circa 1968 -72 - also one-off reunions
Progressive/folk-rock band
Dando Shaft are one of Coventry's foremost groups and excellent musicians and songwriters.
Popular band made 3 albums during lifetime plus 'reunion' album in 1978. Jenkins later played with Bert Jansch. One Day Thomas / WhipperSnapper (with Dave Swarbrick), Hedgehog Pie, Mathew's Southern Comfort.
Albums:
An Evening With ... (Youngblood
1970 SSYB006)
Dando Shaft S/T (Neon 1971 NE6)
Lantaloon (Neon 1972 SF8256)
Kingdom (Rubber 1978 RUB034 )
Singles:
Sun Clog Dance (RCA 1972
2246)
From the Dando Shaft Compilation album - Reaping the Harvest.
Darrell Viner (Dave Cooper alerted me to the interesting story of innovative artist / sculptor / lightshow designer before Pink Floyds- Darell Viner - a long-time friend of Dando Shaft - click to view this post on the Hobo site)
“Some may be disappointed that Dando Shaft is not some exotic sexual appliance…The name, according to Kevin Dempsey, who was ever present during the group’s 5 year lifespan, was taken from a character in a novel, who advertised in the national press to become a ‘people’s millionaire’, which he achieved.” However “Fellow Shafter Martin Jenkins reckons ‘that it was a bawdy American comedy novel, which wasn’t at all profound.’ Written, he thinks by someone with a name like Guy Calhoun. One of the few surviving press cuttings about the band suggests ‘The name is misleading – cribbed from the title of a pornographic thriller, it suggests an abundance of well oiled sex” “The bottom line is the group chose the name because it had a nice ring to it rather than because they felt any connection with the novel or its characters and a number of bands were naming themselves after a book at the time.
The group formed in Coventry during 1968. One
intersting aspect of Dando Shaft's direction was that they were keen on traditional folk. Jenkins having launched his musical career as a guitarist in a ceilidh band, but rather than selecting material from the traditional repertoire and modernising or rearranging it, they resolved to to write their own material in the style of traditional folk musch, much as did Fairport Convention did during the same era. Apart from stylistic orgininalty, the group's major weapon was the stunning interplay between Dempsey and Jenkins, which continued in Whippersnapper (the quartet formed by Dave Swarbrick when he left Fairport Convention. Perhaps surprising in view of his remarkable prowess as a guitarist, Dempsey started his musical career as a drummer, following in his father's footsteps, and in fact was a drummer in several bands in the 60's - Dando was the first band in which he played guitar. Jenkins also took up fresh instruments upon Dando's formation - previously a guitarist around Solihull, he toured Germany with a band in 1963, but returned to Britain broke, at which point he sold his equipment to pay his debts and bought an acoustic guitar, because he felt a greater affinity with folk and blues, than with what was then called 'beat music. During the mid 60's, he led a traditional folk group - The Cockade - by which time he had moved to Coventry where he met Kev Dempsey, who was also a prominent local musician'. Kevin Demsey was friends with Dave Cooper, and after jamming together, they got on so well that they decided to form Dando Shaft, which was when Jenkins took up Mandolin and Violin. At this point the band began to be influenced by Bulgarian music - although it was evident on their first album 'we were at John Martyn's house and he played un Music of Bulgaria' - it took our breath away!' said Jenkins 2 I had a big old house without electricity for nine or ten months and that was where Dando rehearsed - we would play solidly for hours on a tune. Dave Cooper was a great songwriter, which inspired us all, and because the house didn't have electricity, we couldn't even listen to the radio during the band's formative period.
The first stab of at recording came when they went down to Pye Studios in London to cut a single. As Dempsey
remebers, 'The session had been booked for Johnny Silvo' (a long-time staple of the UK folk scene) So our manager, Sandy Glennon, suggested using Silvo's studio time to record a demo for a possible single - which was how they started working with Miki Dallon, who produced all three albums. Dallon was impressed and immediately suggested making a complete album. We all sat in a semi-circle and recorded the album live and because he was an old rocker, he found us interesting and unusual. So we made our first album in two four hour sessions on a Sunday - An Evening with Dando Shaft - which was released on Youngbood in 1970, a small label which also released such hits as In a Broken Dream - by Python Lee Jackson (with Rod Stewart as lead vocalist) and Don Fardon's Indian Reservation and according to Dempsey, the record was favourably reviewed by NME and MM, and in America, where it was released on US Decca, in Cashbox and Billboard.
