Breaking Glass 1980

 

Breaking Glass 1980

by Pete Clemons

Breaking Glass attempted to capture London's 1980s punk scene. It was a gritty new wave musical with a poignant rags to riches story of a talented and rebellious young singer-songwriter. Hazel O'Connor gave a tour-de-force performance as Kate, the lead singer of the rock group Breaking Glass.

Kate's socialist ideals are juxtaposed to her pragmatic rock manager, Danny (Phil Daniels), a streetwise hustler who discovers her and develops her into a star. The film pivots around the struggles for artistic recognition and an energetic singer whose talent and sanity are jeopardized by the music business' power structure.

Hazel O'Connor wrote and performs 13 captivating and provocative songs for the film. The cast also includes Jon Finch and Jonathan Pryce as the band's junkie saxophone player.

Phenomenal album, crap movie was the popular opinion among many. And that was reflected in a review from a local source below:

'I went to the film having been impressed by the Top of the Pops version of Eighth Day but found myself waiting for it to be repeated.

Unfortunately, when put into context even that was disappointing. The story traced the rise to 'fame' of a young and apparently original singer – Hazel O’Connor. The love element was played by Phil Daniels who doubled as Hazel’s manager.

We were shown of the struggle that our starlet had as she confronted agents, a record company, people and audiences – the agents ignored her for a telephone, the record company’s people played space invaders and the audiences beat each other up.

One of the most significant points raised by the film was the musical taste of the Nazis – it appears to be the opinion of the director that Nazis and policemen don’t like Hazel O’Connor’s singing.

On the other hand her music is adored by all free thinking, clear headed, purple haired socialists. This is understandable as lyrics like: - 'You drink my coffee and I drink my tea' do not lend themselves to appreciation by the more authoritarian nadirs of society.

It is the philosophy which the film is getting across. A statement that two lovers are capable of having differing tastes viz coffee and tea, but still live in harmony, is clearly a comment on the failings of society today where this is not possible.

I would very much have preferred to hear 'You drink white coffee and I drink black tea', but the film did not attempt to go so far and can you blame it?

I remember seeing Stardust about seven years ago and think that had a lot more to it than 'Breaking Glass'. The first major difference was the acting. No attempt was made at this in 'Breaking Glass' and I think the film lost a little because of it.

To say the film consisted of stereotypes saying lines and speaking lyrics would maybe be a little generous though as the entire audience were close to laughter at the most 'moving' part of the film, I cannot be complementary. Seeing the film was undeniable a waste of 80p'.

This Town

 

This Town

by Pete Clemons

Radio Times online:
'......set in the Midlands during the 1980s, exploring the ska and 2 Tone scene'.

Given that kind of hype you could be forgiven for expecting and going with certain assumptions. The programme title, it appears, has not helped either.

Bear in mind that This Town is set in 1981, after the whole 2 tone scene had peaked. It was also the beginning of a journey for Aston Villa football club that would see them win the European Cup. But with the programmes creator being a Birmingham City fan then I guess he can be forgiven for that omission.

Additionally, the era was not all about Ska. Far from it. It was the year, for example, that Duran Duran released their debut album. Along with the singles 'Planet Earth' and 'Girls on Film' it contained some instant classics.

Admittedly the programmes creator, Steven Knight has attempted to smooth things out. Steven said during an interview 'Its about a period of time I knew well, the early 80s, and its about this city that I knew well, Birmingham'. But as well as it has been written I cant help but feel that a selective memory has been engaged.

Steven continues 'The theme is the music. There is a style of music that really began in Coventry and migrated to Birmingham'.

With Peaky Blinders, and given the era that programme was set, there would be few around who could separate fact from fiction. Crossing that hurdle is so much different this time around.

Praise is never normally a thing that is universally positive. And reading the negative criticism from the targeted audience, the general public, the understandable expectations by many were just not there. And that's what led to the criticisms. Without the hype and maybe a different title the series would have been just another series.

