NATIONAL HEAD BAND - Albert 1 (Warner Brothers Records K 46094, 1971)

The National Head Band evolved from a group called The Business a quartet featuring Neil Ford (guitar, vocals), Dave Paull (bass, keyboards, guitar, vocals), Jan Schelhaas (keyboards) and John Skorsky (drums). After signing a management deal and changing their name they got a deal with Warner Brothers who, for some unfathomable reason, insisted that the group should have two drummers. Enter Lee Kerslake (drums, keyboards, vocals), fresh from recording the first Toe Fat album. However, no sooner had the band entered the studios than drummer Skorsky decided to quit! The remaining quartet had quite divisive musical tastes: Schelhaas was a soul fan, Ford was a bluesman, Paull was ostensibly a folkie and Kerslake was more into rock. Given the task of melding all these influences into a coherent album was Eddie Offord who had just completed work on The Yes Album. Offord was more than up to the task in hand and the results he achieved are admirable as elements of all of the individual members musical interests can be heard on the album, which fits neatly in with other albums released in the early seventies that are recognised as classics of the blooming progressive scene. Label incompetency, a mistimed and misplaced tour of Top Rank venues, and a whole batch of faulty album pressings did the band no favours who, unheralded, split later the same year.

Opening number Got No Time starts off with a riff that is vaguely similar to Day Tripper by The Beatles but the piano adds a bit of rhythm and blues to the proceedings. A nice heavier ending courtesy of a couple of electric guitars gives way to their acoustic counterparts in You which displays the groups talent for harmonising. The mixture of the acoustic six strings with the bold keyboard and the soulful vocals provides an interesting blend. The excellent Too Much Country Water is up next and again the harmony vocals add a lot to the number. Schelhaas provides jaunty piano and different guitar solos emanate from each speaker, before things ramp up for the ending. Lead Me Back is certainly a Beatles influenced number with the Moog being tapped for a wide range of brass band sounds. However, the song doesn't really evolve into anything that special and would have benefited from having an earlier fade out. Another Apple band, Badfinger, can be heard within the grooves of Listen To The Music and is almost up to the same standard as that masterful but ill-fated group.

Unusual for even progressive bands, the harmonium takes centre stage for Islington Farm, a more melancholy number. The guitar has a ton of echo applied to it which contrasts brightly with the layered vocals. Overall a strange little song that I'm not entirely convinced by but holds up well against other experimental numbers of the era. Paull's folk leanings are more on display during Try To Reach You with Ford's bottle neck guitar solo proves a standout moment. Leaving the country twang behind, Brand New World mixes bits of everything that has gone before. The abilities of Offord come to the fore as the blend of different voices, a fluid bass line, the organ, acoustic and electric guitars is absolutely perfect, a great song. The grand finale is provided by Mister Jesus which sets off at a blistering pace - like a distant cousin to Flight Of The Rat by Deep Purple. However, this only serves as an intro, for after two minutes the rock is replaced by the acoustic guitars, organ and harmony vocals. The ending of the song is quite masterful with initially a Beatles-type section and then a bit more up-tempo with wahwah guitar pulling things to a close. 

The National Head Band showed more than enough promise that they could have achieved far greater things. Instead Kerslake went off to join Uriah Heep, Schelhaas had stints in both Camel and Caravan (whom he rejoined a couple of years ago for their excellent The Unauthorised Breakfast Item album) and Paull joined the also excellent Jonesy.

COLOSSEUM - Valentyne Suite (Vertigo Records VO 1 847 900 VTY, 1969)

Colosseum, one of the first bands to fuse jazz, rock & blues were formed in Spring 1968 by drummer Jon Hiseman with tenor sax player Dick Heckstall-Smith, who had previously worked together in the New Jazz Orchestra and in The Graham Bond Organisation, where Hiseman had replaced Ginger Baker in 1966. They met up again early in 1968 when they both played in John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, during which time they played on the Bare Wires album. Childhood friend Dave Greenslade was quickly recruited on organ, as was bass player Tony Reeves who had also known both Jon and Dave since being teenage musicians in South East London. The band's line-up was completed, after lengthy auditions, by Jim Roche on guitar and James Litherland (guitar & vocals), although Roche only recorded one track before departing.

The band made their live debut at the Scene Club, Scarborough and were promptly recorded by influential BBC Radio 1 DJ John Peel for his Top Gear Radio program. This appearance gained them valuable exposure and critical acclaim. Their first album, "Those Who Are About to Die Salute You", which opened with the Bond composition "Walkin' in the Park", was released by the Philips' Fontana label in early 1969. In March the same year they were invited to take part in Supershow, a two-day filmed jam session, along with Modern Jazz Quartet, Led Zeppelin, Jack Bruce, Roland Kirk Quartet, Eric Clapton, Stephen Stills, and Juicy Lucy.

Colosseum's second album, later in 1969, was "Valentyne Suite", notable as the first release on Philip's newly launched Vertigo label, established to sign and develop artists that did not fit the main Philips' brand, and the first label to sign heavy metal pioneers Black Sabbath. For the third album, "The Grass Is Greener", released only in the United States in 1970, Dave "Clem" Clempson replaced James Litherland. Louis Cennamo then briefly replaced Tony Reeves on bass, but was replaced in turn by Mark Clarke within a month. Then Hiseman recruited vocalist Chris Farlowe to enable Clempson to concentrate on guitar. This lineup had already partly recorded the 1970 album "Daughter of Time". In March 1971, the band recorded concerts at the Big Apple Club in Brighton and at Manchester University. Hiseman was impressed with the atmosphere at the Manchester show, and the band returned five days later for a free concert that was also recorded. The recordings were released as a live double album Colosseum Live in 1971. In October 1971 the original band broke up.

After the band split, Jon Hiseman formed Tempest with bassist Mark Clarke; Dave Greenslade formed Greenslade together with Tony Reeves. Chris Farlowe joined Atomic Rooster; and Dick Heckstall-Smith embarked on a solo career. Clem Clempson joined the hit group Humble Pie. Hiseman formed a totally other group called Colosseum II in 1975, with a stronger orientation towards jazz-fusion rock, which featured the well-known guitarist Gary Moore and Don Airey on keyboards. They released three albums before disbanding in 1978. Remarkably, Colosseum reunited 23 years later (1994) with exactly the same line-up as when they split in 1971.

Colosseum reunited on 24 June 1994 at the Freiburg Zelt Musik Festival, then, a few months later, they played a concert in Cologne on 28 October at E-Werk which was recorded for a TV Special and later released in 1995 as a CD and video. It was then re-released in 2004 as a DVD. The rejuvenated band then played a lengthy tour of mainly German concerts. A second tour followed in 1997, to promote their new studio album "Bread and Circuses". They also appeared at major festivals in 1998, 1999 and 2000. In 2003 they toured on the back of "Tomorrow's Blues" CD, followed also by gigs in England in 2004. Hiseman's wife, saxophonist Barbara Thompson, joined the band on various occasions before the death of Dick Heckstall-Smith in December 2004, before becoming a permanent member of the band. In 2005, there were three memorial concerts for Dick Heckstall-Smith, one in Hamburg Germany and two in England. Then on 24 September 2005 they performed in Moscow, followed by more concerts in 2006. In 2007, the made their first appearance in Japan and returned to play more dates in Germany. Further tours of Europe were made in 2010.

In October 2010, Jon Hiseman's biography, Playing the Band - The Musical Life of Jon Hiseman, was published. In November 2012, a Kindle version (with minor re-edits) of Playing the Band was published. Colosseum played their "Summer 2011" tour of 22 gigs in Germany, Italy, Austria, Finland and Poland. The tour started in June and ended on 20 August in Germany, Rostock, at Bad Doberan "Zappanale" festival. According to the interview of the bandleader Jon Hiseman, Bad Doberan was the last concert of the band. Their second 'last' concert was in Poland, Slupsk, at "Legends of Rock" festival on 13 August 2011 and the third 'last' concert in Finland, Äänekoski, at "Keitelejazz" festival on the 23 July 2011. These announcements were based on Barbara's worsening Parkinson's condition preventing her from playing. However, with the arrival of new medication, her ability to play was renewed, so those announcements proved to be premature and the band continued to record and play until 2015.