In 1970, after the first album was released, the group expanded to include Poly Boulton, a dynamic and criminally unrecognised singer from Leamington Spa, who later appeared on albums by Ashley Hutchings - By Glouster Docks I Sat Down and Wept and a live album by the Albion band as well as recording a solo album in 1988. Dempsey said - We always wanted a female singer, especially for my songs - Martin and Dave both sang the songs they wrote but I didn't and I wanted someone else to sing the songs I wrote.. we also knew who we wanted -we'd heard Polly because she used to sing with June Tabor nad Roger the bass player and I went down to the Sidmout folk festival and invited her here to audition. We also auditioned Linda Peters (who became Linda Thompson and turned her down - mostly on stylistic grounds rather than ability. Polly sand Riverboat, a song I'd written but couldn't sing.
Polly Boulton tells a slightly different story - I wasn't aware of them wanting me until I joined. As far as I know they
had only heard me sing choruses from a bar in a folk club in Coventry - and I had no ambition to become a singer. I joined the band in 1970 when I was still at Swansea University doing a Zooology degree (I wanted to live in the Jungle - well the music business is quite a jungle I suppose! We all lived in a big overcrowded house in Ealing.
The group moved to London after a change of mangement, which came about after they opened for Mathew's Southern Comfort, who were overseen by a notable managerial duo Howard and Blaikley, best known for the long run of hits they produced for Dave Dee Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich. Ian Mathews was sufficiently impressed with Jenkins to use him on the second Mathew Southern Comfort album - Second Spring.
It was perhaps Howard and Blaikley's successful track record which partially convinced the short lived (and nowadays incredibly collectible) Neon Label (an RCA subsidary) to sign Dando Shaft in 1971. (Another top Coventry band - Indian Summer were also signed to RCA Neon in the same year). The groups's eponymous second album (and the first with Polly Boulton) was unleased and despite even greater critical acclaim, commercially vanished, probably due to large extent to the Neon Label folding. Even so it was the band's biggest selling album of their first three. "We'd developed as songwriters, we had Polly and we were on a bigger label. We toured a lot at that time, working with acts like matheew's Southern Comfort, Status Quo, Brian Auger and Osibisa, who we supported at the
Lyceum, and we also played a lot at the Roundhouse.
Jenkins also feels that Dando Shaft was a signicficant improvement, although we always had a problem with the way
our albums were mixed - for example Kevin and Dave played these fine guitar patterns but the engineer just didnt seem to understand what we were trying to do, and Miki Dallon didn't really have enough knowledge of our kind of music. We moved to being managed by Howard and Blaikley soon after making the Youngblood album, and in retrospect, its hard to know whether things could have gone any better than they did, but we were nver their highest priority, because apart from Mathew's Southern Comfort and Dave Dee Dozy etc, they also looked after The Herd and Flaming Youth. Peter Framton and Phil Collins!.
After Neon was extinguished (by the departure of its founder, one seems to recall) the group transferred to the main RCA label for what turned out to be a final album before going thier separate ways. Lantaloon was less successful than Dando Shaft and it's not regarded by Dando Shaft as the album for which they'd like to be remembered.
Jenkins reckons the group split up before the third album was released. Polly felt that she wasn't contributing much singing despite all the travelling and nobody seemed interested in her problems - she felt she'd abandoned her career in Zooology for this music which she wasn't getting much from - To be fair 'I felt I didn't share their 'missionary zeal' as I wasn't with them from the very start of the band. Polly ws the first to leave 'I got a job in apub' - Kevin and Polly moved to the States until1976, working as a duo and part of Blue Aquarius, an immense 26 person group with Jazzy inclinations. On their return to Britain, the duo played in a Coventry rock band ABOUT TIME
with sax player Paul Dunmall who has also played with both Johnny Guitar Watson and Danny Thompson. Martin Jenkins joined The noted Newcastle folk group Hedgehog Pie, appearing on their Green Lady album before becoming involved for around five years with Bert Jansch on whoose album Avocet he also appears as part of Bert Jansch's Conundrum. It was Martin who was approached in 1984 by Dave Swarbrick to join Whippersnapper, and it was Martin who suggested that Kevin Demsey should also join the group. On Kevin's return to Blighty, he joined a jazz/funk outfit known as Pzazz, from where he rejoined Martin in Whippersnapper, while Polly moved to Shropshire (where she still lives) and gave up singing for six years while resetabilishing her own horticultural business after returning to college to take a teaching diploma - until Ashley Hutchings asked her to perform on Gloucester Docks. Dave Cooper became a sculptor after taking a fine art degree and left Britain for a year in Australia at the start of 1990. Ted Kay's now a photographer and Roger Bullen is a folk singing instructor!