But it's not all negative. There has been positives too. And rightly so. As a storyline, in this era of mediocrity it is, I think, very good. I get the narrative. But it is a bit of a slow burner. The overall portrayal is a bit overblown and exaggerated. But I personally am enjoying it and the acting really is very good.

It appears to draw loosely on related incidents around at that time. They in turn have been exaggerated and the history skewed. But it has very little do with what the hype and title led you to initially believe.

Was it really that bad?. The worrying aspect is that I really hope that the early 1980s are not tarnished forever. It really wasn't all about bombs and football violence.

Sometimes you just got to listen to the public at large. They can't be all wrong. If thousands of comments are consistent then maybe just maybe, as hard as it is to swallow, those comments might bear validity.

Revelation 2001

 

Revelation 2001

By Pete Clemons

Back in 2013 I wrote a piece that covered a potted history of how Peppermint Kreem came about and how they claimed their place in Coventry music history.

This is a long overdue follow up to that article and is focused on a unique piece of music Peppermint Kreem produced titled Revelation 2001 a story of the world, its future and one man's journey through it all, seeking some kind of truth.

Don Fardon, who once looked after Peppermint Kreem, once said about the band 'As amateurs they are professionals – but as professionals they are amateurs. Nevertheless they are very good'.

After listening to the piece I (PC) had a chat to its creator Paul Kennelly (PK) about his thoughts and memories of it all.

PC - Blimey Paul, this is very listenable. Am I right it was initially recorded during 1973, re-recorded 1987, performed 1973 at Memorial Park but conceived as far back as 1968 ish?. That was some journey if I am correct.

PK - I am not sure how far back the rock opera idea goes but it really came together during band practice in the Heath pub. But that was the first time I introduced the guys to my own work. That would be during 1972.

The album was recorded at Bird Sounds in Snitterfield in 1973 but the original tapes are now long lost. The master tape remained with Monty Bird and there were cassette copies around but sadly no one seems to have one.

Back in 1987 Arthur Albrighton was over from Germany and we kitted a studio out in our Time Machine shop, Earlsdon specifically to re visit the work. That was myself, Arthur and Bob Hopkins. Bob 'Spindler' Hopkins took the lead and improvises while Arthur Albrighton plays support chords and sound effects. Arthur also engineered the recording. This recording still exists but has only two keyboard tracks and vocal. It's in an unfinished state, not having bass, lead or percussion.

Arthur took the masters from that session back to Germany to add guitar and percussion. I have no idea why, but he never did complete the work. What you have is really a part work. All a long time ago.

PC - So really then the album could have been even grander than it is?

PK - Could still be if the guitar and drums was dubbed in. I also wrote two other similar pieces, one called 'Atlantis' and the other 'Nord Zaga'. Peppermint Kreem laid down keyboard and vocal tracks for 'Atlantis'. Again , this was never fully completed and remains unreleased and likely never to see the light of day. Sadly.

PC - Was this the music you played at Memorial Park 1973? If so who was in band that day. How did music go down?.
PK - Memorial Park gig. Keyboards Bob 'Spindler' Hopkins. Vocals Paul 'the Egg' Kennelly, Drums Pete 'the feet' Davoile, Bass guitar Keith 'Keethy Babes' Jaynes and guitar Arthur 'Modie' Albrighton.

We shared the gig with a band called Just Before Dawn. As can be seen from the poster, no one was top of the bill. The manager of Just Before Dawn got arsey and insisted they go on last.

This suited us. We had the big crowd as can be seen from the attached photos. By the time the other band went on it was dusk and the audience was mostly by then drunks.

I always say that of this gig, the public were watching a free show. They did not have to hang around if they thought the music was crap. But we held them, playing rock standards in the first half and the Rock Opera in the second half. I often wonder if someone out there took a movie of the show or made a recording.

