50-Years of 'Beat', 50-years of 'Bossa'

There’s always great excitement at Liverpool’s annual August Matthews Street Festival and International Beatle Week, but this year there’s been the added spice of it being fifty-years on from a few notable Beatle anniversaries. One of the most important dates in Beatle history was the 18th August 1962, the day Ringo made his debut at a small venue in Port Sunlight, a town near Liverpool. On board the rock tour this week we had ‘Help’, one of Mexico’s top Beatle tribute bands. As part of Beatle week they are playing at the same Port Sunlight venue. Beatle week brings ‘Beatle-nuts’ in from far and wide; we also had the ‘Tefeatles’ from Guatemala on board an afternoon tour. Yes, Guatemala! Perhaps the most interesting Latin American connection, however, was a performance by the Brazilian band ‘Clube Big Beatles’ at Bem Brazil, a Brazilian restaurant in Liverpool, in a gig sponsored by The Beatle Story attraction. Just another tribute band? Hardly. Not only was the band absolutely terrific, adding Brazilian rhythms (and instruments) to the original arrangements, but Andreas Kisser from Brazilian heavy metal heroes, Sepultura’ stepped up to the plate to take on lean guitar role and vocals on a couple of numbers, including ‘Get Back’. Powerful stuff! Kisser is the first Brazilian artist to have a 'fame' brick enscribed to him on the Cavern Wall. There’s a certain irony in this Brazilian tribute. It was also fifty-years ago that the Bossa Nova was born; August 02 1962 was the day that Tom Jobin and Vinicious de Moraes launched ‘The Girl from Ipanema’. Despite this song being the second most recorded song after ‘Yesterday’, the rest of the Bossa movement was effectively drowned out by the success of The Beatles and associated beat music.

Hendrix, Stones & Marley... in a day

Rock fans visiting London over this next month can visit no less than three major exhibitions – even if you have limited time and money. First up, in the heart of Covent Garden, there’s an amazing Hendrix exhibition on loan from Seattle’s Experience Music Project. Flamboyant shirts, hand-written lyrics, posters and photographs grace the exhibition space of The Hospitality Club (a cool hang-out for creative types), 24 Endell Street. My favourite piece, however, is what remains of a highly-decorated, Fender Strat that he smashed at the finale of his performance in front of the Beatles at their own Saville Theatre. Coincidentally, that theatre is only a stone’s throw away as is the Beatles first fan club office. The exhibition only runs until the end of AUGUST so you have to be quick to catch this one. And talking of stones … and indeed another stone’s throw away at Somerset House (on the Strand) is the celebratory exhibition, ‘The Rolling Stones 50 Years’. This is an amazing collection of fantastic photographs, many previously unseen, spanning their career years. There are a couple of crackers of contrite-looking Jagger post-drug bust, and a great shot of the bacchanalian launch party they had in Kensington’s Gore Hotel for the launch of Beggars Banquet. It’s not only a free exhibition, but if you can make it while the Olympics are on you get the added bonus of seeing some live Brazilian music as Rio has taken over this lovely building to host its cultural centre. www.somersethouse.org.uk Now to complete the perfect day, hop on the underground’s Jubilee Line to the British Music Experience at the O2, Greenwich. Take it from me, this is an easy run taking no more then 15 minutes. The O2 is worth visiting in its own right but until mid-October there’s the added attraction of a rare Bob Marley exhibition. In addition to lots of photographs and memorabilia, there are also panels explaining the Jamaican roots of reggae and how it became so much an integral part of the UK’s music scene. There’s a nice youtube promo for it (with apologies for my own ‘two penneth’ accidental contribution!) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rka6hsMgyPQ&feature=youtu.be I especially loved the BME’s exhibition, especially recently having had the opportunity of actually seeing the flat Marley lived in for a time while recording at Island’s Sarn Studios in Notting Hill. So there you are; three terrific exhibitions in three terrific locations. That’s the thing with rock tourism – it gets you places you’d never otherwise see!

