The History of Rock #06 - 1970

a monthly trip through musics
golden years this issue: 1970
starring...
black sabbath
Im not trying to say were angels
pink floyd
derek & the dominos
leonard cohen
joni mitchell
sandy denny
elton john
csny
free
PLUS! nico | viv stanshall | zeppelin | soft machine | who | stones
1970
m o n t h by mon th
Welcome
to 1970
new decade brings re-evaluation for the stars of the

1960s. It says much about their qualities that they knew
when moods were changing and their influence might be
changing with them. Pete Townshend this year is humble.
Mick Jagger wants to keep on the move. Paul McCartney,
meanwhile, breaks up The Beatles.
Jimi Hendrix prefaces his performance at the summers Isle Of Wight festival
with a Melody Maker interview. In it he states that one musical era started by
The Beatles is over, and that he is working on new music that will play a part in
the coming era. Jimi Hendrix will be there, he says.
As much as it is about endings, though, 1970 has some startling new
beginnings. The spectacular rise of our cover stars Black Sabbath is one such.
The massive impact made by Free another. Both bands take blues purism and
rewire it along the way finding completely new audiences.
Making sense of the changing times were the writers of the New Musical
Express and Melody Maker. This is the world of The History Of Rock, a monthly
magazine which reaps the benefits of their extraordinary journalism for the
reader decades later, one year at a time. In the pages of this sixth issue, dedicated
to 1970, you will find verbatim articles from frontline staffers, compiled into
long and illuminating reads. Missed one? You can find out how to rectify that on
page 144.
What will still surprise the modern reader is the access to, and the sheer
volume of, material supplied by the artists who are now the giants of popular
culture. Now, a combination of wealth, fear and lifestyle would conspire to keep
reporters at a rather greater length from the lives of musicians.
Sadly, Jimi Hendrix didnt make it much further into the new decade.
Otherwise, representatives fromNew Musical Express and Melody Maker are
where it matters. Tea with Leonard Cohen. Tomato sandwiches with Mick
Jagger. Under canvas at the Isle Of Wight.
Join them there. Theres a new day dawning.
HISTORY OF ROCK 1970 | 3
1970
m o n t h by mon th
6 News
Contents
Introducing David Bowies new

group, Hype, and a meeting with
Loves Arthur Lee. Meanwhile:
where is Paul McCartney?
12 Joni Mitchell
The Canadian songwriter

visits London to blow minds
in concert. Discussion includes
folk music, new songs, even
new instruments.
16
Soft Machine
The charming Robert Wyatt

discusses the underground
groups journeys to jazz clubs and
the Albert Hall.
20
Crosby, Stills,
Nash & Young
PHoToSHoT
With a supergroup comes some

super ego. Frank and amusing
chat from the generally
harmonious group.
28
Singles
Roger Waters from Pink

Floyd reviews the new records.
30Fleetwood
Mac
50 Black
Sabbath
Charting the existential crisis

of Peter Green, who wants to give
his money away.
The heavy rock

band begin their
impressive year. But
what, wonders the
public, will be the
cost to their many
sacrificial victims?
34 Led Zeppelin
A pleasant sojourn with Jimmy
Page. A tour of the boathouse, then
steaks in the village before Roger
Daltrey drops in for tea.
40
Keith Moon &

Vivian Stanshall
What ho! Weve just been for

a spot of punting The Who
drummer enters the hotel trade
and other misadventures in
the company of the former
Bonzos frontman.
46 Nico
The German chanteuse plays
London, and talks Warhol, The
Velvet Underground and the
future. Producer John Cale joins
in the startling story.
Joni Mitchell
page 12
Denny
54 Sandy
& Fotheringay
The former Fairport singer debuts
a new band with boyfriend Trevor
Lucas. And how are her former
colleagues in Fairport faring?
60 The Beatles
George and Ringo meet the press
at the Apple office. Will it turn
out to be for the last time?
65 Letters
Who are the real prospects for the
year ahead? And other missives
from the MM mailbag
66 News
Dr John brings the rain to the
Bath Festival. Paul McCartney
delivers a solo album and some
major news. Brinsley Schwarz hit
New York.
70
Elton John
The widely tipped former

sessioneer enjoys a breakthrough
year. Watch as the singers
great humility adapts to
showbusiness success.
Eric Burdon returns from

the psychedelic battlefield with
WAR. The Stones form their own
label. Ginger Baker reports on
Fela Kuti and Afrobeat.
92 Free
Return to form! Ray Davies

unveils a hit single, Lola, and
a conceptual new album about
the music business to back it up.
Longtime blues triers

strike it big with All Right Now.
Freemania rapidly ensues. People
were climbing on the roof to hear
us, says Paul Rodgers from the
eye of the storm.
78Singles
98 Singles
74
The Kinks
Roger Daltrey flexes his critical

thinking on the new releases.
80Pink Floyd
Roger Waters invites us in for
a chat about money, conscience
and boredom with Pink Floyd
material. Also: Syd Barrett
emerges from deep cover.
4 | HISTORY OF ROCK 1970
86 News
Paul Rodgers and Ray

Davies, who would know a thing
or two about them, review the
singles in Blind Date.
100Isle Of Wight
Jimi Hendrix and

Leonard Cohen chat in advance
of their festival appearances.
Melody Maker gets stuck in under
canvas to report.
led Zeppelin
pages 34 and 136
The band enjoy their

successes, post- Paranoid. MM
goes on the road for a chaotic
one-nighter in Newcastle.
112
The Faces
Charming, talented and

generally pissed Introducing
the other band to rise from the
Small Faces.
118
The Rolling Stones
Mick Jagger reflects on the

demise of The Beatles, what he
does in bed, and the importance
of performing live. Musicians
should live out of suitcases, he

advises, not country houses.
And
124 Derek
The Dominos
Eric Clapton enjoys
a pseudonymous rebirth as
Derek, while bandmates Bobby
Whitlock and Duane Allman
explain their involvement.
128 News
RIP Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin.
Tony Blackburn vs John Peel. The
Rolling Stones have no plans to
live abroad.
138The Who
132 Jethro Tull
An in-depth interview with
the opaque, difficult-to-like
Ian Anderson.
136 Albums
Jimmy Page talks us through
Led Zeppelin III.
Pete Townshend confesses

to a wealth of musical and personal
insecurities in this searching
man and music interview.
145Letters
John Peel as Housewives

Choice. Remembering Jimi
Hendrix. And, while were at it,
what does Paul McCartney think
hes playing at?
Time Inc. (UK) Ltd, 8th Floor, Blue Fin Building, 110 Southwark St, London SE1 0SU | Editor John Mulvey, whose favourite song from
1970 is Move On Up by Curtis Mayfield dEputy Editor John Robinson Fairies Wear Boots by Black Sabbath art Editor Lora Findlay
Diamond Day by Vashti Bunyan production Editor Mike Johnson Oh I Wept by Free art dirEctor Marc Jones Patches by Clarence
Carter dEsignEr Becky Redman Sugar Magnolia by The Grateful Dead picturE Editor Kimberly Kriete Winterlude by Bob Dylan
covEr photo Chris Walter thanks to Helen Spivak MarkEting Charlotte Treadaway
suBscriptions Sonja Zeven puBlishing dirEctor Ed Beale covErs printEd By Polestar Wheatons
tExt printEd By Polestar Chantry | www.uncut.co.uk
CHRIS WaLTER
106 Black Sabbath
1970
JA NUA R Y M A R CH
nico, soft Machine,

Black saBBath, csny,
leD zeppelin anD More
I cant see it
as permanent
MM March 28 David Bowie begins
to get into character(s).
rex features
ype has been kindly defined by a wise

friend as being 90 per cent hyperbole and
10 per cent hypocrisy. With that clearly in
mind, who would ever think of giving the title
to their own group?
David Bowie would and has, partly as a protest
against the pretentiousness and insincerity in
some quarters of the music business. Explained
David last week over the almost overwhelming
din of a lunchtime ale house:
I deliberately chose the name in favour of
something that sounded perhaps heavy because
now no one can say theyre being conned.
Especially nowadays, theres a lot of narrowmindedness among groups, or at least behind the
organisers who claim to be presenting free music
for free people, but I dont see how they can
because theyre so hypocritical in everything
else. I suppose you could say I chose Hype
deliberately with tongue in cheek.
Davids last record was the ultra-dramatic
Space Oddity, which was a good reflection of
the extent to which his imagination will stretch.
In some ways the conception of the song was so
simple (dealing with the disastrous
shortcomings of an astronaut) that you wonder
why it hadnt been done before. It is more than
probable that five or six years ago Space Oddity
would have been given an icy reception and even
banned as being sick. The disc was in fact banned
in the States. I was pleased that the record was a
success, but getting a hit wasnt so very important
and I honestly cant see why it was so popular.
The last statement could only be put down to
modesty and David is a very modest character.
He has refused to allow himself the easy way out
of becoming bitter towards the business. Space
Oddity at last brought him deserved recognition
after several attempts at getting a hit, but now the
charts hold little attention for him.
What then does the future hold for his new
release with Hype, Pretty Star?
March 11, 1970: the Hype

(lr) David Bowie, Tony
Visconti, John Cambridge
and Mick Ronson (out
of shot) appear at the
Atomic Sunrise Festival
at Londons Roundhouse
1970
J a n u a r y M a r ch
I think a lot of people are expecting another

Space Oddity, said David, and Pretty Star
is nothing like it. Im sure this is why the BBC
arent plugging it. Everyone wanted another
song with the same feel as Space Oddity, but as
Id done it I didnt see the point of doing it again.
The song served its purpose but I hope Im not
going to be expected to write and record a whole
lot of stuff that is so obvious as Space Oddity.
I remarked that it had taken some time for
Space Oddity to start making an impression
on the charts a statement which had David
nodding vigorously. Yes, he agreed, it took
about three or four months to catch on and the
release had been held back about three months
before that. The only reason I can think of is that
the record company were waiting to cash in on
the American moon landing. It was banned in
the States because they thought it was in bad
taste and even might upset some people.
This is something which David stoically makes
no apologies for. All my songs are very personal
and I combine this with an exaggeration so the
meaning is clearly brought home to the listener.
A lot of my compositions are very much fantasy
tales. I like Marc Bolans songs very much
because I think he obviously feels the same way.
The conversation then swung once more
to the intriguing Hype. Im very happy with
the band, says David. I have Tony Visconti,
who has played bass on nearly all my records,
John Cambridge, who used to be with Juniors
Eyes, and Mick Ronson on guitar and I play
12-string guitar.
Although were
all happy with the
set-up, I cant see it
becoming a really
permanent thing.
I want to retain Hype
and myself as two
separate working
units whereby we
can retain our own
identities.
The gigs weve
done so far have
gone better than I expected. We played the
Roundhouse recently and it was great. The
Roundhouse audiences seem to be something
apart from the usual blas London audiences.
Weve had these costumes made by various
girlfriends which make us look like Dr Strange
or the Incredible Hulk. I was a bit apprehensive
about wearing them at the Roundhouse gig
because I didnt know how the audience would
react. If they think its a huge put-on the whole
thing will backfire, but they seemed to accept
it, which was nice.
The best audiences I know of are up north,
where they really appreciate you. In London
the audiences are very aware that they are
living in the place where its all supposed to be
happening, so inevitably they have this cool
attitude theyll try and sell you anything from a
pair of trousers to your own car. Raymond Telford
Weve
had these
costumes
made by
various
girlfriends
With the aid of a glamorous

assistant, Black Widow
frontman Kip trevor gets
down to summoning the
spirit of demon-wrangling
goddess lady astaroth
The act includes a seduction conjuration

MM MARCH 28 Introducing Midlands-based dabblers in the
occult Black Widow. We had quite a few calls from witches.
agic in music. Is it a big hype or is
there something in the ancient art that
a number of groups are utilising both
on stage and on record? Black Widow are
a Leicester-based band formed last summer
from the remnants of five Midlands groups.
They developed their individual interest in
witchcraft into a group stage act that involves
sacrificial and demon-raising scenes.
Fact or fiction, is there an element of the
unknown in what many think, not
surprisingly, is just another pop group
gimmick? Clive Box, drummer with
Black Widow, gave his views:
Personally, Ive been
interested in witchcraft for
about three years. When
we started as Black
Widow we were looking
around for a stage act
and I suggested that
witchcraft would be a
basis of a tremendous
act, which is what we
have perfected today.
The act includes a
seduction conjuration and
sacrificial ceremony.
Everything is authentic
and we attempt to raise
Lady Astaroth, who is
played by a young girl. Lady
Astaroth is not a demon;
shes a goddess with a lot of
demons under her control.
When we started doing
this we had quite a few phone calls from
witches who were against what we were doing.
There are two classes of witches hereditary
and gardenarian. It is the gardenarian witches
who have telephoned us, because they believe
that the ceremonies should not be held in
public as they feel you are giving away secrets.
Since then we have had help from Alex
Saunders, the leading authority in Europe on
witchcraft. He is a hereditary witch and was
worried in case something did happen in our
act. We get the audience involved in our act
and with all those minds, theres so much
power that something could materialise,

and Mr Saunders has advised us what to do
if Lady Astaroth did. Apparently she could
possess the girl who portrays her on stage.
I dont really think theres anything to fear,
but Mr Saunders is making us a talisman to
offer us protection. Weve been a bit worried
recently as there have been one or two things
that have been a bit unusual. There are little
things like all the windows in the flat being
open and we found two of the three bolts
holding the steering box in the van were
snapped, and yet the van is checked
every month and theyre so
robust. Can you imagine
travelling hundreds of miles
on the motorway with only
one bolt holding the
steering box?
On another occasion
I was driving with my
girlfriend on a road I use
two or three times a week
near my home and we went
round a right-hand bend
and the steering suddenly
locked and I ended up
in the ditch. I called the
AA and asked them to
check the steering and
they could find nothing
wrong. Weve had a lot of
threats to the office and
its a bit worrying.
Musically, the group
Zoot Taylor (organ), Clive
Box (drums), Jim Gannon (guitar), Kip Trevor
(vocals), Geoff Griffiths (bass) and Clive Jones
(sax and flute) listen to a lot of people and
incorporate different feels into what they play,
which is basically the work of Jim Gannon.
The seduction scene is based on the bossa
nova, for instance, the conjuration scene is
very heavy and the seduction is really a rock
number, continued Box.
Devils, demons, evil spirits and witchcraft
apart, it is on music that Black Widow have to
be judged. It needs a lot of magic to convince
the cynical public Royston Eldridge
With so much
audience mindpower, something
could materialise
Paul and linda mccartney

with sheepdog martha on
their remote farm near
campbeltown on the Kintyre
peninsula, early 1970
I shall try and

hustle them out
NME JAN 10 John Lennon plans
a peace festival featuring The
Beatles, Stones, Dylan and Elvis.
ohn and Yoko Lennon are planning
a massive Peace Festival to be staged at
Torontos Mosport Park in Canada for
three days from July 3. John is hoping to
secure The Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Bob
Dylan and Elvis Presley for the event and
he envisages all these superstars on stage
together to climax three days of music,
poetry and peace propaganda.
Among those who have already agreed to
take part according to Lennon are Led
Zeppelin, Jethro Tull, The Who, Eric
Clapton, King Crimson, Joe Cocker, The
Band and Peter Sellers. Asked how
confident he was of securing The Beatles
for the event, John said, I cant speak for all
The Beatles, but I shall try and hustle them
out maybe Ill get one or two of the others.
The Lennons have already had a meeting
with Canadian prime minister Pierre
Trudeau and health minister John Munro,
both of whom approve plans for the festival.
Said John, We chose Canada in preference
to any other country because it has the right
political climate. He added that he would
like also to take the festival to Moscow.
Dick Gregory has accepted an invitation
to be part of the Lennons peace council,
which will administer a Peace Fund. One
quarter of the gross proceeds from the
festival will go to the Peace Fund. Lennon
also announced a network of peace radio
stations, which will broadcast his peace
jingles and a regular report by the Lennons
on peace and already 35 Canadian
stations have joined the movement.
John and Yoko are to purchase 70 acres of
land in isolated Hanherred in Northern
Denmark. They plan to live there for several
months every year in contemplation.
Pauls fine
NME FEB 21 Where is the hermit of St Johns Wood?
ames Paul mccartney is home

and baby and Linda and ballad and
rocknroll ravers, and Fair Isle sweaters
and dad and brother and the Friday train to
Lime Street. John Lennon is Yoko and peace
and Plastic fantastic; X and Sex; and bang the
gong for right and wrong. The new Beatles
single, Let It Be, is released within the next
fortnight, and in the light of these differences
it would have been a personal pleasure to
report an imminent Come
Together between the
worlds of old Fair Isle
McCartney and Plastic
Lennon fantastic!
Sadly, no such luck. The
void between them seems
as wide as ever. And a close
look at the label credit for
Johns own new single,
Instant Karma, seems to be evidence that
even the Lennon-McCartney songwriting
partnership may now be about to be dropped.
The publishing line plays it straight:
Composed: Lennon. The new Let It Be
single does carry a Lennon-McCartney credit,
but in reality its one of those beautiful and
exclusively McCartney songs in which he
develops the soft, tight pain of a number like
Yesterday or Fool On The Hill. After
Georges Something solo, another thought
is that we may be on a run of solo Beatle tracks
released as singles. John next, maybe. Then
a Ringo swingalong?
To my mind the saddest part of the whole
state of Beatles music at the moment is that all
of it is being written in isolation. Of course its
good, and a great deal of it is brilliant. But think
of the possibility and the potential of these
talents if they were combined today, both in
composition and sound, and the fact that they
are not working together comes somewhere
near to pop music tragedy.
As for Paul, who still prefers to express his
mind exclusively in his music, its difficult to
pinpoint the moment when he lost interest in

Apple, plus Lennons peace crusade, and
began to wonder if The Beatles still existed
any more. At the same time, it takes little
imagination to understand the ease with which
he decided to switch off some time last year.
There were problems and arguments as a
result of the Northern Songs takeover bid;
further disagreements, about other business
affairs; and a general air of sourness over there
at Apples Savile Row HQ.
Having turned off the
charm, however, I now
suspect that Paul would find
it something of a personal
discomfort to begin
interviews again, even if he
wanted to. Its a bit tricky
when youve kicked the
habit. Until such time as he
chooses to jump into the limelight again,
though, Pauls firm-minded wife Linda seems
to have taken over as a kind of barrier between
him and the rest of the world.
Callers to their St Johns Wood house either
meet Linda or a member of the staff, and Paul
is not available, or out, or busy. Students
of astrology may well recognise a typical
Gemini reaction in this McCartney mystique
outward and sociable at one minute; a hermit
the next; good friendly guy one minute;
distant guy the next.
Personally, I can only wish him peace and
quiet for as long as he wants, following those
years of Beatlemania and Being Nice. I respect
his ability as a musician, and providing he
regularly comes up with the goods for his
own sake as much as anyone elses then lets
make it a case of Let It Be, Let It Be. As Ringo
puts it: Pauls fine. Maureen and I went over to
dinner with him last week and we had a good
time. Hes writing songs and hes doing things.
Hes happy. Hes just fed up doing interviews,
thats all. I dont think hed care if he never did
another interview in all his life. Alan Smith
Pauls wife Linda

seems to have
taken over as a
kind of barrier
February 11, 1970:

John and yoko
backstage at Top
Of The Pops
getty (2)
1970
Ja n u a r y March
mott The Hoople in the Jack

Tar Hotel in san Francisco,
August 1970: (lr) Verden
Allen, ian Hunter, Dale
Buffin Griffin, pete
overend Watts, mick Ralphs
Wed like to do a Traffic

MM JaN 17 Introducing Mott The Hoople, a shy bunch from the Hereford area.
op music in Britain has, more often
than not, taken its lead from America.
Changing styles there have been
reflected by the mirror of our own scene,
although of late that tendency has been
reversed by bands from The Beatles to Led
Zeppelin. The most important American trend
of 1969, though, has scarcely caused a ripple on
the rather over-smooth waters of British pop.
I refer to that most excellent development
country-rock, which has spawned groups of
the calibre of The Burrito Brothers, The
Dillards, The Youngbloods and Area Code 615.
Perhaps it is because country-rock derives
from the twin streams of country & western
music that it has not been seized on in Britain.
However, recently I heard an album by
a British group which seemed to me to
have some of the characteristics of countryrock: a certain relaxed, open feeling which
appears to derive from a rural rather than
urban environment.
The band is called Mott The Hoople, and
although their debut album was generally
kindly received, several reviewers noted a
great similarity was intended or coincidental.
Completely unintentional, they cried in
unison (they being singer and pianist Ian
Hunter, organist Verden Allen, guitarist Mick
Ralphs, bassist Overend Watts and drummer
Buffin).
Seriously though, it just came out that way
by accident, said Ian. We use organ and
piano, which must make the sound similar for a
start, and the studios we cut the album in had
a lot to do with the vocals sounding like Dylan.
ALAMy
As I mentioned earlier, the group have a

kind of rural feeling, which could possibly be
attributed to the fact that they all come from
the green and pleasant hills of Hereford,
except Ian who comes from Shrewsbury. The
four from Hereford spent many moons
playing in rival groups around the town.
A few months ago they decided to try and
break into what is fondly known as the big
time, and after due consideration they
plumped for Island as the place to go.
Mick came down to London six months ago
with some rather average demo tapes and
played them for Guy Stevens, who was
interested in the songs but not really in the
band. They had no singer at the time, so Ian
joined it was a fluke and, as he had been
writing songs and making demos in London,
he began to write songs for the band with
Mick. However, Stevens was
interested enough to hire a
studio for the group, and he
went away raving. The next
day they all trooped into
another studio to see how
theyd sound on record, and
cut some rough tapes which
further excited Stevens.
Plans were made for their
first album, and after two weeks rehearsal they
cut their tracks. At this time they had still to
perform in public, but the sound on the LP
gives the impression that they are a live rather
than a studio group.
Now that weve played some live gigs
including the Country Club, the Lyceum, the
Speakeasy and Aylesburys Friars club were

a different band, says Mick.
Mind you, we were never really influenced
by anyone there werent many bands to go
and hear in Hereford, and in fact there wasnt
much to do except play our own music.
Theyre a shy bunch, amazingly pleasant
to be around after a surfeit of hard, blas
Londoners, and they tend to come off the
stand exclaiming how theyve enjoyed each
others playing. It will be interesting to see how
they fare in the rugged climes of America,
where they tour in May. The album is set for
release in the States in February or March on
the Atlantic label, who have, says Mick, given
us a really fantastic advance.
Wed really like to do a Traffic and live in
a country cottage, but circumstances dictate
living in London, says Mick.
Ian: It would be really
great to get into a position
where we could go back and
live at home, while still being
part of the scene. That may
even happen one day, the
way the scene is going.
As I got up to leave, Mick
said, Would you please put
in that wed like to thank
Guy Stevens, whos our aide, mentor and sixth
man, and also Andy Johns, our engineer. We
must be the luckiest band in the world for
recording. Everybodys so great its not a
drag like some sessions.
I think Mott The Hoople are too good for
London. Not musically, but as people theyre
just too bloody nice. I just hope that the
concrete jungle doesnt change their
admirably placed heads much. Richard Williams
atlantic have
given us a
really fantastic
advance
Jagger opened
my eyes a lot
NME MarCH 21 arthur Lee returns
to lead a new, tighter Love.
lmost certainly several years too
late to cash in on the fantastic build-up
and superlatives that were being heaped
on the West Coast rock group back in 1966
and 67, Love has been and gone. But when
the boss is Arthur Lee, singer and guitarist,
and only once previously has he been known
to take Love outside a three-mile radius of
Los Angeles, I guess were pretty lucky to
have had them here at all.
Arthur Lee, 26, from Memphis, is a very
strange guy, inviting rumour and myth in
abundance. He is said to be the only black
singer ever to have watched Mick Jagger in
action to learn something. He sacks his band
with alarming regularity, so much so that he is
the only remaining member of the group
which recorded their first LP, Love.
Hailed as it was, even Lee was hard put to call
the album an object lesson in originality:
Jagger opened my eyes a lot, he freely admits.
The first time I ever saw the Rolling Stones
was on The Red Skelton Show in America. It was
that Im not going to let this lot screw me up
attitude that came on so strong, I realised that
you could always you should always do your
own thing.
At that time, even The Beatles were wearing
suits, and they all looked alike, but not Jagger.
Hes only singing rhythm and blues, but hes
doing it in his own way. Its his interpretation,
and thats what Im trying to do. The song may
be the same, but the singing is different. Its like
the candle and the light bulb. You get the same
outcome, but ones got electricity.
If Jagger influenced Lee stage-wise, it was
The Byrds who gave him a musical direction.
Before I saw The Byrds at a place called Ciros,
they really ripped me out. Their music wasnt
rhythm and blues like everybody else was
playing, it really got to the heart. They were
singing their own material,
and it was like the songs
I was writing myself. So
again, I figured that I could
do my own thing and get
accepted. Thats what went
into Love, the first album.
Me doing my own thing for
the first time.
Previously, Lee, who
rebelled against the
accordion at grammar
school, had taken up the
organ in a bid to be another
Booker T. He went through
groups with such unlikely
names as Arthur Lee & The
LAGs, The VIPs and The
American Four. It was in
the latter group that yet another name had a

profound influence on Arthur. I had written
a tune for this little chick, and I wanted some
real funky guitar on it, like Curtis Mayfield got
on People Get Ready. Anyway, I heard there
was this cat playing with Little Richard, and he
really knocked me out. Yeah, Jimi Hendrix. He
was the first black guy I had ever seen with long
hair really freaked out. Right there and then,
I went out and got myself a long wig. That was
some trip.
Hendrix sure impressed me, playing guitar
with his left hand. He was wearing a suit and tie,
but that hair, man, wow. I just had to get a wig.
He was hardly Mr Originality in those days,
but Arthur gradually pulled himself round and
soon Love were playing and recording only
their own material. For a while they were
known as The Grass Roots, but he forgot to
register the name, and when another group
showed up using the same tag, Arthur
renamed his group Love,
and from then until now,
the name and the leader is
just about all that hasnt
changed.
What could I do if my
manager rang me up and
said, Hey, your group just
walked out on you? People
get uptight for different
reasons, but usually
because they werent
making any bread.
Anyway, that was just after
the latest album, Out Here,
and I figured that
particular trip had gone as
far as it could have done,
and I wasnt happy.
It was mainly
my fault that we
havent travelled
until now
Ive been altering the group looking for the

sound I wanted, and sometimes theyve let me.
Now Ive got Frank Fayad on bass, George
Suranovich on drums and recently Gary
Rowles on lead. I dont know about adding
more members at the moment, but if the music
needs a change of lineup, Ill do it at any time.
Im aware now, perhaps for the first time, of the
direction, and I look back on the early times
and see that most of it was necessary for us to
be where we are now.
With so many American bands doing so well
in Britain just as the Jethros and Macs and
Zeppelin are massive Stateside Arthur
wonders why Love havent achieved too much
as yet. One answer is that British music fans
like to see as well as hear. It was mainly my
fault, he explained, that we havent travelled
until now. I was always afraid of doing the
wrong thing, and blowing the whole scene. We
were too loose, far too loose, but things are
tighter now.
Then, of course, there is the question of
cancelled tours and only intermittent record
releases: Thats tied up together. We recorded
the albums at regular intervals, and normally
they would have been issued at regular
intervals, but twice albums were held up to
coincide with tours which never happened.
Or theres the old cliche about the music
being too far ahead of its time, too heavy for the
mass market, and I guess Love is one of the very
few groups of whom this could well be true.
All I want is a good time, said Arthur in
conclusion. Its all gotten a bit intellectual,
and a lot of people who should see dont see
that all we are doing is our own thing, just
being free. What I hope is that they might see
me having a good time, and they decide to have
a good time too. Thats all. Gordon Coxhill
getty
march 1970: Arthur

Lee in a London hotel
room as Love play 13
dates during their
first tour of the uK
1970
Its not
easy to
do this
getty
But when she

arrives in London,
JONI MITCHELL wows
everyone she meets.
Easy definition (as
folk singer, celebrity
girlfriend) is
something she seeks
to elude. Her songs
and performance do
just that with ease.
I want my music to
get more involved
and sophisticated,
she says.
MELODY MAKER JANUARY 10

anadian folk singer Joni Mitchell this week
denied rumours that she would be retiring after
her royal festival Hall concert on January 17. But
Joni, who can scarcely be described as a folk singer
any more and has no current connections with
Canada either, will be a good deal more withdrawn
in the future.
she flew to london from los angeles last week, and at a Warner
reprise reception she told MM, its true ive postponed all bookings
indefinitely, but thats just to catch my breath. i really need to get
some new material together, and i also want to learn to play more
instruments, and find time to do some painting.
so Joni, far from taking things easy, is going to have her time cut out
in the next few months. she made it quite apparent that she is going
through a transitional stage in her career, expressing herself through
a wider range of media, but at the same time delving deeper into her
own distinctive musical bag.
ive got a hard core of fans who follow me around from one concert
to another, and its for them i feel i ought to produce some new songs.
i come from saskatoon, Canada originally, and ill probably move back
there, but at this point in my life i would rather live in los angeles as its
right in the middle of change, and therefore far more stimulating. There
are a lot of artists in la at the moment, and the exchange between
artists is tremendous.
Joni took a trip back to her previous two visits to england. The first she
remembers specifically as her first taste of english folk clubs, and the
second for her appearance at the festival of Contemporary song in
september 1968, with al stewart, Jackson C frank and The Johnstons. it
was this concert that really established her as a major artist in Britain,
and she is still more than enthusiastic about that concert. id sure like
to meet The Johnstons again while im here, she added.
But songs like Chelsea Morning, Marcie and Both sides now,
which acted as her springboard, have now made way for slightly more
August 29, 1970: Joni

Mitchell at the Isle
Of Wight Festival
1970
getty
Ive had to work

my way up: Joni
Mitchell in 1970
complex numbers, perhaps brought

about by the change of environment.
I want my music to get more involved
and more sophisticated. Right now Im
learning how to play a lot of new
instruments. In the last month Ive
managed to write three new songs,
including a couple of Christmas songs. Ive
also written a song for a film score that hasnt
been used, and Woodstock, which is the next
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young single.
Joni emphasised that she will not be playing any folk clubs while in
Britain. She will make only one concert
appearance, and will be tele-recording a guest
spot on the Tom Jones show. I shall then take
a couple of weeks holiday in Britain before
returning. I want to get out into the country,
and in particular to Scotland.
Country and city life both play prominent
but entirely different roles in Joni Mitchells life.
And it is the latter that is currently influencing
her writing. Ive a feeling that America may
suddenly get very strange. In Los Angeles the air
is very bad, and its not good to breathe city air all
the time. But its not just this environment that
influences me. Any kind of music that moves me
in any way has some effect on my writing.
Joni is more than enthusiastic about her next album, which is almost
completed. A couple of tunes she picked out for special attention: They
Paved Paradise And Put Up A Parking Lot and He Played Real Good For
Free, the latter being about a sidewalk musician.
MELODY MAKER SEPTEMBER 19
cene in a television studio: girl in a long pink shift, which

catches at her ankles when she walks, picks hesitantly at a few
bars on the piano, reluctantly gives up, and asks for a glass of
something hot, maybe tea.
Her manager, looking like a thinner, less ebullient version of Dave
Crosby, brings her a drink, and she tells the
audience sitting out there in the darkness of
the television theatre that she must have picked
up a cold in London, she always gets colds
when she is in England; does everybody get
colds when they go to America? Gives a nervous
little giggle.
She resumes the song, unfolds it carefully
like a love letter written on finest paper, pouring
out its lines with a peculiar little sob in her voice,
as if she cannot bear to let the words slip away.
And they are deep, genuine words, about the
lover who when he is gone, the beds too big and
the pans too wide, which says it all so simply
yet so fully.
There is
a certain
amount of
my life in all
my songs
1970
JONI MITCHELL
ROYAL FESTivAL HALL

LONDON
Still in the same low key,

she moves into the lyrics of
Woodstock and the line
about the bombers in the
sky turning into butterflies
above the nation, which is
tremendous imagery, and
then Willy: He is my child,
he is my father/I would be his
lady all my life.
No other contemporary
songwriter could compose
lyrics the equal of these in
tenderness and innocence,
a sweet combination. She plucks at a couple of tunes on a dulcimer,
which she has only been playing since February, and then picks up
her guitar to sing Big Yellow Taxi, which gets great applause, of
course, as does Clouds. She falters a bit on it, and cannot quite
reach the pitch at times, but it is the final number and she has made
it through alright.
Short pause while she stands timidly in the centre of the stage,
looking vulnerable and dreamy, then fade-out.
Cut to the dressing room, and a typical dressing room scene,
with a few friends, one or two press, a lot of record company
representatives, and the usual well-known visitor. In appearance,
she seems rather severe in an attractive sort of way with her fine
blonde hair scraped back from her tanned face, which has large
bones around the cheeks and forehead, and a wide, generous
mouth. Its a pleasant, open face that sits on top of a body whose
seeming fragility inspires a feeling of instinctive protectiveness.
Joni Mitchell is not her real name. At Fort McCloud in Alberta, Canada,
she is known as Roberta Joan Anderson, but in 1965 she got married to
one Chuck Mitchell, a marriage dissolved about 12 months later. Her first
album, Song To A Seagull, reflects the sadness of this marital split, and
indeed, the motions that have inspired many of her songs are always
tangible, beating like veins near the surface of her work.
Willy, for instance, refers to her association with Graham Nash, now
ended, while the impetus for writing For Free came from a clarinettist
she saw playing on a London street Nobody stopped to hear him, though
he played so sweet and high, one line goes wistfully.
There is a certain amount of my life in all my songs, she told me softly.
They are honest and personal, and based on truth, but I exercise a
writers licence to change details. Honesty is important to me. If I have
any personal philosophy it is that I like the truth. I like to be straight with
people and them with me. But it is not easy to do this all the time,
especially in this business where there is so much falsity.
Her first album was not released until late 1968, but she had been
singing for five years then in clubs and bars, while her name was
attracting public attention through other artists interpretations of
her songs: Judy Collins version of Both Sides Now is probably the
best example.
More recently, too, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young cut their interpretation
of her lovely, floating song Woodstock, whipping it up in the process
into something fierce and pounding, far removed from the original
in tone and execution.
I liked their performance too, in its way, she said. They were seeing
Woodstock from the point of view of the performers, while my version is
concerned with the spirit of the festival. I never did actually get to
Woodstock itself, you see, because the traffic jams to the site were nine
miles long, so I sat in my New York hotel room and saw it on television.
If anyone has helped her, though, in popularising her work it has been
the cowboy rocknroll singer Tom Rush, who she said had got her to leave
Michigan, where she was doing the round of folk clubs, and securing her
a gig at the Gaslight in New York. This was not a total success, but Rush put
out a version of her Urge For Going after it had been turned down by
Judy Collins, and this became a favourite on the club circuits, opening
doors for her in consequence.
Yes, he was the first to help. Until he played that and Circle Game
nobody really wanted to know; they would time me when I went on as an
opening act, so you can see that I have had to work my way up. It has all
been very gradual. Tom helped me as well in that period, because I was
unsure about my writing and didnt think it was very good. But there have
been a lot of people who have been good to me. Michael Watts
LIVE!
The walls
were shaking
JANUARY 17
MM JAN 24 Joni is captivating at the

modernist concert hall beside the Thames.
onI MItchell Must love England to the same extent that

England loves Joni Mitchell. This fact was implicit throughout
the whole of her two-hour concert at the Festival Hall on
Saturday. The walls were still shaking 10 minutes after Joni had
taken her second encore. Such was the greed and expectation,
that hardly a person had left
the hall when she finally
returned for a farewell
acknowledgement, and the
audience rose en masse.
With great warmth and
presence, the Canadian
songstress appeared for
the first set in a long red
dress, her voice soaring
and plummeting over
that aggressive and
characteristically opentuned guitar. After three
numbers Joni moved to the
piano and captured the
audience completely by the
nature of He Played Real
Good For Free, a recent
composition, which reflects
her environmental change.
She closed a well-balanced
first half repertoire with the
famous Both Sides Now.
Next Joni appeared in blue and embarked on a much longer
set which included Galleries, Marcie and Michael From
Mountains, and with each song she drew the audience further into
her. An outstanding Richard Farina-style rock number, They
Paved Paradise And Put Up A Parking Lot, and the next Crosby,
Stills, Nash & Young single, Woodstock, prefaced the finale,
which was an event in itself Dino Valentes great song about
brotherhood. Jeremy Gilbert
Her voice
soaring and
plummeting
over that opentuned guitar
1970
soft machine
Its very
elastic
Thats life in the SOFT MACHINE, on a tightrope
between songs and improvisation. The engaging,
freeform Robert Wyatt and circumspect,
classically trained Mike Ratledge discuss recent
engagements at Ronnie Scotts and the Proms.
Soft Machine outside

the Albert Hall before
their Proms appearance
there, August 12, 1970:
(lr) Mike Ratledge,
Hugh Hopper, Robert
Wyatt and Elton Dean
obert Wyatt is the member of the Soft Machine youre most

likely to be watching while you listen to their music. Touslehaired and athletic behind his drum kit, he has the kind of natural
showmanship which does not compromise the quality of the
music hes a part of.
Reviewing their recent Fairfield Hall concert, I commented that it
seemed paradoxical that, while the group are progressing rapidly, the audience is
still managing to catch up with them.
Perhaps theres an element of flattery involved, says Robert, in that we expect
them to follow anything we feel we want to do. But we can never really gauge for
ourselves what the audience is feeling, because we dont stop for applause.
Now that even the break in the middle has gone, well play for a minimum of oneand-a-half hours and come straight off. So we only feel any sort of reaction when
were changing afterwards. Our sort of progression is the kind in which the
musicians improve as they play, gaining more control over their instruments and
pacing themselves better. This is something that everyone has to learn, and thats
whats happening to us.
I never know what people think of us. Its quite satisfying. We can come off stage
and Mikell be quite depressed, while Im turning cart wheels. Were not an
intellectual group if we were, we wouldnt get anywhere. We dont even talk about
it any more, and it just happens in a subconscious sort of way. Because Mike is
musically highly educated doesnt mean we arent intuitive.
We dont spend enough time in rehearsals for Mike, and we spend too much time
there for me, because I can only discover things in the act of playing the piece, in a
performing situation. Its like painting in a way. Some painters do sketches first, but
often the whole thing is the work itself. I use time like a painter, putting layers on; the
first set starts out casually, and then I build it up as I get into it. Its really very elastic.
The basic thing is to find the right people to work with, and after that you commit
yourself to working round whatever theyre doing. If I thought there was anybody
playing something really fantastic, Id want to work with them and for me thats
Mike, Hugh, Elton and Lyn.
Hughs bass playing is the most interesting new thing for me. Hes doing things to
the bass that Ive always wanted people to do at this level. When he solos he might
play high and fast, but he always keeps the kind of weight and authority that the bass
should have. When he races up to the top he doesnt leave a gap at the bottom.
About audiences, Robert comments: Ive always found British audiences to be the
least idealistic of all. The French and the Dutch kids really want something else to
getty
MELODY MAKER FEBRUARY 14
1970
listen to, and they dont want to feel theyre being hyped. The whole
atmosphere in Britain, when youre dashing up and down the M1, is
different. For instance, if the PA goes wrong, theres less urgency to get it
fixed. Maybe this is because Britain is home, and we dont feel the sense of
occasion that we get abroad. Thats probably our own fault, because some
groups are very conscientious about every gig.
The university audiences and the militant Left have little to do with
what Ive got to say. In West Berlin people ask us why our songs arent
more politically committed, and why we charge entrance fees, and
Whose side are you on anyway? The best audiences are primarily
interested in the music.
Roberts singing is an interesting feature of the group, and about this side
of his performance he says, Im completely a child of the pop scene. When
it comes to drawing inspiration for one of Mikes time signatures, I go and
listen to Sly or James Brown. Thats more poppy than most pop people
listen to. The voice came from a need for a particular sound. I cant pitch
accurately low because of the nature of the instruments, so I sing high. Its
also better to keep totally blank and let the clear note come through.
Its also a slightly social thing, in that its the closest I can get to talking
to the audience. I havent got Lyns thing about the voice being the source
of all sound, and it took a long time to figure out how to use it. Singing
songs was obviously out with this band, and Syd [Barrett] has been a big
influence. Its an unaffected thing, just straight words really.
But what I was saying about the pop thing: if there has been any grafting
on to our music, pop music was the last thing to be grafted on. Nevertheless
in ways were completely opposed to what happens in jazz, where people
extend themselves all the time. We all feel the pressure to the drums. It
clears the overall conscious of the editing aspect of performance.
Among the changes which Robert is making in his playing is the use of
snare drum with the snares off, making the drum into a third tom-tom
pitched higher than the others.
Ive been doing that and playing nearer the rim of the drum, to get a
ringing sound. This changes the whole nature of the kit, and removes the
cymbals from their usual relationship to the drums. It clears the overall
sound and makes a more space, because the sound with cymbals and
snare going with the other instruments can be very muddy.
Roberts technique fascinated me the first time I saw him. He plays not
so much like a conventional kit drummer, but more like a timpanist, with
that fluid movement around the drums which
comes from the arms rather than the wrists.
I learned from a jazz drummer, who taught
me to play with my elbows in, using my wrists
like Philly Joe Jones. But I never really mastered
it, and anyway you cant get the volume or
intensity that way, so I rather let it go and started
using my forearms more.
Im seriously considering taking the snare
drum away from the centre of the kit and putting
it more to one side, so that I can get away from the
Buddy Rich thing and use it more for accents.
The kit I use was given to me by Mitch
[Mitchell], who had it custom-built in the States
out of maplewood. When I sit down behind it, its
like being in a little room, its very comfortable. If
jazz drumming has had any influence on me, its been teaching me what
not to do although I hope that doesnt sound arrogant. Some drummers
have all this jazz training and just do it all wrong. For me, its really all
down to James Browns rhythm
section. Richard Williams
organic and readily identifiable style. Mike Ratledge is their organist,

a rather saturnine man who wears 1965 McGuinn shades and hovers
over his twin keyboards, producing sounds which have the suddenness
and intensity of lightning. The week at Scotts was obviously an unusual
and instructive experience for them. After all, how many of their
contemporaries get the chance to sit down and play in one place for six
nights, with all the opportunity for detailed exploration that it implies?
It was useful mainly for that reason, says Mike. The way it stretched
our repertoire was very challenging, and we had to push ourselves, into
areas of freedom where we wouldnt normally need to go. We had to
improvise more than we usually do, because we didnt have enough
material. In that sense it certainly taught us something.
In terms of audience reaction, the week was not a success. Ronnies
regular patrons were unsympathetic, and few of the Softs fans could
afford the necessarily high prices. I think we left the audiences pretty
much as we found them, except for those who came specifically to hear
us, and they were spread out over the week. I cant see that it had much
value as far as exposure to a different audience goes.
The group have now played three London concerts two at the Fairfield
Halls and one at the Queen Elizabeth Hall within a comparatively short
space of time. Mike says that this was purely coincidence, and comments,
My ideal is to play a set of repertoire twice, in the same place, and then
come back later with new material. Thats why were resting at the
moment: its in order to write some new stuff, and I think well be playing
in London again soon.
Mike and bassist Hugh Hopper write roughly an equal amount of the
repertoire. Drummer Robert Wyatt composed early in the bands life, and
wrote several of the tracks on their second Probe album (Volume Two),
but now its fairly divided between Mike and Hugh. Ratledge doesnt find
it easy to talk about the difference in their writing.
Our different backgrounds dont come over. Theres as much
difference between two of my pieces as there is between one of mine and
one of Hughs. Hugh tends to write a theme, have a blowing section in the
middle, and then return to the theme at the end but then Ive written
things like that too.
I tend to write things with a given concept. Im very lazy and dont have
much confidence, so I need something like a progression or a time
signature to get to compose. These conceptual elements are really
something I use to con myself into believing in
what Im writing. Im very interested in unusual
time signatures, but at the moment Im writing
a piece in 6/4, which isnt exactly far out. But in
terms of a general direction my music is
heading for more complex structures.
Our sets are an amalgamation of different
tunes by different people, and when you string
them together into a 45-minute entity theres
bound to be a somewhat ad hoc quality about
the arrangement. You try to make the
transitions as organic as possible, but its not
the total piece of music that Id like it to be at the
moment. The sudden switches that people
criticise arent inside each piece, they come
when we go from one piece into another.
Unorthodox time signatures are becoming more commonplace, partly
because young musicians are growing up around them and thus can
feel them much more easily than their elders, to whom playing 7/4 was
like going to the moon.
Ive been aware of them since I started writing, says Mike, and I guess
it was with Messaien [the 20th-century classical composer] that I first
came up against them, although of course theyve been used throughout
musical history in so-called primitive music as well as so-called classical
music. But Messaien was the first person Id come across whod obviously
spent a lot of time getting into it.
Mike uses a Lowrey organ, in contrast to the almost ubiquitous use of
the Hammond, but it wasnt originally a voluntary decision. I bought it
when we hadnt got the money for a Hammond, and I got to know what I
could do with it. Its worked out well because the majority of organists use
Hammonds, so the Lowreys characteristics stand out a bit. I suppose
that a large number of my stylistic idiosyncrasies are due to the inherent
peculiarities of the Lowrey.
For the future, the Softs plan to remain as a quartet, with altoist Elton
Dean, but may add other musicians for selected performances. One
I dont think
were a bridgebuilding band.
Were very
narrow, really
MELODY MAKER JUNE 6

he Soft Machine are
probably the only non-jazz
group in Britain who could
command a week in the hallowed
precincts of Ronnie Scotts Frith
Street emporium in London. In
great measure thats a tribute to the
way theyve synthesised elements
from many diverse musical sources,
grafting them onto their own welldefined personalities to form an
T
1970
Robert Wyatt in
1970: The density
of rock bands can
be very crude and
unrewarding
innovation will certainly be the use of

pre-recorded tapes.
The tapes will mean difficulties like
keeping the pitch content throughout the electronic fluctuations, but
they wont be tied down to anything very specific and the musicians will
be fairly free on top of it. It wont be like laying down specific drum or
piano tracks itll be loops and things like that.
The groups new album, Third, will be out soon after you read this, and
Mike is very pleased with the speed and care with which CBS have
handled it.
My feelings about the music on it change constantly. I liked it while
we were making it, of course, but listening to it now Im aware of the
mistakes, while assuming a disproportionate importance. None of us
can be objective about it now, but I think that each of our albums has
been better than the last, although none is as good as it should have
been. Richard Williams

tS not long since Robert Wyatt announced that he was
vacating the drum stool with Soft Machine in order to pursue
a career with Kevin Ayers band and various other friends.
I should know better by now, said Robert last week, shaking his head
half in sorrow and half in happiness. I say these things and I really mean
them at the time, but a week later Im feeling something else entirely. In
all fairness to the Softs, theyre still auditioning drummers, which is
something I suggested because I thought they might find something
better than me, someone who can read music for one thing. Not reading
is my thing primitive music, yknow.
But I really intended to leave the band, and I suppose I had to get
outside to find or what I really wanted. We had a few fights inside the
band, but its all back together now, and I dont want anything to break
that very fine balance weve regained.
The Softs recent Henry Wood Promenade Concert at the Albert Hall
created controversy among the critics, who seemed to be expecting
something the group were never prepared to give. Robert looks back on it
with very mixed feelings.
The whole business of surfacing for a couple of hours in that
environment was to be heard by people who normally wouldnt listen to
us in our normal context and it was unnatural.
I enjoyed parts of it, and the audience was certainly the biggest weve
ever had in Britain. It was a very nice evening, socially speaking, and it
was good that the audience seemed to enjoy the Terry Riley and Tim
Souster pieces just as much as our stuff.
We played alright, I suppose, and Elton particularly rose

above the circumstances to play some excellent solos. In terms
of the occasion, Id say that all music grows up in a certain
environment, and ours is loads of people lying around getting
stoned, and we spend the first half-hour sorting out the sound
balance so that the evening gradually opens out.
At the Albert Hall, of course, that wasnt possible. There
was also the whole thing of playing to a deadline. It was
frustrating having to finish at exactly four minutes before
12 oclock, because if you run over that the engineers will pull
out the plugs.
How did Robert view the motives of the BBC people who put
the Softs on the Proms? I dont honestly think the BBC had too
much say in it. It was down to Tim Souster, who managed to get
into the sort of position of respect where he was allowed to
present his own evening, and as he was interested in our music
he asked us to be part of it. I dont suppose the powers-that-be
at the BBC knew what they were getting at all.
Oh dear, I really dont want to sound sour and bitter about it
at all. What Im saying is that weve done a lot of gigs and the
Proms doesnt stand out as one of the important ones.
But I can also see that it seems to have been important in
terms of public reaction For a start, the little old ladies round
our way used to think that we were a load of nasty, dirty hairies,
but now they all say Good morning, Robert very nicely.
In the end, though, I cant honestly say that I feel its
important. Bridge-building isnt something that you can do
consciously, it happens by accident, but its nice that people
can listen to and like something that they wouldnt normally
come across. Anyway I dont consider that were a bridgebuilding band. Were very narrow really, pursuing one train
of thought. Eltons writing should make it a little different but
then, oh well, everything seems to go through the sausage mill and come
out sounding like the Soft Machine.
Now that Robert is safely back inside the group, does he still harbour
desires to get into other areas? Well, one thing Im doing right now is
playing with my own quartet, which has Elton, Mark Charig on cornet,
and Neville Whitehead on string bass.
Weve already recorded a long, free version of Gil Evans Las Vegas
Tango for my own album on CBS, and its really a totally free thing.
Maybe well get into doing our own versions of Soft Machine numbers
that would be nice, getting another angle on them with a flowing string
bassline instead of the fuzz bass guitar. With this band Im trying to get
some space back into my music. Arrangements, freedom, and all those
different procedures can make satisfying music, which is very hard to
define, but the actual effect is a certain kind of density.
I admire the sense of space you get from Miles Smiles or the Miroslav
Vitous album; the density of rock bands can be very crude and
unrewarding. So many things are happening in the quartet; Im
constantly playing things that Ive always wanted to play but never been
able to, and thats a result of the more fluid situation.
The experiment of working with Ayers and the Whole World was not
a success, although Robert still has great admiration for the band.
I did two or three things with them in England, including the Hyde
Park free concert and a week in Holland. I tried it, but I have this
tendency to change my mind completely about everything. I still think
its one of the most amazing bands in the world Oh dear, Im unhappy
about this interview Im saying all the things I mean.
Kevins band does tend to be a little ramshackle in its approach, and
perhaps Ive been spoilt by being part of a comparatively slick
organisation for quite a long time. I really dig David Bedford, though.
Roberts own album, which is nearing the mixing stage, is hours
of completely free things in various combinations, with all the
unfashionable sound tricks that Zappa discarded five years ago and
which Im toying with right now. Hugh wants to get the Soft Machine into
the studios to record very soon, and one of the best aspects of the band at
the moment is the way Eltons got so involved in the music.
Hes even getting us to do things that we stopped trying to do to each
other years ago, like getting me to read parts. The others completely
accept that Ill never do it, but Elton keeps plugging away. Its really nice
to see Mike and Hugh struggling with someone elses compositions for
a change, instead of grinning evilly while I try and struggle through
theirs. Richard Williams
getty
soft machine
1970
We build
it, and
polish it
like a
jewel
Films. Music. The

movement. CROSBY,
STILLS, NASH & YOUNG
talk (and talk) a good
game, but ambition is
at the heart of their
group. What they
achieve together is
one thing; what they
achieve on their own
is important also.
Says Neil Young of
his solo music: It
boosts my ego to the
required dimension.
getty
CSNYs three-night
stand at the Fillmore
East, New York City in
June 1970: (lr) Graham
Nash, David Crosby, Neil
Young and Stephen Stills
1970
NME JANUARY 10
Id recognised Dave Crosby in the street outside could it be anyone but

him behind that so perfectly trimmed moustache that looks like a prop
from a joke Western? and he led me up to a living room all a-buzz with
ad I IntervIewed any of The Hollies this year,
activity. Steve Stills, the fair-haired ex-Buffalo Springfield, whose birthday
Graham Nash wanted to know? Yes, Tony Hicks.
was the following day, Saturday, sat on the floor proclaiming: England
How did you get on? Quite well, I thought: I liked
him. You should, theyre nice people. He said hed
is the most advanced, cultured country in the world yet its so far behind
been to see Tony the day before. It was a bit strange
its frightening.
at first, like walking on thin ice, but once we realised
Said Graham Nash, taking a place on the settee, Every level of my life at
we were the same two Northern lads who came down from Stockport
the moment is very good and satisfying. The musical level, the financial
everything was OK.
level which is important to allow me to pursue the music and the private
level too.
A year since it was not so much formed as drifted together above a
The dapper Mr Crosby expressed a desire for the lady journalist present
Chinese laundry in Londons Moscow Road, the Crosby, Stills, Nash &
rather than me, and Graham and I left the seated, talking group for the
Young group now swollen to six with bassist Greg Reeves and drummer
quieter end of the room. I hadnt met Graham before, but I was struck by
Dallas Taylor is back in the town of its birth. Tuesday saw their first, and
the difference between the one I remembered from television images and
only, British concert before a sell-out audience at the Albert Hall. Theyd
photographs during Hollies days. He was much slighter than I expected;
logged up three days in London when I saw them on Friday and were
his face more gaunt and his hair lighter, possibly due to the sun of his new
encamped in five flats above a shop near South Kensington
Californian home. Do I miss England? Yes, a great deal. There is a
tube.
beautiful atmosphere in England; I have got a bit paranoid about the
police in Los Angeles. Here they are wonderful; I was upset about the
ROYAL ALbERt hALL
LONDON
two that got shot in Glasgow.
Living in America, he says, has made him more aware of the
social ills of the world. The States seems to be a focal point for
what is going down. The situation is right out on the streets there.
I used to be really naive about that sort of thing. I wasnt used to
JANUARY 6
watching every passing police car wondering if they were going
to stop me; or having the threat of police pulling you out of your
bed. All that shocked me; it straightened me out.
But although its shaken his head, America has failed to
penetrate Nashs Northern accent nor, according to Dallas Taylor
Blue Eyes, they moved on to Triad
when he came over to join us, his English sense of humour. He has
rosby, stills, Nash, Young
by Dave Crosby and Our House by
certainly brought some humour into the band, offered Dallas.
and Old gave a lengthy and often
our old mate Graham Nash on piano.
The lighter parts of the album are all his. There is not much
enjoyable concert at Londons
Steve Stills piano solo received an
humour going down in the States among Americans these days.
Royal Albert Hall last week. The
ovation, although he had difficulty
The humour strain aside, Graham also fills a role as the groups
Old was the age-old problem of
keeping time and seemed restricted
diplomat valuable carry-over from his days as a Hollie. Says
untutored musicians having to
to approximately three chords. After
Dave Crosby, Graham is probably the coolest of all of us and hes
devote much time to tuning their
this bring-down, the electrification
dapper and debonair and extremely intelligent and he fights
instruments on stage.
of the rhythm section was a welcome
for us very well. He is able to deal with any level up to and
But while Neil Young emerged as
relief, and Dallas Taylor leaping about
including royalty which he has done.
an exceptional talent with superb
on drums brightened proceedings
My musical training, says Graham is from a different
compositions and the only voice of
considerably. Undoubtedly, Neil
heritage from the others. The effect is to give the group a much
distinction, and Dallas Taylor rocked
Youngs haunted lonesome voice,
wider scope in which to work. When we did the album the others
up a storm on drums, the two-hour
with just the right amount of vibrato
had never worked with an Englishman before. I record in a
show often verged dangerously into
on the The Loner and Down By
different way to them, but they were willing to listen and watch
the realms of tedium.
The River, was the high spot.
and I was willing to do the same for them. There is a great
Dave Crosby brightened the
While CSN & Y did not deserve
openness within the group.
intermissions between numbers
the critical pasting they received in
Greg Reeves and Neil Young, a tall, talented Canadian with
with dry and droll remarks, but the
some quarters, they could improve
straight black hair and features that suggest Red Indian blood,
silence which often prevailed was so
themselves by being a little less
are recent additions to the group since the first album. Why?
intense I could distinctly hear a man
self-indulgent, and knowing when
Because we had a lot of electric music we wanted to play on stage.
scratch the stubble on his chin and at
to stop. Chris Welch
So we found two more brothers, said Graham.
one point I dozed off, having spent
Further talk on those lines was curtailed by Dave
a hectic night before digging
Crosbys attention-snatching imitation of a US cop,
Roland Kirk, now in a season
illustrating a point he was making. Daves really
at Ronnie Scotts Club.
rapping hard today, said Graham to Neil, as their
The first half was devoted
partner slipped into the guise of an old lady
to gentle acoustic music,
launching a tirade against long hair. Daves got this
which was agreeable
thing about The Beatles at the moment, Graham
enough, and each member
continued. He really wants to see The Beatles
had a chance to take a solo
performing live again, so at every opportunity he
spot or work with the
really lays into them and says what a lousy group
partner of his choice.
they are, hoping it will pressure them into playing
Opening with Suite: Judy
again. He got up to take a phone call, calling back
enthusiastically, Hey, we might be doing a gig in
Manchester. Wouldnt that be great?
Id had the impression that CSN and Y had been
working pretty solidly in the States since their
formation, but I was assured this wasnt so and in
fact theyd done only 15 or so gigs in all.
Graham Nash
It isnt necessary, explained Graham on his
meets Joni Mitchell
return, because it is impossible for everybody to see
at london airport,
December 1969
us thats why we make albums.
Lengthy and
often enjoyable
LIVE!
MM JAN 17 CSNY rock, perhaps too gently.
mirrorpix
1965
CSNY
What im doing now is

what i wanted for the
hollies: Nash being
interviewed in london,
october 28, 1970
I have got a
bit paranoid
about the
police in Los
Angeles
opanga Canyon, Sw7 As Stephen

Stills and Neil Young break up in fits
of glee after playing some telepathic
bluegrass music on a couple of guitars
in a sumptuous flat high above the
concrete buttes and asphalt scrubland of
Knightsbridge. Crosby, Stills, Nash, Young and
Taylor are in town, with Reeves The Bass, having missed three planes
from America, expected at any moment. Theyre happy to talk, happy
to sit around and play, just like they do in their California homes.
Dave Crosby: moustachioed and hilarious, persuading Young to teach
him the secret art of eating a boiled egg with a sliver of toast. Ex-Byrd.
Steve Stills: a son of the South in every way except his mind, blond-haired,
clear-blue-eyed, soft-speaking, creator of songs from Bluebird to
getty
To date their recording score is just the one

album, but when they left LA they were within
four days of completing their second. Title is Dj
Vu, which roughly means a feeling of having
been somewhere or done something before.
Helplessly Hoping and beyond. Ex-Buffalo