Paul Kennelly

https://coventrygigs.blogspot.com/2013/11/peppermint-kreem.html

https://coventrygigs.blogspot.com/2013/11/peppermint-kreem.html

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100039388937599

RAVI SHANKAR at Coventry Cathedral 1967

 

RAVI SHANKAR at Coventry Cathedral 1967

by Pete Clemons

Photo by Richard Sadler @1967 via Coventry Cathedral Facebook Page.

Below is an account of how Ravi Shankar was introduced to the Coventry public in preparation for a concert held at the Cathedral during 1967.

If your experience of the sitar is confined to George Harrison and the Yardbirds, on Saturday, May 6th 1967. at 7.45 p.m. in Coventry Cathedral you have one of the all too chances to hear it played by Ravi Shankar, possibly the greatest virtuoso of the instrument ever to have lived.

In India he has the position of a national hero, draws crowds of up to 20,000 and is sometimes mobbed in the streets.

Ravi Shankar was born in Benares, and joined his brother's touring company as an apprentice on his tour of Europe when he was only nine.

He showed great talent in all the jobs he turned to. In 1935 India's foremost musician , Ustad Allaudin Khan , joined the company and Ravi asked if he could study with him. In a burst of rage Ustad Khan said that Ravi's talent made him think he could turn to anything he wanted, but if he wanted to be a musician he would have to devote his life to it.

Surprised, Ravi accepted the challenge, studied for a year and in 1938 returned to India to Ustad Khan to study intensively for six and a half years In 1949 he formed the Indian National Orchestra and worked as musical director with All-India Radio until 1957.

Since then he has toured and written film scores, among which was one for Jonathan Miller's version of 'Alice'. Indian music, which at its best generates at once both a depth and intensity of excitement not found in any Western music, is, for all its apparent spontaneity , highly formal.

Basically it consists of two elements, the raga, a scale-like series of notes similar in many respects to the modes of Ancient Greek music, and the tala, a rhythmic pattern that forms the basis of the improvisation .

Before each piece the twenty-five frets of the sitar are adjusted to the raga and the music usually begins with an exposition of it. The tamboura, a four or five stringed bass instrument is also tuned to the notes of the raga and produces a curious droning accompaniment to the sitar. Finally the tabla, a pair of drums of similar quality to bongos but with a more flexible tone and timbre, enter in the Gat as the music builds to its climax in the Jhala.

The climax is achieved by multiplying the time, by cross rhythms by increasingly rich ornamentation in the raga and, in the Hindustani style , by increasing the speed, until a state of near orgasm is reached. If you have never heard Indian music before you will probably never get such a good opportunity again. It is an experience you should not deny yourself.

Tickets are available from the Cathedral Bookshop.

....................

Coventry Cathedral are "Currently looking for stories from people who were at the performances of Ravi Shankar and Duke Ellington in the late 60s.
If you were there or know anyone who went to them get in touch with researcher Nirmal Puwar who is currently gathering peoples memories! Email: N.Puwar@gold.ac.uk

Neol Davies (later of The Selecter) with sitar and long hair in Coventry very early 70's from his former website

Below is Ravi Shankar a month later at the Monterey festival June 1967.

The Strawbs 1968

 

The Strawbs 1968

by Pete Clemons

The Strawbs story it seems goes back as far as 1963. But during 1967 The Strawberry Hill Boys were formed. They earned a sizeable reputation as a bluegrass group. Dave Cousins and Tony Hooper began to get a little more adventurous. After a spell with Sandy Denny and a succession of double bass players the band settled down as The Strawbs. During this time The Strawbs appeared in and around Coventry several times.

One such performance was during January 1968 at Warwick University's folk club. The Strawbs performance apparently surprised those who had been familiar with their previous style which was Country and Western and Blue Grass.

During that performance and in the words of Dave Cousins they got 'pissed off' with that style and had started to sing their own material which they say is influenced by, if anything, the Beatles whom they consider as folk writers - an opinion many would have found hard to swallow.

The Strawbs no longer liked ethnic folk but occasionally they played a blue grass number because people still enjoyed them. Dave's banjo playing was, certainly, extremely good. The songs which they had written, and were showcasing during 1968, were extremely genuine an impression one does not always get with many so called folk songs.

