1st January 1968
THE SAFETY CATCH
1968 didn’t exactly start with a bang. Another local group making a 2nd appearance in quick succession.
8th January 1968
COLOURED RAISINS
At least with this group, we can provide some information. They were billed as “Britain’s No 1 Coloured Soul Show Live!” and were formed in South London in 1966. Featuring Brian Clarke on vocals, David & Keith Gamport on guitars, Peter Nelson on organ & Lyndon Steel on drums, all apparently originated from the West Indies. They enlarged their line-up to an 8 piece by incorporating Honey Darling, King Ossie and Earl Greene on vocals with Ossie also providing a DJ slot at this event, quite possibly as a support to the live gig. They reportedly became one of the most booked up London outfits during ’67/68, and after shortening their name to the Raisins they finally became Black Velvet in June ’69 following the tragic death of one of it’s band members after returning from a gig. Whilst Black Velvet released several singles and at least 4 albums on the Beacon, Pye, and Seven Sun labels between 1969 and 1973, The Coloured Raisins had several 45’s released by Trojan Records, the London based label founded by Jamaican Duke Reid in 1968 and one of the most important and influential labels in the history of British popular music. Trojan were not only responsible for introducing the UK public to ska, rocksteady and reggae at a time when Jamaican music was slowly making it’s mark into the mainstream, but they also provided The Newmarket with several other artists, some of which were part of that mainstream. Their Trojan singles, most of which date from 1969, reveal a more than capable band that had apparently abandoned their “soul” epithet to embrace Jamaican rhythms.
15th January 1968
PINKERTON’S COLOURS
Another example of Westside Promotions influence as this was another band that were mooted to play the Town Hall back in 1967 prior to Westside’s removal from the local scene. The Pinkerton’s were probably past their sell-by date by 1968. Formed in Rugby as “The Liberators”, they became “The Wild Ones” prior to a further name change in 1965 to their most well-known, and it has to be said, rather silly sobriquet. Their career got off to a perfect start with their debut single, “Mirror Mirror” reaching No.9 in the UK charts, a hit that introduced the British public to that rarest of instruments, the Autoharp. For a band with a Top 10 record under their belt, singles were surprisingly sparse thereafter, only 5 more being issued over a 3 year period to be exact, of which only 2 charted, but only just, scraping into the Top 50 and Top 60 respectively. In fact the band had almost as many name changes as single releases, losing their “Assortment” to become “Pinkerton’s Colours”, then just “Pinkerton’s” and finally “The Flying Machine”, the latter of which enjoyed a solitary No 5 hit in the USA with “Smile A Little Smile For Me” in 1969. As with a lot of bands from this period, the most interesting factoid revolves around who was in it. Drummer Dave Holland left in 1968 to form Trapeze, and finally ended up in the heavy metal band Judas Priest whilst bassist Stuart Colman, a walking encyclopaedia of early Rock N’Roll, not only ended up working for the BBC as a producer and for Radio London as a DJ, but was later largely responsible for the commercial success of Shakin Stevens, who he produced. In fact, in 1982 “Music Week” magazine voted him “the top singles producer of the year”. As for Shaky……watch this space.
A NEW SINGLE IN THE OFFING
With the current trend in unusual pop group names, you would think that “veteran” outfit Pinkerton’s Colours would be riding on the crest of the wave just now. But the truth is that the “Mirror Mirror” boys haven’t been in the Hit Parade since “Don’t Stop Loving Me Baby” some 18 months ago. It’s all rather mystifying when you consider that they were among the originators of psychedelic titles and claim to be the first to have worn dazzling gear for stage performances. By every account they should have automatically slid into the recent cult. Why they didn’t is probably through an inexplicable decision not to release any more records. But this will soon be rescinded becuase, as rhythm guitarist Tony Newman told me between their gigs at the New Market disco last Monday, a new single is in the offing. “The A-side will be “Four O’Clock In New York who “, written by Mitch Murray and Peter Callender who penned “Bonnie And Clyde” and The Tremeloes “Even The Bad Times Are Good” said Tony. “We’re hoping it will put us back in the charts”. Amazingly though, their Top Pop absence hasn’t harmed their reputation and judging by the reaction of the audience at Bridgwater, the fans still remember and support them. Indeed, this Rugby group, consisting of Tony, Sam Pinkerton Kempe (vocals), Steve James (lead), Stuart Colman (bass) and Dave Holland (drums) get as many bookings as they ever did. They’re on a Tamla and soul kick at the moment, so it’s not surprising they included numbers like “I’m Wondering” “Show Me” and Donnie Elbert’s “Little Piece of Leather” for their Bridgwater date. Let’s wish them all the luck with that new disc – I think they’re going to need it.
22nd January 1968
THE MIDROD ENDS
A band that appeared to be a permanent fixture at the Newmarket during it’s early days. They may well have been advertised as being “back by popular demand” but one can only guess that during it’s embryonic period the promoters were discovering that there simply weren’t enough groups to go round. However another clue as to their popularity is that they were managed by Westside Promotions who were, of course, the promoters of Newmarket’s shows. Also mentioned in the Mercury was the release of the debut single, issued by Parlophone Records on the 19th January 1968, by “local folk singer Pete Martin” called “No-One Will Ever Know”. Quite a prophetic title as it happens as no-one will ever know exactly what happened to him. To give him credit, he was a label mate of The Beatles, albeit for a short while and his single can currently be purchased for the princely sum of about £25. He also was due to make an appearance at Taylor’s Record Shop in the High Street which, as we know, was a sure sign of future stardom.
