leisure music

Mick Abraham and Ray Fenwick -Yamaha Guitar Evening – Leisure Music and Drum clinic with Jimmy Kilpatrick – June 1979

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Andy Qunta… I remember this somewhat! I was excited to see Mick Abrahams, first of all, and also I was part of the “backing band” for the event. I don’t think the band had a name at the time, but later we became Jim Jim & The Jims. We had started in weekly jam sessions at Ray Fenwick’s house. Anyway, that’s how I remember it. Good times!

Pete Prescott… I remember the times at Rays house.great nights !Ray was responsible for some really good times when I look back. Dermot Murphy Pete Shaw you me and Ray. it grew after that. I think Dermot hadn’t played for a while. There was rust on his bass when he opened the case. We all said”mind the carpet Ray will go nuts! (I must ask Derm if he remembers that). We were outside talking about getting into a serious band and doing gigs in London. I said I couldn’t until the present series of Dallas had ended. I needed my weekly fix of Victoria Principles magnificent breasts. We all went “Yeeeeeees ! Then went home. It was 1979. After the Yamaha gig (the first) we did the Queens hotel supporting Tich. Then a few weird ones (Scallywags). we started the Chatsworth gigs Jan 9th 1980.Tuesday’s. We played every week till (I think) July. Andy Caine gave us the name.when he spoke to the Hastings observer they needed one. We used to say we were “Fred and the Freds” or “Jim and the Jims” he chose that one. One night the band had Pete Shaw Derm Terry Pack you me Andy Ray your brother Tony Wes and Tich sang a couple. One blues jam lasted (according to Andy Knight) 27 minutes. That’s when I started bringing a book.  Do you remember reading it while Ray was doing the three week intro to smoke in the water ? Fun times !

Pete Fisher… Saw Blodwyn Pig supporting Ten Years After at the Albert Hall in December 1969..

Tony Qunta… Mick Abrahams! One of my heroes! Loved the album ‘Ahead Rings Out’. Blodwyn Pig were superb at The Toby Jug, Tolworth 1969. Jim Jim and The Jims was a lot of fun!

 

Leisure Music – Silverhill St Leonards-on-Sea 1973

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supplied by Nick Prince

Flyer supplied by Barry French

Robert Searle… Bought a Fender Mustang bass there ,you know the one with the white stripe on it.

Colin Fox… Am I correct in saying that Bonners owned it. I remember Eddie Sargent, (Eastbourne guitarist), worked there for a while and I bought a Yamaha SG in there.

Paul Dengate… Bonners at Silverhill was a different building/business, opposite side of the road to Leisure Music.

Mick O’Dowd… They had a practice room downstairs.

Robert Searle… Did Rev have,or had use of a studio there somewhere ?

Paul Dengate… Leisure Music had three adjacent shops. At the back of one was a small workshop accessed by a path from the road at the side. I understand Rev did have a studio there but I never saw it. I went to work at Leisure Music after leaving Mullett Smith Music in Robertson Street. While I worked at Leisure Music, I rented the building at the back which could be used by bands for rehearsing or I’d use it for recording (The Box). I believe that when I left Leisure Music, it was still used for rehearsals but not looked after.

Andy Qunta… Spent many happy hours, & quite a few pounds, at Leisure Music! Rehearsed with Factory at the studio in the back a few times too!

Andy Caine… Loved leisure music! Spent so much time there! Bought my first serious guitar from Paul Dengate, “wish I’d kept it!” Gibson S G with bigsby for £220. Where is John English these days? Stepping out, roaring 80’s…. Great days! I rehearsed in Denmark Street a couple of weeks ago, out the back. Reminded me of the box! Sadly looks as though those studios will be history soon too!

Andy Qunta… I think the first gig with Jim Jim & The Jims was at Leisure Music, & Mick Abrahams, ex-Jethro Tull was a guest player. Pete Prescott, Pete Shaw, Ray Fenwick, Dermot Murphy & maybe Andy Caine & others were the Jims that day!

Martyn Baker… I always loved the Jims sets. Proper music played properly! I also loved The Teenbeats taking the piss too!

Pete Fisher… have to dig out the receipt for my Vox AC15 – I think that came from Leisure Music in 73?

Pete Millington… Spent quite a bit of money there

Ken Copsey… Leisure Music was the centre of my musical world from the age of 16-18. Played for the first time with the Teenbeats in The Box. Huggy jumping through a plasterboard partition, resting a certain part of his anatomy on Dave Blackman’s floor tom mid song! John English was always such a lovely bloke. I still have my Musicman RD 1×12 combo I bought from there. Wish I’d bought the late 60’s paisley Telecaster I saw hanging there once. Think this had belonged to Paul Dengate?

Pete Fisher… Pretty sure that’s where my very first (Vox AC15) amp came from…still have the receipt somewhere…

Alan Esdaile… Remember John English, yes he was a nice guy.

Roy Penfold… Pete,  I wish I still had the AC15 I inherited from an uncle….beautiful sound!

Pete Fisher… also sold mine about four years after I’d bought it in 1972, which I regretted later, just like all the other amps I sold over the years…this is what mine sounded like back in the day in Hastings with Pueblo…very lo-fi recording, but gives you an idea! This and all the other tracks here on my live page are downloadable as high quality wav files, just click on the More icon below the track…

https://soundcloud.com/pete-fisher-live-and-direct/pueblo

Roy Penfold… That sounds good Pete- mind you with such a line up could it fail to sound good?  It never ceased to amaze me how a ‘small’ (if you can describe it as such with the weight of it) nominally 15W amplifier could get so loud!

Leisure Music selling records in 1977

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Anyone remember Leisure Music selling records?

Phil Gill… What were they thinking?

Jon McCallion… Nope nor me

Peter Millington… I was a regular visitor to the shop and don’t remember seeing records, however, I seem to be able to ignore everything but guitars and amplifiers LOL

Chris Meachen… Me neither..

Alan Esdaile… Odd advert as says Records at Hastings! Could Complete Audio Systems be a different shop in Hastings?

Pete Millington… Could be Alan but I’ve never heard of it, and the address is the same as Leisure Music. – A Shop within a shop perhaps?

Phil Gill… I think Complete Audio Systems probably was a different shop in Hastings, but still owned by the English family under the Leisure Music umbrella, hence the common phone number. Still didn’t buy any records from them though.