HENDRIX Bithday Commemoration Gig

It's a special year; it would have been Jimi's 70th birthday in November. But the year also marks 45-years since the Experience's first single 'Hey Joe' entered the charts and, perhaps as memorably, the year Hendrix set fire to his first guitar! Our annual Hendrix commemorative weekend is going to celebrate these events in equally memorable fashion. As with previous years, the magnificent 'Are You Experienced' will recreate the loud and steamy atmosphere of a London club of the late 60s in the cellar basement of Earls Court's Troubadour Club. But to add to the excitement, we've a very, very special guest... Keith Altham, journalist and pop PR extraordinaire, is going to be recounting his celebrated role in the events of 1967 that led to Hendrix burning that first guitar at the Rainbow Theatre. Keith is a man of a 1000 stories; not only of Hendrix,whom he also accompanied back from Monterey, but also, fittingly in their 50th year, of the Rolling Stones, who he interviewed a record number of times. He was also PR for the Who for over 20-years and was present on the roof of No. 3 Saville Row for the famed last performance. Keith will be interviewed 'live' and will take questions. The event, as is the tradition, will be raising finds for the ABC Trust, the charity fronted by Jimmy Page, so we'll have a few very special auction items and a fantabulous raffle! Oh, and the date? Saturday 22nd September. £20 to you, gov. And best be quick and get yer tickets as they're limited to 120! Bruce@londonrocktour.com And while we're on the subject of Hendrix commemoratives........ there's a World Premier Exhibition entitled 'Hendrix Hits London' being held at The Hospital Club, 24 Endell Street, London WC2. The exhibition includes the guitar he smashed on the stage of the Saville Theatre, his clothes, letters and record collection! There are some excellent oral history interviews from Clapton, Beck, Joey Ramone and others. It's not to be missed and you will do so if you don't get there between July 27th and August 31st. If you're taking one of our tours through August you'll be getting a discount voucher.

The Rolling Stones at 50

July 12th 1962 Lots of stuff around reminding us that it's the Rolling Stones 50th anniversary. A few new interesting bits'n'pieces (especially a new photo exhibition currently being held at Somerset House in London's Strand, and another wider exhibition of the Ealing Blues Club at Pitshanger Manor in Ealing). Most though is fairly familiar. I was thrilled, therefore, to have been involved in helping produce a recent documentary on the Stones history with Bebe Contemponi from the Argentinean TV station Canal 12. Interviews with such rock luminaries as famed journalist and rock PR, Keith Altham, and Dick Taylor, the Stone's original bass player at that first Marquee gig, provided some great new stories for the rock tour! My favourite was one provided by Dick. His post Stones band (and still currently gigging), The Pretty Things, lived at 13 Chester Street, Belgravia, during 1965. Above them lived Brain Jones. One evening the 'Things' were gathered around the 9", black and white TV screen (along with kids in a million other households) to watch the Stones play on Top of The Pops. The Stones appearance was eagerly anticipated. Brain Jones appeared sporting his trade-marked floppy hat and a new matelot-styled black and white stripped T shirt.

'Blimey' cries an excited and suddenly hip-by-association, Brian Pendleton, the Things bassist, 'Brian has a T shirt just like mine!' Inexplicably, his announcement was drowned out by rest of the band exploding into raucus and noisy laughter. Unbeknown to Pendleton Brian, Jones Brian had been riffling through his wardrobe earlier that day ... the rest of the Things knew, of course, Pendleton often being the butt of jests, and were eagerly watching the show anticipating Pendleton's discovery ... from hip to zip in 2 seconds.

On this Spot Stood ....

