missing persons

Head On plus Missing Persons – Queens Hotel 1st December 1979

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supplied by Mick Mepham and Pete Prescott

featuring Pete Prescott, Andy Qunta, Tony Qunta, Steve Kinch and Mark Thirsk.

Pete Prescott… I remember this gig. I was very nervous. They were amazing players. Nice guys as well.

Andy Qunta… I vaguely remember it too! Pete did a great job! Unfortunately I think it was the last gig we did. Couldn’t fight punk rock with prog rock! Fun while it lasted though!

Tony Qunta… I remember it too. A line up with great potential!

Ernest Ballard… Great band saw them a few times before I started playing drums (wink wink ). Long time ago now

Pete Prescott… We played a gig at a boutique in London. After the gig I got really drunk on punch (dangerous stuff). We got back to Hastings in time for me to go to work. The green cross code man was there. Huge guy. That was (I think) the last gig. Mark was an amazing drummer. Brilliant players. I felt out of my depth. I remember loving Tony’ s voice on “only you”. I’ve still got a tape of songs like “the burning of Atlanta” it was great being in the band with guys like that. And they were so funny.

Steve Kinch… Yes Pete, absolutely agree, Mark was a fabulous drummer with a great sense of humour.

Tony Qunta… Great memory Pete! Yes the green cross code man – was he in Star Wars or something? Thank you for your lovely comments about the band. Your vocals were fantastic with the band – it’s a shame the band didn’t keep going!  ‘Dinosaur Promotions’!

Steve Kinch… David Prowse – He was only Darth Vader!!!!  Great times! Hastings in the 60’s, 70’s & 80’s was the pefect environment for young musicians learning their craft. With hindsight, the late 70’s wasn’t exactly a good time to be attempting to get a “prog” band off the ground

Andy Qunta… True, Steve, but it was fun trying! Listening to the old tapes makes me feel it was well worth it! Pretty darn good stuff!

Missing Persons – Zodiac Centre 1979 photos by Dave Trodd

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all photos © Dave Trodd

Stephen Ritchfield (vocals and writer), Martin Luckhurst (guitar), Robin Heggie (Bass) and Andy Knight (drums) 

Andy Knight… Looked in my diary, the date was Saturday the 18th August 1979 and the PA blew on the first number but obviously was fixed. It looks like one of the first Missing Persons gigs, in fact the first week, we played Six Bells Chiddingly on the Thursday, the Carlisle on Friday supporting Die Laughing and the Ore Centre on the Saturday.

Tim Moose Bruce… Great band. I remember them supporting Die Laughing.

Romaine Fulton-hart… Memories

David Blundell… Uppers On The South Downs!

Dave Nattress…Great band, saw a couple of times and was amazed to see Steve Richfield on vocals. Knocked around with his two sisters – Susan and Clare I think, in a bunch of friends in Bexhill where they all lived – all good clean innocent times and I remember a little blonde haired lad – a few years later he’d grown up and was leading Missing Persons. A long, long time ago. Later doing it myself about the same time we had Robin in The Prisoners and we used to rehearse at Andy’s studio in Fairlight Road. He was local rock royalty even back then.

 

Gutsy pop from Missing Persons June 1979

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Martin Richter… Chris Sambrook ?? I never knew this – Hi Chris 🙂

Richard Turner… My uncle Chris Turner 🙂

Ken Copsey… I remember that hat! I think that’s the one he was wearing in the picture I have of him in th Teenbeats van. Lovely bloke.

Chris Meachen… Somewhat prophetic article.. Who would have imagined he’d inflict the spice girls on us all..

Harry Randall… Chris Turner sadly missed I used to play with him as a kid in short trousers and then later he played Bass for a while in Footloose!

Mick O’Dowd… Didn’t they feature on the legendary Safari album “Uppers On The South Downs”?

Alan Esdaile… Yes Mick.

Ken Copsey… That’s right Mick. It goes for quite a few bob on eBay due to the legendary South Coast Ska Stars track on it.

Richard Turner… Just looked for that album on eBay not many about

John Breeds… I have happy memories of being in the same band as Chris Turner (pictured). He was on rhythm and I was on bass.

Alan Esdaile… from May 1979….

Jim Breeds… Were they ever found!?

 

Equipment details Park Gates Studio Catsfield

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supplied by Pete Prescott

Martyn Baker… We recorded as Missing Persons there in 1980. Here is a playlist of Missing Persons recordings from 1980. Some wonderful songs! Written and sung by Steve Winterbottom, and played by Martin Luckhurst Ashley Pepper, Martyn Baker and Kevin Hoad.
https://soundcloud.com/martyn-baker/sets/missing-persons

missing-persons

supplied by Martyn Baker

Pete Prescott… It was an amazing studio. Recorded my first single (shine it on me) there. Ray Fenwicks white lightning. Pete Shaw Terry Pack Ray and Andy Qunta. Did leaving on a jet plane there and Smoke on the Water with Ray Neil Murray and Cozy Powell. I had one or two nice times there but I often felt uncomfortable. A studio is like a pub to me. You like being in it or you don’t. I preferred other studios. It may have been that the Ray’s sessions were always tense.  Lovely buildings. So many amazing musicians.
As we left after jet plane Wings had it for a month. Macca was there the day after Lennon was killed, they said it was a strange day. He was heartbroken. I was told Marillion were there.  Andy Knight saw Billy Cobham in a nearby pub, John Ewen meet Paul Rogers there. They have been turned into private houses now. Carole and I viewed one. Brought back some memories.

