1967

Over the four days just gone, fifty years ago, Pink Floyd played at the original UFO Club in Tottenham Court Road for the last time (with early Fairport Convention and Shiva’s Children) and then on the Saturday were at the “Love In Festival” at Alexandra Palace with Eric Burdon, Arthur Brown, Brian Auger, Creation and Tomorrow.

Andy Warhol arrived with the Velvet Underground for their first UK tour, the Mick Jagger/Keith Richards appeal started (and succeeded), Big Brother & the Holding Company released their first album, and Tim Buckley released the fabulous Goodbye and Hello. Meanwhile, John Coltrane was buried in Long Island New York – live music at the funeral by Ornette Coleman and Albert Ayler.

Talking of Jazz,  I was checking the Mercury Prize list and realising as usual that these days, I know nothing but I did notice the mandatory token jazz album by a band called Dinosaur so I bought it.

And now I love it.

I guess I’d say it’s not too far away from late-60s and beyond Miles Davis. If you like that, you might like Dinosaur. If you don’t, you might not.

Not sure? Try this

http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=Dinosaur+jazz+music&view=detail&mid=D177CC05833FDBC6E807D177CC05833FDBC6E807&FORM=VIRE

 

Dave Rodgers RIP

Mick has informed me of the death of Dave Rodgers, a stalwart of the local jazz scene in the late 1950s and the 1960s, who continued to support live music as the ‘boss’ of the Auckland.

A couple of years ago he loaned me hours of recordings of local jazz musicians which I have in the archive – especially performing at the Cellar Club, a few years before it became the Indigo Vat

Clubs & Coffee Bars

Two posts down there is some correspondence in the Comments about the Keyhole (Bistro etc). Mick has sent me this Osborne Road list from the 1964 Kelly’s Directory, running eastwards from the Queen’s Hotel and including the Queens Hotel, Kimbells, the Keyhole and the Jokers Club.

As I mention below, there are photos and more conversations about that back on 2 November 2014 – including the original Keyhole sign which was revealed back then in the creation of the Wave Maiden which is what it is at present.

On this day (The Last Time)

50 years ago – Saturday 29 July 1967 – Denny Laine finally brought his new Electric String Band to the Birdcage (5/-) and I was there for what would turn out to be my last visit to that truly seminal venue (the reasons are explained in the book). There were just four Saturday nights to come.

PS  Many thanks to DJ Pete who sent the poster. I’d forgotten it was an all-nighter.

End of the Pier Show

Talking of Spooky Tooth and Carole (as I was), I suspect many of you will remember the wonderful outdoor midsummer gig on the Pier in 1968 with Traffic, Family and Spooky Tooth. Carole has been telling me about the (mostly ‘Trad’) gigs she would go to, some years before that at the Rendezvous, the Savoy and the Pier – I hadn’t realised that some of those Pier gigs were outdoors too. I wonder whether they will ever return?

On one occasion Carole went to a ‘Plebs & Debs’ fancy dress do dressed as Red Indians with her pal Sandy but because they had little money they climbed up and onto the Pier to get in. Some of her other costumes (masked/Greek/schoolboy) are shown below.

She has a diary that records going to the last-ever night at the original Rendezvous Club in the Ashburton Road Church, on Saturday 31 March 1962. The following week she was at the new venue (probably the Dockyard Club) which she liked less. There was also “Tina’s” (later the Indigo Vat, now Scandals) in Hampshire Terrace where she got to know a jazz pianist Dave Frampton. Apart from the big names like Acker Bilk, Chris Barber and Ken Colyer (the Pier, 19 August 1962) she recalls the Cardinal Jazz Men and Gerry Brown’s Band

I’ve mentioned regular nights at the Court, while other favourite haunts included the Figaro Coffee bar, the Pomme D’Or, the Apsley, Kimbells and the Rock Gardens. She went to see Vince Eagar at the Rendezvous but has less fond memories, having encountered a bit of ‘bother’ with some other girls. She did, however, go to the somewhat legendary appearance of Gene Vincent at Ricky’s Club.

Pierre Henry RIP

The Times today announces the death of the avant-garde composer who made some pretty ‘interesting’, often electronic sounds over many years. Last year, Jarvis Cocker introduced Henry’s “Mass for Liverpool” in that city’s cathedral – but some of you might best recall the 1969 album Ceremony, which brought together Henry and Spooky Tooth. I had a copy on vinyl although I never wore it out!

More from Carole

The late 1950s/early 1960s again, and the Art College Fancy Dress Balls – regular events in those days. There was also the Skyliner Club above the Theatre Royal which the art and architecture students enjoyed.

 

Gigs

Southsea Skiffle Orchestra this lunchtime (12-1) at the Guildhall (free)

Tuxedo Junction this coming Friday at The Auckland in Netley Road, Southsea, and Sunday afternoon back at Bar 69 in Palmerston Road, Southsea.

“The Law Against Marijuana …

… is immoral in principle and unworkable in practice …”

The start of a full-page advertisement in today’s edition of The Times fifty years ago

Among the signatories and sponsors a number of doctors, media people (David Dimbleby), artists (David Hockney – and Derek Boshier from Portsmouth), Kenneth Tynan, George Melly, and the Beatles.

See more at

The Beatles call for the legalisation of marijuana

The consequence half-a-century on is of course that the law remains. For what it’s worth, my views are stated quite clearly in my new book – amazingly I smoked the stuff for more than 30 years without becoming addicted to heroin or turning into a psychopath. For some years I haven’t touched it and probably never will again, but I’m very glad I did.

Also this past weekend, once again the Birdcage was only open on Saturday night with the penultimate appearance by the band that played there far more than any other, Jimmy James & the Vagabonds.

More Renegades

From Ron (cheers)