Springfield. Graham Nash: thin, bearded and
energetic; contented and free at last to write
Pre-Road Downs and Lady Of The Island,
Ex-Hollies. Neil Young: genius. A broken voice
now finding the true path, which is working
with CSN&Y and also with Crazy Horse. Two
statements: The Loner and Cowgirl In The
Sand. Also ex-Springfield.
Greg Reeves (the absent) and Dallas Taylor:
the rhythm section, and a damn good one it
has to be to work with this band, Reeves is
ex-Motown; Taylor is a beautiful open person in
a wild Western shirt. Posing for a photograph,
Crosby calls a halt because were a six-man
band and Greg aint here yet. Thats how close
they are. Listening to Steve picking on his
guitar and Neil hammering country/gospel
cadences on the piano, you can see that, for
them, playing music is where its at. Its fun all
the way in sunny Topanga Canyon, even when
its almost snowing outside in Knightsbridge.
Neil Youngs Nowadays Clancy Cant Even
Sing was far and away the standout of the
otherwise undistinguished first album from
the late Buffalo Springfield, and through
Broken Arrow to The Old Laughing Lady,
one has watched the growth of a very
individual talent.
Young, a Canadian whose father is one of his
countrys most respected political columnists,
was a member of the Springfields, that most
underrated of groups which broke up mainly
because of the unhealthy atmosphere of
competition which existed within the band.
While Steve Stills joined Graham Nash and
David Crosby, Neil
went deeper into
his own music,
producing two
albums under his
own name for
Warner/Reprise
before becoming the
fourth part of Crosby,
Stills, Nash & Young.
I needed that time
in-between to get my
bearings, to get my
head in the right
place, he told me.
When the Springfields broke up I felt I couldnt
work in a group context and I certainly never
realised Id be in a group with Steve again, even
though I guessed that wed probably be playing
together sometime.
Now I think Ive reached just about the perfect
state. Im part of the group, which I really dig,
and I can also express myself as an individual
through my own things. And I need very badly to
make my own music, partly because it boosts
my ego to the required dimension.
Neils first solo album was almost completely
ruined by modern technology. The pressing
plant at the record company managed, in
some mysterious way, to press the record so
that the vocals were almost completely lost in the complex textures of
the backings.
Ive remixed it and its being remastered and reissued so that people
will be able to hear it properly, he said. And Im working out some
sort of deal with the record company so that the people who bought it
originally will be able to take it into a record shop and exchange it for
a new copy.
1970
getty
Most certainly. It took me and Jack

Nitzsche a month to put down the
tracks for Old Laughing Lady. I write in
spasms I did most of the songs for the
second album in one month, and after
something like that I wont write
anything for weeks and weeks, maybe.
We did a lot of work on the first album
everything was overdubbed to get that
breadth of sound. But really I like to
record naturally, Id rather put the voice
down at the same time as the backing tracks.
Neil is currently working with Crazy Horse, a group formerly called The
Rockets, with whom he made his second album, Everybody Knows This Is
Nowhere, and he is in the process of completing another album with them
which will, he says, contain elements of both previous records. After this
weeks concert he flies back to the States to work on the scores for two
movies, The Landlord and Strawberry
Statement, both apparently products of
Hollywoods new low budget thinking.
Neil plans to record at least one of the scores
on his new 16-track recording unit, which is
currently being installed in his Topanga
Canyon home.
His final words: Listen, if youre ever
around LA, come around and hear how that first
albums REALLY supposed to sound. Itll knock
you out.
Im certain that Neil Young will continue
to knock more and more people out with his
unique songs of despair and alienation and,
once in every while, happiness.

ont build me up into a pop star. Im no different from
you or anybody else. Its just that, because Im a musician,
I can put music to peoples thoughts.
Stephen Stills, talking about his position in society. Like many of his
generation growing up inside the terror of the Great American Dream
gone broke, Stills talks music and politico-sociology with equal ease. To
him, they are indivisible.
But music is not the be-all and end-all, he says. Its a fulcrum around
which the movement exists, because it sets peoples heads to music and
perhaps sometimes says things that they feel inside but cant articulate.
Its very scary in the States at the moment. Did you read that the cops
busted into a couple of houses in Chicago and Los Angeles a few days ago
and mowed down the Black Panthers? Wow
Thats why I want to stay in England for a while. Its more civilised,
plus there are a few people I want to play with. I stood up in front of a lot
of people during the Vietnam Moratorium in
San Francisco recently and read a poem. So if
theres a list, Im on it.
Can he see the seeds of an alternative culture
emerging in America?
Yeah, its going through its birth-pains. The
young people have got to find a new way to live,
and theyre getting there because history shows
that no revolution that has come from the
people has ever failed, even if its had to take
a couple of generations to get through. Right
from the time of Alexander The Great, thats
been a fact. Of course, people are in varying
stages of preparing for it. The leaders well,
were not getting quite as high these days.
Music is
a fulcrum
around which
the movement
exists

1970
csny
This situation will be reflected in Crosby,

Stills, Nash & Youngs first movie, a full
feature-length picture to be called Wooden
Ships, and based loosely on the words of
that song from their first album.
Were getting Theodore Sturgeon to
write the screenplay; hes a science-fiction
writer and Im pretty sure that its suitable
for him. That should be ready pretty soon.
Briefly, the story centres round the
survivors of a nuclear holocaust, who meet
up with a South American tribe (I think)
and sail off in wooden ships in search of an
uncontaminated area where they can
begin to build a new civilisation. Steve says
that theyre trying to get Stanley Kubrick (of
2001 fame) to direct the film.
It wont be an Arthur C Clarke screenplay,
so it wont have the same cold feeling as
2001 I hope it will be more like Kubricks
earlier films, with the characters laid out so
well. Its got to be done properly. If its too
serious you blow it, and if its too funny you
blow it. Youve got to strike a balance.
Perhaps we in Britain dont realise just
how big CSNY are in America. Theyve
already done 25 concerts in cities which
include Chicago (twice), Houston, New
York, Dallas, Los Angeles, Salt Lake City
and San Francisco.
Weve averaged 14,000 people a
concert, says Steve. Some of the
concerts have been in the open air,
in football parks, but were not
doing any more of those. You get so
many people there its ridiculous.
I never realised Id be in
a group with Steve again:
That essential intimate feeling is
Neil Young and Stephen
lost in a football park, and were
Stills during the CSNY
interview in London,
going to concentrate on playing
October 28, 1970
halls with a capacity between
10,00014,000.
Possibly a large percentage of their success can be ascribed to
the variety they project throughout their concerts, with four
such diverse talents to call on. We play for two hours, the first
hour acoustic and the second half with electronic equipment.
Just as people think theyre listening to a folk concert, we plug in and
WHAM! Were a rock band!
When I put forward my pet theory, that country-rock hasnt broken big
over here because basically country music is a particularly American
form, Steve replied, Well, it all goes back to Elizabethan music and so
forth. It may not have been this years music, but next year. Anyway,
I couldnt restrict myself to country music, just as I couldnt restrict
myself to the blues. I want to be able to cover it all, to play it all, and
I dont see why I shouldnt.
mixes as long as the engineerll stay with me. Our new album Dj Vu
took weeks to record, in San Francisco and Los Angeles. In San Francisco
Id get up at five in the afternoon, have breakfast, go to the studios and
stay there till noon the next day, and then go home and collapse. That
went on for three weeks.
Sometimes I have to work to persuade the other guys to do that too. On
one of Daves songs from the new album, I made him play it over and over
again until he was dropping asleep over his guitar then he played it in
time, and that was it finished as far as the playing went.
Neils songs, too, dont sound the same as the stuff hes done on his
own. I worked hard at those, because although that album with Crazy
Horse was groovy, you can tell it was cut quickly, with not too much time
taken over the sweetening.
We managed to cut the first album fairly quickly, though, in about
a month, because it was still a new experience then and everybody
was amenable to suggestions and didnt mind working hard at it. But
something like Suite: Judy Blue Eyes still took a lot of time, because we
did all the parts separately and there was a lot of splicing and overdubbing.
I spent many hours on the guitar part of Marrakesh Express finding the
right harmonies to go along with the lead line on the guitar.
Stills is in England at the moment because the group are having a short
break after six months of touring. During this break they are all due to
record solo albums, and Stills has found it impossible to get studio time in
the States. Ive been looking around here, and if I can get some time in
Islands new studios Ill cut it there. The situation with time in the studios
is really ridiculous all the places I want to work in the States are booked
up through the summer, like Wally Heiders. Hes got some sort of deal
now with Bones Howe, and Bones gets most of the time at Heiders. This
albumll only take me a month, because Ive been juggling the ideas
around for some time.
Maybe Ill only need a drummer, and
do all the other parts myself, but I know
that if I do need somebody else, there are
a lot of heavy people around here like
Eric, wholl be back soon.
Theres also a chance that Steve might
use Ringo Starr on drums, to return the
favour that Steve has done him in the past
week by playing on Ringos most recent
session. That was a gas. There was
Ringo, me, George Harrison and Klaus

enius, says the old adage, is an infinite capacity for taking
pains. If thats so, then Stephen Stills must be pretty close to it.
Because Steve is a very painstaking guy, much more so than
the general run of pop musicians, who like to get it down on tape and
get off home. This approach is the basis of a lot of success, he told me
in his London hotel the other day.
There are people, like the Memphis bands and the Nashville bands,
who just do it because they know it all in front. Theyre past the need to
work it all out in detail. But for me, its very different, and its a matter of
very hard work. Like the guy with Creedence Clearwater, for example
their records sound just like theyve cut it quick and split, but he spends
hours cutting tiny bits out of 16-track tape where the drummers been
dragging, because he knows that its the beat that sells his records.
Thats how Sgt Pepper was made, and I like to take a lot of time to make
sure somethings just right. Ive got more of a capacity for that than
anybody else in our band, and sometimes I stay behind working on the
1970
rex features
It is unusual: the
host of TV show
This Is Tom Jones
sings Long Time
Gone with CSNY,
September 1969
[Voorman], plus George Martin. George said the session was for Ringos
surprise single, and I guess that could be right. Ringo came in with this
little tune that is, he sat down and played eight bars and said, Thats it.
So we all made suggestions, like how about adding a bridge here, and
playing this little intro, and this little tag, and it came along very nicely.
I could see why George Martin has been so important to The Beatles
particularly in the form of the songs, in the more sophisticated elements.
I thought he was tremendous, and Id love to have him doing my own
album, but I guess Ill use Bill Halverson, because hes so relaxed and he
doesnt mind me taking my time. I can say to him,
Look, can you switch track 15 to track 7, mix in tracks
9 and 12, and put the guitar through the board, and
he doesnt turn a hair. He just does it.
To get back to the session, though, I suggested this
thing where we should use a major 7th chord and it
sounded strange at first and the other guys couldnt
hear it but Martin could, and he made another
suggestion which made it work perfectly. I guess hes
had a lot of effect on them, particularly Paul. I started
1965
listening to them at the time of Beatles For Sale thats still where Im at,
incidentally, and so is everybody else and maybe at that time they were
at their biggest and most isolated, and thus at their closest. So many times
John would come in with some intuitive idea for a song, and Paul and
George Martin would kick it around, and the finished product would
come out really neat.
The whole scene is getting a lot looser. In a little while therell be maybe
15 guys who can all play together in any combination, which is a real
antidote to staleness. Its not just a question of the same old faces; itll just
be a lot freer and less competitiveness, because
whether somebodys better than somebody else
doesnt count for anything any more.
Competitiveness is what kills music.
Crosby, Stills, Nash, Young, Taylor and Reeves
recent Albert Hall concert came in for some of the
most mixed criticism ever received by a rock
concert, with no two critics seemingly able to agree.
Stills confirmed the impression that the band, too,
had mixed feelings.
csny
That was the first time weve

ever really been affected by
nerves, he said. Weve played
to audiences whove been
much more unfriendly at the
outset, but theyve given us
a standing ovation after the
first number.
At the Albert Hall we
felt somehow as if we were
on trial, as if theyd come to
judge us rather than to enjoy our
music. The people in front were
friendly, and the people above
were friendly, but all around the boxes were full of bands.
Theres nowhere else in England Id rather play than there, but people
do seem to go to a concert at the Albert Hall in a set frame of mind. Oh,
I cant intellectualise about that. I only know what I feel about it. We got
criticised for spending a long time tuning up, which is partly justified
because I like to tune up while Im playing a little
bit of music, so that it doesnt sound unpleasant.
But when Neil gets nervous he plays very hard
and puts his guitar out of tune and then has to
tune it back again. Richard Williams
NME MAKER NOVEMBER 7
Kelloggs. I loved it, man. I mean, that show was so f jive that its
incredible. Man, we f jumped at the chance. In another respect
it was really groovy, though, because I have a tape of the show mixed
the way I would have done it. I tell you something, though that show
was two years old; it was the first TV we did; and we stopped doing
television as a direct result.
How much of my time is spent doing nothing? As much as I can
get, man because when Im doing nothing, Im re-energising and
devoting time to myself, giving myself the same energy that I put into
other people.
He sits back on the settee, the eyes of his lived-in face closed for a
moment, and I asked him about conceit. I tell him that at one time there
were those who thought his ego over-dominant. Were they wrong?
Er, well, my ego was larger then. So hows that for an ego statement?
Phew! The fact is that I suddenly discovered I was writing the only music
that was turning me on. I guess I just felt I was writing more real songs,
and not contrived songs. The music that I felt in my head wasnt really
getting onto the tape and I was really p off because I knew the
ability of The Hollies could do it. But the same energy wasnt going in that
I was putting in. If it had been, we could have
had tapes that were five times as good.
As far as ego goes, though, every artist needs
it. Its the thing that wants to make his art better.
There are different levels of ego, anyway mine
is the one that wants me to improve myself.
I asked him how he felt about the current
Crosby, Stills & Nash bootleg album, Wooden
Nickel. Im obviously concerned. Its bad
s theyre putting out. If they were putting
decent s out then I wouldnt worry too
much. Its all negative, because theyre making
money for nothing and theyll get whats
coming sooner or later.
For something recorded out of one
microphone in front of one of the PA
speakers for that to have my name on infuriates me. Thats why Im
angry. And were losing a lot of money, too, yknow. And that concerns
me to a certain extent.
We talked about Apple: The original concept, to help people, that
was a fine idea. Its working, too, in that in a sense there are now millions
of Apples working all over the place. For instance, there are artistic
friends of mine whose art I respect and who I am helping. When I got
to New York recently I called my office and they said that someone on
Paul McCartneys behalf had called, so I called him and I spoke to Linda
for 10 minutes. Not Paul just Mrs McCartney!
I think that what happened with Paul McCartney is what happens
with most creators. They try and help worldwide, and then find thats
impossible and that they have to go the other way, just to sort themselves
out. Most of us are like that. You sort yourself out, and then your foot starts
tapping again. I find it incredibly easy to love incredibly.
I love people. I love things. That suit youre wearing now is doing
incredible things for me, doing
wonderful things for my eyes. As far as
loving the ladies goes, I cant spend
time with ladies who dont make me
feel good. And when I commit myself to
spending time with one particular lady,
shes got to be really special.
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Youngs next
album will be a double live one, Four
Way Street, says Nash, and then a series
of solo albums will follow. For my
own, he tells me, I have five basic
tracks. Would you like to hear them?
I say I would, and on the record player
he plays five beautiful songs, all with
an air of melancholy entwined with
quiet eroticism. Nash The Man
remains, still, a little bumptious
around the edges.
But inside his mind there are sensitive
images and a fine, consistent talent.
And thats what matters. Alan Smith
At the Albert
Hall we felt
somehow as
if we were
on trial
t is an autumn afternoon and there is

the smell of new paint and the air is hot
and dry in the elegant space of the Chelsea
apartment block where Mr Graham Nash
has taken rooms during his current visit to
this country. He peppers his conversation
with the perennial cliches of pop good
vibrations, groovy, man and from time to
time the roundness of his Salford accent is no match for the
Americanisation of his dialogue.
One knows from his words, and music, however, that behind Nashs
over-jived pose and prose there is a real human being waiting to get out.
And the man who gave us Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young has to be worth
listening to. With one exception, this is his first return to England in two
years and the fact is that he revels in the changes the months have
brought him.
Listen to him talk about the person hes become since those frustrated
days with The Hollies; the direction hes headed; and the things that
make his music tick
I work best in America because Im surrounded by people who inspire
me, man. Theyre the people with whom I wanna make music. David,
David Crosby, has just gone back to New York on some business. We were
approached to do a tour together, and maybe we will. Until then well, Ill
just stay here in England till I feel like moving on, I guess.
An incredible amount has happened to me in two years, man.
December the 8th, 1968, I played with The Hollies, and December the
10th I was rehearsin with David and Stephen.
Im not where I want to be in life, no. Im never exactly where I want to
be; Im just getting closer. Only for a matter of hours can you experience
total happiness and then it goes away, and youre on a bummer again.
What I am doing now is what I wanted for The Hollies. This, now, is
exactly what I was looking for. And I just cant believe how easy it is to work
with the people Im with. There are just no doors with them, man. You go
in the studio and everyone will listen to what everyone else has got to say,
and we all build it, and hold it down, and polish it like a jewel.
With The Hollies I just came across too many psychological doors.
They probably wont even understand what Im saying, but I felt very
restricted. I really did, man although the way we made records was
pretty loose. But I just felt restricted. Its not that it came down to people in
the end. It was just the preconceptions The Hollies had been conditioned
to their ability to take a look at themselves.
I mentioned the Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young appearance on the recent
Tom Jones TV show, and said there were those who thought their
involvement somewhat, er, unexpected.
Laughter. Are you kiddin? The opportunity to play up to Tom Jones
how could anybody miss that? I thought it was the funniest thing since
1970
SINGLES
REVIE
W
1970
harmonies on the vocals. Its

all a bit sunshine-is-golden-ish
for me. I cant believe the lyrics
were written seriously, there
must be a bit of tongue-incheek going on. Its very
contrived. To be fair, I suppose
it was a sincere attempt to aim
something at an imagined public
state of mind which doesnt in
fact exist. All that pastoral stuff
gleaned from things that have
come out over the past five years
and stuck together!
New York Rock & Roll Ensemble

Im Too Busy
FROm ThE POLYdOR
ALBum Flattering
Foe
Is it at the right speed?

MM JAN 10 Pink Floyds Roger Waters reviews the singles.
SINGLES
Canned Heat
Lets Work Together
LIBERTY
Its got some quite nice slide

guitar on it. It reminds me a bit of
Leadbelly. I know its Canned
Heat because I saw the label

when we were trying to mend
the record player but I admit
I wouldnt have sussed it out. I
quite like this in fact, I like this
sort of blues record although
I feel that most of it has been
done better before. I mean I
dont think this says it any better
that it was said 30 years ago. It
has an optimistic lyric.
The Rascals
Hold On
ATLANTIC
getty
Well I never! When I listen to

things like that and dont know
who they are, I start to wonder if
they are black or white or grey.
The Art Movement

For As Long As You Need Me
COLumBIA
Theres the old Ray Charles

piano, or pianette, in there and
the drums at the front in the
modern mode. I have never
seen Delaney & Bonnie but I
imagine this is rather how they
sound. Its not really the kind of
thing Im interested in.
Flaming Youth
Guide Me, Orion FONTANA
Good lord! What a
laugh! I think that sums
that up, without wishing
to be glib. For a start,
I didnt like the
Is this at
the right
speed?
Well, er,
well, er,
well, er
They nearly
got the bass
line from The
Righteous
Brothers Lovin
Feelin right at the beginning.
Then it sounded like an
understudy for Jimi Hendrix
coming through a Selmer Little
Giant. With all that alliteration,
the lyric sounds like something
Pete Townshend might have
written when he was four. Its
very weedy.
Ive no idea who it is but it could

be any one of five million groups.
Its the old conception of taking
an Artist, with a capital A, and a
Song, with a capital S, written by
Pop, with a capital P, Song
Writers, with a capital S and W,
and a Tune, with a capital T, and
mix them all together. And what
do you get? A load of rubbish.
That is the other path of pop
music. That really is the other
side from all the performers who
are staggering about making
sounds they think are good,
making sounds for reasons. This
sIngles & albums
ALBUMS
W
REVIE
seems to be reasonless. Its not

really worth talking about.
Kenny Clarke-Francy Boland

Big Band
Solarisation
FROm ThE POLYdOR LP Faces
That second section sounded

very Ellington-ish, though the
rest didnt. I do like that sort of
music though, I dont know what
I can say about it. Its the kind of
thing that if we heard it on the
way up the M1 it would get us all
miming, if you know what I mean.
ALBUMS
Robin Gibb Robins Reign POLYdOR
This is the first album from Robin since he left the
now defunct Bee Gees. He composed all 11 tracks,
produced the whole lot and took the choirs part as
well. He writes excellent, interesting songs spoilt
only for me by his rather forced vocal style which
tends to make some of his songs sound contrived
and similar. But he undoubtedly has talent, and for
Gibb fans this album will not be a disappointment.
It includes his single hit Saved By The Bell.
Royston Eldridge, MM Jan 17
Kevin Ayers Joy Of A Toy hARVEST

Syd Barrett
Terrapin
FROm ThE hARVEST LP the Madcap
laughs, PART OF whICh wAS
PROduCEd BY ROGER
(Laughs) This is a track I didnt

produce because it didnt need
anything doing to it. This song
makes everything else you have
played me look completely sick
and silly. I think this is very
beautiful. Dont take it off, Im
going to listen to it all the way
through. I think this is a great
song. In fact, all the songs on this
album are great. No, some of
them on it are great in capital
letters and all of them are good.
Syd is a genius.
Black Sabbath
Evil Woman
FONTANA
There you go! Well, well, well! Im

speechless well almost. Its got
that kind of Dragnet, Peter Gunn,
and American detective series
beginning. You keep thinking its
going to start. You think that for
the first minute, but then, if you
are really perceptive, you realise
it isnt going to start and thats
all there is.
Joy, beauty and mystery abound in this album by

the former Soft Machine guitarist. His songs are
simple but fascinating, with the warm, hazy and
sometimes sinister feel of songs half-remembered
from distant childhood. The arrangements,
featuring the Soft Machine on some tracks,
capture the spirit of the thing perfectly subtle,
mysterious, richly textured and delicately funky.
There really hasnt been an LP quite like it. Harvest
deserve praise for allowing Mr Ayers to do his
thing; hes come up with a gem. Alan Lewis , MM Jan 17
David Ackles Subway To The Country ELEKTRA

A second beautiful album by singer/writer/pianist
David Ackles, composer of Road To Cairo. His is
a distinctive voice in an overcrowded field, warm
and mature but touched with the sadness and
occasional bitterness of a loner who has spent
years on the road. He avoids the facile
philosophising and obscure imagery of many of his
contemporaries. Production is up to Elektras
usual high standard, but some superfluous string
and woodwind arrangements intrude on some
tracks. Alan Lewis , MM Jan 17
Miles Davis In A Silent Way COLumBIA

Something new again from Miles and in its own
gentle, low-key, lyrical genre its absolutely
perfect. Any doubts raised by a look at the lineup
can be dispelled at once; electric pianos, guitar and
organ dovetail into slabs of beautiful and
constantly changing sound. The discipline
displayed all round is quite remarkable. Essentially,
the shifting textures are what this record is all
about, but there are many individual gems
glittering in there too. Miles is at his most
restrained, yet conveys complete authority with
every note placed in exactly the right place and
lasting exactly the
right length of time.
Shorter is superb on
soprano utterly
individual in both tone
and approach You
never heard such pure
sound from a soprano
before. McLaughlin is
also magnificent, saying more

in one bent note than a
thousand other guitarists can
1970
say in a finger-busting run.
Zawinul contributes a delightful
theme and uses
the organ most intelligently
to fill out against the
electric pianos and
guitar. Tony Williams is
unbelievably subtle, while
Dave Holland keeps his
head up in the most exalted
company in jazz. A beautiful
record. Bob Dawbarn, MM Jan 31
Laura Nyro New York

Tendaberry COLumBIA
Laura Nyro is a member of
that select band of female
singers who can do nothing
but express their own
truths. That, perhaps, is
part of the reason why she
is not yet a superstar;
because she hides behind
no masks, erects no
barriers between herself
and the music, she can easily frighten off the timid
listener. Invariably, one has the feeling when
listening to her that she sings because she has to,
because she must express her own innermost
fears and lusts. She never appears to be singing
for anyone but herself, and her words are drawn
out, the vowels distorted and the consonants
slurred. But it doesnt matter, because the
emotions are unmistakeably clear. Her songs are
immediately identifiable: their contours are her
own, and behind the happiest is a longing, bittersweet quality which reeks of desperation. She
constantly unsettles the listener with abrupt halts,
tempo changes, and high held notes which grate on
the brain. Like Billie Holiday, Laura Nyro looks into
her own soul through a glass, darkly. The vision, if
not lovely, is at least unique. Richard Williams, MM Jan 31
Rod Stewart An Old Raincoat Wont

Ever Let You Down VERTIGO
Rod The Mod Stewart commands a lot of respect
among pop people for his unusual blues voice, and
this album does him full justice. He has gathered
a bunch of well-known musicians to accompany
him on eight songs, five of which are his own
compositions. His version of the Stones Street
Fighting Man is a real rocker, with Small Face Ian
McLagan (piano) and guitarists Martin Pugh and
Ronnie Wood (another Face) in great form. The
treatment the song is given highlights Rods vocal
power. Mike DAbos splendid song Handbags
And Gladrags has been altered to suit Rods style
and it is without the frenzy of Chris Farlows hit, but
with a lot of emotion and some nice woodwinds.
Cindys Lament is one of Rods own numbers and
mainly an instrumental; its forceful and includes
good drum work by Micky Waller. Ewan McColls
Dirty Old Town
is a good blues
number that
Rod handles very
well to round off a
very worthy album
which deserves
to do well. Richard
Green, NME Feb 21
1970
I am a
religious
nutcase
Peter Green
increasingly looks
more like he belongs
in the Bible, not
FLEETWOOD MAC.
While the band
returns from a
profitable American
tour, the guitarist
plans to give away
his money. I know
what its like on 5
a week, he says.
Y
getty
NME FEBRUARY 28
ou dont think its too

expensive, do you? asked Peter
Green earnestly as he reversed his
700 white Jaguar out of a car park
in Richmond park. If you look
around, most of the other cars
here that one and even that one would cost more than
700, and Mick and Johns cost a lot more than that.
Looking every day more like a character out of the massive
bound Bible that sits on a shelf in the middle of his extensive
stereo collection, the heavily hairy Fleetwood Mac leader is
home after the groups three-month stretch in America
wanting to give his money away. Not all of it, but all that he
feels is in excess of his share. His passing obsession with the
price of his car he would have liked an AC Cobra but that
would have cost at least twice as much comes from attitudes
that have grown to fruition during his spell in the States.
Peter wants to help financially the starving and those that
fail to get a good education and opportunities, and had been
explaining earlier, My parents and I have got our house. Ive
got my car, which isnt really expensive, and, and Im happy
with that. Ive also got my stereo and most of the records I
want. All in all its a very good helping, if you look at it in terms
of each persons share, so I am satisfied with what Ive got. And
there are so many people who havent got anything at all, I feel
the least I can do is give away my excess.
Not that I have millions and millions, but there are going to
be some big chunks coming in compared to what the average
man earns. I havent had any of my song writing money yet
I feel the least I can do is

give away my excess:
Fleetwood Macs Peter
Green on stage in Barnet,
North London in 1970
1970
getty
and theres all that to give. Then theres my share of the advance from
Reprise Records, 18,000. Thats money to give. Ive had these ideas for a
long time; now Im going to act on them. There must be no starvation. Just
because somebody is born on the other side of the world that is no reason
why they should be starving for it.
I am not going into poverty with them, although I did think of doing
that. It would perhaps have made me feel better. This way the more
money I earn the more I can give away. Doing that is easy maybe one day
I will put myself to work as well but at the moment I think that by going
round and playing to and meeting people I can do much in that way.
What other people do with their money is none of my business, but
I know what it is like to earn 5 a week and have a good laugh and to earn
500. I can be just as happy like when I was a butcher earning a fiver a
week. I do feel guilty about squandering money on myself, but I am now
going to be careful. I have felt that a lot even when I eat sometimes. The
very least I can do is give away that money I dont need, and anyone who
thinks money is going to make them happy is so wrong.
I would love to go yachting. I love cars. I would like to buy an AC Cobra,
but the thing is that before I do that I would like to know that everyone is
getting their bowlful of rice every day.
Peter also hopes to do charity shows with the group That would be
better, because then I wont have to touch the money and the first is
a Fleetwood Mac performance at the London Lyceum on April 12 in aid
of Jewish old people. There will of course be sceptics who question the
reasons behind his benevolence, but they get a typical Green retort: Its
my business what I do. Anyone whos sceptical can go and get!
Wed driven out from Peters New Malden home with Jane, the groups
fan club secretary, and were sitting next to the window in some terribly,
terribly English tea rooms watching the squirrels hop around the park. It
was a far cry from the Holiday Inn, turnpike, airport and hamburger trail
that had been the groups lot for the past three months
Whats John Lennon been doing while weve been away? asked Peter,
and, after hed been regaled with up-to-date Lennonisms, professed a
deep admiration for the Beatles work for peace.
I really enjoyed the tour, he said later. Our American agent who books
lots of British bands like Jethro Tull, Ten Years After, etc, said that in terms
Fleetwood Mac photographed
in Los Angeles in 1969: (lr)
John McVie, Danny Kirwan,
Mick Fleetwood, Peter Green
and Jeremy Spencer

1965
of a group leaping upwards in status it was one of the most successful hed
been associated with. We felt wed made an important foothold. Of course
there were lots of ups and downs and times when we got under each
others feet, but the feeling on the plane coming home was so good that if
wed been asked to turn around and go back again I think we all would.
Like most of our group visitors, he finds the American situation
depressing but sees the good side even in areas like the Deep South if
there is at least one nice person to meet.
In some places it is just a talkative taxi driver, like the fellow in
Maryland who knew England. But we did make a lot of new friends there.
Was there anything in rumours of Danny Kirwan planning to leave the
group? I would say no, but obviously youd have to ask Danny that,
because Ive walked off stage before thinking Ive had enough. And
obviously there are going to be times like that with all groups on tour.
Id say that, like the last time we came back from America, the band is
closer than it has ever been and Danny and I are now working and
playing together, which we havent done before.
Peter went on to disclose that Danny and he are planning an album
together based round their two lead guitars and that he is to record a solo
album for release at Christmas: One of the songs on it I wrote in Chicago
when it was snowing its a sort of poem set to music and Id like it to be
heard in that sort of atmosphere.
The group has also brought back tapes of three shows they did at the
Boston Tea Party, and these will be edited for a live album when we get
the time. Weve got about 20 new numbers as well and we should really
be recording now. But weve got so much touring to do.
Contrary to reports, The Green
Manalishi has not been chosen as their
next single. It is, says Peter, just one from
a batch of tracks theyll record and then
pick from. We got back onto our earlier
subject and through that onto the need
for opportunity, Peters peace of mind
and skinheads. I come from that kind of
background [from Bethnal Green in East
London] and I know the skinhead feeling
fleetwood mac
of trying to prove yourself because

you have nothing else. You just want
to be someone. Now I feel myself to be
more or less someone, I can look at it
from both sides.
I had the feelings I have now
when I was a kid in the East End, but
I couldnt walk up to people there
and be friendly because they would
beat your brains out. I think of life as
a long pipe youre looking into. When
youre born the pipe is open and the
inside smooth. Things like a bad
family foundation, poverty and lack
of opportunity start to corrode the
inside until it begins to close up.
I came from a working-class home
and had a good family background,
but things around me started to rust
the pipe up. Thats what happens for
lots of people. For me it has now
opened up to like it was when I was
a little kid. I feel a great brotherliness
towards people and Im not ashamed
to feel it.
NME APRIL 11
eter Green had just got up; coming down to meet me in the
music room of his Surrey home, stretching, smiling abundantly
and singing the sympathy and understanding verse from
Aquarius before sitting down amongst the mounting bric-a-brac,
records, letters, books, amplifiers and bird cages to tell me why he is
leaving Fleetwood Mac.
There are many reasons: the main thing being that I feel it is time for
a change. I want to change my whole life really, because I dont want to
be at all a part of the conditioned world and as much as possible I am
getting out of it. I am always concerned with what is right with God
and what God would have me do that is the most important thing
to me that dominates every thought in my head. I dont feel I want to
be a part of Fleetwood Mac any more no longer frustrated, free to do
what I like.
His mother brought tea and Peter continued, As you know, there is
a whole big movement going on like a revolution. I want to be a part of
that, so that whatever I do whether I form
another group or not I need to be with people
who feel exactly the same as I do: that is, they
dont worry about security in terms of money.
We will be doing a lot of free concerts as long as
they are not being promoted for private gain.
I want to get 100 per cent into music. I want
to do lots of jamming with different groups
and musicians. I want to do all I can to bring
people to God and peace full time, not just
now and again. I want to be completely free to
do what I like.
He had, he said, been thinking of leaving for
some time and had broken the news to the rest
of the band in Munich a few weeks ago.
I was cut down, he went on, by being a third
of the groups front line. That was quite fun when it started, but after
a while I felt I couldnt get into anything because after a couple of
numbers I would have to step back to let the others have their chance.
They were disturbed when I told them and shook up a bit.
The thing about Fleetwood Mac was that people may think I was the
main person in the group because the singles were my songs, but on
stage all of us have always been only parts of the group. In Germany,
for instance, Jeremy has always been the one theyve centred on.
The rest of the
band will definitely
carry on as
Fleetwood Mac, put
in manager Clifford
Davis, who had joined us,

although it hadnt been decided
whether to take on a replacement.
They would take a rest after Peters
last date with them on May 25 to
decide which way to go, and he
thought it likely there would be
a new guitarist.
I asked Peter why he cant
do what he wants within the
framework of Fleetwood Mac.
I could try but I know it wouldnt
work out I want to do my own
things and do them at length.
I want to do them with people
who think like me, who want to
be into it full time. I know they
would be willing to play them, but
the kind of music I want demands
that it is a personal thing felt
within everyones heart and not
just a piece of music to be played.
It has to be 100 per cent.
You see, I am not happy with the
way my life is being run. There is
no rest. No time to do anything, to
develop my character. It is like I am a nine-to-five worker, but it is worse
because at least they get evenings off. Always pounding away on stage,
I dont have any time to be me.
Its not enough just to be successful It has become a business, and
I dont want to be a part of a business. I never did a deliberate hit record
I can say that I never got into it to that extent.
I want out of the cut-and-dried business angle the feeling that its
good if we and the promoter make a good screw and go down well at the
same time I dont want to be a part of that. I want it to be a good free
thing for people just to play music and give it to people.
In other words I am a religious nutcase, he laughed.
I put it back to him that although he might be laughing, isnt that what
a great many people would think that he is a crank?
It will be funny if they do, he replied. But only the business people
will, because they think anyone who doesnt want to be rich is a nutcase.
I am no more religious than the average Christian.
Apart from jamming and playing, Peters plans include firstly recording
a solo album thats likely to end up a double set. He thinks it would be
nice if the record company agree for him to
waive his royalties so it can be sold as cheaply
as possible.
I dont want any money, he says, echoing
his feelings from the last interview we did
when he announced his intention of giving his
excess earnings to charities. Just enough to
buy tapes, equipment, keep the house and have
food to eat.
He says he wants to make his music for the
peaceful young those for whom listening
to music is like a religion but to others as well
who want to listen.
He feels his leaving will bring more out of
Jeremy and says, I have become the speaker
for the band, but Jerry used to do that. As I found
my feet and confidence, Jerry has sunk back. In my opinion he is a genius,
but because there are three of us at the front he cannot get fully into it. He
is the funniest person I have ever met hes incredible and he also has so
much to offer musically.
And finally: You see, its been a great thing for me to be brought up in
the East End with all the violence there and to manage to live through that
kind of upbringing and find God and people who think the same way.
I want to give that feeling to as many people as I can Nick Logan
Its become a
business, and
I dont want
to be part of a
business
1970
There is a
powerful
astrological
force
G
getty
it your hair cut. A

battered Vauxhall rattled
through the village of
Pangbourne and a grinning
passenger desperately wound
down his window to deliver
a crushing blow of invective.
Weve made his day, observed Jimmy Page brightly,
as the car disappeared 10-year testily round a bend and
the passenger twisted round in his seat to observe the
effects of his perfunctory condemnation of the longhaired stranger daring to venture abroad.
Prejudice and ignorance always overpower me. My
response and ignorance always overpower me. My
response to the minor incident was to give an impotent
vee-sign and suppress a desire to throw a brick. But like
dwarfs and long-distance runners in baggy shorts, those
who chose to wear their hair in its natural state develop
a philosophical urbanity towards men who express
xenophobia by jeering.
How else to account

for the success of
LED ZEPPELIN? An
in-depth encounter
with JIMMY PAGE
reveals plenty about
the bands wealth,
motivations and
remarkable rise. Its
been quite a year
Ive been asking myself

if we were progressive:
Jimmy Page at a press
conference before Led
Zeppelins show at the
Los Angeles Forum on
September 4, 1970
1970
getty
Small children escaping from school

tittered as we continued our progress in
search of food.
Hes one of THEM, gasped one, daringly.
Even kids dont like me, pondered the
young guitarist idolised by several million
young people throughout Western Europe,
the North American continent and
Australasia. Its the way their parents
bring them up, I suppose. It must be the
long hair they dont like. Oh no its the
trousers. Thats whats doing it. He
muttered to himself without appearing
unduly worried.
In a newsagents, where a weekly bill had
to be paid, the proprietor burst out with a
bluff and jovial greeting, and held up a copy
of a magazine with the Page features
emblazoned on the cover.
Ah, youre doing well then? he quizzed,
hoping for personal confirmation of
Jimmys status. He was politely proffered
payment but withheld any intimate chat.
Our eyes were on an Olde Tea Shoppe
which, even at 3pm, looked as if it might
have something more than tea available.
A little old lady peered at the hairy
invasion with fear. Yes? she asked,
tight-lipped and unsmiling. Gently, Jimmy
asked if steaks were still available, and
when it became apparent our conversation
was not to be loud and spiced with oaths
and we would not demolish the glassware
or furniture, she relaxed and a nod of
acceptance showed her heart had
stopped pounding.
June 28, 1970:
Led Zeppelin
It is a strong and fragile world that Jimmy
on stage at the
and his fellow elite of successful groupdom
Bath Festival in
Shepton Mallet,
inhabit. An object of suspicion, envy and
Somerset
exaggerated idolatry, it requires
intelligence and tact to cope with the
situation. Jimmy has money. He also has
charm, wit and a lot of talent. The Led
Zeppelin success story is probably the most
well-adjusted and certainly the happiest among groups to have captured
the imagination of rock-hungry audiences. Much stems from Jimmys
drive and purposeful common sense often smoke-screened by a soft
voice and diffident manner. One should not fail to note the hard edge that
occasionally creeps into his voice or the glint in the eyes.
American fans have often expressed surprise at the number of fine
guitarists who emerged in Britain during the 60s group boom. While Eric
Clapton, Jeff Beck, Peter Green, Alvin Lee and more were building their
reputations at home, Jimmy was regarded as rather an obscure if
legendary figure. He was known as the Guvnor among guitarists. As a
brilliant young session player, he was unknown to fans jamming the
blues clubs. When he emerged from the studios to join The Yardbirds
they practically emigrated to America. He was to remain a mystery to
most at home until November 1968, when Led Zeppelin was born.
At that time, Cream, who had pioneered the heavy instrumental rock
band, were in their death throes. Zeppelin were not consciously created
to fill their role. But that is what happened with a startling swiftness. As
often happens, the home country was the last to hear about it. America
loved them.
The biggest happening since The Beatles, was the cry when I went to
New York with the band for their Carnegie Hall debut last autumn. And
while aware of the extent of their album sales, the tumultuous reception
New York gave Jimmy, Robert Plant, John Paul Jones and John Bonham
still came as a mild case of amazement.
Both their albums have gained Gold and Platinum Awards for
something in excess of four million sales. They have never issued a single
officially at least. The Board of Trade recently honoured them at the
Savoy Hotel, London for their contribution towards exports and industry.
Git your hair cut.
1970
After steak, coffee and toasted scones with home-made jam, we tiptoed
from the old ladys tiny tea shoppe, strolled back in the chill but bracing
winter sunshine to Jimmys rambling wooden boat house beside the
Thames. The Paganini of the 70s, who makes audiences scream by
scraping a violin bow across the screeching guitar strings, like so many
heroes of rock culture, seeks only peace and isolation when away from
the bellowing, lucrative uproar of stadiums and concert halls. If the
comparison with Paganini comes as a surprise, it must be said that as
a young man, the violinist wore tight trousers, hypnotised women and
made them faint, while men said he must be possessed by the Devil, such
was the effect of his playing.
It was an oddly magical experience to escape from a London office and
join Jimmy at his Berkshire home for a day. Although there is a telephone
to maintain contact with business, a railway station on his doorstep, and
the threat of motorway development, the emphasis is on tranquility, ease
and a return to an almost Edwardian lifestyle. The Thames flows outside
his rear porch, rather fast and muddy in February. Swans and ducks poke
about. Cows lurch in the fields on the opposite bank. A large white
telescope has pride of place in the living room.
He reclined on the arm of a settee, one elegantly fashioned trouser leg
crossing the other, hair flowing backwards. Girlfriend Charlotte floated
ghost-like to make tea in the kitchen. Im changing my telephone
number, he revealed. They tell me I should have done it long ago. We get
about 30 or 40 calls a day. I was editing tapes yesterday for the next LP and
you need your wits about you for that. There were interruptions all the
time, which made it a day-long job. Im not ex-directory and you cant tell
people you really are busy. They think you are just trying to get rid of them.
All this started within the last six months. I bought the house about
two-and-a-half years ago when I was with The Yardbirds. There hasnt
LED ZEPPELIN
been much time to

decorate, being away in
the States so much, but
you wouldnt have
believed the scene when I
moved in. The previous
owner had great garlands of
plastic flowers everywhere. She
even had a barrow in the corner
decorated with plastic flowers. It
was like a Norsemans funeral when we
threw all the flowers onto the river.
Wandering around the interior revealed a
surprising number of oddly shaped rooms and
passages, and down below the ground floor was
a huge room housing the central heating, a
dismantled antique bed, considerable quantities
of junk and a motor launch bobbing about in an
inlet, waiting for summer. This is the tub. Its out
of action at the moment, but it has a cassette tape
machine. You can cruise down the river, switch
off the motor and dig all the sounds. I cant wait
for the summer. Once the sun comes out, we all
go on the river and every day is a holiday.
We continued a tour of the low-ceilinged
rooms with sloping floors and muddled piles
of valuable paintings, records, model trains
and books. Copies of Man, Myth & Magic lay
around and a huge volume of the works of
mystic Aleister Crowley. In one room was a
Mutoscope, a hand-cranked seaside peepshow
featuring a gentlemans downfall, involving a
lissom lass wearing not unsexy 1926 underwear
and a healthy smile.
Parts of the house were freezing cold where
central heating has not yet been deployed to
combat the creeping river air. But all held the
warmth of personality and a welcome return to
traditional English eccentricity. To complete the
atmosphere came the visitors. Equally young,
rich and eccentric Roger Daltrey of The Who,
and his companion, Heather, swept into the
forecourt in a rakish grey Stringray, doubtless
capable of appallingly high speeds.
They were out for an afternoon drive, and like good neighbours they
live some six miles away had dropped by for tea and chat. Roger put up
his boots, slightly splashed with mud as befits
a landowner, and chatted with Jimmy about the
pressing subjects of the day like the shortage of
good convertible boat-houses, the ever-rising
price of art treasures and the difficulty in selling
horse-drawn gipsy caravans. It was beautiful,
made of wood and with two fully fitted rooms.
But could I sell the bloody thing? No chance.
Jimmy nodded sympathetically and, after
regards had been extended from The Who
towards Robert Plant, now recovering at his
Kidderminster farm from a recent car accident,
Roger and Heather drove home across the shire,
ere the winter evening drew in.
Stevie Winwood lives not far away, said
Jimmy. We often get friends dropping in. We
dont exactly take part in village life, but its like
the New Renaissance of Berkshire, I suppose. A baronial life in our
palatial country retreats, Jimmy laughed.
Git your hair cut. Chris Welch
new trends and groups, there is a tendency towards cynicism,

especially among those who interest themselves in progressive rock.
They have learned the meaning of the slang word hype, which hints at
hyperbole and hypocrisy, and neatly sums up the process of falsely
exaggerating the popularity and earning power of an artist. The situation
has been largely brought upon pop by the policy of management in
building up groups with advance publicity which later fails to fulfil its
promise rather like General Election campaigns.
Fans eagerly await a performance or album and are disappointed by
a display of careless indifference. Hype goes up the cry. Now there is
cynical backlash where groups, teenybop or underground, are suspect if
they gain too much BREAD and publicity.
Zeppelin are one of the groups who have experienced sniping, at home
and abroad. Says Jimmy Page, Before they saw us in America there was
a blast of publicity and they heard all about the money being advanced to
us by the record company. So the reaction was Ah, a capitalist group.
They realised we werent when they saw us playing a three-hour non-stop
show every night.
And the reason why we played that long was because when we started
a year ago we had worked out a one-hour set and onstage this naturally
expanded to an hour and a half. As we put in other numbers, this became
two hours. In America they wanted encores and it expanded to three
hours with the extra material from the second album.
We enjoy ourselves and that shows in our playing. If somebody wants
to hype a group, they only suffer in the end because people understand
the economics of bands, especially in the States where it is the fashion to
ask who is getting what out of what.
Im sure that when Hendrix played a West Coast festival, people knew
he was being paid 100,000 dollars. There were a lot of snide remarks, and
afterwards he seemed to drop in popularity. If we play at a university, kids
say, Hey, youre getting 1,000 tonight. So what? They think 1,000 is a lot
of money, but its not in relation to the expenses of a band with road
managers, airfares and hotel bills. But really, money has nothing to do
with it. You can tell when a band is being hyped, by their manner. You can
tell from the vibrations. I can tell, so Im sure everyone else can.
Have Zeppelin received much criticism of their music?
The only criticism came after our Albert Hall concert in London,
recently. One reviewer said we got off to a slow start. Well, I dont know if
the guy had seen us before, but the idea is to start off with recognisable
Zeppelin things, then go much quieter and use acoustic guitar, which is
always well received. Then we build it up again.
You cant possibly have a climax all the way. We like to play a crosssection of styles. Were not a rabble-rousing group. We are trying to play
some music. One has to remember, at the Royal Albert Hall concerts, all
the tickets were sold out in a day, so they must have been Zeppelin people
in the audience who knew what we play.
Did Jimmy think there was a danger of too much being written and said
about the rock revolution? Isnt it all getting
out of hand?
There shouldnt be a lot more written about
it, because pop is going through a very
revolutionary stage at the moment. I saw the
Jack Bruce film on TV and I was quite amazed.
He was tremendous. The whole message was
just listen to the music. Thats what its all about.
Many classical people listen to pop music.
They realise pop is not just a joke. Critics like
Tony Palmer in the Sunday newspapers have
helped it all to an incredible extent. Its strange,
but I never saw the Cream and I had never seen
Jack Bruce until his Lyceum concert. Ive
started going to concerts because I never saw
any when I was working so hard touring. You
have to be quick these days to see a group before they split up. I never saw
Hendrix or the Cream while we were working in the States, or any other
groups unless they were on the same bill as us.
This has been my first real break in years, although we are working on
the third album. We have to keep working all the time. We are working on
a film. I dont know if it will ever be shown, really, but we filmed the Albert
Hall concert and it will be a documentary on what has been going on with
the band.
Everythings been slowed up with Roberts accident. That was a
horrific scene. The police came banging at the door with flashlights and
Were not a
rabble-rousing
group. Were
trying to play
some music
hen a band achieves the Led Zeppelins kind of success

in such a short time, there are bound to be whispered
accusations in the corridors of pop. In recent years, fans
have become more aware of The Business. Far from blindly accepting
1970
asked me if I knew a Mr Robert Plant. When they advised

me to call him at Kidderminster Hospital I knew it had got
to be serious. I was really worried, wondering if he had the
baby in the car. Hes still in a bad way and we had to cancel
some work, although he said he would appear on stage in
a wheelchair. He cant lift his arm above his shoulder and
he has a cut over his eye.
Weve got a lot of recording to do. On the first album we
were finding out about each other. On the second, I really
thought John Paul Jones came through strongly. We can
feel each other much more.
Ive prepared a lot of acoustic stuff for the next album.
Its just a matter of getting into a studio. They are all fully
booked its incredible. We all do a bit of writing in the group
and make tape recording of ideas for songs. I like to get a
basic construction together and a number grows from that.
What did Jimmy think of the trend towards jazz-rock?
I dont like it, personally. I never liked Blood, Sweat &
Tears. Im all for a fusion of ideas, but this is just not my cup
of tea, and has not been as well accepted as classical rock.
Jazz-rock all rests on the brass players waiting for the
chance to play as fast as possible at 78rpm. To me, it
represents cacophony. I like and understand Eric Dolphy
and John Coltrane. But when you get Fred Bloggs blowing
away it doesnt come off.
The things Dick Heckstall-Smith plays with Colosseum
are good and valid, and they make sense. When it doesnt
make sense I cant be bothered. I was never convinced
by Blood, Sweat & Tears, yet lots of people think its the
epitome of pop today. What didnt I like about them? The
arrangements and the singer. I couldnt believe that singer.
Everything sounds so false after one or two listens. The
most progressive groups today are the Pink Floyd and
Moody Blues.
Are Led Zeppelin a progressive group?
Ive been asking myself if we were progressive. In fact Ive
been waiting for somebody to ask me that. I dont know.
Stevie Winwood lives
What we have done is to present rock in a different package.
not far away: Jimmy
We are not a band like the Floyd, who are really progressive.
Page at his Thameside
Maybe our next album will be progressive for us. People
home in Berkshire,
January 1970
tend to say Pink Floyd are still just a 1967 flower-power
group, but they are not. They sound fresh and beautiful.
To ward off the effects of heavy rock interviewing, Jimmy tottered off in
England shall be destroyed by fire.
search of a few aspirins.
Fly, Zeppelin!
Its been quite a year, he said on his return. I can hardly believe how
On October 13, 1915 the Zeppelin LZ 15 commanded by Joachim
much has happened four tours of the States and two platinum albums.
Briethaupt, in a raid on London, bombed the Lyceum Theatre in
It sounds like a lot of old bull, but I cant really believe it sometimes. Its
the Strand.
like looking at somebody elses career.
On October 12, 1969, 54 years later almost to the day, the all-British Led
There is a very powerful astrological force at work within the band
Zeppelin blew a triumphant fanfare of free, peaceful and democratic
which I am sure had a lot to do with our success. Robert is a Leo, which
rocknroll in the same Lyceum, a building which escaped onslaughts by
makes him a perfect leader, with two Capricorns on either side and a
machines more deadly still than the old Counts gas bags.
Gemini behind. Leo is always a leader, like Ginger Baker, Keith Moon and
Jimmy Page reacted with little surprise and considerable amusement
Mick Jagger. Im a Capricorn, which speaks for itself very stubborn with
when told of the new German threat this week. Then we shall call
a split personality. Chris Welch
ourselves the Nobs when we go to Copenhagen, he announced. The
whole thing is absurd. The first time we played in Copenhagen she turned
up and tried to stop a TV show. She couldnt, of course, but we invited her
to meet us to show we were nice young lads. We calmed her down, but on
leaving the studio, she saw our LP cover of an airship in flames and
va von Zeppelin, a relative of the German airship designer,
exploded! I had to run and hide. She just blew her top. So its shrieking
was considering legal action if the British pop group Led
monkeys now! But she is quite a nice person.
Zeppelin play in Copenhagen on Saturday, it was reported
They wanted us to fly in an airship over Montreux, Switzerland once.
last week. They may be world famous, she said, but a couple of
Thats tempting fate, isnt it? I told them to fly without us and say we
shrieking monkeys are not going to use a privileged family name
without permission.
were inside.
Apart from legal threats, newspapers have made unsolicited
Zeppelin, flieg!
suggestions for a new name for Britains most popular group. One Scottish
Hilf uns im Krieg,
national called them Ned Zeppelin. Hearty laughter from Mr Page. On
Fliege nach England,
our next LP sleeve we were planning to print all the weird comments that
England wird abgebrannt.
have been about us. That would have been great Ned Zeppelin!
Zeppelin, flieg!
On my second visit to his Thameside boat-house, Jim was in cheery
Thus sang German children marching to school during the Great War.
mood. The group had just completed some highly successful concerts.
A rough translation goes:
Builders were forging ahead with some cunning alterations to hearth
Fly, Zeppelin,
Help us in the war,
and home. His manager had presented him with a Bentley, and just to
Fly to England,
brighten up the day, the ancient penny peepshow installed in his
mirrorpix

1965
LED ZEPPELIN
bedroom had decided to work.

As gales beat about the wooden
walls and a rowing eight
struggled manfully upstream
past the living-room windows,
Jimmy strummed a merry
guitar. Ive been practising
three hours a day.
Unfortunately, there has been
a great lack of practice in the
last year or so. I play a long
improvised solo to get fluency
and then attempt a difficult
phrase to see if I can pull it off.
Id like to be able to play
piano. It sounds strange. I can
play guitar with finger-style
independence, but I cant play
piano. Id like to play violin, but
thats not as easy as it looks.
When I use violin bow on
guitar, its not just a gimmick as
people think. Its because some
great sounds come out. You can
employ legitimate bowing
techniques and gain new scope
and depth. The only drawback
is that a guitar has a flat neck,
opposed to a violins curved
neck, which is a bit limiting.
Jimmys career has differed
from many musicians in that
he has worked backwards.
Musicians who start out in
bands often end up as session
players. More lucrative. Less
itinerate. Yet Jimmy began as a
top man in a field regarded as a
closed shop. How did it happen?
Everyone likes to play
around with different people,
and it can be stimulating to do
sessions with other groups. But the kind of work I was doing before proved
completely stifling. Never being involved with the artist, it was like being
a computer.
Originally I used to jam with a group at the old
Marquee when Cyril Davies was still alive. One
day someone asked me if I wanted to play on a
rock session and thats how it started. At that
time, only Big Jim Sullivan was around and if
there were three sessions, he could only do one,
and the others would end up with well, no
names mentioned. Without Jim they were
desperate. From then on, work for me escalated.
I was at art school and had to leave because I
couldnt do both. When I first joined a group, the
scene had become completely stagnant, and I
lost all faith in music and myself. It was about
the time The Beatles were beginning to break.
I really wanted to be a fine art painter. I was
sincere in that aim and when I went to college I kept quiet that I played
guitar or else they would expect me to play in the lunch hour. A conflict
between music and art arose and it came to the point where I had to make
a decision.
I enjoyed playing and the R&B revival restored my
faith in music. The Rolling Stones were playing a lot of
Muddy Waters numbers and The Beatles were doing
things by The Marvelettes and The Shirelles.
Did Jimmy take lessons? Just picked it up. When I
was at school, I had my guitar confiscated every day.
They handed it back to me at 4pm. I didnt have any
guitar lessons because there was nobody to teach me,
and I couldnt get up to London. I couldnt read at all
when I started session work, I had to teach myself on a crash course.