Abridged form John Tabler on the sleeve of Reaping the Harvest - a Dando Shaft Compilation from the three albums
published in 1990”
And here's a review off the net -
‘Starting as a five piece folk band, Dando Shaft initiated a completely unique mixture of acoustic folk (none of the instruments were electrically amplified!) with driving rhythms and impeccable inventive musicianship. The lyrics are largely concerned with the relationship between man and nature, resulting in titles such as Rain / Cold Wind / September Wine. As the first three tracks on their first album. They marvel in complicated structures and textures and are able to weave very intricate patterns, especially between mandolin (played in a highly original manner) guitar and violin. Very characteristic is also the combination of hand-beaten percussion and double bass. After a change of label they acquired the services of a female singer, Polly Bolton, who had a pure and very expressive voice. Their second album brings in some elements of Bulgarian folk music (asymmetrical time-measures) but is very stamped by Polly’s vocals and superb original compositions such as Whispering Ned, a rather funny drug song and above all the achingly beautiful Riverboat. Preoccupation with travelling becomes discernible in Railway (a live favourite) and Kalyope Driver. After Neon folded, they made another album on RCA, very much continuing in the same direction, although not as good as their previous effort. Road Song is another pulsating travel-song and Black Prince of Paradise equals any track on the second album. Rumour has it, that another album was recorded at RCA, but due to lack of commercial
Personal Recollections from Trevor -
My first knowledge of Dando Shaft came from former school friend turned hippy Mick Burns slightly before I was involved with the Covnetry Music scene in 1969 - I saw the poster here on his wall and he gave it to me - I had to see this band and indeed I saw them many timesin Covnetry at the Umbrella club, Lanch Poly, Warwick University, The Walsgrave (One of Pete Waterman's Venue), The Mercers Arms, The City Arms, the Plough Club and who knows where else. I met the band on a few ocassions mostly in the light of trying to book them for the Umbrella Club or to talking to Martin about his post Dando Shaft bands in 1973 /4. The last time I spoke to Martin was at the Fletch in 1981 where he was playing with Bert Jansch - Martin came over and spoke. I had moved to Teesside by then and was just visiting home. Whispering Ned and Waves Across the Ether were some of our favourite songs along with some of Dave Cooper's early songs - Pass it on etc. Here are some pieces from Hobo magazine in 1974 about the re-formed Dando and some of Martin's other bands.
From Hobo Magazine -
ONE DAY THOMAS is the name of Martin Jenkin's new band (formerly of Dando Shaft)
The new band features other established
personalities such as Barry Skinner on guitar and vocals / John
Mckintosh on double bass and John Astle on drums. Martin plays guitar,
fiddle, mandolin and flute. They are of course an electric band and
most of the material is far removed from that of Dando Shaft. They play
mostly jigs and reels and electrified folk songs.
...................................
DANDO - NEW PHASE (Reformed with Rod Felton for a Play on the Car industry - You Must be Joking at the Belgrade Theatre 1974
Dando Shaft may be reformed
in the near future with original members Martin Jenkins on fiddle and
mandolins, Ted Kaye on congos and other percussion and joined by Rod
Felton on guitar and Baz Andruszko on bass and accordian. But at the
moment they are fulfilling other commitments. Martin, who recently
wrote and played the music for the Belgrade's production Little Red
Riding Hood has another production in London. Rod is due for a tour of
Germany, I believe.
.......................
Mathew's SOUTHERN COMFORT
Southern Comfort has, I'm told, been graced with the talents of Coventry's Martin Jenkins, late of the Coventry band Dando Shaft. Martin, who writers some incredible songs (Whispering Ned, Waves Across the Ether) and plays Mandolin, flute and fiddle (etc.), has been featured as a guest on a previous Southern Comfort album.
..............................................
Roadent - films (Check out his German Films)
Earlier on this site I mentioned a young man named Scon
Kev Harrison (Isotope / Urge)
commented that Scon was later known as Ratty Roadent and roadied with the Clash. Last time I saw him was the late 70's - I think at the Belgrade Theatre or the Lanch Poly. After that intense period in 1972 - I only saw him around from time to time at this and that place in Cov.
(Pic shows Scon today)
Anyway - Scon found the Hobo site and sent a message outlining some of the interesting things he's got up to. Pretty interesting I'd say!