29th January 1968
THE GRAHAM BOND ORGANISATION
Graham Bond was one of those British artists who, along with Alexis Korner and John Mayall, was responsible for providing a haven for several musicians who went on to achieve notoriety and fame elsewhere. Born in Romford, like Mike Cotton, Bond started out as a jazz musician and first achieved some success as a saxophone player in the Don Rendell Quartet before briefly joining Korner’s Blues Incorporated. Voted “Britain’s New Jazz Star” in 1961 he formed his own Graham Bond Quartet with musicians taken from Korner’s band. These were Ginger Baker on drums, Jack Bruce on bass, and guitarist John McLaughlin with Bond now favouring the Hammond Organ as his primary instrument. After the group became known as the Graham Bond Organisation, McLaughlin was replaced by Dick Heckstall-Smith on saxophone and 2 albums, – “The Sound of 65” and “There’s A Bond Between Us” – both released in the same year, are still revered amongst British blues rock enthusiasts as seminal records of the genre with one of these albums (depending on your source) featuring the first example of a Mellotron being used on a rock record. The band however were beset by problems. Bond himself was an early drug abuser and quite possibly becuase of this, he decided to hand over the running of the group to Ginger Baker, who, after constant rows with bassist Bruce, sacked him only to leave himself to eventually form Cream with Bruce and Eric Clapton. Jon Hiseman took over on drums and the Organisation continued as a trio but the loss of his star pupils diminished Bond’s music. Unable to find a successful commercial synthesis that pleased the general public (all Blues bands in the 60’s were judged by hit singles and Bond didn’t have any) and with Bond’s deteriorating health, the band dissolved completely in 1967 with Hiseman & Heckstall-Smith forming the rock band Colosseum. It’s hard to determine exactly what kind of state Bond was in when he played this gig. One observer remarked that it was “just Bond on Hammond plus a drummer playing Jazz/Blues all bathed in a liquid light show”. Such was the erratic nature of Bond’s mental state it could be that the light show was more impressive than the actual performance as he not only continued to exhibit mental disorders, with manic episodes and periods of intense depression, but was still a heavy drug user. His career continued sporadically – he played as a session musician in America for a year, fronted a band called the Graham Bond Initiation with his wife, and was a temporary member of both Ginger Baker’s Air Force and Jack Bruce’s band. Seemingly unable to prevent his decline, he started to show an unhealthy interest in the occult (he believed he was Aleister Crowley’s son) and spent January 1973 in hospital after a nervous breakdown. It has even been posthumously speculated (in the biography “Mighty Shadow”) that he sexually abused his stepdaughter. On 8 May 1974, at just 36 years of age, Bond was killed when he threw himself in front of a tube train at Finsbury Park Station. A troubled soul most certainly but an important, and largely overlooked, artist.
5th February 1968
LUCAS with the MIKE COTTON SOUND
Seemingly another permanent fixture at the New Market. No doubt they were hugely entertaining but 3 appearances in 3 months was probably stretching things a bit.
12th February 1968
THE MUSHROOM CROWD
Frank Zappa once made an album with the Mothers of Invention called “Just Another Band From LA”. Here we have “Just Another Band From Taunton”.
19th February 1968
THE GENERATION (from Bridgwater)
26th February 1968
THE NEAT CHANGE
Information regarding “The Generation” is non existent but perhaps that is unsurprising as they were, to paraphrase “The League Of Gentlemen” – “local”. As for “The Neat Change”, the ad suggests that they were “Direct From London’s Marquee Club” which gives them an air of respectability. Formed in 1966 by a musician called Jimmy Edwards, it would appear that they hold the distinction of being Britain’s first ever skinhead band though at the time of appearing at the Newmarket it’s just possible that they had grown out of that phase and had embraced all things mod. Their reputation at the Marquee however was a strong one but unlike other groups that had held down a residency there, like The Small Faces and The Who (with whom they were both favourably compared), they only made one single, the splendid “I Lied To Auntie May” which appeared on Decca during the year of their Newmarket performance. Apart from sounding like a superior David Bowie out-take (that’s the Deram Bowie – not the Ziggy Stardust one) it has the distinction of being co-written by Peter Frampton & Andy Bown of The Herd and was apparently one of Kenny Everett’s favourite singles though despite the DJ plugging it regularly, it still didn’t chart. In fact Decca not only seemed to have little faith in the group as a whole, but only some members of the band appeared on it’s A-side. It was, by all accounts, not indicative of where the group were at musically which caused some friction within the line-up. There is something of a Yes connection with The Neat Change. It is not only rumoured that their bassist Chris Squire appears on the single despite not being a band member (a rumour that is unsubstantiated), but future Yes guitarist Peter Banks was part of the group but was sacked for refusing to get his hair cut! Jimmy Edwards, the undisputed leader of the band remains an intriguing character. Not to be confused with the handle-bar mustachioed comedian of “Whacko!” fame, during the early 1970’s he became a A&R man for Dawn Records. Whilst at the label he was responsible for signing Carl “Kung Fu Fighting” Douglas, helped Ian Dury during his formative years and in 1979 took over from Jimmy Pursey as the lead singer of Sham 69. He also recorded unreleased demos with The Pretenders and after the dissolution of The Jam formed Time UK with drummer Rick Buckler. Edwards sadly died of cancer in 2015 aged 65.
27th February 1968
WESTSIDE STORY!
Westside Promotions are to switch the days of their weekly pop concerts at the New Market Discotheque in Bath Road, Bridgwater it was disclosed yesterday. Since the venture started last Autumn the shows have always been held on Mondays, but now they will take place every Friday. The new series kicks off on 15th March with a guest visit from versatile British group The Symbols, whose “Best Part Of Breaking Up” on the President label has taken them into the national Top 30 for the first time. And the boys are expected to include their follow-up during their Bridgwater gig. With Westside’s concerts changing to Friday, it does not mean that there will be a change of format. The shows have built up a name for offering good groups from Somerset and farther afield, star attractions, disc jockeys and the best of the latest singles. All this will continue as before. “It’s just that we feel Mondays was a bad night” said Brian Mapstone, partner in the Street-based agency. “Now, having it on Fridays, means that it should be twice as good”. “Becuase of the re-organising, it also means that we shall have a slight break” he explained. “Our last Monday show will be tonight when we present The Neat Change from the Marquee Club, London and then we return on 15th March”. “In addition”, Brian added “P.P. Arnold will not now be coming for the time being”. Well let’s hope the new day will please a whole lot more fans than did Monday.
A huge shame about P.P.Arnold as she was advertised as a forthcoming attraction in the Mercury’s pages.
15th March 1968
THE SYMBOLS
Another band that had already made an appearance in Bridgwater, though not, as it happens, under this name. The group began as Johnny Milton & The Condors and had originally appeared at the Top Twenty on the 13th May 1963. Details of that band can be found elsewhere in this blog but after the name change in 1965 they scratched around for a number of years without quite getting the proverbial big break. They released two singles during that same year, the first of which was produced by Mickie Most but within 12 months had been released from their record contract only to sign to a new label, President Records. Record label owner Edward Kassner felt that the band could have some success with songs that had previously provided hit material for American artists in the US charts. They had already made the mistake of passing on “Silence Is Golden” when a band member alerted The Tremeloes to the song despite the fact that the Symbols had been including it in their live repertoire. Their forte was their 4-part harmony, so it’s not surprising that it was another cover of a Four Seasons song, “Bye Bye Baby” (the very same song that gave us Bay City Rollers mania) that saw them dent the UK singles charts in August 1967, whilst their follow up, a pretty decent stab at The Ronettes “(The Best Part Of) Breaking Up” reached No 25 in 1968. On the very day of their Newmarket appearance, another single “A Lovely Way To Say Goodnight” (with trendy “phasing” studio effects) was released but The Symbols chart success eluded them for good from this point on. They soldiered on into the mid-70’s but with bassist Mick Clarke leaving to join the Rubettes in 1973 and the last original member John Milton leaving in 1974, it wasn’t long before The Symbols crashed for good (pun intended).