There was no individuality involved at all. The arranger said, This is what
you play, and thats what I played.
I got fed up. It began to be a pain in the neck. When The Yardbirds came
up that was it. I was a good friend of Jeff Beck, who had replaced Eric
Clapton. I was there when Paul Samwell-Smith had a great row and left
the group, so I had to take over on bass. I had never played one before.
Then Chris Dreja swapped from rhythm guitar to bass and the idea was
for me and Jeff to get a stereo guitar sound.
With two lead guitars it worked really well. Lots of people have done it
since, but I think we must have been the first. When we went over to the
States we took them by storm. The funny thing was, The Yardbirds didnt
mean anything as a group in England. There was no magic attached to
the name. In America it was different.
The mystique formed because they liked Jeff and knew Eric had been
in the group. There was the whole raver thing, as well. English bands liked
to loon and Hollywood went wild. Anyway it was an exciting group.
The Yardbirds appeared with their cacophony of sound. Thats what
an English paper said when they reviewed a show we did at the Royal
Albert Hall. But in those days, groups used the Albert Hall PA system and
you know what thats like. The guitars were really loud and bad!
Eric had always used a little amp and that was always Keith Relfs
complaint about Jeff and me: Eric used to play through an AC30 and
youve got 300 watts each! He got more and more reticent, but nobody
was trying to drown him out. Obviously there was a lot of tension and
thats why he made two solo records. Ive heard Renaissance are great and
Im pleased Keith is doing well.
Was Jimmy surprised at the news of Traffic reforming? Not really
a surprise, is it? He was always happier with them. I always thought of
Jim Capaldi as Steve Winwoods drummer, and Chris Wood can play
anything. They are a good combination.
You know, it wouldnt surprise me if Eric didnt go back to the blues
and form a little group. Id like the Stones to they went through a lot of
changes and came up with Jumpin Jack Flash and The Beatles went
through Sgt Pepper and Get Back. They want to go back to their roots.
While many groups burble about getting it together, and in fact spend
most of their time falling about in a fog of indecision, Led Zeppelin work
hard at living up to their reputation. Next week they will be satisfying
Zeppelin addicts in Europe before returning to their millions of
American fans. And for British fans?
We want to do some free concerts this year. We may be doing one at
Glastonbury at the time of the Summer Solstice. But Im not so sure about
Hyde Park. I know in the States they cant have any more because of the
Stones thing at Altamont. They wont grant licences, because everybody
is frightened. Its a shame, because this type of
concert is valuable and legitimate.
OK so when are Jimmy Page, Robert Plant,
John Paul Jones and John Bonham going to
split up? There is no reason to split up.
There is nothing inherent musically in Led
Zeppelin to harm or destroy it. There is variety,
great freedom and no restrictions on the
players whatsoever.
Its good from a head point of view. In
our band, everybody respects each other.
Everybody plays something to knock each other
out. I cant see any split coming. People say to us,
Now you are established, when are you going to
break up? Thats a terrible attitude.
I heard recently that Crosby, Stills & Nash are
going to split up. Fans develop loyalty to a group and that becomes
impossible when groups break up so often. Well carry on and stick
together like The Beatles and Stones. Chris Welch
Everybody
plays
something to
knock each
other out
1970
Im getting a microwave
cooker to provide hot steaks
at the bar: (lr) landlord
Keith Moon hosts pals Ronnie
Lane and Vivian Stanshall,
along with MM writer Chris
Welch, at the Crown &
Cushion in Chipping Norton,
Oxfordshire, June 1970
What ho!
A
telephone shrilled dramatically on

my desk. As i clutched my skull to prevent the
top blowing off, a voice croaked in my ear,
hi, Vivian stanshall here. What happened
yesterday?
it was a long story. putting together the pieces
with the aid of a tattered notebook drenched in alcohol, it
transpired that Mr stanshall had called at the MM office for coffee
and chat about his first solo venture the sean head showband and
the Big Grunt. Viv appeared in gay, talkative mood, a pair of
octagonal glasses and a neatly shaven head which he rubbed from
time to time to keep the circulation lively. thoughts of coffee were
dismissed as we adjourned to the red lion alehouse, Fleet street.
he procured a plate of cold potatoes and a glass of vodka, both
of which repelled me to the point of nausea. But Viv was obviously
excited about labio-dental-Fricative, his first solo single,
billed as the sean head showband and featuring eric Clapton
on guitar. this will not be a permanent band, however, and the
replacement for the Bonzo dog Band will be the Big Grunt, which
Barrie wentzell
KEITH MOON and VIV STANSHALL

have one of rocks most notorious
friendships. Apart, over long
lunches, they talk ugly choristers,
wigs, the hotel game, suicidal
thoughts, even music. Together,
anything can happen. I rescued
him from the gutter, Viv
explains. Now we are chums.
1970
getty
Viv is in the process of organising. The

Grunt will be the next band, but I want to
make solo singles as well with different
musicians under various silly names. The
next single will be a ballad and Id like to use
lots of really ugly choristers.
Did Viv shave his hair to tie in with
Sean Head? No, Im not that dedicated. It
would be like forming The Leg-Off Band
and having a leg amputated. Improve your
body have a leg off!
Viv seemed to release the single in superquick time after the Bonzo split, I observed,
toying with a cold damp sausage. He
replied in slow measured tones, We
greased the corridors. It made everything
go so much quicker. Also everybody on
the session was bullet-shaped.
How did he manage to obtain the services
of our Eric for the session? Shanghaied
him. I cant remember how it came about.
Oh, I sent him some lyrics which he liked,
so he came over. We recorded the number
March 26, 1970: Keith
at about three in the morning.
Moon and The Who
The Big Grunt is coming along nicely.
perform The Seeker
on Top Of The Pops
We intend to concentrate on the physical
fitness aspect and we will have a bit of road
training before we actually get on the road. We discussed going to a
Turkish bath where some of the boys could sport with each other. Dennis
Cowan and I have been planning to do some weight lifting a bit of
pushing and pulling.
The band will be getting it together in the country under canvas. We
are just waiting for the Fat Boy to fly in from Sweden. He is Bubs White,
on guitar, and he used to play with The Committee. Will the band have
a regular drummer as well? Well, Roger Spear is making a robot to lay it
down, but we are trying out a few boys.
More drinks were ordered, but the lights were being switched off and
the barman began pointedly emptying ash trays and removing the sea
of bottles from our table. Arent you Viv Stanshall of the Bonzos? asked
the barman curiously. What are you doing these days?
Im selling wigs.
No, really
No, seriously, said Viv and opening his satchel produced what looked
like a large blonde tea cosy. Only 5s 11d and absolutely undetectable.
Now to don Londons most unconvincing wig He put the tea cosy on
his head at a rakish angle and winked.
Outside the pub we hailed a cab and forgetting nonsense about coffee
sped post-haste to an afternoon drinking club not far from Tin Pan Alley.
Im very excited about the new band, he continued, ordering the first
of an endless stream of large Scotches. We wont scrap all our old
material, like the Brain Opera. That might well be recorded in the future.
The Big Grunt should be more musical than the Bonzos and have more
character. The gags will be in a more rhythmic sequence and tie in with
the music. We havent started recording yet because we have been
waiting for Bubs to be catapulted in.
I want things to be more entertaining. For example, I dont think you
can make serious singles. They should be for enjoyment and to make
radio fun listening. The single doesnt really lend itself to a beautiful
production in stereo.
Borneo Fred Munt, our old roadie, will be in the Grunt to contribute
material. Fred wrote about 100 songs while he was with the Bonzos all
about aggro in cages on the M1, situations with jobsworths and
equipment problems. They are all roadie songs and they are so good we
are going to do an album of them called Keep On Trucking with Fred
singing and playing saxophone. Its good to give the lads a chance, said
he, slapping his wellingtons and riding off into the sunset.
Viv lurched towards the jukebox and managed to insert a coin. A
particularly unpleasant Black & White Minstrel song came blaring
through the speakers.
Most embarrassing, I didnt put that one on. Suddenly my back runs
cold with sweat. Good heavens, the record is speeding up and getting
louder. Some kind of foam is coming out of the machine! Ill put a Dean
Martin on to get rid of it.
1965
We downed another large Scotch and stared vacantly at the floor. Saw
Jimmy Page the other week, I began weakly. Hes been reading Aleister
Crowley. He asked me to give you a message. Come to Pangbourne Abbey
where the law is enforced.
Viv lifted his lolling head and peered blearily. Tell Jimmy the cream
of the owl will be poured on the bishops trouser leg. Would you mind
getting me another drink, dear boy?
Tottering back from the bar, I found the following inscribed in my
notebook:
During this interview Welchy has made constant references to
leather and on several occasions tried to put his raincoat over my knees.
Naturally I have been repelling him, but what can I do? But I must stop
hes coming back.
When will Grunt start operations? The new band will work for limited
periods. I want to pace it so when we got out for a few months at a time
there will be totally different stuff.
You have no idea how refreshing it is to be able to sit at home and read
for a bit, or watch telly. I think the first gig will be at Aston University on
March 25. In the meantime I have been making wardrobes and shelves
and getting back to normal. Reading back some of the stuff I wrote last
year, a lot of it seems completely incomprehensible. The whole group
scene makes you insular and cut off from normal things. Thats why
lyrics become so obscure and why people in groups begin to lose their
real friends.
I am going through a complete purgatorial metamorphosis. I go
through periods of terrific elation and work like stink, and then I feel deep
depression and want to go to the lavatory and screw a hook in the ceiling.
It was time for another round. On my return from the bar bearing large
Scotches, once again there was evidence of tampering with my notes:
Well just before I was so rudely interrupted I was going to say that while
he plies me with drinks I still have enough moral fibre to err oh lumme!
It was by now 5.10pm and the boozers were open. Viv peered through
his glasses. Do you fancy going to the scrumpy bar, Waterloo? A thought
struck him and the tea cosy slipped over his brow: Got to go to the BBC.
Got an interview with Anne Nightingale of the Daily Sketch.
Somehow the stairs were navigated to street level and a cab hailed
between procuring bags of chestnuts and shouting strange cries at
Barry Ryan, who fled at our approach. At Broadcasting House we were
confronted by the amazing sight of two 1920 London General Omnibuses
in immaculate trim about to depart for the Arlo Guthrie reception. To my
horror, Stanshall, now speechless, began to mount the stairs and sat
upon the top deck, peering disdainfully around.
Ere, whats that bloke doing? demanded the conductor testily. Its
OK, hes a famous artist, I explained. Oi, Viv come down!
Miss Nightingale blanched at the somewhat terrifying sight of the silent
skinhead and we hastily wheeled him to the Quality Inn, where old ladies
vivian stanshall & keith moon
sat drinking tea and Hungarian waiters scurried at

their duties. Would you like your coffee black or
white, sir?
Greyish brown. Ha you artist! exclaimed Viv,
as the startled waiter juggled with his pots. Later
we escorted our chum to a cab and directed the
driver to take Viv to his East Finchley home.
Did you get home alright? I asked Viv the next
morning.
No the swine took me to Heathrow Airport.
Chris Welch
NME JUNE 13
hen Keith Moon walKs perhaps
bounds is more accurate into a
room you almost expect to hear Little
Richards a-wop-bop-a-loo-bob-a-wop-bamboom war cry ring out from above. Keith has that
sort of effect on people. He generates enthusiasm
and radiates happiness even when hes being
serious, which, these days, is more frequently
than before.
Hes been through a lot lately with a fatal accident
and a couple of court appearances, but somehow
all the tension and fatigue hasnt visibly affected
him. He still manages his maniacal laugh every so
often and is unguardedly outspoken as ever. Keith and I met for a drink
a few days ago and he was pleased that Id liked The Whos new live
album, which must be about the most exciting rock album of its kind ever
made. It wasnt by any stretch of the imagination a rush job.
Petes had it on his mind for years but weve never had a real chance to
do it before, Keith explained, settling himself with his customary large
brandy and ginger. We got the mics and sound balance and things
sorted out during the American tour, moving
mics backwards a bit and forward and so on
until the recordings sounded OK.
Bob Pridden [a Who roadie] is getting a bit old
now, so we had to give him a desk job we sat
him at the control panel on stage and left him to
get on with the balance. We did two recordings
here, one in Hull and one in Leeds. The Hull one
was quite good but the Leeds one was really
good. Bob worked well that night, bless him!
Keith is satisfied with the way the album has
turned out but is now working with Roger, Pete
and John on yet another. It wont be out for a few
months, though. Were recording at Petes and
its about half done, Keith revealed.
Its great working there; we can start at lunch
time and have a track finished by about five. If we record every day for
a month or two well have enough albums for the next 30 years! I always
said wed finish up coming on stage in our wheelchairs. By that time
Johnll be about 20 stone and hell have to be hauled on stage like a piece
of equipment. His arms will be all puffed up, with two mandibles on the
end that will clamp his guitar. Rogers hair will be down to his feet like a
curtain and itll be shaped like the curtain at West Ham Odeon; itll go up
to reveal an old cracked face.
It doesnt take Keith longs to lapse into his world of humour, as you see.
But he did, on a serious note, add that the next album will be finished off
when The Who return from their American tour sometime in July and
it will be out around September.
It takes so long to do an album with tours, he went on. You spend two
weeks preparing for America, a month there, and then it takes a month to
get over it when you get back. Then there are shows to do and you never
get round to recording. This is what happened before now were going
to do more albums.
A few years ago, Keith was very into all things American and was often
compared to a comic-strip character. His opinion of the land of milk and
mace has changed somewhat. He certainly doesnt believe any more that
American bands are far superior to British groups.
Too many of them are protesting and bringing people down, he
commented. To me, the theatre is an escape, you dont go to be made
miserable, you go to escape from reality.
Abbie Hoffman jumped on the stage at Woodstock and started
protesting and the kids didnt cheer until Pete whacked him with his
guitar. If he wants to preach, let him do it on a soap box not on our stage.
The Whos public relations man arrived with a large female alsatian
called Sheba in tow. This was the signal for a verbal free-for-all bringing in
all our friends in the business and frightening the life out of the bar staff
who, being new, hadnt experience a Moon and Green laugh-in before.
When a little bit of calm settled again, I asked Keith if he thought
drummers were playing a more important role in groups than before.
I think they are, he agreed. In the jazz days, people like Gene Krupa
and Buddy Rich would have their parts written down and all the
arrangements done. Later on, the rocknroll drummers didnt really
have to use their imagination, they just played, but groups nowadays
are a unit.
Were four individuals who all fit into the group on a level say a sea
level. You have to find your place and settle on that level. The Beatles have
gone right through and hit rock bottom: theyre on the sea bed. I dont
think they ever had a real image, not lately anyway. Not since they were
loveable fluffy moptops with those collars, and that was Brian Epsteins
idea anyway.
Its plainly obvious that The Who rely a lot on excitement for their
appeal and Keith had something to say about how that is being dealt
with right now. Its taken us five years to get
things really sorted out, he admitted. We
realised that where Id be waving my arms
about [a short demonstration sent three people
scuttling to the wall for safety], I could play
better on the drums. What well be giving is
quality not quantity, though the act wont really
be any shorter.
We wont work to a set pattern; we play it
by ear. After America youll notice a lot of
difference in the act. Well do the odd number
from Tommy like Pinball Wizard and Im
Free, but thats all, and slot in some of the
numbers we do now and some new ones.
After telling me that The Who were rehearsing
all week from 1.30pm, Keith looked at his watch
and discovered it was already a quarter to two.
Oh, thats alright, itll only take five minutes to get there, he said
with relief. Where are you rehearsing, round the corner? I asked.
No, Wandsworth!
Good old Moon, hell never change that much.
Before he left, Keith told me one of his customary tales, this time
involving the phantom nude and the Scottish police. Be warned.
I bought a pair of inflatable legs and stuck stockings and a suspender
belt on them, and then I hid on the floor in the back of the Bentley and put
the legs out of the window, he gleamed. I was yelling, Stop it, Let me
go, Rape through the cars PA and outside a station a policewoman saw
it and wrote the number down and phoned the police. All forces were
alerted and they followed us to
Scotland, where we were going
for a Small Faces tour.
When we got to the hotel,
I put the legs in the bath and
draped a sheet over it. The
police came in and I said, Its
in there, and this copper went
in and nearly passed out and
had to be held up by his mate.
One of them pulled a leg and
I always said
wed end up
coming on
stage in our
wheelchairs
1970
it came away in his hand. By this time The Faces had arrived and they
were falling about all over the floor. The police just got embarrassed,
told me off and left!
Well, if the law dont know by now to forget everything when Moons
about theyve only got themselves to blame! Richard Green

eith Moon and ViV StanShall caused uproar when they
visited a London hospital recently. They went to call upon Who
publicist Brian Somerville, recovering from an operation on
four fractures of his leg received after falling from a horse in Hyde Park.
They arrived late and were escorted off the premises by a jobsworth.
Undaunted, our heroes slipped back into the casualty ward. Keith
removed his shoes and socks, rolled up a trouser leg, and sat in a
wheelchair, to be pushed around the wards by Stanshall clad in full
surgeons drag.
Says Sommerville: They came into my ward and caused uproar
complete hysterics among all the patients. They carried out fake
operations, then left undetected. It was later discovered all patients
have increased temperature, blood and pulse rates.
MELODY MAKER OCTOBER 10

croSS each MeMber of a group has to bear is the threat
of being refused service in a pub. Keith Moon has taken the
obvious step to combat this deterioration in service in the inns
of old England. He has bought his own pub and ALL are welcome. In
fact, he has become one third of a dedicated partnership, who have
taken the lease on a superb hotel, parts of which date back to the 12th
century, in the picturesque town of Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire.
It might seem a highly dangerous proposition for the explosive Mr
Moon to become a landlord. Hell drink away the profits, that young
gentleman will, mark my words, was the cry in the Barrow & Turnip the
day the news came out.Therell be comings and goings, and a decent
man wont be able to hold a pint of bitter in peace. One can easily
imagine the grumbling among locals.
But in fact, there has been no grumbling, only a four-fold increase
in takings. And the atmosphere at the Crown & Cushion is
understandably a jolly one. It was my pleasure to spend a convivial
Sunday evening at the Moon hostelry, and
I must pronounce it a splendid watering-hole
and the host a capital fellow.
In the company of MMs photographer
Barrie Wentzell, we drove by all-British Rover
at a steady 110mph through the autumnal
countryside. On arrival we met Keiths partners
Ron and Yvonne Mears and Tony Hales-Tooke,
the manager. Any half-formed suspicions that
the Crown & Cushion might prove a hotbed of
riotous debauch along the lines of certain
London discotheques were instantly
extinguished. We were ushered into a lounge
where white-haired ladies drank tea in perfect
safety and a gentleman in a green kilt watched
Malcolm Muggeridge talking about Jews and
Arabs in colour, without any overt sign of
vulgar partnership.
Keith is out riding just now, said Yvonne,
ordering us tea. At 7pm the bar opened and
before we had time to snort a lager and white
wine, Keith appeared in our midst, in company
with Vivian Stanshall and Ronald Lane, the
well-known musicians.
What-ho, said Keith. Weve just been for a spot
of punting. Apparently it had been too late to hire
horses, but it was not too late to imbibe ale and
vast quantities were consumed, not to mention
brandy, and champagne.
Keith looked in fine shape, and not much
different from the white tee-shirted tornado
who first changed the rock worlds concept of
drumming back at the birth of The Who.
Keith is fairly notorious as a looner and practical joker. Stories of

his exploits, particularly in America, are legion. And his violence as
a percussionist is legendary.
But there is another Keith Moon, who likes to enjoy life and help others
enjoy themselves. And he does this with a surprising mixture of rather
old-fashioned good manners and genuine geniality.
And his hotel venture is deadly serious. Ive spent most of my life in
hotels, and I know the difference between a good one and a bad one.
Organising a brief tour round the outhouses and grounds, he explained
how he moved into the bed, steaks and vino belt.
Part of the hotel dates back to the 12th century. There are some of the
original beams. We are near to Stratford-On-Avon and Oxford, so we get
plenty of tourists, especially Americans doing the Cotswolds.
My partners Ron and Yvonne were looking for a hotel and we had
a bit of a session one day, and I thought Id like to go in with them. Its
important the way we run the hotel. So many hotels today make the
guests feel as if they are imposing by their presence. I like people and we
want everybody who comes to feel as if they know us. We have instigated
quite a few changes here. Im really enjoying it, although as you know Im
not really a one for socialising.
Was this some indication that Keith might be retiring?
Certainly not. Im not going to hide myself away in seclusion. Thats not
my style.
Was there any upset in the town at the new regime?
No quite the opposite. I think they are quite relieved, because
we are taking an interest in them and the hotel and we want to make
it successful.
In the background chat in the bar, I could hear an elderly couple
discussing the pop scene, perhaps unaware of their hosts full-time
occupation. and he came from a good background, I cant
understand what happens to them. That awful Mick Jagger isnt he
repulsive! Repulsive!
Weve kept most of the original staff, Keith was saying. We think
of ideas and they say whether we can do them or not. Im getting a
microwave cooker to provide hot steaks at the bar. Were also running
a folk club at the back, and wed like your folk chap to come down.
He proudly pointed out the gardens, which produce their own fresh
vegetables, the immaculate kitchens and wine cellars, new bedrooms
and the candle-lit restaurant, all grouped Italian style around a central
courtway. While we waited for supper, Keith chatted at the bar a little
about his drumming role with The Who and their forthcoming tour.
Tony Williams, one of the worlds greatest jazz
drummers, told me last week that his favourite
English drummer was Keith. A drummer that
really impresses me is Keith Moon with The
Who, he said. He has a very fluid style and he
really makes that band.
I never did worry much about a style when
I started, explained Keith. All I wanted to do
was play music the way I felt it should be played.
And as it happened the instrument I felt best
on was the drums. I didnt spend a lot of time
studying drums in an attic with a bottle of
cheap red wine. I could express myself best by
playing the drums.
Thats what drumming is to me a complete
outlet. I just go on stage and when the curtain
comes up zonk. Playing hard isnt an ordeal for
me. I dont think of it as a marathon.
Five years ago, The Who was like a nucleus of
basic energy. We plumbed each others depths,
and learned how to get it right. Now what will we
be doing on the tour? Do you know I really cant
remember, old chap. To be quite honest, the whole
thing was booked while we were away, so I dont
even know where we are playing or when. But the
machinery has been set in operation.
Well be taking our spotlights with us, which we
used on the Isle Of Wight. So its all in hand. Were
going to have three days of rehearsals. I expect the
programme will be much the same as usual. We
may feature a spot of euthanasia and present the
mercy killing of Tommy. Chris Welch
They came
into my ward
in hospital
and caused
uproar

1965
viviAn stAnshAll & keith moon
A dreadful bore
think I have any politics.

I have so many opinions
about things that it is like
having no opinion. Its the
same thing. The Dont Know
Party wins hands down.
MM DEC 19 Viv Stanshall takes the

Maker Reaction questionnaire.
Pop festivals Good value.

We are a nation of
watchers, and pop festivals
can be joined in. Groups
should turn their speakers
round and invite everybody
to be one of the band. One
night at the Marquee we
gave out 300 whistles.
Power cuts Bloody outrage. Who are

they hurting? I dont know what they want,
but whatever it is I will give it to them.
I spend half my time massaging my turtles
and the other half putting candles underneath my fish tanks. But like the rubbish
thing the other week, I rather enjoy being
blacked out. Its rather jolly and gives you
a sense of reality.
Monty Pythons Flying

Circus Derivative. I am glad
Bonzos A good try. We were all a bit sur-
Keith Moon I rescued him
it is receiving acclaim.
Roger Spear He is in the
If it gives a
greater insight
into things, then
the use of drugs is
a good thing
from the gutter. I was going

down Wardour Street one
evening for a coffee when I saw this
dreadful man calling to me from
the gutter. I threw my
overcoat over him and gave him
2s for a cup of tea. We became
engaged in conversation and I took
him to a sauna bath to clean him up.
I was surprised to see a young prince
beneath the dirt when I wiped him down
with a man-sized tissue, and he promised to
repay me some day. Now we are chums.
Rupert Bear I enjoy Rupert Bear because he

is so innocent. I enjoy the cleanliness of it and
the hygiene. When Rupert and his daddy get
off a train I am always astonished to see that
they are bears and everyone else is a person.
Being interviewed by the MM Very

interesting, because I dont suppose I would
ask myself the same questions. Sometimes
its a dreadful bore. I am put on a spot like this
by having to give specific answers.
addicted is not. I think it

ought to remain illegal
because I like the ceremony
attached to taking drugs.
It would be dreadful to buy
joints in a jolly pack with
washing powder names.
Radio One It is all part of

a gigantic plan to subdue
us. I think it is part of a new
society where we all have to listen
to certain noises. Does anybody
really listen to it? Is it there
genuinely to entertain?
Beatles A dreadful nuisance. It always appears that they have hinted about
something you are about to do
yourself. They make magic. Many of their
songs will become classics, with Shirley
Bassey and Matt Monro singing them in 20
years time. They never seem to have pimples.
Nazi uniforms Jolly smart. I think they have
a similar effect to green peppers. Keith and
I hired them from a theatrical shop just
for a laugh. The idea was to confront the
uniforms of the Speakeasy with another
uniform. Both uniforms are really ridiculous.
Politics Everything is politics. I am not really

interested in the green-grocery of politics.
Which is the preferable monster? I dont
process of proving what he

has always said and that is
that machines can be just as
entertaining as real people. I have seen his
show four or five times and it is getting
better. He will win in the end.
Popes attempted assassination

I thought it was very romantic. I loved it
when they asked the guy why he didnt use
a gun and he said he couldnt afford one.
The Pope is responsible for a lot of misery in
the world but I dont think the answer is to kill
him. If you did away with the Pope there would
be no Private Eye.
TV commercials In the main, a darn sight

more interesting than the programmes.
Hair I have had it outrageously long since

I was about 16. It was good to outrage people
with it. I had it chopped off because I was
doing a lot of fibreglass work and it was a
nuisance, I was sticking to the glue.
Looning Its like inflation. I cant intellectualise
on it. Everything is so dull and predictable
that its interesting to see how you would
react if someone suddenly vomited on you.
I dont like the expression looning. I hope
someone thinks of an alternative.
America I like it. We are a bit administered
over here. Things are happening much faster
over there, so it seems. I have never been to
a place where there were so many people
being so rude to me.
Drugs I think any kind

of experience is valid
provided one understands
what you are putting
yourself through. I am
most interested to see
how I would react under
any kind of situation,
because life is usually very
boring. If it gives a greater
insight into things, then
the use of drugs is a good
thing, but to become
ASSOCIATED NEWSPAPERS
prised that Doughnut In Grannys Greenhouse was so utterly ignored. The musical
aspect was not really up to scratch, and
we gradually lost direction. It was good to
outrage people for so long and to make a
profession out of being rude
and putting your tongue
out at people. I cant
think of a better way of
spending five years. It
was a good laugh with
my chums. A unique and
unforgettable experience.
1970
Nobody
knows me
NICO is a woman alone. On a visit to London, she explains her relationship
with music (I wanted to be an opera singer) and with Andy Warhol
(He could never get me to take my clothes off). Later, JOHN CALE
explores her mystique, and their mutual roots in The Velvet Underground.
MELODY MAKER MARCH 21

he sleeve of The velvet Undergrounds first album was dead right
when it read Nico: chanteuse. Not just singer, because Nico is more
than that, and the word chanteuse contains just the right registrations
of the european tradition of chanson. for me, she is a logical extension
of Marlene Dietrich singing falling In love Again in the Blue Angel
bar; and yet, while her singing has that feeling of age and tradition
behind it, it is also beyond tomorrow, way ahead of all those other lady singers who
are still into interpretation.
Those who have her elektra album The Marble Index will already know what Im saying.
The lP is a journey through a landscape not unlike Berlin, where she lived as a child:
desolate and wind-blown, scarred yet futuristic.
she is in london just now, attempting to make another lP, but has met only
disillusionment and loneliness. her friends from the old days Keith Richards and Anita
Pallenberg, Paul McCartney and linda eastman were too busy with their new lives to
help her, and record company executives were uniformly uncooperative. she played one
gig, an implosion night at the Roundhouse, but when I asked her if she had been invited to
getty
T
I wanted to be an
opera singer since
I was a little girl:
Nico on stage in 1970
1970
do any more she replied, in the deep Wagnerian accent, No, who should
ask me? I have a reputation for not turning up to sing. Its something I
want very badly to get rid of.
But to get back to the beginning, a brief history: Nico, born of a Polish
mother and a father who died in the concentration camps, was a top
Parisian cover girl before she met the Stones.
About four years ago Brian Jones took her to
Andy Warhols Factory in New York, and she
joined The Velvet Underground, the group that
was part of Warhols Exploding Plastic Inevitable
the pioneering multi-media troupe which used
dancers plus the first-ever light show.
With them she sang at the Dom in New York,
cut an album for Verve, travelled across the
States to Los Angeles in a bus (she and Sterling
Morrison took turns driving), and played the
Fillmore West to the accompaniment of some
bad scenes with Bill Graham. After about a year
she left the group to sing on her own, starting at
the Balloon Farm (upstairs from the Dom). Her
accompanists changed every week, but the
main ones were Lou Reed and John Cale from the Velvets and Jackson
Browne, a young guitarist and singer from Orange County.
The upshot was that three of Brownes songs were on her first, badly
produced album (for Verve), alongside Bob Dylans Ill Keep It With
Mine, which legend says the master wrote for Nico, but of which she
simply declares, I dont know about that. He just gave it to me.
That album, Chelsea Girl, was titled after a Warhol movie in which she
appeared. She made another one with him, which he has never shown
Maybe it wasnt dirty enough for old New York. He could never get me to
take my clothes off.
There followed a long silence, broken a year ago by the appearance of
The Marble Index, which is one of those records which just might, in 10 or
20 years time, be regarded as some sort of milestone.
Since then shes spent a lot of time in Italy, and has made part of a film
called La Cicatrice Intrieure with the French director Philippe Garelle
Hes really one of the best movie-makers. Hes directed five films, but
hes never let them be released. This new one is very important to me. Its
so powerful. We did part of it in the American desert and part
of it in the Egyptian desert I dont know when well
finish it. It doesnt matter; theres no hurry because
its a very timeless thing.
ROUNDHOUsE
But the most vital thing at the moment is to make
LONDON
a record, a task which amazingly defeated her in
London. She accompanies herself on a very

small Indian harmonium, and has 15 or 20 songs
of her own that she wants to record. She started
composing a couple of years ago, and bought
the harmonium at just about the same time.
She had no lessons
(Just singing lessons
I wanted to be an opera
singer since I was a very
little girl) and plays
the instrument in a
uniquely delicate style,
based on modes rather
than chords.
I dont want to play
in any more clubs,
she says. Id like to do
concerts, and maybe
colleges would be good.
But I dont have a
manager, and nobody
knows me here. In New York all the young people
know me I have a lot of friends but I hate New
York. Maybe I should get a manager. I wouldnt
mind all the hassling if somebody else could go
through it for me.
She was planning to fly to New York later the day
that I saw her, possibly to take up the option on
her Elektra contract. But a couple of hours after
wed parted she rang to say that shed changed her
mind. I cant stand the thought of going to New
York, so Im flying to Ibiza. Its my favourite place,
and I think Ill die there.
So perhaps those 15 beautiful songs will never
be heard. But somehow I think theres hope yet, even if London isnt ready
for it. Richard Williams
I cant stand
the thought of
going to New
York, so Im
flying to Ibiza
Difficult, desolate
MM MARCH 28 Nicos capital concert.
thought this was a rock

and roll place, said Nico,
smiling between numbers at
the Roundhouse last Sunday.
She was right, but she contrived
to transcend barriers of taste
and finally left the stage to
warm applause.
Hers is difficult music. Its tonal
range circumscribed by the
sound of the harmonium she
played and her intensely
personal, desolate delivery.
The emotional range of these
interior monologues is, however,
unlimited, and among the most
memorable of the songs were
My Empty Pages, No-one
Is There and a new song,
In Her Native German.
Richard Williams
1965
MELODY MAKER JULY 25

he VelVet UndergroUnd are almost a myth
to their fans. Up until now they have been a minorityappeal band, but those who have discovered them are
invariably completely hung up on the quartets bizarre
originality. John Cale was the Welsh voice who intoned Lou
Reeds story of Marsha Bronson and Waldo Jeffers on The
Gift, and also the fingers behind the nerve-grating electric
viola on Venus In Furs.
He left the band after its second album, and is currently in
London to produce the final stages of Nicos new album for Joe Boyd,
which was begun a couple of months ago in New York. Nicos so
powerful very Germanic, very European, he told me. Im going to use
a string orchestra on some tracks, and possibly a rock band on one cut.
Im making her sing without her harmonium.
John produced Nicos last LP, the mindshattering Marble Index, which he told me was
recorded in two days one for the vocals and
harmonium, and one for the backings, which John
overdubbed himself. One song left off that record,
he says, sounded just like Jerry Lee Lewis.
More importantly for Cales own point of view is
the recent release in America of his own Columbia
album, Vintage Violence, an extraordinary
compilation which, typically, is not at all what
youd expect. John says that some of the songs are
British and some are American in tone, and
certainly the most exciting is the brilliantly
arranged Big White Cloud.
Welsh by birth, upbringing, and accent,
John spent three years in London, notably at
Goldsmiths College, before the famous American
composer Aaron Copeland got him a summer
scholarship to Americas Tanglewood music school
through Leonard Bernstein.
LIVE!
MARCH 21
Nico and sterling Morrison

on stage with the Velvet
underground at the New York
society For Clinical Psychiatry
annual dinner, Delmonico hotel,
New York, January 13, 1966
I was thrown out of Goldsmiths at just the right time to take the
scholarship, he says. That was in 1963, and I had two days of working
and studying with La Monte Young in The Dream Syndicate. That was
very avant-garde music we were holding chords for two hours at a time,
and it was based on a system of intonation. We had electric violin and
viola and two voices, and it was very loud and solid and hard.
It was then that he met Lou Reed, who was under contract to a musicpublishing company as a songwriter. Lou
played John some songs that the company
wouldnt use, and among them were the famous
Heroin and Venus In Furs from the first
Velvets album, which Lou had written when 15
years old in high school at Syracuse, New York.
Sterling Morrison was a guitarist friend of
Reeds, so the three of them got together and
eventually added Maureen Tucker on drums.
She had been a computer operator. The rest of
the story the meeting with Andy Warhol, gigs
at the Dom in Greenwich Village, the abortive
West Coast tour, and Nico is too well known to
need repeating in detail, but for the record John
says that the name of the band came from
an American paperback.
John became a little wary when
I asked him about the groups attitude
as reflected in some of its more horrific
material, and commented, I do care
that people believe the songs represented
our attitudes. The main attitude was
fear, and people believed that because
we wrote and performed a song like
Heroin it meant that we condoned
the drug thing. In fact its about someone
who doesnt like himself, and heroin
is the vehicle through which Lou
expressed this.
Lou is a very gifted writer he must be
to have written those things when he was
15. The Gift was my idea, because Id
read his story and I thought it would sound good to back it with a separate
instrumental piece called Booker T.
Eventually John left the group, at about the same time that Nico split,
and they added Doug Yule instead. He signed with Columbia and started
to work in the studios with a group called Grinders Switch, who he says
sound like The Band. A friend of his had put the band together, and he
spent three months working on songs with them before he left because
I wasnt really interested in The Bands style
of music.
Apart from his own record, John has also been
working on Terry Rileys new Columbia album,
Church Of Anthrax, on which Riley plays organ
and piano.
Rocknroll has had a stunning effect on
modern classical music, he says. Those guys
have got a lot to learn, and Stockhausens
electronic things didnt affect rock a bit, apart
from maybe the four singles Jim Guercio did
with The Buckinghams. And Guercio had
a classical training. But all the exciting things
are in rocknroll.
John has an unusual day job at
Columbia now, remixing all the
companys best albums for
quadraphonic stereo, which is like
stereo but with four speakers, one
in each corner of the room. His plans
for himself include the writing and
recording of a symphonic work, on
a grand scale, and he says that he is
currently interested in the lavish
Spector style.
It almost came off with The Velvet
Underground, he says, and its
hovering around right now. It may have
something to do with The Marble Index
kind of overdubbing techniques. But
basically Im having a good time writing
songs. Richard Williams
getty
I do care that
people believe
the songs
represented
our attitudes
1970
Black Sabbath in 1970:

(lr) Geezer Butler, Bill
Ward, Ozzy Osbourne
and Tony Iommi
black sabbath
A promoter
sent return
tickets for us,
and a one-way
for a sacrificial
victim
B
getty
MELODY MAKER MARCH 14
lack Sabbath, four unknown rock musicians

from Birmingham, have emerged from obscurity with
what is probably the first true underground success
since the days of Pink Floyd and UFO. Without mass
media exposure, the Birmingham band now find
themselves with a best-selling first album, sold on the
strength of their hard-rock sound, which has built them a fanatical
following in isolated areas. As Black Sabbath, the group have worked
steadily both in Britain and on the Continent, building up an increasing
following wherever they appear. At Birminghams Henrys Blues House
recently, they broke Jethro Tulls attendance record, which had lasted
for over a year. Its in Birmingham that the group are the biggest draw.
Their reputation has spread from there through their live appearances
and a solitary Top Gear session they did before Christmas and the
release of their Vertigo album, still making progress in the chart.
The album is an accurate reflection of their music, hard, driving and
blues-based, with lyrics that have been influenced by black magic,
BLACK SABBAtH are

a great new heavy
blues band, popular
with John Peel. trouble
is, everyone thinks
they dabble in the
occult. People seem
to expect something
out of the ordinary
when we appear.
1970
a subject they have become interested in since changing their name.

Their environment, they believe, is reflected in their music.
Aston is a bit of a tough area in Birmingham and a lot of our music could
really be put together in this way. The black magic thing came about when
we changed our name. We just looked into it a little bit out of interest;
Geezer is the most interested in it. We were playing the blues thing and
just became interested in the supernatural through changing the name.
The group have been together in various forms for the past 18 months,
but at one time they lost lead guitarist and flute player Tony Iommi, who
left to join Jethro Tull when Mick Abrahams left to form Blodwyn Pig. Tony
was with Jethro for about a week and he did the Rolling Stones Rock And
Roll [Circus] show but he came back to the nest, Im glad to say, said Ward.
Iommis return strengthened the groups writing talent. They all share
in the writing of their material that forms the basis of their act, which is all
original apart from two numbers.
Black Sabbath spent six months of last year on the Continent, they were
rebooked at Hamburgs famous Star Club five times during the year, and
have built up a big following in Germany. With their first album still
selling tremendously well and moving into the higher reaches of the
chart, the group have now started on their second album, which should
consolidate their surprising first success, watched closely by the group.
It sold over 500 copies on Monday. Weve been checking the sales
figures and watching the album charts. It was No 5 on the underground
chart. In Black Sabbaths case underground is probably used in its
right context. Their success has been built on their own un-hyped appeal.
Royston Eldridge
groups who are really good, but people dont give them a chance. Theres
a group called Hot Spring Water in Cumberland who are great, but they
dont get the breaks.
If people would listen to more groups theyd realise the talent thats
about. Its hard getting the breaks and were lucky theyve started
happening for us. We couldnt do a thing at first.
Tony is very interested in jazz and he has a liking for some of the brass
sounds of Blood, Sweat & Tears and Chicago. He hopes to see them both
during the groups forthcoming American tour.
Were worried about this black magic group bit in America; people
might take us seriously, he said. We might change some of the words of
the songs so that we dont have any trouble! If we get the time Id like to see
Joe Pass; hes a fine guitarist and one of my early influences. Its people
like him and Alvin Lee that I like, theyve got a style of their own. You can
listen to them and think, Ive never heard that before. They have their
own thing going without having all these Clapton things creeping in.
On stage, Black Sabbath do a 25-minute version of their number
Warning. It features a 15-minute solo by Tony, who admits that he
often plays whatever comes into his head, the others picking up their
instruments and following him as best they can, though there are some
set patterns.
Black Sabbath are already booked for a few festivals this year, so the
breaks they wanted are becoming reality. So fear not when going to see
them; you wont have to take hammers, stakes and crosses to ward off evil
spirits, you can just sit back, relax and enjoy the wholesome music. If they
let you relax. Richard Green
NME APRIL 4
MELODY MAKER JULY 11
number of pop groups seem to have decided that its the

in-thing these days to meddle in black magic and present their
version of some of its rites on stage. So when I came across a
group called Black Sabbath I naturally thought this was another touch
of the things that go bump in the night. Not so. Despite the groups
name, members Ozzy Osbourne, Geezer Butler, Tony Iommi and Bill
Ward want nothing to do with the spooks at least, in their music.
Lead guitarist Tony told me: Everybody thinks were a black magic
group, but we just picked the name because we like it. I agree some of the
numbers on the LP are about supernatural things, but thats as far as it
goes. We dont make a habit of playing numbers like that. I think it was
because were interested in the supernatural as people but not as
musicians. The next album will feature more
instrumental work.
Black Sabbath have been together since the
end of 1967, just after Tony left Jethro Tull. The
other three were members of various groups
and they all came together to play what they felt.
I was with Jethro Tull for a few weeks, said
Tony. Musically theyre really good, but where
we treat the music as a personal thing, they treat
it as a job. We all mix together, they dont. Ian is
very to himself, he doesnt mix. When I joined
Jethro Tull they were already pretty big; with
Black Sabbath I feel its better because Im part
of a group thats trying to make it.
Tony describes Black Sabbaths music as heavy
rock. The first time I heard it was on a Saturday
afternoon when I was doing a bit of trendy posing with dark glasses and a
large vodka in the Chelsea Drugstore. Its not an exaggeration to say that
over half the people in the place stopped camping it up to listen to the
album. There are all sorts of good things on the LP, and unlike some
groups, no one member has it all his own way. Things are shared out
evenly and the overall result is one of compactness and imagination.
When I asked Tony if he thought underground music had begun to level
out now, he replied, Theres a lot more to come, things are going to get
better. People are learning things all the time. There are a lot of amateur
e have never practised black magic on stage. In fact,

were anti-black magic, said Bill Ward, drummer with
Black Sabbath this week.
Sabbath, whose first LP, called Black Sabbath, has been in the MM LP
chart for 13 weeks, have been put in a bag that they do not fit. Since we
became known it has been a complete mix-up; we have continually been
put in the same bracket as Black Widow. They practise black magic on
stage, with ritual killings and things.
But, added Bill, we are completely anti-black magic. Some stage
numbers we do are against black magic. One song in particular called
Black Sabbath is against black magic and all its implications.
When the group John Osbourne (vocal and harmonica), Tony Iommi
(guitar), Geezer Butler (bass), and Bill Ward
(drums) changed their name to Black
Sabbath, their troubles began. If you have
a black in your group name these days you
immediately become an occult rock group.
It was very difficult in the beginning,
explained Bill. But were gradually clearing
this mistake up. As we get better known the
barriers break down.
Black Sabbath started off its life as Earth. We
used to be called Earth after earth blues. Then
we came back from a trip to Germany and
heard a record by Earth, and as it wasnt us we
changed our name to Black Sabbath.
The group started life as four friends who
jammed together. And during a period when
they were all out of work they decided to form a group. Tony Iommi and
I had been playing together, and sometimes we would jam with the
others. Then one day when Tony and I returned from a trip to Carlisle,
he and Geezer said lets form a group. So we started getting it together in
a Birmingham cellar.
A year ago, the group had its biggest hang-up to date. At that time they
were going through a particularly bad period with few gigs. And during
this time lead guitarist Tony Iommi was offered a job as lead guitar with
Jethro Tull, who had just lost Mick Abrahams.
Were worried
about this
black magic
group bit in
America

1965
But Tony was soon back with his friends. I only stayed with Jethro Tull
for two weeks. It was just like doing a nine-to-five job. The group would
meet, play a gig and then split. Whereas with our group we are all good
friends; we not only work as a group but we all live together, said Tony.
The group have just finished their second LP which will be released in
September and a single which is released in three weeks. This LP is much
better than the last one. We have put a lot of hours into it. The trouble with
the first LP was that we only had two days to record it in; most of the songs
were recorded in one take. The new LP is much heavier; I like it better that
way, said Tony.
The single, Paranoid, we wrote ourselves mucking around in the
studio. We taped it for the LP, but decided to release it as a single.
The band, who work extremely hard doing as many as seven gigs a week,
are taking things a bit easier now and cutting down on dates. Our money
has been trebled due to the success of the LP. This is giving us a chance to
rest a little. I think we shall cut down on gigs, said Tony.
The group was due to go to the States soon, but with student unrest in
the States they have become a victim of many clubs closing down. We
were hoping to play the Fillmores, but both of them are closed for the
summer. So now we have to wait until September when the colleges open
again, said Tony.
Then, saying goodbye, the group loaded themselves into their van ready
for another long journey. Mark Plummer
NME JULY 13
lack Sabbath are just about fed up with being continually
mistaken for other groups with similar-sounding names who
dabble in black magic. The fact that they now have a best-selling
album firmly secured in the charts hasnt eased the situation; its got
worse. As their lead singer Ozzy Osbourne told me over nothing
stronger than coffee.
Its got so bad that recently a German promoter who had booked us
sent return airfares for the group and if need be a one-way ticket if we
decided on using a sacrificial victim.
As if to protect themselves from the unseen powers
of darkness, hobgoblins and bogeymen, they were
each wearing a large silver antique crucifix around
their necks. Even the fact that there was a black cat
playing happily at our feet wasnt looked upon as an
omen. Ozzy, whose name is tattooed OZZY on the
fingers of one of his hands, continued:
Black magic is a thing that were trying to help
stamp out. There has always been an interest in
these primeval black arts, but it was such magazines
like Man, Myth & Magic, helped along by the press, that blew it all up out
of proportion.
With our name Black Sabbath, people therefore assumed that this was
our scene. For some unknown reasons, people seem to expect something
out of the ordinary when we appear.
Guitarist Tony Iommi, (hes the one with the longest, blackest and
bushiest coiffure of the quartet) interrupted. We want to excite our
audiences, but only with our music, which is mainly based on simple riffs
and a heavy beat. Some people have put us down for this, but we like what
we play, and it seems that everyone else does so thats it.
Even after four months on the best-selling album chart, they are still
totally amazed at their success, especially after the negative response the
album received on its release.
With an almost naive innocence, they rushed out to buy all the music
papers on that memorable day, only to find that they had been savagely
attacked by virtually all the critics.
It completely threw us, Tony commented. What had gone wrong?
Were we as bad as they made us out to be? It really made us stop and think.
Recalling those days, bassist Geezer Butler reflected, Then just when
our spirits seemed at their lowest, the album suddenly made its surprise
appearance in the charts.
Breaking his silence, Sabbaths drummer Bill Ward quipped, It
made the 18 months leading up to the making of this album all seem
worthwhile.
So how does a virtually unknown group from Birmingham with
a handful of bad reviews suddenly become such a big success? Ozzy
again seemed to have the answer.
In about the space of six months before our album came out, we had
built up loyal pockets of fans all over the country. When it was eventually
released they all went out and bought it, and that was sufficient enough to
put it in the charts and create a demand. Also it would be the same old
story of whatever the critics put down, the public usually digs.
Terry, or Geezer as he is now known, threw in, They even slammed Led
Zeppelins first album. Weve already started on our next album, which
we hope to complete in New York. I can tell you that two of the tracks will
be War Pigs and Fairies Wear Boots.
In a final effort to define Black Sabbaths policy
towards the black magic cult in pop music, Ozzy
concluded: We are trying to get away on the
sheer merits of our music. We dont need to have
naked birds leaping all over the stage or try and
conjure up the devil. But the way things are at
the moment, some people will expect flames
to shoot out of the cover of our next album.
Roy Carr
chris walter
The new LP is much

heavier: recording
second album Paranoid
at Regent Sound Studios,
London, June 17, 1970
1970
Christ,
I sound
different
SANDY DENNY makes

a fresh start with
FOTHERINGAY, a new
folk-rock band. Still, this
forthright, poll-winning
singer faces accusations
of careerism. People
have been really nasty,
she says. Meanwhile, how
are the mother band
FAIRPORT CONVENTION
coping without her?
NME MARCH 14
S
getty
andy denny, Britains best girl singer if

we judge by ears and not polls, emerges later
this month in concert with her new group
Fotheringay after an association with
Fairport Convention that produced three
good to great to excellent albums and saw
the group grow likewise.
When she left Fairport towards the end of last year, along
with founder member guitarist Tyger Hutchings, it came
as a shattering blow to devotees of a group whose following
is one of the most loyal there is. The loss of Tyger, as an
instrumentalist, could be absorbed as other losses had
been, but Sandy, as focal point and voice, would be
another matter.
And due to a lack of facts as to why Sandy did decide to go,
public sympathy hasnt been completely on her side.
I kept reading in the papers about my going solo, she
said, talking for the first time about the split on Monday.
And it was just not true. It made out like I was doing a big
star solo thing and leaving to get more money and status.
A couple of people have come up to me and have been
really nasty about it.
Recognising that what went in the papers was what was
put out by her and Fairports office, she went on, I wanted
to tell people what the circumstances were but it seemed
too difficult to go into the reasons. It was for a lot of reasons
really. For one I didnt want to go to America with them in
January, and they were frightened I might let them down.
Sandy Denny in 1970:

Everybodys traits
are coming out a bit,
and the music is
getting a lot louder
1970
them, but the business situation always arises somewhere, along the line.
They werent musical reasons at all. The reason Tyger left was because he
wanted to do traditional stuff. I think its the best thing he could have
done. I hear he is really happy now. I look upon Fairport as the mother
group. Theyve had a lot of people dropping out but they still go on and
will be a popular unit for a long time to come.
So Sandy and her talent now emerge in Fotheringay, taken from the title
of a song she wrote for Fairports What We Did On Our
Holidays LP along with her boyfriend Trevor Lucas,
Jerry Donahue and Pat Donaldson, both from Poet
& The One Man Band, and Gerry Conway, who
was with Trevor in Eclection until their group
SINGLES
broke up about the same time Sandy quit
Fairport. After she left, Sandy spent two months
thinking out her future but had had the idea for
ages of getting a group together with Trevor.
1970
Theyve been rehearsing in a soundproof
room at Sandys Fulham home although
theyve had to stagnate for the past fortnight
MM FEB 14 Sandy Denny goes
while Jerry fulfils dates in Germany with his
on a Blind Date with the new singles.
old band. Fotheringay makes its London
concert debut at the Festival Hall on March 30.
Simon & Garfunkel
Johnny Cash & June Carter
Sandy wont have so much travelling round
Bridge Over Troubled Water CBS
If I Were A Carpenter CBS
with the new band as the size of their PA system
and the type of sound they want will require
Thats Paul Simon and its a great record.
Johnny Cash, and thats June Carter. I really
the use of large halls.
I dont believe Art comes in until right at
dont like it. Please take it off. The songs
We wanted to do a lot of acoustic stuff and
the end. Are you going to give me these
been so overdone.
records afterwards? I didnt know he had
we went to see Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young at
John Mayall Walking On Sunset from the
so much power in his voice (Sandy sings
the Albert Hall and they do a lot of acoustic and
deCCA LP The WorlD of John mayall
along). The record has been fantastically
it was so good. But in England there isnt so
produced, like all their more recent records.
much chance to get a good acoustic sound
What labels it on? Im very confused by this,
Oh! Art didnt come in at the end.
because of the PA. It has to be brought over from
but I think its John Mayall. Is it a new record?
America, which costs a fortune, or you have to
Oh, its a reissue, thats a bit of a nasty trick.
Strawbs Josephine For Better Or For Worse
build it yourself. So Trevor designed it and
He really sticks to it, doesnt he? He sings
from the A&m LP Dragonfly
Charlie Watkins at WEM made it up. I havent
well on this track, too.
seen it yet but Ive heard theyre like huge
Its the Strawbs, and the records called
Johnny Winter Johnny B Goode CBS
coffins on end. Were going to try it out tonight.
Josephine For Better Or For Worse. I wish
The group will be playing electric numbers
them all the best of luck as they never seem
I like the song very much. Is it an American?
to have much luck. Its a great record which
It could even be Chuck Berry. I dont know
as well, but Sandy will play only acoustic, with
Im sure will give a lot of people a lot of
Johnny Winter and I cant see the point of
singing, of course, and a bit of lame piano
enjoyment. Dave Cousins sings very well
doing this. I guess the bloke really enjoyed
thrown in. Trevor will also play guitar, with
on this track.
recording this, though.
Pat on bass, Jerry Donahue on lead and Gerry
Conway on drums. Most of their repertoire will
Dionne Warwick
Young Tradition Byker Hill
be new material Sandys writing quite a lot
Ill Never Fall In Love Again WAnd
from the trAnSAtLAntiC LP young
with a few traditional songs. But nothing of
TraDiTion sampler
Fairports: Whats the point?
It sounds like Dionne Warwick. I prefer
Their first album is scheduled for April/May
this to the Bobby Gentry version, its much
I cant say anything except the Young
and a start has been made with a couple of
better. Shes great I love her voice, but
Tradition were absolutely superb and its
numbers. Shes very nervous about their debut
I wouldnt buy the record. Its a superb
a dreadful shame theyve broken up. I went
but not too worried about the inevitable
version, though.
to their farewell performance at Cecil Sharp
comparisons with her old outfit.
House, which was a knockout. I believe Pete
High Level Ranters The Golden Eagle from
Unless they say I should have stayed with
Bellamys doing a solo thing now. This really
the trAiLerS LP The laDs of norThumbria
Fairport. That would really do me in. And as
is super.
Is it Tom Gilfellon? Yes, and thats Johnny
a parting note: I feel very nostalgic when I see
Sly & The Family Stone Thank You Falettinme
Handle playing in the High Level Ranters.
Fairport, especially live, but I dont regret it at
Be Mice Elf Agin direCtion
Theyre absolutely incredible. One night we
all. Nick Logan
I had already let them down once when we were going to Copenhagen.
I didnt turn up for the plane. They were very keen about America and I
was getting more and more neurotic about the idea because I have never
been keen on flying and travelling. They thought I would freak out on
them at the last minute, so they said it would be better if I left. I was
already coming to the same decision.
Sandys problems were the same most girls face in a gigging group.
I used to love performing but hate travelling. Travelling around in the
van for hours on end, though it wasnt the van so much really, its that you
miss home comforts. Always getting stuck in some terrible boarding
house with a bed as hard as rock. I think they will be much happier now
I wont have to do that. They are great company; I am really fond of
I cant see the point of

doing this
were sitting around in Newcastle and they

played for absolutely hours. I like Gilfellons
little bass runs.
REVIEW
Its really incredibly like a machine; Im just

waiting for the steam to come out. It really
makes me nervous listening to it. Its not got
much tune, has it? Sly? Yes, I dont mind
them. A lot of work must have gone into this,
and I cant say Im keen. But I think therell be
an awful lot of people wholl buy it.
Steamhammer Turn Around

from the CBS LP mk ii
Is it The Liverpool Scene? I thought that was

Adrian Henri talking. Dont tell me, I must
try and guess this. Im trying to think of the
flute player. Steamhammer? Its quite
pleasant but Im not particularly impressed
by this track. In fact its becoming
monotonously boring.
1965
MM SEPTEMBER 19
he taxi driver knew exactly where

she lived. Oh, its the singers you
want, is it? Its exactly five miles away,
he said over his shoulder, as we drove away
from Chichester station, the sixpences
clicking away on his meter like the gobbling
of an implacable fruit machine.
He was not unduly impressed about their
presence in the neighbourhood. After all, he
had often driven Mick Jagger to Keith Richards
house, Redlands, which was a mile beyond
our destination. And Chichester was full of
famous people at this time of year, with the
theatre festival on.
March 30, 1970: Fotheringay