Here's what he has to say -
Passions song "I'm in Love with a German Film Star" was written about me, you might remember it.
(Roadent / Steve Connely / Scon etc is in the red dotted shirt - Clash days)
Is there anybody else still around from that coventry thing? (good to see the enemy doing well). I was up there, earlier this year.The place seemed quite different, the city centre banging with loud, indifferent, banging music and terrifying totty on the pull. Reminded me of Newcastle. Where does everybody go?
From the web .....
Roadent - wrote in the comments -
Whilst working for the Clash I had been interviewed for a german documentary "Punk in London" After the
demise of the Sex Pisto;s the director of that documentaru contacted me and asked if I would like to be in a tv show for german TV " Brennende Langeweile" (burning boredom) featuring The Adverts. It was shite but as I had no means of supporting myself I took the part. After I stayed in Germany, moving to Munich, where I got more work acting for German TV, I always thought I was a crap actor, but they were willing to pay me up to 20,000 marks (around £5,000) a month — who was I to refuse. The biggest film was Das Ding (The Heist) in which me and four mates from the german arnmy stole 250,000,000 marks, but all in %mark pieces. The film was directed by Uli Edel who later went on to direct an equally bad actor — Madonna. I have always been touched by the idea of a song written about me, but not so sure about the Foo Fighters doing the same.
Roadent on the Passions Guestbook (Pic above shows Scon / Roadent in his younger - Coventry days 1972)
I'M IN LOVE WITH A GERMAN FILM STAR - THE PASSIONS
| I'm in love with a German film
star I once saw in a bar Sitting in a corner in imperfect clothes Trying not to pose For the cameras and the girls It's a glamorous world I'm in love with a German film star I once saw in a movie Playing the part of a real troublemaker But I didn't care It really moved me, it really moved me I'm in love with a German film star I once saw in a bar Sitting in a corner in imperfect clothes Trying not to pose For the cameras and the girls It's a glamorous world I'm in love with a German film star I once saw in a movie Playing the part of a real troublemaker But I didn't care It really moved me, it really moved me It really moved me, it really moved me I'm in love. I'm in love. I'm in love. I'm in love. I'm in love. I'm in love. I'm in love. I'm in love. I'm in love. I'm in love. I'm in love. I'm in love. I'm in love. |
I don't have a lot of info on this band. Hobo Co-editor -
All I know about them therefore is what's written on the card. The cards were in different colours - Yellow, pink and dark blue.
Two members are mentioned - Barry Ousby of Leamington and Graham Osbourne of Stratford
(Pic shows Mojo (Tony) Morgan as he is today playing with the Hoochie Coochie Band)
The line up consisted of Martin Barter - Organ; Tony (Mojo) Morgan on bass; Jim Allen - Saxophone; Steve Harrison - Drums.
I don't think this band got off the ground - as far as I know. I knew about via a Christmas card (shown here) to me at Shilton by Tony (Mojo) Morgan 1971.
Martin Barter had been playing with Coconut Mat (as shown in the post
Steve Harrison had lived opposite me in Willenhall Wood and was at the same Junior School. We had played together as youngsters but lost touch when I went to Boarding school. I met up again with him at the Umbrella club in 1970, just as Free were topping the charts with Alright now. Steve was very much in to Free. Often I walked home from the Umbrella (owing to lack of funds) - all three miles of it but this time Steve gave me a lift. We went out to a 'heavy Disco' on the Kepas Highway where Free and Led Zepplin were being played. Steve introduced me to Tony (Mojo) Morgan and I realised I knew him from Boarding school - albeit he was a couple of years younger than me. At the time they were playing in the Mick Green Blues Band, as I think a three piece, later joined by Johnny Adams (who eventually played in Squad) and (I think) Paul Samson (later with the Reluctant Stereotypes and producer of The Primatives etc
Jim Allen playing Sax with EMF .
Finding out I wrote lyrics - Steve encouraged me to write and submit lyrics to the various bands he was in and Mojo put music to one of the numbers Elusive Metallic Idol. Bands back then split up often before they were underway owing to disputes, lack of rehearsal space, equipment, or gigs. When they did get off the ground, there might be artistic differences, personality clashes etc. When they got to a record contract stage, there might be problems with some members not wanting to give up their day jobs (in case!) and their girlfriends, or there might be pressure from the record companies to do covers rather than their material. The later happened to Indian Summer.
