Month: February 2021

Mick Urry Showband featuring Janine Anne Hemsley – 1970’s

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supplied by Janine Anne Hemsley

Janine Anne Hemsley…..This one was was The Mick Urry Band. They were at Kings Country Club in Eastbourne prior to joining Mecca.

Alan Esdaile….I remember doing a few disco support gigs with them and I think his brother Keith had a dance band as well? 

Janine Anne Hemsley….That’s correct. I worked at Kings Country club with a band called Meridian can’t find pics sadly. Keith worked a lot on Eastbourne pier also.

Andre Martin…..Yes the links are there – Janine – when were you at Kings with the Merries ?

Janine Anne Hemsley…. 1976- around 1979. Had to think then lol .

Andre Martin….We must have met as I was working for Ray King between 1974 – 1979 most of the time in the Main Club – professional name Chris Gentry – The singers with the Band for part of this time were Sandi and Ronnie, but prior to that it was ? – Barry was on Drums, I will have to look up the others names

Janine Anne Hemsley….Yes Pete Bonner was on drums with Barry Goucher initially. Then Barry joined Meridian. There was my Husband Colin Hadley on keyboards. Peter Brent on Bass and a male singer called John Lorenz.I lived on site whilst working there so I must have known you .

Peter Pattison… Mick Urry showband at Nottingham Mecca Dance Hall in 1980 Fantastic

Band prices in 1971

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supplied by Roy Penfold

Roy Penfold… Band price list from college events magazine 30 April 1971.

Andy Hemsley… Van Der Graff Generator are good value!

Pete Prescott… Awesome

Kate Recknell-Page… Oh wow certainly remember a lot of those bands – xx

Ian McGilvray… Slade a bargain at £150

Robert Searle… We was a bargain at £20

Nick Bloomfield… I can see why my College booked Hawkwind now at only £150 – bargain!

Graham How… It was a good time for live music. Ace Promotions certainly had many on the list on Hastings Pier.

Tony Court-holmes… Graham and I went to most of them

Paul Cullen… Did you notice that Family were charging £1000 for a gig?

Glenn Piper… Traffic are also on the list as £1000

Dave Nattress… Really interesting!!

Alan Pepper… T.Rex in 1971 would be worth it. That’s my choice ! I think they were at their peak .

Glenn Piper… I saw T-Rex at Brighton Dome October’71

Marianne Zargar… Crikey! Deep Purple £1250. I saw them in London about a year before aged 14 or 15. Must have spent all my Saturday job money for the year! My friend managed to get into Ritchie Blackmore’s dressing room but was promptly thrown out. Sadly I only remember that and not the music. Still playing “Child in Time” on my original 1974 stereo though

 

Boulder – 1960’s

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supplied by Bertie Wiseman

featuring Brian Setchfield, Paul Wiseman, Tony Barraclough & Mick Kemp.

Yvonne Cleland….Tony used to play with Will in Daisy.

Dave Nattress….The fourth member of Boulder is the drummer – Mick Kemp.  Mick Kemp and Tony Barraclough used to play with both Boulder and Damaris.  Brian Setchfield is still alive and kicking in Bexhill!!  SO, am I for that matter.  At the time, Damaris consisted of Mick Kemp on drums, (Pearl full dimension kit I think), Tony Barraclough on guitar, (Gibson SG), Iain Cobby on Bass, (Fender Precision then Rickenbacker 4001), Paul Durrant on various keys including an Elka Rhapsody and one or more Synthesisers and myself on AKG Mikes and HH PA.

Ernest Ballard… Brian went on to form Slack Alice. He was a great singer.

Alan Esdaile… It was good to see Brian at the SMART meeting.

Jim Breeds… When they broke up were they the rolling stones?

Jan Warren… I think I know Brian Setchfield from schooldays, just as I knew Pete Houghton, who I’ve now “friended” on facebook!! – that’s one of the reasons I love this group, sometimes names pop up from many years ago, so interesting to catch up with the faces you knew in your youth! – I just hope I can get to the meetings again soon, then hopefully I can meet them in person! – there’s also Terry Corder, Lol Cooksley, Bob Searle and a few others who I knew back in the 60s and 70s ………… so, one day I hope to meet up with them!

Pete Houghton… Hi Jan it was great to see Brian at the meeting he hasn’t changed one bit shame he is not on Facebook

Jan Warren… Thanks Pete, I thought you might know him too, we all went to the Downs Secondary School 🙂 – I did try to find him on Facebook, but as you said he’s not on there, hopefully I can get to the “Smart” meetings one day soon and see you all

 

The Yes Album – 50 years old today (19th February 1971)

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Mike Curtis… Feeling old. This fantastic album was released 50 years ago today!

Roger Carey… My favourite Yes album and the only one I know really well.. This is a record time response for me – it came up and I chipped in! Hello Geoff Peckham- I remember one of your favourite bands was “Gracious” but we here to applaud the marvellous “Yes Album”. “I’ve seen all good people” etc.! I still have the Futurama bass- will make a project of it one day , needs some work!

