"Vinyl Night at the Jenny Lind Inn, Hastings -
the return of our long-running Sunday BYO Vinyl Night!
Every Sunday from 7ish in the cozy back bar of The Jenny." 

So dust off those platters and head on down!

That was the promo - put your name on the blackboard and take it in turns to play your record(s). And quite a mixed bag it was to, from thrash metal to Kiss, the Thompson Twins, Wire and this 'Futuristic Journey' by Biddu Orchestra. 

This track may sound vaguely familiar or not. It was released in early January 1978, just as disco was taking off following the premier of 'Saturday Night Fever'. It would only troubled the lower reaches of the UK singles chart for one week in February but I'm sure it was played a lot around the dancefloors everywhere. 

Biddu Appaiah is a British-Indian singer songwriter, composer and music producer, considered one of the pioneers of Disco, Euro Disco and Indian Pop. His international breakthrough came in 1974 when he produced 'Kung Fu Fighting' by Carl Douglas. 

Played that night, the Biddu Orchestra and the sitar sound of 'Journey to the Moon' (neat video) and dance away into space

   

The timing of this week's Star Track is perfectly understandable. That's not quite the case when discussing the singalong chorus and its misheard lyrics:-

"On and on, you said you'd remember" or "Party art-y art-y on" or just "Party on !"

- instead of the actual words "Ba-dee-ya, say, do you remember?" 

Plus other interpretations include "Balls and all !"; "Borneo"; "Gloria" and even "Oreo" ?

All part of the fun and this funky disco video to watch, in which you'd be excused for not knowing how many members there are in the band ? 

Recorded in September and released in November 1978 the single reached No.8 in America and No.3 in the UK. Time for dancing to Earth Wind & Fire and 'September' >

 

More dancing .... ?

Northern Soul is celebrating 50 years. See story here includes video. 

The song is 'Do I Love You (Indeed I Do)' by Frank Wilson (originally from 1965). 

  

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). 

You may have seen the recent result of this year's Mercury Prize and the winner: Ezra Collective. 

The London based group fuses elements of afrobeat, calypso, reggae, hip-hop, soul and jazz. Quite a mix ! So for those of you listeners who preferred last Friday's jazzier version of 'Witchi-Tai-To' - watch them perform at the winners show with 'Victory Dance' - they're really rather good !

  

10 Obscure Classic Rock Albums You Didn’t Know Your Collection Needed

As attention seeking headlines go this is pretty enticing. So naturally I clicked the link to americansongwriter.com to discover what I'd seemingly missed. 

Seven of the ten albums listed were by artists I knew, less so the LPs listed from the 60s & 70s. 

One track featured was titled 'Witchi-Tai-To' by Brewer & Shipley and a story emerged. I thought I knew this song, you may also, as it's been covered by many artists. Apparently Mike Brewer and Tom Shipley learnt it off the radio in 1969 from a single by a short lived group called Everything is Everything. Written by group member Jim Pepper it's derived from a peyote* song of the Native American Church which he had learned from his grandfather. In 1971 he released an expanded version on his album 'Pepper's Pow Wow' and it's a great example of his hybrid jazz/Native American style music with the saxophone playing of Jim Pepper plus Billy Cobham on drums and Larry Coryell on guitar (see below). 

However Brewer & Shipley's 'Witchi-Tai-To' was released in 1969 on their album 'Weeds', is very different and the guitar riff sounds close to 'Sweet Jane' by Lou Reed, also written in 1969. Who composed this riff first is not easy to judge, a coincidence maybe, I just love it !

So here it is, the excellent track I didn't know from Brewer & Shipley > Nice video too and bongo intro 

"Witchi-Tai-To" by Jim Pepper, his version here fyi > worth a listen.

* peyote: a small spineless cactus plant which contains psychoactive alkaloids, particularly mescaline! 

   

Every house in Fairlight has a name as well as a number. Ours is called 'Lothlorien'. 

The fairest Elf-kingdom remaining on Middle Earth in the Third age was Lothlorien, where the Lady Galadriel and Lord Celeborn ruled.
There are no trees like the Mallorn trees of the land. For in the autumn their leaves fall not, but turn to gold. Not till the spring and the new green opens do they fall, and then the boughs are laden with yellow flowers; and the floor of the wood is golden. 

'Sagan Om Ringen' was released on Silence Records (Sweden's first independent record label) in autumn 1970 and became a huge hit. Copies of the album began to filter across to Britain where it came to the attention of Tony Stratton Smith, who was so impressed that he released the album as 'Music Inspired by Lord of the Rings' on his own Charisma Records label in September 1972. 
Bo Hansson was the Swedish musician who made that record and this is the track 'Lothlorien’ - another instrumental piece, the video just the LP cover >

PS:

More Swedish music (and sorcery) earlier this week when we saw 'Abba Voyage' in London. It was quite an incredible spectacle ! One I will return to at a future date. 

 

Well technically just a photo of a newspaper. So more memorabilia of the week.
Advertisement page 6 of The Statesman - the official student newspaper of Stony Brook University - shows an ad for The Hobbit Hole (right hand side) being dwarfed by the Budweiser ad !

  R e m e m b e r i n g  

 -   J. R. R. T O L K I E N   - 

Concerning Hobbits

On this day 50 years ago J.R.R. Tolkien left this Earth, passing on to the Road that Goes Ever On. 

I had just finished reading 'The Lord of the Rings' trilogy only 4 months before. 

'The Hobbit' has been published in 1937 with the 'LOTR' books following in 1954-55. The books popularity spread, especially during the 60s, into the 70s and beyond. 