More studio releases followed, as expanded editions of "Valentyne Suite" and "Colosseum Live", and several compilation sets of earlier work. From 2011 to 2014, Colosseum gradually recorded their final album, titled "Time on our Side", which was eventually released late in 2014, to coincide with their final flurry of dates in Germany and the UK. These included 24 concerts during 2014 in Central Europe, starting 2014-10-23 at Steinegg Festival, Collepietra, Italy. followed by concerts in February 2015 before finally ending on 2015-02-28 at the Shepherd's Bush Empire, London W12. At all these concerts, Jon Hiseman confirmed from the stage that this tour would be Colosseum's last. So, after 23 years, the band played what Jon referred to as 'the last hurrah!' before a packed and very appreciative audience at the Shepherd's Bush Empire, London on 28 February 2015. Special 'guest' was Ana Gracey, the daughter of Jon Hiseman and Barbara Thompson, who sang her own composition, "Blues to Music", with Chris Farlowe, which was also included on the final Colosseum CD.

OMAR AND THE HOWLERS - Muddy Springs Road

(Watermelon Records CD 1036, 1995)

The nominal frontman of the Austin, Texas-based swamp rock unit Omar & the Howlers, singer and guitarist Omar Dykes was born in McComb, Mississippi in 1950 (not coincidentally also the birthplace of Bo Diddley, whose signature beat informed much of Dykes' music). Weaned on his mother's eclectic collection of country, rock & roll and soul records, he began venturing into area juke joints during his early teen years, and after picking up guitar, he returned to these same clubs to launch his performing career. After graduating high school, Dykes wandered about Mississippi for a few years before finally relocating to Austin in 1976; there he was befriended by Stevie Ray Vaughan, and a short time later set about forming the Howlers, who made their debut in 1980 with "Big Leg Beat". After 1984's "I Told You So", the group signed to Columbia Records for 1987's "Hard Times in the Land of Plenty". Although their major-label tenure was short-lived, Omar & The Howlers remained an Austin fixture throughout the years to come, also attracting a large European cult audience. In 2007 Dykes teamed up with Jimmie Vaughan for an album of Jimmy Reed covers, recorded for the Ruf label, "On the Jimmy Reed Highway". "Big Town Playboy", Dykes' first solo album, was released two years later also on Ruf Records. Another tribute session was issued in 2013, this time as a solo artist, "Runnin' with the Wolf", featuring the music of Howlin' Wolf.

Austin, besides being the Texas state capital, is home to much of the best in American roots music. Since the 1970s, gutsy blues players, renegade country pickers, and raw-voiced rockers have mixed & matched their musical styles in Austin ’s thriving club scene. And that’s where Kent “Omar” Dykes holds court too. He hails from McComb, Mississippi, a town with the distinction of being home turf for Bo Didley. Omar started playing guitar at seven, took to hanging out in edge-of-town juke joints at 12, joined his first band at 13, the next youngest player being 50, and started honing his music. He was still Kent Dykes in those days, but by the time he hit 20 he had hooked up with a crazy party band, called the Howlers, looking back, he says, “We had two saxophone players on baritone and tenor who wore Henry Kissinger masks. They were called the Kissinger Brothers. Not on every song, mind you. Sometimes it was Dolly Parton playing saxophone. Or Cher. And we had these cardboard cutouts from record stores for skits.” They even did fake ads for Sunshine Collard Greens and Howlers’ Fried Chicken “for that old-fashioned taste that tastes just like Grandma.” It was a crazy time, but a lot of fun too, with the rough & tumble Howlers playing R&B, Rock & Roll and even the occasional polka and western swing tunes. But Kent Dykes mostly just wanted to play blues. And by then the other Howlers had taken to calling him “Omar Overtone” because he tended to let his guitar feedback on stage while he dropped to the floor to spin on his back in a spontaneous, Big & Tall Store take on break-dancing. As he says, those performances were “sometimes fueled by, a-hmm, alcohol.”

By 1976, the Howlers decided to move and relocate to Austin, where such clubs as the Soap Creek Saloon, the Broken Spoke, the Armadillo World Headquarters and Antone’s had created a haven for renegade music. “We worked out of Austin for about a year,” Omar says, “but a lot of the guys decided they weren’t cut out to play music full-time for the rest of their lives. They headed back to Mississippi and Arkansas , and I decided to keep the name. Nobody objected.” And as Dykes says, Omar & the Howlers works better than Kent & the Howlers. Of such decisions are careers made. Fronting a new lineup, Dykes honed a band capable of the sort of raw, rowdy, rambunctious blues that made Howlin’ Wolf and Hound Dog Taylor legends. Omar's first release was "Big Leg Beat" in 1980, shortly followed by "I Told You So" 1984, earning Omar & the Howlers consecutive Austin band of the year awards in 1985-1986. "Hard Time in the Land of Plenty" followed in 1987. But really that was just the beginning as Omar followed up with another twelve albums in the next fourteen years; "Wall Of Pride" 1988, "Monkey Land" 1988, "Live at the Paradiso", "Courts Of Lulu", "Blues Bag" all in 1992. "Blues Bag" was Omar's first solo album followed by a second solo album, "Muddy Springs Road" in 1995. Omar also released "World Wide Open" in 1995. Next up was "Southern Style" 1996, "Swingland" 1998 followed with two releases; "Live At The Opera House" and "The Screaming Cat" both in 2000. But that's not all; Omar came on with "Big Delta" in 2001 and "Boogie Man" in 2003.

On "Boogie Man", Omar brought in songwriter friends he’s made since he left Mississippi for Texas 27 years earlier. "Co-writing at that point in my life was a lot of fun. To me it’s like free songs. These are ones that I wouldn’t have had the patience to sit down and write on my own. But when you get with friends and drink coffee, tell jokes and stories, and then write something, it always turns out to be something different than what you might have done on your own". Plus it’s not exactly heavy lifting to work with such Texas icons as Ray Wyle Hubbard, Darden Smith, Alejandro Escovedo and Stephen Bruton. Besides the songwriting collaborators, Omar also brought some friends into the recording studio, including guitarists Chris Duarte and Jon Dee Graham (True Believers), Chris Layton and Tommy Shannon of Stevie Ray Vaughan’s Double Trouble, George Rains (Sir Douglas Quintet and house drummer on scores of Antone’s label releases) and his frequent running-mates Terry Bozzio (Missing Persons, Jeff Beck, Frank Zappa) and Malcolm 'Papa Mali' Welbourne. In 2006 Omar was back with more and did another four albums in the next four years; "Bamboozled" 2006, "On The Jimmy Reed Highway" (with Jimmie Vaughn) 2007, "Chapel Hill" (with Nalle, Omar and Magic Slim) 2008 and then in 2009 with "Big Town Playboy". 2011 finds Omar tighter, funkier than ever and slated with a great new release in 2012. But Omar always loves to play live; "I still do 150-160 shows a year, and with travel days that adds up to a lot of time away from home. It always seems like we’re on a plane headed somewhere".

Kent "Omar" Dykes has rid himself of the annoying mannerisms which spoiled his earlier blues-revival albums. The Texas-based bluesman has stripped down his arrangements and disciplined his vocals to pare away the excessive, self-aggrandizing flourishes. What remains, on "Muddy Springs Road", is a single-minded emphasis on rhythmic grooves and on Dykes's deep, raspy baritone. For this album, Dykes abandoned his customary trio format to lead a septet of Austin all-stars, including such notables as harmonica player Gary Primich, keyboardist Nick Connolly, and drummer George Rains. The larger number of musicians behind him must have convinced Dykes he didn't have to do everything himself, for he plays and sings with far more restraint than he has ever displayed. From the Hooker boogie of "Midnight Ramblin' Man" and the Slim Harpo swamp sound of "Life Is Just a Circle," to the Chuck Berry riff of "Get Hip" and the Bo Diddley beat of "Hoo Doo Ball," Dykes's rhythms are derivative but admirably executed. Dykes wrote all 11 of the album's songs, but his musical ideas are borrowed and his lyrical ones are trite. The title track, for example, is supposedly an autobiographical look at his childhood on the Mississippi Delta, but it simply serves up such clichés as "Used to spend my days down across the tracks where the whiskey was white and the blues was black".

THE JOHN SCOFIELD BAND - Up All Night (Verve Records 440 065 596-2, 2003)

John Scofield, born December 26, 1951, often referred to as 'Sco', is an American jazz-rock guitarist and composer whose playing spans bebop, jazz fusion, funk, blues, soul, and rock. He has played and collaborated with Miles Davis, Dave Liebman, Joe Henderson, Charles Mingus, Joey DeFrancesco, Herbie Hancock, Pat Metheny, Bill Frisell, Joe Lovano, Pat Martino, Mavis Staples, Phil Lesh, Billy Cobham, Medeski Martin & Wood, George Duke, Jaco Pastorius, John Mayer, Robert Glasper, and Gov't Mule. Scofield's family left Ohio and relocated to the small, then mostly rural town of Wilton, Connecticut; it was here that he discovered his interest in music. Educated at the Berklee College of Music, Scofield eventually left school to record with Chet Baker and Gerry Mulligan. He joined The Billy Cobham / George Duke Band soon after and spent two years playing, recording and touring with them. He recorded with Charles Mingus in 1976, and replaced Pat Metheny in Gary Burton's quartet. Scofield received an Honorary Doctorate of Music from Berklee in 1997. In 1976 Scofield signed with Enja Records and released his first album, "John Scofield", in 1977. He recorded with pianist Hal Galper, first on his own solo album "Rough House" in 1978, and then on Galper's album "Ivory Forest" (1980), where he played a solo rendition of Thelonious Monk's "Monk's Mood".

