Gimme an F …

The original Fish Man, Barry Melton, lead guitarist in Country Joe & the Fish (Monterey, Woodstock etc) will be in Pompey, three weeks today, at the lovely intimate setting of the Square Tower. He’s bringing Stephane Missri (guitar & banjo) from Paris and the tickets (limited) are just £7 – for which you get also support from some bunch called Scarlet Town.

I saw Barry on the IOW last year with Youngblood Banana (left) and a fine show it was, performing mostly traditional/roots songs, from the days that were formative in the development of the American version of psychedelia. He’s a master guitarist.

It’s All Happening

The Birdcage anniversary, Victorious and Houston have kept me busy this weekend but fifty years ago, just a couple of years after the Bank Holiday was moved from early to late August, was very lively.

On Friday night the original Coconut Mushroom (mostly ex-Inspiration) were at the Parlour for what Spinner called Portsmouth’s “first home-grown attempt at a fully fledged light show and psychedelic happening”.

The Jimi Hendrix Experience released their first album, Are You Experienced, and they played at the Saville Theatre on Sunday night with Tomorrow and Arthur Brown. Woburn Abbey held its Festival of the Flower Children – some fascinating memories and photographs of which, Nigel Grundy has posted in the PME Exhibition.

The Beatles, plus entourage including Mick Jagger and Marianne Faithful took off to Bangor, Wales for a weekend with the Maharishi but while there, heard the shocking news of the death of Brian Epstein – at which they returned to London

Flood in Houston

While we were basking in glorious Bank Holiday weather you will have heard about the terrible floods in Texas which according to the BBC currently centre on Houston. It’s a strange thing that back in 1968, on their second album, the British Savoy Brown Blues Band wrote and recorded a song called “Flood in Houston” – they were a favourite band of mine back then, with a fine singer by the standards of the British blues, Chris Youlden.

There are many blues about floods, certainly going back as far as Bessie Smith’s “Backwater Blues”, which I remember Alexis Korner once performing on ITV’s “Five O’Clock Club”, and Charley Patton’s “High Water Everywhere”. I guess the best known these days is also relevant today – “Texas Flood” made famous by Stevie Ray Vaughan, but originally by Larry Davis.

Groovin’

On a Sunday afternoon.

Again, I didn’t find much music to excite me, but it was a beautiful day again and Pompey people were having a lovely time which is always delightful. For me the highlight was, as I expected, the very fine EMPTIFISH.  Indeed I liked them so much, I bought the T-shirt.

This geezer was enjoying them, without any kind of shirt, but that revealed the classic Pompey tattoo (right shoulder)

And the boys have a message for you all

 

Over there

It’s no secret that I’m very fond of the VICTORIOUS FESTIVAL – I enjoy seeing the people of Pompey of all ages, having so much fun. But in truth, this shot, from the Castle hill, looking down and across the scene, somewhat sums up my sense of detachment this year.

I guess it’s no one’s fault that the kind of music I’d prefer to listen to really isn’t around as a Festival option these days – especially on a weekend with other Festivals elsewhere – but it certainly was my fault that I messed up on the tickets and was wrong in thinking my weekend purchases would get me in on Friday night, so I missed Madness – the act I most wanted to see.

I’m very fond of the World Music Village, although they didn’t invite my skiffle guys back this year, but it was a shame that Neneh Cherry didn’t turn up and there were some sound problems. My favourite act yesterday was the Dave Baker Project (great fun), who you can see busking in Palmerston Road (Dave plays with the skifflers) and today I’m looking forward most to Emptifish – it seems odd that my focus is on two local bands.

In past years there have been surprises I’ve really enjoyed like Naughty Boy, Laura Mvula and even Noel Gallagher last year, but nothing so far – we went for a curry last night!

The Last Time

On this day, fifty years ago – Saturday 26 August 1967 – Joyce Bond brought her Soul Revue to Eastney’s Birdcage (6/-) after which the legendary club closed for ever.

 

Behind all successful bands

Are the roadies. This is the Gentle Giant version, taking a well-earned rest:

Who’s that bloke in the hat then?

Double Tops!

Once you get past the main story about how poor is QA Hospital, today’s edition of The News is rather delightful. There’s a photo and story about the Simon Dupree/Gentle Giant event (see post below), a pull-out for this weekend’s Victorious Festival and on the Nostalgia page, these two photos, taken 50 years apart

The Rampant got together again at Portchester Castle to recreate their photo from the 1960s (thanks to Mick – right – who sent it)

Left-right: Peter Richardson (aka Ritchie Peters as we turned his name around!) vocals, Ron Hughes guitar, Ken Hughes (his brother) drums, Don Golding bass, Mick Cooper Hammond organ.

Looking forward to the centenary edition guys!

PS No checked trousers these days?

See the Light

I’m just back from the Guildhall and the presentation to Simon Dupree & the Big Sound/Gentle Giant who take their rightful place on the Wall of Fame. There was a considerable attendance, by friends, family and fans, and speeches by Andy Grays (Guildhall), Geoff Dorsett and Adrian Collis (Express FM Soft Rock Show) and from Phil and Derek of the band.

It was a very pleasant event attended also by local luminaries such as Pete Cross, Phil Freeman, Nigel & Audrie Grundy, Dave Mussell, Mick Cooper and Alan Christmas, who in his days with Sons of Man used to share support slots with the Shulmans in their Roadrunner days at the Rendezvous.

(above l-r) Adrian (hidden), Ray Shulman, Geoff, Phil Shulman, Derek Shulman, Kerry Minnear (GG) and Tony Ransley (SD&BS)

Paul Oliver RIP

70 years ago the blues as we now know them, were almost irrelevant in British music, 60 years ago the jazz and skiffle guys were having a bit of an impact (but there were few records available) but by 50 years  ago – in the mid ’60s – the British blues were hugely influential on contemporary popular music.

If anyone was to put together a list of the ten greatest influences on that development in the UK who would it include? Chris Barber, Lonnie Donegan, George Melly, Alexis Korner, the Rolling Stones, John Mayall … ? One of my main nominations would not be a musician, but a British academic and former art teacher, Paul Oliver, who carried out extensive research into the blues in the USA, published many books and magazine articles, broadcast on the radio and contributed to some of the most important record compilations, in the days when we were all learning so much about that musical form.

He lived a long life and his work meant an enormous amount to me. Now he’s died but I’ll be grateful to him for ever for the considerable extent to which he enriched my life.

PAUL OLIVER

RIP

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Oliver