First published January 2008
Peter Perrett In The One
The recent re-release of The One’s only CD on Edsel provides a timely opportunity to consider What Peter Did in the twenty-six year hiatus between his twin spells at the helm of the Only Ones. Originally released by Demon in 1996 I remember reviewing the original eleven track collection as “OK but…” and then promptly filing and forgetting. I felt that the sound achieved by producer Marc Waterman failed to reflect the bands live excellence and offered little progress over the thin and unsympathetic mix of the preceding Cultured Palate EP.
I don’t know what’s happened in the last eleven years but I wish for my original judgement to be rescinded. Maybe the CD has been remastered, maybe my brain has been remastered but This Is A Very Good Record and I now think that Waterman has done a fine job in framing Peter Perrett’s sometimes wayward vocals and highlighting his songwriting strength. Certain tracks – Nothing Worth Doing, Falling, The Shame Of Being You and Shivers – are first rate, and there is merit in virtually everything here except possibly Land Of The Free and I’m Not Like Everybody Else. The latter is a great choice but thrown away as a thrash (it could stand as Peter Perrett’s theme tune). In general it is the uptempo tracks which fare better, promoting the bands strengths – a robust rhythm section, sympathetic and understated keyboards and effective lead guitar from Jay Price, most noticeable on the feedback solo in Shivers. Clearly Perrett is only happy working with lead guitarists whose initials are JP! Jay doesn’t match his predecessor John Perry here, but JP1 is a hard act to follow. A Perrett and Perry demo exists of Shame of Being You which permits a direct comparison – Price is tasteful but Perry is the more fluid.
Edsel have sensibly added the three extra tracks from the Woke Up Sticky EP, of which Transfixed and Dead Love Syndrome are worthy additions. Informative sleevenotes from Demon Press Officer Alan Robinson mean this is a worthy addition to the Perrett canon. I for one would be happy to see some of these songs playing a part in the Only Ones forthcoming live dates – we shall see…
First published December 2007
The Who
To celebrate the launch of the new Who fanclub those nice people at http://www.thewho.com have launched a beautifully judged retrospective of the band live from 1969 – 1976. Membership of their fan club costs $50 but you get this free of charge which makes this 2CD set a Bargain (The Best I Ever Had)
Lovely packaging – matt black slipcases with a leaping be-Union Jacked Pete Townshend and a full colour booklet with lots of rare pics from the gigs contained herein, even including Bob Pridden Who soundsman-deluxe and unlikely laser expert.
Straight out of the blocks is The Grande Ballroom, Detroit, October 1969 and a ferocious ‘Fortune Teller’ that eclipses the rather restrained ‘Live at Leeds’ version. Then three tracks from Hull, the night after Leeds. Who-lore had it that Hull was not used because the bass did not record, but Entwhistle is very noticeable here. ‘Magic Bus’ from Denver in June 1970 which at 13.50 rather overstays it’s welcome. However the final six tracks on CD1 come from the legendary San Francisco December 1971 dates and they smoke. ‘Bargain’ is terrific, ‘My Wife’ has a ponderous power and the harmonies on ‘Behind Blue Eyes’ are lovely. All tracks in luscious sound thanks to having access to the original masters and having Jon Astley do the mastering.
CD2 doesn’t quite hit the same heights but has its moments. Very welcome are a ‘Punk And The Godfather’ and a ‘5.15’ recorded for the King Biscuit Flour Hour at Maryland in December 1973 but never broadcast (and therefore omitted from the seminal ‘Tales From The Who’ bootleg). Great to have them as additions to that set, complete with lengthy Daltrey introductions. Next are extracts from Charlton 1974, the familiarity of ‘Tattoo’ being balanced by a growly ‘Boris The Spider’ that had evaded the bootleggers. The final eight tracks on CD2 are from Swansea in September 1976 and are familiar from the widely-available Capital Radio broadcast, subsequently released as the ‘Put The Better Boot In’ bootleg. ‘See Me Feel Me’ provides an excellent end to over 2 hours of live Who at its best.
Messrs Pridden and Astley are to be congratulated for their choices. Not too obscure, not too easily available and all in pristine sound. Truly New Who To Do You Through and highly recommended.
First published December 2008
A great performance by a great band at a great venue.
This was a fan-club only gig, which meant that there was a preponderance of balding, middle-aged men and very few women (one of the key differences between the Who and the Stones is that whilst both are still touring the Stones attract a more mixed audience). However it also meant that the Who felt confident in taking chances with their set-list. At the beginning of gig Pete Townshend quipped that there would be a few Christmas surprises in The Who’s setlist and performances of ‘Tattoo’ and a blistering ‘Naked Eye’ did not disappoint. Even better was a wonderfully ramshackle version of the rarely-performed ‘Slip Kid’ with fans having to feed Daltrey the words, whilst Pete and his brother Simon gamely struggled with the music.