In 1979 he formed a trio with his mentor Steve Swallow and Adam Nussbaum which, with drummer Bill Stewart replacing Nussbaum, has become the signature group of Scofield's career. In 1982, he joined Miles Davis, with whom he remained for three and a half years. He contributed tunes and guitar work to three of Davis's albums, "Star People", "Decoy", and "You're Under Arrest". After he left Miles Davis, he released "Electric Outlet" (1984) and "Still Warm" (1985). He started what is now referred to as his Blue Matter Band, with Dennis Chambers on drums, Gary Grainger on bass, and Mitchel Forman, Robert Aries, or Jim Beard on keyboards. The band released the albums "Blue Matter", "Loud Jazz" and "Pick Hits Live". Marc Johnson formed Bass Desires with Peter Erskine, and Bill Frisell. This "most auspicious pairing since John McLaughlin and Carlos Santana" was only transitory and recorded just two records, the self-titled "Bass Desires" and "Second Sight" (1986 and 1987). At the beginning of the 1990s, Scofield formed a quartet that included Joe Lovano with whom he recorded several albums for Blue Note Records. "Time on My Hands" (1990), with Joe Lovano, Charlie Haden and Jack DeJohnette, showcased Scofield's guitar and Mingus-influenced writing. Bill Stewart became the group's drummer and played on "Meant to Be" (1991) and "What We Do" (1993). In 1992, Scofield released "Grace Under Pressure", featuring fellow guitarist Bill Frisell, with Charlie Haden on bass and Joey Baron on drums. Stewart rejoined with Scofield and bassist Steve Swallow for the 1994 collaboration with Pat Metheny, "I Can See Your House from Here".

Towards the end of his tenure with Blue Note, Scofield returned to a more funk and soul jazz-oriented sound, a direction which has dominated much of his subsequent output. In 1994 and 1995, he formed a group that included organist and pianist Larry Goldings, bassist Dennis Irwin, and alternately drummers, Bill Stewart and Idris Muhammad. The group toured extensively, and the albums Hand Jive and Groove Elation feature this funk, groove, soul-jazz dimension in Scofield's music, bringing in tenor saxophonist Eddie Harris, percussionist Don Alias, trumpeter Randy Brecker, and others. He recorded the acclaimed 1997 album "A Go Go" with the avant-garde jazz trio Medeski, Martin & Wood. Also during this period, his relationship began with British composer Mark-Anthony Turnage. First as a soloist on Turnage's "Blood on the Floor: Elegy for Andy", the two paired up to create "Scorched", Turnage's orchestrations of Scofield compositions largely form the "Blue Matter" period. Scorched, a recording available on Deutsche Grammophon, debuted in Frankfurt, Germany.

He released "Überjam" in 2002 and "Up All Night" in 2003, two albums on which he experiments with drum'n'bass and other modern rhythms. "Up All Night" was John Scofield's sixth album for the Verve label, and the second for the band. For this recording, the band included second guitarist Avi Bortnick and drummer Adam Deitch, both of whom were also featured on the band's debut recording "Überjam". The recording also features bassist Andy Hess, who replaced Jesse Murphy in the band after "Überjam" was recorded.. The quartet was backed by a four-person horn section on six of the tracks. The recording featured The Dramatics 1971 hit "Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get," the only track that was not an original. Five of the songs on the album were written by Scofield, and five were co-written by Scofield and the band. On All About Jazz Farrell Lowe begins his review "The Freaky Deaky is back", referring to Scofield's time playing with Miles Davis, "this is the most inspired playing I have heard from John Scofield in many years". "Scofield inhabits a place in which the cerebral and the funky form an alliance and work together for the common good", Alex Henderson writes in his four star review on AllMusic, and concludes: "Up All Night" is a consistently engaging addition to his sizable catalog. Whereas on JazzTimes Nate Chinen writes in his critique, "Scofield and crew acquit themselves flawlessly to the material, but there are no real clunkers on the album (despite a cheeky "Watch Out for Po-Po", which comes close). What seems to be missing is the edgy sensibility of a band reaching beyond its limits. It should serve as a testament to Scofield that those borders have already been stretched to the extreme.

John Scofield has also worked and recorded in Europe with nu-fusionist Bugge Wesseltoft New Conception of Jazz in 2001/2 and 2006. Late 2004 saw the release of "EnRoute: John Scofield Trio LIVE", which features the jazz trio of John Scofield, the venerable Steve Swallow on bass and Bill Stewart on drums. It was recorded live at The Blue Note in NYC in December 2003. The next year, he released "That's What I Say: John Scofield Plays the Music of Ray Charles" - Scofield with an all-star guest studded collection of Ray Charles material. This led to a series of performances with Mavis Staples, Gary Versace on organ, John Benitez on bass, and Steve Hass on drums.

After sitting in for two engagements in December (3rd & 4th) of 2005 with Phil Lesh and Friends, Scofield has since played numerous shows with the band. On September 26, 2006 he released "Out Louder", his second collaborative effort album with avant garde jazz trio Medeski, Martin & Wood. The group, known collectively as MSMW toured extensively worldwide in 2006 and 2007, with sporadic engagements planned in the future. Scofield also performs as a duo with John Medeski, aptly named The Johns and another groove trio with Scofield, Medeski and drummer Adam Deitch. September 18, 2007 saw "This Meets That" released on EmArcy Records - Universal Music's jazz label, a record featuring Steve Swallow, Bill Stewart and a horn trio. Scofield has also recorded music inspired by gospel music, notably on the 2009 release Piety Street with bassist George Porter, Jr. and singer/keyboardist Jon Cleary.

Scofield's 2010 release "54" had its origins in the 1990s when Vince Mendoza asked John Scofield to play on his first album. Scofield has since been featured on two of Mendoza's records. When Mendoza assumed directorship of The Metropole Orchestra, he and Scofield collaborated on a series of Mendoza's arrangements of Scofield compositions performed with The Metropole Orchestra. In April 2010, Scofield was named an Officier of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Ministry of Culture. In January 2011 he released "A Moment's Peace" with pianist and organist Larry Goldings, bassist Scott Colley and drummer Brian Blade on EmArcy Records. Scofield is currently serving as an adjunct faculty member in the Jazz Department at New York University's Steinhardt School of Education. He married Susan Scofield in 1978. They are the parents of music producer Jean Scofield (born 1981) and Evan Scofield (1987–2013).

PULP - Different Class (Island Records ILPS 8041, 1995)

A 15-year-old Jarvis Cocker and his friend Peter Dalton, who was 14, conceived their band at The City School in Sheffield. Cocker's original preference was to name the band after the film Pulp starring Michael Caine, though it was decided that this was too short. Instead, the two took inspiration from a copy of the Financial Times which listed the Arabicas coffee bean in its commodity index. Cocker and Dalton used this, with a slight spelling change, and the band became "Arabicus". Early rehearsals took place in Cocker's house and featured Cocker, Dalton and Dalton's younger brother Ian. After finally deciding on "Arabicus Pulp", a fixed line-up was then established: Cocker, Dalton and two friends of theirs, David Lockwood and Mark Swift. The band played their first public gig at Rotherham Arts Centre in July 1980. Later that year, Cocker met future member, Russell Senior who recognised Cocker from his charismatic sales techniques in his part-time job at the local fish market. Their musical style at this time was varied, approximately described as "a cross between ABBA and The Fall". A local fanzine also noted this eclecticism, describing them as sounding "as if they listen to the John Peel show every night in an endless quest for influences". Indeed, in October 1981, they gave a demo tape to Peel, who granted them a Peel Session. The session was a giant leap forward for the young band, who became well-known on the local music scene as a result. The tracks recorded were in the typical Sheffield sound of the time (The Human League and Comsat Angels): electronic new wave and post-punk. These tracks were released in 2006 on The Peel Sessions compilation.

