UFO reunion for March 2012 is shaping up

The UFO was an itinerant 'underground' club which briefly dominated the scene of '67. A good argument can be made for it being the cradle of the British psychedelic scene as it featured bands such as Pink Floyd, the Bonzo Dog Doh Dah Band, Arthur Brown, the Pretty Things, Procul Harem and Soft Machine. It was certainly (with OZ magazine) at the epicenter of the counter-culture, 'hippy' movement that came out of the London suburb of Nottinghill Gate.

It existed in part to fund the counter-culture newspaper IT, which perennially needed cash not only to ensure it came out regularly but to fight the numerous attempts of the 'establishment' to close it down.

Around the UFO gathered any number of now semi-legendary names of the British underground; Joe Boyd (Floyd's first producer), John 'Hoppy' Hopkins, artists Michael English and Nigel Weymouth (famed as 'Hapshash and the Coloured Coat'), poet Michael Horovitz and poet and lyricist, Pete Brown (check out Cream's 'Disrali Gears').

UFO gigs were 'happenings' in the true sense of the word; little was planned, anything could happen including mild chaos. A Beatle might turn up,and did, ad so might the 'fuzz' - and did! Naturally, as a hippy movement, they lost money but club nights at the Blarney on Tottenham Court Road, All Saints Church, Nottinghill, Chalk Farm's Roundhouse and the '14-Hour Technicolour Dream' at the Ally Pally, left an indelible mark on London’s musical heritage. The influence of the UFO cannot be understated.

One scene regular, ex-roadie legend, Mouse O'Brien, has had the brilliant idea of a UFO 'reunion'; a 'happening' for 2012 with three bands full of legendary 'musos', an original oil-lamp light-show projection, magic, art, Jeff 'Isle of Wight' Dexter as MC/DJ, an exhibition of original IT and UFO artwork, and what ever else transpires... he has already lined up all sorts of interesting performers, and many of the old 'faces and heads' have confirmed they'll be along.

It's not often that you get advance notice of a 'happening'. Generally there's a press report, and maybe a TV arts show, and you're left thinking 'Jeez, I'd like to have been there! How come these things are always only for those 'in the know?’ So, take a note of he date and place; March 24th, the Tabernacle, Nottinghill Gate. There will be a website 'Zeigeist' and look out ofr collectable publicity materials appearing as the event approaches. You read about it here first!

Freddie's 20th Anniversary 24th November 2011

Touching scenes outside of Garden Lodge yesterday as people came to his last home to pay their respects to the memory of Freddie Mercury, dead now 20 years. There was a steady stream of individuals all day, many laying flowers or sticking affectionate notes to the Perspex sheets that now prevent graffiti from soiling the walls of Logan Place.

In some ways it was like an international fan club meeting. In the short time I was there, I talked with Brazilian, Argentinean, Japanese, American, French and British fans. There atmosphere was subdued rather than somber with fans swapping Freddie memories, some sporting classic tour T shirts, others carrying mementos.

The media has naturally been full of biographies of the man. Most portraits were flattering, but also many truthfully including 'warts and all' assessment of his character.

The amount of attention will no doubt attract a new generation of fans, previously unaware of Mercury or even Queen. It may sound surprising and even unlikely to long-term Queen fans that there can be people out there who don't know the band. I had a group of 30 plus French students (from Brittany) out for the day and probably less than 20% had any real knowledge of the band. A couple of weeks back I was helping Bebe Contemponi of Argentinean Canal 11 for a documentary. We were filming at Freddie's Felltham family home, now lived in by an Estonian immigrant. She had been completely unaware of the house's history, or even of Queen, until the TV cameras pitched up outside her door!

Abbey Road saved on its 80th Anniversary?

One wonders how long Abbey Road can last as a recording studio? One the one hand, it is great news that its 'mothership', EMI, has been bought back from the bankers by the French-owned, Universal Music Group (tinged with a bit of sadness that there was no British company able to buy the company). On the other hand, what place has a traditional studio in the scheme of things when recordings can now so easily be made in bedrooms and mixed on mobile phones?

To date it has been great to be able to visit the studio (or at least the location as you can't get inside unless using it professionally) and to talk not only about its 80-year history and place in rock's pantheon, but also its current activities. It's a buzz to see the artists wondering in and out, and occasionally to see a real star (hats off to Taylor Swift incidentally, who came out of the studio to meet her fans earlier this year, creating crowd scenes last seen during its Beatle heyday).

But technology is evolving, as it has throughout the history of recording. Abbey Road was arguably the world's first purpose built studio (arguably as there may have been a few already in Italy) but its pre-eminence was constantly challenged by rivals acquring more advanced equipment. EMI artists might have preferred going to other facilities to record (as indeed the Beatles famously did on occasion) had they not been tied by their recording company to using the studios.

The days of a music company tying bands to its own studio are long gone. To survive in the modern world, a studio needs to offer a combination of the greatest technology, affordability, and that certain intangible 'something' that somehow feeds the artistic muse.

Abbey Road can fulfill the last criteria in spades; everyone wants to 'feel' that Beatle or Pink Floyd magic. Kate Bush might be an exception to this ... she liked Abbey Road because it is apparently situated on leylines. So much for technology. Maybe the studio doe shave a future and that would be magic indeed.