A lack of copyright in the US led to an unauthorized edition in 1965 being published. This resulted in a second edition and first paperback being authorized and a US copyright. September 1966 'LOTR' entered the New York Times Best sellers list. 

In a 1999 poll of Amazon customers, 'The Lord of the Rings' was judged to be their favourite "book of the millennium". 

Influences abound - to name just a few - there was of course:

The beloved 'Hobbit's Garden' Club in Wimbledon (remembed here) 

'Middle Earth' music venue in Covent Garden

'Gandalf's Garden' a shop and mystical community in Chelsea 

The 'Hobbit Hole' bar on Old Country Road, Long Island, NY (see here)

- and numerous musical references from bands Tyrannosaurus Rex, Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin and others. Tolkien's anti-materialistic worldview appealed to hippie counterculture values. 

And of course the movies made by Peter Jackson that won over a new generation of fans. 

'Concerning Hobbits' part of Howard Shore's wonderful music for the films shows Hobbiton, set in the Shire, home of Bilbo and Frodo Baggins. [click on Full Screen, bottom right of video]

NB: Previously a LOTR music spot [in  February 2019] saw a selection of the soundtrack by Howard Stone - BIG error - Howard SHORE - not Stone ! 

 

  

Hacked, looted and burned to the ground:
was Bull Island the worst music festival of all time?

This kind of headline is likely to catch your attention and lead to further investigation, right ?

I'd never heard of Bull Island or indeed 'The Erie Canal Soda Pop Festival', more commonly known as the Bull Island Rock Festival. So rather than regurgitate all the detail, assuming you know as little as me and are equally intrigued, let's begin with the headline story, that starts with a poster of the intended line-up, continues to describe the event and ends with a YouTube video that tells it all. (Click link here) & watch the excellent yet crazy 19 minute video: (Direct link to this video).

Further investigation is optional but the poster for the festival, which reads like one of those dream line-ups, reveals that many of those billed to appear, didn't ! Especially the star attractions and who can blame them. 

I became fascinated with the book by Dan Davis all about his and others experiences at this Labor Day weekend (September 4,5 & 6 back in 1972). 

One band who did appear and perform (and curiously dropped sun visors and let off white doves during their set) was Black Oak Arkansas. Their music is characterised by three guitar players and the raspy vocals of Jim Mangrum, though this track from their 'High on the Hog' album released a year later and called 'Moonshine Sonata' is an instrumental. Info on who did appear and what they played is sketchy, so the band probably didn't play this track, but no matter. You can imagine (or hallucinate)... white doves and helicopters - it must have been surreal. 

No video today, but it's great track and Black Oak Arkansas are named in the afore mentioned YouTube video at the 12:26 mark. 

ALL this is strangely similar to the festival 'Woodstock '99' (see the Netflix documentary film). 

An occasional music spot - remembering places around the World

This week 45 years ago I was driving around Los Angeles. Following a 3-man four week cross-country American Road Trip, destination California and with some new found (and now life-long) friends already back home in New York and others still in San Francisco. I took time out to visit the City of Angels, staying with family of the boss my mother worked for in Wimbledon. With a car at my disposal I was Freeway Flying on Santa Monica boulevard, Sunset blvd, Mulholland Drive, San Bernadino Freeway and Hollywood Fwy. Lots of places I remember all connected by the automobile.  

FM radio playing there was one classic rock track that kept blasting over the airwaves. 

In 2003, as a 25th Anniversary of 'On The Road in 78', I produced a CD (see cover above). 16 road music songs from that summer. 

Because it was more of a personal experience this classic rock track from LA didn't make the final CD cut, despite me sneaking Bruce Springsteen and Boston on at the end.

Recently this same rock track came on while I was driving and immediately I'm back on the Freeway, flying as UFO's 'Only You Can Rock Me' rocked me !

  

Getting back to Music Festivals - more specifically Reading (on this weekend) - which since 1999 has been known as Reading & Leeds Festival, taking place simultaneously over the Bank Holiday weekend. 

The Reading Festival, the older of the two, is the world's oldest popular music festival still in existence, having gone through various musical phases over the years. Originally The National Jazz and Blues Festival it began in Richmond in 1961. The venue moved location throughout the sixties and by 1969 Jazz had all but disappeared from the line-up of artists playing. 1971 saw it move permanently to Reading and become The National Jazz, Blues, Folk & Rock Festival. I did a feature last year when I attended in 1972: (link reminder). 

Looking at this year's festival reveals the degree of change, from a single stage in the 70s to today's: Main Stage East, Main Stage West, Radio One Dance Stage, Festival Republic Stage, Radio 1xtra Stage and finally BBC Music introducing Stage !

The scale and number of artists involved covers a change in genres that saw Heavy Metal, Punk and New Wave in the 80s, Brit Pop and Indie in the 90s, Hip Hop and Rap in the 00s and Grime artists added to the predominately Rock line-ups. Recent years have seen less Rock acts which results in me not knowing many of the bands playing this year's festival. The headliners I know but then it becomes a mystery. But I found one band I knew and a video from their performance at Reading in the sunshine in 2019. They are on again this afternoon at 3pm on the Main Stage West: You Me At Six with ‘Take On The World’ - join the audience and sing along !

You Me At Six are from down the road in Weybridge, Surrey - there's another live video from Ally Pally > check out the wild ending here. 

I also unearthed some old footage of the National Jazz & Blues festival from 1964 (no sound though) - short but sweet (click) and 1969 with a classic voice over and artists performing (mostly the Bonzo Dogs) and some idiot dancing to take you back.