See previous post (below) photo of 'The Wall'. Because today's track ties in to one of the bands who appeared at the Hastings Pier on Saturday 1st September, 1973 - tickets 99p !  

The band with bassist Ian "Lemmy" Kilmister on vocals are 'In Search of Space' psychedelic rock outfit Hawkwind. Anyone ever see them live ?

Their best known number is 'Silver Machine' - joss sticks lit, then away we go >

Science fiction author Michael Moorcock and dancer Stacia (Blake) also contributed to the band.  

  

-  T H E   W A L L  - 

The Wall in The Piper* pub, St. Leonards-on-Sea.

Covered in various posters and adverts for concerts taking place in the local area. Roughly mid sixties to late 70s. Hastings Pier is featuring a lot and many bands of legendary status. Some of the smaller print maybe illegible but no mistaking Pink Floyd, Jimi Hendrix Experience, The Kinks, Pretty Things, The Who, The Stones, Procol Harum & Hawkwind.... and someone called Dave Bowie !

* Previously called The Norman Arms (in Norman Road) the pub was renovated and reopened in 2019 as The Piper. The new name was inspired by Pink Floyd's album 'Piper at the Gates of Dawn' and is a tribute to some of the great bands and musicians who once performed on Hastings Pier.

  

Grand piano; reed and pipe organ; glockenspiel; bass guitar; double speed guitar; two slightly distorted guitars; mandolin; spanish guitar and introducing acoustic guitar; plus tubular bells ! As announced by Vivian Stanshall as Master of Ceremonies on 'Tubular Bells' by Mike Oldfield. 

This innovative album was released 50 years ago in May 1973. But far from stories that suggest it was an instant success and the making of Richard Branson and his fledgling Virgin Records label the reality was it took time to become the successful LP we now know. 

A more accurate timeline would be: July before it entered the UK album chart, rising to No.7 in August before dropping back down the chart again. June had seen a 'Live' performance with a cast of players gathered together with Oldfield a reluctant participant. October the album was released in America. But remarkably it was the use of a mere one minute segment in the movie 'The Exorcist', released in December, that saw it take off in 1974. A BBC tv recording broadcast in early January and then from February '74 to March '75 the LP was only out of the UK Top 10 for 4 weeks, reaching No.1 in October 1974, 16 months after it's initial release. 

Mike Oldfield, who was only 19 when it was recorded, had played the majority of the instruments as a series of overdubs, reportedly 274 of them with 15 different instruments credited to him. 

Certainly unconventional John Peel played a whole side of ‘Tubular Bells’ on his show 'Top Gear', while I suspect Capital Radio (see previous post) with their commercial obligations only played parts of it on DJ Nicky Horne's evening show ‘Your Mother Wouldn’t Like It’.    

Given this introduction you'd expect today's Star Track to be the afore mention record... however > 

On leaving Virgin Records Mike Oldfield composed a Tubular Bells II, using elements of the original it was released on August 30th 1992, followed by a 'Live' performance at Edinburgh Castle on 4th September (with - Gregory: John Gordon Sinclair as master of ceremonies). I've selected Part 3 - with the instrument introductions [though different] and fading out to a beautiful Spanish guitar, like the original. The whole show looks quite amazing, so that's my reason for choosing it. All parts are on YouTube (see below). 

Mike Oldfield jumping around the stage switching between instruments > No dancing to this, more meditating 

There are six parts and I can only encourage you to watch them. There are a few ad interruptions during the whole 62 minute show - Part 5 has Scottish pipers, then goes a bit weird - Part 6 has a hoedown rather than a hornpipe. Expect the unexpected. [Link]  

    R e m e m b e r i n g    

 -   C A P I T A L   R A D I O   - 

16th October 1973

This day in 1973 was actually a Tuesday, which seems an odd day of the week to launch a new radio station in London. It might be one of the moments where Londoners remember where they were at the time ? Though at 5am, perhaps not !

Hear the launch music and various snippets of DJ intros, jingles and commercial ads - see below - as Capital Radio took to the airwaves: "Capital sounds goes round and round, London Town !"

Capital Radio was one of the UK's earliest Independent Local Radio stations to come on air. It served London and the surrounding areas, was originally heard on 539 metres MW and 95.8 VHF before the MW frequency moved to 194 metres (1548 KHz) during the seventies. 