Amongst the best of them was the disturbing 'The Man who called himself Jesus', the beautiful and sad 'And You Need Me' and 'Spanish is a Loving Tongue' both of which were sung by Tony Hooper who had an exceptionally expressive and moving voice.

The Strawbs finished their set with a very funny rendering of 'Your Mother, Won’t be Home' with Dave playing the piano very badly and Tony and Ron Chesterman striking dramatic poses.

May 1968 and The Strawbs returned. With the exception of their bluegrass numbers it was reported that the Strawbs were 'rather disappointing in the first half'.

That said Tony Hooper's banjo playing was very good and appreciated by the audience. After the interval, they did some better songs, including 'Break the News to Mother'. It seems that during the second half The Strawbs sang more satirical songs, more in keeping with the humour of their introduction to the songs.

As with the January appearance, an outstanding number was 'The Man Who Called Himself Jesus'. Their closing number , 'Break the News to Mother' was rendered with suitable pathos, and heart-rending sighs, being the tragic tale of a young drummer boy who saved his company's flag. So good was it, that they came back for an encore, a spiritual that at last revealed the Strawbs as the talented group they are.

As the 1960s became the 1970s The Strawbs became aligned more to rock music with Dave Cousins becoming more interested in the electric guitar. This led to a succession of wonderful releases from a variety of line up's. But despite those marvellous albums I do like to dip back into their folky period now and again.

Sadly, it seems, time has ensured that The Strawbs have played their last gig. But what a band they were and what a legacy they leave us with.

.............................

Trev Teasdel adds - 

Another Coventry gig for the Strawbs was February 6th 1971 as part of the Lanchester Polytechnic Arts Festival (now Coventry University) alongside Ralph McTell and Mr Fox.

At this time Rick Wakeman was playing with the Strawbs on Grand Piano before leaving to join Yes. It was quite a night and the Strawbs, who were on last, went over time and the Lanch tired pulling the plug on them but the crowd cheered when the band who had mostly acoustic instruments continued playing and of course Rick Wakeman treated us to a gorgeous grand piano solo.

In 1980 i moved to Teesside and found that Dave Cousins was Radio Controller of Radio Tees - the commercial station in Stockton on Tees - I caught playing a solo gig at the nearby Dovecot Arts Centre, as he was trying to launch a solo career. We started putting on poetry performance gigs at the Dovecot in 1982 and afterwards the Dovecot engaged Bob Pegg of the support group Mr Fox as writer in residence with all his folklore experience.

Mr Fox - The Gypsy

Streets of London by Ralph McTell

The Strawbs with Sandy Denny I'm on My Way

The Dirt Road Band - Birmingham

 

The Dirt Road Band - Birmingham

by Pete Clemons

Time is of the essence rues the hackneyed quotation, and no matter how conceptions of it may change, in rock music, it still remains true that the person who lays it down is, or should be, the heart and soul of the group whatever its size.

So when Horace Panter quipped, during a guitar changeover, that it's great to be here, but at our age it's great to be anywhere, that old phrase suddenly felt all the more poignant.

The Dirt Road Band have been a good stylish band for getting on for a decade now. But I don't think I have ever seen them perform as well as they are doing during there current round of gigs.

Given the combined experience of the band members, Ted Duggan - drums, Steve Walwyn – guitars/vocals and Horace Panter – bass/vocals/ad libs, it is difficult to find any meaningful superlatives. As such it sounds strange to say that these guys are at top of their game. But it really is true.

A typical gig is sprinkled with takes of classics such as 'Laundromat', 'Tulane', 'Further on up the Road' and the showstopping version of 'Rolling and Tumbling'. Every song was projected with the right amount of meaning and without wringing them dry. Every effect, held note and ending was carried off with conviction and precision.

As this particular gig was in Birmingham another tip of the hat towards Steve Gibbons was made by way of Bob Dylan's 'Watching the River Flow'.

