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On The Road tales
There is a new mini E-book coming soon. This one will have tales of life on the road back in the day and the experiences of the musicians as well as the poor crew who saw the world from back stage or a a van which they slept in too. This one that did not…
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Haydn Bendall and the day it is all over
You spend a week, months or even years in the studio working on and recording an album with the artist – then one day it is all finished, mixed and delivered, the following day someone else moves into what has been your home. Then what?
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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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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…
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The EMI Records house snapper
Peter Vernon got to take an endless role in the Seventies and Eighties photographing the artists as they came through EMI’s doors. He would have them constantly added to his diary and his role was to take press and promotion shots as well as some for record covers, record backs, inners or just to have.…
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Jeff Jarratt was a new boy at Abbey Road
After starting work as a junior at Abbey Road, Jeff was asked to help with a new EMI signing called The Pink Floyd, so he went to see them at Regent Street Poly and absolutely loved them and especially their leading light Syd Barrett. Their first album was just his taste in the many years…