22nd March 1968
THE SAFETY CATCH
Just when things were looking good, the volatile nature of Bridgwater’s Beat Scene, unsuprisingly based entirely on financial profit, reared it’s ugly head again. Just when it seemed that the Newmarket’s Discotheque was well established, Westside Promotions pulled the plug.
26th March 1968
Westside Promotions have stopped their weekly pop shows at the New Market Discotheque, Bridgwater. The Street agency has been running the shows since last September, but recent attendances have been poor, and after less than 100 teenagers came to see Taunton’s Safety Catch on Friday, it was decided to end the series. But it is stressed that the New Market’s discotheque evenings on Thursday and Saturday’s will continue, and they hope to arrange an event for Friday’s themselves to keep the venue going.
LOCAL POP SCENE VERY HEALTHY
With Westside Promotions having withdrawn their weekly pop concerts from the New Market Discotheque, pundits have again been saying that local fans didn’t want beat dances anymore. But there is no reason to belive that, becuase a quick check around at the weekend revealed that the Bridgwater pop scene is still very healthy. Sydenham Rave – staged on Fridays – is now holding fortnightly instead of three-weekly shows and reports splendid attendances. The Y.M.C.A. has recently come up with groups on Thursday nights and this is working well, while Bridgwater Boys Club keeps the dances going regularly and also presents pop groups. In addition, there are a number of other record hops being operated with success in the area by various clubs and organisations, as well as thhe Newmarket’s own events, now on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. So why the Westside venture failed remains a complete mystery. The Street agency had only just switched their presentations to Fridays in a bid to boost falling audience figures, but the fans who came to watch Hit Parade stars The Symbols on grand re-opening night were far below the numbers expected. One could hardly excuse the agency for taking the view that nothing would go if a name attraction could not bring in the crowds, and when less than 100 teenagers arrived to see Taunton’s excellent Safety Catch the final decision to end the series was taken there and then. Westside have certainly introduced every type of artiste to the town since opening up at the venue last September. They’ve offered such big performers as The Moody Blues – long before the revived interest in them too – The Nashville Teens, The Mike Cotton Sound with Lucas, and lots of up-and-coming Somerset groups together with D.J.’s and the pick of the latest titles. Their exit from Bridgwater must be viewed as a great loss – and a sad one.
It’s just an observation, but booking the same artists on a regular basis was always going to dissipate the audience. Also, no disrespect to the many local bands that played there but there were so many other venues offering something similar that one feels that Westside should have concentrated on the “big performers” that Mike Guy had mentioned in his article. Regardless of this, it wasn’t long before the cavalry (in the shape of Terry Clare) came to the Newmarket’s rescue.
23rd April 1968
“Blue Sounds” play New Market Disco this Friday, followed by Midrod Ends on 3rd May. Groups to be booked for the disco’s Saturday sessions in the very near future…
7th May 1968
SOUNDS INCORPORATED – rated one of Britain’s top instrumental and vocal groups, will play Sydenham Rave on Friday 17th. This is really something for this smaller venue and there’s talk of other big national attractions coming there in the future.
14th May 1968
Promoter Graham Alford, who used to run the town’s Top Twenty Club, filming big groups at Glastonbury Town Hall last Friday for a new TV pop programme to be screened later this year. Soul aggregation called The Evacuation were @ NewMarket Disco on Friday (12th May)
17th May 1968
SOUNDS INCORPORATED
The booking of this band was quite a coup for the Sydenham Community Centre though the venture proved to be sadly short-lived. Sounds Incorporated were yet another band who had previous having played The Town Hall on the 2nd September 1963. The archetypal 60’s instrumental beat band, despite their brilliant musicianship, one wonders what material would have been in their repertoire circa 1968 and whether they had become just a little passe. It’s certainly fair to say that their best days were behind them. What turned out to be their final single had been released in 1967 and their last album for a major record label appeared the year before. Instrumental bands were all the rage during the early to mid 60’s but despite Sounds Incorporated being the pick of the bunch it was a format that was never going to last, consequently their performance at this gig would probably have been regarded as a little old fashioned and out of date.
28th May 1968
SYDENHAM RAVE PLANS SHELVED
Plans to bring big name groups to Sydenham Community Centre’s Raves have been shelved because not enough fans came to see Sounds Incorporated, one of the country’s longest running instrumental and vocal pop groups. Roy Brogan, the centre’s warden, told me; These large dances were planned for once every three months and were to have been run on a non-profit making basis. “They were really meant as a kind of “thank you” to the youngsters for supporting us so well in the past. But having incurred considerable financial loss on this first one, we can’t risk losing a lot of money on any more in this bracket”. He explained; “We had 200 along for Sounds Incorporated, which was not a bad figure, but it must be remembered that we get around 280 fans each fortnight to see local beat groups”. Mr.Brogan said it was a complete mystery to him why the usual numbers were not attracted. However, he thought it could partly be due to the fact that it was necessary to increase admission prices from the usual 4s 6d to 7s 6d. “As we have always catered for the younger fans – from about 14 to 16 years of age – they may have found the extra 3s. too much to pay” he went on. “But we can’t present famous artistes without putting up ticket prices. I’ll get The Rolling Stones here if audiences are prepared to pay to see them”. He said the disappointing support was no reflection on Sounds Incorporated, who staged a “fantastic show”. In addition to their normal act, they closed with 50 minutes of old rock songs, which greatly pleased those present. Apart from a new organist, they played with the same line-up as when they used to appear on national one-night package tours six or more years ago. And they stayed till after midnight signing autographs. Supporting attraction was Satan’s People from the Burnham area. Mr.Brogan said they would go on offering local groups, since this was apparently what teenagers preferred, and he announced that the next Rave this coming Friday (31st May) would mark the debut of a new Bridgwater unit, The Re-Action. Also on the bill will be The Sheridans, recording artistes, from Bristol.