COCONUT MAT
c 1970. I was introduced to Coconut Mat by Pete Waterman while we were both working for the GEC (General Electric Company) Stoke works Cov. Pete of course wasn't world famous then although he was already a centrifugal force on the Coventry music scene - as a former R & B singer in the 60's band Tomorrow's Kind and Coventry's top soul music DJ - 7 nights a week - on top of a full time job in wiring dept of the GEC! Pete certainly earned his success by hard work, the night shift of DJaying being the enjoyable bit!
Pete had just put music to my latest lyric A Lotta Rain is Fallin' I had written at the GEC (management and I had a difference as to what I was employed for!) and Pete then introduced me to Billy Campbell who was the bassist with Coconut Mat and also worked at the GEC. Coconut Mat was a heavy rock outfit at the time when bands like Black Sabbath, Free and Led Zepplin were arising on the national music scene.
I can't recall the full line up but Bill Campell played bass and Martin Barter played Keyboards.(Pic show Martin Barter as he is today playing keyboards with folk band Shkayla)
Bill Campbell lived in Grafton St, Gosford Green, near Indian Summer's keyboardist / vocalist - Bob Jackson (later of Badfinger etc.). There was an Organ shop over the road where, I think Bob would have bought his first Hammond. I didn't know Bill's background at the time until I read it on the Broadgate Gnome Music site but Bill used to play bass for the Eggy circa 1968 / 69 with Roger and Nigel Lomus of the 1965 hit group The Sorrows. Roger Lomus was later involved in the production side of some the Selecter records.
The Eggy produced a single which wasn't, as far as I know, a hit - called You're Still Mine/B: Hookey (Spark SRL1024 1969). The music was described by Broadgate Gnome as 'Freak Beat' and vocalist Bill Bates was formerly in The Boll Weevils.
Pete had liked my lyric enough to put music to it and repeat the line 'There's a lotta rivers flowin' but the sea's learned how to fly" in the song and on the strength of it asked me to write something for Coconut Mat.
I niether knew of their background or had seen them live but taking on board that they were a heavy rock band influenced by the current Black Sabbath / Led Zepplin genre, I thought I'd write an evil lyric about living in a rat-race city like Cov with it's pollutants and haste etc. And there was plenty of all that at the GEC (A Telecommunication firm who produced, at that branch, telephone componants and racks for the Telephone exchanges.
I heard a Led Zepp screaming vocal like in A Whole Lotta Lovin' in it. However Bill didn't like the lyric that much. He thought that you couldn't have a hit single with the word Beelzebub in it! I had no idea they were thinking singles - I didn't think they were at that stage but know knowing Bill's background, I can see why they might be thinking that way. Bill nicked named me Beelzebub afterwards but didn't use my song (but he did kindly lend me his PA once when I was trying out vocals with Mojo (Tony Morgan's band Railroad). 5 years later of course Queen had a huge No one with Bohemian Rhapsody and lo and behold - it had the forbidden word Beelzebub in it!! Ahead of my time again but obviously my effort didn't compare with Queen's operatic masterpiece!
Martin Barter went on to play in many bands from Mojo Morgan's short lived group Concert, to Just Jake, Trilogy and many more. An excellent keyboard player who is still going strong today in the folk band Shkayla. Martin worked at Rolls Royce (I think) - one of the car factories - I think in the office but I maybe wrong. He was well sort after as a keyboard player. I became friends with him early 1971 - he was friends with Silk Disco and hung out at the Sunday night Plough gig at the bottom of the London Rd. Elton John and Bernie Taupin had just emerged and Martin was inspired by Elton's music. We talked of a collaboration with Martin writing music for my lyrics and he took my song book away for a while. It would another year before I played guitar well enough to put music to my own lyrics. However this collaboration didn't work out - Coconut Mat split up and Martin moved on to other bands, sometimes more than one at a time. That's as far as I can take the story if you've any info on this band feel free to leave a comment- but here's the Coventry inspired lyric I wrote for them in a sort of Whole Lotta Lovin' Style!
The City Fires
Amidst the conflagrations
Living substances survive.
Squandering their energies
In the furnaces they thrive.
Making haste that’ll only guarantee
An early grave.
Chorus...
And the cities burn
And the cities burn
And the cities burn
You’re gonna die
You’re gonna slowly die
You’re gonna slowly die too young
In the city fires
In the city fires
In the city fires.
Preachers scream from the steeple
That we’re heading for hell
But tell me people if this place ain’t worse than hell.
Making waste that'll only guarantee an early grave.
Bridge..
The evil witch has cast her jinx
Beelzebub now rules.