(lr) Jerry Donahue, Trevor
Lucas, Gerry Conway, Sandy
Denny, Pat Donaldson at the
Royal Festival Hall, London
Both. If the lyric was good and the tune bad I wouldnt sing the song,
Chaffinches Farm lay at
and vice versa. But if I wrote it then I would hope that both were as good as
the end of a long gravel drive
each other. If you write something it should be a complete piece of work,
a neat brick building with a
and if you are not happy surely you dont play it until you are. As long as
grove of shrubs and trees on its
the lyrics go together from A to Z you should be quite happy with it.
right. Sandy Denny rents it,
Do you think general lyrics in folk and folk rock are better than in pure
and spends most of the time
pop? Do you think that the people who write them have more interesting
there with the rest of
things to say?
Fotheringay and their chicks
Yes I do, I really do, but you are not picking out anybody in particular,
in a mode of life that fits snugly into the conventional idea of getting it
so I cant really say whether I agree or disagree. But if you
together in the country. She still keeps her flat in a large house where
are just generalising, I would say that on the whole the
Fairport Convention have the top floor.
people who write folk but, you see, it is difficult
So we all sit in the large kitchen: Sandy, Pat Donaldson, the bassist,
because what do you term as being pop? If you
Gerry Conway, the drummer, a couple of girls who flit in and out, and two
ALBUMS
mean, like, the ones in the Top 10 that dont
little sisters who keep coming in with potatoes they have dug up in the
appeal to me, that would be , say, seven out of 10,
garden. The conversation drifts as languidly as the smoke of our
cigarettes. The most important topic, it seems, is the discovery of
shelves for storing apples in an adjoining shed; they can have apple
pie all winter, they coo. Sandy is a chatterer, always nattering
1970
away, like the big black mynah bird, Coco, that is conducting
a monologue in its cage in the corner of the kitchen. Her
conversation suddenly flies off at tangents to embrace the merits
of a Lord Buckley album, or a track on a Bill Crosby album; it veers
like a sailing ship at the mercy of a fickle wind.
She is a small but heavily built young lady, with a noticeably large
oTHeRinGay eMboDy THe parts of the Fairports that I liked best:
bosom and a face that defies any suggestions of showbiz glamour.
the drawn-out traditional songs, plus that light funky quality derived
Its a real honest-to-god English folk singers face; there is no trace
from Dylan and The Band. Their first album is well up to their
of that saintly purity of feature that American girl singers, like Joan
capabilities, particularly an eight-minute version of the anti-war ballad
Baez and Judy Collins always have. It belongs to the small, bare
Banks Of The Nile, which sounds just as relevant now as it must have
upstairs rooms of English pubs, where everyone is downing pints
done in Thomas Hardys day.
and the person in the seat at your elbow suddenly gets up and sings
But apart from that, the music on this track is perfectly stunning. Sandy
unaccompanied a 20-verse
stretches the line, hanging and suspending it, as only she
traditional. Its a wholesome,
can do, while the guitars and drums play perfectly
country barmaids face that
synchronised riffs behind. Banks Of The Nile is probably
makes you feel at home.
the best rock arrangement Ive ever heard, simple as that,
She was pleased she had
and the rest of the album isnt far behind, particularly their
won the MM poll, but not in
version of Gordon Lightfoots The Way I Feel.
personal terms. She knows
Their success lies in the fact that as well as having a
she is not the conventional
wonderful front-lady, they also have four musicians who
idea of a female singer, so
are completely in sympathy and are able to subjugate the
power of their playing with the kind of reticence which
she figures her success is
can produce great music. All of them Trevor Lucas
a victory for music.
(rhythm guitar, vocals), Jerry Donahue (lead guitar), Pat
I am positive she is right.
Donaldson (bass), and Gerry Conway (drums) are
What is the most important
magnificent and their album is likewise. This is what
in a song to you the lyric or
British music must aspire to. Richard Williams
the melody?
Reticent but funky
REVIEW
MM JUNE 27 Fotheringays magnificent debut.
tony evans
1970
but there might be three that I like; for what reasons, I dont know. It is
different for me because I can enjoy things for the sound of them.
I can enjoy something like The Jackson Five, for instance, because the
production and way it has been done is amazing. I cant hear the words
that little kid is singing, but I think the sound is amazing. I can really dig
that, but I couldnt do it myself.
Which of the albums did you like best that you did with the Fairports?
I liked Unhalfbricking very much, but Liege & Lief was very good yes,
I do think that I like that one best of all. But I dont play records very much
I dont play Fotheringay much, anyway because when you are making
the album you hear enough of it. But occasionally I will sit down and
listen to one of the tracks just to see if I enjoy it still.
Dont you think when you listen to an old album that you could have
done certain parts better?
Oh yes, it is always the same. I mean, I find things naturally that other
people wouldnt find wrong with my singing, that I think personally are
wrong. The notes may not be wrong, but how I sang it came out a little bit
differently from how I really intended it to be. I think that Liege & Lief was
technically the best record I made with them. But I wasnt really very
happy with the vocal sound I got on that, frankly.
Liege & Lief has my favourite Fairport track on it Tam Lin. Yes,
its great, do you like that? I do like that one myself, I must say.
Its a great song.
That bit that Dave Swarbrick does (hums a fiddle
LYcEuM
passage) is, like, the favourite bit on the album. Very
LOnDOn
Romanian sound that had, I thought. The drumming
Songs with guts

and drive
C
LIVE!
August 23
MM Aug 29 Fotheringay
impress at the Lyceum.
ategories aside, Fotheringay have to be one of the best

music bands in the country. At their best, they play wonderfully
thoughtful, finely balanced music with particular attention to
arrangement and detail.
This never degenerates into fussiness, however, and they put their songs
over with the sort of quiet guts and drive which has too often been
ignored. At the Lyceum on Sunday night they played a typically lovely set,
divided between the funky Band-like songs which Trevor Lucas sings and
Sandy Dennys flawless, elastic ballads.
Her voice is incredible. She seems to let the lines uncurl themselves,
rather than forcing them out, and her timing particularly on the touching
Silver Threads And Golden Needles was exquisite. The instrumental
work throughout was a model of discreet inventiveness, each player
seeming to float like a soloist
and yet all coming together
to produce the most
homogenous of backings.
High Tide were a
disappointment. At times
they are capable of
recreating the sound and
style of that most underrated
of American bands, Sea
Train, with violin to the fore,
and yet mostly they seem to
concentrate on stale,
predictable improvisation
over a leaden beat. Their use
of an inverted Bo Diddley riff
in 5/4 was not as interesting
as it sounds.
Bronco were considerably
livelier, with Jess Roden
singing fiercely and the band
playing well on House Of
The Rising Sun. Theyll bear
watching. Richard Williams.
1965
was excellent on that, too. Very thick

textures, and very precise. Dave Mattacks
has got a really precise way of drumming.
How did Fotheringay come about?
I knew Gerry Conway and Trevor Lucas
well before, both from the Eclection. The
group has been going about six months; it started in March. We did our
first gig at Birmingham Town Hall in March.
That was incredible. We had only been together a month no, two
weeks. But Im glad we did it because it got us started, like, realising how
terrible we were to start with earlier than we would have done if it had
lasted a few more months. We were a bit ragged, but what can you expect?
We werent really ready for it, but it doesnt matter now, of course. Things
have gone great, fantastic.
Do you see the group moving in a very different direction from
Fairport Convention?
We are rapidly changing. What we did first was an initial bunch of
material to get us started; now it has got hardly anything to do with that.
As you work together more and more you begin to understand what
people in the group are really like and what their music is like, and things
are really changing because of that. It is not a conscious change; its
because we have all got ideas within ourselves that we did not
know each other well enough in the beginning to bring out in
the open in case one of us did not agree. At that point it would
have been very bad to have a riff right at the beginning. But I
think we have developed our own sound now.
Well, how are Fotheringay going to progress?
Pat is a rock bass more than a folk bass he is really
developing a good style now, but until now he has basically
played sort of heavy music, like loud rock, and Gerry Conway
has also played very heavy up until now. When we first got the
group together it was much quieter because of the actual concept
of the group being mainly acoustic, and using the big PA, we had
to promote a better acoustic sound, which nobody seems to have
been doing until then. But as we have got older as a group,
everybodys traits are coming out a bit, and the music is getting
a lot louder.
Is this your own wish as well?
Sure. From now on what the group does is fine. What they do
with my songs, which may have been written in a completely
different mood, is great. I like what they do, so I am not going to
turn round and say, Oh, I want quiet music because I am a girl,
I am all gentle and sweet.
Will this affect at all your singing style, which I always associate
with a clear, limpid sound?
No well, anything will affect my singing style because I am
changing all the time, and I can sing very loud, really loud, but
you know, these questions are very difficult for me to answer,
because it is like asking me what I am going to be doing on
March 20 next year.
What I mean is, will you change the tone of your voice
if the band becomes heavier?
No, why should I? I can only sing a certain way. I could
probably do some imitations of people, but it wouldnt be
very good because it wouldnt be the original. And
anyway, I prefer to I mean, I cant tell you if I will
because the next time you hear us I might be really
blasting out with some incredible tone in my voice that I
did not discover until the day before. But as it is now, I am
a lot more versatile, my voice is incredibly more versatile
than when I first started singing. I did not know that I
could do what I am doing now. I am not saying that is good
or anything, but I am saying that experience is the only
thing that will tell you how your voice changes. The only
way I can tell is by listening to old records I made and
noticing that, Christ, I sound different. Michael Watts
MELODY MAKER MAY 16

airport Convention have finally made
it to the States. It seems incredible that a group
of such long standing should have to wait so
long, but tours in the past have been thwarted, first by
the tragic incident which killed Martin Lamble, and later by

recording commitments.
The all-English folk-rock group had been away two weeks when
I phoned guitarist Simon Nicol at Fairports Los Angeles hotel.
Right now were halfway through a week with Rick Nelson, and last
week we were working with Jethro Tull. We decided to take our own
football along, but there doesnt seem to be a lot of places left to play
football as all the open spaces are being built on.
On the face of things, Fairports belated visit has also seen a change of
style, as they have moved right away from the American-influenced music
they were producing in the early days to the now exclusive traditional
English songs placed in a rock setting.
Simon confessed that the group didnt really
know what to expect. People seem to think
were pretty weird, and they either like it a lot,
or its leaving them cold. Its easy to tell were
playing to American audiences, but they know
what were like as theyve been getting all our
albums. The trouble is that the albums have all
been a bit behind and Liege & Lief has only just
come out, which is unfortunate because theyre
finding that were now without a girl singer.
The funny thing is that the kids seem to know
a lot of these old traditional things.
When I spoke to Simon, the band were contemplating whether to attend

a mass open-air convention at one of the universities in LA. Its all rather
frightening and really a case of taking a chance, because you dont know
how many people will turn up. Things have gone pretty smoothly,
generally. Weve not met with any violence, although you cant speak to
anyone without the university massacre or the Cambodia thing being
brought up. Every time you pick up a newspaper or switch on the radio,
theyre talking about it, and I havent heard a good word spoken about
either issue. Everyone seems to be holding a double hate campaign and
its getting exasperating.
So far, weve just played the West Coast. We spent two days in New York
at the beginning of the tour, but didnt actually
play there; we were putting the finishing touches
to the album which comes out in a few weeks
time. Dave Swarbrick had to go to the dentist in
New York, which proved to be pretty unnerving
because apart from the expense, he had to have
some kind of new gas. Hes OK now though.
The tour ends in the middle of June, by
which time well have worked coast to coast.
Next week we move on to Detroit, and at the
moment its proving to be pretty hectic, but you
tend to make it hectic simply because theres so
much to see and do. Jeremy Gilbert
People in
America seem
to think were
pretty weird
getty
the post-denny/hutchings
Fairport Convention pose
in May 1970, on their first
Us tour: (lr) dave Mattacks
(front), dave Pegg, simon
nicol, richard thompson
and dave swarbrick (front)
1970
People think
we know the
answers.
We dont
So what of THE BEATLES? John is abroad. Paul
communicates only by letter. George and Ringo are
on hand to talk, but their collaborators Pete Drake
and George Martin also have their views. Have they
split? Or are they, as Ringo says, just unlimited?
NME MARCH 14
Beatle talked to the NME this week about the pop sounds
of the 70s. According to George Harrison, Im glad people are
dropping this word progressive, because most music is progressive
anyway! In my own case Ive always tried to improve and not got
over the same ground again and again.
Todays music is getting better all the time, but the tag of
underground and progressive in the terms of John Peel and all those groups he plugs
and has on his record label thats just a load of c___! Theres no more progression in that
than in God-knows-what. There are a lot of good bands who do get put in that bag, but
theres also a lot of pretentiousness. I remember that when The Beatles and Stones
became popular, it became the slick thing to then become underground. But what is
underground? Its like playing electric guitar like Eric Clapton played five years ago,
and all that screechy guitar scene. Thats the joke. Ill say this. If anybodys in an
underground group and really thinks they are underground, thats a tragedy!
I like Jethro Tull, and Blodwyn Pig are good. Both of them have got a good measure of
originality and thats what we want. Originality. So-called underground groups are no
more underground than The Beatles are pop.
Good, guarded and now and again knife-edged vibrations filled the air at the Apple
offices a day or so ago. An afternoon of Govinda and the Radha Krishna Temple had
turned to dusk in the friendship of the press office. Now it was early evening, with music
and conversation, George Harrison on the guitar and the defensive Ringo on ad-lib and
stomping Yeti boots. And for the company and warmth of us all, there sat a hot, snug fire
getty
A
George Harrison in
New York City, May 1970:
We had to find ourselves,
individually, one day
1970
May 20, 1970: none of
The Beatles will attend, but
at the top of the echoing empty room. As time passed by we

crowds still gather for the
Let It Be premiere at the
heard the sound of music and a singing McCartney creeping
London Pavillion (now the
through from next door, and we jumped up as one and raced
Trocadero), Piccadilly Circus
across the floor and through the door to the TV, to watch the
year-old film of a united Beatles performing Let It Be on
Top Of The Pops.
Then it was back to the hearth and a seat and a view of
Ringos toe-tapping feet, colourfully clad in furry, hairy
knee-high boots that bumped up and down to the beat of
George Harrison singing a pointedly cynical version of
Doris Troys Aint That Cute. Ringo also played tracks
from his forthcoming album of golden oldies, among them
Bye Bye Blackbird and a smooth Whispering Grass that
could well stand up as a commercial single. Next, guitarpluckin George gave a short rendition of a memorable song
Ringo has just written called It Dont Come Easy.
I am happy to report that the Let It Be TV film was
warmly received by both George and Ringo, and
that both of them remain aggressively loyal to the
continuation of The Beatles as a unit and as
individuals. According to Ringo, Everythings fine.
But Ive got things to do, and George has got things
to do, and Paul has his solo album to come, and John
has his peace thing. We cant do everything at once.
Time will tell.
According to George, Say weve got unity through
MELODY MAKER AUGUST 29
diversity, because thats what it is unity through
diversity. We still see each other, still make contact.
o doubt there were plenty of scoffs
when it was announced that Ringo Starr
But we had to find ourselves, individually, one day.
was going to Nashville to record a
It was the natural course of events.
country album. Remembering that wheezy voice
The thing is that so many people think we know all the
intoning Theyre gonna put me in the movies
answers about The Beatles, and we dont. Who are we to
and the very real horror of his ballad album,
say? We cant give the answer, and I for one cant define
music-lovers around the globe must have
that special something that made us as we are. I know it
squirmed at the thought of another helping of
wasnt just the records or our concerts. You tell me.
the same. I know I did.
Hes a deep and complex person, this George
Harrison, and as long as Ive known him and as much as I like him, I find
Well, I have news for everybody. Ringos country album is finished, and
its a solid gas thanks to Pete Drake, steel-guitarist extraordinary. I met
it difficult to define the man beneath. The balance within him is fine
Pete in Nashville, where, at 37 years old, he is the top exponent of the
between love and good and bad and some kind of bitter mistrust of some
pedal steel, working through some 600 recording sessions a year as well
people, among them members of the press.
as being in charge of his own record label (Stop Records) and his own
Georges interest in the principles of the Radha Krishna Temple go
publishing company, Window Music.
considerably further than that of record producer of the temples
Ringo met up with Pete in London earlier this year, while Drake was on
mantras, and his obsession with finding himself still never fails to
surprise those who expect only a Beatle and a ready quip.
a flying visit to play on George Harrisons solo album. Drake and his
If theres a God, he told me, I want to see him. Its pointless to believe
sidekick Chuck Nevard persuaded Ringo to go to Nashville to cut his
in something without proof, and with Krishna, here is a method where
country record, instead of doing it in London with imported musicians,
you can actually obtain God perception. You can actually see God, and
and Starr readily agreed. I gave him a hundred songs to choose from,
hear Him, play with Him. It might sound crazy, but He is actually there
says Pete, and he took them to his hotel room and listened to every last
actually with you.
one of them. Eventually he managed to whittle them down to a dozen,
Of his present and future career, George told me, I think Ill take a break
which we arranged and recorded in the studios here.
soon, and probably go back to India. Out of the new records, from Apple,
Drake, with immodest humour, claims responsibility for the high
Ive done: Let It Be with Paul; Instant Karma with John; Aint That
quality (really!) of Ringos singing: I made him go over the songs again
Cute for Doris Troy; the record with Jackie Lomax; an album with Billy
and again until he had some confidence in himself. After wed recorded
Preston; the records with Radha Krishna Temple; and now possibly a
them he kept ringing me up and saying that hed been listening to the
single with Ringo. And maybe, if I get a chance, Ill get round to doing
tapes and he couldnt believe it was him. I guess no one had taken that
something for myself! Ive almost become a full-time Apple record
much trouble with him before. But we did the sessions very quickly. We
producer, but Im going to have to stop. I dont want to be a producer or
used only 12 people including Jerry Reed on guitar and had all the
anything in particular. I dont want to die as George Harrison record
tunes down in three days.
producer, or George Harrison lead guitarist or even just a Beatle.
Pete played me the finished tapes of the album, and it would be an
Theyre all me, but theyre not really me. The moment people start typeunderstatement to say that I was stunned. Ringo sings with terrific
casting, then its time to move on. Im unlimited. Were all unlimited!
confidence, sometimes adopting a hilarious quasi-Tennessee accent,
and the backing musicians (with much steel guitar and Dobro in
Alan Smith
evidence) play beautifully.
Its likely to be called Beaucoup De Blues, which in prime Nashvillian
MELODY MAKER MAY 2
becomes Boocoud Blues, after one of the tracks, and a single is likely to
be picked from one of two songs: Love Dont Last Long, a pretty ballad
ho does Paul McCartney think he is? We dont see
written by Nevard, and Without Her, not the Harry Nilsson song but a
anything of him for a year, and then out he pops from his
nice pop-country tune with beautiful chorus work at the end.
mysterious hermit-like existence, advertising his new
Drake is originally from Atlanta, Georgia, and came to Nashville in
record in a publicity-crazed manner. Does he really think well believe
1959. Its worth recording that in Atlanta he had a regular working band
that he played all the instruments? Lets face it, Mailbag, were not
which included, simultaneously, Joe South, Roger Miller, Doug Kershaw
suckers. Its obvious George Martin had a lot to do with it. In fact if you
and Jerry Reed. In Nashville he almost starved to death before landing
listen carefully to the end of the third track played backwards, you can
almost hear him whistling. Paul McCartney
a gig with Don Gibson, of Sea Of Heartbreak fame. He began recording
SunShine/Retna PictuReS

1965
THE BEATLES
around 1960/61, and since then has averaged three

sessions a day with country favourites like Jim
Reeves, Tammy Wynette, Porter Waggoner and
Roy Drusky, as well as playing on many of Elvis
Presleys sessions. Other pop stars whove had the
benefit of his back-up have been Perry Como,
Bobby Vinton and Joan Baez.
Pete had a million-selling single, Forever, on
the Smash label, in 1964, which gained popularity
through his use of the talking steel guitar, an
extraordinary invention which uses rubber piping
to produce the sound of the human voice through
the instrument. But it was his association with Bob
Dylan which brought him to the attention of a
younger generation of listeners.
Bob was in town recording the John Wesley
Harding album, Pete remembers and he and Bob
Johnston, his producer, decided they wanted to use
a steel on two or three tracks. So I went in and
played on Down Along The Cove and Ill Be Your
Baby Tonight.
Dylan and I hit it off so well that he decided to
use me on all his things. Musically, we think quite
a lot alike, and to me hes the Jimmie Rodgers the
old Jimmie Rodgers of today. Hes fantastic, he
writes such fine melodies. I like his lyrics too, but
being a musician, I dig his tunes. I really love Lay Lady Lay and I told him
that would be a good single. In fact I did a single of it myself later, on my
own label, that went up to 16 or 17 in the national country charts. Im now
planning two instrumental albums one of Dylan tunes and another of
Beatles numbers.
Does Pete think that the Nashville sound has hipped up rock, or has
rock hipped up Nashville? It works both ways. The kids are getting more
lyric-conscious, so that theres not so much noise and the songs have to
mean something. Country music has always been that way. Georges
album is fantastic, too. Dylan recommended me to George, and he
wanted me to come to London for a month, but I told him I could only
spare four or five days because I have so much business to take care of.
His album is fantastic its not country, but his songs are so good. Hes
a tough writer. I got on real well with Phil Spector; hes a hell of a producer
and hes got a track record you cant question. But George knocked me
out. He lives 40 miles outside of London, yet he came to the airport to see
me off. It seemed that I could do no wrong and hes the kind of person Id
work my tail off for.
Dylan is another cat youd kill yourself for he lets you play what you
want to play. People are screaming that he shouldnt have recorded Blue
Moon, but he did it because it was one of his favourite tunes, and he
shouldnt let anybody tie him down. I really love working with all these
younger guys. Its very rewarding, because Ringo, for instance, knows
more about country music than most Nashville
musicians! Richard Williams
MM AUGUST 29
ear Mailbag,
In order to put out of its misery the
limping dog of a news story which has
been dragging itself across your pages for the
past year, my answer to the question, Will the
Beatles get together again? is no.
Paul McCartney
NME OCTOBER 17
t is now almost 100 per cent certain

that The Beatles will never, ever record
together again! Though individual
members of the group if it can any longer
be called a group will undoubtedly choose
to make solo albums and record other
artists, the likelihood of the four getting
together is as remote as the possibility of
The Who recording Silent Night.
All the stories, tales, whispers and rumours of an irrevocable split

between John Lennon and Paul McCartney were as good as concretely
confirmed by George Martin, The Beatles record producer, when we
spoke in his new studios. It all depends on Paul and John, he replied,
when I asked him about the possibility of further Beatles recording
sessions. If they want to work together again.
John continues to use EMIs Abbey Road studios, where almost all the
groups work was done. George Harrison frequents the Trident studios in
Soho. Paul does much of his recording at home and Ringo has recently
been at George Martins new AIR studios at Oxford Circus.
Showing me round the vast 400,000 complex, George commented,
I think The Beatles would have liked these studios. They would have
liked a place of their own, but it never came about for various reasons.
That is a pity. The formation of Apple was an example of putting the
wrong people in the wrong jobs.
When I suggested that with all their money The Beatles probably didnt
worry too much about Apples decline and not having their own studio,
George replied, Thats a pity, too.
A genuinely nice person, with a softly spoken manner, non-smoker
George revealed that Hey Jude was recorded at Trident and not, as most
people assumed, at EMI. Besides confessing to a high regard for Trident,
he offered no further explanation.
Even if The Beatles did decide to record together again, they may find it
hard to do so when they choose to. Theyre the sort of people who decide
in the morning that they want to make a record that night, he said, with
a small smile. With all the demand for studio time at the moment, they
would probably find it difficult to be able to record in that way. They never
really made set plans for recording. It was all done on the spur of the
moment. Theyd ring me and say, We want to go into the studio today.
George broke off to have a word with Bern Calvert of The Hollies,
who was doing some mixing, then he continued his guided tour of the
10,000-square-foot studios and offices.
I first thought of having my own studio five years ago, he told me.
I always wanted one when I could afford it. This is a dream come true in
a way. I was going to have a small studio, but I realised there were a rash of
small studios going up.
With his fellow producers Ron Richards, John Burgess and Peter
Sullivan, all of whom are AIR directors, George has equipped three
studios, the largest capable of accommodating 70 musicians. Closedcircuit TV enables Studio 3 the smallest to be linked to any other studio
or room.
A tape library and cutting room, a dubbing theatre, canteen, vending
machines and even a room where producers can sleep the night are only
part of a most impressive and highly technical layout that is even now
a week after opening fully booked for some time.
Equipment and furniture has been shipped in from all over the world
and there are several gadgets I love playing with them, George admits
to change air conditioning and lighting shades and colours. Costs are
not cheap (35 an hour in Studio 1 for 16-track).
Stated George The swing to multi-track
began at about the time of Sergeant Pepper.
That cost 15,000 in studio costs alone, but
with an album like that that sells millions
and millions it is well worth all the expense
and effort involved.
He added, If the premises were empty, it
would cost 5,000 a month in overheads alone.
He is modestly confident that the studios are
going to be a success and a look through the
booking list shows that the rush has already
started The Hollies, Ringo, Cilla, The Pipkins,
Procol Harum, Harmony Grass and Vince
Melouney were a few of the names I spotted.
As a reward for years and years of extremely
hard work during which he received an
Academy Award Nomination, three Grammy
Awards, nine Grammy Award nominations
and the Ivor Novello Award for services to
music, AIR and its undoubted subsequent
success is fitting for a man like George
Martin. But what a pity the man they called
the Fifth Beatle may never get together with
the other four again. Richard Green
My answer
to, Will The
Beatles get
together
again? is no
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Readers letters
1970
MM JAN-MAR Fairports split, Bonzos bow out and all hail The Whos top roadie
SOFTLY SOFTLY
Why no mention of Soft Machine

in your selection of probable New
Year successes? 1969 was their
year for gaining wider public
attention, but still they seem sadly
underrated by the majority of
progressive listeners. This is
particularly amazing when one
considers the presence of Mike
Ratledge, who (with apologies to
other remarkable group organists
Emerson, Greenslade, Wright,
etc) is probably the most original
organist in Britain, and is
certainly the most distinctive.
Alternating cool wa-wa waves
with screeching pinpoints of
sound, he is a wonderfully driving
and melodic improviser of quite
staggering solos. Perhaps in 1970
more people will listen. B ELEY,
Havering, Essex (MM Jan 17)
In last weeks Caught In The Act
Richard Williams did say this might
be Soft Machines year Ed.
SPLIT DECISIONS
Fairport, on the
lookout for original
material, have set the
beautiful Robert Burns poem Tam
Lin to music. It is one of the finest
tracks on their current album
Liege & Lief. I now read that a film
version has been made of Tam Lin
and that the Pentangle have been
commissioned to write the music
score. I am not questioning
Pentangles competence. They
write and play some very good
music, but I do consider it rather a
cheek. Fairport conceived the idea
of setting Tam Lin to music, and it
is only natural that they should be
allowed to compose the full music
score as well. C DRINKWATER,
Harrow, Middlesex (MM Jan 17)
getty
May I say how sorry I was to read

that Sandy Denny and Tyger
Hutchings have left Fairport
Convention . I considered Sandys
Who knows Where The Time
Goes? to be a standout attraction
on their Unhalfbricking album.
However, I hope the music of
this fine band will continue to
progress and I know I speak for
a great many Fairport fans in
wishing Sandy and Tyger every
success in their future careers.
S PHILLIPS, Borehamwood,
Herts (MM Jan 17)
I was shocked to hear Vivian
Stanshall say that the Bonzo Dog
Band is splitting up, at the

Lyceum. I am sure that such
original, talented and versatile
entertainers will not easily be
swept under the carpet as Vivian
implied they would. Please tell
them that they have been very
much appreciated and will be
very much missed. MARION
McCONNELL, Romford, Essex
(MM Jan 17)
about nothing. Their set at the

Roundhouse was not better than
that of any of the British heavies.
D WHITE, London SW5 (MM Mar 21)
KING ARTHUR
Last Thursday we had the honour

of playing with US bluesman
Arthur Big Boy Crudup. Without
men like Crudup rocknroll could
never have been what it was in the
50s or even become what it has
today. Elvis Presley has recorded
two of his songs, My Baby Left
Me and Thats All Right Mama,
and these songs have sold a lot of
records. SHAKIN STEVENS &
THE SUNSETS (MM Feb 28)
TURN THE PAGE
FUSION CONFUSION
I am getting rather tired of people

raving over American bands who
suddenly seem to arrive from
nowhere, are hailed as the most
subtle jazz-rock fusion ever, and
are then quickly forgotten as a new
jazz-rock band emerges who are
regarded as an even better fusion
of the two. At one time you could
not open a music paper without
reading of Blood, Sweat & Tears.
With the emergence of Chicago
Transit Authority, BS&T were
almost forgotten and the trendy
in-crowd and the music papers
had new darlings. Now CTA look
like being replaced by The Flock.
I am not saying people should
not like these bands, but at times it
appears that the musical press is
geared to finding us new heroes to
serve for a couple of weeks as jazzrock kings and then be replaced.
If we must be bombarded with
articles on jazz-rock bands, how
about more publicity for British
groups doing the same thing such
as The Battered Ornaments and
the very fine Heaven? BILL FORD,
Bath, Somerset (MM Jan 24)
Recent tours by the American
bands Chicago, Love and Spirit
were eagerly awaited and,
unfortunately, except for Spirit,
were disappointing. Chicago
seem to be highly overrated as
their music is nothing special.
Love, who in Arthur Lees own
words, were the first heavy
band, certainly are much ado
I read the article on Jimmy Page

and I dont see why you waste so
much space on such a trite
guitarist. Just listen to the LP Led
Zeppelin II. Nothing but flashy
guitar all through it. Even a good
blues track Bringing It On
Home cannot last without the
show-offy fuzzbox guitar Page
uses on every track. If you have so
much space in your paper, why
not do a write-up on blues
guitarists. You get more feeling
from one Muddy Waters, Earl
Hooker or BB King than a hundred
Jimmy Pages. F SHUSTER,
London NW8 (MM Feb 28)
Congratulations, MM! Yet another
bleep bleep reader is converted.
Your splendid article on Jimmy
Page was a refreshing change from
the formality of its forerunners,
and I hope that this sets the
pattern for the series. It highlights
the pleasant personality of one of
the worlds greatest guitarists and
gives his massive following some
all-too-rare worthwhile reading
material. Keep it up! K SKIPP,
Cheshunt, Herts (MM Feb 28)
BOB WHO
There has recently been plenty of

praise for The Who concerning
their performances on live gigs.
This is, of course, fully justified,
but I feel that some of this praise is
also commanded by their roadie
Bob Pridden. Bob sets up the PA
wiring, tunes all the amplifiers
and mixers to produce the perfect
acoustics heard wherever The
Who play. The Who are a great
group, but they also have (and
need) this great roadie.
J HUBBARD, Hull, Yorks (MM Mar 7)
1970
a P r il june
eLton JoHn, pink

FLoYD, SYD Barrett,
tHe kinkS anD More
Polythene plan: fans

try to stay dry at the
Bath Festival Of Blues
& Progressive Music,
June 25 28, 1970, Bath
& West Showground,
Shepton Mallet
I always bring
the rain with me
MM JULY 4 So says Dr John, who does
just that for the Bath Festival, featuring
himself, Led Zep, Canned Heat and more.
mirrorpix
owerful magical forces seemed to be at

work when Dr John The Nite Tripper arrived in
Britain last week for his Bath day. A somewhat
incoherent gent, he proved a friendly cove, however,
and claimed, I always bring the rain with me.
Right! In a few hours a heatwave and days of
sunshine were replaced by black storm clouds and
frequent downpours, as the Doc shook a grinning skull
at the heavens. He shared a voodoo chant with Aynsley
Dunbar, now drummer with The Mothers Of Invention,
and MMs Chris Welch, known as The Grinning Fool
wherever witch doctors meet. They were in conference
on the power of the sea at Clymping-On-Sea, Sussex
until rain stopped spells.
Videotape of the Bath Festival will be shown by TVX
at Londons Arts Lab in 1 Robert Street, NW1 today
(Thursday), Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 8pm.
1970
a p r i l J U NE
Q: Is Lennon/McCartney
still a partnership? A: No
NME APRIL 18 His solo debut is out, so Paul McCartney
interviews himself and breaks up The Beatles.
AuL MCCArtneY sPeAKs or rather sends out his words via

a printed sheet which we reproduce below, just as he sent it out.
That way we cannot get anything wrong, something Paul accuses
the press of doing from time to time! Paul has used the time-honoured
NME Question-Time format to put his message over, writing the
questions and giving the answers himself.
Youll find what he thinks of Lennon; and Allen Klein; how he made
his new album; who gets the composing credits; if he missed other
Beatles and George Martin on the sessions; and what he wants to do
in the future. Here is what he has to say
Question: Why did you decide
to make a solo album?
AnsWer: Because I got a Studer
four-track recording machine
at home practised on it (playing
all instruments) liked the
result, and decided to make it
into an album.
Q: Were you influenced by Johns
adventures with the Plastic ono
Band and ringos solo LP? A: Sort
of but not really.
Q: Are all the songs by Paul
McCartney alone? A: Yes sir.
Q: Will they be so credited:
McCartney? A: Its a bit daft for
them to be Lennon/McCartney
credited, so McCartney it is.
PA
Q: Did you enjoy working as a

solo? A: Very much. I only had me
to ask for a decision, and I agreed
with me. Remember Lindas on it
too, so its really a double act.
A: Studer four-track machine.

I only had, however, one mic, and,
as Mr Pender, Mr Sweatenham
and others only managed to take
six months or so (slight delay)
I worked without VU meters or
a mixer, which meant that
everything had to be listened to
first (for distortion, etc) then
recorded. So the Answer:
STUDER. ONE MIC. And nerve.
Q: Why did you choose to work in
the studios you chose? A: They
were available. EMI is technically
good, and Morgan is cosy.
Q: the album was not known
about until it was nearly
completed. Was this deliberate?
A: Yes, because normally an
album is old before it comes out.
(Aside) Witness Get Back.
Q: What is Lindas contribution?

A: Strictly speaking she
harmonises, but of course, its
more than that because she is
a shoulder to lean on, a second
opinion, and a photographer of
renown. More than all this, she
believes in me constantly.
Q: Why? A: Ive
always wanted
to buy a Beatles
album like
people do
and be as
surprised as
they must be.
So this was the next best thing.
Linda and I are the only two who
will be sick of it by the release
date. We love it really.
Q: Where was the album

recorded? A: At home, at EMI
(No 2 studio) and at Morgan
Studios (WILLESDEN!)
Q: Are you able to describe the

texture or feel or the theme of the
album in a few words? A: Home,
Family, Love.
Q: What is your home

equipment? (in some detail).
Q: How long did it take to

complete from when to when?
A: From just before (I think)

Xmas, until now. The Lovely
Linda was the first thing I
recorded at home, and was
originally to test the equipment.
That was around Xmas.
Q: Will Paul and Linda become

a John and Yoko? A: No, they will
become Paul and Linda.
Q: Assuming all the songs are

new to the public, how new are
they to you? Are they recent?
A: One was 1959 (Hot As Sun).
Two from India, Junk, Teddy
Boy, and the rest are pretty
recent. Valentine Day,
Momma Miss America and Oo
You were ad-libbed on the spot.
Q: Will the other Beatles receive

the first copies? A: Wait and see.
Q: Which instruments have

you played on the album?
A: Bass, drums, acoustic guitar,
lead guitar, piano and organmellotron, toy
xylophone,
bow and
arrow.
Is the break
permanent?
I dont know
Q: Have
you played
all these
instruments
on earlier recordings? A: Yes,
drums being the one that I
wouldnt normally do.
Q: Why did you do all the
instruments yourself? A: I think
Im pretty good.
Q: Will Linda be heard on all
future records? A: Could be; we
love singing together, and have
plenty of opportunity for practice.
Q: Are you pleased with your

work? A: Yes.
Q: What has recording along

taught you? A: That to make your
own decisions about what you do
is easy, and playing with yourself
is difficult, but satisfying.
Q: Who has done the artwork?
A: Linda has taken all the photos,
and she and I designed the
package.
Q: is it true that neither Allen
Klein nor ABKCo have been nor
will be in any way involved with
the production, manufacturing,
distribution or promotion of this
new album? A: Not if I can help it.
Q: Did you miss the other Beatles
and George Martin? Was there
a moment, eg, when you
thought: Wish ringo was here
for this break? A: No.
Q: Assuming this is a very big
album, will you do another?
A: Even if it isnt, I will continue to
do what I want when I want to.
Q: Are you planning a new
album or single with the
Beatles? A: No.
Q: is this album a rest away
from Beatles, or start of solo
career? A: Time will tell.
Being a solo album means
its the start of a solo
career and not being done
Brinsley schwarz:
(lr) Billy rankin,
Bob andrews, nick
lowe, Brinsley
schwarz, ian Gomm
with The Beatles

means its a rest.
So, its both.
Q: is your break
with the Beatles
temporary or permanent; due to
personal differences or musical
ones? A: Personal differences,
business differences, musical
differences, but most of all
because I have a better time
with my family. Temporary or
permanent? I dont know.
Q: Does it please you to hear

views on Johns possible band
names? the Plastic ono Band?
Giving Back the MBe? Yokos
influence? Yoko? A: I love John
and respect what he does it
doesnt give me any pleasure.
Q: Were any of the songs on the
album originally written with
the Beatles in mind? A: The older
ones were. Junk was intended for
Abbey Road, but something
happened. Teddy Boy was for
Get Back but something happened.
Q: Were you pleased with Abbey
Road? Was it musically
restricting? A: It was a good
album (No 1 for a long time).
Q: What is your relationship with
Klein? A: It isnt. I am not in
contact with him, and he does not
represent me in ANY way.
Q: What is your relationship
with Apple? A: It is the office of
a company which I part own with
the other three Beatles. I dont go
there because I dont like offices
or businesses, especially when Im
on holiday.
Q: Have you any plans to set up
an independent Production
Company? A: McCartney
Productions.
Q: What sort of music has
influenced you on this album?
A: Light and loose.
Q: Are you writing more
prolifically now? or less so?
A: About the same. I have a queue
waiting to be recorded.
Q: What are your plans now?
A holiday? A musical? A movie?
retirement? A: My only plan is to
grow up.
Hype doesnt worry us

MM APRIL 17 Brinsley Schwarz spend 30,000 flying the press to NYC to witness
their show at the Fillmore East. We werent screaming with paranoia, they say.
rinsley schwarz, the band born
out of the small-time frustrations of the
Kippington Lodge band, are the outfit the
whole of the rock media were taken to see in New
York last weekend. Because of the expense
involved in the whole junket, both the band and
Famepushers, the company behind the 30,000
promotion, have been accused of perpetrating the
biggest hype of all time. Its an accusation to which
the group themselves plead not guilty, as Brinsley
Schwarz, leader of the group since its inception,
explained after their Fillmore experience.
What weve done, or what the management
have done, is to put us at a gig and say, Come and
see this band. All theyve done is by the nature of
the gig, and the nature of the whole junket ensured
wed get the maximum of coverage, which is what
promotion is all about. Everybody is bound to say
that its a hype, but it doesnt worry us in the least.
It would be a hype had we really flopped at the
Fillmore, but we really enjoyed the whole thing.
American audiences are really weird compared
with English audiences, because they groove on
completely different things, but it went well.
All the pressures were on us
that first time and none
whatsoever the second time.
We werent screaming with
paranoia, but naturally it
affected the play the first time,
but after wed finished we
thought its over, its finished,
lets go out and get it together,
and it went better.
The group had problems even
before that first gig, at the Fillmore.
They couldnt get visas and flew to
Toronto first to come into the
States that way. It meant that they
arrived with only an hour to spare
before their opening show.
Brinsley Schwarz were on the
same Fillmore bill as Van Morrison
and Quicksilver Messenger
Service, who feature pianist Nicky
Hopkins who worked with the
group when they were still known
as Kippington Lodge. Nicky has been on our

sessions. The first two records we did were your
actual session musicians-but-dont-tell-anyone.
We were a pop group called Kippington Lodge for
about two years and we had about five singles out
and we had all the promises of being pop stars. It
got to the stage where we just wanted to be cut
off from all that when we saw this little ad in
Melody Maker which said Young Progressive
Management require Young Progressive Group
and we thought why not? For about six months
wed been earning between three and five pounds
each a week, so we didnt have anything to lose.
The group Bob Andrews (organ), Bill Rankin
(drums), Nick Lowe (bass) and Brinsley started
writing their own material a year ago. Theyd
listened to jazz-rock outfits like Chicago and
country-rock bands like Area Code 615, James
Gang, Allman Brothers and The Band. We started
off with the aim of doing country-rock and then
gradually realised that because of our individual
styles it was going somewhere else. Bob the
organist obviously has a more jazz influence than
anything else, which has really brought the organ
into the fore, but then again hes
not a jazz-oriented organist. I
think because Nicky writes all
the songs and they each have a
different feel, its impossible to
say exactly what we play.
The British public will be
given a chance to hear Brinsley
in concert. The group hope to
make their first appearance at
the Albert Hall, either on their own
or with one or two big name bands,
before starting a British tour.
Whatever the criticisms of
their musical ability, Brinsley
Schwarz have overnight reached
a stage which takes many rock
bands twice as long to attain.
They have got to American and
British publics alike through one
performance. From here on in
its all down to the music.
It would be
a hype had we
really flopped at
the Fillmore
Royston Eldridge
GETTY
Q: Do you foresee a time when

Lennon-McCartney becomes an
active songwriting partnership
again? A: No.
1970
a p r i l J U NE
I hate
the showbiz
thing
G
getty
MELODY MAKER APRIL 17
etting my weekly shot of masochism heavily

disguised as Top Of The Pops as week or two back,
something happened which managed to drag my
thoughts away from the low-angle shots up the
dollies skirts and stopped me reciting the usual
litany of rubbish banal trite codswallop.
the something was a slight youth seated at a grand piano singing
and playing an amazing god Rock ballad which quite put the insipid
let it Be into true perspective. the song was called the Border
Song and the singer was elton John, known mainly for his previous
songs Skyline Pigeon and lady Samantha.
Hes rapidly becoming a name in his own right, but many will
remember him as the chubby organist with that underrated soul band
Bluesology a few years ago. in the band with him were altoist elton
Dean and cornetist mark Charig, both now with keith tippett and the
Soft machine, and many others whose faces are now rather better
known than they were then.
elton studied piano in his youth, and joined mills music as a tea boy
three weeks before he was due to take his A-levels. then came four
years with Bluesology, during which they did the usual round of
clubs up and down the country, often backing American soul artists.
we used to work for Roy tempest, says elton, backing his artists.
i remember that we once did four gigs in a day, and we never thought
anything of it. that was with Billy Stewart, who was a great guy. i
shudder to think of that now, and we didnt even have a roadie then.
groups today dont know how lucky they are!
He left the band for a variety of reasons: he was fed up with the soul
format, the band wouldnt let him sing, and i wasnt a very competent
organist anyway. not knowing quite what he wanted to do, he
answered an advertisement asking for young talent. that got him
together with Bernie taupin, who now writes the lyrics to eltons tunes.
we really bombed out to start with. it was terrible, but eventually we
ended up at Dick James music, and were still there. that was nearly
three years ago, and the first thing we did was to write and record a
complete demo album of songs we thought would be commercial.
we were pretty pleased with it, but nothing happened and
eventually Steve Brown, who joined DJm from emi, came in and told
1970 brings a breakthrough

for ELTON JOHN, a hardworking former sessioneer.
Acclaimed albums. Hit
singles. Pandemonium
on his American debut.
Its enough to turn a young
mans head. Hes even got
a gold lam suit, he
confesses. I might have
sausages sewn on it!
Elton John in
1970: I know
how good I am,
and what Im
capable of
1970
a p r i l J U NE
just not what I want. Bluesology
would never let me sing, so I only
really started when we were doing the
first demos, and my voice improved
I hope as I did more and more.
I dont really have any conscious
influences, but I listen to a lot of
music and there are so many people that
I admire and who must have an effect on me
The Band, Van Morrison, Neil Young people
like Zappa and Jagger, who dont give a s.
Zappa well, I dont believe he exists, and
Jagger is the most underrated lyricist. If I could
write lyrics Id want to do it like Jagger, and on
our albums we always dedicate one track to the
Stones. Theyre my favourite band on record,
anyway, because they dont get it
together at all on stage.
Elton has been booked to
appear at the Pop Proms in
the Roundhouse on April 21,
MS
BU
AL
and is currently finding a
bass player and drummer to
accompany him. I hope to
get Dean Murray, who was
Spencer Davis last bassist, but I cant say about the
1970
drums yet. Id really like to do a couple of gigs a week,
Elton John
because thats how you sell yourself to people. Top Of The
Tumbleweed Connection DJM
Pops doesnt really give anybody an idea of what you can do
in fact it gives them a totally wrong impression. Richard Williams
If Take Me To The Pilot was your
us how awful it was. That was when I made up my mind to write what I
really felt and not to manufacture songs I didnt feel. So practically the
first thing I did after that was to write Skyline and Samantha, and weve
been writing for ourselves ever since.
The result, apart from Eltons own recordings, has been that his songs
have been recorded by Spooky Tooth, Three Dog Night, Toe Fat and many
others. In New Zealand and Italy their songs have been big hits when
covered by local artists. At that time I wanted to be someone like
Leonard Cohen, who could disappear for long periods, surface with an
album, and then disappear again. Im financially secure because of all
the sessions Ive done and still do, so its not impossible.
Bernie always writes the words of a song first and then gives them to
me and I write the tune. It always works perfectly, and I think we gain
from doing it that way. I cant write lyrics, and I know what Bernie wants,
so it always comes out right. We dont write a lot it generally comes in
spasms, when we feel like it.
I dont really want to be labelled as a songwriter, because people would
immediately put us in the same bag as Tony Macaulay and
Bacharach & David. Thats not to put them down in any way; its
All sorts of influence
REVIEW
MM APRIL/OCT Eltons 1970 albums assessed.

Elton John Elton John DJM
Its nice to see Cat Stevens and
Elton John providing the British
answer to Neil Young and Van
Morrison. And make no mistake;
Elton is up in that class. This is his
second album, and is considerably
meatier and more substantial than
the first. He and Bernie Taupin craft
superb songs, strong in every
department (words, music, sounds),
and Paul Buckmasters sumptuous
arrangements and Gus Dudgeons
brilliant production help the result
almost beyond words.
If Elton has a fault, its that he
sometimes sounds rather too much
like Feliciano in the way he a turns
and ornaments phrases, but once
you get past that its beauty all the
way. The rhythm section is as solid
as can be, the strings are used
discreetly and imaginatively, and it
must be significant that The
Border Song, his current single, is
not among the best tracks. My own
favourites are The King Is Dead,
an atmospheric piece with a hairraising finale, and Sixty Years On,
which features delicious Spanish
guitar by Colin Green. A truly great
record. Richard Williams, MM Apr 25

1965
favourite cut from Elton Johns

last album, then Tumbleweed
Connection is sure to be your
favourite Elton John album. For
most of the way it has Elton proving
that hes Mr Superfunk, and he
succeeds better than people like
Cocker and the Bramletts because
hes funky without copping off black
music exclusively; there are all sorts
of influence at work in his music.
Whereas the last album dealt
mainly in down atmosphere, the
new one rocks and rolls a lot, with
plenty of machine-gun piano and
gospel choruses. It begins with
Ballad Of A Well Known Gun,
a stomper with good guitar, soul
chorus and typical Nigel Olsson
drums, right on top of the beat but
giving the impression of laying
back. Country Comfort is the
official version of the song Rod
Stewart did on Gasoline Alley, and
Eltons has prettier harmonies on
the chorus. Love Song, by Lesley
Duncan, is a little too much of CSNY
to convince; Amoreena is a great
superfunk again, with insanely
tumbling piano, in contrast to
Talking Old Soldiers, which
features Elton alone at the piano,
singing one of Bernies best lyrics,
about the loneliness of old age.
The album ends with Burn
Down The Mission, which begins
gently but evolves into the all-time
tear-up. Paul Buckmaster and Gus
Dudgeons arrangements top off
a finely executed project, and if
I find it a little less intriguing than
Eltons last, then maybe thats my
problem. Richard Williams, MM Oct 24

l Kooper, talKing about Elton Johns last album:
That albums really got me screwed up. Its just the
perfect album, and I carry it around everywhere with
me in my briefcase.
Those words pretty well sun up the reaction of many musicians
to John, who returned this week from a trip on which he conquered
the States almost from scratch in a month flat. Elton is as amazed
as anybody by the phenomenal success that greeted him.
We went over to play the Troubadour in LA, and the money was
really bad. Dick James put up the bread for it, because the record
company in the States said that the time was right, and Dick must
have lost a bomb on it. Before we got the offer to go, I was on the
point of packing it all in and joining Jeff Beck, believe it or not. But
that fell through, and we went to the States expecting nothing at all.
From the moment we arrived, it was just pandemonium all
the way. The first night at the Troubadour was hype night, with
all the record company people and the press, and the first set
was incredible and it stayed that way. We got unbelievable reviews
I didnt see one bad one.
The response was so strong that a Los Angeles radio station took
a full-page ad in the LA Free Press to thank him for coming over.
Gordon Lightfoot was there most nights, The Beach Boys and
Bread were in a lot, and Quincy Jones brought his entire family
down to hear Elton. One of the most rewarding things for Elton
was when Leon Russell came in, and was completely knocked out.
Hes my idol as far as piano playing, and there he was sitting in
the front row. My legs turned to jelly I mean, to compare my
playing with his is sacrilege. Hed eat me for breakfast. But he said
that he wants to record with us, and he told me that hed written
Delta Lady after hearing one of our songs, which was a gas. Really
its worth five million good reviews if someone you respect as a
musician comes up and tells you they like what youre doing.
Truly fantastic acclaim, then, but does Elton feel that hes being
overrated? Of course, some of the reviews have been ridiculous.
But I know how good I am, and what Im capable of. You simply
cant sit back and believe everything people say about you, or
youd get terrible ego problems. I do believe that we write good
songs, but I get embarrassed when people say so.
With Elton to the States went the two members of his band,
drummer Nigel Olsson and bass guitarist Dee Murray. They played
Elton john
It always comes out
right: songwriting
partners Bernie
Taupin and Elton
John in New York City,
November 1970
15 gigs in Britain, including the Krumlin Festival, a couple of

Implosions, Leeds university, Mothers and the Speakeasy
before they went to the States and the response was staggering then. Its
a real band now, says Elton, and the boys have helped me a lot. Its so tight
now, but in a years time itll be unbelievable. America did our confidence
a lot of good, and I dont ever have to tell them what to do, because we all
know what were doing. There are some songs with very broken rhythms,
but they just play them without having it explained to them.
Elton was on the bill at the Troubadour with David Ackles. Hes much
bigger over here than he is in America. But its the same with Tom Paxton
and Tim Buckley theyre not so big in their own country as in other
countries. But as a whole the kids are much more aware in the States, and
theres much less backbiting among the musicians. Over there they all go
to each others houses and play, its so much more relaxed and tolerant.
Theres none of the Ten Years After are crap rubbish.
Eltons new LP, due out in mid-October, is so different from the last one. I
wanted to get away from the orchestral thing and one cut is just me and the
piano, recorded live. Theres a Lesley Duncan song Ive always wanted to
do, and theres one of ours called Burn Down The Mission which I think is
the best thing Ive ever recorded. Its all much simpler, much funkier.
For the next fortnight, Elton and his two extremely heavy friends will be
recording the music for a new Lewis Gilbert
movie, Friends. Itll come out as a soundtrack
album, and I think therell be a single from it,
either the title song or Michelles Song. I dont
want them to pull a single off my next proper
album there are no singles on it anyway.
Despite the sombre quality of many of his
recorded works, Elton is nothing if not a raver on
stage. Hes playing a Royal Albert Hall concert
with Fotheringay on October 2, and hes
planning to wear a gold lam tail-suit, which
was given to him in America. Its from a 30s
Busby Berkeley musicalI might sew some
sausages on it for the occasion, he commented
cryptically. The outrageousness is very much a part of me, which is why
I admire people like Jagger and Zappa so much. Its not just doing it for
the sake of it, and I wouldnt do it every night. It depends on how youre
feeling. Richard Williams
every performance for the last three months.

His rendezvous with The Band came in New
York recently, when he and his lyricist Bernie
Taupin were invited across the road to meet
them in their hotel.
Bernie was shaking with fear, Elton told me
over the transatlantic telephone, but they
were really sweet and we talked together for
about three hours. Then came the most
incredible thing, because the day after we said
goodbye to them and set off for Philadelphia,
while they went in the opposite direction,
north to upstate New York.
Anyway, we played a fantastic gig in
Philly and when we got into our dressing
room afterwards the whole Band was
there. Theyd put their show forward
a couple of hours, and flew down in their
private plane to see our act. We played
Tumbleweed Connection to them, and
they went berserk. It was such a compliment
that I couldnt believe it. They asked us to
go up to Woodstock to record at their place,
and when Robbie Robertson asked us to
write a song for them Well, I think Bernie
was a bit embarrassed, because Robbies
his current idol.
Naturally, Elton is in incredibly high spirits. He went to the States first
for a holiday before starting concerts, and hes met a lot of influential
people, all of whom have, to say the least, enthused about his work. Al
Kooper, for instance, who described his second album as the perfect
record in the MM recently, went up to Boston to see them, and hired a
limousine to take them out for the day.
Leon Russell wants a song from them to complete his next album, but
Elton and Bernie havent had much time to compose, although their
management bought an electric piano for Elton to lug round hotels with
him. Ive never written anything specifically for another singer before,
he says, and were playing the Fillmore East tonight with Leon. Hes hurt
his ribs so hes a bit immobile, but hes got a good band with a couple of
chick singers. Were planning to do a thing in which we do our respective
acts and then I go on stage and we play the piano together.
Their second album has sold close on a quarter of a million copies in
the States, and will have a Gold album award by the end of the year.
Thousands of British copies of the first album Empty Sky are still being
imported and Tumbleweed Connection, released in Britain this week, will
be delayed until January for the American market. They also made a little
bit of history by doing a live radio show in New
York, the first time its been done for ages.
We recorded it in eight-track stereo, and we
should get a good live album out of it. Mind you,
it went over the air in good two-track, so there
were probably millions of people sitting at
home taping it for bootlegs. But its a fantastic
tape, the best playing weve ever done.
In Santa Monica their performance was
recorded for television, partly for a Henry
Mancini spectacular and partly for a 30-minute
Elton John Show, which will be shown in the
States soon and sold all over the world.
We played for nearly two hours there, Elton
remembers. We seem to go on longer in America than in Britain, because
the audiences are so incredible. They dont vary at all, and since we
played the Troubadour in LA on the first trip weve had a standing ovation
at every gig, including the ones in England in-between.
San Francisco audiences are a little cool at first, like those in London,
because theyve seen everything, and one night it was like pushing over
a brick wall very slowly, but they went in the end. Los Angeles is like home
for us, and Philly and Boston are great too. Every audience is good if you
get at them the right way.
Theres one thing, though Im a bit homesick. We dont seem to have
seen England at all this year, and Im looking forward to getting home on
December 12. But even so, we havent got a free day right through January,
February and March. Richard Williams
MELODY MAKER NOVEMBER 28

urely one of the highest accolades in rock music must be a
request to write a song for The Band. Its like being asked to lead
the Ferrari Formula One team or displacing Pel in the Brazilian
XI. And its happened to Elton John.
Elton is currently in the middle of a long American tour, his second, and
hes being received with the standing ovations which have greeted his
getty
If I could
write lyrics Id
want to do it
like Jagger
1970
a p r i l J U NE
After the commercial disappointment

of Arthur, THE KINKS deliver the massive
hit single Lola and a new album about
the music industry. Having been spurned
by England, they spend much of the
year wowing America with a new
piano player, John The Baptist.
The story
of this
business
getty
C
MELODY MAKER JUNE 6
hris Welch, Who likes football about as much as

the Kremlin digs incense, would never understand it
but Ray Davies flew 3,000 miles for a game of soccer
that didnt even happen. Kink Ray, in the middle of the
groups third tour of America in six months, took time
out last week to jet into London Airport. I wanted to
get a connection to Jersey, where I hoped to play in a charity match,
says Ray. But I couldnt get a flight. So I just sat at the airport for two
hours. Then I went to sleep.
Twelve hours later, he was on his way back to the States. Actually, the
trip wasnt entirely for the football. Ray also took time to balance the
tapes of his forthcoming single. Its another Davies composition, titled
Lola. Ask Ray if the title was inspired by any person, and he replies
mysteriously, Just hear it, man. But he did add that it was a slow
rocknroll number. It was made specifically as a single, but it will be
included on the next Kinks album. Naturally, Ray is hoping for a hit, as
the last Kinks single to hit the chart was Days and that was some oneand-a-half years ago.
Did he feel that the groups absence from Britain had hampered their
hit-making potential? Its possible. It always helps if youre playing
dates in the country when a single is released. Why, then, spend so
much time in the States? They seem to appreciate us there a lot, says
Ray. The place is so vast; we havent played all major cities yet. But
We havent played
London for about
three years: Ray
Davies photographed
on January 29, 1970
1970
a p r i l J U NE
audiences definitely like us. They

seemed to appreciate our Arthur
album more than Britain.
Unlike some groups who
seem to spend more time in the
recording studios than on the
road, The Kinks are happiest
when they are appearing before
live audiences. We like to play.
Thats what a group is all about,
says Ray. I dont think its a very
good policy not to be out playing.
Theres nothing like playing for
an audience. I cant exactly say
why the Americans appreciate
us so much. Its just a fact, thats
all. We havent toured America
for three-and-a-half years;
now were doing our third tour
in six months.
After the tour, which ends
in about six weeks, we plan to
play London dates in two
nice places. But nothing as
grand as the Festival Hall.
We havent played London for
about three years.
We do get requests from a lot
of fans to play dates in Britain,
and I think there is a little danger
in being away too much. People
tend to forget about you. They
like to be able to see you on tour.
It must help record sales. At
present, Im trying to do as much
to promote Lola as I can.
A piano had been added to the group for the American tour. It helps
when we do numbers from the albums on stage, he added. We may add
a piano when we play in London. Usually if any piano is played, its by me.
But I find it a bit restricting.
One instrument Ray wont be adding to the Kinks lineup is an organ.
I dont like organs, he says firmly. Theyre too stodgy.
Some while ago, Ray was reported to be writing a book. Ever since, Kinks
admirers have been asking when it would appear. Im still working on it,
he said. But you know how it is when you start writing a book. You keep
making changes. Then when you come back to it, you make more changes.
But Ray promises one thing: he will definitely write that book. Even
though it is going to take time. And time certainly presses when a man
cant even get a game of football. Laurie Henshaw
photoshot
NME JULY 11
he KinKs spent a long time in the British hit wilderness

Days was the groups last decent hit exactly two years ago when
it reached No 14 and Dave Davies at least hopes that Lola will
enable the group to work more in England. At present, The Kinks are
barnstorming America and Canada with a series of concerts that are
mostly sell-outs and are producing what used to be called fan-mania.
Dave flew back to London this week during a break from the tour and
explained, When youre not working you dont miss it, but when you get
the fans yelling again you like it. I enjoy playing, myself.
Dave is keen to play in Britain again, although he thinks the Kinks will
only do an average of two gigs a week. We havent worked here for quite
a while. The actual working thing slowed down quite a bit for everyone.
Lola has provided the Kinks with a much-needed hit, and while it
bears a resemblance to other Ray Davies songs only in that it tells a story,
Dave commented, All his songs wander on about their own ego. His
songs are down to earth and involved with reality. People can attach
themselves to that rather than to songs people write about themselves.
The Kinks recorded Lola about two months ago, but Ray, the man you
cant understand unless you happen to be Ray, hasnt told anyone what
made him write it in the first place. There may be a story behind it, but
he hasnt told us, Dave admitted. Its not someone in the group. I dont
1965
The Kinks on July 21,

1970: (lr) John The
Baptist Gosling, Mick
Avory, John Dalton,
Dave and Ray Davies
know who he was actually directing it at, probably someone he met. He

let out one of his frequent high-pitched chuckles. Maybe that implied
more than he was letting on.
Dave flew back to America yesterday (Thursday) to get on with the rest
of the tour, which he says is being split up into parts. Its scheduled to
finish on Monday, and then were coming back for three weeks, after
which well probably go back to America again, he told me in his
managers Mayfair offices one sweltering London day when most people
were feeling lethargic, but when Dave seemed singularly keen to get
down to some serious work.
The reaction in America is really good. Its fantastic. We played in
Canada, where wed never been before, and in Vancouver the people
almost tore the place apart. Some people went there out of loyalty and
some out of curiosity. The people in one town in America didnt know
what to expect. I think they expected us to arrive in suits and be very, very
smart people. They were quite surprised to find we werent. A lot of people
thought we didnt exist.
Those of us who have met solely Dave will testify to the undeniable fact
that The Kinks are very much alive and well and living in an amalgam of
changing emotions most of them Rays. Knowing Ray, I dont expect
having another hit here will make him any different to his usual self. And
it is this effect that he seems to have on the others that virtually dictates
The Kinks moods, if not their careers as well.
A hit record apart, The Kinks music is satisfying them a lot more than in
the past. As Dave explained, During the last six months, weve been
working a lot better together. Musically were a lot more together. Rays
writing a lot better now; it goes through phases, like everything, and this
looks like being the beginning of a big thing again for us.
Maybe it has something to do with the inclusion of pianist John Gosling,
who reminds me of a Roy Wood with shades. Our manager, Grenville,
met him. He was a music teacher or something, Dave said. Weve
christened him John The Baptist cos thats what we think John The
Baptist looked like.
In America, The Kinks sell a lot more albums than they do singles,
according to Dave, and they need to get another LP out over there as soon
as possible. Well start work on that as soon as were back, Dave said.
Weve got a couple of tracks in the can, but we want to do a possible
follow-up to Lola. We dont go into the studios for a week and get enough
stuff to last us a year.
And with that he was gone. Off on some errand to do with work and,
hopefully, keeping The Kinks back in the charts where their residency
came close to being terminated with a fans notice to quit. Lola has paid
the rent up, so they look to be around for a while yet. Richard Green
the kinks
NME AUGUST 25
ith LoLa having reached No 1 in the NME chart, it

would be natural to expect to see Dave Davies jumping with
joy and generally feeling pleased with himself, but this isnt
exactly the case. Though he is pretty happy about the records success,
he is more concerned with the fate of earlier Kinks releases.
The failure of the album Arthur and the single taken from it, ShangriLa, puzzles him, and he conducted an inquest into the non-event when
we met last week. He arrived hotfoot from a recording session in darkest
Willesden to take a drink in Soho not cherry cola, by the way.
In reply to my question about a follow-up to Lola, Dave said, We dont
really think in terms of follow-ups, we havent for some time now. Weve
had some good records out and they just havent made it, so weve got to
the stage where we release the best thing we
have and hope itll sell.
Do you remember Shangri-La? I think it was
the best single we ever did, but it was a miss. And
Wonder Boy that was another good one that
got nowhere. I havent any idea why; if we knew
why records flop wed make hits all the time.
I suppose Lola did well because people can
dance to it and the storys a bit unusual.
And of Arthur, Dave commented, I was
disappointed that it didnt make it. We all
thought it was a good album. The next one
wont follow a complete theme like that one
did, but there will be something to link all the
songs. I dont want to say too much about it in
case people steal the idea.
When we told people about doing a pop opera, a couple of small groups
did one, and then when Arthur came out, we got accused of jumping on
the bandwagon though it was our idea in the first place.
Having just returned from an American tour which proved to The Kinks
that they still have a lot of fans and that their music is appreciated, the
group is feeling more confident than for some time.
Were going to work more here now, but mainly places like universities,
Dave revealed. Weve got a new act and were playing music that we like
personally. Weve done a few dates and the reaction has been good. If we
got a poor reception for three nights Id feel like leaving off for a couple of
weeks and thinking about it.
Before he left, I asked what would have happened if Lola had been
a miss and he admitted, I suppose wed have gone on making records for
another year or so and then drifted apart.
A few weeks ago, Pye hosted a reception for The Kinks to celebrate the
success of Lola and welcome them home from their tour. Surprisingly,
they all turned up (quite a feat if you know their habits) and I spoke to
John Dalton, who was laughing and joking with a waitress.
He too had a word to say about Arthur, agreeing with what Dave was to
tell me later.
We got lots of people thinking we were copying The Who because
theyd had Tommy out, but the thing was, Ray
had been writing it for two years before it was
recorded, so we can hardly be accused of copying,
he explained reasonably.
How did he find the American trip?
Oh, well, its OK in some places, but theres a lot of
travelling to be done, he told me. But the crowds
have been so fantastic that I dont really mind.
Hes looking forward to the next album, which will
probably be a double set, and hopes that Lola will
tend to make people listen to the LP. Thats what The
Kinks are really after now album chart success.
American tour this year. Its still as great as ever it always is to me,
said Ray. We decided to stop over in Hollywood for a couple of days
before we move to Colorado and then Illinois. The tour is going down
tremendously well. Weve done the West, and now were working over
towards the East.
I asked Ray if he noticed any change in audience between coasts. No,
not visibly, but its such a damned big country that you can trip across
into states where they have still never heard of you, although Kinks are
becoming known throughout each state now. How did Henry Cooper get
on? Great, its really p down with rain here.
With the new Kinks album, Lola Versus Powerman And The
Moneygoround, on the verge of release, I asked Ray what he thought of the
album. Were the references to Melody Maker and other items from the
pop business a deliberate dig at the music world?
Well, you were after me for an interview at
the time of recording. The album is not really
meant to be a dig. Its more a story about some of
the things that happen in this business. I dont
think people are aware of what really goes on,
especially on the business side. The album,
I suppose, tells the tale of us on two planes one
as businessmen, the other as people.
What stage did Ray think The Kinks were at
now? I dont know, I just dont know. Id be able
to answer that when I look back at the album
in maybe a years time. I mean weve just done
the soundtrack to the film Percy. It was a nice
thing to do.
Moneygoround isnt a wild change in the
Kinks sound; in fact, on tracks like Top Of The
Pops it virtually went back to the chunkiness of You Really Got Me.
Did Ray think that The Kinks were progressing at all musically? Not
much, not much at all. But lets put it this way: I wouldnt have written
a track like Top Of The Pops two years ago; it was deliberately meant to
be chunky, and in that style. It aint progressive or anything like that.
What I think we have achieved during the year is dwelling more on lyrics,
and not musical progression.
How did Ray look upon the progression in todays music? I see it
from here in America as lots of people sitting in their own little cubicles,
making their own records for themselves. To me everybody looks like,
and acts like, an individual.
A couple of years ago you had unknown bands pumping out other
peoples material; now we have many unknowns doing completely their
own stuff. I think thats only for the good.
What was in line for The Kinks in the near future? I dont know at the
moment its just to finish this tour. Weve actually started work on another
album, which I feel may possibly come over as a big change. It will be an
extension of the last; its coming off well at the moment.
Actually, this tour is just settling down now. We follow quite a general
pattern on tour. For the first couple of weeks we dont talk to each other;
now Daves finally getting round to talking to me, and me to him so
weve got over that period. Its like being in the army,
I think, although I dont really know what the armys
like but I imagine it must be like this.
With four tours in the States this year, did Ray feel
they were neglecting Britain?
No, not at all. There just arent enough places to
play in England its as simple as that. Id like to do
a concert as soon as we come back from the States.
It doesnt pay off to have a rest after a tour of America.
I mean, youre into playing, so you should carry it on.
Maybe England, Germany and Europe would be OK.
I cant exactly
say why the
Americans
appreciate us
so much
Roy Hollingworth
Richard Green
MELODY MAKER DECEMBER 5
ay Davies of The Kinks and Britain was

watching The Lucille Ball Show. It was just
after 3am in Los Angeles. In another half-hour
it would be The Adventures Of The Cisco Kid, time
enough for a few words on the transatlantic line. The
Kinks are at present in the middle of their fourth
1970
a p r i l J U NE
TR
ACKS
REVIE
W
1970
guitar sound, but gets

a much better recording
sound. I like that Mississippi
Queen number.
Stone The Crows

The Touch Of Your Loving Hand
And I Saw America
fROM thE lP stone the crows,
POlYdOR
Is this the A-side?