Geoff Peckham… Yes, I loved Gracious – how did you remember that?! But this was a big fave too. ‘….No Disgrace’ being my favourite. So pleased the ol’ Futurama’s still with us! It’d be great if it was ‘refreshed’. Hope to see you soon.

Dave Weeks… My first prog album. Still a classic.

Pete Prescott… I still play it. My favourite YES album. Every track ! I saw an interview where Bill Bruford said the intro was the theme from Bonanza but the other guys wouldn’t hear of it !

Alastair James Thompson… Love it … still gets played chez moi

Nick Webb… ep still got Yes and Genesis album’s both a bit scratched from over playing back then. Must have brought Yes with pocket money as not working till a year later.

Tony Court-holmes… watched 2 hours plus last night on Sky Arts of Yes would have liked more music and less talking

Robert Searle… Saw Yes at the Big Apple Brighton, great band when Steve Howe joined who used to play with the underrated group Tomorrow who I thought were really good. Still got that album.Love it.

Nick Bearkeeper Rowland… I first heard the Yes Album at school. I heard it coming from out of the 6th form common room. I liked it so much that I asked one of the prefects. I ended up buying the album. Going For The One is an excellent one too.

Graham Sherrington… one of my permanent CD’s in the car along with Frampton Comes alive from San Fransisco.

Lucy Pappas… The first album I ever bought. It was so wonderfully exciting and different. I still play it but on cd now! xx

Leigh Wieland-Boys… .I have this album, bought it from  Alan Esdaile shop on the pier mid-70s, if my memory serves me well

Pete Prescott… I used to have a vinyl/CD night at the DOLPHIN I the old town once a month. (I hope to do it again when this madness is over) One night I was playing “I’ve seen all good people” and then “Perpetual Change. I stopped it at the end of the first section and Roger Carey, Dave Blackman,Andy McDuffie and Graham Belchamber all jumped up and went “Noooooo!” It was like stopping half way through sex ! Unforgivable ! When I go back to the DOLPHIN I’ll play the whole thing. I Promise !

Mike Guy… This was the album that turned me into a life-long Yes fan, I discovered their two initial albums later. My late brother Martin was a few years younger than me but left school to work as soon as he could, so he had a few bob to splash out on albums, unlike me at that time. I started of by enjoying Clap [not THE Clap!] & then just left the album play & so got into the the other track bit by bit [PROGressively!]. Since then I’ve seen them play live in Cardiff, Reading Festival, Bristol, Birmingham, Frankfurt, Antwerp, Wembley Arena, The Albert Hall, & Brighton [3 times]. I thoroughly recommend the Steve Wilson Blu-ray remixes with 7.1 surround sound headphones.

Graham Belchamber… Looking forward to you doing an all of Topographic Oceans vinyl night

Keith Rodway… Still sounds great

Dave Nattress… Wonderful album, saw them do Yours Is No Disgrace on TV – I’d like to say Whistle Test but I’m unsure, but went straight out and bought the vinyl – well what else back then, and then all the Yes stuff, have most on CD also. Starship Trooper also – wonderful. Only saw them once at Crystal Palace bowl or Party in the Park – the stage across the lake. Still have the vinyl and still play the CD. Gracious – Jaffa. They played the pier once at least? I think they were on a bill with about 4/5 bands I saw there with The Pink Fairies? Strife? and maybe two/three others. Not sure if it was a college all-nighter? Very sketchy on this one. Did Factory play the same bill? I had the poster for years, long lost.

 

Teenbeats & Piranhas – The Carlisle 23rd February 1979

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supplied by Teenbeats facebook page.

Bobby Walker….Great gig!  Huggy Leaver was a local character in Hastings around this time. This was the last time I spoke to him … next saw him in Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels

Philip Meston…..Then there was Guns, Gangsters and Zombies!

Mick O’Dowd… Another classic 558 Entertainments promotion and don’t forget the British Heart Foundation ad with Vinnie Jones where Huggy played “The body” to “Staying Alive”. Two great bands. This was the first time I booked the Piranhas after being pestered by their management. The agreement was that I would give them 2 support act slots and if they were popular(which as it turned out, they were) i’d put them on top billing. As it happened they were so popular that they headlined after only one show.

Colin Jefferys… Was this not the gig where a few lads jumped on to the stage ( albeit a very low level small one) and tried to smack Bob Grover? I’m sure they were rubbish

Peter Fairless… Top band, the Piranhas were great Bob and Johnny wrote some magic but, hey, the Teenbeats were ours!