Beginning as more of a light music station it changed its policy following a slow start, to a more pop-based format in January 1974. More info here. 
Some of the early presenters included Kenny Everett, Brian Hayes, Michael Aspel, David Symonds, Dave Cash, Gerald Harper, Graham Dene, Tony Myatt, Roger Scott, Mike Allen, Gary Crowley and 'little' Nicky Horne, with his early evening programme called 'Your Mother Wouldn't like it'.

Here's the odd 10 minute mash up of 'clips' as a video of the 'Launch of Capital'.  

For your memory the UK charts at this time were full of David Cassidy, Slade, Tina Turner, Sweet, David Bowie, Status Quo & Elton John. But at No.1 was the Simon Park Orchestra with 'Eye Level' the theme tune to the TV show 'Van der Valk. 

  

Keith Emerson: keyboards; David O'List: guitar & trumpet; Lee Jackson: bass; & Brian Davison: drums:- The Nice. 'Emerlist Davjack' (a portmanteau created by combining the last names of the four members of the group). Their debut album was released in March 1968 and called 'The Thoughts of Emerlist Davjack'.

The title track which had been released as a single in November 1967 is one of those songs not to have the title in the lyrics. I recently discovered this YouTube video from French TV, which is fairly extraordinary vintage material. Original drummer Ian Hague is involved for starters, who I had to look up as I'd never seen him before.   

I don't know where all this black & white stuff has come from but there's loads of 'live' Nice footage from this period on YouTube, simply search The Nice. 

That's David O'List in the video window. Which is how his name is spelt on my LP sleeve, though Dave and Davey are noted in other areas along with plenty of different stories involving him and his recollections. For another time I think >>> 

   R e m e m b e r i n g   

 -   K E I T H   E M E R S O N   - 

And The Nice

Which is just what a special Box-Set release this weekend is doing: See this link.

Titled 'Variations' it spans the recording career of Keith Emerson, keyboardist, songwriter, composer and record producer.

My humble memory begins in 1968 with 'The Thoughts of Emerlist Davjack' the debut album of The Nice, which will feature more tomorrow. 

Side Two of the album has a track called ‘Tantalising Maggie’ ! A typical piece of period psychedelic pop with piano, organ, harpsichord and incoherent vocals, that some of you listeners may recognise from the bombastic piano ending which Alan ‘Fluff’ Freeman used as a comedy jingle for years on his Radio 1 rock show. It is in fact composed of several descending arpeggios from a piece by Christoph Bach, with taped laughter inserted for effect: Psychedelic man

 

Kind of works as a birthday track today - for you know who... 

more 'Thoughts' tomorrow. 

 

An alternative (and occasional) music posting highlighting something out of the ordinary. Perhaps of limited appeal, unconventional, experimental or just far-out ! Call it what you like (or switch it off, if you don't like). 

No introduction necessary today, primarily because keyboard maestros Rick Wakeman and Jon Lord provide their own intro at the start of the video clip.

Performing in 2011 at the Sunflower Jam from the Royal Albert Hall, admirably supported by the 'House Band' for the night - guitarist Murray Gould behind the hair on the beat up stratocaster and Gerry Brown on drums, a recent composition they call 'It's Not As Big As It Was' !!

It's very 60/70s 'Hammond organ B3' sound put me in mind of Keith Emerson and the days of The Nice. This is brilliant stuff and really cooks - I love it > 

> This is by way of an introduction to a 'triple-play' involving Keith Emerson - continuing tomorrow and Friday. A nice week !

   

Yesterday, 50 years ago, the Double LP 'Goodbye Yellow Brick Road' by Elton John was released.  

If you know the album then the track that ends side two "I've Seen That Movie Too" will be familiar. Not being familiar I only heard this song a few months ago for the first time.

I then found this neat video that contains not just the lyrics and an assortment of wacky images of Elton John but name checks his long-time band members: Nigel Olsson - drums; Davey Johnstone - guitar (cued to the solo near the end) and Dee Murray on bass.

Roll the cameras > 

Surely not just a coincidence, I see that BBC4 has an evening of Elton John showing on tv tonight. Described amusingly by last weekend's Times newspaper "as a look back at how a portly piano man from Pinner went stratospheric." 😁