24th May 1968
THE MIRROR
With yet another attempt at trying to attract name bands to Bridgwater failing miserably (The Sydenham Rave’s venture into booking professional artists was pretty much abandoned after just one night), the New Market was slowly re-grouping thanks to the efforts of Terry Clare, the landlords son. The Mirror were from Bath and were well known enough to have appeared on The Beat Club, a hugely influential West German TV program that ran from 1965 to 1972 and which spawned 100’s of You Tube clips that are fascinating, historic and entertaining in equal measure. However, apart from releasing a single called “Gingerbread Man” in 1968 for Philips Records (the “A”-side was written by the band’s guitarist Bob Pierce whilst the flip “Faster Than Light” cannot decide as to how “far out” it wants to be,) I know nothing about this group apart from it’s line-up and that doesn’t give me any clues. One thing I do know is that the single didn’t chart but it’s one of those songs that you think you’ve heard somewhere before.
7th June 1968
JOYCE BOND SHOW
After booking an 8-piece band called The Workshop on the 31st May, next up was this young lady, another artist that I know absolutely next to nothing about. I am indebted to Discogs for at least providing some information but there isn’t much to go on. She was born Joyce Isoline Smith-Lebron in the Parish of Portland, Jamaica, and was also known as Isoline Fearon, Sister Smith and of course Joyce Bond. Migrating to England to complete her studies it was in the UK that she began her singing career (a woman of many aliases she was also known as “Agent Double-O Soul” – though wasn’t that Edwin Starr’s nickname?) She toured the Caribbean and Europe before moving to the United States with her husband, where she settled to work as an Administrator in a medical facility for the U.S. Army. And that’s about it. She recorded for Island Records and her reputation seems to hang on an album she released in 1967 entitled “Soul And Ska” which featured versions of “007” “Sweet Soul Music” and um “Puppet On A String”. Another web-site called “Northern Soul In Jamaica” gives the following; A well-remembered figure (and quite a tasty one if I remember correctly!) she cut a version of Jackie Edwards’ “Tell Me What It’s All About”, and Joe Tex’s “Sugar”. And, if you’ve ever wondered who that silly, sexy song “Do The Teasy” was by – that was Joyce Bond too! I must confess “Do The Teasy” doesn’t mean anything to me but it not only appears on the aforementioned “Soul And Ska” album, it turns out to be a slightly salacious take on Hopeton Lewis’ classic “Take It Easy” single from 1966 (Joe Tex’s “Sugar” was the B-side.) Further inspection revealed that she cut a fairly nondescript cover of The Beatles “Ob-La-Di-Ob-La-Da” in December 1968 before continuing well into the 70’s with a more refined selection of reggae cuts.
21st June 1968
THE SYMBOLS
28th June 1968
THE WORKSHOP
19th July 1968
REPARATA & THE DELRONS
The Newmarket were still functioning but were in danger of repeating a formula that threatened to undermine all of the good work they had done thus far though no doubt regular punters were just happy to see live performances appearing on a regular basis, regardless as to who the band might be. But this week they secured a booking for an American vocal group who were making their one and only appearance in the South West. They started out as a 5-piece from Brooklyn but eventually were whittled down to a trio featuring Mary Aiese, Shiela Reilly and Carol Drobnicki. They were spotted by a couple of record producers and a quick change of monicker (Reparata was Mary’s confirmation name) resulted in a debut single in 1964 whilst during the following year “Wherever A Teenager Cries”, recorded for the World Artists label, reached No 60 in the Billboard charts with follow-up “Tommy” also denting the Top 100. Also in 1965, having opened for The Rolling Stones at a concert in Philadelphia, both Drobnicki and Reilly left and, after signing to RCA, new members Nanette Licari (one of the original vocalists from the 5-piece days) and 18 year-old Lorraine Mazzola completed the trio. This became the “definitive” Renata & The Delrons line-up and certainly the most prolific, though despite releasing a dozen singles – all recorded in very much the same vein as the Shangri-La’s – none of them charted. A move to Mala Records (a subsidiary of Bell) saw them release the Kenny Young penned “The Captain Of Your Ship” in 1968. Interest Stateside was pretty much non-existent but the record took off in the UK and reached No 13 in the singles charts. Even John Lennon & Ringo Starr attended the reception when the single was launched by the record label. The tour that saw them play the Newmarket was scheduled to promote that single and they were backed throughout by the Scottish progressive rock band Clouds who were eventually signed to the Island label. Just one year later, a career highlight saw the girls providing backing vocals for The Stones “Honky Tonk Women” but further success eluded them and they released their final single, a cover of The Ronettes “Just Walkin In The Rain” in September 1969. Lorraine Mazzola eventually ended up as one of Barry Manilow’s backing vocalists.
26th July 1968
THE WORKSHOP
2nd August 1968
THE MID-ROD ENDS
9th August 1968
THE WORKSHOP
6th August 1968
“This summer must surely have been the best one ever for pop followers in the Bridgwater area. Never have you had the choice of so many different shows at what is normally regarded as a quiet time of the year for entertainments” So said Mike Guy in the first of a new series of weekly columns called “Pop Topics” which first appeared in the 6th August edition of the Bridgwater Mercury. It would seem that, alongside the NewMarket, Bridgwater’s live scene was thriving at this point though the emphasis was still very much on live entertainment that either came from local bands or artists from a 50 mile radius of Bridgwater. Included in the roll call of music venues were the Sydenham Community Centre with it’s regular weekly “Raves”, Bridgwater Boys Club at the bottom of Westonzoyland Road, the YMCA, The Town Hall (now hosting Carnival dances organised by 3 carnival clubs) and the Bridgwater & Albion Rugby ground in Taunton Road who started “Rugby Raves” on an intermittent basis on Friday nights. But of these, apart from the occasional concert at the Sydenham Community Centre, the NewMarket were the only venue who were providing performances by bands and singers that could be called either “National” or in the case of the gig that took place on the 23rd August “International”.
23rd August 1968
THE FANTASTICS
A band who not only had an interesting history, but also had the canny ability to re-invent themselves musically. By the time they had arrived at The Newmarket they were a soulful, tightly-run, extremely professional vocal quartet from the US of A but their origins go way back to the early 50’s. They started life as a Doo-Wop group called The Troubadours in 1953 and like Reperata & her Delrons hailed from Brooklyn. By 1956, after several personnel changes, they had become The Velours and it was under this name that they achieved two minor hits – the excellent “Can I Come Over Tonight” in 1957 and “Remember” the following year, both of which crept into the bottom regions of the Billboard Top 100. Commercial success eluded them after these minor successes but they built an excellent live reputation, particularly at the infamous Apollo Theatre in Harlem, where they played regularly alongside artists such as Bo Diddley, Fats Domino and Larry Williams, amongst others. After disbanding in 1961, two of their original members re-formed the group in 1966 and recorded “Im Gonna Change” for MGM the following year, a song that sounds like a long lost forgotten Northern Soul floor shaker.