The set list:
Can’t Explain
The Seeker
Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere
Fragments
Who Are You
Behind Blue Eyes
Tattoo
Sister Disco
Baba O’Riley
Eminence Front
5:15
Love Reign O’er Me
Won’t Get Fooled Again
My Generation
Naked Eye
Slip Kid
Magic Bus
Pinball Wizard
Amazing Journey/Sparks
See Me, Feel Me
Listening to You
Tea & Theatre
From www.TheWho.com “The gig got off to an interesting start when a few bars into the first number, Pete stopped the show and said he was having problems with his ears. The band went offstage and there were a few anxious minutes before they returned. Pete said his ear had just got blocked because he was suffering from a cold. But after the show, keyboard player John ‘Rabbit’ Bundrick told the editor of thewho.com that something strange happened to the sound and all members of the band experienced a disorienting sound that went literally in one ear and out the other. Be that as it may and, despite various minor sound problems, the band gave an extraordinary performance of a setlist which has been given rave reviews on the forums of thewho.com.”
Indigo is a superb venue. Part of the 02 complex it has ample room for around 900 standing downstairs. A gently sloping floor means great sightlines throughout the club. A loud clear sound and lengthy, well-personned bars mean that the whole gig experience is a joy. Which is more than can be said for the Jubilee Line, closed for an hour when some idiot ran along the track. Notwithstanding, a high note on which to close the year.
First published November 2007
Just back from a screening of the new Who documentary ‘Amazing Journey’ followed by a Q&A chaired by Jeremy Clarkson (yes, really). Even if (like me) you think ‘The Kids Are Alright” is one of the top 3 pop movies you still need to see this film. Why ? It continues past Moons death up to the present day. It illuminates the relationships between Townshend, Daltrey, Entwhistle and Moon in a way that TKAA did not. And most importantly it has some great previously unseen footage. The absolute jewel is The High Numbers doing ‘I Gotta Dance To Keep From Crying’ at the Station Hotel, Harrow in 1964, followed by a brief snatch of ‘CC Rider’ both in superb quality. Daltrey is punk-hard in shades, Moon is all floppy and puppy-eyed, Entwhistle stoic and Townshend completely wired.
During the Q&A Daltrey claimed that the footage had been shot by Kit Lambert and Chris Stamp and recovered from a skip following an office move. The whole film is worth it for this three minutes alone. Dedicated Who fans will have seen some of the other footage – Monterey, Woodstock, Isle of Wight, Coliseum – but there’s lots that’s new here. My only reservation is that very few songs get played in full, which I find frustrating.
More info at http://www.thewhomovie.com
First published May 2009
Ramon Chao
Most people (me included) will pick up this book for the music content – the subtitle ‘Mano Negra in Colombia’ offers the intriguing prospect of the politicised and highly outspoken Manu Chao leading his band Manu Negra through Colombia in the 90’s, a volatile and dangerous undertaking. However there is surprisingly little music in the book, not least because Manu Negra break up half-way through. But that doesn’t matter because everything else about this book is fascinating. Ramon Chao (Manu’s father) offers a warts-and-all chronicle of a totally-bonkers enterprise where a reconstructed old passenger train painted in yellow butterflies travelled over a barely-used railway network bringing free shows containing music, circus, tattoos and a fire-breathing giant iron dragon to Colombian towns who have never seen anything like it.
The train starts with over one hundred musicians, acrobats and artists on board – by the end, six weeks later, over half have jumped ship. Those who are left are poorer, thinner and conscious of having played their part in a great romantic adventure. Ramon notes wryly that the show – a highly volatile combination of temperamental humans, dodgy electricity and large blocks of ice – seems to run more smoothly when the arts administrators jump the train and their jobs are taken over by the engineers responsible for keeping the train going.
The only parallel I can think of is Festival Express, when in 1970 the Grateful Dead, The Band and Janis Joplin toured Canada by train. The resulting film (now on DVD) is worth a look, with the on-train jams more interesting than the concert performances. However that was a very insular affair with the musicians seeming to have little interest in what was happening outside their closed environment. Ramon’s book is the reverse, where the train and the world through which it passes is inextricably linked.
