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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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from Sounds journalist to managing those groups
Had a most enjoyable catch up today with one-time Sounds journalist John Ingham who championed the Sex Pistols right from the start and so is a prime candidate for our forthcoming book and documentary. Well it has been more than a few years since we met and the memories were being royally fired up on…
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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…
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Gloria Bristow found that music publishing was quite fixed
There was a era when music publishing was a cosy cartel and of course many of the deals that were made in the Sixties still apply today. Gloria became an exponent of fairer deals for the musicians.
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Nick Simper changed from Flowerpot Man to a Deeper Purple
Nick Simper changed his music after seeing Vanilla Fudge playing in a heavier style joining Jon Lord who was depping with the Flowerpot Men having left The Artwoods. Former Lord Sutch colleague Ritchie Blackmore joining them on guitar and the roots of Deep Purple were planted firmly in the ground
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Richard Ames got one over that Noddy Holder
The games that were played by groups on the road to keep themselves amused through the boredom of touring in the Seventies – or then again just the fun of playing pranks on fellow musicians.