Pandemonium’s the song he sings
As he swallows all you fools.
And he’s gonna drink your blood
As your bodies slowly burn
Chorus
As your bodies burn
As your bodies burn
As your bodies burn
You’re gonna die
You’re gonna slowly die
You’re gonna slowly die too young
In the city fires
In the city fires
In the city fires. etc..
By Trev Teasdel 1970
(The photo is Chris from Khayyam days later in the seventies at Earlsdon Cottage. John Bo - one of the early Hobo co-editors and Road managers of Khayyam is also in the photo and Trev is too but in the full photo not shown here!)
Chris Jones is one of Coventry's top lead blues rock and jazz guitarist and was in a whole range of bands in the 70's (not sure about the 80's as I'd left Cov by Oct 1980). Some of those bands will be covered on this site -including Khayyam / Wave / Quanna Parker / Just Jake and more.
The Chris Jones Aggression was also one of the first Cov bands I saw dating back to the early period at the Umbrella Arts Club, Queen Victoria Rd. I saw a lot of them either playing at the Umbrella or rehearsing. They were essentially a three piece with drums, bass and Chris excellent blues guitar playing doing rock blues numbers, like, I think Red House. We used to listen to them rehearsing for hours at the Umbrella.
Line up was Chris Jones Lead / Rhythm Guitar / Vocals; Terry ? Bass / Baz ? - Drums (Sorry I can't remember their full names and not documentation to remind me - if you know the names - leave a comment!
Also Joe Reynold sometimes played sax and flute with them (Joe was later in his own band Willow c1973 and is on this site with some of his poetry and I think he also played on some early Selecter tracks at Horizon Studios in Cov. but that was much later! Joe was also the first person pay Hobo for add in the first issue.
Al Docker used to refer to them as Chris Jones Aggro-ession (after the skinhead notion of Aggro)! They took part in the Neol Davies organised Marathon Jam Session at the Umbrella c 1970 and I think it was their drum kit that was used.
I've put a few bands together as I don't have much material on them individually.
CHILDREN
Played Coventry Arts Umbrella Friday September 25th. They also played the Village (Colin
This was one of last bands that Al Docker put on at the Umbrella before I took over from him. It was a long time ago but I seem to recall they were an acoustic band with a hippy feel to the material. Not sure if they were from Cov or just played in the City but I remember liking their material.
CRYSTAL SHIP
This was another acoustic band at the Umbrella in 1970 which Al Docker booked. The title of a
T
HE CLIFF COWLING TRIO
Were centred around the rock n roll and boogie piano playing of Cliff Cowling. I think began in late 50's and weren't part of the hippy music scene of the early 70's but were obviously part of the Umbrella in the past. Cliff still rehearsed at the Umbrella in the early 70's, probably playing the clubs accompanied by upright string bass and snare drum - almost skiffle. Cliff had greased back hair while the rest of us had extremley long flowing locks but his rock n roll piano was exceptional. I can't tell you much more about them really.
CARDINAL
Not to be confused with The Cardinals operating in Cov in 1964 - this duo were operating c 1972 led by acoustic
Nigel was Southam near Cov. I first met him in a non musical setting at the Butts Tech College in 1969 - we were both 18 and apprentice electricians. Nigel was apprenticed to the Electircity board and I to DF Gibbs (next to the General Wolf pub - where later I would meet Al Docker.). We were both on the Electro-technology day release course.
I became friends with Nigel as he was an intelligent guy and had a big interest in music. Although I didn't play guitar at the time - I was beginning to learn and certainly a prolific lyric writer from the age of 15. Nigel had a great interest in psychology and in the lunch hour he'd be introducing me to lots of books he'sd read - The Forgotten Language by Erich Fromm (which I read and which introduced me the symbolic language of dreams - I was already exploring Dylan's lyrics noting the use of language and this book had a bearing on my writing at that time -developing a personal form of symbolic imagery, then there was the Fundamentals of
I write a number of songs inspired by this and Nigel loved the lyrics and took some of them, set them to music and played them with his group at places like St. Osburg. One of his favourite was a song called The Ups and Downs in the life of Mr Toil and Strife (which now would be an embarrassment beign a very early lyric but Nigel liked it at the time and played it. I never got to one of the gigs where they played it unfortunately but Nigel left the Electricity Board and Came to DF Gibbs. Here he introduced he lent me Dyland and Beatles songbooks to encourage my guitar playing and songwriting, introduced me to the 12 bar blues (he would bring his guitar into Gibbs) and the alerted me to the new Joni Mitchell single - Chelsea Morning -which led to me buying here albums and adding yet another source of inspiration lyrically.