Despite their exposure on national radio, success was not forthcoming and, apart from Cocker, most of the core line-up left for university. Soon, a new set of musicians was gathered: Simon Hinkler (who later joined The Mission and produced All About Eve), David Hinkler, Wayne Furniss, Peter Boam, Gary Wilson, and Cocker's sister, Saskia. They managed to get enough local backing to record a mini-album in late 1982, entitled It (the title was a pun on pulp-it, as if the band were preaching to the audience), which was released in April 1983 by Red Rhino Records. This largely consisted of folkish, romantic pop songs influenced by Leonard Cohen and was a change of direction from the Peel Sessions two years earlier. The album was later released by Cherry Red Records. Though It failed commercially and fame was still elusive, the band continued to seek commercial success even to the point of recording a single, "Everybody's Problem" / "There Was". The single demonstrated a style shift advised by Red Rhino's Tony Perrin who had convinced Cocker that he "could write commercial songs like Wham!". This approach also failed and Cocker was becoming unhappy with his chosen musical direction. He was set to break up the band and go to university himself before a practice with Russell Senior (violin, guitar, vocals) and Magnus Doyle (drums) led to the establishment of a new, more experimental, artier and noisier direction for Pulp. They were subsequently augmented by Peter Mansell (bass) and Tim Allcard (keyboards, saxophone, poetry).

The new incarnation of Pulp survived a number of ill-fated gigs (including one at a rugby club at Brunel University which ended in a riot) before Allcard left to be replaced on keyboards by Magnus Doyle's sister Candida. Following her first performance with the band, they were signed to Fire Records. Soon after signing to Fire, in November 1985, Cocker fell out of a window while trying to impress a girl with a Spider-Man impression and ended up in hospital, temporarily requiring the use of a wheelchair in which he appeared during concerts. Pulp's relationship with Fire Records was tempestuous and Cocker admitted later that the band only accepted the deal as it "was the only offer on the table". During this period, the singles "Little Girl" and "Dogs Are Everywhere" were released. Pulp's next major release was "Freaks" (1987), an album recorded in one week due to record label pressure. Cocker was irritated, and remarked that "the songs could've been done a lot better if we'd have had a bit more time...". The release of "Freaks" ended up being delayed for a year, and the record was not well received. The album's darker style may be considered the antithesis of the happy and optimistic It. When Freaks failed to be a success, Pulp recorded tracks with Chakk's label FON in Sheffield. A single called "Death Comes To Town" was due to be released by FON in early 1988, but this relationship disintegrated and the release was cancelled. It was during this time that Cocker was taking a part-time foundation course at Sheffield Polytechnic. This led to him leaving for London to study film at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, effectively folding the band.

The fold was short-lived however. Steve Mackey, a regular at their Sheffield and London gigs, was also studying in London and was asked to join the band as a bass player. The line-up now consisted of Cocker, Mackey, Senior, Candida Doyle, Nick Banks (drums). In mid 1989, they began recording another album for Fire, this time with a bigger budget and production from Alan Smyth, called Separations. This was a progression of the style of Freaks, with Leonard Cohen-esque ballads on side one and an acid house infused track-listing on side two. The disparate styles can be attributed to Cocker and Mackey's different and changing tastes; Mackey introduced Cocker to house music which led to them both going to raves, while Cocker introduced Mackey to "Scott Walker and Serge Gainsbourg". Like Freaks, the release of Separations was delayed, to an extent lessening the potential impact. In the meantime, however, in 1991, a 12" recording, "My Legendary Girlfriend", became music periodical NME's single of the week. Stuart Maconie described it in his review as "a throbbing ferment of nightclub soul and teen opera". Furthermore, "Countdown" began to be mentioned in the mainstream press, heralding a turning point in Pulp's quest for fame.

"Do You Remember The First Time ?" was one of the preceding releases to His 'n' Hers. To promote the release a short film was produced featuring loss of virginity stories from celebrities including Justine Frischmann, Jo Brand and John Peel. Pulp's repertoire was growing rapidly. Tracks such as "Babies", "Space" and "She's a Lady" were being played live throughout 1991 and in October of that year, they played their first overseas gig, a concert organised by French magazine Les Inrockuptibles. However, the band were still frustrated that Separations still had not seen a release and so Pulp left Fire and signed to Warp Records imprint Gift Records in 1992. Buoyed by a changing musical current, in June 1992 Pulp released "O.U." on Gift while Fire finally released Separations in the same month. Melody Maker made "O.U" a single of the week alongside "The Drowners" by Suede, a prominent new band. Pulp then signed to Island Records, who jointly released (with Gift) the singles "Babies" and "Razzmatazz" to increasing chart success. Next were the singles "Lipgloss" and their first top 40 hit on the UK Singles Chart, "Do You Remember the First Time ?", which were put out as full Island releases. These singles were followed by the Ed Buller-produced album, "His 'n' Hers" (1994), which reached number nine on the UK Albums Chart and was nominated for the Mercury Music Prize.

This sudden increase in popularity was helped by the massive media interest in Britpop alongside acts such as Suede, Oasis and Blur, with Pulp supporting the latter in a 1994 tour of the United States. 1995 saw the peak of Pulp's fame, with the release of their number two single on the UK Singles Chart, "Common People", in May 1995 and their performance in June at the Glastonbury Festival (standing in for The Stone Roses at the last minute). A double A-side single, "Sorted for E's & Wizz"/"Mis-Shapes", was to precede the release of their next album, "Different Class" (1995). Upon the release of "Sorted for E's and Wizz", the Daily Mirror printed a front-page story headed "Ban this sick stunt" alongside a story by Kate Thornton which said the song was "pro-drugs" and called for the single to be banned. The single had an inlay which showed how to conceal amphetamines in a DIY 'wrap'. Cocker released a statement two days later saying: "'Sorted' is not a pro-drugs song. Nowhere on the sleeve does it say you are supposed to put drugs in here but I understand the confusion. I don't think anyone who listens to 'Sorted' would come away thinking it had a pro-drugs message." The single reached number two on the UK Single Charts. Released in October 1995, "Different Class" garnered significant critical praise and debuted at the top of the UK Album Chart. This was the first album featuring Pulp fan-club president Mark Webber, who became a permanent member of the band on guitar and keyboards. The album followed similar themes to their previous work with observations of life expressed through Cocker's sexualised, sometimes dark and witty lyrics. Other singles released from "Different Class" were "Disco 2000" and "Something Changed", which reached numbers seven and ten respectively in the UK. In September 1996, "Different Class" won the Mercury Music Prize.

It was at this time that Cocker gained significant media exposure due to a notorious prank at the 1996 BRIT Awards, where he invaded the stage in protest during pop singer Michael Jackson's performance of "Earth Song" and "wiggled his backside" at the audience. After complaints by Jackson and his entourage, Cocker spent the night in Kensington Police Station charged with actual bodily harm and assaulting the child performers. However, with British comedian and former solicitor Bob Mortimer acting as legal representation, he was released without charge. This incident propelled Cocker into great controversy in the UK and elsewhere, and Pulp's record sales soared as a result. The event also coincided with the beginning of their first arena tour and the Daily Mirror, who had attacked the band months earlier, set up a "Justice for Jarvis" campaign backing his actions and carried out a stunt at Pulp's Sheffield Arena gig on 29 February, handing out free T-shirts. The NME described Cocker's actions as a "great publicity stunt" which was "creative, subversive and very, very funny", while Melody Maker described Cocker as, "arguably the Fifth Most Famous Man in Britain" and suggested he should be knighted.

In March 1996, a compilation of Pulp's early recordings on Fire Records entitled "Countdown" was released on the Nectar Masters label. It received largely negative reviews, but due to the band's popularity at the time it reached the top 10 of the UK charts. Cocker, whose permission was not sought before release, urged fans not to purchase the album, comparing it to "a garish old family photograph album". Later in 1996, Pulp gained minor international recognition on the back of the inclusion of the track "Mile End" on the Trainspotting soundtrack. In August, the band played their last public performance for almost two years as headliners of the 1996 V Festival. The band also played a gig in the Shetland Islands, as arguably the most high-profile band to do so. "This Is Hardcore" was released as the second single from their 1998 album "This Is Hardcore". Its style is a marked difference from their previous two albums. Its minimal sound and subject matter is reminiscent of earlier, pre-Britpop tracks such as "Sheffield: Sex City".

It was during this period of intense fame and tabloid scrutiny that longtime member and major innovator in the band's sound Russell Senior decided to leave the band, saying, "it wasn't creatively rewarding to be in Pulp anymore". The band were due to begin working on a new album in late 1996. However, Cocker was having difficulty with the celebrity lifestyle, battling cocaine addiction and a break-up of a long-term relationship. When the band came to begin work on the next album, they had only one song - "Help the Aged". This creative inertia meant the band took over a year to finish the next record. Indeed, it was Cocker's disillusionment with his long-desired wish for fame that made up much of the subject matter of "This Is Hardcore", which was released in March 1998. The album took a darker and more challenging tone than that of "Different Class" and lyrical topics - pornography (the title track), fame ("Glory Days") and the after effects of drugs ("The Fear") - were dealt with more earnestly than on previous records. Also in 1998, Pulp collaborated with Patrick Doyle on the song "Like A Friend" for the soundtrack to the film Great Expectations. The song was also used in the Adult Swim cartoon The Venture Bros. season 4 finale "Operation: P.R.O.M."