Mark Syrett… Top night as I remember

SMART SOUNDS by Colin Bell. Reviewing Oh! You Pretty Things: Glam Queens And Street Urchins 1970-76: 3CD Various Artists

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Oh! You Pretty Things: Glam Queens & Street Urchins 1970-76 (3CD set)   Various Artists

So here is the latest in Grapefruit Records ever excellent series of themed 3CD box sets. It is very rare that i quote from a Press Release, but on this occasion….’We focus on the twin central strands of Glam Rock: the cerebral and the visceral’ Ok we’ll see about that and also the other claim of examining the link between the ‘seedy’ played out London scene of the early 70’s and it’s comparison with the underbelly of New York of the same period.  CD 1 gets off on a ‘cerebral’ foot with Roxy Music & their follow up to debut hit ‘Virginia Plain’ in the shape of ‘Pyjamarama’ whose delights i must confess to having forgotten but it’s a pleasant reminder of 1973 for this reviewer. Next up is ELO and here i must question what they are doing here?, i really don’t see them as any part of ‘Glam’ and the choice of Ma-Ma-Ma-Belle is jarring being without doubt the ‘heaviest’ rock track the band ever recorded. It is however certainly ‘visceral’.  Anyway a small niggle. Much more suited to the albums theme are the likes of Be Bop Deluxe, Sparks, Heavy Metal Kids, Blackfoot Sue & Mick Ronson who as well as featuring in his own right with the track ‘White Light, White Heat’ Mick is to be found alongside Mott The Hoople’s ex frontman Ian Hunter with ‘Once Bitten Twice Shy’ taken from one of my all time favourite albums 1975’s ‘You’re Never Alone With A Schizophrenic’ (Best album title ever). Dana Gillespie’s ‘Andy Warhol’ & The Hollywood Brats ‘Tumble With Me’ are suitably camp & sleazy respectively. On to CD2 which opens with another well loved track of mine with everybody’s favourite Glam rockers Slade and the anthemic ‘Take Me Bak’Ome’, although Mr Holder has never cared for the ‘Glam’ label. Other big names, albeit with lesser known tracks featured are Curved Air, Bryan Ferry, Iggy & The Stooges’ & Lou Reed with ‘Satellite Of Love’. There are some rare delights to be had with Tim Curry’s ‘ Sweet Transvestite’ & Wayne County’s ‘Queenage Baby’, an artist i have always enjoyed as Wayne or Jayne. Another band i have a lot of time for Third World War also weigh in with ‘Rat Crawl’ and the rather clever inclusion of an unexpected Trogg’s track ‘Strange Movies’ is welcome. The CD closes with Sweet at their best bridging the gap between the pop of Chinnichap & their move to self written material with one of their greatest singles ‘The Sixteens’. CD3 plunges us straight into the New York scene with the primary, and yes again ‘visceral’ New York Dolls and ‘Personality Crisis’. This of all the 3 discs contains the mostly undiscovered gems from some rarely heard bands such as The Winkies, Bullfrog, Hard Stuff & a band i confess i’ve never heard of by the name of Fumble with their very individual take on ‘Not Fade Away’ which is somewhat glorious in a surreal sort of way! Of the bigger and well known names to be found are The Strawbs, Leo Sayer, Mott The Hoople & another crowd pleaser The Sensational Alex Harvey Band with the 7 minute wonder that is ‘The Last Of The Teenage Idols’ which i’ve always thought was a real tour-de-force of a song. At 66 tracks there is plenty to explore in this compilation and if you were around the first time to witness the likes of Bowie and all the androgynous acts that followed in his & The New York Dolls footsteps you will enjoy this latest collection enormously. As ever the 3CD’s come housed in a sturdy clamshell box with an accompanying well written 40 page booklet. Grapefruit Records remain the current masters of the themed compilation market. Enjoy.

For more information go to https://www.cherryred.co.uk

Til next time…..stay safe………Colin

Essence at The Carlisle & final gig

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supplied by Mick Mepham

photo 1. upstairs at The Carlisle. with Mick Mepham, Farid Seddiqi, Martin and Garnet (moo).

photo 2. Last Essence just before Small Talk then Hung,Drawn and Withered. — with Keith ‘Dusty’ Miller, Mick Booker, Keith Hackett (The Bass Monk), Chris ‘Bleh’ Loder & Mick Mepham.

The Humperdinks – 1966 and reunion 2012

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supplied by  Hastings Groups from 1958 to the present.

Baz Cooper, Ray Brown,Mike Bradley, Colin Tapp and John Kingdon.

Colin Tapp… Thanks Alan I like this photo must be about 50 years ago , great memories.

Andy Knight….Played with John in Freeway in 1970, great singer but he had put the gun away by then. ps were the clothes from FAB boutique?

Andre Martin…..Could well have been provided by Brian Fisher !!

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supplied by Colin Tapp                                          supplied by John Kingdon 

The Humperdinks reunion gig at The Hazlitt Theatre 2012 — with Baz Cooper, Colin Tapp, John Kingdon, Mick Bradley , Mike Nixon & Colin Norton.

Andre Martin….Well known in Hastings and around during the early 1960s – credit please that we did produce some good bands in those days.

Leigh Wieland-Boys….Amazing! Johnny Kingdom’s band played at my brother’s wedding in 1974! I remember him well! Hello John!

Baz Cooper… We got those clothes from a boutique in Hastings, but I don’t remember the name of it.

Leigh Wieland-Boys… Johnny Kingdon & his band played at my brother’s wedding in 1974!

Nick Bloomfield… I had a pair of ‘Hipsters’ (I think they were called) and spent a long time trying to persuade myself that I looked cool. Never quite succeeded…