I didn't see Nigel for a couple of years after we both left Gibbs but bumped into him outside the Lanch Poly in 1972, By then I was healvily involved with organising bands at the Umbrella Club and just starting my first experiment mixed media session - The Humpoesic Happening at the Umbrella and booked his band Cardinal for a gig. Cardinal had a residency at a pub in Southam but continued playing gigs in folk clubs and anywhere really, including parties. It would be a mixture of covers and their own material. I kept in contact for a while - swopping riffs on the guitar. I'd written a spoof blues song called The Rubber Frog, Spotty Hogg Blews with Steve Brimstone - Derek's son - just a bit of fun - and Nigel worked on it too - it was fast becoming a communal song with different people adding in a verse. Nigel taught how to play a suitable 12 bar riff to it. Then we lost contact again and that's about all I can tell you about Cardinal.
The Rubber Frogg Spotty Hogg Blews song began as a bit of fun during a silly hour at the Shilton Cottage 1972 and the early version written up by Steve Brimstone in my Communication books - not meant to be taken at seriously by even us. Inspiration came from Captain Beefheart's Trout Mouth Replica album and sometimes we could be heard mumbling some of the quips from the album "Fast and Baulbous" etc! So it was very much in the spirit of that. Yet in some ways this became a communal song - with inputs also from the Umbrella club's Pete Webb and a musical input from Nigel Clarke. Here's the original from the communication book as as a pic and the later communal version.
The Rubber Frogg Spotty Hogg Blews
by Trev Teasdel, Steve Brimstone, Pete Webb, Nigel Clarke (1972)
Woke up did mornin'
Dusted my Rubber Frogg
Well, I woke up dis mornin'
Yeah, dusted my Rubber Frogg.
Goin' down the Railroad
Me an my Spotty Hogg.
Well I went past de churchyard
Turd turned in it's grave
Yeah I went past de churchyard,
Turd turned in it's grave
You know I should have known better
than to stand right by and wave.
Oh Mop my sweaty brow momma....
Yeah I went out dis even'
shot my derringer dogg
Yeah, went out dis even'
shot my derringer dogg
I sped down de highway
me and my Potty Trogg.
Oh Rock on Rubber Frogg.
I woke up dis mornin'
Shaved my hairy tongue
Yeah, went out dis mornin'
shaved my hairy tongue.
I slid down the staircase
wiv my bald-headed tongue.
Oh take it to the dry cleaners babe
My fairy godmom saw me
A star-topped waving wand.
Yeah my fairy godmom saw me
He hair was filthy and was blond
Den I woke my eyes to mornin' light
An seen I musta been conned.
BLUE JAYS
Circa 1974
Came out of Fission with the emphasis now on commercial pop (Tie a Yellow Ribbon on an Old Oak Tree), but also played rock when a rock gig came up. Pop / rock band – any occasion.
Line up –
Johnny Adams - Lead guitarist and songwriter (From
Fission and later with Squad)
Al Varney – Bass (Ex Fission)
Mick? – Drums
From Hobo Issue 4 1974
BLUE JAYS
Out of the ashes of Fission awakens a new group called the BLUE JAYS featuring the lead guitarist / songwriter / vocalist from Fission - Johnny Adams;
Fission bassist Al Varney and a drummer known only to me as Mick. This
time around though the band are playing more commercially orientated
music including Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Old Oak Tree!!
in order to earn enough money to finance new gear for the band. When a
'Rock gig' comes up though, they revert to their own rock material.
ASGARD c1969 - 71
Asgard held open rehearsal sessions in the little theatre of the Coventry Arts Umbrella as well gigs c. 1969 –71. I first saw them in 1969 at the Umbrella’s mini-arts festival – Transcendental Cauldron (One of the first Cov bands I ever saw when I was 18). At that time they were a four piece including Neol Davies who guested on sitar. Theline up consited of Terry Westwood -drums / Richard Kilbride - bass and musical genius Bill Walker - Farfiza Organ. Mainly original material but with an Ummagumma – period Pink Floyd sound. They covered Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun. Mick Gawthorp
(Sax player with another band on at the Transcendental Cauldron) told me recently he gigged briefly with Asgard.
The Arts Umbrella News (December 1970) entry for them was; -
“Our resident electronic-instrumental group practise this Wednesday and most Wednesday in the little theatre. They don’t mind if sympathetic ears listen. But we emphasise that these are not performances, but music workshop sessions.” Wednesday 9th December 8.30pm.