Pulp then spent a few years in the wilderness before reappearing in 2001 with a new album, "We Love Life". The extended period between the release of "This is Hardcore" and "We Love Life" is partly attributed to having initially recorded the songs which comprise the album and being dissatisfied with the results. Subsequent interviews also suggested interpersonal and artistic differences, including managing the fallout of the Britpop "Different Class" era. Singer Songwriter Scott Walker agreed to produce the record and this symbolised a new phase in Pulp's development. This new effort fell short of expectations and was to be Pulp's last. Pulp subsequently undertook a tour of the National Parks in the UK, even playing a show as far north as Elgin in Scotland. Richard Hawley, the Sheffield-based Singer Songwriter, was also present on various dates on this tour. He later described it as "very much pink feather boas and glamour which was great and brilliant. That was about trying to find glamour among all the shit and I loved all that". In 2002 the band announced that they were leaving their label, Island Records. A greatest hits package was released: "Hits", with one new track. It is unclear whether this was the band's decision or released to satisfy contractual agreements. A music festival, Auto, was organised (held at Rotherham's Magna centre) where they played their last gig before embarking on a 9-year hiatus.

Cocker was involved in a number of one-offs and side projects, including the group Relaxed Muscle with Jason Buckle and the film Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, where he fronted a group which included Steve Mackey and members of Radiohead. In 2006 he collaborated with Air, Neil Hannon and Charlotte Gainsbourg on her album entitled "5:55". In 2007 he appeared on Air's album "Pocket Symphony", co-writing and giving vocals to the tracks "One Hell of a Party" and "The Duelist". His first solo album, "Jarvis", with the participation of Mackey, was released to critical acclaim in November 2006. Candida Doyle has performed live with Cocker on his solo tours. Mackey produced tracks on the debut album by M.I.A., "Arular", and on "Someone To Drive You Home" by The Long Blondes, both of which were critically well received. He has also produced tracks for Bromheads Jacket and Florence + The Machine. On 11 September 2006 the band re-released three of their albums ("His 'n' Hers", "Different Class", and "This Is Hardcore"), each with a bonus disc of B-sides, demos and rarities. On 23 October 2006 a 2-CD set compiling all of Pulp's John Peel Sessions from 1982 to 2001 was released.

In November 2010 it was announced that the "Different Class" line-up (Cocker, Banks, Doyle, Mackey, Senior and Webber) would be playing at the Wireless festival in London's Hyde Park and a Saturday slot at the Isle of Wight festival in 2011. In a message sent to the band's official mailing list on 1 January 2011, Cocker said the large amount of interest in the band's reunion had been "an inspiration," and that he was pleased with how rehearsals were going. The band announced 22 concerts between May and September 2011, taking place in Europe and Australia. Pulp were one of the surprise special guests at Glastonbury Festival 2011 in June where they played on The Park stage on Saturday evening. They performed at the Sziget Festival in Hungary on 10 August, Way Out West Festival in Sweden on 13 August, and played as co-headliners to The Strokes at the Reading Festival and the Leeds Festival during the final weekend of August 2011. They headlined the Electric Picnic on 4 September, their last festival of the year. On 9 January 2012, the Coachella festival line-up was released, with Pulp listed as part of the line-up. Further dates were announced, including a concert at the Royal Albert Hall in support of the Teenage Cancer Trust. Senior did not take part in the 2012 gigs.

In February 2012, "It", "Freaks" and "Separations" (the albums released by Fire Records) were re-issued. These editions came with bonus tracks, including "Death Goes to the Disco", "Dogs Are Everywhere" and "Sink or Swim". In April 2012, in an interview with Short List magazine, Cocker said that he was working on ideas for new Pulp songs. Pulp announced in July 2012 that they would be playing a one-off concert in their hometown of Sheffield in December that year, at the 13,500 capacity Motorpoint Arena. Cocker stated in an interview with Q in November 2012 that the band has no plans whatsoever to release new material, and would be "cruising off into the sunset" at the end of the year, signalling a possible end to the reunion. On 25 December 2012, Pulp made a previously unreleased track, "After You", available for download to individuals who had attended the Sheffield concert, and was subsequently released to the general public on 28 January 2013 via digital download. The song had previously only existed in demo form. Their last performance was to promote the song on The Jonathan Ross Show on 9 February 2013. The remixed version of "After You" by Soulwax later went on to be used in the 2013 video game Grand Theft Auto V as a track on the ingame radio station, Soulwax FM. In May 2015 a music heritage plaque was unveiled at the venue of the band's first gig, The Leadmill, Sheffield. Band members Jarvis Cocker, Nick Banks, Steve Mackey, Candida Doyle and Mark Webber were present at the ceremony.

 

PAUL BRETT'S SAGE - Schizophrenia (Dawn Records DNLS 3032, 1972)

Paul Brett is widely regarded as one of the finest 12-string acoustic guitarists in the world and also has an amazing collection of guitars, something that he is probably better known for these days than his recorded output. Having been performing since the early 1960s he has contributed his skills to many records including those by Arthur Brown, Velvet Opera, Tintern Abbey, The Strawbs and Fire to name but a few. However, he also released a trio of albums with his band Sage between 1970 and 1972. All three albums were initially released by Pye Records, either on the main label, or in the case of the latter two albums, on their Dawn imprint label. By the time of the second album, "Jubilation Foundry", the band's name had changed to the more grammatically correct Paul Brett's Sage and Nicky Higginbottom had been replaced by Stuart Cowell, a second guitarist. Although Higginbottom had gone, some flute playing persists, particularly on the opening track "Cottage Made For Two". In other changes, there is more harmony singing and a greater use of orchestrations (by Mike Gibbs) plus an overall rockier feel, although both Brett and Cowell still provide plenty of acoustic in-put throughout the album, such as on their guitar playing on "Pasadena Days" and piano playing on "Keeper Of My Heart", both written by Steve Voice, the younger brother of conga, bongo and anvil (!) player Bob Voice. The simplicity of this latter song, along with the gorgeous arrangement blending strings, wind and brass, made this a killer love song. 

There was also an expansion in the styles of music covered, with both sides of the single from the album "Goodbye Forever" and "Good Old Fashioned Funky Kind Of Music" being somewhat atypical and although interesting, not the strongest tracks on the album to my mind. (As an aside, the marketing prowess of Pye Records is exemplified by the single being wrapped in a sleeve featuring a photograph which included Higginbottom!). "Tuesday Evening" featured some great harmony singing from the whole band, as did "Help Me Jesus" during which Voice gets the most out of his bongos. However, it was the title track, featuring the aforementioned anvil, that took the credits with some fine playing by the ensemble, haunting lyrics and a great dirge-like quality. The three additional tracks were from an EP that was released between the first and second album which featured "Reason For Your Asking" from the debut album as lead track. Stylistically, the tracks were more akin to those on the first album, acoustic with added orchestrations on the first two tracks, with "Everlasting Butterfly" being the standout number, and a more upbeat chant on "To Everyman (Freedom)".

"Schizophrenia", the third and final album, saw the group reduced to a trio with the departure of bassist Dufall. Although not replaced, the bass playing is uncredited, Brett's old friend from the Fire days, Dave Lambert, by this time a member of The Strawbs, added piano and organ to a few tracks. From the opening grooves of "Custom Angel Man" a new heaviness to the material could be heard with electric guitar hammering between the speakers. There was still an underlying acoustic vibe with piano and acoustic guitar forming the backdrop. Twin electrics also grace the marvellous "Song Of Life - Song Of Death", possibly the only other 'rock' song besides Greg Lake's "I Believe In Father Christmas" to include sleigh bells! The vocals are also quite a bit rougher, giving the songs a harder edge, although the harmonies were still present on more commercial numbers like "Charlene" and the acoustic numbers like "Tale Of A Rainy Night" which really emphasises just how proficient Brett was on the guitar. 