Terry Pack… I agree with Pete. A great facility, but a negative ‘vibe’. I never enjoyed working there, though I wanted to do so. I usually love being in the studio, but it felt ‘cold’ there.

Phil Thornton… ! I did a couple of sessions there but it never felt like a good place to make music ! – I guess the price might have been a factor – haha !

Pete Prescott… I remember Cozy playing drums on Smoke, there were workmen working on the floor. They were banging nails in to the rhythm of his playing. I said to Ike and Ray “is his room soundproofed !? “

Terry Pack… The original track had a drum machine playing four on the floor and 16s on the hats, with me playing a Teena Marie style bass part! Ray’s idea of commercial. When he asked Cozy to put some drums on it, he insisted (quite reasonably) that the bass be removed!

Pete Prescott… I had to sing to that bloody racket ha ha !
The drums were put on after the vocals (and the bass).you played (ithink) the bass part which was removed so Neil Murray could be put on (Ray needed names to sell it ) Completely arse about face. But I did get to meet and work with the adorable Barry St John, she was wonderful ! And later on the album Mo Foster. He was brilliant and hilarious !

Alan Esdaile… Daily Mail 2010… http://www.dailymail.co.uk/property/article-1282885/Why-developing-homes-new-rocknroll.html

Uppers On The South Downs – LP

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Various-Mod+&+2-Tone+-+Uppers+On+The+South+Downs+-+LP+RECORD-558586

Terry Pack on the South Coast Ska Stars…One of the many, many records of mine that I don’t have a copy of. A Ray Fenwick production. The South Coast Ska Stars were Wesley Magoogan, Tony Bird, Kevin Hoad,  Ray and I. We did two songs: Head On (sung by Ray) and Ring Of Fire, an instrumental version in 5/4.

Kevin Hoad…..As Terry has stated.That was the line up.I have a copy still.And the album on safari records is selling well.In the Parker is Wes Magoogan, Tony Bird on the left. I Thankyou.

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Wesley Magoogan….This compilation album was put together by our own version of Simon Cowell ,Ray Fenwick .

Andy Knight….Re the covers, the top one is the CD version, the guy on the Vespa is the Vinyl version, that’s what I have anyway, the vinyl was what we were given at the time, I bought the CD from HMV! the CD came out in 1994 I think.

Mick O’Dowd….Still got my vinyl version with scooter boy.

Tony Bird….Uppers on the South Downs LP was recorded at my Studio (WING) in Ninfield and Ike Nossel (Park Gates Studio) in Catsfield ………produced by Ray Fenwick

Terry Pack….The tracks done at Wing (8 track) often sounded better than those done on 24 track at Park Gates! Most notably the demo versions of certain singles

Andy Knight….We (Missing Persons) did some recording at a studio on the road to Hawkhurst called Bluebell Studios, owned by an author of children’s books I think?

Ken Copsey…  As a 16 year old it would have been nice to have had a bit more care and guidance. The production on everything the Teenbeats recorded was appalling. The only thing anyone was interested in was trying to make a fast buck out of Huggy’s charasismatic personality, which apart from stopping and starting at the same time was all the Teenbeats had. Its good to see that someone is making some money out of these recordings because we never did. Not even the 50,000 singles sold in Canada. Rock ‘n ‘ Roll. Same old story. On the subject of songwriting credits all the self penned Teenbeats tracks appeared on later compilations credited to people I have never heard of. A new mod compilation has just been released with Strength Of A Nation on it but strangely none of the other tracks on Uppers.

Pete Prescott… I don’t know what happened to my copy. So many Hastings guys on it. A lot of it was recorded at Tony Birds studio. And some at park gates.

Robert Searle… Did some tracks at Bluebell studios with Ray Fenwick with Rev Stockdale,Paul Freeman and a fantastic sax player didnt know his name and me on bass guitar. Didnt know what happened to the recordings.

Missing Persons – Only A Friend – 1980

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Recorded at Park Gates studio, Catsfield, Sussex (August 10th 1980). Produced by Ike Nossel, Mastered by Martyn Baker.
Song & Vocal – Stephen Winterbottom,     Guitar & Backing Vocal – Martin (Hawk) Luckhurst,
Bass – Martyn Baker,    Keyboards – Ashley Pepper,    Drums – Kevin Hoad.

Missing Persons – Simon Fuller Easybeat Entertainments and spoof telegram 1979.

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img216 Missing Persons Telegram-1

 card supplied by Roger Carey            telegram supplied by Andy Knight

Stuart Moir…”Now a very rich man !!”

Redstar Richter….”steve winterbottom?”

Andy Knight… Spoof telegram to Missing Persons when we were managed by Simon Fuller who practised on us I think and got it right with the Spice Girls!