Somewhat rejuvenated, they agreed to tour the UK during the year of the single’s release but discovered upon arrival that the tour agent had erroneously billed the band as “The Fantastic Temptations” which led to punters expecting them to perform Motown songs. They somehow survived this mis-hap and returned again the following year having received a personal invitation from Peter Stringfellow. By now, they were known as The Fantastics (or The Four Fantastics according to the NewMarket). Due to the reaction that they received in this country, they decided to stay, building up a steady live following, and in 1971 were rewarded when the Tony MacCauley, Roger Greenaway and Roger Cook song “Something Old, Something New” reached No 9 in the UK charts, whilst another song “(Love Me) Love The Life I Lead” penned by pretty much the same team, gave them another minor hit in the States. They were still going by 1986, though by now this was primarily on the cabaret circuit, with most of the original members having left by then, one of which, Richard Pitts, became a lecturer at the University of Huddersfield.
30th August 1968
THE HUSH
They played the New Market for sure but they aren’t particularly well-known so info is scarce. They were a 5-piece band from Birmingham (though Mike Guy suggests they had 7 members) who made just the one single for Fontana, the ultra rare “Elephant Rider” (the intro of which sounds suspiciously like a well-known Manfred Mann single about a member of the circus.) Drummer Mac Poole took over from Cozy Powell in a band called Young Blood whilst keyboard player Peter Wood enjoyed some success as a session musician and co-wrote “Year Of The Cat” with Al Stewart. And that, as they say, is yer lot.
6th September 1968
THE IDLE RACE
This band were from Birmingham too – but whereas The Hush were a tad obscure, this fine group concealed someone more famous than all of the members of that band put together. The band’s origins can be found in another Birmingham group, one that had played Bridgwater before. Mike Sheridan & The Nightriders played The Top Twenty club on the 28th June 1965 and at that point in their history not only included lead singer Sheridan but all-round good guy, the multi-talented and criminally under-rated Roy Wood. After Wood left to form The Move and Sheridan also departed, the band contained just a few strands of what they had started with and during the personnel re-shuffle, they employed a young man called Jeffrey Lynne, a young guitar prodigy from Shard End. After recording one single for Polydor as The Nightriders (entitled “It’s Only The Dog”,) more changes were required as the band entered the psychedelic age with heavier emphasis placed on Lynne’s Beatle-influenced songwriting skills. Aided by some help from Wood, who arranged a deal for the group, the now re-named Idyll Race (quickly changed to The Idle Race) obtained a deal with Liberty Records, the first Engish band to be signed by the label. From 1968-1971 they made 3 albums for Liberty, (though only 2 of these feature Lynne) beginning with “The Birthday Party” in 1968. They were heralded by the press and by high profile DJ’s Kenny Everett & John Peel whilst The Beatles were also apparently admirers. However, their critical acclaim never reached as far as the paying public and sadly they were one of those “should-have-made-it-but never-did” groups. Listening to their music reveals no shortage of invention and songwriting talent though Lynne’s Beatle-fixation (he may have sounded a little like John Lennon but his songs were very much influenced by the more whimsical part of McCartney’s catalogue) possibly reveals a slight lack of identity with too much emphasis on clever production techniques and an almost music hall approach to some of the material. However, they left behind some forgotten gems (such as “The Skeleton And The Roundabout” and the excellent “Morning Sunshine”) that received healthy radio play but no chart success. Roy Wood’s admiration for Lynne was unabashed but the latter turned down the chance to join The Move in 1969, concentrating instead on the Idle Race’s eponymous 2nd album (which flopped miserably). Due to the failure of that project, Lynne eventually joined forces with Wood one year later, but only after it was agreed that The Move would eventually be retired in order to make way for a brand new project called The Electric Light Orchestra. and we all know what happened to them. After Lynne’s departure the remaining members stuck around long enough to make a 3rd record and then later succeeded in employing the talents of both Steve Gibbons (for just 3 months), and ex-Move bassist Trevor Burton before finally calling it a day in 1972. However, the nucleus of this group continued as The Steve Gibbons Band and another new chapter was born.
The Idle Race, first British band to be signed by Liberty Records, are hoping that no-one will compare them to that other Brum outfit The Move when they appear at Bridgwater’s NewMarket disco this Friday. Although Move’s lead guitarist Roy Wood was a member of the group until he joined The Move two years ago, The Idle Race claim they are not like them at all. Understandably, the boys are getting tired of the comparisons drawn between them and the “Fire Brigade/Flowers In The Rain” gang. “That’s one of the reasons why we chose our name – it’s just about the direct opposite to The Move” says Dave Pritchard, who’s on lead guitar. So stand by to hear something different than that and something equally good on Friday. Material like “End Of The Road”, their third and newest single and “Skeleton & The Roundabout” which was the previous one and the disc which got 120 spins on Radio 1 programmes. Keep a lookout too, for any numbers off their L.P. ,E.P. and next 45er, which Liberty issue simultaneously in a few weeks. And you can also prepare to get your “Fight For Free Radio” banners ready because the group are avid supporters of the campaign to get commercial radio legalised in this country. With Dave on stage is Jeff Lynn (lead guitar and vocals) the song writer, who has penned “I Like My Toys” for disc jockey Ed Stewart (out on 27th September), Gregory Masters (bass) and Roger Spencer (drums). And I’ve just heard that they appear in a commercial for one of the Banks, which was filmed recently and also features their music.
13th September 1968
THE FORCE WEST
Another band that had played Bridgwater previously (on the 17th July 1966), they were one of the last groups to grace The Town Hall stage as part of The Top Twenty set-up. From Bristol, their history can be seen elsewhere in this blog. At the time of their Newmarket appearance, CBS 45 “I’ll Walk In The Rain” was their latest release, produced by ex-Springfield Mike Hurst.