MM MAY 16 Roger Daltrey picks the winners
among the new singles and album tracks.
Aretha Franklin Let It Be AtlAntic

Only one person it could be
and I aint trying to guess. Its no
improvement on The Beatles.
Its Aretha Franklin. I heard some
of her album tracks recently and
they were a lot better than this.
The tenor solo was a downer
it just doesnt get off the
ground. Not one of her best
performances. Can I hear it
again? Definitely not a single
it doesnt come up enough.
Free All Right Now islAnd

Are you sure this is the A-side? Ha
ha! Good voice, though the tune is
a bit meaningless. It sounds like
a B-side. Havent a clue who it is.
Liberace? I cant imagine anybody
releasing that as an A-side. Lets
turn it over. It must be Fleetwood
Mac. Oh dear, Im really not
interested and I dont care!
getty
Arrival I Will Survive dEccA

The Arrival? Its the sort of group
you see on the box. They are
refreshing, but definitely not
a hit. It just wanders all over the
place. They are good at what they

do and have a nice, easy listening
image. Can I listen to the B-side?
Thats better the chick is a good
singer. This is what they are all
about. For an English band they
have an incredible sound.
Ben E King Goodbye My Old Girl

cREWE
Jesus Christ its Mario Lanza!

No thoughts on that one. Itll be
a No 1 in the Darby & Joan clubs.
Im not going to ask who it is Im
not interested. That must be
a record company thing where
they had to put something out.
It may have been alright for 1959,
but not for today. Ill play you one
of Towshends new songs to
cheer you up!
Mary Johnson So Glad You

Chose Me tAMlA MOtOWn
Dont like it. Its that Atlantic/
Motown soul sound, and definitely
not a good song, although hes
a good singer. What can you say
about a rubbish song? I cant see
the guy singing liking it even.
Elvis Presley Kentucky Rain RcA

Horrible. Presley, ennit? Nothing
much to say about that. I thought
he had it in the bag, and he goes
back to this kind of stuff. But it
will probably be a hit. If hed put
out a good old funky rocknroll
record Id buy it.
Ginger Bakers Air Force

Da Da Man And Toad
fROM thE lP Air Force, POlYdOR
Well its Air Force. That voice

could only be Ginger. Whos on
organ Stevie? Really good. The
tracks are really long arent they?
I dont like the recording, even if
it is live. Id have to listen to this
for about two hours before I
could comment properly. It
probably grows on you. Im not
going to say a thing about it
unless you want to play it for two
hours. I havent see Air Force yet,
but this is definitely an album Ill
have to get. One thing the solos
sound like a lot of jazz riffs.
Mountain Mississippi Queen And

Theme For An Imaginary Western
fROM thE lP climbing, BEll
This is nice. It sounds like

that Howlin Wolf electric
album. This is a bloody good
group. Is it Felix Pappalardi
on bass? A dirty sound it
could have been recorded
better. Have you heard the
Howlin Wolf album? Its
better than this. Ill play you
a track. He uses the same
I really like the sound of that

electric piano. Simone it must
be. Its not? Jesus! It really
sounds like her. Hey that voice
sounds like Janis Joplin. Jesus,
who is it? Yeah, its good. Archie
Andrews? It sounds like an
American record, but I dare say
its English. Not Bob & Marcia?
Well its nice anyway. She really
sounds like Janis. What a good
group, I really like it. Yes the
only thing is so many groups are
already into this bag. Look, its
nice and sunny in the garden. Are
there any more records?
Three Dog Night Easy To Be Hard

And Chest Fever
fROM thE lP cAptured live At
the Forum , stAtEsidE
(Announcer says, Three Dog

Night) I wonder who it is! Ha ha!
Its a good live recording. They
have never had a hit album here
yet, but they are an extremely
good band. Although some put
them down, I rather like them
myself. They are not doing
anything different on this from
their other albums. Chest
Fever should be interesting. The
only thing I dont like is they are
rather over-rehearsed. This has a
horrible intro. Hurry up! They
sound a bit untogether on this.
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young

Carry On
fROM thE lP dj vu, AtlAntic
Crosby, Stills & Nash oh, and

Young, of course. What can you
say? Its incredible. This is really
a big improvement on their last
album. This is what albums are all
about. They have a completely
new approach. This could only
be Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young!
I hear this album was supposed
to cost $120,000 to produce.
They are a super-duper group
what more can I say? You are
going to leave this one behind,
arent you? Ill swap you for a
Who live album!
Im out of my depth!
MM JUNE 27 Eric Clapton reviews the latest sounds.
ACKS
TR
Fred McDowell
61 Highway And Big Mama
W
REVIE
fROM thE lP when i lAy my

burden down , BiOGRAPh
Bill Evans and Jim Hall

My Funny Valentine
fROM thE lP undercurrent,
WORld REcORd cluB
(Sings along) Are they young

musicians? Is it Kenny Burrell?
It sounds ageless. I would have
thought its Larry Coryell, but
Ive no idea, Ill guess Barney
Kessel. Tal Farlow. Joe Pass?
Who is it? Jim Hall? You realise
I am out of my depth. What do
you mean yes!
I liked this very much.
I would have been
anti-jazz, a few
years ago. Its
a special kind
of school, and
something
I wish I
could you
know (plays
imaginary
guitar). Have
you got any
records by
Charlie Christian?
This one is beautiful.
Smiley Lewis
Shame, Shame, Shame
fROM thE lP shAme, shAme, shAme,
liBERtY
Its very familiar Joe Turner?

Beautiful is it Ray Charles
band backing the singer? Who
is it? Smiley Lewis? Youre
kidding. Can I see the cover?
Sounds back to the 50s again.
When I was first buying records
this would have been too jazzy
for me. Its not now, but I used to
be a purist.
1970
doing some of his

in country fashion.
I liked this a lot.
Lord Buckley
The Nazz
Miles Davis Bitches Brew
fROM thE lP bitches brew, cBs
Its either Miles Davis or Dr John!

Is this Bitches Brew? I like this
no, I havent heard it before, Ive
been waiting to hear it. Whos the
drummer? Tony Williams? Can
I see the cover? Id like to have a
go at playing with Miles it would
be an incredible challenge. But
I have tried to back out of it a
couple of times, because I dont
know if I am up to it. I dont think
Im good enough. Its the kind of
music that avoids the obvious,
and Ive had a few plays
like that with Steve
when we were
forming Blind
Faith. We
played for
five hours
at a time
absolute
madness.
Canned Heat
Thats All Right
Mama fROM thE lP
cAnned heAt 70
concert, liBERtY
BB? Ill have to try and guess by

the accents Canned Heat? Its
not fair youre not giving me
enough volume. This is a Big Boy
Arthur Crudup number have
they given him a credit on the
album? Thats good. Alan Wilson
flattens me the most. This track
sounds pretty hairy. Our band
will be getting more into the
blues on our club dates, I expect.
Im split half down the middle.
Half of me is black and half is
white. I started out digging
Buddy Holly songs, and well be
fROM thE lP the

best oF lord buckley, ElEKtRA
Lord Buckley! Hes fantastic. Its

The Nazz sweet, wailing cats!
(Laughs, and remembers the
lines) I dont know much about
him, but I guess he started all that
hip language. Here comes the
Nazz. The blackest white man
alive a lesson in soul.
Dave Mason Only You Know And

I Know fROM thE lP Alone
together , BluE thuMB iMPORt
Yeah (sings along and claps). Ive

heard it before. Its a great song.
Delaney & Bonnie made a record
of this you would not believe. I
remember Dave making this in
LA at the same time I was doing
mine. Dave hates the cover he
cant stand it! Youre supposed to
hang it on the wall. I imagine
these are all Daves songs. Hes a
great guitarist, singer and writer.
I think Tim Hardin has been a
great influence on him. It looks
like I like everything you play me!
Famous Jug Band God Knows And

Farmyard Girl fROM
its the Famous Jug Band.

[MM: No, its the Dedicated
Me.] I AM right! Its the Famous
Jug Band! [MM: Oh, er sorry.]
Jugs Henry wont tell anybody
his second name right?
Theyve got a unique sound,
and they are good songs.
Theyve recorded it exactly as
they probably play in the from
room, which is nice.
Trevor Gordon The Goodbye Story

fROM thE lP AlphAbet , POlYdOR
This is like a more sophisticated

version of that other group. Is it
The Marbles? Only half of them?
The voice reminded me of The
Marbles. I remember they used
to sound like the Bee Gees. This
is too middle-of-the-road. The
song is nice, but it should be
done in a more convincing way.
I couldnt criticise it because
Im sure thousands of people
will like this.
Delaney & Bonnie Free The People

AtlAntic
Ha ha! No 1! Yeah fantastic band.

I think its the Florida musicians
backing. This was done at the
new Atlantic studios in Florida.
Yeah it should be a hit
everywhere. Its a different
feeling from their usual records.
thE lP chAmeleon,
liBERtY
They could have

limited that guitar
a bit more; its not
cutting through
enough. Well, thats
English, Ill say that.
I dont know who it is,
but anyone who can
strum a guitar is
alright with me. Ah,
thats not a bass
drum, thats a jug.
I heard this number
on the radio. I know,
getty
Is that LP called I Aint

Gonna Play No Rock
And Roll? Yeah Fred
McDowell. Hes fantastic.
Hes using a slide guitar,
probably tuned open, but
not down too much. Ive
never seen him live
but Id love to. I thought
it might be Son House
for a minute. It sounds
like it might be recorded
in the 50s. [MM: It was
recorded at Freds home
in Mississippi in 1969.]
It almost sounds like
an electric guitar,
doesnt it? Hes from
Mississippi great.
1970
a p r i l J U NE
October 25, 1969: Frank

Zappa joins Pink Floyd for
Interstellar Overdrive at
the Actuel Pop & Jazz
Festival, Amougies, Belgium
pink floyd
An incredible
feeling of
power
Ballet, touring, wealth,
even football cause concern
for PINK FLOYD. With Atom
Heart Mother ready to go,
Roger Waters discusses the
way ahead for the band
post-SYD BARRETT. Back at
the start of the year, Syd
himself is optimistic about
his new album. Theres
no gloom or depression
for me, he says.
MELODY MAKER JUNE 5

ick Mason and Roger Waters of Pink
Floyd always remind me of the deadly duo
in Easy Rider, except that Roger and nick
are extremely British in their cool lifestyle.
always amusing, well-spoken and together,
their aplomb was slightly shaken by the
intake of large quantities of ale, forced between their lips by
the MM this week.
They recently returned from a tour of the states where they
achieved considerable success, without causing widespread
rioting, and had all their equipment stolen and rescued by the
FBi. They were both laughing about their memories of the Fats
domino band they chanced upon in a nightclub during their
travels, when they entered the MM boozer.
photoshot
1970
a p r i l J U NE
They had the greatest brass section in the world until they
played together, said Nick.
And it got better, said Roger, to the accompaniment of
clinking glasses and bottles from the crowd. The band were
playing instrumentals in their tuxedos. Then Fats Domino
came on and he was great. We found that New Orleans was the
worst music scene in the world. Its just full of strip joints and
there was no jazz at all, just drunks. All the jazzmen have split.
We spent about seven weeks in the States and it was a good
trip, for what it was meant to achieve in terms of promotion.
We did Fillmore in the mid-week and considering that, the
attendance was very good. Generally in the States its like it was
for us here a couple of years ago. But all the audiences said they
had never seen anything like us before.
We got good reviews everywhere, agreed Nick. And we
certainly didnt feel depressed. But were glad to be back! Were
a home-orientated group.
What is their future at home?
Oh, well be recording and boring things like that you wouldnt want
to know about. Lets talk about football. Everybody else does.
There followed a long discourse in which it was agreed the recent burst
of football mania was the most intense display of nationalism since 1914.
It seemed logical for the conversation to drift back to the States, and said
Roger: We did a concert at the University Of California just after all the
campus violence. The administration had closed the school, but we did
our concert, which was very nice. It was sad to note that the students had
really got themselves organised in readiness for trouble. There were field
dressing posts available for casualties.
Students here attempt to live out a situation that doesnt exist. I feel
strongly about English students who wreck debates when they should
accept it as a medium of communication.
What happened when all of the groups equipment was stolen?
That was nearly a total disaster. We sat down at our hotel thinking,
Well thats it. Its all over. We were pouring out our troubles to a girl who
worked at the hotel and she said her father worked for the FBI. The police
hadnt helped us much, but the FBI got to work and four hours later it was
found 15,000 worth. Next time we go back to the States we play at the
Lincoln Centre in New York, which is like moving up from UFO to the
Albert Hall. Chris Welch

hose who write about rock music as a serious art form
always place themselves in a precarious position: the
exponents of this type of music, who are actually working from
valid concepts, are so small in number that the rock critic may find
himself intellectualising generally in an effort to justify the extent of
his own involvement in his subject.
This point is made with particular reference to the Pink Floyd.
Excepting The Beatles, no English rock band has been the subject of more
learned dissertations on rock than the Floyd. Comparisons have been
made between them and Beethoven; their music had been described
as a sustained attempt to harness in sound our crazed, demented,
agonised ambitions.
Very often their work has served as the fulcrum of the writers argument
that rock is the only form of contemporary music that is saying anything.
This theorising has, in turn, put the band on the defensive about its own
merits: We are just four
musicians playing music,
using a lot of things from
rock, and then bits from
other media, says Richard
Wright, their organist. It is
just good and bad music;
we do not care about being
intellectual.
The truth about their
importance to the whole
rock scene probably lies
midway between these
two polarised attitudes.
The harmonic repetition
of their music, despite its

1965
power and menace and occasional

telling brilliance, is a drawback in
listening to them from a personal
point of view. But who can deny their
worth as innovators?
They were the first musicians in
England to exploit the visual aid of
a light show; the first band to
experiment successfully with
hi-fi equipment on stage; and the
initiators of the free concert here. Their concepts of how contemporary
music can be better exploited and presented are unsurpassed. The latest
accolade, of course, is their commission by Roland Petit, the French ballet
producer, to write for a ballet featuring Nureyev, in which the group will
also play with a 108-piece orchestra from June 1 to June 10 at the Grand
Palais in the Champs lyses.
Wright said it was too early yet to talk about what concrete form the
ballet would take, but they had several ideas from which they would be
working. Improvisation, on which most of their successful music has
been founded in the past, would necessarily be curtailed, inasmuch as
they would have to work to a score, but the ballet would probably be both
more melodic and rhythmic than previous sustained works of theirs.
A greater emphasis on melody, he explained, would also be more
evident on their new album, Atom Heart Mother, to be released on
October 1. The album, one side of which was taped live with an orchestra
and choir at their summer Hyde Park concert, is all melodic, apparently,
as opposed to Ummagumma. Ummagumma had more emphasis on
pure sound. This one is much simpler to listen to; it is more emotional,
a sort of epic music, in fact, because we have added brass and a choir. This
will sell more than the last, I think.
In view of their association with an orchestra, both on the album and for
the projected ballet, what was his attitude toward the current attempts to
amalgamate rock and the classical approach to music?
The only way I believe this can work to achieve a valid partnership is for
someone to write for the electric guitar, organ, bass and drums as part of
the orchestra, and not separately as a rock group playing with an
orchestra. It requires someone who can understand all the instruments.
At present, rock groups and orchestras are performing together, and it
does not work at all, because people are trying to combine rock and
classical music. The two go together like oil and water. Jon Lord has
written for an orchestra, and this was the closest thing so far, but it still
did not work. It was very clever; it was an odd mixture of music, a lot of it,
that was strongly romantic, but then you had the rock group come in and,
crash! He tried and failed, and he will always fail, because he has not got
the right approach.
Referring back to the question of their attempts to mix other media in
with rock music, Wright agreed that the days of the light show and strobes
to make an effective visual point were over. The Floyd were now intent, he
said, on producing a much more theatrical show, the embryo of which
emerged on their last British concert tour when their performance of
The Journey included such effects as the appearance in the audience
of a man in a gorilla skin.
We also want to make our own film. We have done three or four film
scores in the past [Peter Whiteheads Tonite Lets All Make Love In London,
the Paul Jones vehicle, The Committee, and parts of the background
pink floyd
November 12, 1970:
Rick Wright on stage
with Pink Floyd at
Copenhagens
Falkoner Teatret
music for Antonionis Zabriskie Point a score

which had been mostly absorbed when the film
came out on general release]. We have turned as
many offers down, in fact, but there was some
definite talk about us doing a film and then
writing the music around it.
The group is still concerned, he said, to get a
flawless, hi-fi sound, both on live appearances
and on record. Atom Heart Mother, parts of
which have been written by Ron Geesin, the
electronics experimenter, represents an
attempt to further this goal.
We want to really perfect the sound live, and
then release it on a four-track tape, and hopefully
get EMI to sell four-track tape recorders for home
use. This might not be so far in the future as you might think, because in
America it is happening now. In terms of playing live on stage, all of us
want to get a superb hi-fi sound, although we do not have those thousands
of boxes of tricks people fondly imagine we do. Essentially, with us, it is not
a question of volume, but of the quality of the sound. Up to now groups
have just added equipment to become louder, but they have not tried to get
that hi-quality. I dont think The Who, for instance, who get excellent
volume, have ever achieved that quality of sound.
We really feel happy playing at festivals, but I think concerts suit us
better because you can never get a good sound at festivals and a lot of
people can often not only not hear, but cannot see. The point about
festivals is that they are events. If you are a group and you go out on stage
and see that number of people, it is an incredible feeling of power in the
sense that it is the audience which is giving out the power.
Hyde Park, to me, when it started, was a beautiful idea, but promoters
are killing off festivals generally because they are finding they do not
always make money. We have had a lot of trouble with festival crowds in
France, where we were supposed to play at Aix-en-Provence, and the
reason these riots develop is that a lot of people believe they should get in
for nothing. There is nothing wrong in that it is good, but only if they can
offer a way of paying for the groups. We say, if you want to come in for
nothing, you should pass around the hats, because we need the money
to live. We cannot afford to play for free all the time. Michael Watts
transport cafes. Its a bit of a depressing area, and one wonders

why a pop star like Roger Waters would want to live there.
Maybe its the anonymity of it that appeals to him, the
deliberate contrast it presents to all the tinsel and trendiness
of the showbiz world. Anyhow, apart from the clean white paint
on the outside, there is little to distinguish it from the other
Victorian buildings that tire the eyes with their uniformity as
one drives down from Shoreditch.
Inside, though, all is modernity, that fashionable Spartan kind,
with bare polished wooden floors and the Scandinavian furniture
that immediately hits the eye because of its clean, spare lines. Mr
Waters used to study architecture and he has got taste, you see. He
opens the white front door himself and immediately launches into
a monologue about how he has just bought the wrong part for
some piece of equipment he is building in his studio.
Incidentally, would we like to see the studio, he interrupts
himself? Indeed we would, and he leads the way to the top of his
back garden where a garage-cum-tool-shed has been converted
for the purpose. Actually, it has not been completely re-done yet,
and one half of it is full of the most amazing jumble of objects
bike tyres and tins of paint, dried pods, a pottery kiln and
numerous unglazed earthenware vessels, which are there
because his wife, who is a teacher, practises pottery.
So back we go to the house, and we sit around the table by the
window and talk, while his Burmese cats prowl along the window
ledge and stare narrow-eyed at the starlings on the lawn outside.
How is the work on the ballet for Roland Petit progressing?
We havent started work on it yet.
But youve got basic ideas for it?
No. None at all. Im madly reading all Proust,
because thats the basic idea, so they tell me.
Thats Rolands idea, the choreographer and
producer of the thing. Its based on the 20
volumes of his La Recherche Du Temps Perdu.
Roland thinks theres some good gear in that,
which there undoubtedly is, so very loosely the
ballet will be based on certain episodes.
How difficult do you think it will be for the
band to do the score, inasmuch as the Floyds
music does not often have a broad theme, but
contains large areas of improvisation?
You see, they dont really rely to a large extent
on improvisation, but I know what you mean. In
fact, it wont necessarily have to be note for note, as long as the timing is
the same every night. The melody isnt as important as the timing of the
thing, because they all dance to counts, right? I cant see that it should
provide any problem, really, because people who play music without
reading do it constantly all the time. All rocknroll groups do it; its just
that we tend to do it less than most.
And all this thing about improvisation is a bit of a joke, anyway,
because people tend to have certain riffs and phrases and ideas which
they use, and they string them together.
When you first began playing, the music was broadly melodic, what
with numbers like Arnold
Layne and See Emily
Play, but now the emphasis
is on streams of musical
consciousness.
Originally, you see,
I wasnt doing anything
apart from being a student
of architecture and
spending money on buying
bass guitars, but in terms of
music I wasnt doing
anything at all.
See Emily Play and
Arnold Layne are Syd
Barretts songs, right, and it
July 18, 1970: Roger
Waters and Pink
wouldnt matter who it was
Floyd play a second
who played the bass or did
free concert in Hyde
this or that, its irrelevant.
Park two years after
the first event there
Theyre very strong songs
MELODY MAKER DECEMBER 5

ew North road is a long, busy thoroughfare stretching
from Londons Islington to Shoreditch one of those drab,
treeless roads where the heavy lorries and the commercial
vans trundle past the bright, faceless laundrettes and the greasy
getty (2)
In terms of
playing live,
all of us want
to get a superb
hi-fi sound
1970
a p r i l J U NE
and you just do it, its nothing to do with music, playing that stuff, it has to
do with writing songs, and that was Syd who wrote those songs. I dont
think we were doing anything, then, if you see what I mean.
It was Syd Barrett and the Pink Floyd?
Right. But I wasnt thinking about musical policy in those days not
that I think much about it now. Most of the stuff on the first album was
Syds. The only thing on that album that was much like what the group
was going to do later was the thing that we all did together Interstellar
Overdrive, which we dont like playing much now.
Are you bored with it? Yeah, Im bored with most of the stuff weve
done. Im bored with most of the stuff we play.
Even the new stuff? Well, there isnt very much new stuff, is there, if you
look at it? Im not bored with doing Atom Heart Mother when we get the
brass and choir together, because its so weird doing it. It always comes
out as so odd because of the problems of rehearsing musicians; its like
everybody throwing their lump of clay at the wall and seeing what it looks
like when its happened.
It depends on so many other things as well. It depends on how it mixes,
you know, and were working with this ludicrous
situation where we dont have somebody out
mixing the sound in the audience, which we
obviously ought to. Its ludicrous to mix the PA
from the side of the stage when you are mixing
brass and a choir and a group. But it would cost
a bloody fortune to get it together in another
way. But I think we ought to. Im beginning to
come to a position now where I dont think we
ought to play any more on a kind of Heath
Robinson level go and do it, play the numbers,
do the stuff, get the money and go home.
We should not go along and play a whole load
of numbers, most of them old and some of them
new, with things patently wrong, like with some
people balancing from the side of the stage.
I think we, and a hell of a lot of other groups, are in a position now to start
raising standards a bit, but we dont well, we havent but were always
intending to. The reason that they havent is that the moneys there, and
people are prepared to spend it on them doing what theyre doing now, so
they go on schlepping around the country, doing it all, and maybe they
get a new and wonderful buzz out of it, communicating with the audience
every night, but I dont believe it.
Its a job, with all the ego-boosting stuff and everything, and I think it
becomes very mechanical. Im going on a 10-day tour tomorrow night
Frankfurt, Vienna and Montreux but why am I going? To spread the
gospel, to make people happy by playing them wonderful music? No, its
not true. Im going to make bread. Im going because Im caught up in the
whole pop machinery business and so are the majority.
The band, therefore, does not exist totally for the music? In fact, I
understand that at one time you all possessed E-Type Jaguars.
Yes, but some of us are trying to fight it. I had mine for two months and
Ive just got a Mini now. But I think theres a great danger in getting into
that sports car bit, its all very, very, very tricky and hard, and we had great
arguments in the band about it, because I
proclaim vaguely socialist principles, and I sit
there spouting a lot of crap about how having
a lot of bread worries me and we are earning a lot
of bread now. I couldnt feel happy in an E-Type
Jaguar, because it just seems all wrong somehow.
I mean, who needs four-point-two litres, and a big
shiny bonnet, and whatever else it is!
I know the answers to all the questions like,
who needs hi-fi and just look at your house, with
all the tapestries on the wall. OK, I take the point,
but I have all these feelings. I do f all about it;
I dont rush around helping people desperately, and I dont give away all
my bread to everybody, but the argument we are constantly coming up
against is that you cant have the luxury of socialist principles and
compassionate feelings about people who are less well off than you are,
you cant sincerely have feelings for them, and you cant sincerely feel the
systems wrong, and wish there was some kind of socialist system, here
and elsewhere, and still have five grand in the bank, or whatever, which is
an argument were constantly having.
Then why dont you give all your bread away, apart from what you
needed to make ends meet?
Because Im the same as everybody else. Everybody, except for Christ
and Gandhi and one or two others, has got the acquisitive instinct to a
certain extent. The tragedy of the whole thing is that its multiplied. The
interesting thing is if we are born with it. If were not born with it, that
means that its foisted upon us by the system and that by the time we grow
up and start leaving home, or get pocket money, we have developed it.
The possibility exists even if its only a possibility that were not born
with it, and that, given a different environment, the kids might grow up
into people who get their kicks in another way.
I mean, its impossible in our society, because
youre pumped full of personal acquisitions.
Do you intend to intensify the theatrical
element in the groups performances?
This is what I was saying earlier on. I want
to stop going out and playing the numbers.
I personally would like to stop doing that now,
today. I would like to be creating tapes, songs,
material writing, and sketches of sets
whatever is necessary to put on a complete
theatrical show in a theatre in London
sometime, and see if the people dig it. They may
not. They may come on and say, Well, its
alright, but its not rocknroll, is it? They wont
do that, because theyre all terribly well-spoken
students, all our fans, so they tell me.
But its quite possible that the whole thing could fail horribly. I dont
think it will. I have great faith in giving the audiences more than music.
There is just so much more that you can do to make it a complete
experience than watching four long-haired youths leaping up and down
beating their banjos. Not that Im saying thats wrong, but why not try and
push yourself a bit further; why just go on doing the same thing night after
night? And believe me, groups are bored with it, whether theyll admit it
or not. It is boring to them. Its not quite as boring to the audience, because
the audience probably only see it once a year. Michael Watts
rex features
I spout a lot of
crap about
how having a
lot of bread
worries me

yd Barrett is a happy, creative, if somewhat confused young
man, who gave the Pink Floyd hits and headaches when still in
the group of his own creation and after many months of slightly
mysterious obscurity, has returned with an extraordinary solo album
of odd, eccentric songs. Looking like a younger edition of Patrick
Why not try and push

yourself a bit further?:
(lr) Roger Waters, Nick
Mason, David Gilmour
and Rick Wright in 1970

1970
Quote in here
along here
blah blah
quote like this
here yeah
Moore, Britains secret weapon in the space race, Syd has gaunt good
looks and the same gentle humour common to his old compatriots.
Roger Waters and Dave Gilmour of the Floyd have been helping to
reintroduce Syd to the pop world and produced The Madcap Laughs, an
LP rich in Octopus-type songs which particular track has been
released as a single.
In fact many friends have been anxious to help Barrett, who seemed to
succumb to the pressures of pop success in more drastic fashion than
most. He wrote See Emily Play and Arnold Layne, which were
milestones in group history. They symbolised the breakthrough in 67 of
the kind of progressive groups called underground when the phrase
had some meaning.
He has a song writing talent that should not be wasted and a most
original lyrical concept. When the Floyd first emerged from UFO and
became guests of Top Of The Pops, it swiftly became apparent to
interviewers earnestly seeking to communicate with their leader that
Sydney was not entirely together.
This confusion led him to part from the group nearly two years ago.
How is he today? Is he ready to embark on a solo career with all the worries
and responsibilities of touring, making appearances and coping with the
press? He seemed happy enough to talk this week, and while it was easy
enough to detect a mood of mild elation and surprise at the interest being
shown in him, it was not always so easy to understand his erratic train of
thought. But he was eager to be helpful and I suspect only as confused as
he wanted to be. How well was the single doing, I inquired through the
clouds of cigarette smoke we blew at each other in his managers office?
I havent noticed, said Syd, pondering but not wholly disturbed.
I dont think it was necessarily a good idea to do a single, but it was done.
Its a track off the album. Ive spent a long time doing it since I left the
group. But it was done at a reasonable pace. Yes, my time has been fairly
well spent since leaving. I havent had a particularly hard time and I was
OK for money. Ive heard of a few plans for me to do some appearances,
but there is nothing positive enough to talk about. There are vague ideas
about a group as well.
Ive just spent my time writing fairly regularly. Ive certainly not been
bored and there are still a lot of things to do. When I was with the Floyd,
the form of the music played on stage was mainly governed by the
records. Now I seem to have got back to my previous state of mind. With
the volume used, they inclined to push me a little. Yes there were hangups when I was with them, although it was not due to the travelling or
anything, which you just put in the category of being a regular activity in
that kind of job.
Does Syd like the

music industry?
Its beautiful here.
I never go anywhere
else. Top Of The Pops
is alright! You meet
interesting people and
there are always
people around I know
and are prepared to
like me. Thats very
nice. Theres no gloom
or depression for me.
Its been very exciting,
especially when I went
to America for two weeks before the split-up. Then we came back and
played at the Albert Hall and it was very much a crescendo and I felt good.
I miss playing to audiences, although I havent missed it so much recently.
Was Syd satisfied with the LP?
Well no. I always find recording difficult. I can only think in terms of,
well, Im pleased with 40 minutes of sound, but I cant in terms of the pop
industry. Its only a beginning Ive written a lot more stuff.
Syd occasionally laughed, seemed agitated or trailed away into silence
during our conversation. Anything that seemed uninteresting or
irrelevant merely provoked strained and disordered replies. A reference
to the unusual phrasing and choppy lyrics of Octopus drew a smile.
Octopus is a particular example of a recording being discussed as
something exceptional because it takes an unusual metre. I dont read
much, but I think I picked up Shakespeare as a book that just happened
to be lying there to read. It was meant to be verse. I like to have really
exciting, colourful songs. I cant really sing. But I enjoy writing from
experiences. Some are so powerful they are ridiculous. The straight
scene is best.
What happened in Tottenham Court Road when we started was a
microcosm of what happened later. I think pop today is a bit difficult to
take in some ways but its fine. Ive never felt I have been left behind. Id
like to play sometime on the scene. Got to do something. It would be a
splendid thing to get a band together.
Meanwhile Syd is getting Syd together, and those with a taste for any
unusual talent on a supposedly wide-open scene, that is often oddly
conservative, will find much to intrigue them on his strained, halting,
but often beautiful set of songs. Laugh on, madcap. Michael Watts
barry plummer
January 23, 1970: Syd

Barrett in the office of
managers Peter Jenner
and Andrew Kings
Blackhill Enterprises
1970
July sep tember
frEE, BLack saBBaTh,

dErEk & ThE doMInos,
ThE facEs and MorE
I was a
drunken egotist
MM JULY 18 Eric Burdon presents War, his plans for films

and thoughts on The Beatles. I look at my psychedelic
experience as my war, he says. With myself.
igh up on the sixth floor of the plush Londonderry Hotel, Mayfair, Eric
Burdon was sitting with his feet, clad in pumps, tucked beneath him;
looking for all the world like an urchin guru. Chrissie Shrimpton once
referred to him as that sexy little singer, but we neednt go into all that.
Certainly, Burdon himself doesnt give a damn any more about pop stardom.
Like hes serious now, man, but serious. In an age of pop politicos he is right
up there with the Country Joes, the Lennons and the rest of the hot political
gospellers. If the world has not changed appreciably by 1984 it will assuredly
not be for want of trying on the part of Mr Burdon.
Once upon a time he used to sing with The Animals, and he could knock back
the Newcastle Brown with the best of em. Then, as the hippy philosophy of
flower power embraced the pop establishment with its overpowering scent, he
turned to acid, and the image of the hard-boozing blues singer slipped. Simply,
he went soft. Well, its all changed again now, apparently. He has spent the past
two years in the States, trying unsuccessfully to break into the movies and,
almost incidentally, forming a new band. Which he has called wait for it WAR.
Burdon does not see the title as implying a contradiction in all his past
statements on love and peace. The way he sees it, they go hand in hand like love
and marriage. I believe in war and hatred, too, you see? he declared earnestly.
You cannot go to war unless you know what peace is as well. I spent the first half
of my life learning about one thing, now I am back and can judge both sides
objectively. I would agree that acid softened me, but I was a drunken egotist and
Im still egotistical when I get drunk.
Sure I have changed. You know, there is a term that is disappearing and
thats the word gentleman, which means to be gentle and to be a man at the
same time.
So flower power was not just a media-inspired trend on the lines of reggae, say?
Oh, to those who did not drop the dope it was, but to those who did, it was a new
life. It enabled me to separate my mind from my body, which I shall continue to
do. It was an invaluable learning period for me and for many people.
His view is that those whose minds became involved in a losing battle with
acid during that period were part of a process of sorting the wheat from the
chaff. There are strong people and there are weak people, he explained firmly,
and some of them did not make it through to the other side. That is the crux of
the game. It is sad, but war and life are sad, too: there are casualties and people
die. Look at it like this. Your father and mine were involved in wars, and I look at
my psychedelic period as my war, a war with myself.
camera press
You cannot go to war unless

you know what peace is as
well: ex-Animals frontman
Eric Burdon hooks up with
members of LAs Nightshift
(previously The Creators) to
form funk-rock group War
1970
j u l y s e p t em b e r
His stay in America,

although he admits it has
not been entirely happy, has
been exciting because of the
element of uncertainty in life
there. Violence interests him
deeply, to the extent that he has
a collection of guns and weapons. This aspect
of American society fascinates him, but he is
quick to point out that also it exists here.
Its a different violence in England. Look at
the establishment here, it split up The Beatles.
I suspect it has forced Lennon to withdraw into
his own thing because he was not getting the
right understanding and help, and McCartney
has become totally establishment.
They could have become this generations
Rodgers and Hart, but Rodgers wanted it and
Hart did not. Their personalities were reflected
in the establishment. To me, that is violence;
that is the same as a pig cop hitting a black over
the head.
He intends to visually realise his views in
the months ahead through several movies
he has planned. He has six treatments, or
loosely written scripts, prepared so far, all of
which sound highly complicated, to say the
least. In Burdons words, the first to be
produced, from a script by Steve Gold, a former
vice-president of Universal Productions,
concerns two men who are one man, brothers,
really, but not realising it.
One is a cop, representing the straight
establishment, and the other is conversely
a rocknroller in the States, a pillar of the young,
pop-orientated
establishment, which
is composed of those
kids who take the right
dope, wear the right
clothes and hang out with
the right chicks.
The dramatic incident
revolves around the
subsequent clash of their
respective personalities.
The essence of the movie, he declares, is
finding the edge of the coin.
American society does not allow a man to
make a mistake. When he does, he is judged
and put down for that mistake, although he has
already been
put in the
position of
having to make
it. The movie,
he adds, tries
to make
this point.
It all sounds
involved, his
subsequent
flicks, if realised, will pale

in comparison. He envisages
a series of audio-visual trips,
or hallucinations, of an even
greater plotless nature. Burdon
is no fool, though, however obscure.
He realises that you just cannot
commandeer the movie business with a snap
of your fingers. He has, he says, thousands of
things to learn about films from the people
with the skills before he can start making them
himself. And not everybody is rooting for him,
apparently. A lot of people do not want me to
get to say anything, because I threaten what
they are and stand for.
Originally, he declares, MGM offered him
a part in Blow Up as a beginning in films, but he
could not do it because he was more interested
in his music at the time and the vibes were not
right between Antonioni and himself. When
the two did finally get to grips with each others
beliefs he was asked to play in Zabriskie Point.
By then, however, Eric did not like what he
understood, so that was that.
Then again there was the sad saga of Peter
Watkins movie, Privilege, in which he was first
considered for the role of the tame political pop
star. Alas, states Burdon, Watkins wanted
someone tall, slim and handsome, not short,
fat and ugly. Enter Paul Jones, who got the
part. At least he knows what he likes, though
Ken Russells Women In Love, for instance.
That movie is really where I am at, he said
flatly. It is a total statement of every experience
of love. I realised after seeing the movie why
I had never read a DH
Lawrence book: its because
I already knew what he was
saying. I could feel in my
fingers the texture of what
the director was putting
together. I knew those faces
in the film; they were the
face of the people where
I was born and raised in
Newcastle the people who
work all the year round from nine to five with
two weeks at the sea virtually pit ponies. The
pity is that they still exist. When you have
escaped from that scene, like me, you feel you
want to pass on what you have learned.
He feels that through his projected movies
he can do his bit for these people and help to
knock down the establishment. Certainly, he
says, politicians can do nothing. Not as they
are now. I mean, look at Timothy Leary, whom
the kids started off by idolising. What
happened to him? He got involved in his own
performance, and went and ran for the
governorship of California.
With all this talk of the iniquitous
establishment still hovering in the air, I left
Burdon, to be collared as I got out
of the lift on the ground floor by
two of the hotels liveried flunkeys,
who promptly subjected me to
detailed questioning about who
I was and what did I think I was
doing using their lift. Eventually,
I left. By a back door. Maybe
Burdon has got a point, after all.
Look at the
establishment
here it split up
The Beatles
Michael Watts
We took in a tape
Apple decided to
release it!
MM AUG 29 Introducing Hot
Chocolate. We did a reggae
version of Give Peace A Chance.
ot ChoColate, the newest group
to the charts, is at present made up of
two professional and four semi-pro
musicians. But soon that is to change,
for with the success of Love Is Life the
group will be playing gigs full time in a
month or so.
Last week the two professionals, Errol
Brown, who has shaved his head for a
gimmick, and Tony Wilson, talked about
the group. The group used to play in the
Brixton area, said bass guitarist Tony.
Before Errol and I met them they did the
odd gig and things. After we had played with
them for a while we decided to do a reggae
version of Give Peace A Chance. We took a
tape to Apple, and they decided to release it.
A girl in the Apple office thought of the
name Hot Chocolate, and John Lennon
added band to their name for the single.
I think he thought it suited the record,
said vocalist Errol, adding probably
because of the Plastic Ono Band.
The record was not a success in sales, but
it did get their name known. They took
some tapes to Mickie Most, who gave their

Bet Your Life I Do to Hermans Hermits.
Mickie asked us if we had anything else, so
we took him along some tapes. Julie Felix is
recording one of our songs for her next
single. Another is going to Mary Hopkin,
and Mickie asked us to record Love Is Life,
said Tony.
The group have played three big gigs so
far and the idea of going on the road
appeals to both the musicians: The idea is
great now we are known, said Tony, who
has played with countless groups before.
September 13, 1970:

on tour in Europe after
announcing a deal with
Marshall Chess (right),
the Stones hold a press
call in Hamburg harbour
Connections with
Chess label
MM AUG 15 The Stones get
closer to their R&B heroes.
NME AUG 8 The Stones leave Decca (and Allen Klein), and employ Marshall
Chess. There comes a time for a change, says Mick Jagger.
s of this moment, the Rolling Stones

are without record label! Their
contract with Decca which has
grossed over 60 million in the past seven
years expired last weekend, and an
announcement is still
awaited regarding the
groups future plans. It
seems unlikely that the
Stones will re-sign with
Decca, and the giant
Atlantic company is strongly
tipped as the groups new
outlet. The Stones are
certain to insist upon full
artistic and material control
over their future product, and with this in
view, could well launch their own label for
distribution by Atlantic, or whichever
company signs them. US sources suggest that
the company which captures the Stones will
have to come up with a guaranteed advance of
over two-and-a-half-million dollars! This week,
Mick Jagger would only restrict himself to the
comment, There comes a time for a change!
The new Rolling Stones album, Get Yer
Ya-Yas Out recorded during their concert at
New York Madison Square Garden last
November will be issued in America in late
summer, as the final release under their deal
with London Records. This seems to suggest
that the LP, which has already been hanging
fire for several months, could be issued here
by Decca even though their contract has
terminated. In the States, it will be issued as a

double album, incorporating the acts of Ike &
Tina Turner and BB King, who also took part in
the New York concert. But the British release
will be confined to the Stones alone, and it will
be a single album here. If
Decca does issue an LP, the
first release on the Stones
new label is expected to be
drawn from material
recorded last winter in
Muscle Shoals, Alabama,
together with tracks on
which the group is currently
working in London.
The Rolling Stones have
broken away from their business manager,
Allen Klein, and have told him that he no longer
has authority to negotiate recording contracts
on their behalf. In a
statement issued this
week Klein accepts
this situation, but
claims that he retains
his existing rights to
manufacture Rolling
Stones recordings in
the future. And the
Stones answered this
by saying that they
are not aware of
any contractual
commitments
after July 31.
The giant Atlantic

company is
strongly tipped as
their new outlet
getty (2)
Without a label
Rolling StoneS move to Chess

label man Marshall Chess on the expiry
of their Decca contract means the
group will be nearer the source of the
music that originally inspired their
formation. The Stones began six years ago
as one of Britains protagonists of the
rhythm and blues revival.
And they were influenced by Chess
recording artists like Chuck Berry, Bo
Diddley, Muddy Waters and Howling Wolf.
Chess was the pre-eminent blues label of
the 50s. Now the group are expected to
form their own label to be headed by
Marshall Chess. Mr Chess (27) has severed
his connections with the original Chess
label, and is to run the Stones label, as yet
untitled, from New York, while Trevor
Churchill will run it from London. At press
time there was no official confirmation of
the signing, or details of distribution.
Chris Blackwell of Island Records told the
MM: I had talks with the Stones about
distribution some months ago, but I have
not heard anything since. And Polydor
Records in London said they had not heard
yet whether they would distribute ChessStones product. But the Stones are
expected to start a search for new groups to
join their label.
1970
Afro beat
is heavy!
MM AUG 29 Ginger Baker returns
from Africa, via car crashes, new
collaborations and new rivalries.
mirrorpix
inger Baker knows what they

say about him and hell drink a toast
in vodka, wink and war dance on his
tom-toms in defiance. Air Force a hype? Hes
got an answer for that. A feud with Elvin
Jones? Hell take Elvin on anytime. Beneath
a bragging exterior, a modest man keeps
fairly quiet. Ginger aint a monster, but hes
honest and forthright, which can
earn him the dislike of those who
cant forgive the brash and brave.
If Ginger wasnt the way he was
he couldnt play drums the way he
does. And he wouldnt have been
such an inspiration for so many of
todays rock players. An English
writer with a talent for upsetting
rock artists recently described
Ginger Baker as a cult figure in an
apparently uncomplimentary article.
If I ever see him again, Ill punch him
in the face, promised Mr Baker.
But if there are dissenting voices
raised against him in England and
America, there is one country he can be
assured a warm welcome Nigeria. Ginger has
just returned from an extraordinary safari
across Africa, and declares he is in love with
the country. At a 31st-birthday drink at his
London home last week, he waxed
enthusiastic about his adventures, and in
passing promised that Air Force would keep
on flying, whoever tried to shoot him down.
He relaxed in an armchair, strumming a
guitar. Eric taught me how to play, he said,
patting the heads of his three children, and
occasionally swearing at them when they
locked in deadly combat.
Ive always wanted to go to Africa, he
explained, pushing an Algerian hat over eyes
recovering from mosquito bites. I stayed in
Ghana and Lagos with Guy Warren and saw
Remi Kabaka and Fela Ransome-Kuti, who is
a trumpet player, singer and dancer. Hes got
a club and a band with three saxes and a conga
drummer which plays a thing called Afro-beat.
And its heavy! Peter King the alto player is
getting an incredible band together in Lagos
as well.
Afro-beat makes Motown look sick. I played
with Felas band and a group called the
Hikkers. I was about two weeks in Lagos, and
had a ball. Its

a beautiful
town. You
want to know
how it all
started?
Well, I was in
Bilbao in northern Spain in my Jensen, and
drove to southern Spain in a day; I did the last
140 kilometres in 50 minutes between one and
two in the morning. Thats moving some.
I took the car across to Africa and put my
faith in God. I was in Marrakesh for five days,
and then I got the feeling I had to get out and
drove 24 hours to Fez and the border. All the
people laughed because my Moroccan money
couldnt be changed. From there I went to
Oran in Algeria. That was HOT, but the roads
were great as far as I went. There wasnt any
good petrol a couple of times.
I got as far as the last stop, with the car full
of Sahara sand, when I did the crash. It wasnt
as bad as it could have been.
I was lucky. Im still not sure
what happened. Jensen are
checking over the car. I
remember catching a tree.
It wasnt in the desert, it was
in hilly country. I got out,
without a scratch. I knew
what I was doing Im good
at crashing cars.
The people there were marvellous.
Nobody knew who I was they just thought
I was peculiar. I had my hair tied back like an
Arab woman, and all the kids
called me Madame Messieur
and ran away screaming with
laughter. It was really quite
funny. I left the car with a
respectable citizen and caught
an aeroplane to Ghana. I
walked out of the airport and
got arrested for not having a passport

stamped. Then they let me go and I stayed at
Guy Warrens house. I knew Guy from 1960
when he came to Britain. Hes a complete
madman, but a good guy.
I tried to get a Nigerian visa, and in the end
I just flew into Lagos without one and they gave
me an extension. I had an incredibly good time
there. There were a lot of mosquitos, which is
why the white man is thin on the ground in the
West Coast. The second day I got knocked flat
on my back with bites, but I took some tablets,
after swelling up like a balloon.
Nigeria is an unspoilt country which keeps
its African culture. It will be rich and powerful
one day. They were all so pleased to see me,
yet when Remi Kabaka comes here he gets
turned away.
They are a more cultured and civilised
people than many people in Britain. And
Nigeria is where the musicians come from.
Did Ginger pick up much from the African
drummers?
Oh man! There was a
drum choir playing pieces
of wood that were
incredible. I had a play with
them, and there were two
kids, who frightened the life
out of me, and two old men.
Ginger had to race back
from his Africa high life to
the disastrous Krumlin Festival, for a nonexistent gig with Air Force. But he didnt seem
too upset. We got a phone call that it was
called off. I hear the stage got washed away
and there was no point in our going up, except
to help with the rescue work. It seems to me
that Air Force is doomed. People dont want
Air Force to happen!
What did he want to do in the future?
I want to get out to the States and see
Elvin Jones.
The Nigerians are

a more cultured
people than many
people in Britain
A question I cannot answer

MM AUG 15 What is happening with The Beatles, the Maker asks?
In recent interviews Ginger and Elvin had

been exchanging verbal fisticuffs, Elvin
expressing the view that Baker cant play.
Ginger determined to challenge him to
a drum duel.
Its just a needle match, smiled Ginger.
Ive asked for all the knocks I get from the
statements I make. In a recent jazz poll I put
Max Roach first, me second and Tony Williams
third. All I want to do is play in front of people,
and if Elvin is game, so am I. Max Roach plays
better than anybody anyway, and Elvin isnt
playing as well as he did five years ago.
If you cant have a laugh about it well,
whats it all about? If I played alongside Elvin,
he would make me play good, and Id make
him play good. Half the people would be on
his side to come and see me make a of
myself, wed play together and make of all
of them.
Would Air Force reduce to a smaller lineup?
Thats what people keep saying to me. Im
thinking about it. Im not over-sorry about the
people who have left, but I like to have horns in
the lineup. Harold McNair isnt in the band any
more, and I dont want him back. Hes a good
player but he was coming on strong a bit.
Im all for carrying on the band, but it needs
a lot of work. I prefer people to be flexible, but
some of them were set on their rails. That was
Harolds trouble. The second LP is done, but
Im not too sure about some of the numbers.
I dont do a solo maybe I will take one of the
tracks off and put on a solo.
They say life begins at 40, but at 30 it goes
haywire. I fancy doing one more tour, and then
Im going back to Africa. Im getting a thing
together there with some friends.
The thing is secret but Ginger wants to
help the music scene in Nigeria. Quite when
Air Force take off again is not known. But the
Baker drums will thunder on, and the spirit
wont be grounded. Chris Welch
What, if any, plans do the individual

members of the group have for the future?
Apple: I dont think any of them have any
long-term plans. This isnt unusual because
they have never made long-term plans, even
in their touring days. George is increasing his
success at writing his own songs. He has
developed as a composer and will probably
continue this. Ringo is exploring different
things. He may do more films and may do
more comedy, singing and acting.
Is there any recorded material

still unreleased?
Apple: No. Even if there was it would never be
issued. The group are always very conscious
of keeping up with the
current tastes.
Have The Beatles finished as a group?

Apple: That is a question I cannot answer.
There is no harm in anyone discussing it, but
it is a futile discussion for people who are not
involved in it. I dont think
they will ever lose their
Beatles tag, even though
they may never work
together again.
There are no
plans for any
shows or tours
Are any of the individual

members working on solo
albums at present?
Apple: Ringo has
completed his country
album in Nashville and it will probably be
released in September. George is nearing the
completion of his new album but we dont
know when it will be released. This will be
very different from his solo albums. The other
two have not been in the recording studios
but I would presume they have not been idle
during the summer. It is not their nature to sit
and do nothing.
Was Let It Be the last

Beatles album, as it
appeared to be from the way it was packaged?
Apple: That way it was packaged did not mean
it was the final album. The art work was
planned long before all the publicity about
the group breaking up. It may have looked like
that but it wasnt meant to.
Does the fact that there are no plans for the
future mean there is no future for The Beatles?
Apple: No. The fact that there are no plans
doesnt mean anything. The group have never
planned things much. It is not essential to
make plans with the Beatles.
Why has John Lennon been in Los Angeles

all this year?
Apple: He is living very quietly over there.
There have been no press
reports about his activities,
so I assume he is living quietly.
april 10, 1970: Beatles
fans gather outside
He has rented a house there.
apples office on savile
There is a lot of building
row in central London
going on at his house in Ascot.
I have no idea when he will
be back.
Where are the other three
Beatles at the moment?
Apple: Paul is at his farm in
Scotland. I have no idea when
he will return to London.
George and Ringo are both
at their homes.
Are there any plans for
any kind of performance
whatsoever?
Apple: None at all. There are no
plans for any shows or tours.
pa
ginger Baker:
having a ball
with Fela kutis
band in Lagos
How long is it since The Beatles all four

of them actually played together?
Apple: The last time was during the
recording of the Abbey Road album, which
was in the late summer of 1969. Various
members of the group have since recorded
together on individual sessions. George
has been on Ringos sessions and vice versa,
but all four have never actually played
together since summer 1969. Thats about
a year ago.
1970
We live
for the
next gig
FREE are longtime triers but a hit single
suddenly makes them a household name. As
All Right Now reaches a huge audience, half
the band shyly enjoy the acclaim, while the other
half look to their next triumph. People were on
the roof, smiles singer Paul Rodgers.
getty
ne of the good things to have emerged from the blues boom

of 18 months ago has been free. their music contains a punchy
simplicity which comes as a refreshing change from the
bands who seem intent on confusing minds with gross overelaboration. they have it on a formula which will grab people in
much the same way as Jethro tull or family have done, and I am
not alone when I predict that in the next 12 months they will have made a lasting
mark on the British music scene.
free are completely aware of their music, they know exactly where they are going
and pretentiousness within the group is nonexistent. the group comprises: Paul
Rodgers, vocals; Andy fraser, bass; Paul Kossoff, guitar; and Simon Kirke, drums.
free were born about a year and a half ago at the very height of the blues boom.
these were the times when blues groups lurked round every corner. When I
interviewed Simon Kirke and Paul Rodgers in his holborn flat last week they were
the first to admit that they had been in on the boom but there the similarity
between them and a hundred other groups ended.
We really loved the blues then and we still do, said Paul. We always tried to play
with the utmost feeling and we tried to swing all the time. Its so easy to play the
blues badly and still fool a lot of people, but theres no satisfaction in that. the
October 23, 1970:

Paul Rodgers
performing with
Free at Imperial
College, London
1970
Slow, deliberate
NME JULY 11 Paul Rodgers talks

about Frees breakthrough third
album: This one has more feel
REE havE thE top-selling single this week

and the fastest-selling new album. Coupled
with their ability to virtually outdraw most
other groups in the country, they have much to
be pleased about. One morning last week,
lead singer Paul Rodgers and myself got
together over coffee to do a track-by-track
of Frees new album Fire And Water (Island
stereo, ILPS 9120, 37s 5d).
Prior to actually listening to the album, Paul
had this to say. When you just work the clubs
you are entirely wrapped up in the music, then
when you suddenly get a record high in the
charts the pressures upon you increase. Now
that its all happening, you really do have to
concentrate and remember that you are in it
for the music. For single success can bring you
out of the group unit. But were still enjoying
things and having a good time.
The success of All Right Now has given us
a wider audience, and at many places people
have been climbing on the roof in an effort
to get to hear us. Singles are not really
representative of Free; what we are all about is
when we are on stage we prefer an audience.
Having stated the groups position, we then
got down to the job in handthat of listening
to the new album.
Fire And Water

PaUL RODGERS: This song was buzzing
around in my mind for months when we toured
the States with Blind Faith. Theres a whole
new soul sound emerging in
the States, its much stronger
and cleaner than before.
James Brown and Sly & The
Family Stone are very much
into it. Genuine soul, as
opposed to the sock-it-to-me
type, does have a genuine and
sincere feeling for the music.
You know, we all really enjoyed
making this album. When we
cut our very first long-player,
Tons Of Sobs, we were very nervous and
werent really pleased with it, while I felt the
second one was far too clean. This one has
more feel and sound about it. I like it.
ROY CaRR: A medium-paced opener based
on a simple riff and heavily accentuated beat.
Nice vocal and a slow, deliberate guitar solo.
FIRE AND WATER
TRACK
BY
TRACK
FREE
for having no bread. To be truthful, I had to do a

moonlight flit. As I had nowhere to stay I moved
in with Andy in Roehampton. During this time
we wrote an incredible amount of songs
together, at least 10 a week. This song comes
from that period. I like Kirkys bongo playing on
this track. We like to keep a form to our work.
There has to be a basis, like we take it in turns to
put one instrument into prominence. I dont
believe in this freeform music.
Now Ill write a song, and itll be a very rough
thing, but Andy will take it and rearrange it for
the group. When Andy writes, he just does the
backing and I put the lyrics to it.
RC: An excellent song
which could easily appear
on other peoples albums.
You could imagine it being
sung by Otis Redding or
Wilson Pickett, complete
with Stax brass. The whole
production has a good feel
to it with a powerful vocal
from Paul, while Paul Mk 2
plays good guitar solo
which benefits from his
minimal use of notes instead of the how many
notes can I cram into a stanza usually adopted
by unimaginative players.
We like to keep
a form to our
work I dont
believe in this
freeform music
Heavy Load
PR: This is more Paul Kossofs song than

mine. I just wrote lyrics to it. As usual, I write
about my personal experiences.
RC: This song starts off very slowly and very
quietly, with echoey drums. Maintains this
mood throughout.
PR: Ah, this is my favourite song on the album.