The real stars of this book are the Colombian people who flock to the show and leave heartbreaking comments every night in “The Office of Human Desires”. What comes through is the desparate desire for peace, and an end to the drug-related conflicts that claims the lives of so many ordinary citizens. Watching from the train Ramon is good at chronicling the changing landscape and makes much of Colombia sound well worth a visit. Manu Chao comes over as refreshingly modest for someone who has been described as a latin Joe Strummer. To see Mano Negra in action check out King Of The Bongo or Mala Vida on YouTube and be impressed by their mix of The Clash, ska, jazz, reggae and Latin music.
First published July 2009
The Soft Machine (Polydor 532 050-5)
Soft Machine Volume 2 (Polydor 532 050-6)
According to the NME Prog is apparently fashionable again. However when it comes to multi-song suites, lengthy instrumentals, absurd lyrics and ever-changing time signatures there was only one band that ever mattered. Ladies and gentlemen I give you the Soft Machine 1968 – 1969, the period covered in this brace of releases. The Softs secret weapon was their sense of humour and an inability to take themselves too seriously which makes them free from the pretention that marred so many other Proggers (honorary exceptions: selected Van der Graaf Generator and the Fripp/Whetton/Bruford line-up of King Crimson)
The band who made The Soft Machine stand comparison with Syd’s Floyd as UK psychedelic pioneers. Bass player Kevin Ayers had a pop sensibility of sorts, heard here in the proto-trance ‘We Did It Again’ and ‘Lullabye Letter’. ‘Why Are We Sleeping?’ was based on the writings of then-fashionable sage Gurdjieff but thanks to Robert Wyatt’s irrepressible drumming it never sags . Also featured is an Ayers underwater bass solo called ‘Joy Of A Toy’ which must be the least commercial single ever issued by Probe Records.
Volume 2 is a CD of two halves. Side One (as was) is ten melodic fragments collectively referred to as Rivmic Melodies, unified by Wyatt’s warm vocals. The alphabet is sung, forwards and backwards, the Jimi Hendrix Experience are thanked in song for recent touring escapades and even a few bars of ‘My Favourite Things’ surface in the musical minestrone. Side Two starts well with a tribute to the departed Ayers ( ‘As Long As He Lies Perfectly Still’) followed by ‘Dedicated To You But You Weren’t Listening’, written by his replacement Hugh Hopper’s. Unfortunately the remainder of this side ‘Esther’s Nose Job’ is dominated by Mike Ratledge’s organ, an indication of how the power-balance within the Softs was shifting. Wyatt lasted until Soft Machine Third in 1971 (check his side-long ‘Moon In June’) then bailed out and with him went my interest in the Softs.
Towering over both records is the very first Soft Machine single ‘Love Makes Sweet Music’ / ‘Feelin’ Reelin’ Squeelin’ recorded by the earliest line up of Soft Machine, released by Polydor in 1967 and one of the all-time great psychedelic singles. Perhaps it was the presence of original guitarist Daevid Allen or legendary producer Kim Fowley – either way these tracks are rare as hen’s teeth so well done Polydor for adding them to the Softs debut.
Polydor are to be commended for producing two fine-sounding remastered CD’s. The booklets both contain a good selection of period Phil Smee pics and posters. Strangely Mark Powell’s sleeve notes for the two booklets are near- identical, which is a bit lazy. And proper credits for the musicians involved would have been only right and proper.
Buy these discs and astonish a longhaired teenager near you with your total now-ness.
30th Anniversary Gig: Band On The wall, December 12th 2009
First published December 2009
The gig got off to a good start with a near empty train from Euston and a proof copy of Nick Kent’s excellent forthcoming autobiography ‘Apathy For The Devil’ – note Ian Hunter reference (I preferred the rejected ‘Dead Fop Walking’). Made it to Vinyl Exchange on Oldham Street ten minutes before they shut, just in time to score a copy of Lew Lewis’ Stiff single ‘Boogie On The Street’ – result!
The Band On The Wall has benefited from a reputed £5m refit – gone are the carpets so sodden with beer they inhibited forward movement, replaced by a welcoming ambience, a cosmopolitan selection of drinks and an excellent inhouse sound-system mixed most effectively by a nice chap called Andy.
Soundcheck ended 10 minutes before open doors at 7pm, just allowing me time to say hello to the band and put on my stage gear for the night (silver Kickers, J Geils re-union T shirt). Then onto the serious business of playing some vinyl – I assumed (rightly) that the Cheaters audience would mostly be of a similar vintage to the band and that they would know their music. This translated to quite a few shiny heads, but at least they were nodding to the tunes I played.
As Cozy Powell faded away (how come he could he nick the riff from 3rd Stone From The Sun without giving credit?) I had the great privilege of introducing the band: “For the first time in 30 years….”.