20th September 1968
KEEF HARTLEY & HIS BAND/Justin’s Timepiece
Blues fans from Bridgwater and a wide area of Somerset will be going to the New Market discotheque on Friday to see ex-John Mayall drummer Keef Hartley and his band. It promises to be one of the most interesting shows ever staged at this trend-setting venue. For those who like to know soemthing about the men behind the music, Keef was born in Preston, Lancs. on 8th March, 1944. During his early life he showed very little musical tendencies and, in fact, most of the corporal punishment received whilst at school was given by the music teacher! At the age of 17 he started to take an interest in pop music. He wished to play drums, thinking that this would be the easiest instrument, but after six months he realised he was becoming more and more involved in the instrument’s complexities. In the Summer of 1962 he left home and went to live in Liverpool to join the then happening “Mersey Sound”. There he teamed with Rory Storme & The Hurricanes, where he took over from Ringo Starr who had just left to join The Beatles, a promising group at the time. After the Mersey Beat boom faded, Keef found himself playing in all sorts of dives in the North, and at one of these he met many big names from London, who persuaded him to board a train for the “big city” in September 1964. He spent three years with The Artwoods, until he met with John Mayall in April of 1967, whom he had known on and off for about three years through doing recording sessions with John and Eric Clapton on various Champion Jack Dupree albums. Keef joined The Bluesbreakers as drummer and earned himself a reputation for being something of an extrovert personality – examples of which are contained in the two volume “Diary Of A Band” set of L.P’s which he recorded with that group. Last April, John suggested that Keef should start his own band, which he did, both with verbal and financial encouragement from John. And so in just four days you will have the experience of hearing Keef with singer Owen Finnegan, guitarist Spit James, organist Peter Dines and bass guitarist Gary Thain. It is understood that Justin’s Timepiece and D.J. John Bull will complete this all-blues evening.
After Hartley’s Newmarket appearance, he secured a deal with the ultra progressive Deram label and in 1969 released not one, but two albums. The first, “Halfbreed” (which features Hartley on the sleeve dressed as a Red Indian, a persona that he sometimes adopted on stage) was released in March whilst the second, “The Battle Of North West Six” (described as “an amazing display of virtuosity” by The Vancover Sun) came out in November of that year. In between those two albums Hartley’s growing reputation was good enough for his band to make an appearance at the Woodstock Festival, playing on Saturday 16th August, the same day as The Who. (Which of course means that TWO bands that have appeared in Bridgwater both played a part in one of the most historic dates in popular music history). However, the band was the only artist that played at the festival whose set was never included on any officially released album (prior to 2019), nor on the soundtrack of the film. Despite this accolade, commercial success eluded him though he was a good draw on the live circuit. He continued to issue albums with both John Mayall and his own band and issued one LP as a solo artist (“Lancashire Hustler” in 1973), as well as making appearances as a session musician on albums by Vinegar Joe (“Rock N’Roll Gypsies” in 1972) and guitarist Michael Chapman for whom he appeared on 3 records from 1975 to 1977. Bassist Gary Thain later became an original member of the group Uriah Heep.
Regarding the support band, Justin’s Timepiece were from Taunton and were responsible for at least one single entitled “Lonely Man”, released on the wilfully obscure Reverberation label just one month before their appearance in Bridgwater. Apparently two members of this band went on to form the group Marsupilami (named after a Belgian comic character), a band who toured with Deep Purple in 1969 and released two albums on the Transatlantic label in 1970 and 1971 respectively.
Some great improvisation from blues artists Keef Hartley & His Band and Justin’s Timepiece at the New Market. Material to stop and listen to. MIKE GUY – Pop Topics
4th October 1968
THE ORANGE BICYCLE
NOT a Newmarket gig but a fairly significant one nevertheless. Like The Idle Race, the wonderfully named “Orange Bicycle” had their origins in another band that also had played The Top Twenty. They were, prior to passing their psychedelic cycle proficiency test, Robb Storme & The Whispers, owners of one of the most poptastic but sadly under-rated singles of the mid-60’s, “Where Is My Girl?”, the riff of which was nicked by Pete Townshend for “Substitute” after hearing the single on the radio. Storme and his Whispers are covered elsewhere in this blog but as for The Bicycle’s, their career sadly didn’t last very long. Having chosen their new epithet directly after their previous incarnation had recorded a cover version of The Beach Boys “Here Today”, their debut single “Hyacinth Threads” – a wonderful slab of British psychedelia that also passes as proto prog rock – got to No.1 in France and was also a success in other European countries. But despite being regarded as one of the best British psychedelic singles of all time, in terms of chart success in the UK, it’s failure resigned the band to an underground status. A 1968 appearance at the Isle of Wight Festival alongside bands such as Jefferson Airplane, The Move and Fairport Convention, promised future success and during the following year the BBC included them on their BBC2 TV program “Colour Me Pop”, the precusor to The Old Grey Whistle Test. In 1970 they released their eponymous debut album, but having nailed their kaleidoscopic colours to the mast, as all things far-out became out of fashion, the band spilt in 1971. Original member Kevin Currie joined Supertramp whilst Will Malone became a successful record producer.
Big groups will now appear at Sydenham Community Centre’s Raves following good support for The Orange Bicycle show. I looked in during the evening to see how it was going and was most impressed by what I saw. New Bridgwater unit Ethiopia’s Answer were making their debut and had the challenge of warming things up in just 20 minutes. Although the fans seemed uncertain over quite what to expect from them, they should build up a following as time goes on. Next to step on to the stage were The Re-Action, a young, alive group who I rate very highly. Then came the bill-topping Orange Bicycle to offer some beautifully smooth West Coast harmonies. Reminding me of The Symbols, this London-based quartet certainly know what they’re doing while in Rob Scales they can boast of having a quality main vocalist. This was the first occasion the Rave had presented three groups on one programme, and the organisers should be congratulated on their enterprise. It was no mean feat to have arranged such a crowded and busy schedule as well as they did.
4th October 1968
THE TRACTION
Pop pickers were spoilt for choice on this particular evening as appearing in the New Market on the same night as the Amber Cyclist’s were this band, a soul conglomeration from Birmingham. Formed in 1964, The Traction were born out of the ashes of an R&B group called The Yamps. Having augmented their line-up with a brass section, their style of music became more soulful and the obligatory re-brand was completed by a change of name. Band member Will Hammond wasn’t keen on the make-over however and left to join forces with another combo who played Bridgwater in the late 60’s, the Steve Gibbons-led Ugly’s. The Traction recruited Birmingham’s own “Little Miss Dynamite” Brenda Bosworth on vocals and it was her lung power that attracted the attention of one George Martin. Having arranged an Abbey Road session with the band, Bosworth impressed but George didn’t seem to share his enthusiasm for the rest of the line-up and sadly things unravelled fairly quickly with no record deal and Bosworth leaving. It’s hard to know exactly what version of The Traction Bridgwater witnessed as this was a group that swelled in size almost at whim, boasting, at one point, no less than 14 group members. It would appear however that for this gig they had slimmed down to a comparatively small combo of 8.