Andy worked the piano part out and I think its
wonderful. The very first time I heard it, I
thought it was truly beautiful. We only decided
to do it on the spot in the studio. Its a good
track, but I think it needs a few listens to.
RC: Solo piano intro by Andy Fraser which
predominates throughout and leads into a
simple solo which keeps very close to the basic
chord structure.
Remember
Mr Big
PR: About two years ago I had a little bedsitter in West Hampstead, but I got kicked out
PR: This is a mean one. Originally Mr Big was

my song, but everyone worked so hard on it
Oh I Wept

1965
that I felt that it was only right everyone got

a credit. Both this and Fire And Water are
among our most popular numbers on stage. I
really like Andys bass solo on this one. He really
gets going on it hes a remarkable player.
RC: Another good medium-paced number,
with accentuated guitar on the offbeat and
interweaving basslines. Andys solo is first
rate, with his bass guitar sounding like a
bassoon at times.
Dont Say You Love Me

PR: This comes from the time that Andy and
I wrote Remember. We recorded it late at
night when everyone was feeling a little tired
and slow. Thats why theres such a nice and
very relaxed feel to it.
RC: A slow and very quiet song which builds to
a very soulful crescendo.
All Right Now (long version)

PR: We really got into this album, but first we
had to get used to the fact that we didnt have
an audience. Its quite interesting as to how All
Right Now came about. We were all sitting in
the dressing room before a gig in Manchester
and we were talking about the need for us to
do a number where everyone could join in and
clap. So we decided to work it out there and
then, with everyone just clapping their hands
while I tried to fit in some words.
Its a very happy and easy-going type of
song. It took about 16 hours to record. When
wed finished, everyone liked it, but Chris
Blackwell said it was far too long for a single.
Originally we didnt want him to mess about
with it, for we werent sure how it would turn
out if he edited it. But Chris did a good job and
it turned out OK. All I hope is that people who
buy the album enjoy it.
RC: The only real uptempo song on the entire
album, which everyone is already very familiar
with, and a fine closer to an album which will
consolidate Frees position on the scene.
Roy Carr
free
boom did do a lot of good though, in that

musicians had a better chance of getting together.
In the States there never has been a sudden mass
liking for blues. Its always been there and its
really weird when BB King is known as the ace
supporting act.
Our first gig on the American tour was very
frightening, says Simon. We went over there
with Blind Faith and played one gig with them at
Madison Square Gardens. In Britain the largest
crowds we have ever played to have been two to
three thousand, but that time twenty thousand
showed up and this scared us which meant we
played badly. After that gig we split and did a
tour on our own which went much better.
Nowadays the American kids wont accept
any old rubbish that is given them. At one time
if a group had the British tag it was taken that
they must be good whether they were or not.
Things have improved a lot now because most
of the British bands who go over there are
good and have earned their reputation in this
country. In Britain you have to be good to survive because of all the
free competition.
Free have had two albums released in Britain, although they werent too
satisfied with the first. In April they are off again to the States. We will be
mentally prepared for the trip this time, said Simon. America takes a lot
of getting used to socially.
When youre in Britain you think you hate the policemen, until you go
over there and find them all walking about as if they were cowboys. In
fact, they look exactly like cowboys with the guns and all the gear. They
had a good knock at the Madison Square Gardens concert when some of
the kids rushed the stage.
America is very rewarding financially, says Paul, but I could never
live there. There are so many bad vices. The money that the American
kids have is incredible. A bird will pick YOU up in a Mustang, but to get
the Mustang she will have paid for it with three nervous breakdowns
and an abortion.
For a group who write virtually all their own material, Paul and Andy
Fraser being responsible for most numbers, the unavoidable question of
influence cropped up.
Simon: Obviously most of the blues greats have influenced us,
especially the three Kings, and probably John Mayall. We all admire him
for what he has done for the music and consequently for the musicians.
On the current British groups who have found favour, Paul says:
People like Jethro Tull have been pushed a bit too hard and as a result
their singles have suffered, and none of the young white American bands
really move me. Raymond Telford
We didnt ask for a hit, but now that it has

happened we are most thankful for it, Simon
declared when not only I, but what seemed
like representatives from all the mass medias
descended on Frees recording companys offices
one lunch time.
Stating the groups policy towards singles,
he continued, We are not going to sit down
and say, Right, lets write a single. Paul Rodgers
and Andy Fraser have got a lot of good songs
together, most of which will ultimately go
to make up our fourth album. If theres
something amongst that lot which we feel
has a singles potential, then naturally well
release it. But we wont be pressurised into
writing songs especially for the singles market,
he assured me.
To the uninformed observer, Frees doublebarrelled assault on the public makes it appear
as though they are an overnight success.
Making the transition from obscurity to
acceptance in one very swift and easy step. Its
true to say that now everyone wants to know Free. But its also true to
state, if only for the record, that prior to attaining these trophies of
success they were held in the very highest of esteem by thousands of Free
fans throughout England and Europe.
Aside from the accolades, they now have to contend with such
occupational hazards as the knockers. For in certain dark corners the
rather over-loud beery voices of the Johnny-know-alls have been heard to
expound, Theyve sold out.
Anyway, what is the definition of selling out? Simon queried as he
pondered over a glass of Spanish red wine. I would hope that people who
know us would appreciate the position that we are in, he said, trying to
define a self-asked question that doesnt really apply to Free.
We dont pander to anything or anyone. Its just that we came up with
the right formula at the right time. Basically we have the same stage act
that we had last year. All thats really changed is the material. Of course,
since the record clicked we do find ourselves playing to a lot more people.
How they get in to see Free must be amazing, because the group were
playing to packed houses a long time before they made the charts.
Thats the only thing that bothers me, Simon admitted. Many of our
most staunchest and long-standing fans are having to endure standing in
queues and a lot of aggravation in order to get into see us. Unfortunately
this is beyond our control.
At this point in our conversation we were joined by the groups publicist,
young Bill Harry, and Frees vocalist Paul Rodgers. It was Paul who took it
upon himself to replenish our empty wine glasses, muttering and
laughing to himself that it was like they were still on tour. For they had
just returned from a whirlwind jaunt around some of the capitals of
Europe with Traffic.
To call Free a funky little band brings a smile to
Simons face, because thats exactly how he feels
NME AUGUST 1
think that all Right Now has the
perfect ingredients for a big hit. Without
showing any trace of egotism, this is the
very honest and factual opinion of Simon Kirke,
Frees slightly introverted drummer. The reasons
for this self-analytical statement are: The song
has a good and instant hookline, plus a strong beat
to dance and rave about to. He added, If you
listen to the longer version on the album youll
hear that it also has a very good storyline.
Success didnt come easy to Free; it took close
on three years of gruelling one-nighters, three
albums and an instantly accepted single. When it
arrived, it struck with all the furore of a force-10
hurricane. The devastating impact of which has
been duly felt at the very summit of both the singles
and albums charts.
Not since the touring heyday of The Beatles and
the Stones have an album and single chased each
other up the best-selling list with such speed, and in
doing so ignited the fuse for the biggest explosion of
genuine fan-mania in years.
We all love playing

on stage together:
Free drummer
Simon Kirke in 1970
getty
At one gig
with Blind
Faith, 20,000
showed up. It
scared us
1970
about their music. As Paul sat grinning at Mr Kirke being

interviewed, he nodded in agreement to what Simon was saying.
We all admire the sound that comes out of the Stax studios. Its so
right, with everything being kept simple yet totally effective. If its
straightforward and simple then more people are going to dig it.
With this statement he summed up the magic essence of Frees
overwhelming popularity.
I was once asked why I never took a solo. Its because I like to keep
everything tight. I dig people like Booker Ts drummer, Al Jackson,
and that great guy who appears on many of the Atlantic albums,
Roger Hawkins. Now those guys really know what to play and, most
important, when to play it. A drummer should just make you want to
nod along in time with the music. On the other hand, I enjoy Buddy
Rich, because of his virtuosity and I accept him for that.
It was not time for us to return to the Island offices as there was still
much answering of questions and clicking of cameras to be done
before the boys were due to leave for that evenings gig. On our way
back, Simon drove the point home when he revealed, We live for the
next gig, and you cant beat it. We all love playing on stage together;
its not self-indulgent, because our audiences really dig what we
enjoy, so were all happy.
Its all a question of getting on with people before you can make
any headway. We always want to evoke a good reaction rather than
a bad one. In the music game, there are so many pressures that
people outside of the business never encounter or think exist. If you
want to be realistic about it, then its a rat race.
Free have gone through their period of internal strain, petty
arguments and worry, in the early days of formulating their career.
Today, we really dig each other, and everyone. For
them everything is on the up-and-up, or you could
say its All Right Now. Roy Carr
NME AUGUST 29
ell then how did that one
sound? yelled Simon Kirke from
the studio floor, suddenly breaking
the few seconds of silence. Alright, came the
immediate reply from Paul Rodgers in the control
room. But I think that we can get it much better.
As if reacting to some invisible force, the rest of
the group automatically got up from their resting
places and trundled off back into the studio to
rejoin their drummer in putting down yet
another take.
It was now fast approaching 1am and Free
were getting down to the all-important task of
recording backing tracks for their next album.
Now a recording session can either prove to be
the most boring and tedious of spectator sport,
or on the other hand it can provide an evenings
(or in this particular case an early mornings )
entertainment. The demanding pressures of
their current success havent diminished Frees
enthusiasm or dulled their creative ability. If
anything its heightened their senses. Having
enjoyed the rarity of a chart double-top, they are
determined to sustain their now enviable
position, but not to the point of overtaxing their talent in one mad effort to
cash in on the many tempting and lucrative rewards within their grasp.
When I arrived at Island Records just after the bewitching hour, Paul
Kossoff (hereafter referred to by his group nickname of PK), Andy Fraser,
Paul and Simon seemed very pleased with the way things were
progressing. With his usual friendly smile, Paul of the famous
appearing and disappearing beard informed me, You know, weve
managed to lay down three songs in three nights. Which is good going
by anyones standard.
Apart from these studio sessions, Free intend

to record their contribution at this weekends
Isle Of Wight bash and at a forthcoming concert
at the Fairfield Hall, Croydon. Should the
resulting tapes come up to their expectations
and personal satisfaction, then they will
probably provide one complete side of their
forthcoming album.
Looking out of the panoramic double-glazed
observation windows of Island Records new
Number 1 studio, its sometimes hard to believe
that youre not in the control centre of some
interplanetary spacecraft. It was only the sight
of the four familiar figures of Free in the gloom
and the playback coming from the four large
overhead speakers that made me realise that it was indeed a studio. The
banks of highly sophisticated electronic devices, multi-coloured lights
and predominant control board give the impression of 2001.
Can I have a bit more volume on my cans, Simon requested, referring to
the headphones he was wearing. Surrounded by a barricade of baffleboards, he was laying down a Staxish backbeat to the latest Fraser-Rodgers
composition, Highroad a nice chunk of rockin down-home funk.
Satisfied with the volume on his cans and following a false start, he
remarked, Its a strange feeling playing without the bass, for bassist Andy
Fraser was putting a
rolling piano part on
the number.
Not to worry, itll be
OK when I track on the
bass part later on,
The Stax
sound is so
right simple
yet totally
effective

1970
free
As he started to sing the lyrics to Highroad which he had

scribbled on a couple of pages from my notebook, it all took on an
entirely new dimension.
With complete spontaneity, he added some effective falsetto
hollers and whoops, to the sheer delight of PK, who again was
visually digging it all between bites of a sandwich. Meanwhile,
Simon, who was sat right next to me, rocked gently from side to
side with his eyes closed to the beat hed helped to lay down earlier.
Still slightly overwhelmed by the success of All Right Now, he
suddenly remarked, Its just great the world sales have now
passed a million. A lot of people take such figures for granted, but it
just knocks me out.
Not only has it made all the major European charts, but its
starting to break very big in the States, he added with what can
only be described as personal relief.
As the sound faded away, Paul reappeared to give his verdict
to the playback. Though it sounded quite acceptable and vital,
he was most dissatisfied. I can do that a whole lot better, he
informed everyone, screwing his face up. First of all I just want to
alter a couple of words so that itll flow better and it did.
With the big hand on my watch at 12 and the small one on 5,
I decided to retire gracefully before flaking out on the oh-sotempting control-room couch. However, as it was already
occupied by the now horizontal form of PK, I again decided to
brave the elements once more and return to Chez Carr. Roy Carr

t was inevitable that Free should figure somewhere in
the MM poll 1970 has been their year. After two years of
gradual building up, the London blues outfit have at last
earned the recognition they deserve.
Andy Fraser, the groups bass guitarist, can be excused for feeling
a little more pleased than his three colleagues, for he has made the
sixth slot in the bass guitarist section, topping would you believe
Paul McCartney and Bill Wyman. And he co-wrote All Right
Now with singer Paul Rodgers, which topped the British Single Of
The Year class.
Yes, I must admit it feels very nice to think I have written the top
single, he said this week. It really gives me a buzz to think so
many thought it was the best record.
Andy took up the piano at five and his keyboard talents will be
evident with the release of Frees fourth album in November. At 11,
he took up guitar and switched to bass a year later because nobody in his
school group could play bass.
I went to college and met Alexis Korner and started getting some gigs
with him. Then after a few months John Mayall phoned up Alexis and
asked him if he knew a bassist and he told him about me. I went to meet
John and we played for a bit and I joined him.
The band in those days had Mick Taylor, Keef Hartley, Dick HeckstallSmith, Chris Mercer, Henry Lowther and, of course, John. It lasted for
about a few months and broke up after I left. It wasnt really happening for
us and I wanted to write. It was obvious to John and me that we were going
in different directions.
Then someone put me in touch with Paul Kossoff, who was looking for
a bass player to form a band. I met him and he introduced me to Paul
Rodgers and Simon Kirke and we auditioned each other. I remember we
wrote two numbers on the first night, which was very inspiring.
The group have just one more track to do on their new album, which
says Andy will be their best ever. Three numbers on it Riding On
A Pony, Be My Friend and The Stealer have been regularly featured
live in recent weeks. Whether or not there will be another single depends
on Island, their recording company, but the group themselves are not
worried about a follow-up.
The story behind All Right Now is worth telling. It was
written after a bad gig in Manchester. Andy started a riff
on guitar and Paul came in with some obscene vocals.
The words were censored a bit for the record, which was
originally an LP track. We had released two singles
before which sold about two copies each, and thought
that was it. Then at the last minute we decided to put
out All Right Now as a third attempt.
It was definitely a case of third time lucky.
Free in 1970: (lr)

Andy Fraser, Paul
Rodgers, Paul
Kossoff, Simon Kirke
Andy reassured him from the other end of the studio. And he was as good
as his word.
After yet another false start, a good take was safely in the can, and the
essential ritual of listening to the playback was conducted. As the
Mickey Mouse sounds of the sped-up tape rewind whirled around the
control room, Jimmy Cliff quietly slipped in for a preview after spending
some hours mixing the tapes which he recently cut in Muscle Shoals for
his next album, in Islands Number 2 studio.
As the track came thundering through the bank of playback speakers,
PK enthused most energetically to all he heard.
Hey Rodgers, he chortled, its the first time youve played on a disc,
isnt it, referring to the fact that his namesake had been laying down
some strong chunky block chords on a Gibson. Paul just grinned in
acknowledgement.
It could do with something in the middle-eight, dont you think?
queried Andy Johns, who was engineering the session, to Andy Fraser.
I suppose so, was the reply. Weve been trying out some interesting
combinations on the mellotron, he informed Andy as they both
wondered off into the studio.
Already the pangs of hunger were being experienced by one and all, so
as part of the Roy Carr Survival Course, I slipped out of the studios
into the pouring rain, returning 15 minutes later laden with
much nosh. Amidst much cheering and grunts it was
rapidly devoured. By this time all the backing tracks had
been completed and it was now time for Paul Rodgers to
put on the vocals.
After loosening up his vocal cords in one mad frenzy
in the studio, Paul donned a pair of cans and
positioned himself in front of a mic as the backing
track was played over for him.
getty
1970
TR
ACKS
REVIE
W
1970
The chords were drastic

the changes it didnt
bother me too much as it
was light it seemed to flow.
The lyrics were funny but the
voice was another instrument.
Obviously its not meant to be
judged as a song.
Audience
Belladonna Moonshine
ChArISmA
What are you trying to do

to me?
MM JULY 25 Ray Davies
reacts to the new tunes.
ola hitmaker raY Davies returns to the

singles fray. Ray Davies, a happy man at the
moment, with The Kinks latest single, Lola, high
in the charts, sat through Blind Date puffing a large
cigar. I dont smoke, so I puff at these things, he said.
He seemed to enjoy most of the records, and insisted
that mono records were played through one speaker,
and stereo played stereo.
Deep Feeling
Skyline Pigeon PAGE ONE
Its hard to say really. It weaves in
so many different directions and
patterns. Im not going to say I
dont like it it might sound nice
on the radio. But nothing very
good has happened to me it
hasnt knocked me over but
then I suppose its not meant to.
getty
Mike dAbo
California Line UNI
Sounds like someone trying to
sing like Bob Dylan. Obviously
its made for an album. Its an
English production a Bob Dylan
London special. Its a weird
change. The thing with Bob Dylan
is when he sings low anyone can
sing like it maybe thats
Joyce Bond
Wind Of Change
UP frONt
why he sells. As
soon as I heard
this, it sounded
produced it
had an echo on
mouth organ.
Brian Auger
& The Trinity
I Wanna Take You Higher
frOm thE LP Befour , rCA
Its an English record again

the group is probably good live.
Are there two organists? No, it
sounds like double tracking.
Theres a Joe Tex riff Im not
saying it is Joe Tex, but thats
a riff he uses, Sly & The Family
Stone type of thing. If you walk
into a nightclub its the sort of
thing you hear when you walk in.
Its a rocking Rex beginning

its Rex again. I know the
record, Ive heard it
before. I know what
they mean by
changing it in the
middle I personally
would have liked to
do something more
with the saxes.
Basically its good I
like it. I dont know why
they had to do the middle;
I suppose it makes people
stand up and listen. I dont mind
listening to the same sort of
backing for three minutes. The
trouble is that records have to be
made to be played on Radio One.
Traffic
Freedom Rider
frOm thE LP John Barleycorn
Must Die, ISLAND
I think its an English record.

Its a flute, isnt it? Yeah, thats
nice quite nice. Sounds like he
doubles on saxes does he sing
as well? No, its Stevie Winwood
singing must be Jim Capaldi
on drums. Traffic yes this is
similar to their first album
they surprise me when they
used to make
singles they
were totally
different to
their albums.
Shes got a nice voice is this

reggae? I like the double lyric
I dont know whether its trad,
blue beat, reggae or what. Ive
heard the voice before I know
that person the rest of it
doesnt help the voice at all.
Doesnt sound like the musicians
are at all interested; this happens
when you cut a track in three
hours probably put the back
track down first. What are you
trying to do to me!
May Blitz
Tomorrow May Come
frOm thE LP May Blitz , VErtIGO
Is it an album The Walker

Brothers? Its quite restful really
quite hypnotic. There are a lot
of long words Ill have to get
my dictionary out. Obviously
more concerned with lyric
than music poetry really
ultraviolet and things. It would
be interesting to see them live.
Theres nothing too obvious in it.
singLes & aLbums
Templeton Twins
Hey Jude LIBErtY
Bullshit real bullshit Paul
McCartneys demo. With any
luck itll go to No 1 and Sunday
Night At The Palladium will
come back on the telly. What
are you trying to do to me?
Yes
Everydays
ACKS
TR
frOm thE LP tiMe anD

a WorD, AtLANtIC
W
REVIE
1970
Ray Stevens
But You Know I Love You
mONUmENt
I dont know
anything about hits
MM AUG 1 So says Free frontman Paul Rodgers in
this weeks Blind Date, though he does really.
ith his groups record flying high at the top of the charts,
Paul Rodgers is a happy man at the moment although he is a
bit scared that too much publicity might harm the underground
image that Free have built up in the last 18 months. Hes a big Joni
Mitchell fan, and was a bit disappointed that the selection we played
didnt include any Joni songs. He raves over anything that swings.
W
Max Romeo
Flab in a Pond UNItY
Desmond Dekker its good.
Good hi-hat hi-hats are very
difficult to play like that. I like
it a lot.
Fotheringay
The Ballad of Ned Kelly
frOm thE LP fotheringay,
ISLAND
Ive heard this before it sounds

like The Weight its not The
Band. Same feel as The Band
but the guitars better than
The Band. Very tight I like the
chorus because its not double
tracked if you want a hundred
voices you should get a hundred
singers. Very good I like the girl
singers in groups.
the same as Diana

Ross. I dont think
the sound sticks out
enough, though.
It seems a bit quiet
and afraid.
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young

Ohio AtLANtIC
This is very nice; beautiful in
fact. It must be Eric Clapton on
that guitar. I dont know who
they are but they make a really
good sound. Theyre probably
American, but the song is
recorded beautifully. (On being
told) Dont ask me if its going
to be a hit, because I dont know
anything about hits. I dont like
everything they do because
I like a hard lead voice, but
that song is really nice.
Eric Burdon & War

Spill The Wine StAtESIDE
I like that washboard sound. Is it
Frank Zappa? Its a good song
with a nice swing and I like the
singers voice. (On being told)
His voice has changed a lot
since The Animals day. I think
its a lot better now.
Jackson 5
The Love You Save
tAmLA mOtOWN
Its a Jackson 5. Is this their

new single? I liked their other
singles. Its unbelievably tight
and there is some good cymbal
This isnt really as strong as

the music I like to listen to. I like
a strong beat. This seems a bit
insipid. The Sweet Inspirations
have done this and their version
was much more powerful. Take
it off.
Clancy Eccles & The Dynamites

Africa CLAN DISC
Oh no! Take it off, please. I dont
like the harmonies. I dont hate
all reggae; some of it has got
a nice beat. But this is badly
performed and badly recorded.
Black Sabbath
Paranoid VErtIGO
This is a heavy sound, but I dont
know who it is. Its very well
recorded but I feel I have heard
so many things like this before.
The bass and the drummer
dont seem very together and
neither does the guitarist really.
Maybe they are better on stage.
I like things to sound heavy but
melodic at the same time, as
well as tight together.
work. I dont think it is as catchy

as their other two. I cant hear
the words, so I dont know what
he is singing about.
Gulliver
Every Days A Lovely Day
ELEKtrA
This has a nice beat and I like it.

I think the key is a bit high for
the singer, though.
Supremes
Everybodys Got The Right To Love
tAmLA mOtOWN
This is quite a record. It must

be Diana Ross. (MM: Its The
Supremes without Diana Ross.)
Paul: It sounds just like her.
Whoever is singing sings just
Richard Harris
Ballad Of A Man Called Horse
StAtESIDE
This is nice and peaceful, and

theres a beautiful guitar sound.
Is it Tim Rose? It doesnt sound
like a young singer. I think I like
the intro better than the song.
Its too smooth for me, but the
backing is lovely. The drumming
is very good.
Jimmy McGriff
The Worm UNItED ArtIStS
This is nice, the drumming is
great. Oh yes, I like this one.
Leave it here when you go.
It really jumps out of the
speakers. Is it Jimmy McGriff?
It must be. That drumming is
too much.
photoshot
Good I like the strings at

the beginning. Its very hard
to get that sound. Sounds like
Cleo Laine probably meant
to sound like that chap from
The Zombies. If it goes back
into the song Ill kill him
its like atomic fallout is
it a soundtrack? You cant
condemn people its good
actually. Its the second record
that changed suddenly like
that. Its good, that one.
1970
getty
The third Isle Of Wight

Festival, August 2631,
1970: an estimated
600,000 gather to see
acts ranging from prog
supergroup Judus Jump,
Wednesdays openers, to
Richie Havens, playing as
dawn breaks on Monday
JIMI HENDRIX and LEONARD COHEN come to Britain to play the third
ISLE OF WIGHT FESTIVAL. MM doesnt only draw deep insight from the two
musicians it despatches a writer to rough it with the kids. I suspected
my colleagues commiserations were not genuine, he reports.
Ready for the

next trip
1970
MM SEPT 5
imi Hendrix, tHe
man with the misleading
reputation that had
mothers locking away
young daughters when he
was in town, is talking again.
After six months of hiding in corners,
crawling into cracks when people were
around, and generally locking himself
away from the world, our Jimi is back in
business, and his mind is six months
pregnant with ideas.
For Jimi, the first long trip has come to
an end. Its time to go back home, feed
himself until hes fat again, and then set
out on trip number two, which will be
a longer trip, and intrepid exploration,
and for Jimi a new experience.
Its all turned full circle, Im back right
now to where I started. Ive given this era
of music everything. I still sound the
same, my musics the same, and I cant
think of anything new to add to it in its
present state, Jimi told me as he sat
tending an English cold in a lavish London
Park Lane hotel.
When the last American
tour finished earlier this
year, I just wanted to go
away a while, and forget
everything. I wanted to just
do recording, and see if
I could write something.
Then I started thinking.
Thinking about the future.
Thinking that this era of
music sparked off by The
Beatles had come to an
end. Something new has got
to come, and Jimi Hendrix
will be there.
I want a big band; I dont
mean three harps and 14
violins. I mean a big band
full of competent musicians
that I can conduct and write
for. And with the music we
will paint pictures of Earth
and space, so that the
listener can be taken somewhere. Its going to be something that will
open up a new sense in peoples minds. They are getting their minds
ready now. Like me, they are going back home, getting fat, and making
themselves ready for the next trip.
You see, music is so important. I dont any longer dig the pop and
politics crap. Thats old fashioned. It was somebodys personal opinion.
But politics is old hat. Anyone can go round shaking babies by the hand,
and kissing the mothers, and saying that it was
groovy. But you see, you cant do this in music.
Music doesnt lie. I agree it can be
misinterpreted, but it cannot lie.
When there are vast changes in the way the
world goes, its usually something like art and
music that changes it. Music is going to change
the world next time.
Jimi couldnt fully explain what his new music
would be like, but he put forward his visions of
how the next music form would be born.
We are going to stand still for a while, and
gather everything weve learned musically in
the last 30 years, and we are going to blend all
the ideas that worked into a new form of
getty (2)
Tired and beset by

technical hitches,
Jimi Hendrix plays
in the early hours
of August 31, 1970
classical music. Its going to take some doing to figure out

all the things that worked, but its going to be done.
I dig Strauss and Wagner those cats are good, and I think
that they are going to form the background of my music.
Floating in the sky about it will be blues Ive still got plenty of
blues and then there will be Western sky music, and sweet
opium music [youll have to bring your own opium] and these
will be mixed together to form one.
You know the drug scene came to a big head. It was opening
up things in peoples minds, giving them things that they just
couldnt handle. Well, music can do that, you know, and you
dont need any drugs.
The term blowing someones mind is valid. People like
you to blow their minds, but then we are going to give them
something that will blow their mind, and while its blown there
will be something there to fill the gap. Its going to be a complete
form of music. It will be really druggy music. Yes, I agree it could be
something on similar lines to what Pink Floyd are tackling. They dont
know it, you know, but people like Pink Floyd are the mad scientists of
this day and age.
While I was doing my vanishing act in the States I got this feeling that
I was completely blown out of England. I thought that they had forgotten
me over here. Id given them everything Id got, I thought maybe they
didnt want me any more, because they had
a nice set of bands. Maybe they were saying,
Oh, weve had Hendrix, yeah he was OK. I
really thought I was completely through here.
About his future big band Jimi had talked a
lot. But he was also eager to talk about thoughts
on the three-piece outfit, which he believed
could go on forever. It was fun, it was the
greatest fun. It was good, exciting and I enjoyed
it. But the main thing that used to bug me was
that people wanted too many visual things
from me. I never wanted it to be so much of a
visual thing. When I didnt do it, people thought
I was being moody, but I can only freak when
I really feel like doing so. I cant do it just for the
We will paint
pictures of
Earth and
space. It will
open minds

1965
isle of wight
sake of it. I wanted the music to get across, so that people could just sit
back and close their eyes, and know exactly what was going on, without
caring a damn what we were doing while we were on stage.
Could Jimi give any indication when he would start to form the
big band? I dont know, but it wont be very long. Isle of Wight might be
the last, or second to last. But if the kids really enjoyed it, then it might
carry on a little longer. But I will only carry on that way if I am useful; you
know you have got to have a purpose in life.
His hair is a little tamer now. Did he feel he
was a tamer person, a changing person?
No, I dont think so, although I feel as though
I get little sparks of maturity every now and
then. I think of tunes, I think of riffs. I can hum
them. Then theres another melody comes into
my head, and then a bass melody, and then
another one. On guitar I just cant get them out.
I think Im a better guitarist than I was. Ive
learned a lot. But Ive got to learn more about
music, because theres a lot in this hair of mine
thats got to get out.
With the bigger band, I dont want to be
playing as much guitar; I want other musicians
to play my stuff. I want to be a good writer. I still
cant figure out what direction my writing is going at the moment, but
itll find a way.
I wont be doing many live gigs, because Im going to develop the
sound, and then put a film out with it. Its so exciting, its going to be
an audio-visual thing that you sit down and plug into and really take
in through your ears and eyes. Im happy, its gonna be good.
He is a lot smaller than you might expect, dressed simply in a bush

jacket and ordinary trousers. His face holds very little expression, the
muscles in it rarely move, but his eyes are dark and sparkling, and
friendly. He is also blessed with an incredible sense of modesty. So glad
you like my work; its difficult to get it into your mind that people actually
like it. Its such a good feeling. I look on it as a conquest.
I could never really describe myself. If I looked at myself in the third
person, I dont think Id recognise what I saw.
I hope you can understand that. The best thing
for you to do is to simply make up your opinion
of me; its easier for you to do it than me.
His voice is deep, and a little broken. We
walked around the suite, and admired the
selection of colourful goodies that lay on
plates. Please eat something, they look so
good, but Im not hungry.
We talked about his songs.
I really hope you can understand this. When
I write a song, and it becomes a finished piece
of work, to me it becomes an incredible
achievement. Each one of my songs is above
me. When I say above me, I mean almost as
though it was better than me.
With the books and the poems its a different feeling. My God, to do
a song is a total mental success. Possibly people may not understand
fully what the songs are about. But its just me singing about what I see,
and how I see it. Just telling of experiences.
I mean, lets take Sisters Of Mercy. I was in Edmonton, Canada one
evening, and I ran into these two girls. The three of us had a fine
evening. They caressed my body, and touched me gently, and kissed
me, and touched me and it was so fine. They made me feel good, and
they were soft.
His eyebrows raised a little, and he smiled: How did you read the song,
Id like to know that? I told him that my first impressions was that the
song was about a brothel.
Im pleased about that, because thats possibly what it really was. So
there was a success, and you read the right things into it. Thats good.
Those girls were very tender.
He was a little nervous about the Isle Of Wight festival.
There are so many people on, and so many that I want to see. Im not
a top-rank star you know. No, Im not a top ranker.
The conversation, beautifully casual, floated in various directions,
but stayed for some while on the question of the generation gap.
This is something that has been on my mind for a long time recently.
I have thought much about it. You know what the greatest thing would
be. It would be to play a concert in front of 50,000 middle-aged people.
God, that would be so great.
If we could only get together. We could share things. God, these
older people really do know what they are talking about. They have
wisdom. Young ideas could be mixed with them. Older people could
add mature things. Oh yes, if we could get together. We must, you know,
we really must.
Leonard smiled again, and went and
fetched me another drink. Through the
whole period his eyes had been burning
into mine, giving me that feeling that
he was truly interested. It had been a
remarkable talk. While he was walking
back with the drinks I noticed how frail
his body looked. Like his face, he
restricted his limbs to minimum use.
Its nice just having a little party
like this. I didnt want to be
interviewed; I just wanted to meet
the writers over here.
Several more people drifted into the
room, and the whole party became
totally relaxed as Leonard met everyone
with a warmth and friendliness. He
held swift conversations and smiled
for most of the time.
Maybe it wasnt such an ordeal, he
said later. Roy Hollingworth
Each of my
songs is above
me as though
it was better
than me
Roy Hollingworth

eonard CoHen man or myth, or what? Hes a dreamer, but
as he says, his dreams are only products of real things, and fact.
Basically, Leonard is a darned nice guy, shy, slow-talking, and
more eager to ask you questions and listen to you than hear himself.
Talking to Leonard was a joy, because this man in not deep to the point
of being far out. Obviously hes deep if you want him to be in your eyes
that is but if you get deepness out of your mind and just talk, then thats
good. Leonard went through what he termed an ordeal when he
arrived in London last week. He has never been one to hold press
receptions, but he agreed to attend an exceptionally small and informal
party, at a Mayfair hotel, where there were no notebooks to be seen,
where he just talked, and gave legitimate answers to only a few
questions, and preferred to hold conversations. He survived the ordeal.
Arriving early, simply because the taxi travelled at tyre-scorching
speeds, I struck good fortune, was the first to arrive in the Monte Carlo
Suite, and caught Leonard completely alone.
He held his hand out, smiled, and offered me a drink, and then we
talked, and talked and talked.
Following Hendrix on stage,

Leonard Cohen and his band
the Army backing singers
Corlynn Hanney and Susan
Musmanno pictured calm
the restive IOW crowd
1970
ISlE OF WIgHT
!
E
IV
L
Toy figures
AuguST 2630
in the distance
MM SEPTEMBER 5 A Maker scribe

pitches his tent for a punters-eye
view of the third IOW Festival.
Freshwater, Isle of Wight, Thursday.

arrived here early this morning, and I am
surprised to admit I am happier than I felt on
Monday morning. I can still recall that sense of
outrage and frustration as the editor told me
(with a touch of quiet glee, I thought) that for
me this years Isle Of Wight Festival would be
a groundsheet and primus stove affair, and not
a hotel bed and room service as I had been
fervently hoping. The idea, he explained,
would be to get out and mingle with the crowd,
live their life, and soak up the atmosphere. See
what it is really like to be one of the kids who
have had to pay to get in, he said with relish.
Since I caught flu after the 1969 festival, I think
I could have done this perfectly well without
having to go through all the motions, but I didnt
think he would have appreciated this line of
argument, which I have to admit was rather
subjective, so I went out immediately and
bought a tent, an airbed and a sleeping bag.
The shopkeeper assured me that with all his
gear there was little chance of getting wet if it
rained, and I brightened a little, then sunk back
into a gloomy cynicism as I contemplated five
days of sitting snuffling in a tent while the rain
beat a military tattoo on the flysheet and
Mungo Jerry banged Coke tins and sang In
The Summertime.
At the risk of sounding
disloyal, I had suspicions too
that the commiseration of
my colleagues was not
entirely genuine. I think
if you are going to do it
properly you ought to take as
little money as possible with
you, a few coppers maybe,
said one, sipping judiciously at
the pint I had just bought him.
But that was Monday Today, everything has
gone smoothly. I had an uneventful boat trip
over from Portsmouth to Ryde, and then
caught a special bus to take me the 20 miles
to the festival site, which is right out in the
country, with the nearest village, Freshwater,
lying two miles away. It really is quite an
impressive scene to the eye as the bus
trundles near in the hot morning sun,
spattering dust and pebbles on the young
migrants who are marching along the roads
like the vanguard of some invading force.
The spectator arena is a huge rectangle
enclosed by corrugated sheeting, with a blueand-white-striped stage at one end. Rising
high above one flank of the arena is the slope
of East Afton Down, which later achieves some
notoriety as Devastation Hill. It resembles
a huge natural grandstand, and already a high
proportion of the human influx is making use
of its position overlooking

the stage by pitching their
tents and establishing
squatters rights.
I follow suit, and make my
way past the hotdog stands,
the corncob stalls, the
griddle bars and all the other
paraphernalia of modern
catering, to the foot of The
Hill, where I pitch the tent.
Its not a good position, as I find out later that
night because I have not allowed for the slope
of the hill and when I turn over in my sleeping
bag I nearly roll out under the tent sides.
No matter, the view is good: a wide panorama
of the tented community that minute by minute
spreads and thickens, plugging up all the green
spaces with canvas shapes, nestling together
for a bit of warmth and companionship. Sheets
of black-and-white polythene are being
stretched out over holes burrowed in the
hedgerows, and right up against the main
arena itself a Desolation Row is being created
out of bales of straw constructed like igloos by
the hippy elite, which is out to assert its
superior status in this instant society.
And once you have staked your claim to a few
square feet of land, then your thoughts turn to
food. If you have brought a little stove then tins
of beans can be heated, but most people line
getty
A young man
sleeps out in the
open by his tent.
He is always there
and never moves

1965
up in the queues for the fish and chips, which

cost three shillings, or hotdogs, two bob, if
they want some warm food. The prices are
quite reasonable: tea and soup are nine pence
and a shilling respectively, and it is even
possible to buy mutton biryani for five-andsixpence. Everyone is filling his belly while the
money is there. Tomorrow never knows.
It is fascinating to watch the proliferating
hippy township. The cow towns in the Wild
West or the gold-mining towns in the
Australian Outback would have sprung up like
this, rough and rude, with the smell of frying
food mingling with the smoke from the
campfires, and the sound of people knocking
together their makeshift homes.
Friday
am woken at 8am by a babble of voices
around the tent. I conclude there have been
new arrivals in the night while I have been
sleeping snug as a bug in a rug on my airbed,
which nearly cost me a lung to blow up the
night before. I get smugger by the minute. In
a short while I pick up my towel, soap and
toothpaste and go down to the toilets, which
are primitive but functional deep trenches
dug in the earth with a notice at the entrance
instructing everyone to avoid making a flood.
The queues to use the water taps are full of
shuffling bleary-eyeds with bits of grass
Isle of wIghT
the biggest nonconformist here would

be a Gent in a City
bowler: festival-goers
have a little stretch
sticking out of their hair. No one can resist

having a peek at himself in the crude mirrors
nailed on the walls of iron sheeting, looking to
see if any pimples have come up overnight or
rubbing a hand across a stubbly chin. We look
rather a sorry lot we who were founding a
town only last night.
Outside, an alarming incident is going on in
full view of everybody. A tall bearded guy, in
his thirties, naked but for a pair of pale-blue
briefs, says he is from the Manchester
Guardian and he wants to liberate the festival.
Form a circle around me and we will march on
Fiery Creations, he tells onlookers.
Everybody is merely amused until he knocks
a drink out of someones hand and then slaps a
young black man in the face. The young black
man is not amused, and they end up rolling
around fighting in the rutted road. The
onlookers gather thick and fast: love and
peace is OK, but who can resist a good fight?
The two are dragged apart, eventually, but
Manchester Guardian still insists on his
liberation tactics. Youre nuts, he is told.
The gates to the arena are opened at 11am,
and straight away those who have elected to
pay to get in most of the dwellers on
Devastation Hill did not bother because one
could see and hear perfectly from up there
bore down on the entrance, loaded up with the
provisions they will need for the long day and
night ahead. Once inside the

arena, everyone races like mad
across the field to the end by the
stage, hoping to get a plum spot
just behind the press enclosure.
Latecomers and the unlucky
ones have to worm their way
towards the front, keeping an
eagle eye open for two or three
feet of ground that is not
covered by a sleeping bag, and in
that bag a body fighting to retain
that strip of precious earth.
Looking around, the whole
field is planted with flags and
pennants of various countries
and varieties, from the threelegged design of the Isle Of Man
to the Angels swastika. They
flutter bravely in the wind,
resembling a scene from an
ancient field of battle, a knights
tournament, except that chivalry
does not enter into it. Maidens
have to fight for their strip of
ground like everyone else.
In-between the music laid on
by the artists, there are records
and announcements by the
comperes, Rikki Farr, Jeff
Dexter and Andy Dunkley. An
American girl has lost a brown
shoulder bag containing 250
and her passport will anybody
who finds it bring it to the back of
the stage; or Elizabeth X please
go to the Release tent, where
Dave Y is waiting.
Farr and Dexter particularly
Farr adopt a sort of elder
brother style, scolding the
crowd when it gets a bit out of
line, giving everyone a verbal
pat on the head when they have done as they
have been told Youre beautiful, you know
that, Farr tells them. He is fair-haired, heavily
built, with a spreading paunch that belies the
fact he is still in his twenties, while Dexter has
a furry, pinched face, with rimless spectacles
and thin blond hair that he keeps dead
straight. Curiously, he used to sing The Twist
with Cyril Stapleton.
Saturday
hear that 135 people have been busted
for drug possession and that this huge
audience which is here now 600,000 has
raised 2,000 to get them out of prison. In
relation to its size, there are no more drugs at
this festival than at any other that has been
held in Britain.
Maybe drugs explain the condition of the
young man who sleeps out in the open beside
his tent. He is always there, never moves, and
huddled in his thin
blanket and coat, which
he wraps around him
even at the height of the
midday sun. The only
noise he ever makes is a
peculiar grunting sound.
He is a bedraggledlooking wretch, but then
most of us seem to be
showing signs of wear and tear the hair

greasier, more lank, signs of tiredness showing
under the eyes, the clothes scruffier. It is
curious, though, despite the hip clothes, the
fringed coats and the weird hats, how alike we
all look. The biggest non-conformist here
would be a Gent in a City bowler.
There are a lot of stories going around about
how the Free Festival Movement, together
with French and Algerian agitators, are trying
to break up the festival. They have pulled
down part of the fencing at the entrance, and
there have been unsuccessful attempts to
spike the water supply.
Sunday
he last day, and I cannot say I am sorry,
although musically it has been excellent,
with my only criticism on this score being
that on the Thursday and Friday the sound was
muzzy and distorted, and often could not be
heard at the back of the arena.
No, it is to do more with festivals as events.
To spend nearly an entire 24 hours sitting in
the middle of a field produces an amalgam of
boredom, discomfort and a sense of esprit de
corps. It is boring and uncomfortable because
festivals are such passive exercises, and
enforced passivity at that. If you are hemmed
in by all those people, with the artists on the
stage just toy figures in the distance, the
feeling of restriction is all-engulfing.
Conversely, it is an imprisonment that brings
with it a sense of togetherness, with music as
the common denominator, to which we can all
relate. But then perhaps we put too
intellectual a significance on these festivals,
and particularly those at the Isle Of Wight,
seeing them as sort of spiritual reunions,
annual gatherings at which the batteries can
be recharged for the year ahead and all the
business of student protest, political demos,
etc. It might be getting nearer the mark if the
Isle Of Wight Festival was regarded less
piously, more as the younger generations
equivalent of a mass outing to Butlins.
It does not seem to me, anyhow, that there is
such a fervent atmosphere this year as last.
Festivals then were something of a novelty;
now they are finding their level as a form of
mass communication. By midday, indeed,
thousands are queueing for the buses to
transport them to the boats back to the
mainland, although the days music has hardly
begun. To be honest, some are frightened
they will be stranded on the island without any
money, but there is a general air of shut-down.
But if the festival is closing down, there are
still enough of us left to sit through Jimi
Hendrix, Joan Baez, Leonard Cohen and Richie
Havens in the chill night before we pick up our
bedrolls and head back to where we all came
from. And what better way to spend an autumn
evening than in such company. Michael Watts
1970
The
violence
is just
in us
B
getty
lack Sabbath are, and always will remain,

in the publics eye a dark, satanic band, for their
music is dark and heavy to the point of being
morbid. Yet they have a name, a name that is
getting big headlines, and a name that is selling
lPs and singles at a fast rate.
Paranoid, an lP released last week without the band knowing it,
is, as the name suggests, a heavy, riff-ridden noise that appeals to
the already cauliflowered ears of many a person. like the satanic
mills of yesteryear, Sabbath are churning out heavy material by
the yard in fact, by the mile. In these days days that are being
described as the start of the turning point in pop music what
future exists for a totally heavy outfit?
as far as Sabbath are concerned, everything exists for them, in
a heavy sort of way. Sabbath speak seemingly through one mouth,
owned by the four of them John Osbourne (vocals and
harmonica), tony Iommi (guitar), Geezer butler (bass) and bill
Ward (drums). every question is answered by all four; there is no
real spokesman, although Iommi is the easiest to understand.
We all like heavy music, and we feel that its going to go on for
ever and ever. You can drive a lot home with heavy stuff, get into
Occult intrigues behind

them, BLACK SABBATH
concentrate on
becoming the years
rock phenomenon.
Written in five minutes,
their single Paranoid
is a massive hit. As
chaos mounts on a UK
tour, Ozzy Osbourne
(and his brother) keep
track of business.
Wed better sort the
money before we go
on, says Ozzy. Can
you pay us in cash?
December 12, 1970:

Ozzy Osbourne on
stage at the KB Hallen,
Denmark during the
Paranoid tour
1970
PaRaNOID
Speed and force
TRACK
BY
TRACK
BLaCk SaBBaTH
NME SEPT 26 Ozzy Osbourne talks

readers through Sabbaths second LP.
lack Sabbath turn out

a gutsy, sock em all the
time type of music which is
never pretentious and the
album is a good example of
what theyre doing on stage.
The speed and force of the
music is sustained throughout,
Terry Butlers bass and Tony
Iommis lead guitar forcing the
numbers along while drummer
Bill Ward puts down a solid
foundation. Ozzy played me
their new Vertigo album (42s
6d) and talked about the tracks.
Heres what he had to say:
War Pigs
Its about VIP people who
are sitting there saying Go
out and fight and all the
everyday people are forced
to, but the VIPs never do.
Were not a political group,
its just that most of our songs
have messages.
Paranoid
This is about a guy who has
a hang-up with chicks. Its got
a heavy riff. Were not a single
group and after the first single,
which we didnt like, we just
wrote this in the studio and
now its starting to sell.
Planet Caravan
We wrote this in the studio as
well. We decided to vary the
album more by having a soft
number. Its a smoky jazz club
number about someone going

1965
through space and seeing stars

and things.
Iron Man
This is about a guy who
invented a time machine and he
goes through time and finds the
world is going to end. Coming
back, he turns to iron and
people wont listen to him, they
think hes not real. He goes a bit
barmy and decides to get his
revenge by killing people. He
tries to do good but in the end it
turns into bad.
what you mean to say and we are totally satisfied with the way the
sound is going, drawled Iommi.
Sabbath do not plan their music. They prepare very little. Their
music comes from the immediate mood on them at that time it must
be a sad world they live in but nevertheless, they just start playing, and
go on. Paranoid was an album that took only a matter of hours to produce.
It was all just an instant thing, spontaneous, if you like; there was little
written down. It was all in our heads, and came out as one, he continued.
A dark, satanic coffee arrived, the atmosphere became just a little
lighter, but it was still all too uncomfortable. Audience reaction gets
better and better, and we get more excited with the success that seems to
be coming. Yet people still expect us to sacrifice virgins, and occult
things like that, which if we say it once, we say it a thousand times, was
never anything to do with us.
While I was with them, the band were told that a Black Sabbath parade
had recently been held in the States, with thousands of people taking
part, and apparently hyping the band to no small extent. Large sections
of America had met the news that Sabbath were doing an October tour
with wild cries of great. The band took it all in a rather cool, heavy way.
We havent done the States before, and we are looking forward to it with
interest, said Tony and the rest of the group. They are also looking
forward to a large European tour. They have done good business across
the Channel, and know they can do more. Roy Hollingworth
Electric Funeral
In years to come, the way
things are going, theres going
to be a nuclear war, which is
what this tracks about. Theres
a lot of evil in the world today.
Hand Of Doom
Its about people on drugs and
what happens to them their
skin turning green and things.
Theres a lot of gory words, but
weve seen a lot of people like
that and its getting out of all
proportion. If you can frighten
people with words its better
than letting them find out by
trying drugs. Im not trying to
say were angels, Ive indulged
to a certain extent, but Id never
try any of the hard drugs or trips
or anything.
Fairies Wear Boots

Again, its a warning about the
use of drugs. Richard Green
NME SEPTEMBER 26
ecause of the nature of the groups name, people tend
to associate Black Sabbath with witchcraft. This is an
understandable misconception, but one which should be put
straight the Birmingham quartet has nothing whatsoever to do with
slaying cockerels and goats. Making their NME chart debut this week
at No 26 with Paranoid the title track of their new album Black
Sabbath are pretty fed up with the tag and lead singer Ozzy Osbourne
met me at his managers office to set the record straight.
A lot of people have a grudge against us because of this black magic
thing, but it has got out of all proportion. At one time we got so confused
with Black Widow it was unbelievable, though I understand that Black
Widow are getting out of black magic now. Were two completely different
bands in music and everything, he began.
All the tracks on the first album were a warning against black magic.
You get old business tycoons wanting to go with young chicks, so they go
along to black magic rituals and get themselves involved things like
that, theyre sick. I believe in black magic but Ive not tried it and I wont.
The black magic thing caused a lot of worries for Black Sabbath when
going to America was mentioned. Ozzy explained, It frightened us
because of the Sharon Tate murder and we got very uptight that people
would expect us to go on stage and turn people into frogs and things.
He laughs about it now but at the time it wasnt funny. Ozzy finds that
people realise what the group are once theyve seen them and hes more
than pleased that theyre starting to break big at last. We used to be
called Earth, he revealed. We were just bumming round the country for
two years like a lot of other groups and when things started happening we
thought maybe it was our turn. All that sweat has now paid off. As long as
people want to listen to Black Sabbath well be around.
Its unbelievable on the Continent. Weve just finished a tour and every
night we were getting two or three ovations. Up until the last tour we were
going down well but there was a thing that just wasnt there. At one time
I just wanted to get a record in the charts and when we did it was amazing.
Its not changed any of us; we just want to go on playing good music and
making people happy.
Ozzy sat chain smoking and not holding back on his language, much of
which was fruity. He makes use of expletives to emphasise points, most of
which are good sense, and he has strong views on things like drugs and
groups who have no time for other people when theyve made the big time.
When he talks about Black Sabbaths music, he is just as enthusiastic but
he tends to get worked up in a quieter way: We got so fed up hearing stories
about love that we decided to write about whats going on in life around
people. If we start writing now for the next album, by the time it comes up
we may have a lot of good tracks or we may have a load of numbers we dont
like, so we leave it till the last moment. Were pretty quick at writing. Tony
thinks of a riff or a melody and we write round that usually. We try to blend
our music instead of getting the same monotonous riff. We like a lot of
tempo changes so that it doesnt get on peoples nerves.
NME OCTOBER 24
hile Black saBBath have always hoped that they would
someday achieve the measure of success that they now
have, things happened so quickly just lately that they were
almost taken by surprise. Their second album swept to the top of the
chart very quickly and the single hasnt lost any time making No 4.
Lead guitarist Tony Iommi and drummer Bill Ward were
understandably happy when I took them the news of the album reaching
No 1, but they admitted that they hadnt been sure it would happen.
Weve always wanted this, Tony said, but we had no publicity to talk
of after the first album and I think people who bought it may have bought
the second to see what it was like. Its hard to explain what has made us
popular. I suppose people have heard us and talked about us, its been
word of mouth.
The album was rehearsed in a small studio in a farm in Wales and some
rough takes of various tracks were recorded there so that the group could
get an idea of what they would sound like later. We did Iron Man and
Funeral there, Bill revealed. Quite a few
groups use the place and now theres talk of
building an airstrip so that groups can fly in.
Tony pointed out that most of the groups songs
are written in the same way. We get the heavy
riff and things and Geezer writes the words to go
with the backing. He writes raw words to go with
raw music. We were just messing about with the
tapes after dinner and thought Paranoid would
be a good single. It wasnt written as a single, we
never intend to do that. We thought we werent
going to do another after the first flop. It only
took five minutes to write Paranoid.
Its amazing how the albums going, really.
We did a John Peel show and started getting gigs
after that. He helped us a lot, but he seems to be against us now. I dont

know what weve done. He keeps having digs at us. Some of the tracks on
the album are definite put-downs of things. War Pigs is anti the people
who cause wars and then dont fight themselves and Hand Of Doom
warns about the use of drugs.
Despite this, the group dont consider themselves to be any sort of
gurus. One of the biggest problems with the music scene today is the kids
that try and read things into songs; they always try and interpret lyrics
and they often create things that arent there, Tony explained. Our
music is simple, basic stuff; the lyrics are plain, laid on a plate, and you
cant misunderstand them.
With those kids its like a big battle with the mind trying to sort things
out. We havent got the power to try and direct people in politics or anything
else, added Bill. War Pigs and the drug songs are just our opinions. Were
not trying to influence people. We dont know if people take it all in.
The second album is quite a change from the first and there may be
another switch before the third. I dont know what well get into in the
next six months, Tony admitted. Thats
something you cant say. When we did the first
album we didnt know what the second was
going to be like. When we have to go into the
studio well work something out.
Tony used to be a member of Jethro Tull, so
I asked him how he regarded showmanship
in groups. Did he think it was ever used as a
substitute for good music or was it just a thing
that various artists found necessary to do?
It is used to get people to look, he replied.
We couldnt do it. Ozzy leaps about a bit and
people remember him for his head going up
and down like the clappers but thats all. Its
entertainment really. Groups go on and smash
John Peel
helped us a lot,
but he seems
to be against
us now
photoshot
It frightened us
because of the
Sharon tate murder:
Ozzy on the bands
apprehension when
a uS tour was mooted
1970
equipment up, people like to see violence on stage. Ive only done it out of
them close to it recently. The only audience we see are about 16 to 25,
annoyance when somethings gone wrong. I wouldnt do it as an act.
Tony told me. When we got a single in the charts we thought wed meet up
Bill recalled a gig in Cologne when the power was cut off in the middle of a
with a lot of people who came along because of that. We did a Top Rank
number probably because a caretaker wanted to go home and gave that
place in Cardiff and we were a bit dubious about it, but it was OK. Seventyas an example of the sort of thing that upsets the group and sometimes
five per cent were our normal audience, but we got about four giggling
makes them violent. I was going to put my guitar through the cabinet,
girls hanging about like we were a teens-type group!
Tony said. They put the lights on in the middle of a number as well. But
The group used to be called Earth and the music was nothing like it is
generally I dont think playing loud and raw music makes the audience
now. A change had to be made and Tony went through what led up to it
violent. The only violence we get at shows is when we start it on stage.
and what happened next. We kept that name for six months but there
Sometimes the audiences get stirred up, and thats great. We get
was another band with the same name and we had to change, he began.
excited on some numbers, I do a classical bit and if someone talks loud
We wrote a number called Black Sabbath and Geezer said it would be a
good name for a group, so we thought about it and agreed with him. We
I get annoyed and we all get annoyed, the violence is just in us.
had started coming out with mad names like Joe Leg!
Black Sabbath have pretty much the same type of audience
We couldnt keep playing 12 bars; we just got fed up with Earth
whenever they play and theyve never really experienced
music. It was jazz-blues stuff. It was good for practice but
the teenybopper bit, though having a hit single brought
ROYAL fESTivAL hALL
nothing else; a lot of other groups were playing the same thing.
LONDON
When we changed the whole thing just snowballed. We wanted
something loud that people would listen to.
Wed got to the stage where we couldnt even afford a bus; we
had to walk to each others houses. Its the usual hard-luck story
but true. We started recording the first album about four months
OCTOBER 26
after we changed the name and things picked up from there.
The first London gig the group did was at the Marquee and they
all felt nervous. Tony says that London scared them at first. He
thought it was so big that you could die and nobody would even
aganini would turn in his grave if he even thought that a group
notice. Then there were a few festivals, which helped matters.
like Black Sabbath were playing at the Royal Festival Hall, and if his
But festivals have so many backstage hassles to put up with as
ghost was lurking there on Monday night it was probably exorcised
well all the groups are fighting to get their equipment on and off
at the sight of thousands of young people going berserk. Such was the
stage at the same time. In Germany they seem to have festivals
fervour of the fans that the stewards gave up and let them dance in the
every week. People just go along and sit there, not enjoying
aisles and rush the stage.
themselves. Its better playing here because if people learn the
After Mondays spectacle there can be absolutely no doubt that Sabbath is
words they can take part in the songs.
among Britains top groups. Forced by hordes of stamping, clapping, yelling
Tony and Bill had to leave then and they admitted that the big
fans who had no intention of leaving without an encore, the group returned
city had got them again and they hadnt a clue how to get to where
for Fairies Wear Boots and created unprecedented scenes. The best part
they were going. We have to take taxis everywhere; well go broke
of the audience was on its feet clapping its hands in the air; a goodly crowd
at this rate! Bill joked. Richard Green
was dancing at the front of the stage. Peace signs were being given all over
Stamping, yelling LIVE!