Expectations were high and the band did not disappoint. Stuart at the back, hitting the drums so damn loud. Dave stage right pulling bass rock-god poses (there was a foot on the monitor at one point). Coss stage left, goatee twinkling, lead guitar and harmonies both fully functioning. And the irrepressible Mick in the middle – neat, buttoned down and meaning business, moving easily between Telecaster, harmonicas, lead vocals and onstage banter, some of it his own.
The band played a selection of their Greatest Hit(s). Particularly impressive was how they hit a relaxed groove from the opening ‘Baby What You Want Me To Do?” – no faffing about from these pros. Mick managed the tongue-twisting vocals at the end of ‘Diplomat’ with aplomb. ‘Drugs’ was Stewarts opportunity to take his drumsticks for a walk. ‘21st Century’ had an updated lyric that puts Micks age at 56, a slight exaggeration but it rhymes. Encores were demanded and delivered, notably a nifty medley of ‘Rescue Me / Shoorah Shoorah’.
And the sold-out crowd went wild. Punters turned up from as far away as Australia, Sweden, Norway and Romiley. There was frenzied dancing,, sing-alongs, stage invasions and onstage flashing from at least two sexes.. The band sensibly kept the set concise and the song lengths down, eschewing Mick’s lengthy crowd excursions. The result was a set that brought wide grins to all and sundry.
The bar afterwards hosted conversations of the “I haven’t seen you for 30 years” ilk and the introduction of teenage sons and daughters. So a big hello to Patsy, Bren, Gabrielle, Victoria, Carole, Lindsey, Marie, Col, John, Yvonne, Nick, Pam, Gary and Lucy – it was lovely to see you all again.
There is a multi-track of the gig and it was filmed so documentary evidence of the gig may follow. But we have our memories…
Age shall not wither them. Cheaters – You Are Rock!
Playlist – Before….
So It Goes – Nick Lowe
Back In The USA – MC5
Me And My Uncle – Fortunate Sons
Rosalie – Thin Lizzy
Get Out Of Denver – Strokes
Waterfall – Stone Roses
Hippy Hippy Shake – Swinging Blue Jeans
(I Know I’m) Losing You – Rod Stewart and the Faces
Understanding – Primal Scream with PP Arnold
Where Did Our Love Go? J. Geils Band
Little Queenie – Flamin Groovies
Stop Messin’ Round – Fleetwood Mac
Let It Rock – Rolling Stones
Rosalyn – Pretty Things
Round and Round – David Bowie
It’s The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine) – REM
New York City Cops – Strokes
Hard Workin’ Man – Captain Beefheart and Jack Nitzsche
Let’s Work Together – Canned Heat
Roxette – Dr Feelgood
Train Kept A Rollin’ – Yardbirds
I Hear You Knockin’ – Dave Edmunds
Carol – Rolling Stones
(Ain’t Nothing But A House Party) – J Geils Band
Daddy Rolling Stone – The Who
Baby Please Don’t Go – Them
Scratch My Back – Fabulous Thunderbirds
Route 66 – Count Bishops
Dance With The Devil – Cozy Powell
Playlist – After
Layla (coda) – Derek and the Dominoes
First I Look At The Purse – J Geils Band
Roadhouse Blues – Doors
Run Rudolph Run – Keith Richards
I Fought The Law – Clash
They Called It Rock – Nick Lowe
Back In The USSR – Beatles
The End
First published July 2008
Compilation of the year already, no question. Lovingly compiled and lavishly documented by the killer team of Alec Palao and Kent Alexander this is a labour of love which delivers great music throughout its 48 tracks recorded from 1960 – 1977.
Now that most records appear to be recorded on mobile phones or games consoles it is wildly unfashionable to consider that the physical surroundings of a recording studio can influence the music made therein. However some studios (and the people who work in them) have the ability to confer a distinctive feel to the records that result. Examples here include Olympic (classic Britrock), Pathway (the early Stiffs), Rockfield (lovingly recreated retro) and even Basing Street (the Island records pink label extended family). And so it is with Ardent. Many of the best records released by Ardent have combined a rhythm section grounded in Memphis r & b with an Anglophile pop sensibility that informs melodies and harmonies. The best-known exponent of this approach is Big Star, who contribute some stunning outtakes and demos to this set, often preceded by studio chat and introductions edited from the more familiar versions released on the three Big Star studio LPs.
Pre-Big Star recordings from Alex Chilton and Chris Bell offer fascinating insights into how the first Big Star record could emerge so confident and fully formed. Particularly welcome are a batch of demos referred to as ‘the tightest, hottest music we’d ever done” by bass player Andy Hummell in Rob Janovic’s Big Star book. Certainly this version of ‘I Got Kinda Lost’ eclipses the solo version subsequently released by Chris Bell.