"Slow Down Ma!" is all over the place tempo wise, with a frantic rhythm set up by the congas of Voice accompanied by a real drum kit, played by another Strawbs member, Rod Coomes. The gentler passages have some nice lap steel guitar to add texture. Two instrumental numbers, "Limp Willie" and "Bee" are great guitar showcases, the latter featuring a solo acoustic and the former a couple of electrics, along with the sleeve note "Drink eight double rums and you can no doubt make up your own words"! As one might expect from the title, "Take Me Back And I Will Love You" is a sweet ballad, well mostly, it all gets rather heated at the end and seems to lose its original intent. "Autumn" once again harks back to the style of the original album with flute and oboe (played by Rob Young), acoustic guitar, bongos, harmony vocals and some very tasty electric guitar. A wonderful song. "Dahlia", a non-album single, has been added to complete the entire reissue of the songs of Paul Brett's Sage. A good tune that differs from the rest of the group's output in that it features some great violin work. This is undoubtedly by Mike Piggott, who replaced Cowell in the last line-up of the band, despite the sleeve notes stating that the violinist never recorded with the group, Piggott's web site states that he recorded with Brett in 1972, but no other details are given.

Paul Brett (born 20 June 1947 in Fulham, London) played also lead guitar with The Strawbs (though he was never actually a member), The Overlanders, The Crazy World of Arthur Brown, Elmer Gantry’s Velvet Opera, The Velvet Opera, Tintern Abbey, Fire, Roy Harper, Al Stewart, Lonnie Donegan, and switched to twelve-string guitar in the 1970s. His first twelve-string guitar suite, "Earth Birth", was released on his own label, Phoenix Future, and was produced by artist Ralph Steadman of Fear and Loathing fame. Critical acclaim led to Brett being signed on a four-album deal with RCA Records. His K-tel "Romantic Guitar" album went platinum in the UK, but Brett stopped recording soon afterwards. He started recording again in 2000, with long-time friend and fellow twelve-string guitarist, John Joyce.

Brett wrote for music magazines Melody Maker, Sound International and International Musician and continued working in the music industry in the later part of his career. He now writes a regular column for Acoustic, a magazine specializing in acoustic guitars. He is also the Associate Editor and Features Writer for Music Maker and Live in London magazines. He has appeared on BBC Television's Antiques Road Show and Flog It in the mid-2000s. There are now a range of critically acclaimed acoustic guitars available that Paul Brett designed for Vintage in the UK that are distributed Worldwide. www.jhs.co.uk for information. They carry individual name such as The Viator 6 and 12 string travel guitars, The Gemini, alternative baritone and 6 strings, The Viaten , tenor guitar, paul Brett signature 6 and 12 string guitars and the most recent released in 2017 is the Statesboro' 12 string which is a tribute to the blues legend Blind Willie McTell.

 

THE LA DE DAS - The Happy Prince (Columbia Records SCXO 7899, 1969)

In their 12-year journey through New Zealand and Australia in the 1960s and 1970s, The La De Da’s never took a backward step. They conquered New Zealand with a passionate live show, a string of hard, uncompromising chart singles and two of the best NZ albums of the 1960s. Changing gear from R&B to psychedelia, The La De Da's shifted base to Australia in 1967 and 1968 where they released New Zealand’s first rock opera, The Happy Prince. In England in 1969 they captured a fine version of The Beatles’ voodoo rocker ‘Come Together’ at Abbey Road studios before returning to Australia and success as pioneering festival blues rockers.  By the time the Auckland band went their separate ways in the early 1970s they were a chart group once again and considered among Australasia’s best. The new wave of R&B was already breaking big in charts across the world when four of its best practitioners – The Kinks, Manfred Mann, The Rolling Stones and The Pretty Things – rolled through New Zealand in 1965 for a series of concerts still vividly recalled decades later. The raw pull of the sound and the style and ethos of the players galvanised local teenagers, throwing up a large and responsive audience to be serviced by the likes of The Unknown Blues in Invercargill, The Third Chapter in Dunedin, Peter Nelson and The Castaways and Chants R&B in Christchurch, Bari and The Breakaways and Tom Thumb in Wellington, The Mods and The Trends in Hamilton, and The Dark Ages and The La De Da's in Auckland, along with dozens of lesser lights.

While beat music provided a new soundtrack to teenage lives, the group aesthetic and anti-social veneer of R&B offered up an alternative lifestyle to teenage fans, and a good living, local fame and the distant lurking prospect of a hit for groups, by pushing a covert message that being uncompromising not only paid, it gave you the freedom to behave in the way you wanted. Teenage heaven. In West Auckland at Te Atatu’s newly opened Rutherford High School, were the mod-ish Mergers with Kevin Borich (lead guitar/vocals), Trevor Wilson (bass), Brett Neilsen (drums) and Phil Key (rhythm guitar/vocals) who attended Mount Albert Grammar. They had heard the word and flirted with an anti-social name, The Criminals, before settling on the provocative ambiguity of The La De Da’s. Establishing an immediate following through hall and club dates, they stepped into a residency at inner city teen club The Platterack in April 1965. That’s where NZBC producer Robert Handlin found them and soon became their manager, releasing Kevin Borich’s folkie ballad ‘Ever Since That Night’ backed with the Borich/Wilson penned R&B of ‘Hey Little Girl’ on his Talent City label in June. The emerging group soon found space in their ranks for classically trained organist Bruce Howard, who swelled their sound and added another vocalist. With guitar whiz Kevin Borich picking out the leads, they had a strong rhythm section in Wilson and Neilsen with Phil Key on rhythm guitar. And when Samoan New Zealander Key came out of his shell, he revealed one of New Zealand’s finest R&B and soul voices.

By February 1966, now signed to Eldred Stebbing's Zodiac label, The La De Da’s were in Stebbing's Auckland studio with producer John Hawkins, recording ‘How Is The Air Up There ?’. The song now most readily identified with them is usually mentioned as a Blues Magoos cover. However, The Blues Magoos never recorded the song and was most likely sourced from US folk pop group The Changin’ Times, who released it as the follow-up to ‘The Pied Piper’, a version of which was on the flip of The La De Da’s’ hit single. Both songs were written by The Changin’ Times’ Artie Kornfeld and Steve Duboff. Success didn’t mellow The La De Da's. They were right back in your face with their third single, the hard swinging R&B of ‘Don’t You Stand In My Way’, a Bruce Howard/Trevor Wilson original backed by the pumping soul of Sam and Dave’s ‘I Take What I Want’, which was also released by Philips Records in Great Britain, Australia and the USA via a deal with Zodiac. A creative triumph it may have been, but it was also a chart mis-step that was quickly redeemed by another cover, the slow fuzzed R&B of John Mayall’s ‘On Top Of The World’, which threatened the top of the New Zealand charts in November 1966.  The La De Da’s stepped up to a residency at the harbourside Galaxie Lounge, where their sharp stage set, live verve and impeccably tailored look  established them as one of Auckland’s top groups. With two hits under their finely styled belts, The La De Da’s stepped up to a residency at the harbourside Galaxie Lounge, where their sharp stage set, live verve and impeccably tailored look - by Jerry at His Lordships - established them as one of Auckland’s top groups. While no film or live recordings exist of the group in their early prime, you need only slap the much-reissued first La De Da’s album from December 1966 onto the record player to get a taste of what Auckland fans heard.

Lead track ‘On Top Of The World’ was a John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers song, first recorded three months after Eric Clapton joined in June 1965. Jimmy Page was the producer. ‘My Little Red Book’ was a show tune made popular by Manfred Mann and LA group Love who edged it to No.52 in the US charts in March 1966. Manfred Mann’s version, released in April 1966, is a more likely source for the song. ‘Jump Back’, ‘Bright Lights, Big City’ (sung by Phil Key) and ‘I Put A Spell On You’ (sung by Kevin Borich) are R&B standards taken from Rufus Thomas’ October 1964 Atlantic single and Jimmy Reed and Screaming Jay Hawkins (1956 Okeh Records) respectively. They were all songs covered by British R&B groups, which is likely where The La De Da’s copped their versions. ‘Whatcha Gonna Do About It ?’ was a recent R&B hit for group faves The Small Faces. Wilson Pickett's frantic soul hit ‘Land Of A Thousand Dances’ was a No.6 hit in 1966 on Atlantic Records. ‘I Take What I Want’ was a Stax/Atlantic hit for Sam and Dave, although, The La De Da’s version was most likely taken from The Artwoods' fourth single released on Decca in April 1966. ‘Shake’, a Sam Cooke 1965 No.7 for RCA Victor – was another Small Faces cover and a No.3 hit single from the first Small Faces album from May 1966. The La De Da’s returned to John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers for ‘Parchman Farm’ (a John Mayall solo), originally released in September 1966. ‘The Pied Piper’ I’ve already mentioned. Rounding out one of our finest 1960s albums is Muddy Waters' ‘I Got My Mojo Working’ (sung by Kevin), and ‘Ride Your Pony’, a foot down R&B screamer sung by Phil Key which was written by Allen Toussaint and originally released by Lee Dorsey on Amy Records in 1965, when it became a No.28 hit in the US. and just in case the fans still didn't get the point, The La De Da’s unleashed a live EP called Stupidity in April 1967.