NME OCT 31 Unprecedented scenes
as Sabbath storm Londons South Bank.
the place and even a real live teddy boy was bopping in best 50s tradition. In
the end, the house lights had to be turned on to stop the show.
Strangely, Sabbath began with Paranoid and worked through to War
Pigs, when Ozzy Osbourne freaked out and Tony Iommi played a splendid
lead guitar solo. Iron Man had the audience clapping in time and saw the
emergence of the first dancers, then it was into the number from which
the group took its name. It began in a style quite out of character with
Sabbaths music with Iommi playing classical electric guitar, then all hell
breaks loose and a Quatermass-like rhythm takes over at any time you
expect to see horrible demons crawl over the top of the amps.
The penultimate number, Wicked World, is a complete raver taken at
a furious pace, drummer Bill Ward having a field day. The full house loved
it and sent waves of ecstatic appreciation flowing round the hall. No group
could have wished for a better send-off for an American tour which begins
this weekend. Richard Green

1965
MELODY MAKER OCTOBER 31

lack Sabbath mania has broken out, and the result is
far from what the group want. Since Paranoid made
the hit parade they have become a victim of fan worship,
and whereas once their audiences came to listen, now most of
them go to look and hope that they will be lucky enough to
touch one of their newly won idols, or maybe collect a broken
guitar string or drumstick to add to their collection of group
paraphernalia.
I spent the day with Black Sabbath on Friday, and saw the effects
of fan worship on a group that were not prepared for it and dont,
for that matter, want it. They were playing at the Mayfair Ballroom
in Newcastle, a 200-mile five-hour car drive from Birmingham,
where the group is based. The road to the hall was swarming with
young people, queuing to get in. The driver jumped out of the car
to find out where the stage door was, and the car was soon lost in
the midst of a crowd of teenagers, while another section of the
crowd were having a whale of a time kicking a policemans face in.
Inside the hall, the audience turned out to be on the young side,
and for the most part horribly drunk. Talking to a girl in the
ballroom later, she informed me that there is not much to do in
Newcastle and consequently the kids spend most of their leisure
time getting drunk or stoned. The changing room turned out to be
the committee room, with a large table and chairs, a cocktail
cabinet and coat stand, but nothing useful like a washbasin or a
mirror. The promoter turns out to be all smiles, telling us that beer
is on the way, but with sore throats and runny noses, orange juice
and cokes are more in demand and he promises those too.
How many people are you expecting? asks Sabbaths Ozzy,
a shrewd businessman, thinking of their 63 per cent of the gate
money. The promoter explains that there will be only 2,100 in the
hall: 1,800 have tickets, and we will allow 300 in from the street to
save a riot out there.
Performance time draws near, and Geezer, Tony and Bill decide
to change into their stage clothes, when Ozzys brother arrives in
the changing room with two chicks to announce that

2,575 people have filtered into the hall, according to his
hand counter. Ozzy wonders what to do, and suggests
that they ring their manager in London to find out how
much they should be getting.
We had better find the promoter and sort out the
money before we go on, says Ozzy and the others nod
their heads in approval. The promoter comes back, and
the hassles begin. He promises to pay them for 2,100
people that night and send the remainder on by cheque.
Can you pay us in cash? asks Geezer. The promoter
says no, but promises that his cheque will not bounce.
We even give you a three-year guarantee, he jokes.
Outside, communications have broken down, and
the stage has been taken over by a large section of the
crowd. Will you say Im your wife, so I can stand by
you, a young lady asks Geezer.
Ozzy is pleading with the crowd to leave the stage
and get off the equipment. His voice is angry and his
language unprintable, but you can understand how he
feels. The group give up the hope of clearing the stage,
and kick off with Paranoid. Excitement is mounting
and more kids are trying to get on the stage.
Out front, the excitement has got the better of one
crowd of kids and a nasty fight starts just on the right of
the stage, bouncers quickly move in and the offenders are
ejected. The rest of the floor is moving with unbelievable
zest, and I move again to a peaceful patch at the back of
the moving stage. After an hour and 10 minutes the show
is over. Black Sabbath go back on for one more encore,
and disappear back into the changing room.
The group look shattered. They looked ill enough
(with flu) before they went on stage, and now they look
as if a week in bed would be a welcome break. The scenes
outside have left them dazed and frustrated. We only
we get excited on
want to play music, not go through that every time we go
some numbers:
on stage, says Bill. Ozzy sees I have my notebook out,
geezer Butler (left)
and with no prompting he starts talking. Its like since
and Bill ward on
stage
in Manchester
the single we are getting a load of teenyboppers. I like
people to come and listen and act properly. I felt really
sorry for the people at the back; Im certain they
wanted to listen. If it means us having to give up
and now the promoters are seeking an
putting out singles, then we will. We want people
alternative London venue for that date. If this
to listen to us, not try to touch us. I was really
is not possible, a London date will be fixed to
terrified, shocked out of my mind.
follow the remainder of the tour, which is
During the chaos on stage a fan put a foot
scheduled to end at Leeds University on
through one of the PA speakers, causing about
January 23. None of the other dates in
70 worth of damage and the inconvenience of
Sabbaths schedule have been banned, and
having to get a replacement column. Most of
they remain as printed in last weeks NME.
Bills drumsticks and a cymbal were stolen, and
The ban first came to the knowledge of
the bass drum mic was crushed underfoot.
the NME on Tuesday of last week but, at the
Outside in the hall the cleaners are busily
time was vehemently denied by a Sabbath
clearing the floor of broken glass, while
spokesman. On investigating the NME s report,
Sabbaths two roadies are putting the
however, he had to admit that it was correct.
equipment away. We say goodbye and walk to
Group manager Pat Meehan commented:
the lift, and on the way we meet Audiences
Its a ridiculous decision. People who like
roadie, in a furious mood too, because someone had nicked two of their
Sabbaths music are both adult and intelligent, and to deny Londoners
cabinets. I find a bag by the door and look inside to see if there is an
an opportunity of seeing the group at a major venue is very upsetting.
address, but there isnt just an enormous bottle of bennies.
What is even more surprising is the fact that, in Sabbaths case, the
The drive back is dreadful, and everyone except Geezer falls asleep.
Albert Hall has no precedent to follow for the group has not previously
Halfway back to Birmingham we stop at a transport cafe for a terrible
appeared there. But a spokesman for the venue told the NME : It is our
policy to avoid the risk of possible inflammatory situations.
cup of coffee, and Tony takes over the wheel for the rest of the drive to
As previously reported, the Black Sabbath tour also features Curved Air
Birmingham. One by one they disembark at their homes and eventually
and Freedom.
Im dropped at the station to catch the 7.15am train back to London.
Mark Plummer
NME DECEMBER 12
lack Sabbath iS the latest group to have its concert
plans disrupted by the management of Londons
Royal Albert Hall, which has banned its projected
appearance at the venue on January 5. This was to have been
the opening date of Sabbaths British concert tour next month,
photoshot
We want
people to
listen, not try
to touch us. I
was terrified
1970
No longer Small with the

addition of Rod Stewart
and Ronnie Wood, The
Faces are a heavy live
injection into the scene
credit
getty
Were
just a
group
of duds
Self-mockingly, and a little drunk, THE
FACES arrive. They play music for people
about town, and survive on charm, talent
and not a little luck. Might it all unravel
before it gets going? Dont worry, says
Ronnie Lane. My dads going to run us
down to the bookings in his van.
1970

sound not unlike a braying mountain goat
echoed across the West End of London this week.
The Faces no longer Small were back in town.
Full of boundless energy, the group have heightened
their appeal with the addition of Long Rod Stewart
and Rocky Ronnie Wood.
Since the split with Steve Marriott, who went ligging off with Humble
Pie, there has been a confused silence from the lads. Kenny Jones was
doing sessions, Ian McLagan was blowing up his Mini and Ronnie Lane
was busy bopping. This much we knew. But in semi-secrecy they have
been wait for it getting it together! And a fine new album and single
they have produced, too; if Flying, their new single, is any indication,
The Faces will be a heavy live injection into the scene. And listening to
some of their album tracks this week showed they have retained a lot of
the old groups feel for grooving and humour. One of the best rhythm
sections in British rock is the drum, bass and organ sound of Mac, Ronnie
and Kenny, and with the addition of wonder vocalist Rod, late of Jeff Beck,
and the guitar wizardry of Ronnie Wood, the band are looking good.
The goatlike noises frequently emitted by the entire group were a little
unnerving as Mac drove across London in a hired Cortina from boozer to
record company office to hear the album. The record company were
pretty unnerved when the master tape mysteriously snapped as they
were about to play it back.
Oh vee, said Ronnie Lane, or words to that effect.
While we waited for a ruffled technician to complete a tape surgery
operation, Rod and the lads chatted, groaned and yelled about their
return to active pop life.
I just got back from the States, said Rod. But I did my solo album here
with people like Keith Emerson, Mac and Ronnie Wood. After Jeff Becks
LPs you couldnt get any heavier than that, so I have done a few softer
things. Its been out in the States about two months and got good reviews.
getty
How about the Faces LP? Weve finished it and there should be a release
on February 27, said Kenny. The new group has done about six gigs so
far and they were really good. The band is nothing like the old Faces. Only
the name is the same. The music is completely different. Some of us
wanted to change the name of the group completely, so we all agreed to
keep it as The Faces, without the Small bit. At the gigs the kids have been
expecting old material. They dont really know what to expect. Weve got
to get together a bit more, but gigs have been really exciting.
Said Rod, The first couple of gigs were a bit rough, but you cant expect
anything else really. Led Zeppelin on their first gigs were bad. We just
need a bit of time.
Said Ken, Weve been rehearsing five or six hours a night in a
warehouse in South London. In a way Im glad the old group split, because
it gave us all a chance to do something new. I miss a few things here and
there, but were not complaining.
What will their new image be? Well, said Mac, its going to be
more of a blues and psychedelic jazz-rock and folk image with a bit of
a classical beat.
Well be playing for the kind of people who go to the Speak, said
R Lane, tapping his baseball boots to a boogaloo beat. And the Crom,
Bag, Rev and Blay. These, it should be explained, are the names of certain
discotheques. We have been playing the colleges, but as nobody has
heard the album yet, they are not sure of the numbers. I think they expect
well play Sha La La La Lee.
But dont worry. Well get the band going alright. Me dad is going to run
us down to the bookings in his van. And were going to get some cards
printed. And we are going to put an ad in the MM under An Able Band
Available. We were thinking of calling the band Slim Chance, or Blind
Drunk. Super group? No! Were just a group of duds.
The album, with tracks like Pineapple And The Monkey a most
grooving instrumental and Around The Plynth by Ronnie Wood and
Rod, have a happy but funky sound. The Faces may send themselves up
quite cheerfully, but they can also be proud of a fine new band that takes
music, at least, very seriously. Chris Welch
MELODY MAKER JULY 4

orry its not a lim, apologised Ronald Lane, Face
and bass player. He was referring to his battered
Volkswagen as he drove up and down Fleet Street
looking for somewhere to park. Limousines dont always come
easy, even if one has been a pop star for six years. Ronnie Lane at
24 has a flat in Richmond, a motor and a gig. And Im very lucky.
When the Small Faces were at their peak in happy teenybop days,
Ronnie rivalled Steve Marriott for popularity. He has experienced
the unreality of a kind of stardom. He has worked hard and accepted
setbacks. As a young veteran he can look at the music scene with
amused irreverence. The phrase underground will draw a groan
and hearty laughter, and more apologies for appearing cynical.
Ronnie is from the East End of London, where duffings up are not
infrequent. He has quaint memories of trolley buses emptying their
used-ticket boxes into the streets and losing contact with the
overhead wires. And he remembers being attacked and threatened,
by fellow captives of the environment from which he was finally
sprung by the phenomenon of the group. He retains his natural
energy and humour, always a hallmark of the old Faces, so often
mistaken for arrogance by the humourless and dull.
The Faces, which now feature Rod Stewart, Ronnie Wood, Kenny
Jones and Ian McLagan, recently returned from their first trip to the
USA, where they did considerably better than they have so far at
home. The tour didnt half go on a long whole, said Ron, allowing
himself the luxury of a cigar. Ten weeks it was too long. But it was
a great experience.
What were your impressions? No its all been said before about
the States. It IS quite an uptight place, and the audience ARE bloody
good. And thats all been said before.
Was the trip worthwhile? Oh yeah youre joking. Rod has got two
solo albums in the chart in the States at the moment and out LP is
doing quite nicely thank you. The tour did us a lot of good in different
ways. We found out we could all live together for 10 weeks which
was a bit of a killer. And all the regular playing made us much tighter.
We wrote a lot of songs and started to record a couple of tracks on
the West Coast. Weve settled down as a band now, and I think our
Ronnie Lane:
I suppose our
roots are in the
old Stax and
Otis Redding
records

1965
Quote in here
along here
blah blah
quote like this
here yeah
Rod Stewart and
Ronnie Wood: in
tune musically
and tonsorially
describe it? I suppose

its heavy psychedelic.
Mr Lane peered at me
with a deadly earnest
expression. Basically its rocknroll course it is. I suppose our roots are
in the old Stax and Otis Redding records. They are still guvnor sounds.
Those were exciting times, when Motown and Stax were happening, and
the Stones and The Who came along.
The Faces have been through quite a few hectic scenes in their time, not
the least being the Great Trip of 67. They can be forgiven, when latterday
hippies put them down, for feeling wryly amused.
All those people still believe in that. We came out of it years ago and
know what a load of crap it all is. We were getting a bit boisterous in a
dressing room with an underground group recently clowning about
a bit, I suppose. As we were going somebody head them say, What a lot of
East End tarts they dont know where its at. But I dig being really gross
now and then.
As Ronald rescued his VW from a side street, he discovered a ticket on
the windscreen, thoughtfully provided by the City Fathers in their Make
Life Hell For Motorists campaign.
Try not to put us down were only East End tarts who dont know
where its at. Ronnie smiled and drove home. Chris Welch
The band
isnt going in
England, is it?
We seem to be
slipping up
NME OCTOBER 3
nown wherever musicians
gather as an outstanding talent and a
veritable character too, Rod Stewarts
has been a chequered if, as yet, not totally
satisfying career. First stretching his lungs
with Jimmy Powell & The Dimensions, then
to lurk in the shadows of Driscoll and Baldry
with Steam Packet, followed by Shotgun
Express and a promising episode with the
highly chequered Jeff Beck, Stewart as viewed
by Britain has always seemed to be hovering
on the fringes of greatness, often looking
chris walter
next LP will be much fresher than the last one. On the other one, we had
had spent six months rehearsing all the songs. That was all we had to do
beforehand, so we knew all the numbers backwards, which made them
sound a bit stale. That was a major fault of the first album. But its done
well in the States, and so has our single Around The Plynth.
Whats a plinth? Oh, its just a word. We like to say stupid words you
say it plynth. Er plinth.
You see its a very thin word. The single wasnt a hit but it did OK. It was
easier for us in the States than here. We did some really good gigs, and just
a couple of bad ones. We dont like to put on a lot of front we just like to go
on and ball. I think that surprised them. Weve done some really dud gigs
since we got back. We were used to using some great gear in the States and
when we got back we had to use our rotten old stuff all loaded into my
dads Zephyr.
We did one really dud show Oh dear, how embarrassing Its just
that the spirit had gone out of us, so we didnt enjoy it any more. Its not
a case of being nervous not with that lot around you.
We are out to enjoy ourselves, but a lot of groups and audiences take
themselves far too seriously. Everybody is trying to be so cool. Even the
students are duds sometimes Oh yeah, entertain us. Its heart-rending
when all the lads get specially drunk and we go onstage and its like
walking into a fridge. Really the band isnt going in England, is it? It will
take a bit of hard work, I suppose. We seem to be
slipping up.
Do the group have a publicist?
No. Could do, I suppose but I cant see the
lads walking down Carnaby Street leading
alligators any more.
Could their lack of home impact be caused by
some state of laissez-faire? What does that
mean? Er laziness.
Not really. I suppose we are lazy about
business things, like kids at school not doing
their homework, but we are not lazy when it
comes to writing songs and playing. No laziness.
We like to play. Most of our numbers are
originals, except for the odd tune. How can you
1970
likely to but never quite receiving his just desserts. 1970 sees him
pursuing a double-sided career of equal promise, with the re-formed
Faces and as a recording solo singer, and if this year does any good at all
it might just be welling up to thrust that long-overdue greatness upon
Rod Still Very Much The Mod. Having matured immensely as a vocalist
and songwriter since his early days, Stewart is today singing better than
hes ever done; his second solo LP, Gasoline Alley, being without doubt
a landmark in his career.
The albums done a quarter of a million in the States, reported Stewart
gleefully when we met at his publicists Denmark Street offices, his
unmistakeable face being on view, as I arrived, peering from a top-floor
window at the towing away of his illegally parked white sports car.
Under contract as a soloist to do three albums a year for Mercury
but theyll settle for two and three with the Faces for Warner-Reprise
theyll settle for two too Stewart is adamant that the group comes
first but adds that the solo work really is a welcome outlet. It wouldnt
work if it was a chore, because if it was something I had to do I would just
stick anything on it to fill it up and get it out of the way.
In contrast to The Faces First Step album, which involved a good deal of
labouring and recording, Gasoline Alley was a rushed job; Rod putting
that down as one of the reasons why it worked out so well. The whole
album was written, conceived and recorded in two weeks, just before we
left for the first Faces tour of the States. I finished mixing it at two oclock
on a Tuesday morning and was off to America at eight the next day.
Of the sessions, he points out, With The Faces its five guys who have
equal say, but on my own its just my responsibility. On a group album
I couldnt tell Mac what to play, but I can when its my own album. That is
probably why I got my album done so quickly and the first Faces album
took so long. I think Mac and Ronnie Wood play better together on
Gasoline Alley. On First Step they were too fussy; they wanted to do things
over and over again.
The back-up musicians on Gasoline
Alley do indeed play incredibly well, and
Stewart is only fair in according them
the praise that it is as much their album
as his. Yet it needs to be pointed out, as
the British sleeve is so woefully short of
information, that in fact the bulk of the
work on the LP was done by Ronnie
Wood, from Becks group and now with
Stewart in The Faces, guitarist Martin
Quittenton, formerly of Steamhammer,
and Rods old pal drummer Micky
Waller. Ian McLagan, Kenny Jones and
Ronnie Laine play on only two of the
tracks, My Way Of Giving and I Dont
Want To Discuss It.
Full of praise for Quittenton, Stewart
says, He has the most incredible
collection of chords; hed just knock
everybody out in the studio with what
hed come up with. Its sad, because
I think hes selling ice-cream in
Bournemouth at the moment.
Rod agrees that when he left Beck he
might have found it easier going it alone
with his own band than joining The
Faces and beginning what all concerned
recognised would be an uphill struggle in Britain to live down Small
Faces associations.
When I did the first solo album, Ronnie Wood and I could have got
a band together with Micky Waller, but it couldnt happen. I am very lazy;
I wouldnt like the responsibility of my own group. I am pressurised by
the record company to get a band together but I never will.
As for The Faces, I always thought they could do well in the States and
we have because they had never been there before. I thought we could
make it there as a fivesome and then it would take a bit longer in this
country. But weve just done three London gigs and theyve all brought us
up. I think were playing now to a different generation from when the
Faces were doing Lazy Sunday. And apart from all that, Ronnie, Mac and
Kenny are such great guys. They really are.
Stewart retains mixed memories of his former guvnor, Jeff Beck,
although he recognises the debt he owes his band, particularly in
1965
America: Everybody said that Beck disbanded. The press said that, but
we didnt disband. Ronnie Wood had been sacked by Beck and re-joined.
One night, Carmine Appice and Tim Bogert from the Fudge phoned and
said they wanted to get a group together with us. It was going to be the two
Fudge, Beck and me. The press got it the wrong way round, but they did
help us towards the end because I kept reading stories about what Beck
was up to and they were all wrong.
It was the opportunity to join The Faces that forestalled the Fudge
liaison. That was a challenge, The Faces. I couldnt resist it, Stewart
recalls. Beck is still looking for a bass player and singer. He was silly,
because he had a great band there. Hes never going to find a better bass
player than Ronnie Wood, for instance.
Things might have been drastically different had the Beck group played
what was due to be their last gig, the Woodstock Festival. We blew it and
never went, remembers Stewart ruefully. Wed been doing two festivals
a week there at that time and we just thought, Oh, another festival. We
blew it because we must have made the film we were bigger than Cocker.
That must be one of the biggest regrets of my life and Becks.
As a singer, Stewart puts his influences down to a combination of
Rambling Jack Elliott and Sam Cooke, and admits, When I was 19/20,
I was trying to sound like a black guy I must own up. But I am not now,
because I do not know any other way to sing. I never really felt at home as
a blues singer with the things Beck was doing. With The Faces I do. This
is really the best move I ever made.
In The Faces we can tell each other when things are wrong. If Ronnie
Wood is playing too loud we can tell him. You couldnt say that with Beck
youd get your throat cut. Nick Logan
NME DECEMBER 19
ad Me a Real Good Time, apart from

being a rollickingly good single, could
almost be a kind of policy statement or
working maxim for The Faces. Though their British
gigs to date can be counted on two hands, they have
built for themselves an enviable reputation as a hotly unpretentious

band disposed to spreading smiles wherever they play.
Even the most ardently dedicated head, into the doomy delights
of socio-political-rock or whatever, has been known to succumb a
grudgingly tapping boot to their downhome rocknroll. That in the
process The Faces themselves have a real good time too, and are seen to
be doing so on stage, is part of their success.
It developed from when we first started in the States, says Rod Stewart,
The Faces much-travelled vocalist. We were naturally anxious about
how we might go down, but we thought, f it! Lets go out and do our
best. Its natural with us. If it wasnt I would be worried. Thats the way we
work and its the only way we can play.
But we rely on the audience a lot. If they are going to give us a hard time it
can be difficult, but we always seem to win them round in the end. Ive not
known a gig here or in America where, so far, we havent had an encore.
Natural to them it may be, but in some of the more remote and
unfriendly territories the group is called upon to play, it isnt always so
easy to summon up their renowned geniality. In such circumstances,
a heavier than normal burden is placed on The Faces secret weapon,
which Rod Stewart and the NME can now reveal is the booze order that
goes out with their roadie before every gig.
Wine keeps Kenny Jones and Ronnie Woods
spirits up, bourbon works the same for Ian
MacLagan, brandy ensures Ronnie Lane has a
real good time and Rod himself puts his faith in
two bottles per gig of Stanley Matthews, or
Mateus wine as it is known in the trade.
Yet despite all that liquid confidence, Stewart
still confesses to fears about how The Faces will
be accepted in Britain. When we met, the group
had done only nine British gigs in over a year,
and had yet to venture into the provinces.
Well, forgetting the American tours weve
done and the fact that the band and I have to
make so many albums, I think we were just
bloody scared to go to places

like the Marquee and the
Lyceum. When we did go, we
got 1,100 at the Marquee the
biggest crowd theyd had and
the second time at the Lyceum
just knocked everybody out
because it went so well.
The papers have helped us a lot really, particularly on the Continent,
where people read the English music papers. In the last week we have
had tours come in for Germany and Switzerland, partly because all the
papers gave the single such good reviews. Groups still need the press
here, whereas in the States the lifeblood of the industry is FM radio.
Its really nice that everybodys going for us at the moment, but the test
will come when we go up north. Tomorrow will be the first time we have
ventured up the motorway.
Despite their growing reputation, The Faces are currently better known
in the States than they are here, and have just returned from a second
American tour which by all accounts was an outstanding success. My
Gasoline Alley album had gone to Number 23 in the charts while we were
there, said Rod, and the tour was the best Ive
known, including those with Jeff Beck.
One not so enjoyable side effect, though, is
that flying tends to make the Stewart ankles
swell up, so hindering his weekend footballing
activities, and he affirms, Tours do you in a
bit. We usually all come back spotty. I think
that Free album, Fire And Water, must have
kept us together over there. We had it on
cassette and played it all the time; its such a
great album. Next tour, though, well split into
two three-week parts, with a week home in the
middle. It makes it easier. With Beck we used to
do 13 weeks on the trot.
In some of the American press reviews that
came into the NME office, Id noticed the group
billed as Rod Stewart & The Small Faces and put down the latter
as an error. With Stewarts solo albums selling well in the States, I
could understand the first part of the bill but not the second.
No, it wasnt a mistake, declared Rod. Ronnie Wood and
I are dead against the Small Faces name used in this country,
but we dont object to it in America. The Small Faces are only
known there through Itchycoo Park, which was a big single, but
no one ever shouts out for it. And they dont know too much else
about the band.
On the other hand, people say in this country that we have to
live down the old image, as if it was something terrible. But that
group made bloody good records. I respect them for that.
One of the later gigs on the tour was topping over Black
Sabbath at New Yorks Fillmore East, where, from a live
recording made of The Faces set, two numbers were used on
the groups second album: Paul McCartneys Maybe Im
Amazed and their adaptation of the old Broonzy number they
feature as an encore, Feel So Good.
The rest of the album will comprise nine new group numbers
and, according to Stewart, will be more like Gasoline Alley than
The Faces First Step. It should be released around February, to
tie in with a short British concert tour.
First Step was a long while being recorded and, on the new
album, Rod had hoped for a Gasoline Alley, a two week in-andout job. The four months theyve taken so far, though, has forced
Rod to resign himself to the fact that The Faces need a long time
for recording.
His attention will shortly be needed, too, on another solo
album for Vertigo. He has a few songs in mind: The Whos The
Seeker, Chris Farlowes Out Of Time and Bob Dylans
Dream from the Freewheelin LP although that may be too
personal to him.
As an album high point hed had the traditional Amazing
Grace in mind for some time, having been treasuring to
himself an old recording by Doc Watson hes discovered in
Colletts a year ago. Now bloody Judy Collins has gone and
done it, swore our hero ungallantly. Nick Logan
Everybodys going for us at

the moment: The Faces: (lr)
Kenney Jones, Rod Stewart,
Ian McLagan, Ronnie Lane
and Ronnie Wood
chris walter
The test will

come when we
go up north.
Tomorrows
the first time
1970
Mick Jagger live in

1970: Id like to get
further out in music,
but you have to do
what you do best
Rolling stones
You
have to
go to the
people
As the ROLLING
STONES prepare to
tour Europe, MICK
JAGGER talks The
Beatles, his new
label and the bands
exciting new show.
Musicians should
live out of suitcases
not country
houses, he says,
while packing his
feathers for the trip.
Getty
NME AUGUST 29
fter slumbering for upwards of half a year, the

stones came a honky-tonking back to life again at
the weekend, following what is by now a familiar
pattern. it goes like this: months of silence pass by,
spasmodic and none-too-hopeful requests for a
rolling stone to interview fall on stony ground,
while the groups maddox street offices might for all you know have
gone to the moon.
then one day out of the blue comes a communiqu that they will be
available for interviews the following day at 12.15 prompt and you scoot
round to maddox street, bump into a melee of journalists as you open the
door, and discover inside an industrious collage of wandering stones,
staff temporarily evicted from offices and, on this particular occasion,
an equipment team getting themselves together under pop art posters
for the forthcoming european tour.
the european tour, of course. if id remembered that, i could have
predicted the sudden burst of activity. everyones being nice to each
other today, announced Jo bergman, of stones admin, while i waited for
mick Jagger, my turn coming round as the local church bell struck 1pm
and rang on, jammed in its insane clanging and sounding ominously like
a death knell.
1970
Mr Jagger declined to bite, looked fit if a little grey-faced in velvet jacket

and cap, and said how enthusiastic he was about getting back on the road.
Hed been getting things together, he volunteered, muttering darkly
about packing his feathers. Feathers? Yeah, feathers, confirmed Mick,
meaning the house decoration kind which apparently he takes with him,
along with other favourite items from his Chelsea home, to lessen the
impersonal feel of hotel rooms. If you can throw around a few colourful
rugs and things it makes all the difference, quoth Mick, displaying a new
facet of his personality.
Since their American tour ended in December last year, the Stones,
according to Mick, have been writing and
messing around. We have read a lot and been
very lazy. I think that is maybe why we keep
together, because we dont work all the time but
when we do we work very hard for concentrated
periods of time.
Id wondered if, after six years of it, the
renowned Jagger enthusiasm might be slowing
down, but Mick confirmed what hed said
earlier with, It wanes in and out, like the moon.
But I am usually interested in what is going on.
Everybody is, but there do of course come
periods when you dont dig it. I mean I really dig
it most of the time, but when I dont I go off and
do something else and when I come back I am
more enthusiastic than ever.
I have dug it more in the last two years and since we went to America it
has been really strong. I think I have driven everyone crazy by my overenthusiasm and I cannot wait to get back on the road, not necessarily for
doing my little bit on stage, but because I just like being on the road. I think
musicians should live out of suitcases and not out of country houses.
As Mick intimates, not all the Stones share his amount of enthusiasm,
and on the question of conflicting attitudes he says, You should ask
Charlie what he feels, because he thinks totally different. I think Mick
feels the same as I do. But because I think that, it doesnt mean that we
dont get on. I love Charlie and understand him and he understands me.
We can have our own lives within the framework of what we do, which is
very fortunate.
And referring to The Beatles, who we had touched on earlier: I guess
that is something that John and Paul found they could not do.
If theyd followed his maxim of suitcases and not country houses, did
he think The Beatles might still be together today?
I think if they had stayed on the road a little bit more and got into
playing I mean they can sing. I respect their point of view. Why dont
they play on stage but they should be able to get out of that actual thing
of being idolised. Paul could do it. He could say this is my solo thing in
concert. I am going to sing all my own
songs with a guitar. He could do it and it
wouldnt be screaming kids throwing
jelly babies. They would just sit up and
listen. The other doesnt happen any
more, but I think they believe it does.
You have to go to the people.
Is his interest in the wider music scene
still as strong as it was? Yeah, said
Mick, for the whole music scene,
although its stronger when Im abroad.
I dont hang out here much at all. Here
Ive seen Erics new band [Derek & The Dominos], but I dont go out every
night. Maybe I should. In America I do. Maybe its because Im at home or
go round to someone elses house to sing or something.
Mick Jagger the home-loving boy yet. What is the something else he
does when he fails to dig it?
When Im not playing I listen to records; when I dont listen I read;
when I dont read I sleep; and when I dont sleep I f.
To anyone in particular recently? (meaning record listening).
You mean anyone Ive fed, enquired Mick, laughing.
I listened to the new Steve Stills solo album, which I like very much.
And Miles Davis. I like Crosby, Stills, Nash &
Young very much, particularly the Neil Young
song (Helpless) on the second album. Steve
Stills solo is very funky, but generally they dont
play enough funk for me. I like funky things.
I still like black music a lot, but I dont like it
exclusively. I like country music, and Cajun.
Earlier we talked about the record company
the Stones plan to start now their recording
contract with Decca has ended and Mick had
volunteered, Its a time for change. A time to
change everything your life, your sex, your
attitudes, your music. You have to change,
change your way of life. Otherwise you get into
a rut. We change the music all the time.
We decided in a very loose way that we were
going to have a second company. We wanted to employ a few people to
look after the Stones records some work that we were doing and some
that Allen Klein was doing. It is partly for the people we employ here they
dont have that much to do when were not working.
So when it is running efficiently and when we are sure the services are
good, then other people can use the services we have to offer. We are not
going to run around looking for groups to sign up until we are sure they
will get good treatment.
Of the groups break with Klein, Jagger would say little except that
the reasons would not be printable You can just say it was time for a
change and of Marshall Chess, American former head of the Chess R&B
label and now employed to run the Stones record company, he states, He
knows a lot about the record industry and he also likes good music.
Did Mick think the Stones had any lessons to learn from The Beatles
handling of Apple and also from the reasons behind the Beatles break-up?
Well, I have tried to see from the beginning that we have someone who
is experienced and professional and who knows the industry. That is the
main lesson. There wont be any Stones involved in that field. Well also
keep the staff small and efficient and dedicated and not dressed up in
weird clothes and all that, though Im not saying that you cant be efficient
in weird clothes.
Obviously all that costs a lot of money,
but if we can get really good artists to join
us we are not bothered whether they are
new or established. But if it is not working
we are not going to sign any artists at all to
the label.
And what of the apparent Beatles split?
They dont exist; thats it. Bands do break
up I just wish they would all get new
bands together. I wish Paul McCartney
would get a band or something together.
It is disappointing that they dont write
together, but nothing can go on forever.
Couldnt the same be said of the Stones?
Yeah, of course. I think Keith could write
on his own. He is really strong as a
songwriter. He writes funky songs and
pretty songs. But I dont take that much
interest in what they [The Beatles] do. We
just get on on our own. I follow what they
do, like people who read the NME do, but
thats all. As for lessons. Well, there are
lessons to be learnt from Blind Faith and
Cream, I suppose, but I havent studied
them. As for us, as long as the band swings,
we will stay together.
Its time for a

change your
life, your sex,
your attitudes,
your music

1965
Mick Taylor and Keith

Richards backstage
during the Stones tour
of Europe, autumn 1970
There are a
lot of songs we
used to do that
we couldnt
get into now

tand by for action! The Rolling Stones are roaring back into
business! A giant Euro-rock tour, their own label, a new LP, hints of
British dates a wave of dynamic energy is to be unleashed! And
this week the Stones poured out their plans in a torrent of fiery words and
visionary pronouncements. It reminded one

of ex-Premier Harold Wilsons 100 days of gritty
and abrasive dynamism and the white heat of
the technological revolution.
What story do you want to hear? asked Mick
Jagger, toying with a beaker of tea. Theyre all
different. Oh, its such a bore.
Have you seen Gene Krupa? asked Charlie
Watts, relaxing in a wicker chair.
What are the dressing rooms like these
days? asked Bill Wyman anxiously. Are they
as bad as ever? I dont know we havent toured
England for three years. When did we last tour
England? Bill turned to Charlie.
You know, I saw Krupa at that place the
Metropole in New York. Nobody plays like that any more. I was listening
to some of the old Benny Goodman Quartet records and he used to play
so fast. Charlie munched a sandwich with an expansive gesture.
All the Stones, with the exception of Keith Richards, had gathered at
their palatial London office to launch Phase Five of the Rolling Stones
saga. There was plenty of tea and chat, although one sensed from the
ever-amiable Mick that everyone should both own up and get it over.
chris walter
As wed touched
upon solo albums
Steve Stills and
George Harrisons
I asked if Jagger had
ever felt a need to do
something away
from the Stones. I dont want to do a solo
album, replied Mick, leaving his seat and
pacing the room. The group gives us the
freedom to do more or less what we want both
collectively and individually.
If we want to make a track thats produced,
then we can. If we want to do a blues, we can.
Theres no one particular thing we cant get
into, although we couldnt get into certain pop
things or the poppy songs we used to do.
There are a lot of songs we used to do that we
couldnt get into now. We tried to play Paint It
Black the other day while working out an act,
but we couldnt get behind it. We can still do the
old rocknroll things we did and can get behind
most kinds of music, but we couldnt do
Gimme Dat Ding or something like that.
Taking his seat again, Mick mentioned that
the previous interviewer had asked him if the
Stones shouldnt have been more progressive,
like Led Zeppelin.
Led Zeppelin progressive? boomed
Jagger, and we got into discussing groups that
are tagged progressive yet get their best
audience reactions from the selection of old
rock standards they close with.
To me, thats alright, said Mick. The biggest
reactions we get are usually for the rock things,
like Satisfaction and Little Queenies. If a
group can play simple rock things well it shows
they are a good progressive band. To be able to
play that and make it swing shows that a group
knows where its base is, because that is the
basic cake on top of which the progression is
built. Play that well and you can be confident of
tackling anything else.
We are progressive in our own way. If you run
back through the albums, I dont think youll
find that we have repeated ourselves. And that
is progression. We have cut tracks lately which
have been experimental, and thats progression
for us. It is also progression for the Stones to play
a good country song, or give a country song a
new twist, or a rock song a new life.
I would like to get further out in music, but
you have to do what you do best. It would be no
good us trying to do a Soft Machine. I dont like
it, but I can dig that that is what they do best.
After the six-week European trip, Mick hopes
the group will be able to do some British gigs,
possibly in clubs because, We can experiment
more in clubs. We want to be a bit more
experimental, and in clubs it is easier to know
how the group is sounding.
The appearance of Miss Bergman brought our
chat to an end. That must be about 10 interviews
Ive done today, sighed Mick, smiling sweetly.
SMILING SWEETLY! HOME LOVING! Pigs
might yet fly. Nick Logan
1970
Journalists queued for their exclusive interviews, looking as worried

as patients awaiting tooth extraction. Americans probed and
Englishmen dithered. When the Stones meet the press it can be fun. The
most important point about the good old Stones is that they are still good
as well as being old the worlds oldest surviving rock band.
They have been through so many scenes and misunderstood on such a
universal scale, it is a tribute to Jagger, Wyman, Watts, Richards and new
boy Mick Taylor that they have retained their sanity and stuck together. It
comes as quite a surprise to find there are still people living on the planet,
eating, drinking, washing and carrying out normal, day-to-day duties,
who believe the Stones are rogues capable of nameless sin.
A cab driver, on hearing mention of the name
Stones, Rolling, immediately launched into
a diatribe concluding with the belief that they
were horrible.
Now it can be revealed the Stones are
harmless chaps, kind to dumb animals, keen
on music, photography and the arts. They teeter
between mild bouts of obscurity and flares of
creativity. We are now upon such a latter course.
And their European tour, which starts next
week, promises to be a time of much rejoicing
and merriment, enhanced by the addition of a
wonderful new invention the Giant Gantry.
Martin Francis, an assistant to Mr Chip
Moncke, the voice of Woodstock, explained
their plans. We are taking on the tour a rig
structure which will form a backstage proscenium arch to support
drapes and spotlights. The supporting towers will be 43 feet high and
around the stage will be sound towers for the amplification.
It is a totally new concept which is being specially built in England.
Constructed entirely of aluminium, the individual tubes, ladders and
frames clip together and it can be stripped down in two hours. It is
estimated that it will take five hours to set up. Two trucks and a forklift
truck will be used in transportation.
Martin began to sound rather like Isambard Kingdom Brunel
announcing his planes for the construction of the Great Western Railway.
There will be six super trooper spotlights and six focal cannon spotlights
and brand-new Gladiator spotlights. It will be moved 300 to 400 miles
a day and will place an onus of responsibility on the individual
venues One might say that again Will place an onus of
responsibility on the individual venues.
Meanwhile, Charlie was still chatting. Of course James Fox was
fantastic in Performance, although I was very disappointed with the
performance of my mate. Hello, hes got his notebook out.
What have the lads been up to, one wondered? Weve been in
the studios for three months for the new LP and rehearsing in
Wimbledon, said Mick Taylor, keen to get down to business.
I saw Air Force at the Albert Hall, interrupted Charlie. They were
BEAUTIFUL and I thought they must completely revolutionise pop.
They were really excellent and of course they have a lot of people I like
in the band. I just liked the whole scene. Ginger can play he was really
lovely and Remi Kabaka was great.
Undeterred, Mick Taylor assembled his thoughts about the Rolling
Stones. We havent done too much of the new album yet well get most
of it done after the tour. After the last American tour the band was a lot
tighter. No I havent been doing any writing
That last American tour was lovely, said Charlie. We hadnt been
there for quite a while and I was scared of going. You talk about it to people
who have been a lot, but when we got there, we found a lot of genuine
excitement. It wasnt hysterical like the first time.
Altamont was a different thing altogether. That was nothing to do with
the tour anyway. It came after. It was a gesture that got f up. Weve
been through that a lot of times since and there is nothing more that can be
said. Somebody had to be made the scapegoats and we were the nearest.
The Lyceum in London was a buzz, but the Saville Theatre was a drag.
That was a flop for everybody, agreed Mick. But we may do some
more dates in London, after this tour.
You know what we are like, said Charlie. Stop and start. We are
always actually doing something although we havent performed for
six months.
Theres no title yet for the next LP, said Mick helpfully. But weve only
just got the live album out.
I like to play our albums once to make sure weve done them right, then
forget about them. I never play our records. Weve always had to buy our
own records anyway, Charlie complained.
Was he slightly amazed that the Stones were still going? Not amazed
that the band is still going, just amazed they get anything together. Thats
our claim to fame. Were a terrible band, but the oldest. I feel like George
Lewis. Yes, I know hes dead. Thanks. You know I never got into George
Lewis much. Ed Hall, now he was my favourite on the liquorice. Do you
know, I havent bought a record since 1958? I think I should get a new one.
What kind of musical programme will the Stones offer us in the
future? A few of the old favourites and a lot of new songs, said Micky T.
Although we wont put in too many new songs,
as they dont always go down too well. We might
take Bobby Keys the sax player with us. I didnt
know what to expect when I joined the Stones,
but I suppose I thought we would be playing a lot
more than we have. I dont feel left on the shelf,
though. We all contribute to the group sound
Mick and Keith write the songs, which are
usually very sketchy, and we build them up.
Sometimes they turn out to be completely
different from the original idea. Keith writes
some beautiful songs.
Why havent the Stones done any singles
lately? Weve been recording, said Charlie,
but we havent done a single. We got the horrors
after Honky Tonk Women about picking a
follow-up. Honky Tonk wasnt done as a single anyway. It was an LP track
that got overdubbed. It started out with a country sound. There are no
definite plans for a new single, although one or two are being considered.
Mr Jagger, wearing a jaunty hat, took a seat, inspected the sandwiches
with some disdain, and looked suitably bored. What are the Stones plans
for the future? What did Mick think of his role as Ned Kelly? What was the
truth about his relationship with Princess Margaret? Will the group split
up? Penetrating questions formed on the tip of my tongue.
These sandwiches have got tomato in them, he announced. Is there
any tea?
Finally we came to the hub of the matter. The Rolling Stones own
record label. What news?
We want to
control prices
and seek new
ways of
distribution

1965
NME NOVEMBER 7
ell I mean, I dont wanna be a solo star or anything
at all like that, Mick Jagger began in his slow and yet
precise lethargic drawl. If it had been left up to me,
I just wouldnt have put out Memo From Turner as a single, he
continued, referring to this weeks rather mysterious rush-release of
his first solo disc. OK, so its quite a nice little record, he deliberated,
October 1970: Keith

Richards with his son
Marlon and Charlie
Watts at Schiphol
Airport, Netherlands
but its just not commercial enough. It was done strictly as part of the
soundtrack for Performance and thats all.
So please dont expect to see Micks sartorially attired presence on your
television screens, cavorting about in his most outrageous and flamboyant
manner. For, as far as Mick is concerned, Decca neednt have bothered to
release it. He confirmed that he has absolutely no intentions whatsoever of
promoting it. Disenchanted, but not to the point of anger, with the logic of
its release, he revealed rather nonchalantly, You know, at first they were
only going to put it out as a Rolling Stones single. That was until I pointed
out that none of the others were on it. If they were gonna bring it out at all,
they should have at least done it to coincide with the release of the film.
Then, with tongue in cheek, he elaborated: But you know me I
wouldnt dream of telling all those big businessmen what they should do.
Cos as we all know, they are so professional and know exactly what they
are doing all the time.
When I dutifully enquired as to exactly when Performance would go on
release, his reply was: No one can seem to get an answer to that one.
Its not every day that Michael Phillip Jagger rings you up for a quick chat.
However, it wasnt to be a peaceful tte--tte, for on two occasions we
were joined by a mysterious third party. Thankfully, this unknown
American female quickly obeyed Micks request
and got off the line. Recapping as to why Mick
had in fact decided to cut Memo From Turner
without the rest of the Stones, he told me, They
Keith, Mick and Charlie
just werent around at the time. So I did it with
in the studio listening
to Sticky Fingers, the
Steve Winwood and Jim Capaldi. But when the
first LP to be released
tape was flown over to the States, the original
on the Stones own label
backing track was erased and a new one, using
American session men, was substituted
instead. In fact, I wasnt there when they did it.
The rush-release of Jaggers solo effort could
probably be Deccas last big fling before the
Stones emerge with their very own label. At this
time Mick was understandably evasive about
revealing both the title of the Stones debut
single or for that matter the name of the label.
But he did disclose that we could expect a new
single from the Stones before Christmas.
We would have liked to have had the album
out at the same time, but honestly I dont think
that it will be ready in time. So well keep that
for the New Year.
Trying to extract some more information,
I enquired if the new Stones single would be a
song called Wild Horses, which they recorded
with a couple of members of the Flying Burrito
Brothers in Muscle Shoals, and which at one
time was on the shortlist as a possible single.
No we decided to re-cut it again over here.
And it is included on the new album.
At that precise moment we were again
interrupted by our mysterious American
intruder. And with a final Thanks for listening,
Ill see ya around, Jagger was gone. Roy Carr
getty (2)
Which story do you want? Mick was

determined to put across the full facts, with the
minimum of bad language. We want to be as
independent as possible. So we decided to get
some people to do the services for us, services
which will successfully combine effort with hard
work and sincerity. We want to keep our
overheads low. We want to release the odd blues
record and Charlie wants to do some jazz. We
want to control prices and stop the prices of
records going up, and Id like to seek new ways of
distribution that havent been tried before.
A lot of people think we have signed with Chess
Records, especially after your report. He gave a
penetrating look. Its all a bit of a bore. The label
wont have any particular policy. But were not
too intent on bubblegum material. Im not going
to run it anyway. Ask Marshall Chess. Im just an
artist on the label; I dont want to do any
production. And we havent got a name yet.
Mick was looking forward to the tour, he revealed, and smiled to
indicate a thawing process. We want to put on a good show visually.
Most stages look like a bicycle shop with guitar leads everywhere really
messy. The trouble with England is that there arent enough places where
we can stage anything like this. Yes, Im really looking forward to Europe.
Im getting my suitcases packed. Is that it? And he whisked away,
possibly in search of tomato-less sandwiches.
I dont know where we are playing, I heard Charlie remark as the
Phase Five Launch Probe de-accelerated. Where are we playing?
How about the Railway Hotel, Richmond, lads? Chris Welch
1970
A band of
renown
ERIC CLAPTON wants to be loved for his playing,
not the celebrity that killed Blind Faith. His answer
is the anonymous DEREK AND THE DOMINOS, a band
with former Delaney & Bonnie musicians. Can he
persuade another hot guitarist to join? Says
DUANE ALLMAN: Ive got my own fish to fry.
NME AUGUST 22
summer since the last one, a new eric clapton band was again
causing hold-ups in the London traffic on its touring debut in the
capital last week. But any similarity between that and the last time
our hero stepped out with a new group ends there.
Last time, you will recall, absolutely no one was permitted to remain
oblivious to the prolonged machinations of erics plans, first with
stevie and Ginger and then with rick Grech, until the publicity machine reached
a fuse-blowing climax at the stage when even Grandad on the beach at Blackpool could
read in his news Of the World of the new wonder discovery Blind Faith and its debut at the
Great hyde Park sit-in.
Last weeks was a different story. theres a good chance that you, never mind Grandad,
dont know who Derek And the Dominos are, or that this gloriously named new band of
claptons has been on the road a full three weeks. And if thats the case, then its probably
because mr clapton wants it that way.
Yeah, it is the absolute opposite of Blind Faith, agreed eric, talking at his managers
mayfair offices. that was very frightening, the Blind Faith thing, the show in the park
and then straight off to huge places like the Forum in LA. i got very disenchanted with the
big venues, but it was all very trial-and-error, as it was with this band. What we planned
for Blind Faith we did, in good faith; it was only when we started doing it that we realised
we were wrong.
his send-off for the Dominos former Delaney & Bonnie back-up men Bobby
Whitlock, organ/vocals, Jim Gordon, drums, and carl radle, bass couldnt have been
more different.
the first gig of the current tour was at the Dagenham roundhouse, and subsequent
ones have been of a similar nature: the circuit for a group building a reputation from
scratch rather than one for a musician of claptons stature.
getty
A
Derek And The Dominos

in 1970: (lr) Jim Gordon,
Carl Radle, Bobby
Whitlock and Eric Clapton
1970
We hope to work up to bigger things later, explained Eric in a masterly

understatement. This way provides good experience without too much
exposure and is the best way to get a group band together. We can all
stretch out more and get a better idea of what we sound like in a club. In
a concert, the sound is difficult to judge. And also its a lot more satisfying
musically. The audiences are a lot more responsive than I remembered
from the past.
In a crowded room containing, among others, Dominos Gordon and
Whitlock, Eric was his usual amiable self, rattling off honest, brisk and
to-the-point answers between jokes with the assembled company. It was
hard to reconcile this with the popular representation of Clapton as the
lost soul forever in search for his musical niche.
Havent I always seemed like that? he replied when I put it to him.
Lots of people and the press have tried to pin that on me as an image, but
it is no more true of me than of anyone else. I mean, I could turn that back
on you and ask if all musicians arent like that in one way or another.
He is, all the same, still trying to dodge the personality cult. I thought
I had with Blind Faith. That was the object. I thought the best way to do
it was not to contribute too much and let the others set the pace and
direction. Maybe that didnt work. I didnt get very far
either with Delaney & Bonnie, because some
LONDON
MARqUEE
Tight, compact LIVE!

MM AUG 22 EC shrugs off his
blues at a club date in Soho.
AUGUST 11
riC iS Derek proclaimed a badge on one of Derek And The

Dominos roadies lapels. And with his new group Eric Clapton
seems to have found the happiness that has escaped him for
a long time, and become the leader of a very tight band.
Eric led his band on to the stage to two packed houses at Londons
Marquee on Tuesday night last week, and received acclaim from the
audience at both, and the calls for old Cream numbers that have
bugged him at some of the groups earlier dates did not materialise.
Basically the group play a form of white soul, and it is obvious that
Eric learnt a lot during his short liaison with Delaney & Bonnie. Carl
Radle and Jim Gordon lay down a firm beat on bass and drums
behind the lead work of Bobby Whitlock and Eric.
Eric used to look unhappy on stage, but not with this group. Not
only does he smile, but his
guitar playing smiles, too. A
lot of criticism has been laid at
Eric because he has left the
blues behind. But if Tuesday at
the Marquee was anything to
go by, its just as well he has.
His playing now is far tighter
and more compact, and his voice was good.
The choice of material was a trifle narrow. Songs Eric wrote with
Delaney Bramlett tended to be rockers, and the others written and
sung by Bobby Whitlock lean more towards ballads, and have a little
more power. It was nice to see a big name group playing in a club,
where the big names start, but then desert when fame strikes.
Funnily enough, on the way to the Marquee, I noticed an old faded
Clapton is God scrawl on a bus-stop, and talking to him in the tiny
dressing room during the break between sets reminded me of the
old Yardbirds days. The excitement in his playing then, which was
lacking for so long, is back again. Mark Plummer
Not only does he

smile, his guitar
playing smiles

1965
people in the audiences seemed to think that it was my band and were
shouting out song titles and getting nasty because I wasnt playing more.
The way I see it now is to change the name to something like Derek And
The Dominos and get into it more.
To minimise the ever-present danger that the band will find acceptance
purely because it is his band, a clause has been inserted in the groups
contracts which stipulates billing as Derek And The Dominos and no
overuse of Claptons name as a crowd-puller. The band got started two
months ago. I had just come back from America after the Delaney &
Bonnie tour, said Eric, and sat down in a state of confusion for some time
with no particular plans or whatever. Bobby [Whitlock] had left Delaney &
Bonnie and came to England as an instinctive move, and it all started
rolling from there. It amazes me how much work we have got through,
considering that we were rehearsing for only a month of that time.
They played their first gig at the London Lyceum, then went off into
hibernation. It was Tony Ashton, of Ashton, Gardner & Dyke, who came
up with the joke name as Claptons band were sitting backstage at the
Lyceum wondering what to call themselves. Dave Mason was in the
lineup then, but has since left. His album was doing well in the States,
explained Eric, and he wanted to go over and follow it up with a tour.
Since the Lyceum the band has made enormous strides, and those who
felt that Claptons solo album released this week bears a destructively
heavy influence of Delaney & Bonnie will be gladdened to hear that with
the Dominos on the road Eric is, without doubt, the physical and
musical leader.
The night after the Marquee they played the smaller Speakeasy and
woke up the blas, star-packed audience with a dynamic set. It was nice to
hear Eric spreading out more on guitar than he has of late, and if his voice
had to strain on occasions, there was adequate compensation in the fact
that it came over far more natural and unforced than it did on the record.
For material, the band picked the best of Claptons album
Bad Boy, Blues Power, Bottle Of Red Wine but delivered with far
more satisfaction, plus newer compositions by Clapton and Whitlock,
including a tribute to Jimi Hendrix. The album had been a rushed job,
although Eric says he is satisfied with all the performances except his. He
would have liked to have done all the vocals over again.
Some of the songs were made up in the studio, he revealed. We did all
the tracks in a week and put the voices on a month later, again in a week.
You can do an album in a day and it neednt be rushed, but when you go in
with nothing prepared then you are rushed.
The group, states Eric emphatically, is taking all his present time. He
sees it very much as a long-term prospect and adds, Nothing else crosses
my mind. What we want is to make it into a band a band of renown.
And he smiles. Nick Logan

obby Whitlock first came to this country with Delaney &
Bonnie when they toured with Eric Clapton, playing organ with
the Friends. Now he is living here, and playing with Erics new
band, Derek And The Dominos. Last week the MM spoke to Bobby at
Londons Revolution club, where the band was rehearsing to go on the
road. Whitlock comes from just outside Memphis and started his own
group, which played clubs in the area, about five years ago. But it
wasnt until Delaney & Bonnie went to Memphis, and became the first
white band to record there, that his talent was spotted.
I met Delaney& Bonnie in Memphis about three years ago, and they
asked me to join them and form the Friends. It wasnt until I met Delaney
that I really started getting into music. He helped me to learn to play well,
and bring out my talents for writing and singing, said Bobby. But Delaney
and Bonnies Friends split up soon after they became well known. So I
suggested maybe they were hard to get on with, but Bobby disagreed.
Well, being man and wife, sometimes it was difficult; you kind of
become very involved. Anytime I was with them and something
happened, I became part of it. But they are not hard to get on with;
in fact, its just the opposite. I was really close to them, and I still am.
I really love them both.
But everyone left us, and went off with Joe Cocker, and the three
of us started to get something together. Then finally I felt I needed
a split. I felt I was being suppressed, not being able to sing and things,
but the split was accepted by them.
After leaving Delaney & Bonnie, Bobby came to this country to get
away from America. I came over here for a holiday or something, and
went to see Eric,

who suggested
forming a band.
So we made a few
telephone calls and
got it together. And
now I like it so much
over here. Its so relaxed
and tension-free that I am
going to get a place in the country
and set up home here. In the States
there are so many different scenes,
and I never wanted to get involved.
But over here you can do
as you wish.
Does he miss anything about the
States? No, nothing at all, all my
friends are over here well, almost
all of them. Although it will be nice
to tour there later this year. The
thing with the States was that I was
living in LA, which is like a beehive
after living like I had.
Bobby is enjoying playing with
Derek And The Dominos and cannot
wait to get back on the road,
especially playing the smaller clubs.
It will be really great getting to the
people again. When you are playing concerts in
big halls all the time, you lose contact with
people. But we want to get back to the people
again; you really see the audience and get
sweaty and hot with them. A group really gets
together that way, thats where you get tight.
After playing the smaller clubs you get to feel
each other so much better.
What sort of material will the band be doing
live? Were going to do some things off the
album we did with Delaney, plus some new
things Eric and I have written. Were trying
to get our own sound something unique to
Derek And The Dominos, and its heading in
a really good direction.
Like many of todays musicians Bobby cannot read or write music and
plays completely by ear. I am trying to get into the piano. We will be
using the piano a lot more now, and I expect we will use one on the tour.
Bobby hopes to record a solo album sometime in the future, and has
already begun one. Before the split from Delaney & Bonnie, I started
one which Delaney was producing, but I shall scrap that now. At the
moment I dont have the time to do too much on my own; in fact, we have
been rehearsing very hard for the last month-and-a-half, and even harder
for the last five days.
I feel very tired now; these last few days at the Revolution have been
hard going. But it will be worth every minute of it when we are back on the
road seeing and meeting people again. Thats when we prove the band.
Duane Allman in his hotel

room before an Allman
Brothers show at The Sitar
in Spartanburg, South
Carolina, October 17, 1970
a sort of Laurel and Hardy singing the blues.

