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Norman shakes it up
Your chance to see an interview from the Louder Than Words book festival where Norman was being asked about Sixties fashion and the behaviour of fellow journalists.
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Adrian Kerridge RIP – from Joe Meek to the DC5
Adrian Kerridge is possibly not a name you are familiar with and in keeping with the RockHistory objective we have worked here to shine a light on his many achievements. Starting as a general studio dog’s body in the mid 1950s he spent many hours working with a young Joe Meek travelling around the country…
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Joe Meek’s Triumph Record label
“Records with teenage appeal… …Records made for the Hit Parade” By far the most collectable label of its era, TRIUMPH RECORDS was in existence for less than a year – effectively, between February and November 1960 – during which they registered one major top 10 hit, a couple of more modest chart riders, and issued…
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The tape is rolling
Another good interview in the can this time with Phill Brown who started as a Tape Op at Olympic Studios learning to record the extraordinary bands that passed through those fabled walls before moving, via Canada, to the new Island Records studio in Basing Street where he made his mark and then beyond to the world of…
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Vic Flick joins the JB7
The JB7 is short for the John Barry Seven and in the Sixties they were an all important route to fame and fortune. Originally John Barry was the music master for both Oh Boy! and the Six-Five Special and was Mr Fixit in the centre of all the London session business as well as having…
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New book looms
Yup I am back hard on the editing scene again working on a follow up to ‘Over Under Sideways Down’ with a whole new set of stories and secrets for you. There are some gems in there again, quite a few stories about Queen especially in the early days when they were trying to break…
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Jive time and so much more
This is Steve Jenkins with his book detailing the story of his life in the music business, out of Walsall he worked in the business at NEMS, Chrysalis, MCA and Mountain before finding his niche in the Seventies world of radio and shop promotion. Then moving on the become MD of Jive Records who became…
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Don’t Knock Upon My Door – Six Dozen Great British ‘B’ Sides
When I first became interested in Pop music, back in the late 50s, my pocket money wouldn’t stretch to records so I had to try and blag what I could from sundry uncles, aunts and cousins. The trouble was, their unwanted oldies were invariably either cracked old Embassy 78s or ancient, pre-R&R crooners/dancebands/novelty items, so my embryonic…
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The Axemen Cometh – The Genesis Of The Great British Guitar Hero
By the late 60s the British Guitar Hero was in the ascendency, and blokes like Jimmy Page, Ritchie Blackmore, Eric Clapton, Peter Green and Alvin Lee were being deified. Rock Music was growing progressively louder, hair was flowing, trousers were tightening, and guitar solos were getting longer, flashier, more intricate and increasingly self-indulgent. The Axe…
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The Mic Man is listening
It was a trip to Abbey Road Studios today as it is now known – once it was just EMI Studios and before that it was HMV Studios, I blame those Beatle chappies for the joys of trying to get across the road on ‘that’ crossing without being run over by frustrated drivers trying…
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Sixties bass player – just busy doing gigs
Managed to catch up with Richard Brown (aka Rick Fenson) yesterday who had played bass with Cyril Davies many moons ago. Over the years he played bass with The Savages, Brian Auger, Marty Wilde, Steampacket, Georgie Fame, Long John Baldry and he even turns up in Keith Richard’s book as the early Stones kept getting gigs…
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Karl Dallas RIP
I am sorry to report that Karl has died. A Melody Maker journalist with a strong interest in Folk music, his personal tastes actually veered all over the place. My wife worked for his for a period and we very much enjoyed his company and his views. I had seen him again recently as he…