carried on inspiring though; a young Dave Dee (of Dozy, Mick and Titch fame) was a local policeman and he reputedly learned to play the guitar while it was impounded as evidence at the police station.

Forty years ago, yes forty years incredible though it seems, Jimi Hendrix shuffled off this mortal coil in an apartment in Notting Hill Gate. On a lighter note, the first Glastonbury Festival was held (albeit under a different ‘brand name’). Probably with slightly fewer punters than the 200,000 plus it attracts now.

Thirty years ago we lost Jon Bonham and thus effectively Led Zep, Bron Scott but not, thank God, ASC/DC and Ian Curtis but at least Joy Division morphed into New Order. It was the same year Pink Floyd built 'The Wal'l over six nights at Earls Court.

And then it was twenty-five years ago that rock really went global with Live Aid from Wembley and Philly, and Phil Collins memorably played at both! And he was back at Live 8. Poor Phil, now with a neck problem that means he will probably never play drums again.

Jeezus, it goes fast don’t it? But the music sounds as fresh. And it’s lasting. Rock ‘n’ Roll surely is here to stay. These anniversaries are important if only because they show how rock continues to provide the soundtrack to our lives.

The biggest anniversary though has to be the fact that it is forty years since the Beatles officially broke up. Forty bloody years! Impossible! And yet here we are still moved enough to buy shed-loads of their product for the ‘n’th time, expensive though it undoubtedly is, because it is still so fresh and frankly, unbeatable at any price.

Anyone disagree?

Is it a Gene Thing?

2009-12-05T08:35:00.000-08:00

I had the good fortune to attend the launch of the new ‘gallery’ added to the Beatles Story attraction in Liverpool recently. It’s a completely new exhibition housed in a stunning Mersey Ferry terminal building and features materials lent by Julian and Cynthia Lennon, who opened the gallery. It’s focused on their lives and relationship with John. While there I met Zoe Street Howe, a rock journalist and author (Typical Girls - The Story of the Slits). Zoe is researching her next book which is to explore rock’s ‘second generation’, i.e. musical off-spring like, indeed, Julian Lennon. Rather interestingly, she was with Dylan Howe, son to Yes’s Steve Howe.

Coincidently, I went to see Zappa Plays Zappa at Shepherds Bush O2 and it got me to thinking about musical scion and relationships between the generations. What’s it like living in the shadow of a famed one? I wonder if it’s a help or hindrance having a famous mom or pop in the biz? Do the kids get pushed into following in their elders footsteps (as so oft happens with other jobs)? Is musical talent in the genes, coming out what may or are rock’s annuls littered with those ‘wanna be like my dear old dad’ but just couldn’t make it? And then there’s the whole parent/child relationship thing and possible associated complexes. Julian Lennon’s relationship with his father has obviously been something of a journey from love to hate and back to love again. Abandoned, neglected, rejected. Bit difficult not ‘to make it bad, Jude’. Did it suppress or spark musical aspirations? I wonder did Julian feel forced into music or whether he actually feared following the genius that was John and might have been happier sooner had he been an architect, doctor, bus driver or something. The new exhibition offers some hints.

Dweezil Zappa is making a great job preserving his old man’s legacy. He admitted that watching his father at work was the inspiration for his being on stage. Being a FZ fan from way back (first concert 1972), I went in trepidation; please, oh please, don’t let this be some ‘tribute’ band. It wasn’t. It was definitely the Zappa gene at work. Dweezil plays like the old devil, has surrounded himself with ace musicians and allows them space to perform (http://www.zappaplayszappa.com/players.html). What’s more, he put on the length of show that always made a Zappa concert such astounding value and developed a Zappaesque rapport with a crowd sent literally ecstatic. And a lovely finale too; members of the audience were invited on stage, including a 12-year old kid there with his dad. Dweezil hangs his guitar from the neck of said kid and plays ‘Willie the Pimp’ over the kid’s shoulder like the kid himself was the gunslinger. If that doesn’t turn one 12-year old into a life long Zap fan then I’m only in it for the money! But I also wonder if the kid was initially forced into going by a pushy pop and could just as well have rejected the whole rock trip for the future?

But again, interesting question; how does Dweezil feel about aligning himself to his dad’s star when he has proven so capable of forging his own path? Has the shadow of the great man been too dark to come from under, or is it simply the nicest honour that a son could give his dad – preserving his memory before a tribute band ruins it?

Then there’s the practical aspects of being raised on rock ‘n’ roll. I remember reading once about Jerry Garcia’s daughter tripping at the age of 2 or some such age, having scoffed some magic mushrooms that had carelessly (we have to assume carelessly!) been left around. No rock ‘n’ roll suicide for her; she’s painter now. Imagine the mind-bending that went with the terrain being Ozzy Osbourn’s kids. I’m not sure that without their ‘leg up’ in the music biz they have the musical gene to lead them to their own fame and fortune.

Who else have we got to speculate on? There’s no ‘Son of the Stones’ is there? Other Beatle off-spring, Zac, Dani, Sean… Paul’s kids the only ones to take non-musical routes (or has one of them tried other than the family recording ‘When I’m 64’ for Macca’s eponymous birthday?). There’s Sting’s daughter and Dave Gilmour’s son both trying to make it and appearing fairly recently at the Troubadour (London’s last unspoilt beatnik haunt), and back to Steve Howe’s son Dylan who plays with the Blockheads and Wilco Johnson (two very respected combos). Steve has volunteered to be interviewed for the rock news section of this website. Look out for it in a future issue and maybe there will be some illumination into these vexing issues…

Finally, a few rock dad-related trivia questions for anyone who enjoys such:
1 Julian Lennon played and recorded on just one track with his dad. What was it and on which album?
2 What song did Steve Howe reputedly write for his new born?
3 Which musical star murdered his father?

Rock on!