Having shown their knack and feel for interpretation, and with a good grasp on the best music coming in from overseas, Auckland’s finest R&B group dipped into their own strong collection of songs in May 1967 for successful follow-up album Find Us A Way. They were billing themselves live as “Soul Blues”, which nicely sums up the churchier, more gospel feel of their new record. While the band still found a frantic sweaty beat on ‘Find Us A Way’, ‘I Gotta Woman’, ‘Tell The Truth’, ‘Cool Jerk’ and ‘Gimme Some Lovin’, they left room for the sunny pop of ‘Sonny Boy’ and spacier keyboard-led originals ‘All Purpose Low’, ‘Thank You For The Flowers’, ‘Rosalie’ and ‘Beside Me Forever’. Meeting the two strands in the middle was the fine organ-led, gospel inclined soul of ‘Goodbye Sisters’ – a take on The Artwoods' third single from April 1965, and their version of The Marvelettes’ ‘Too Many Fish in the Sea’ from 1964. The heavy nature of The La De Da’s NZ-recorded covers reflects the importance of interpretation in the 1960s and echoes the similar makeup and musical influences heard on early records by The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and The Kinks, amongst others. The care taken to find rare B-sides and album tracks or songs that were minor or non-hits, and therefore contemporary, chart-minded and accessible to Kiwi musicians, is similarly an echo of other groups who fished around in rare back catalogues for material.

The La De Da’s spent 1967 managing themselves, running their fan club and touring, including a long national jaunt in January alongside frequent appearances on the new and influential live pop TV show C’Mon. The group's pop currency was still high after another massive No.1 hit in March with a laid back version of Bruce Channel’s ‘Hey Baby’, a song recommended by blind pianist and former Johnny Devlin and The Devils member Claude Papesch one night at the Galaxie Lounge. With four hit singles, two classy albums and a national following behind them, The La De Da’s set out for Sydney. Their first two singles had been released across the Tasman, but with pop’s menu changing daily they had quickly fallen from view. The independent quintet struggled, finding their R&B and soul based set outdated. They also bristled at micro-management and unsuccessful recording attempts, despite gaining fans at Ivan Dayman’s Op Pop disco. They flopped even worse on the strong Melbourne club circuit before heading home in September 1967 for a month-plus residency at 1480 Village in the old Top Twenty premises in Auckland, where they retooled their set and sound before touring New Zealand. Godzone hadn’t forgotten them, sending ‘All Purpose Low’ to No.5 in June and ‘Rosalie’ to the same spot in August. In January 1968, Brett Neilsen left the group, replaced by The Action’s Bryan Harris, who gave way on the group’s return to Sydney in June to Australian drummer Keith Barber (The Wild Cherries). Wielding a wide and eclectic array of instruments and introducing Sydneysiders to The Doors, Vanilla Fudge, Traffic and The Band, this was the psychedelic La De Da’s, and their heady themed sets immediately caught on.

Back on the front foot, they returned to Melbourne in August 1968 with the show they had wowed Sydney with. This time the city fell for their charms, sparking a long and close relationship with the Victorian capital’s music scene. At year’s end they were voted Australia’s Best Disco Group in popular music magazine Go Set. Better was to come in 1969. ‘Come and Fly With Me’, their first single since mid-1967, was an upbeat burst of good feeling and the standout track on The Happy Prince, the rock opera on based on Oscar Wilde’s short story, which Trevor Wilson and Bruce Howard had long been working on. The ambitious project had finally found firm ground in January with the group entering EMI studios in Sydney with producer David Woodley-Page and narrator Adrian Rawlings to record for an April release. Rock operas were thick on the ground by then, and while the opera created by The La De Da’s had its highpoints in Kevin Borich’s slide guitar and Phil Key’s soul-gospel vocals, the songs too often struggled to elevate the storyline. None of the band ever dismissed it. It was an artistic statement they needed to make. But now it was done, they set their sights on London, a trail well-worn by New Zealand and Australian groups. Finding their set out-dated and record company interest in London lukewarm, it was Melbourne the first time all over again – a comedy of missed opportunities and half chances. The La De Da’s performed little outside of a short tour of West Germany, and recorded only once, a menacing take on The Beatles’ ‘Come Together’ taped with Norman “Hurricane” Smith at Abbey Road Studios for Parlophone Records, which was released in Great Britain (as The La De Dah Band), Australia and New Zealand. 

Down, but not out, they headed home in February 1970 and regrouped with new bass player Reno Tehei (Sounds Unlimited/Compulsion), then refocused their repertoire and settled into a booming Australian circuit energised with the opening of pub venues and the sparking of large outdoors festivals. All that travel inevitably took a toll on the group’s stability. Trevor Wilson remained in England and wouldn’t return until October. When he did, the group fractured, first with Bruce Howard, then everyone except Wilson departing. Wilson didn’t want to start all over again, leaving the remaining La De Da’s to claim the name. Managed by Phil Key, they headed out on the live circuit with new bassist Peter Roberts and a core set of hard-rocking blues and boogie. Bruce Howard soon joined The Clefs and went on to one of Australia’s biggest groups, Billy Thorpe and The Aztecs, where he was a key member in 1972 and 1973. Trevor Wilson joined fellow New Zealand veterans Glyn Mason and Mal Logan in Sydney-based Home in early 1972, pushing what Australian music historian Ian McFarlane called a light and nimble country rock with a clean blues edge. The La De Da’s meanwhile set about building a dedicated live following for their hard, blues-based rock. This time, pop culture’s fast flowing current was running their way. Billy Thorpe and The Aztecs had opened up a successful circuit of big live rooms in Melbourne’s suburban pubs and the public’s taste for bigger festival events was rising. The group took on Sydney-based Mike Chugg as their manager in November after he signed them to his new booking agency Sunrise, then released their first Australian hit record, the Borich-sung, Howard Gable-produced, locomotive blues of ‘Gonna See My Baby Tonight’, which spent eight weeks in the Go Set National Top 20 between November 1971 and February 1972. It was only one of a number of distinctive songs that The La De Da’s got down that year. Their take on Bob Dylan’s ‘All Along The Watchtower’ became a signature live song, and they captured a studio version with Bruno Lawrence drumming, which would appear belatedly on 1976’s Legend compilation. There's also a fine live-for-TV interpretation featuring a haunted Phil Key vocal and biting Borich guitar lead, filmed for Melbourne magazine show, GTK (Get To Know).

After cancelling a New Zealand tour in November 1971, The La De Da's fronted up at Rosebud, a Melbourne free festival, which drew 40,000 fans to Mornington Golf Course at Christmas to hear Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs and Daddy Cool. It was a dress rehearsal for what was to come. In the early 1970s live music spilled from city clubs into summer festivals in the surrounding countryside, and The La De Da’s nearly always played. They were there at the successful first three-day Sunbury festival outside the city on Australia Day long weekend in January 1972, which showcased Melbourne’s rock and roll talent and community, and New Zealand musicians’ prominent place in it. As one of the festival’s highpoints, The La De Da’s had three songs, their upcoming hit single ‘Morning Good Morning’, the dynamic blues rock of ‘Roundabout’ and their 1971 hit ‘Gonna See My Baby Tonight’, included on EMI Records’ Sunbury live album, from a set which included ‘Carol’, B.B King’s ‘Rock Me Baby’ and Traffic’s ‘Give More Than You Can’. The La De Da’s didn’t linger at Sunbury long. The same weekend they had a festival date at Meadows Technicolour Fair in Adelaide in South Australia where they performed before 30,000 people. Again, New Zealand musicians were thick on the stage with John Bissett in Fraternity, Wellington’s Highway, and Spectrum and Friends wowing the crowd. Six weeks later on March 12, The La De Da’s helped break Australian attendance records at a free 3XY concert at Melbourne’s traditional Moomba festival at Myers Music Bowl. Three weeks after that, on Easter weekend, they fronted the Mulwala Festival midway between Sydney and Melbourne, which no doubt helped push their festival anthem, the Phil Key sung, ‘Morning Good Morning’, into the Australian charts in May for a 10 week run, peaking at No.17.