11th October 1968
THE JOYCE BOND SHOW
Joyce Bond socked it to us at the New Market with a beautiful mixture of Ska and soul music. She ven got members of the audience on stage with her…
18th October 1968
THE PACKAGE DEAL (Weymouth’s top Soul outfit!)
25th October 1968
THE FANTASTICS
Four coloured artistes – John Cheatdom, Jerome Ramos, Donald Haywoods and Richard Pitts – make up one of the most exciting acts to be seen in this country. Collectively they’re called The Fantastics and on Friday they return to Bridgwater at the request of fans for another performance at the NewMarket discotheque. The Fantastics were all born in New York and went to the same high school – Brooklyn Boys. All four had college educations, and Jerome Ramos had graduated with one of the most esoteric degrees obtainable. He is in fact a fully qualified, licensed, embalmer. Richard Pitts obtained a degree in advertising and John Cheatdom a degree in classical studies. While at college the group broke up but their love of music and singing before the public brought them together again. The group was first fomed in 1956, under the name of The Velours, and they made their first public appearance at the famous Apollo Theatre in New York on a show sponsored by a New York rhythm and blues radio station. This appearance coincided with the release of their first single on the Onyx label. They played gigs in and around New york, including six return visits to the Apollo Theatre inside three months. In 1957 they went on a tour of the States with the then relatively uknown Ray Charles, and also on the tour was the new chart contender O.C.Smith & Bo Diddley. While working the States The Fantastics had three hit records and appeared on many television shows, including “The Alan Freed Show”. They then made their first visit to England in August 1967, for a tour of British ballrooms and having liked it so much returned four months later. In February of this year the boys decided to make Britain their home. On stage The Fantastics always give their audiences what they want – their own preferences in music are for slow ballads with which they can use their harmony techniques. Backing in this country is provided by the British group The House Of Orange , with a line-up of bass, guitar and drums. A few weeks ago The Fantastics had their first record with MGM released. An up-tempo number “Baby Make Your Own Sweet Music”, it was a big success in the States when sung by Jay & The Techniques. So that’s the potted life history of the quartet. And those who have seen them at the NewMarket will want no encouragement to go and hear them again on Friday. In the words of a punter, The Fantastics are fantastic. Mike Guy – Pop Topics.
22nd October 1968
SCENE AT LOCAL DANCE – £50 FOR BREACH OF THE PEACE
Imposing a fine of £50 with £1 costs on a local man who was involved in a scene at a dance at the New Market Hotel, the Chairman of Bridgwater Borough Magistrates said on Monday “We are not going to have this sort of behaviour in this town”. Roy Anthony Tett (20) pleaded not guilty to committing a breach of the peace. The licensee, Mr.Ernest George Clare told the Court he asked Tett to leave a dance when he was arguing with some other men. He then adopted a nasty attitude and was ejected. Later he returned holding two broken glasses and threatened to use them. When told he was not wanted on the premises again Tett replied; “That’s the worst day’s work you have ever done in your life. I will wreck the place”. Police advised Tett to go home but he returned at 12.15 a.m. anf threatened to bring a gang. Mr.Clare then advised him to go but he retorted “Why should I? You are only being big because the coppers are here”. Asked why he had been holding the broken glasses he said “I was going to use them on someone”. During cross-examination the defendant alleged that the police had committed perjury.
Looks like the Summer Of Love was well and truly over.
1st November 1968
JIMMY PARKER SOUL SHOW
This looks like it could have been quite a show based on the very small amount of info that I have on the man but I guess that depends on whether I have the right Jimmy Parker or not. Parker, by all accounts, was a saxophone player and not only that, but he is particularly well-known for being a member of the J.B.’s, which, for the uninitiated was James Brown’s band. Under the circumstances I would have expected Parker to have left that group before striking out with his own soul revue but it would appear that this appearance occurred BEFORE he became a Brown session man as his period with “The Hardest Working Man In Showbusiness” was 1971-1975. This means that he would have appeared on such Brown classics as “Get On The Good Foot”and “Hot Pants”. If Parker ran his “Soul Show” with the amount of professional dynamism that Brown did, this would have been a great evening. The promise of “Go Go Girls” unquestionably added to the spectacle.
8th November 1968
THE ALABAMA SHOESTRING BAND
15th November 1968
U.S. FLAT-TOP CAT ROADSHOW
If anyone has any information whatsoever as to who The Alabama Shoestring Band were I would love to hear from them. As for Mr Flat Top, this would appear to be another soul revue featuring the aforementioned Mr Top though as to the origins of his real name, no-one is telling though he apparently started out with a band called The Soul System in 1966. This was a band that played the live circuit from 1967-1969 and, like The Traction, were extremely fluid, changing personnel frequently – from a 14-piece band in 1967, to a 12-piece and finally a 9-piece by 1969 with a large roster of musicians, most of which, it would appear, didn’t stay for very long. As well as starring singer US Flattop, the band also featured several guest singers over the years, as well as dancers, including Lorna and Lesley in late 1967, Jacqui and Sue in summer 1968 and Leroy and Jacqui in late 1968. And that’s not all. They were billed as U.S.Flat Top’s Cat Roadshow for this gig but also went under a variety of other names such as The Cat Soul Packet, The C-A-T Band and sometimes just The C-A-T. In fact knowing the temporary nature of the group, I’m surprised they made it through to the end of the gig.