But right now we have each got our own things
going and wanted to keep it that way.
I am going to join up with Erics band for a few
dates towards the end of his tour, but I am so
busy with my own band that its very difficult.
I cant even get over to see Eric because my own
band is working its ass off at the moment.
Duanes own band the Allman Brothers is
a six-piece unit featuring two lead guitars, two
drummers, bass and organ. Greg Allman sings
and plays organ.
We havent got any big stars in the Allman
Brothers, but they are all just great players. Its
difficult to describe the sounds we are getting
together, like free-form things with a rock format. Its blues, jazz and rock
all mixed up.
Duane started out playing guitar with a band on the West Coast before
he got into the Muscle Shoals session scene. I got really fed up with
playing with the band in California, so I went home and bummed around
drinking for a while. Finally I got the chance to go to Muscle Shoals to do
a Wilson Pickett session. He had four guitar players there and I was the
fourth. It was like sitting at the back of a football game watching
everything else.
I was sitting around and thinking about Hey Jude, so I suggested it.
Wilson let me play lead on that one because I thought of the idea. Anyway,
I stayed in Muscle Shoals for about eight months and really had a good
time. I worked with Pickett, Aretha Franklin, Arthur Conley, James Carr,
King Curtis, Laura Nyro and Ronnie Hawkins.
I had a good place to live, but there is no liquor or women there and
nothing to do apart from play. The nature trip wore me out, so I went
down to Florida and got the band together. After a while it started getting
really good and we recorded an album. Now we are getting more and
more gigs and our second album is in about No 60 in the charts.
Duane is full of admiration for Eric as a guitarist. He came to one of our
gigs and that is how I got to know him, he said.
He is the only guitarist in London that seems to
know what he is doing, and he freaked out when
he heard our band. He invited us to go to the studio
to play around and thats where it started.
Duane wants to bring his band to Britain at the
earliest opportunity. I have never been to England
and I have heard so much about it, he said. We
want to come as soon as we can get a tour lined up.
Im really anxious to come, but we are so busy at the
moment that its impossible. Chris Charlesworth
MELODY MAKER NOVEMBER 7

uane allman, american super-session guitarist, will not
be joining Derek And The Dominos but theres a chance he
and Eric Clapton may team up as an acoustic duo sometime in
the future. Duane, speaking from Nashville at the weekend, told me he
had been working with Eric on an album and had been
invited to join the Dominos. I have got my own fish to fry
at the moment, but maybe sometime we might get
together, he drawled across
the transatlantic line. It
could be just Eric and me
paying acoustic guitars.
We were playing together
and singing a lot
acoustically and we get
on very well together, like
getty
We get on
well, like a sort
of Laurel and
Hardy singing
the blues
1970
O C T OBE R DE CE MBE R
JEthRo tull, JaNIS

JoPlIN, thE who, lEd
zEPPElIN aNd MoRE
Phenomenal
NME SEPt 26 RIP, Jimi.
mirrorpix
imi Hendrix was known as

the wild man of pop and he
certainly earned that reputation
on stage. But in private life, among
his close friends, he had a polite,
almost shy, manner. The opposite
of the impression he gave on stage.
The immense loss that his sad,
untimely death will mean to music
is beyond doubt and his legion of
devoted fans throughout the world
have been joined in sadness and
mourning by legions of musicians
who respected Jimis work.
Jimi Hendrix at his flat

in Londons Mayfair,
January 7, 1969: his
music was raw and
alive sympathetic
and releasing
1970
getty
O C T O B E R D ECEMBER
He was a brilliant, perhaps phenomenal,

guitarist and his writing was extremely
original. His songs are immediately
identifiable with the writer; nobody else could
quite capture the essence of excitement and
perception that Jimi had. Jims rise to fame was
meteoric. Former Animal Chas Chandler found
him playing in a New York nightclub and
brought him to London. It took only a few short
weeks for Jimi to become the idol of millions.
His stage act was talked about as being
obscene, but this as all part of his music
raw and alive, filled with the problems that
confront everyone and, at the same time,
sympathetic and releasing.
When Jimi signed with Track records, I
worked for him during a period of about three
months. It was difficult to get to know him
personally as he rarely spoke of anything but
his music. He was devoted to it and spent long
hours without sleep composing. That, plus the
stresses and strains of the hard-working life
that had been forced upon him, eventually led
to nervous tension. Even when he wanted to be
alone, he was rarely allowed to relax.
A series of hit records and massive sell-out
concert tours made Jimi the subject of
adulation almost everywhere. The Jimi
Hendrix Experience became one of the worlds
highest-paid groups. Jimi, Noel Redding and
Mitch Mitchell lived in style. Noel suffered
a series of breakdowns before he eventually
quit the group to form Fat Mattress, and Mitch
was often taken ill too, owing to the demanding
schedules of playing and travelling. But it was
Jimi who felt the effects most. He sought a
release of a kind through drugs, but it is useless
to pretend that this is anything new for
musicians. Jimi just seemed to be the one who
got the most publicity.
Just as plans were being made to re-form the
original trio, Jimi died at the ridiculously early
age of 24 [sic: in fact 27]. His body is being flown
back to Seattle for burial within the next few
days. All those who knew Jimi are still sad and
numb. They have lost a friend.
It is hard, too, for the fans who will never be
able to see him again. Only his memory and
his music live on as an everlasting monument
to a truly great man of music and person.
Richard Green
august 6, 1970: Janis

Joplin at the Festival
For peace, an anti-war
fundraiser held at New
yorks shea stadium
A life lived to the full
NMe ocT 10 RIP, Janis Joplin, a character with an aura as solid as gold.
hough she probably felt a need

to live up to the Barnum & Bailey
image that grew to envelope her, Janis
Joplin did undoubtedly carry with her an aura
that was as solid as gold.
Her thing was for living every minute of her
life and for draining every precious ounce of
enjoyment out of it and when you met her, if
only temporarily, it became your thing too.
News of her death from a drug overdose in
Hollywood this week brought one of her most
quoted statements immediately to mind:
Man, she was reported as
saying, Id rather have 10
years of superhyper-most living
than live to be 70
sitting in some
goddam chair
watching TV.
Janis was a
legendary character, and as with
any of that kind, it was always
difficult to separate the fact from
the fiction. Stories abound about
her infamous exploits, her
capacity for drink and her early
years. In London last year, she
told me that she first became
aware of the power of her voice
at the age of 17, demonstrating to
disbelieving friends that she could
better Odetta.
The eldest child of a refinery
executive, she was born in Port
Arthur, Texas, where she became the towns

beatnik rebel, the girl from the Deep South
who mixed with the blacks, who became
known as mad, silly Janis and adopted the
credo Get stoned, stay happy and have a
good time. For five years she drifted in the
folk-beat world of Texas and New York, and
finally made San Francisco at the time when
Haight-Ashbury was at the beginnings of
achieving global renown. Eventually finding
her way into Big Brother & The Holding
Company, the legend started from the day
Janis unleashed her vocal
power with the band at the
1964 Monterey Festival.
Her best recordings were
made with Big Brother on
the CBS album Cheap
Thrills but a split became
inevitable. Reviewers would
praise Janis consistently
and just as consistently put down her band.
But the new band she formed never got it
together either, and when that too went the
same way as Big Brother, the Janis Joplin Full
Tilt Boogie Band, not yet heard on record,
came into being Janis had, in fact, been in
Hollywood recording an album with the new
band under producer Paul Rothschild.
She used to say of her kind of living: You
mustnt compromise, and Im living example
that you dont have to. People arent supposed
to be like me, live like me, drink like me; but
now theyre paying me 50,000 dollars a night
for me to be like me. Nick Logan
People arent
supposed to be like
me, drink like me
OCTOBERDECEMBER
NMe ocT 10 The Rolling Stones

deny rumours that they are
planning to become tax exiles.
report iN a London evening
newspaper, suggesting that the
Rolling Stones are discussing a plan
to emigrate to France, was denied by the
groups financial advisers this week.
The report intimated that the move was
initiated by Prince Rupert Lowenstein,
who is a member of the banking firm of
Leopold Joseph & Sons Ltd. And the Stones
were alleged to be seriously considering
the idea of settling in France.
This week it became known that Leopold
Josephs are, in fact, advising the Stones
on financial matters although the
company stresses that it should in no way
be considered to be the groups business
manager. However, despite Prince Ruperts
involvement with the Stones, Leopold
Joseph issued this comeback to the press
report: As far as we know, the Rolling Stones
have no present intention of taking up
residence abroad, and they have not
expressed any desire to live anywhere
other than in Britain.
John peel: no
recognition
from the bbC
for his pollstopping show
Tony Blackburn has been

slamming my programmes
MM Nov 28 If I said anything about his show, Id get
a very stiff memo, says Radio one DJ John Peel.
N extraordiNary accolade for Tony Blackburn on Radio
One this week left award-winning disc jockey John Peel, who
comperes Top Gear, bemused and disheartened. Last Sunday,
Radio One devoted an hours programme entitled Pick of the DJs to
coverage of a poll conducted by Reveille magazine. In the poll, Tony
Blackburn won the top Radio One DJ award and Michael Aspel won
the Radio Two award.
In recent years both Top Gear and John Peel have won numerous
awards, but their success has never been recognised by the BBC. John
Peel told the MM this week, Since Top Gear started there have been 14
polls run by various papers which have had a category for top Radio
Show. Thirteen of these have been won by Top Gear. In spite of this,
neither I nor the producers of the programme have ever received any
acknowledgement from any of the controllers at the BBC. Not one word
In the last few weeks Tony Blackburn has been publicly slamming
my programmes, but if I said anything about the Tony Blackburn show,
I would get a very stiff memo. It seems extraordinary to me that the BBC
refuses to acknowledge the success of Top Gear in spite of winning all
these polls.
A spokesman for the BBC told the MM this week, This was a
special programme which split Pick Of The Pops and which was to
announce the results of the poll conducted by Reveille. This poll
was purely and simply for Radio One DJs. I dont think an unfair
proportion of the programme was given to Tony Blackburn.
Revolutionary
MM Dec 12 RIP, outr saxophonist Albert Ayler.
lbert ayler, the revolutionary jazz tenor saxophonist,

is dead at the age of 34. His body was taken out of New
Yorks East River. His body is still in the morgue of Kings
County Hospital, Brooklyn, NY, pending a post mortem and
coroners report to determine cause of death.
Born in Cleveland, Ohio in 1936, Ayler was one of the most
controversial figures jazz has produced. After playing in New York
and Europe with Cecil Taylor in the early 60s, he made a series of
recordings for the ESP label which had a profound effect on
younger musicians.
Invariably surrounded by critical argument and frequent derision,
Ayler continued to plough his own furrow until, last year, he issued
an album called New Grass, on which he sang and played in a style
which mixed his old approach with commercial rhythm & blues.
His career had been comparatively quiet for the last couple of
years, and his personal appearances had grown infrequent. His last
album, Music Is The Healing Force Of The Universe (Impulse),
appeared last summer, but was not released in Britain. It featured
Ayler playing bagpipes for the first time on record, and also Henry
Vestine, guitarist with Canned Heat.
albert ayler on
stage in 1966
Kinks leader Ray

Davies stars in his
first acting role in a
new television play
called The Long
Distance Piano
Player, which is the
first of the BBCs
new autumn series
Play For Today.
The play will be
screened in colour
on October 15 at
9.20 pm on BBC1. In
the play Ray takes
the part of a young
man setting a new
world record for
piano playing. Ray
has composed two
new songs called
Marathon and
Got To Be Free,
and will also be

heard playing Kinks
tunes during the
piano-playing
marathon. MM ocT 10
Suggestions
that The Beatles
are considering
re-forming without
Paul McCartney,
who would be
replaced by another
bassist were
discounted by an
Apple spokesman
this week. The
rumours stemmed
from a national
press report, in
which in answer to
a question about
The Beatles playing
together again
George Harrison
had replied,
Maybe, but wed
have to get a new
bass player.
Dismissing the
possibility, Apple
said that it had been
intended as a joke!
He added that
there is no news or
comment on The
Beatles at the
present time.
NMe ocT 18
getty (2)
No desire to
live anywhere
but Britain
1970
1970
I am
difficult
to like
IAN ANDERSONs vision for JETHRO TULL has
piloted the group to stardom. But who is he
showman, musician or simply a pragmatic
businessman? A plain-speaking person, he
doesnt mind who he offends. A lot of people
think I am just a crud, he says.
NME OCTOBER 31
here can be little doubt that Ian anderson is Jethro Tulls
greatest asset, yet paradoxically it might also be true to say that
hes the groups and his own worst enemy. Much of the criticism
that has been levelled at Jethro Tull and thats a lot can be
indirectly traced back to a lack of audience understanding of the
anderson thought process, and that, in itself, is due as much to a
failure on Ians part to communicate as it is to the public to comprehend.
Whatever the reasons, the fact is that Ian anderson, on stage the Great entertainer,
detracts from Ian anderson, the Musician. and although the group has gone out of
its way in the past to avoid being dismissed as a joke band cutting down the stage
theatricals, adding keyboard player John evan there are still many who, while
maybe liking their act, refuse to take the music seriously.
It all comes down to this. If you turn in a good and exciting stage show that
entertains, then there is a process of thinking that says it must be an act. If its an act
then its rehearsed. If its rehearsed its mechanical. If its mechanical its sterile, and
if the act is sterile then the music must be too.
Ian, whose contradictory behaviour off stage and on further confuses the issue,
recognises the problem and agrees that the groups stage presentation can rub off
against its music:
Led Zeppelin get the same thing from the same people. Their critics are our
critics. The people who put down Zeppelin are the same people who put down Jethro
Tull. The people who think Zeppelin are contrived will think that we are contrived,
while those who think they are exciting and relevant to todays society will accept us
as relevant and exciting too. Maybe not in the same way I like to think we are a little
more controlled but I hope it still has the same immediacy.
getty
T
Ian Anderson on
stage in 1970: The
swirling coats and
that I express
myself through
these clothes
1970
getty
songs were very blues-influenced jazzy blues. But

a collision between Anderson and Abrahams was on.
Mick didnt like Ians songs and Ian didnt like his, that
being one of the reasons why the guitarist left and
conceived Blodwyn Pig.
From then on the unchallenged provider of Jethro
material, Ian sat down to transcribe songs that had
been flying around his head since months before.
For the first time he was free to write as he wished
There was no longer a necessity for them to be either
bluesy or jazzy.
The result was Stand Up, and a set of compact,
concise little songs that left Jethro Tull with an
unmistakeable and original style.
But although Ian accepts this, he sees the sound
and the treatment as more responsible for the
distinctive quality than the actual songs.
They are linked by the fact that they use the same
elements, he maintains, but arranged in different
way. And the elements? Simplicity like that of the
blues or R&B era. Simplicity of the forthright
Jethro Tull in 1970:
approach, with variation of intensity from the simple
(clockwise from left)
song to the heaviest and rawest.
Ian Anderson, Glenn
Cornick, Clive Bunker
With a zest for knowledge in virtually every sphere
and Martin Barre
of human activity, in music this has taken him deep
into the intricacies of the subject. I want to be
conversant in all the techniques involved in writing,
arranging, producing, the whole bit, says Ian.
Anderson quotes as typical of the problem
He talks music in terms of tone colours theres a further analogy with
an American Underground papers review of
art in the miniaturist quality of his songs and feels that recorded works
Benefit which described the music as
need to be a little deeper and more subtle.
artificial, likened Ians songs to washing
Whereas on stage you can get that colour by the visual effect of actually
machines and accused him of dictatorially
being there creating the music.
stamping out solos at the very first signs.
He had recently bought a trumpet when I met him, never having played
People see you on stage, he comments, and think that you must have
one before. I wrote a song on it the first day I had it, he told me proudly.
rehearsed it to make it that way, and that it all must be a bit of an act. And,
He regards Stand Up in retrospect as being a little too contrived as far as
youre right; they do look on your records in the same light. If they dont
the performance went and feels that Benefit was too much of a rushed job
like your stage act and think it is theatrical then they are going to look on
although disagreeing with the previously mentioned review on the
your records and think they are contrived and mechanical too.
question of solos.
I personally dont like to think of what we do on stage as an act because
When we last met, Ian told me that he kept his lyrics to simple themes
the word act conjures up ideas of contrivances to gain applause it
himself, his friends, his work, Jennie because he didnt consider himself
suggests something worked out for applause and appreciation. The fact is
qualified to comment on anything else. But on the next album he seems
that everything I do or say on stage has been spontaneous at one time and
to be moving towards more involved themes. Many of the songs, he
if there is one movement I do every night it is because it is like conducting
says, will have a relationship with each other, they will be able to be
the music it is part of the arrangement. Like the first time we do a new
taken on two levels.
song nothing happens, apart from maybe I tap my foot, but as the song
Switching on the tape to play me a track called The Passenger, Ian
develops something will grow out of it.
rummaged through a pile of songbooks to find and read the lyrics. You
Ians style of songwriting doesnt abate the critics either, being a style
see, this one is about a man on a train but it can also be seen as drawing
that flies directly in the face of his contemporaries moves into freer,
analogies between a passenger on a train and a passenger through life
longer and improvised compositions. He, in contrast, writes songs
And as if to ward off any suspicions I might be forming: But its not
that are concise and often short, with a simple unpretentious lyric line,
pretentious; at least I dont think it will sound pretentious when you hear
a beginning, middle and end. In short, he writes songs.
it. Its not like The Kinks making their potted little statements about men
At his new London home, after a meal prepared by Jennie Anderson,
in bowler hats. It will also be a little more humorous as an album. Theres
Ian and I sat down in the lounge-cum-bedroom to talk about his
a song called The Pool (reads lyrics), which is about Blackpool and the
introduction to, and thoughts about, music. A trumpet, violin and guitar
sort of thing Ringo might sing. And then there are still the personal songs
were lying on the bed.
about me, like Wondering Aloud, which is a love song.
It was a guitar, in fact, an electric one, that was Ians first instrument,
Often dissatisfied in the past, Ian feels that the new songs will be better
played in a group formed at school with John Evan, then a drummer, and
for the group because for the first time since he started writing he no
Jeffrey Hammond (of A Song For Jeffrey, etc) on bass.
longer has to work to deadlines. The new songs he has been able to live
He wrote spasmodically in those early days, material to supplement the
with, to play back and listen to numerous times, and be sure of.
groups mainly second-hand repertoire drawn from the least known
I dont now have to say, Oh Christ, Ive got to write something to finish
Liverpool groups the underground of their day and blues tracks
off the album. Working that way Ive sometimes written songs and
found on records. Later they played Rolling Stones-type numbers and
recorded them quickly and then afterwards wondered if they were the
then switched to a Ray Charles/Jimmy Smith bag when John Evan left the
right songs for the group. Nowadays it is more relaxing. I also find it a lot
drum seat to take up organ.
easier to write in America now that Jennie can be with me.
When Jethro Tull started, they played other peoples music
The important thing to him, says Ian, is that people buy their records for
predictable blues stuff, things Mick Abrahams said we should play.
the reasons they were made because we like the songs and enjoyed
There hadnt been time either for original material to be stocked up,
making it. It seems a bit silly to say it, but if the next album sold only 200
because although Abrahams and Clive Bunker still had day jobs, Ian
copies and those 200 people were still playing that record in five years
and Glenn Cornick, who had come to London from Blackpool together,
time, that would really knock me out. That is what I really want to do
were professional.
Playing variations of Dust My Broom, it wasnt until the band was
to play music that people will remember. Music that will still have the
same feel in the years to come and not just be the biggest thing of its
a good few months old that the situation eased enough to allow them to
particular year. Nick Logan
write their own songs. At the time of the first album, This Was, those
1970
Jethro tull
NME NOVEMBER 7
dmitting that you dont know your
subject may seem a strange way to open
a profile article. But I must admit straight
off that I dont know, or to be more specific dont
understand, Ian Anderson. I know a good deal of what
goes on on the surface, but any deeper than that is an
area Anderson appears to reserve exclusively for a very small
and long-standing circle of friends.
Because of this, and the fact that he rarely cares about being rude to
people, he is an easy person to dislike. But, even if repulsion is the result, it
is difficult not to be fascinated by the bewildering complexity of one of
the ablest minds to devote itself to rock music.
A year ago I spent 11 days on the road with Jethro Tull in America and
watched Ian at work under a variety of testing conditions; time and
opportunity enough to allow insight into most personalities. But not his.
Although richly informative as to how the Anderson mind acts, the tour
revealed little or nothing as to how it works. He is an enigmatic character,
a 23-year-old rich in contradictions. The wild stage extrovert who on tour
shuts himself off behind locked doors. The performer who will talk to and
entertain with alarming confidence upwards to 18,000 people yet
offstage will feign illness rather than get involved in arguments, who
doesnt go to parties or clubs, who doesnt mix with other musicians and
who has no time for either drugs or alcohol.
A few days before Jethro Tull left for their current American tour, we
talked at the Andersons new London home, a two-storey modern house
which Ian and Jennie have crammed full of old, and often bizarre, curios
and furnishings.
He countered my question as to whether he thought he was difficult
to understand with: I am difficult to be absolutely sure of, probably
a difficult person to like because I dont mind offending people.
If someone comes up and says, Do you want some hash? or Do you
want to come along to a party? for example, it
doesnt matter how you tell them that you are
not interested, it will be a big blow to them. I
offend people like that at the rate of one a day.
Most of this arises from people who see Ian
Anderson on stage and fix preconceived ideas of
what he should be like off stage. To journalists
he realises he cannot communicate through
and kids who come backstage to talk to the
band, to give two examples, he finds it difficult
to explain that he is not what they expect.
And he refuses to live a lie. It does happen
that people come backstage with the idea that
I should be very friendly and open to them and
a nice guy and they go away thinking I am not
friendly and am a nasty guy, because unless
I put on an act I have no way of getting through to them.
I would rather hurt people in that way than offend them in a much more
serious way by pretending that we have some area of communication
between us when we havent. A lot of people think I am just a crud, and
I just have to live with it.
This refusal to live a lie raises one of the most obvious sides of the
Anderson character, his unpretentiousness and his honesty. On the
latter, he maintains: In some ways this is a very mentally maiming life.
You have to keep looking at yourself to see how honest you are, but in
other ways it does tend to get easier rather than harder.
He is his own and the bands greatest critic, to a point where he will bend
over backwards to avoid the impression of pretension. Mainly by choice,
his is an isolated life; his friends can be counted on one hand. These tend
to be acquaintances of a very long
standing. Apart from Jennie, who was
working at Chrysalis London office
when they met, they include John Evan,
the Jethro organist and pianist, and the
famous Jeffrey, who Ian grew up with.
Both were in his first group.
Ian tells the story of that group in his
own inimitable style, part truth, part
colourful exaggeration. Hed had an
interest in pop before seeing that kind
of life as an escape route if he failed his exams but

he didnt get going until the sixth form when he and
Jeffrey went to a youth club and were amazed to see
the local beat group surrounded by girls.
There they were, all these fantastic birds, long hair,
made up, false eyelashes and things, crowding round
this group of scabby, spotty teenagers called Johnny
Breeze & The Atlantics.
Ian and Jeffrey, their minds boggling at this glimpse into
a world of glamour, set off home to hatch their plans. Jeffrey had
never had a girlfriend in his life, remembers Ian, and saw this as his
introduction to some kind of feminine attachment. He bought a bass
guitar, a really pathetic 12 thing with an amp that came wrapped in
a cardboard box. I had had a guitar since I was about 11. We started off as
this three-piece Johnny Kidd-type group playing in front rooms. Little
girls came to see us.
Ians ambitions after he left art college were split between the music
business, not necessarily performing but possibly working in a
managers or agents office, and journalism. He approached the
Blackpool Evening Herald to no avail. His recollections at the time were
of wanting a job with some kind of freedom to be ones own boss to
a certain extent, to be able to meet people.
Instead he stuck with the group, which had by then lost Jeffrey to the
art world and at seven strong had become The John Evan Band, with Ian
as singer and second-rate guitarist. Feeling the need to play another
instrument, he bought the flute a few months before the band came
down to London, selling the guitar to a local music shop. Refused cash for
it, he settled for a flute and a microphone in exchange.
So The John Evan Band descended on London. It was winter and very
cold and dismal in Blackpool, remembers Ian, and the way things were
at home, the only thing I had to look forward to was sitting in the bedroom
listening to the radio. And as things got more dismal and colder I decided
it was time I moved off, feeling that some kind of move might at least bring
some change of spirit.
Apart from Ian and Glenn Cornick, the band
lasted two weeks before they went home.
Regrouping with Mick Abrahams and Clive
Bunker, the newly named Jethro Tull got
themselves signed with Chrysalis bosses
Terry Ellis and Chris Wright, who, for a time,
were under the impression they still had a
seven-piece band on their hands.
Glenn Cornick remembers how they used
to turn up for gigs and make excuses about
the three-man brass section getting delayed
in accidents. Right from the beginnings,
even when the band was playing unoriginal
material, Ians personality came through the
music. At the start it was the floor-length
woollen overcoat, a parting present form his father when he left
Blackpool, and his antics with the flute.
Strangely, he reasons away the props as a justification for him being
on stage, and says he regarded his singing as not enough. When friends
then began to point out that his character on stage was becoming a
valuable commodity, and suggesting he should play more into the role,
Anderson says he found it quite frightening and dropped any kind of
extrovert behaviour for some time.
After that stage it crept back, he says and when it did it had nothing
to do with confidence. It had begun to be a personal expression of the
music, something that amplified the music to me and I hope to the
audience as well. It was a visual extension of the music as are the
clothes I wore, and still do, the swirling coats and that. I express myself
through these clothes. It is like a miner putting on overalls because it is
the right gear for the job.
The phrase right gear for the job is worth pondering on. One may
wonder when Ian Anderson takes off the right gear for the job and, if it is
a front, what lies behind it. Is it a faade to a shrewd young man who has
recognised and used his assets to their utmost or the window on a rare
and brilliant mind?
Jeffrey, when I gave him a lift home after the interview, agreed with me
that Ian had changed little or nothing since Jethro Tull, but on the other
hand, registered surprise when I said that I still didnt understand him.
This is a very
mentally
maiming life.
But it tends to
get easier
Nick Logan
1970
LED ZEPPELIN
TRACK
BY
TRACK
LED ZEPPELIN III
in pitch to the voice. It was

either that or leave the track out
altogether. Why Celebration?
Its saying, Im happy, thats all.
Since Ive Been Loving You
Well never stop doing

the heavy things
MM OCT 24 Jimmy Page goes track by track through
Led Zeppelins III. Youve really done something evil!
immy Page isnt disturbed at any adverse criticism of Led
Zeppelin III because he hasnt read any reviews. But he is aware
that a number of Zeppelin fans would appreciate some
backgrounding to the tracks of an album that has been greeted as
either their best yet or weaker rock.
At Jimmys wooden boathouse home beside the Thames he spent
a pleasant Saturday evening last weekend, listening to albums by the
Cream, Jody Grind, Tony Williams and Don Ellis before getting round
to a track-by-track review of his groups third endeavour to relate their
musical feelings. He explained the origin of the songs and occasional
quirks between tracks. And he hinted at the future, and the content of
Led Zeppelin IV, already on the drawing board.
chris walter
Immigrant Song
Thats a voice at the beginning,
incidentally, which somebody
said was a wailing guitar. On
stage this number has already
developed into a much longer
thing, with a full instrumental
passage. The hiss at the
beginning is a tape build-up,
and then John Bonham comes
in. Its not really tape hiss, its

echo feedback. Robert wrote
the lyrics to this one.
Friends
Again, Robert wrote the
words. He did them all
except on Tangerine.
The idea was to get an
Indian style with the
strings. The string players

were not Indian, however, and
we had to make some on-thespot changes. John Paul Jones
wrote an incredible string
arrangement for this and
Robert shows his great range
incredibly high. Hes got a lot
of different sides to his voice,
which comes across here. It
has a menacing atmosphere.
A friend came into the studio
during the recording and it was
bloody loud and he had to leave.
He said, Youve really done
something evil! Moog
synthesizer at the end, and
thats a bottleneck string bass,
with John Paul playing.
Celebration Day
The reason the voice is alone is
the tape got crinkled in the
studio and wouldnt go through
the heads, so the end got
ruined, but it worked out all
right by using the idea of
bringing the synthesizer down
This was a live track. John Paul

plays organ and foot bass pedals
at the same time. My guitar
solo? It could have been better
but yknow. You are never
satisfied with a performance,
although of course there are
those lucky musicians who can
play it perfect every time. On
these types of numbers John
decides his own drumbeat to
play. We might occasionally
suggest the use of conga drums
on a particular number, but he
always fixes his own beat.
Out On The Tiles

This is Bonzos riff [John
Bonham]. Originally we had a set
of lyrics to go with this relating
to a night going out on the tiles.
Gallows Pole
A traditional song which stems
from Lead Belly. I first found it
by Fred Gerlach. He was one of
the first white people on
Folkways Records to get
involved in Lead Belly. We have
completely rearranged it and
changed the verse. Robert
wrote a set of new lyrics. Thats
John Paul Jones on mandolin
and bass, and Im playing the
banjo, six-string and electric
singles & albums
Hats Off To (Roy) Harper

Theres that freaky echo. The
voice sounds like that because it
went through a vibrato amp.
This came about from a jam
Robert and I had one night.
There is a whole tape of us
hashing different blues things.
Robert had been playing
harmonica through the amp,
then he used it to sing through.
Its supposed to be a sincere
hats off to Roy, because hes
really a talented bloke whos had
a lot of problems.
guitar. The bloke swinging

on the gallows pole is saying wait
for his relatives to arrive. The
drumming builds nicely.
Tangerine
Thats commonly known as a
false start. It was a tempo guide,
and it seemed like a good idea to
leave it in at the time. I was
trying to keep the tempo down
a bit. Im not so sure now it was
a good idea everybody asks
what the hell is going on. I did
the pedal steel guitar and thats
Robert doing the harmonies as
well as lead.
Thats The Way

Ah, this was written in Wales,
where Robert and I stayed at a
cottage. It was one of those days
after a long walk and we were
setting back to the cottage.
We had a guitar with us. It was
a tiring walk coming down a
ravine, and we stopped and sat
down. I played the tune and
Robert sang a verse straight off.
We had a tape recorder with us
that sounds a bit strange, but it
was part of the kit and we got
the tune down. This wasnt
recorded in Wales, if I gave that
impression. The Los Paraguayos
bit is the mandolin.
Bron-Y-Aur Stomp
Thats an acoustic bass, not a
double bass. Its like an acoustic
guitar with a reasonable body.
John Paul took the frets out and
he plays it acoustically. This has
got the rattling of the kitchen
sink weve got everything in it!
We overdubbed Bonham on
castanets, and spoons.
Which was Jimmys favourite

track? I like Gallows Pole. But
there are others the point is we
had 17 tracks to choose from to
put on the album. Some were
written out at the cottage. Some
show different stages of
development. There was a lot
like our early stuff pretty
powerful. And John Paul Jones
wrote a piece that was all piano,
which would have related to
whats coming up in the future.
This album was to get across
more versatility and use more
combinations of instruments.
The next one will be just one
long track on one side with these
combinations of instruments,
mandolin, and banjo and so on. It
would last about 25 minutes with
instrumental sections. Its still in
the planning stages.
Well never stop doing the
heavy things, because that
comes out of us naturally when
we play. But there is another
side to us. The new album is
totally different from the others
and I see that its obviously a new
direction. The fourth album
should be our best, and if it isnt,
well, we might as well give up
and retire with red faces. I
havent read any of the reviews,
but people have got to give the
LP a reasonable hearing.
Everybody in the band is
going through some changes.
There are changes in the
playing and in the lyrics. Robert
is really getting involved in his
lyric writing.
Where did the cover idea come
from? It was my idea to have a
revolving wheel. I remembered
those old gardening catalogues.
Youd turn it to roses and find
out what kind of manure to use.
Theres a lot more to see on
the wheel. When you get fed up
with the LP there is the added
pleasure of ripping up the cover
to find out
whats on
the rest of
the wheel.
ALBUMS
Derek And The Dominos
Layla Polydor
Well, not a bad little rock
ALBUMS
band. But wait, this is Eric
Clapton and surely it
should be considered
differently? Why? Yes,
why? Anyway, here we have a double
1970
album of songs that ranges from the
magnificent to a few lengths of complete
boredom. We have Hendrixs Little Wing
played with such spreading beauty that Jimi
would surely have clapped till his hands bled, and then we have
I Am Yours, a bossa that novas in pitiful directions.
Clapton and the Dominos have laid down an assortment of
patterns so varied that it would easily take a small pamphlet to
write an account of what has happened. Entertainment, certainly,
and Eric and Duane Allman give about every superb essay possible
on the playing of the electric guitar. Eric spits and licks, pumps and
grinds in seven-minute strutting boogies (eg, the Billy Myles
spread Have You Ever Loved A Woman), and then dawdles into
love songs and lengths of pretty atrocious vocal work.
Title track Layla is by far the busiest screaming item, which
burns to nearly eight minutes of brilliance, with rogue playing from
all and some of the best Clapton you could ever wish to hear. One
thing is certain these are assorted love songs. Eric is into the lovelicks, and you dont have to give this much of a hearing to know that
he loves every damned minute of it. Roy Hollingworth, MM Dec 12
W
E
I
V
E
R
Peter Green The End Of The Game rEPrISE

If Rudyard Kipling could have played in a rock band, then hed have
played with Pete Green, for this is jungle rock. Its spooky, and like
a jungle it pulsates. Pete is joined by a splendid array of excellent
musicians Zoot Money (piano), Godfrey Maclean (percussion),
Nick Buck (electric piano and organ) and Alex Dmochowski (bass),
to create what can only be described as a lion of an album.
Many people must have wondered what had happened to Green,
but wonder no more, for this is twice as good as anything he did
with Fleetwood Mac. There are six tracks of pure, heady rock no
vocals but each instrument has words. Theres parakeet guitar,
screeching with much emphasis on wah-wah; theres Zulu warrior
drumming, hunting, biting and nibbling. Dmochowskis bass sucks,
slumps, steams and pumps into magnificent python riffs, and Zoots
piano is the playful but neurotic monkey that freaks in the trees.
In the title track the band paint a terrifying jungle scrap between
animals and a lion which is Petes sabre-tooth guitar? It reaches
such turmoil that it almost upsets the mind this is dangerous
music, at times you cant correctly absorb what is going on. After
the five tracks of jungle tension, theres a Pete Green clearing in
Timeless Time, another of his spaghetti-western soundtracks.
Certainly one of the most worrying albums of the year, and its a
delight to hear Petes excellent playing again. Roy Hollingworth, MM Nov 14
Kinks Lola Versus Powerman And The Moneygoround PyE

Raymond Douglas Davies, taking a cheeky nibble at capitalism and
the hurdy-hurdy pop playground. The songs of Davies are without
doubt one of the best things to happen in straight fun and
entertainment music this decade. You cant beat this mans hilarity,
spiked with cunning, and here are 11 more of his Kinky ditties. Top
Of The Pops is for me the ultimate track on the album. It tells a tale
we all know of the pop fracas, but listen to Ray tell it in You Really
Got Me Kink heavy prose. Its followed by The Moneygoround,
a barrel-organ slam at money distribution. Theres also a slamming
funk of an item from Dave Davies, the excellent mirth of Apeman
and Lola, which must surely rate as the funniest song of the year
give those lyrics another close hearing! Davies sings with a dimple
in his jaw, a gap in his teeth, and maybe a tongue in his cheek. To
quote his lyrics, given half the chance hed rip off his clothes and
live in the jungle, which would
surely be a terrible waste. The
musics pure Kink simplicity but
it works. Roy Hollingworth, MM Nov 28
1970
chris walter
Pete Townshend turns

Pearly King for a rendition
of Tommy at the BBC
Television Centre, London,
December 30 and 31, 1970
Well
never
be the
ultimate
group
After Tommy, THE WHO embrace raw
rocknroll with Live At Leeds. For PETE
TOWNSHEND, however, 1970s successes
prompt critical examination of himself
and his band. It was only since Cream
broke up that we started making it
1970
NME APRIL 18
m trying to sophisticate our sound a little, make
it a little less ear-rending. If we try and do anything
clever-clever it could be a mistake. Not the sort of
thing one would expect to hear from Pete Townshend,
but obviously a change is in store for The Who.
The loudest part of the Who is the PA these days. We
havent got any louder. Our PA is fifteen hundred watts and it just chucks it
all out, that is whats deafening people.
Pete was talking to me at his home, opposite Eel Pie Island, where a
commune is firmly ensconced. As he talked, two dogs chased about the
room alternately leaping on one another and investigating my tea. The
main talking point was Live At Leeds, the groups upcoming live album
which was recorded in that Northern town at the university.
Ive been planning a live album for ages, Pete began, and we
recorded all the shows on the last American
tour thinking that would be where we would get
the best material. When we got back we had 80
hours of tape and, well, we couldnt sort that lot
out, so we booked the Pye mobile studio and
took it to Leeds. It turned out to be one of the
best and most enjoyable gigs weve ever done.
People always talk about The Who being
good on stage. Were all about visual pop flash,
and in the past when weve recorded shows,
tapes have sounded very grotty at the best.
When I should have been playing guitar Id have
been waving my arms about like a windmill or
when Keith should have been playing hed have
been yelling ooh-ya ooh-ya at the top of his
voice like Lennie Hastings.
So what I want to do is sophisticate the sound a little. One of the
troubles is Moon hes so deafening. If we do a two-and-a-half-hour show
he just starts playing like a machine. Im sure he puts out more watts than
the rest of us put together!
First warning me crackles courtesy of Pye, Pete played me some of the
album, including Mose Allisons Young Man Blues, which can easily be
described as dynamic. He then spoke about Tommy, which has been
hailed almost as the Messiah of records by many people.
It was highly overrated because it was rated where it shouldnt have
been and it wasnt rated where it should have been, he commented. It
should be rated as a successful attempt to tell a story in rock music. I dont
listen to it. I enjoyed making it very, very much. We were going down the
drain we needed challenging after putting out corny singles like Magic
Bus and Dogs. Making Tommy really united the group and that was the
good thing about it. The problem is that it has elevated The Who to
heights they havent attained.
Pete speaks about The Who sometimes as though the group hasnt yet
realised its full potential, and he obviously believes that he, Moon The
Wonder Boy, Roger Daltrey and John Entwistle need a pillar to lean on.
We all need the group and to be in flux, he explained. Its been a long
partnership and we lean on it a lot. We need people to get at and argue
with. Its nice to have a set of individuals called
The Who to write for. I got myself a problem
with Tommy, something to get down to. The
Who will always respond to a challenge.
A group like us always needs as much prestige
as it can get and at the moment thats pop
opera. On the Continent, Tommy was very
successful and it brought a lot of kids who
hadnt seen us.
During the brief spell that I worked for The
Who as their publicist I visited Germany with
them and learned the rigours of touring. At
about that time each member of the group had
frequent moans about it and swore to pack up
touring. The pledge has been broken.
It could have been America that changed our
mind about touring, Pete considered. But all
of a sudden peoples demand began to get
higher. It used to be that if you had a hit record
youd get a full house and if you didnt youd
only get half-full houses. We waited three or four years for the new Beatles
but they never came, so we said, Well have to make do with what weve
got but make it better.
Weve always been influenced very highly by groups like the Stones
and The Beatles and have made good use of it. Have you heard the Stones
live album? Its influenced me a great deal. We used to tour and come
back broke. Wed drink it away and use it up in broken instruments. We
behaved so desperately that promoters thought it was only right and just
to the public to steal these boys money.
It was nice to discover that you can make money out of pop music
we couldnt believe it when we came back from America with money in
our pockets. Writing is very good for money, thats why a lot of groups
insist on writing their own material. With the Stones you have to wait
until theyre going through a good period of songwriting before they
bring out a record. Speedy (Keen) is a writer, a very good writer, and thats
what spurred me to form Thunderclap Newman.
Behind every teenybopper group theres a
person like me who says, You, you, you and you
will get together and form a group and record
this and have a hit. It takes a long time to learn
to write songs. I dont know why I started; I was
just always writing things when we were
playing all the pubs and terrible places.
We adjourned to the recording studio along
the passage and Pete played me a couple of
numbers, one of which is almost destined to
become Thunderclaps next single. So,
contrary to many rumours, the group will be
having more records out. An album awaits
release as well.
They really make a very, very, very nice
recorded sound and the other two that were
brought in were just to allow them to appear on stage, but they werent in
the group proper. Jimmy McCulloch has a group together to play live.
Speedy is constantly writing he is the one who has the group most at
heart and Andy is recording his own music, which is eccentric.
Speedy appeared through the door on cue and we discussed which
number we all thought most suited for the next single. Then Pete had to
go and eat his Cornish pastie before it got cold and I had a nice walk along
the embankment in the rain. What an exciting pop world we live in.
Tommy has
elevated The
Who to heights
they havent
attained

1965
Richard Green
NME NOVEMBER 7
hen you come to consider the amazing success story of
The Who, the glittering superstar aura that surrounds the
group and the adulation in which the four West Londoners
are held by millions of fans throughout the world, it would seem safe to
assume that Pete Townshend, their accepted leader, is a supremely
confident man. But this is an unsound assumption.
When talking about his music, and his guitar playing in particular,
Pete often reveals a degree of bewilderment and sometimes chagrin.
He openly admits that groups like Led Zeppelin can hold The Whos
advance back and he speaks with an air of
hopelessness when on the subject of the late
Jimi Hendrix. As we sat in the lounge of his
riverside house at Twickenham, Pete recalled
the days when The Who were still trying to
find themselves. I couldnt find a model
guitarist I could focus on, he told me. I used
to like John Lee Hooker and Steve Cropper.
I thought George Harrison was very lame.
Keith Richards couldnt tune his guitar he
still cant! Somehow we became aware of The
Yardbirds and we incorporated the things
they were doing in our act without ever seeing
them; it was done by word of mouth.
I incorporated something into my style
which Clapton hadnt discovered this was
feedback. I discovered it by accident because
I wanted my amps to be bigger than I was, this
was image consciousness again. I was the first
person to put two Marshalls on top of one
Nice Lowrey Berkshire

Deluxe TBO-1 organ and
EMS VCS3 Mk 1 synthesizer
combo, sir: Townshends
home recording studio in
Twickenham, London, 1970
another and this, to my mind, originated the stack. Because the amps
were directly opposite the stack, when I turned round I got feedback.
After that I never looked at another guitarist and worried; I wasnt
intimidated any more. I was a guitarist and a songwriter and I could
swing my arm, so I was confident.
When The Kinks and later The Beatles used feedback, Pete was more
than pleased but his feeling of well-being wasnt to last long. Just when
he believed that he was all set as a guitarist, Jimi Hendrix marched onto
the scene.
The first time I saw Eric with Cream was at a gig in a theatre
somewhere. Very soon afterwards came Hendrix and I dont think
anyone directly influenced me more. He was the first man to come in and
walk all over my territory. I felt incredibly
intimidated by that.
It didnt only happen once; there were several
occasions when Jimi shook Pete.
We had our own show on at the Saville and
we were feeling very, very, very nervous about
it, he admitted. Kit Lambert made the terrible
mistake of putting Hendrix on before us and
when he ended by using feedback and dropping
his guitar on the floor I was terribly hurt by
nobody saying that he was copying what Id
been doing. My guitar smashing was an
extension of feedback and arm swinging;
Hendrix incorporated it in a very silky
movement and the blues.
The next time Pete felt put out by Jimi was at
one of the first mammoth American pop festivals. Monterey more
Hendrix intimidation for me personally, he sighed. It was right in the
middle of the psychedelic era and we brought the place down with the
smash-up routine. We went on before Jimi and he went on and did the
same thing; again we felt cheated because our impact had been halved.
It was only since Jimi stopped working a lot in the States and Cream
broke up that we started making it. Theres always been a hidden
audience for the

guitarist; I think its
mainly younger boys
that could make
a guitarist a star
overnight.
Of the period when
Jimi suddenly happened, Pete says: It was about that time that we really
began to change. I became conscious of myself as a guitarist and started
to write in a way that would allow myself more expression. We played
a Murray The K show in the States with the Cream and we both had
10-minute spots in which to show ourselves. We made a far bigger impact
because of our smoke bombs and guitar
smashing and things. There was a fantastic
amount of paranoia; I was always conscious
of myself as a guitarist when Eric was around.
I made myself much, much more positive and
used it as an expression.
The news spread like wildfire about The Who
but we didnt steam back in quick enough. By
the time we went back to the States the Cream
were superstars and we had to fight where we
felt we didnt have to fight? We were always
reviewed in the light of the Cream.
Just lately, Pete has begun to feel more
satisfaction with the direction in which The
Who is heading. He has witnessed a large
number of changes during the groups career,
but now feels that if the rainbows end is ever to be reached it may not be a
much longer journey.
We were so hyped up on our image that we couldnt see what was
going on, he stated. Its only since Live At Leeds and Tommy that weve
balanced up our music. The reason why a Who performance is an
exciting thing is that there is a lot of history there. You know that Keith is
going to be excited, but you dont know in what way.
getty
I was hurt by
nobody saying
Jimi was
copying what
Id been doing
1970
The Who have moved up the rungs of the

ladder of success at an incredibly slow rate.
Theres an evolution in the group going on and
now theres an evolution in the music now we
can hold our own against groups like Zeppelin
who are completely musically based. Were
breaking up the jinx of being a guitarist group.
The first time I saw Zeppelin it seemed they
were regurgitating all the musical cliches of
pop. They are a groups group and now The
Who are being accepted as a groups group. But
well never be the ultimate group while there
are groups like Zep around.
Occasionally Petes train of thought seems to
ramble a bit and he switches subjects about
before the listener has had time to take in one
thing at a time. When seen as the printed word,
however, one of his rambles can give the reader
an insight into Petes complex mind and the
way in which he likes to speak on a variety of
subjects concerned with his music.
For example: It was the image around the
group and everything about it that enabled
me to find myself as a guitarist and songwriter.
I think about the Small Faces in the same way.
None of them were particularly brilliant on
their own but they were a very together group,
they knew good music when they heard it. They
didnt try to make individual statements.
Eric always talks about his guitar and I
always talk about rock and the ethics of rock
and why its lasted so long and what people get
out of it. Eric had the stage act and I had the
music and Jimi was all that rolled into one.
Jimi doesnt need musical obituaries. It was
either going to be a bomb dropping or Jimi
Hendrix happening people knew, they felt,
something was going to happen. The impact
he made was enormous. He was there; you
didnt have to see him or hear him to know
that it was a point in musical history.
Keith Moon is so defined in what he does and
the way he does it that he was never conscious
of what he does and the way he does it that he
was never conscious of anything until he
started to figure in drummers charts with people like Ginger Baker. Hes
never been a drummers drummer, but today people say, Technically,
I dont know what he does or the way that he does it, but it works.
The Who will probably last longer than most groups but will probably
never reach the status that these other groups have reached. If we go on at
this rate we will be the biggest group in the world because slowly were
realising all our ambitions. Were a group that can pull it out of the hat yet
again. Id like it to reach the stage where Sinatra and Ella get Are They Still
Stars? features written about them because their latest record wasnt a
hit. We had that said about us. Richard Green
NME NOVEMBER 14
e knew we were going to be stars. We entered the
business to become stars, not to make a day-to-day
business out of it. That was what was so exciting about
the business about six years ago everyone wanted to be as big as the
Stones or Beatles.
Pete Townshend almost always achieves his ambitions and there is no
doubt about the outcome of his bid for stardom. It has been a long, hard
slog for The Who, with various other groups sometimes standing in their
way. One of the most important factors in The Whos success is the length
of time that Pete, Roger, Keith and John have been together. Not just as The
Who or The High Numbers, but before then as school friends in Acton.
Because they know one another so well, they are able to make
allowances for each others mistakes and faults and the type of squabble
that may have broken up a lesser group has been smoothed over by The
Who whenever it has occurred. To understand the closeness between the
getty

1965
four members, one has to travel back in time several years to the days
before The Who had even been conceived.
Petes parents were both musical, his father playing saxophone in The
Squadronaires and his mother singing with the band for a while before
Pete was born.
My father was essentially a pop musician in his day, Pete pointed out.
I dread to think what would have happened if I had been brought up in
a classical family.
He recalled the time when he was only 13 months old and had to
pretend to be two so that he could get in to Butlins ballroom at Filey to see
his father play and how he met a Texan cowboy there.
He promised me a harmonica, which I never got, and in the end I think
I had to shoplift one a couple of years later, he admitted.
Pete sang in a church choir in Acton, but I didnt have enough
projection or a posh enough accent to get leads, but he still had no real
outlet for his musical talents.
There was a period when I was terribly negative. I didnt know what to
do, he said. I was proud of my father but I didnt like listening to his
music on the radio, second-hand in a way. One of the things that
fashioned the musical frustration for me was that my parents didnt have
a piano or a record player, which is incredible for two musicians.
They still only have a record player, which the kids play old Who
records on and jump all over. An auntie on the Isle of Mann had a piano,
but all the time I was searching for an instrument.
Through his fathers connections Pete used to go along to press
previews of films with his friend Graham Beard, and on one such
excursion something happened that was to shape Petes musical career.
Rock Around The Clock did it for me, he revealed. I hadnt been into
THE WHO
September 17, 1970:
Roger Daltrey and
Pete Townshend on
stage in Amsterdam
rocknroll before that, Beard got

into Elvis Presley, who I had never
liked. He got into the guitar and
used to look in the mirror to act
up. After a while, I decided the
guitar was what I wanted.
My granny got me my first
guitar and it was a very, very, very
bad one indeed, though it cost her
a lot of money. Its important to
get a good instrument for kids.
I fought tooth and nail with
it for a year and finally gave
up because it was too bad.
He got a mandolin banjo
from a friend of his fathers,
started to play trad jazz of
all things and decided
eventually that he could
play with other musicians.
John Entwistle and a chap
called Phil Rhodes had a
group going and they asked
Pete to join. I was 13 at
the time and Id been
buggering about for two
years on guitar without
getting anywhere, Pete recalled with a smile.
I knew they expected me to play, so I rushed out and
got a chord book. They were fairly impressed, which
I couldnt work out. Perhaps they thought if you
could play three chords you could play the rest.
The group had a variety of names, like The
Aristocrats, The Scorpions and the Confederates
Jazz Band, and they used to go along and see Acker
Bilk play a lot. Pete got a 3 Czechoslovakian guitar
from his mothers antique shop and finally decided
that the guitar was the instrument for him. By this
time, John had made himself an electric bass guitar
from a plank of wood and he and Pete formed a group
with two boys from Acton County School.
We played Shadows numbers, which must be the
cliche story, but thats the way it was, Pete told me.
There just werent any other groups around. I was
terribly happy with it, people quite liked us and it
was incredibly exciting when we appeared in front of an audience. It gave
me a new confidence I hadnt made it very well with chicks and at the
time when my mates started to get it together with chicks I was getting
into the guitar and it became an obsession.
John left the group and joined Daltreys Detours and then Pete joined
as rhythm guitarist at Johns suggestion. It became a good social thing,
the drummers father ran us about in his Dormobile and we got a lot of
seaside gigs. We did an audition at Peckham Paradise Club for 7 a night,
which we thought was very good. Eventually we chucked out the
drummer and his father manager.
Roger dropped the guitar and started singing, so Pete switched to lead
guitar, but I couldnt play properly and I built up a style around chords.
My favourite group was Johnny Kidd & The Pirates with Mick Green on
guitar. Thats where we first heard R&B second-hand.
After a period with a manager who thought of the group as his pets and
believed he could make them stars overnight, a recording audition with
Philips cropped up. Chris Parminter, who ran the audition, didnt like
the drummer, so we kicked him out. From the point we found Keith it was
a complete turning point. He was assertive and confident. Before then we
had just been fooling about.
Through Peter Meaden and Guy Stevens, Pete got to hear Tamla
Motown music and they played Got To Dance To Keep From Crying
at the Scene Club near Piccadilly Circus. Pete wrote his first song, called
It Was You, which the foremost put on a B-side, but he still wasnt doing
anything positive, he felt.
Kit Lambert became the groups manager and taught them about stage
makeup and dyeing their hair slightly tarty at the time, as Pete puts it.
Id already got into the arm-swinging bit and we were all dressed like
mods, Pete went on. The product of that era was

Im The Face and Zoot Suit, both lifted from R&B
records with the words changed. They sold about
three copies; Philips could make a fortune by
issuing them in the States today.
We had a music that other groups hadnt
discovered yet. The Beatles and the Stones
impressed us, but they had such a defined image
that we thought there was a gap there. We were after
a slightly more sophisticated sound.
We did an EMI audition and I was compromised
into writing, which was a thing I wasnt keen to
do. I was very much into an image thing I lived
and breathed image. That was the key word in
those days. Then I heard You Really Got Me on
the radio and instantly I knew that The Kinks
had filled the hole we wanted to fill. That sort
of music always came from over the water;
I thought that if you want the heavy stuff you
could write it yourself.
I wrote I Cant Explain just for The Who and
it remains one of the best things Ive ever done.
It was based on You Really Got Me; it just didnt
have the modulations. I was influenced more
by The Kinks than any group; we werent fans of
theirs, we just liked them.
Shel Talmy signed us and it was then I really
got into writing. I felt I was intimidating the group by writing for them.
I rowed Roger in on Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere, revising the lyrics, but
that didnt last; he started believing hed actually written it.
The next positive thing was My Generation to show what was going
on. It was as much defiance to the group as a public thing. I felt I was the
only person in the group that knew about dope. Keith was on pills, but I
had heard about pot. I alienated myself from the group and this gave me
a pivot point to stand back and write and then join them in playing.
Lo and behold, Lambert started producing our records. He spent
incredible amounts of time with us and he changed my life fantastically.
Hed listen to my demos and Id make alterations. When we met, I was the
young dropout and Lambert was the complete opposite, an ex-public
schoolboy and very respectable now weve completely switched roles.
A lot of people would think Im terribly square sitting here in my
comfortable suburban house with my wife and a baby. There had got to be
a point where Lambert and I come together in our identities again soon.
Returning to his recollections of the build-up of The Who, Pete
remarked, When we had a hit with Happy Jack, which was a very
different sound for us, it became obvious that the musical direction of the
group was going to change. Id gone back to being influenced by the
Stones again. On our second LP, which is still about our best, we really
discovered The Whos music for the first time, that you could be funny on
a record. Entwistle wrote for the first time; he wrote Whisky Man and
Boris The Spider. My reign set aside as an individual from the rest of the
group was over and the group was becoming a group. It was only then we
started to work musically together.
Things snowballed until The Who reached the envious position they
are in today. The outlook is
rosy and everyone concerned
with the group is perfectly
happy. What, then, does Pete
see for the future?
Id like The Who to
continue writing and playing
hard rock, he replied.
Theres not another group
that is as complete a group as
The Who in every respect.
Theres no question, I think,
of the group ever being
happier doing anything
else. If the group stopped
I just dont know what Id
do. I could make a living
and be happy, but not so
exhilarated. Richard Green
From the
time we found
Keith it was
a complete
turning point
Missed any of our previous issues?

Get them at www.uncut.co.uk/store
order online at www.uncut.co.uk/store
Readers letters
1970
MM OCTDEC Mourning Hendrix, bemoaning McCartney and other heavy scenes.
COME UNTOGETHER
I once thought Paul McCartney

was God. My! How things have
changed, though I have yet to
discover whether it is myself who
has outgrown him or he who has
become so conceited that he really
thinks the average pop fan is really
concerned with whether he and
the other Beatles will ever play
together again.
No, weve all grown out of that
by now, the heartache we once felt
has gone, leaving only a little scar
which reminds us that one Beatle
broke away, leaving the others to
wonder why.
Paul is obviously too bound up in
his own self-importance to notice
that no one cares any more. MISS S
SAPWORTH, 38 Stafford Place,
Peterlee, Co Durham (MM Sept 12)
Dear Mailbag, wrote the great
McCartney. I agree, being a fan
since 63, he is brilliant. But as a
person with feelings and someone
who shows consideration he is
sadly lacking.
Hes become terribly arrogant
since all his beloved fans helped
him grab his millions. He hasnt
thought about those who realise
that no other group can ever hope
to replace The Beatles.
Paul, the one whos taking the
part of the spoiled brat and the one
who wants everything his way.
S SELKIRK, 136 Colston Street,
Newcastle Upon Tyne
(MM Sept 12)
So, once again Paul McCartney
has roared. Its a pity. A great
many people had hoped that he
would have put aside his anger,
or disenchantment, or whatever,
and say that, yes, he would come
together with the other Beatles to
put out some more music into this
not-too-happy and altogether
imperfect world.
If, however, Paul is not to be
persuaded, then perhaps get
together with Billy Preston, with
whom they have made beautiful
music in the past. C ALEXANDER
BROWN, Darums Capricornus
Musicus Company, 113 Valley Woods
Road, Townhouse, 93 Don Mills 401,
Ontario, Canada (MM Sept 12)
getty
BEYOND REPLACEMENT
It is perhaps just that Jimi Hendrix

should die in England. We took
him into our heads, and our hearts
and probably launched him
into the beginning of what was

to be the cause of the end.
He was a child of God, a
minstrel of our time. The world
wont miss him, but we will. I shall
never forget him. P IVES,
2a Tyndalls, Hindhead, Surrey
(MM Sept 26)
The death of Jimi Hendrix is
a great shock to me and a huge
loss to the Music World!
Jimi was undoubtedly the most
inventive rock guitarist in the
world, with a tremendous
potential which will never now
be realised.
Hendrix may have been
musically mixed up of late, but his
playing could show a beautiful
fluidity and sensitivity, as on the
highly underrated Up From The
Skies off the Axis LP and Red
House from the first album.
Theres no point in squabbling
over who is the best rock guitarist
now, weve just lost him. And
who can take his place? TONY
NEALE, 29 Kensington Gardens
Square, Queensway, London W2
(MM Sept 26)
PEEL: HOUSEWIFES CHOICE
I am a humble housewife. A great

hit among housewives, writes
Chris Welch. Does he imagine we
are all Jimmy Young lovers, ready
to fall into paroxysm of delight at
any slushy ballad? Lots of us arent.
In fact Ive never met anyone who
actually admits to even liking
Jimmy Young. The millions of us
that the BBC really reliably
informs us listen to him every
morning? Well, perhaps we havent
much choice. Its either that,
school broadcasts, or switch off.
That leaves us up to our apron
strings in Jimmy Young whether
we like it or not. Ive switched off
for months now (and been a new
woman!) Why not put John Peel
on in the mornings? Well, I dont
think his selective audience
would relish listening alongside
us ballad-loving housewives.
Hed probably lose his musical
snob value.
And the housewives might
actually like it if given a choice.
Then wed all be able to quibble
about who is the best guitarist,
etc, wouldnt we? Anyway, I know
Chris Welch enjoys making
sweeping generalisations. Its
part of his charm but give the
housewives a rest for a bit. JANET
DALWOOD, Greenleigh, Pen-yBryn, Brecon (MM Oct 3)
TURN IT UP!
Jimi Hendrix, who crashed his

way to fame in 1966 with Hey Joe,
has departed just as suddenly.
Music just cant be the same, he is
beyond replacement.
The only three-piece ever to
compete with Noel, Mitch and
Jimi was Cream, and all thats
left of both is records sadly not
enough. His plans for a new music,
which never reached maturity, Im
sure, would have resulted in
further proof of his supremacy.
He said that when he died he
wanted everyone to carry on
listening to his records and
remember him. So please all go
out and buy Band Of Gypsys and
say Farewell as we said Hello
by making him No 1. GEOFF
BULL, 2 Church Hill Street
(MM Sept 26)
The increasing trend

among groups like
Led Zeppelin or the
Flying Burrito Bros towards quiet,
acoustic music is a bad one. Many
of these groups say rock is getting
stale and stereotyped, and is also
too loud: and that their music
offers a fresh alternative. However,
acoustic guitar means, almost
inevitably, folk-style music.
However pleasant and easy on
the ear this is, it is a very limited
medium which is a cul-de-sac as
far as musical development goes;
admittedly many rock groups
are stale and stereotyped, but
there is, in the long run, far more
potential for progression in rock
music than in folk.
It lies with the rock and jazz-rock
groups to get music out of its
present stagnant pool not the
acoustic groups, who are trying
much too hard just to be different.
N MAYFIELD, 5 Pytte House West,
Clyst St George, Exeter, Devon
(MM Nov 7)
1970
m o n t h by mon th
Coming next...
in 1971!
o ThaT was 1970 Hope you found some good vibes.

But thats far from it from our reporters on the beat. The
staffers of NME and Melody Maker enjoyed unrivalled
access to the biggest stars of the time, and cultivated a feel
for the rhythms of a diversifying scene; as the times
changed, so did they. While in pursuit of the truth, they
unearthed stories that have come to assume mythical status.
Thats very much the territory of this monthly magazine. Each month,
The History Of Rock will be bringing you verbatim reports from the
pivotal events in pop culture, one year a month, one year at a time. Next
up, 1971!
JOHN LENNON
ImagIne will show em. Its a confident and garrulous Lennon who
returns to the public eye in 1971. As happy as he is with Yoko and with his
music, he also takes the time to write an open letter expressing his
bitterness over Paul McCartneys role in ending The Beatles. Who took
us to court and shat over us in public?
THE FACES
The Faces are one of the best British bands, but they cant seem to sell
any records. Does it worry them, when they can please a crowd the way
they do? No it doesnt. Theres been nights when weve gone on sober,
says Ian McLagan. But theres not much chance of it happening
ELTON JOHN
Man and MyTh. Entertainer and songwriter. Rocknroller and morose
poet. Can the star hope to reconcile his conflicts? A series of frank
interviews get to the bottom of Reginald Kenneth Dwight, and uncover
the working of the John-Taupin partnership.
PLuS
LED ZEPPELIN!
MARC BOLAN!
MONTY PYTHON!
FROM THE MAKERS OF
Every month, we revisit long-lost NME and Melody Maker interviews and piece
together The History Of Rock. This month: 1970 the year where things went
dark and heavy. I tell you to enjoy life/I wish I could/But its too late...
Relive the year
THE WORLD WENT MAD OVER

BLACK SABBATHS PARANOID
THE WHO WERE LIVE AT LEEDS
THE BEATLES WENT THEIR SEPARATE WAYS
...and JONI MITCHELL, NICO, THE WHO, THE KINKS,
ROLLING STONES, LED ZEP and many more shared
everything with NME and MELODY MAKER
More from
...
w w w.uncuT.cO.uK

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The History of Rock #06 - 1970

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a monthly trip through musics

golden years this issue: 1970

Im not trying to say were angels

PLUS! nico | viv stanshall | zeppelin | soft machine | who | stones

new decade brings re-evaluation for the stars of the

HISTORY OF ROCK 1970 | 3

Introducing David Bowies new

The Canadian songwriter

The charming Robert Wyatt

With a supergroup comes some

Roger Waters from Pink

Charting the existential crisis

The heavy rock

Keith Moon &

What ho! Weve just been for

The widely tipped former

Eric Burdon returns from

Return to form! Ray Davies

Longtime blues triers

Roger Daltrey flexes his critical

4 | HISTORY OF ROCK 1970

Paul Rodgers and Ray

Jimi Hendrix and

The band enjoy their

Charming, talented and

The Rolling Stones

Mick Jagger reflects on the

should live out of suitcases, he

Pete Townshend confesses

John Peel as Housewives

HISTORY OF ROCK 1970 | 5

106 Black Sabbath

nico, soft Machine,

ype has been kindly defined by a wise

6 | HISTORY OF ROCK 1970

March 11, 1970: the Hype

HISTORY OF ROCK 1970 | 7

I think a lot of people are expecting another

With the aid of a glamorous

The act includes a seduction conjuration

power that something could materialise,

Paul and linda mccartney

I shall try and

NME FEB 21 Where is the hermit of St Johns Wood?

ames Paul mccartney is home

pinpoint the moment when he lost interest in

Pauls wife Linda

February 11, 1970:

HISTORY OF ROCK 1970 | 9

mott The Hoople in the Jack

Wed like to do a Traffic

As I mentioned earlier, the group have a

Speakeasy and Aylesburys Friars club were

the latter group that yet another name had a

Ive been altering the group looking for the

march 1970: Arthur

But when she

12 | HISTORY OF ROCK 1970

MELODY MAKER JANUARY 10