The Dirt Road Band also showcased some new tunes. 'Cutting Room Floor' was one. I honestly thought, as has happened before, that the band had been delving into the box marked 'obscure blues back catalogue' once again. But no genuinely surprisingly to discover that they were songs written by Horace.

I think its fair to say that Horace is not renowned for his songwriting abilities. But here they were for all to hear, and, wow!, they fitted into the equation remarkably well.

A 10 track CD, by The Dirt Road Band, is due to be released soon. And, can I just add that this album is long overdue.

I do have it on good authority that the album is made up of all new songs. None of them covers. And, of the new songs, it is around a 50/50 split between Horace and Steve as to who wrote them. The album also features Bob Jackson on keyboard.

And again, from the same source, the launch of the album is to be held at the legendary 100 club in London.

But back to the Birmingham gig. It was billed as loud and live. It most certainly was. But not uncomfortably loud. It must be so good to play in a club where people genuinely appeared to enjoy the blues. And that was clearly evident at Henry's Blues House on Broad Street.

Final word is from Horace: I think it would be safe to say that we rocked like motherfuckers tonight…........I for one wouldn't argue with that. They were absolutely blistering.

The Who – Warwick/Lanchester Polytechnic 1970

 

The Who – Warwick / Lanchester Polytechnic 1970

It was due to have been the biggest night in Warwick University arts history. It could have been the most notorious concert in Warwick's then short history.

On the 14th November 1970 The Who were due to play Rootes Hall on the campus. After some complex negotiations the venue has been agreed, subject to confirmation from the manager of The Who. Sadly, in the end it all fell through.

Originally, the concert had been planned for the workroom. The Who's management had agreed to the dimensions quoted. But days later a call was received to say that the group's stage act was impossible in a room less than 30 feet high - the workroom head height was just 13 feet.

A new venue was required. It was then planned for the glass doors of the Airport Lounge to have been removed to create one vast open space within Rootes Hall. A kind of theatre in the round if you like. In that way it should be possible to fit 1300 people in for the concert.

The Who's contract was described as a 'most unusual document' made provision for such extras as a security man for each musician, and drinks for the group - one of whom insisted on Napoleon Brandy.

In total the Warwick Union would have had to have to met the cost of 26 security staff plus the drink. Additionally they would have to foot the bill for any damage caused, as well as a fee of £1150 for the show, which included the supporting group.

All this would have made the concert the biggest, the best and the most expensive ever undertaken at Warwick. But it still hung in the balance.

The same tour saw The Who due to play the Lanch later the same month on 28 November. During the negotiations, and trying to protect their interest, the Lanch's social secretary wanted to get an exclusion clause written into their contract preventing The Who from appearing anywhere within a 40 mile radius around Coventry for a month before and a month after their appearance at the Lanchester. Basically they didn't want punters spending their cash at Warwick and not having enough left for their gig.

By then 960 tickets, out of the total of 1300, had already been sold for the Warwick gig. When the full number of tickets had been sold, there was also the possibility of another 100 being printed.

A week or so before the scheduled date it was announced that The Who would definitely not be playing at Rootes Hall. The deal was off, unless yet another new venue could be found. The tickets had already been printed and most of them sold at £1 a time. But it wasn't to be and attendees were offered a full refund.

The Who's concert at Lanchester on November 28 also hung in the balance. Similarly it was threatened by the stringency of the contract.

Although the Lanch had a suitable hall, with a suitable stage, facilities needed to be provided for the special lighting effects, safety fences and a reinforced stage which was necessary to support the antics of the group as well as the weight of equipment.

As the Who had appeared at the Lanchester previously the union was confident that all the problems should be ironed out and the concert should take place.

And so it did with a set almost identical to the classic Live at Leeds album released earlier in the year.

More on the Lanch Poly Gig 1970 with the Who here https://coventrygigs.blogspot.com/2012/10/the-lanch-lanchester-polytechnic-gigs.html