22nd November 1968
THE FLIRTATIONS
At this point in the proceedings the New Market was gaining a very healthy reputation as a top soul venue. Terry Clare suggested that this was largely due to the enthusiasm of the Hotel’s regulars, consequently bookings reflected the taste of the venue’s clientele. Having just played The Odeon in Taunton as part of a package tour involving headliners Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich, it made sense for Terry to secure the services of this female vocal trio. The Flirtations were the 3rd artists to have appeared recently that hailed from New York, forming in 1962 as The Gypsies though 3 of the 4 band members, all sisters, were originally from South Carolina (Ernestine, Shirley and Betty Pearce were augmented by Lestine Johnson). They released their debut single in 1964 and achieved a minor hit the year after with “Jerk It”, a No 33 hit on Billboard’s R&B chart. 1965 was also the year that they changed both their record label and their name, releasing “Change My Darkness Into Light”, a well-received Northern Soul number, under “The Flirtations” but that, and subsequent singles, failed to dent the hit parade. Fast forward to 1968, the year of their New Market appearance. Now a trio, they packed their bags and headed to England where they managed to achieve two big breaks. One was a record deal with Parrot Records, a UK label whose star performer was Tom Jones, the second was supporting Tom on his Autumn 1968 European tour. The Flirtations only released one single for Parrot (“Someone Out There” – No 25 in the Netherlands) but they attracted the attention of Deram (home to The Moody Blues, David Bowie and Cat Stevens) and released for the label, one of THE great Northern Soul records, “Nothin But A Heartache”, which became their signature tune. (It’s interesting to note that the song was, despite sounding distinctly American, a British invention – produced in the UK, written by two UK songwriters, Wayne Bickerton & Tony Waddington, and released on a UK label.) The Dutch, for the second time, put the single into their Top 40, but despite getting a lot of airplay in this country, it failed to chart but it did get them a spot on a UK tour with Stevie Wonder & The Foundations (and, of course, a lucrative gig in Bridgwater). They released 6 singles on Deram, achieving minor success in their home country, and by 1972, with two of the original three sisters still in the group, they secured a regular spot as resident background vocalists on the BBC TV series “It’s Cliff Richard”. Not only did the girls continue to record during the 70’s and 80’s, embracing Disco along the way, but in 2007 “Nothin But A Heartache” was used by KFC in one of their advertising campaigns. And what’s more they are still going, releasing the album “Still Sounds Like The Flirtations” in 2024.
29th November 1968
THIS SIDE UP
I was hoping that this might prove to be an excursion from the New Market’s soul offerings, as there was a wilfully obscure band from San Mateo, California called This Way Up formed in 1965, that released a single for Century Records entitled “Lose Yourself”/”Turn Your Head’ during the following year. However, having discovered that only 100 copies of this record were pressed, and that by 1967 they had changed their name to The Elastik Band, I think we can safely assume that this is not that This Way Up but quite possibly another local band from the South West. Sadly the Bridgwater Mercury and the redoubtable Mike Guy were not on the case for once, so they remain a mystery.
6th December 1968
GENE LATTER & THE DETOURS
There is a blog that calls Gene Latter “a nearly man”. Someone whose career spanned several musical genres, releasing a number of singles in the process, but who never seemed to get the big break that he deserved. The problem with this description is that you could use it to describe a whole host of singers and artists which begs the question, what does it take to get a hit? Sometimes it’s bad luck, sometimes it’s bad management, or maybe it’s simply down to a lack of raw talent and ambition. I’m not sure which of these describe Latter’s fortunes, but the fact is, despite a career that lasted for just over a decade, success eluded him. His real name was Arthur Ford and he was an ex-boxer from Tiger Bay in Cardiff. He had been a member of a local band called The Alley Cats before deciding to seek his fame and fortune in London. Whilst in the Big Smoke he hooked up with a Rhodesian outfit called The Shake Spears who were quite popular in Belgium and then in early 1966 pursued a solo career. He recorded a succession of singles, firstly for Decca (for which, he released a cover version of The Stones “Mother’s Little Helper”) and then for CBS, Spark (just one single with the Liverpudlian band The Detours in 1968) and then finally Parlophone from 1969 to 1971. And that’s pretty much it.
13th December 1968
THE EQUALS
Terry Clare, who runs the New Market Discotheque in Bridgwater is going all out to make Friday the 13th of December the luckiest day of the year for pop fans in this area. For Terry has been able to book that chart-topping group The Equals, who topped the Hit Parade with the song “Baby Come Back”. This is the most exciting Bridgwater dance deal of 1968 and it is to be hoped that everyone will turn out in force to give this established aggregation the welcome they deserve. The Equals were formed three years ago by John Hall and Eddie Grant while they were still attending school. They invited the Gordon twins, namely Derv and Lincoln, to join them and to complete the unit they recruited fellow school chum Pat Lloyd. After playing around various dance halls in North London for a year, the boys were signed to President Records and had their first release “I Won’t Be There ” in March 1967. It failed to register in the charts but was an instant smash in Germany and reached the Top 10. The group were immediately flown to Germany for television and tour dates. They returned to England for their second release “Hold Me Closer”/”Baby Come Back” which was followed by “Give Love A Try”. In January of this year they issued “I Get So Excited” which at last broke the ice and reached No 42 in the Top 50. Meanwhile, they were also scoring in countries like Belgium, Holland and France. Then came an extraordinary sequence of events which resulted in their number one achievement. President issued their first E.P., “Baby Come Back”. After only three weeks of release, the E.P. appeared in the singles list and shopkeepers, checking back the catalogue, found that “Baby” was available on an old 45-er and at once re-ordered it. Within six weeks a year-old single was a chart topper in the British charts and The Equals had arrived. And on Friday, the lads arrive at the New Market Disco. This is an occasion you won’t want to miss, so do all you can to be there. It promises to be a great evening.
Mike Guy’s resume is as accurate as ever but it doesn’t tell the full story. After “Baby Come Back” took The Equals to the top of the hit parade, they acheived success with a couple of other singles post-New Market with “Viva Bobby Joe” in 1969 and the funky “Black Skin Blue-Eyed Boys” in 1970 both reaching the Top 10. The latter single showed that there was more to this band than just beat music as it displayed a social and political conscience that was also prevalent in some of their other songs (most notably Eddie Grant’s “Police On My Back” from their 2nd album “Explosion”). Grant was also partially responsible for the band’s vibrant image with their colourful attire pre-dating the Glam Rock era. In fact Grant would occasionally wear a ladies wig on stage and turned up for his New Market date with his hair bleached blonde. Two unfortunate incidents involving Grant’s health sadly scuppered the band. Firstly, whilst touring in Germany in 1969 the group were involved in a serious car accident which injured all 5 band members though Grant was the worst affected. This ended his live involvement with the band but continued to write material for them. Two years later Grant then suffered a collapsed lung and a heart infection and after convalescing in Guyana, he left the group to concentrate on a solo career. The band split up for good in 1979 and even though they reformed three years later, they are most remembered for their late 60’s/early 70’s material and for being the band that launched Eddy Grant’s career. Incidentally, there is a little bit of what could be called New Market synchronicity regarding this appearance as ironically the man who recommended them to their record company, President Records, was a singer who had played the venue just one week earlier, Eddie Grant’s neighbour, Gene Latter.
27th December 1968
THE FANTASTICS
Comments