Asgard is from Norse mythology - mythology HERE
BAND LINE UP
Bill Walker – Farfiza Organ
Terry Westwood Drums (very much in the Nick Mason mode according to their roadie Bob Mansfield)
Richard Kilbride Bass / Singer Songwriter
Neol Davies – on Sitar as a guest according to Roadie Bob Mansfield.
Mick Gawthorp Sax (Short period) - Guest
Manager - Paul Padum (Coventry lad, lived in Foleshill of Ukrain family)
Roadie - Bob Mansfield
(It's not come out on the scan of this ticket but Asgard were on this bill too with Wandering John and the Birmingham band Pantomime)
Tuesday June 23rd 1970 they played a ‘Heavy Concert’ for Pete Waterman at the Walsgrave, with Wandering John & Pantomime. They also played the Warwick University Arts Festival on Sunday
March 7th 1971 at the ‘Blues Workshop’ with Skin alley / Pink Fairies / Bubastis & Whistler.
They played The Village Fri 8th January 1971
Trev Teasdel recalls - "Asgard was one of the first Cov bands I saw at the Transcendental Cauldron (a mini underground fest at the Coventry Arts Umbrella c Oct 1969. They played the usual Cov venues - the Village at Colin Campbell pub, Warwick Uni, The Lanch Poly, The Walsgrave, The Plough and many more. They used to practice each week in the little theatre out the back of the Umbrella Club mid week and we'd go in and watch them. Their music inspired some of my own songs. Pete Waterman had them on at the Walsgrave and walking home that night in the wind and rain I wrote a song inspired by Bill's organ playing using the image of the Farfiza -
I no longer have the full lyric - lost in time - but a fragment remains in a note book - .
The first verse started -
The drums of the wind are beating
The night is awash with electric tears
Bushes dance to the riff of the city
Oh he can't play his Farfiza
Like the wind howls the blues tonight
No he can't play his Farfiza
Like the wind howls the blues
Another time Asgard were in the coffee bar after a rehearsal and guy called Mick came in and declared "God the sun is hot" Terry from Asgard quipped "Well you shouldn't have touched it then!" -
Walking home to Willenhall that night after the Umbrella band that line got rewritten into a heavy Black Sabbath style'song I wrote on the way home only in the song it's the mountain peaks that touch the sun by way of a symbolism - The song was called Black Lizard Stream and the full lyric and story can be viewed Here
"The mountain peaks they touched the sun
But promptly burnt their hands
A herd of hills leave their home
Searching for a match to strike
And I’m so low, I’m bound to go
I have lost my way
We have lost our way.
I only ever saw Bill play the organ on stage but during one rehearsal he took time out to show me how to play the Floyd no Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun on guitar - I could barely play at that stage - just starting to learn so I could put music to my own lyrics. He seem as proficient on guitar as the keyboard.
On one ocassion, Neol Davis was sitting in Umbrella coffee bar where I learned that he'd played with Asgard for a short while. He told us that his first guitar was a Hank Marvin guitar with tremolo arm. In the mid sixties there was a special offer ont he back of Cornflakes packets to save tokens to get a Hank Marvin style electric. Although Neol at the time was heavily into the heavy rock style in the early 70's, he uses the tremolo arm a number of Selecter tracks. It was interesting to see him perform in Stockton on Tees in the early 90's with a hybrid of the orginal Selecter. The Shadows had written both Summer Holiday and An instrumental called The Stars Fell on Stockton at the Globe Theatre in Stockton and Neol treated the audience to a ska version of a Shadow's hit.
Additional info from the comments -
Jim Pryal adds a piece about the band's Van -
"Transits were the favoured mode of transport for bands. Long wheelbase 35cwt with partition for the gear and aircraft seats and side windows behind the driver were considered 'de rigour' . I remember Asgard had a white bull nose' Perkins deisel Transit of that very spec."
Mick Gawthorp -
"they were essentially a trio built around Bill's formidable keyboard skills. The picture of Neol above shows him before he grew his hair seriously long ... and big. I've probably mentioned this before but Asgard played one gig in St Ives with Principal Edwards Magic Theatre and another before a huge audience in (I think) Victoria Park with - amongst others- Liverpool Scene. The Warwick Uni gig at which Whistler played was one of a couple, but I remember very well Twink (one of their drummers) smashing some poor student's acoustic up for added dramatic effect."
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