Another iconic rock landmark has disappeared… no more white men in Hammersmith Palais. Actually, the last gig was in April 2007; no less a person than Mark E Smith (The Fall) was the final act to grace a stage immortalized in Joe Strummer’s lyric for the Clash, and mentioned in the Ian Dury and the Blockheads song 'Reasons to Be Cheerful, Part 3'. The venue had been hosting live music since 1919. Originally named the Palais de Danse, one can imagine all of the returning Great War soldiers being part of the original dancing crowd. Over the 70s and 80s it was rock’s for soldiers who went over the top to the Stones, Police, U2, the Who and Pistols, to name but a few campaigners. Now it’s apparently going to be a student hostel. And will the new façade be graced with a plaque to remind future generation of what once stood here? If organizations like English Heritage have any say, then sadly probably not. Unbelievably, English Heritage, the body responsible for placing the Blue Plaques on London’s buildings, has just decided that Brian Epstein Chapel Street house is not going to get one. Epstein, apparently, is not considered important enough – despite the Beatles referring to him as the ‘Fifth Beatle’. ‘Don’t have the budget’ is their lame excuse. ‘fer christ’s sake!!i> How difficult would it be to raise the few hundred quid necessary from fans? They have promised to revisit their decision in 10 years… Anyway, at least there’ll soon be one on Keith Richards Dartford family flat; but more of this in a later blog.

Of All the Bars ....

London’s rock history is littered with some legendary clubs; the Scene, Studio 51, Marquee, Roxy, 100 Club, the Troubadour, Blaises, Bag O’ Nails, Roundhouse, the 2is .. the list goes on and on. But, standing out in terms of legendary status, is one name; the Scotch of St James. The Scotch, situated in Mason’s Yard just off Piccadilly, must surely claim to have witnessed more rock history in the making than any other. This tiny club, with Gered Mankowitz and the Indica Gallery as neighbours, was the favourite of rock’s 60’ aristocracy. The Beatles had their own table; Hendrix agreed terms with Kit Lambert to sign to Track records and some sources claim that Jimi played his first ever UK gig on its tiny stage. It was certainly a ‘fave rave’ with The Who, Moody Blues, Eric Burdon, P.J. Proby … it was a case of be there or be square! The rare shot here shows a Merseybeats member dancing with George's soon to be, Patti Boyd. Unlike other famed bars which were closed, demolished, or turned into offices, the Scotch, renamed as The Directors Lodge, continued as a cellar bar, albeit catering to the ‘beer ‘n’titties’ crowd. But here’s the BIG news! It’s back! The Scotch relives. The small stage is once again graced by the rock fraternity. In fact, on this very day (3rd May) a certain James McCartney is due to play. ‘Private party’, we’re told. What’s the bet dad shows up. What a blast. McCartney senior sitting at his old table. So far information about who has purchased and reopened it, and what they intend to do there is scant but we’re on the case! It’s likely to be a member’s club due to the restricted size, and there’ll probably be little change to another Scotch legend; astronomical drink prices. But if you’re taking our new evening tour, ‘Ticket to Ride’ you’ll get to see the place, and perhaps even the in-crowd filing in.

Farewell 'Father of Loud'

Sad, if inevitable news given his age, of Jim Marshall's death today.

There will be lots of obituaries on other web sites, and in papers and magazines worldwide, so I'll not repeat it here. Suffice it to say that without Marshall amps the history of rock would have been quite different.

The wide publicity that Marshall's death will get, given his fundamental place in the pantheon of rock, might also stimulate 'the powers that be' (in this case the West London Borough of Ealing) to think about erecting a plaque on the original Marshall shop on Hanwell High Street. It would be a welcome addition to one plaque that this rock heritage rich borough does have, identifying the site of the Ealing Blues Club. The history of the two sites are inextricably linked. The club was formed basically as an alternative to the more folksy Roundhouse in Soho where amplification of guitars was not allowed. Many of the Ealing club's performers (like Clapton, Townsend, Jack Bruce, Cyril Davies)later become indelibly associated with Marshall's equipment.

Incidentally, April 7th marks the 50th anniversary of Mick Jagger's performance at the club (with band Little Boy Blue and the Blue Boys, and the meeting with Brian Jones that would lead three months later to the first performance of the Rolling Stones at the Marquee.