When The La De Da’s closed the year out at the Bungool Festival of Music outside Sydney with Band of Light, Bakery, Home, Spectrum and Sherbet before a disappointing crowd of 2,000 people, they were a three-piece with sole remaining member and Go Set best guitarist winner Kevin Borich in charge, backed by Ronnie Peel on bass and Keith Barber drumming. Phil Key and Peter Roberts had jumped ship in September, forming Band of Light with ace slide guitarist Norm Roue and experienced drummer Tony Buettel after arguments over money and frustration that Key’s songs weren’t being played live. Roberts soon departed, replaced by Ian Rilen. The stripped down La De Da’s had boogied on, playing out again by November and supporting Manfred Mann Chapter Three, Little Richard, The Guess Who, Gary Glitter, Lindisfarne and Three Dog Night. They were a massive hit back home in January 1973 at The Great Ngaruawahia Music Festival, returning on the back of the buzz generated for a successful national tour in April. New Zealand Rolling Stone caught up with them in Dunedin, asking Borich about the trio’s drug consumption – no dope or acid in the mid-1960s but he noted there was now plenty of acid around – and he revealed the group had been stalling on doing anything with EMI Records to get out of the contract, but were now working on the blues-boogie Rock And Roll Sandwich album, which would be released in November, following non-charting single ‘The Place’. Recorded live at Doncaster Theatre in Kensington and tidied up at EMI studios in Sydney by ex-pat New Zealand producer Rod Coe, the album showed Borich firmly in charge, augmenting his searing blues guitar with flute and piano. A subtler La De Da’s can be heard that year, backing folkie cum street rocker Richard Clapton on the bright and breezy funky blues of ‘Hardly Know Myself’ (B-side to ‘All The Prodigal Children’ October 1973) and providing a wordy, weary-eyed blues shuffle with sparking Borich solo, ‘I Am A Survivor’ (July 1974 single) on Clapton’s November 1973 Infinity Records’ album Prussian Blue.

With Band of Light, Phil Key was determined to find an outlet for his slow, slide-driven hard blues originals. He had near immediate success with the Sunbury’ 73 blooded ‘Destiny Song’, which climbed to No.18 in the Go Set national chart in July 1973, having placed ‘Messin’ With The Kid’ onto a triple LP Sunbury festival soundtrack, once again crammed with other New Zealand musicians. Key clearly still had as much of an Australian following as Borich. Band of Light’s debut album Total Union showed he had paid close attention to the distinctive utopian cover, aspirational words, importance of packaging and the mournful expressive slide and churchy vocal of The Happy Prince. His new group had its own distinctive logo, emotive music and words concerned with racial equality, social justice and spiritual harmony. Key also found the creative freedom he sought by leasing the tapes to record companies for release. Total Union was on record shelves by August 1973 and while it sold well, reaching No.13 in the Go Set charts, it lacked the “stinging white heat” of their live shows. That could be found on the B-sides of their three singles in ‘Over B’, ‘The Cat’ and ‘If’. A second, less well received album, The Archer appeared in 1974 with two more singles. But with core line-up changes stunting their progress, Band of Light soon split up, leaving fans with memories of “Norm (Roue) storming across the stage like a kind of psychedelic Eddy [sic] Cochran, cutting the air to ribbons with bottleneck” and a peerless cover of blues standard ‘Crossroads’ on GTK. In 1974, Kevin Borich’s La De Da’s had the pub rock formula down and were filling a hungry Australian live circuit, scoring one last Top 30 hit with Chuck Berry’s ‘Too Pooped To Pop’ in July, followed by a neat take on Hank Williams’ ‘Honky Tonkin’, both produced by Rod Coe. Their final New Zealand show was a brief visit to Western Springs Stadium in Auckland to support Elton John. They were back on the bill at the final Sunbury in January 1975, but with the appeal of festivals dwindling the group weren’t going anywhere new on the endless pub circuit. They finally called it a day in May, 1975. Kevin Borich would soon be back on the road to being one of Australia’s favourite guitarists. But the others faded away, with Phil Key leaving music completely. He died young in Sydney in 1984 from a congenital heart problem.

MAGIC BUS - Transmission From Socmore's Garden

(Back To The Garden Records BTTG002, 2017 - Original Private First Release 2014)

Hailing the that hotbed of rock'n'roll excess, Totnes in Devon, Magic Bus are rather accurately musically described on their PR sheet as turning out "sun-drenched harmonies and vintage prog rock noodling". That kind of retro warning would normally have me groaning, but Transmission From Sogmore's Garden is such a charming affair, you'd have to be an even more battle-weary old scrote than moi not to appreciate its thorough winsomeness. There is a review on Amazon that is headlined "Better than Caravan ?", well, obviously not, but these chaps and chappess have certainly been playing the first few albums by the Canterbury instigators on heavy rotate, along with large helpings of the the first two Crosby Stills Nash & Young albums. There are worse things to be influenced by, it has to be said. Opening with "Sunflower", Magic Bus lay their cards on the table. This band are not going to be pushing any envelopes anywhere soon, but hey, that's just fine. Nostalgia certainly is what it used to be in Sogmore's Garden. "Sunflower" is infused with a heady West Coast aroma, via Welsh wizards Man's own appropriated Californian vibe on their Rhinos album. Led by a winsome flute line it skips away down the winding path, full of the joys of life, including a very Caravan-esque solo from the keys player.

Three of the songs here were composed by singer and guitarist Paul Evans, the remainder by Evans in tandem with keyboard player Jay Darlington. Paul has one of those voices that while it sometimes struggles with staying on note in a fashion similar to Pye Hastings' charmingly strained high croon, manages not to make me wince, but smile to myself. This despite living with perfect pitch, which can be a curse as much as a blessing, particularly as I no longer have a practical use for it. Paul's singing is enhanced no end by the lovely harmonies of Viv Goodwin, Benny Brooke and Terence Waldstradt, the "flowers in the hair" on the head of the blissed-out and occasionally wavering lead voice. The top line instrumentation consists of guitar, keyboards, mostly of the organ variety, and flute, in varying combos. You will have recognised the name of the keyboard player, yep, it's the tall one from Kula Shaker. After the demise of Kula Shaker, Jay Darlington spent five years as the touring ivory tinkler with Oasis, but we'll forgive him that, everyone has to make a living. More recently he has reconnected with his true pastoral psych-prog calling, contributing organ to a couple of cuts on the fabulous "The Unrecorded Beam" by fellow Devonians Billy Bottle & The Multiple, as well as being a full-time member of Magic Bus since their debut album in 2010. However, this second album is not a showcase for any one individual, but a complete band effort. Even so, that won't stop me mentioning the organ break four and a half minutes in to "Seven Wonders", which is a straight copy of Dave Sinclair's reedy sound on "Nine Feet Underground".

What Paul might lack technically in the tonsil department, but not I must emphasise to the detriment of the record, he more than makes up for with his gently fried guitar lines. Together with Jay's swelling organ, the two make for a lovely combination on the introduction to the rambling and pastoral "Ballad of Lord Sogmore", which from the start of the vocal section has that indefinable "getting it together in the country" feel that Traffic used to great effect waaay back in the day. Paul's marvellously acidic solo towards the end of the tune is followed by a flute solo on the outro, all quite lovely. And that is the general tone of the album, as it combines drifting across the cosmic vastness under the influence of many cups of mushroom tea with an inescapable pastoral English vibe. "Cosmic Rays Of Dawn" lights the way with a waltz across the lawn, and "Three Days" hints that if they could do it again, they'd do it all over you, I'm sure. "Climb aboard the bus, let's head off for the summer" sings Paul, and indeed this is one of those hazy, lazy records recalling stoned days in the countryside. Marvellous. Pretty soon the Bus is away across the universe on an expanded trip, and it's real good out here, we may even be immaculate. Hints of jazzy keys enlighten "Jupiter 3AM", Dave briefly vacating the place behind the electric piano, Steve takes over, only for one album. Jay knows his Caravan keyboard players, is all I'm saying! Melody is never far away, and a simple but effective tune points the way to the small hours as the biggest planet fills our view, before the trip goes skewiff on the back of a atypically aggressive section. Flung back out of gravity's pull, the trip continues.

That's probably more than enough individual track description. If you like what you've heard and hopefully read, then just go buy the thing! Helpful links provided at the end of this nonsense. I'm always griping about prog bands who want to make "Fragile By The Pound", and it might seem a tad hypocritical of me to shout this band's praises as I have been doing, for they are just as unashamedly nostalgic as any Yenesis wannabee you care to mention, but you see, the thing is, bands that wish to be stuck nine feet underground in early 70s Canterbury while dreaming of toking with Crosby and Nash in Laurel Canyon are, perhaps thankfully - I wouldn't want this album to be the start of a trend - a damn sight rarer and therefore far easier to enjoy. I like this album a lot. It seems everything in Sogmore's Garden is rosy. While there are melody lines here, riffs there that have you thinking you're sure you've heard that before, in the fullness of time it matters not a jot, just get on the Magic Bus and enjoy the trip. You pay your fare in bananas, 'cos they got no bones :-)