But there’s so much more here than Big Star. The Goatdancers feedback-drenched ‘Patches of Dust’ is very ‘Happenings…’ era Yardbirds whilst Icewater combine Badfinger with the Kinks to produce a heavy pop classic that no-one ever heard in ‘Think It’s Time To Say Goodbye’. Cargoe had a terrible name but a hook-saturated single in ‘Feel Alright’ which would have fitted right in with the Raspberies and Todd Rundgren had anyone heard it on release in 1972. The Scruffs pull a similar trick with their ‘My Mind’ from 1977, all stacked harmonies and massed accoustics.
Fittingly the final track on CD2 is Alex Chilton performing a solo version of ‘Don’t Worry Baby’ that is executed with typical offhand brilliance. So let us praise Ardent Records founders John Fry and John King and all who sail(ed) in her.
First published October 2009
Saturday Gigs was written to be the last song on a Mott The Hoople reunion gig. The entire Apollo joined in the final “goodbyes” and on the handclaps, both of which continued well after the band had left the stage – a genuinely affecting moment and not a dry eye in the house.
And of the preceding two hours? A perfect blend of Island-era fanpleasers and the CBS hits. Verdan Allens organ was prominent on the former, duetting beautifully with Ian Hunters piano on The Journey and illustrating mentor Guy Steven’s vision of a collision between Dylan and the Stones. Original guitarist Mick Ralphs delivered a stomping riff but hesitant vocals in Ready For Love. Pete Overend Watts rampaged around the stage sporting an ever grosser selection of bases but mainly sporting a pink Thunderbird. This culminated in his bringing out the vast chrome-plated Swallow which he propped against Allens organ for the encores, just so we could admire it. His Born Late 58, whilst a noble democratic gesture, was also the cue for a mass exodus to the bar. On drums and backing vocals tonight was fellow Hereford native Martin Chambers of the Pretenders who did a great job, stepping in for the now-frail Buffin.
And what of front-man Ian Hunter? In his element whether baiting the audience for requests (“We’re not going to play them, just wanted to hear what you were going to say”) or delivering peerless phrasing throughout Hymn For The Dudes and The Ballad of Mott. Accoustic versions of I Wish I Was Your Mother and Original Mixed Up Kid were dispatched in a slightly ramshackle way but with great gusto. The closing salvo of hits ended with Hunter at the piano, pounding through All The Way From Memphis and concluding the song and the set with a gruff “that’s your lot”. (Rock ‘n’ roll aside: tonight I discovered that my friend Kent Benjamin was actually present at the very Memphis gig that spawned the song).
And so to the encore when Buffin joined in on drums and the stately chorus of All The Young Dudes filled the Apollo. A slightly dodgy Roll Away The Stone with assorted Hoople offspring on sha la la push push duty and thence to Saturday Gigs, which was where we came in.
First published February 2010
I’ve Got My Own Album To Do (CD) Ron Wood
Live From Kilburn (DVD + CD) The First Barbarians
Both these releases were recorded in 1974 at a time when Ronnie Wood was noted for his music rather than his private life. IGMOATD is a cocktail comprising equal measures of the Faces and the Stones that tastes fresher than either parent band could manage at the time. A core group of Wood, Ian McLagan, Keith Richard, Andy Newmark and Willie Weeks is supplemented by guests including Mick Jagger and Rod Stewart. Crucially the arrangements are tight and the songwriting mostly excellent. The two Jagger/Richard co-writes ‘Sure The One You Need’ and ‘Act Together’ would have enlivened ‘It’s Only Rock’n’Roll’ whilst Woods’ ‘Cancel Everything’, ‘Take A Look At The Guy’ and (especially) opener ‘I Can Feel The Fire’ are of the same high standard. No remastering or out-takes and decked one star for not reproducng the original vinyl sleeve inner wherein Ronnie demonstrated his graphic skills.
The Original Barbarians release documents the July 14 gig at the Kilburn Gaumont where the IGMOTD crowd played most of the tracks from the album. The DVD lurches from black and white to colour and back again and is best regarded as a good quality bootleg. Although everyone is clearly well-refreshed the performances are sharp and to-the-point, with the highlight being the trio of numbers where Rod Stewart ponces on to add his vocals and undeniable stage-presence. The CD offers excellent sound and the additional track ‘I Can’t Stand The Rain’, subsequently recorded by Wood on his second, slightly dull solo album ‘Now Look’ (also re-released by Rhino).
Together this duo offers a masterclass in pre-punk Brit rock’n’roll. Slightly ramshackle but enormously likeable – you’ll wish were there.
Only Rock 'n' Roll 