Jimmy Saville RIP

So farewell, then, Jimmy.
You fixed it for everybody in your time,
Except me, that is.
I never had a Number One hit.

Of course, being able to sing,
play a guitar, or been a paraplegic might have helped.
My Mother loved you too,
Which shows how old you must have been.

I always wondered why;
you wore track-suits without a Nike badge
you didn't advertise Domestos bleach
and no one knew the brand of cigar you smoked.

I suppose that's why you remained an enigma.
But, batty as you obviously were, we all loved you, anyway.

Apologies to. E J Thribb

Original Band or Tribute Act?

I went to see one of my favourite early ‘70s bands, ‘Canterbury sound’ legends, Caravan, at the Shepherds Bush 02. They don’t tour that much now; getting on a bit I suppose, and only a couple of original members are still in the line-up (though founder Pye Hastings is still the rock on which Caravan park).

Great night of memories; girls growing plump in the land of the grey and pink, so to speak. Musically as strong as ever (though the sound mix left something to be desired) with Hasting managing to get most of the required vocal notes. But if left me wondering; how many changes in line-up can a band perform with and still legitimately call itself the original band? Especially when they make a virtue of playing the band’s ‘seminal’ music made 40-plus years ago.

Sharing the bill with Caravan was another progressive rock legend, Curved Air, stalwarts of the student union, who produced three memorable top-twenty albums (one being the first picture disc issued), and half a dozen stand-out tracks (Back Street Love and It Happened Today). Initially, Sonja Kristina was on vocal, the wonderfully named Florian Pilkinton-Miksa on drums, the amazing Darryl Way on violin, and on guitar, maestro Francis Monkman. The band admittedly had many changes over the years (including soon-to-be Police drummer Stuart Copeland) but the sole survivors at Shepherds Bush were Kristina and Pilkington-Miksa.

OK, you can’t expect to be seeing exactly the same line-up (or even the majority) as those playing in those dim dark day; time and excess inevitably thin the ranks. But when the ‘band’ is down to a single representative surrounded by newly acquired band members young enough to be the survivor’s grandchildren, then claiming the original name is perhaps disingenuous.

Would I have gone to see two newly-named bands, one featuring Hastings and the other Kristina? Probably not. It was the original branding of Caravan and Curved Air that attracted me. On the night I came away happy but was I listening to the originals or superior tribute acts, I wonder?

Did You Experience the Troubadour?

What a great night! Again. The weekend of 17/18 September has turned into an annual commemoration of Jimi Hendrix's impact on London, and London's impact on Hendrix.

The date marks the anniversary of Hendrix's death in the city in 1970. It's truly remarkable that 41-years on Hendrix can still sell out Earls Court's Troubadour Club; at least he can in the guise of Are You Experienced, undoubtedly the UK's top Hendrix tribute band, admirably lead by the incomparable John Campbell.

The Troubadour Club is the ideal venue. It's a small, basement club, not much changed since Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, Nick Drake and other folk-rock luminaries launched their careers there. The low ceilings, alcoves and almost claustrophobic atmosphere engendered by 120 or so howling Hendrix acolytes send shivers up (and down!) your spine.

And Campbell knows how to manipulate his audience; with Purple Haze he give just enough pause for 120 voices to get to 'scuse me while I kiss the sky (this guy)' before he does, and everyone gets to 'where you going with that gun in your hand' that planned fraction early. It's a perfect, crowd-pleasing performance. But not just populist; AYE's rendition of Machine Gun is delivered every bit as meaningfully now in these current war-torn times as it was during the Vietnam years. Drummer, Kevin O'Grady, keeps time like an M16, and Mark 'I Blame it on Rio' lays base notes down like well-placed mortar rounds.

A good percentage of the crowd were 'Rhodes Rockers'; guys enjoying a reunion weekend having met at the Lindos Rock Festival (check it out: http://www.classicrocktours.com/). A fair number had gone to the bother of 'fancy dress' and it made for a colourful crowd in more ways than one.

Great night. Nice also to some regular faces, not just the Lindos crowd but 'authentics' like Mouse O'Brien who was a roadie at the gig where Hendrix jammed with Cream at the Regent's Street Poly. 'Good gig', said Mouse. 'Yeah, didn't Clapton walk off stage in tears?'. 'No, not that one. This one.' Praise indeed.

If you were there, please post a photo or two as your blogger was too into the band to take any!

Roll on Sept 17th 2012.

Macca names the day - well almost!

So, we're on watch... sometime over the next couple of weeks Sir Paul is to marry again, with a ceremony at Westminster City Hall in London's Marylebone, where he and Linda tied the knot in 1969.

This latest Beatle bride to be is another American, Nancy Shevell.

The news emerged when Paul posted 'the banns' there. It's a legal neccessity to do so, so it's not something that can be kept quiet. Though the exact date is still unknown, the event has to take place within 16-days of the posting, which was on the 14th. If it does get out we can be sure that there'll be a lot of well-wishers lining the local streets to catch a glimpse of Mrs McCartney's little boy, as there was on the first occasion.

It will actually be the third Beatle marriage to take place there, it was George's preferred venue.

We're not expecting an invitation, but as the morning rock tour passes the City Hall maybe we'll catch a glimse!