MARCH - BULLS HEAD BOB - GET A LIFE YOU SAD GIT. I LOVE CHICAGO.

Watcha ar' Kid,

ALEX'S PIE STAND - NOTHING TO GET EXCITED ABOUT
There are a couple of sad git's who were musicians during the 60's in Birmingham whose personalities were such that one of the highlights of their musical lives was to buy a meat pie from Alex's Pie Stand after a gig.

I used to go there too but extolling it's virtues in a radio or newspaper interview, like it held a special place of significance in the Birmingham music scene, is simply bollocks... The hours must fly-by at his gaff!!

Alex's was just a place to get hot food in the City Centre, there was nothing else open at that time. Curry houses had not yet started to open, there was no chinese food, no Hamburgers no fish and chip shops either in the City Centre.   There were always loads of bikers there who had formed a club (including my brother in law).   Apart from the bikers, there were partygoers, louts, drunks, ne'er-do-wells, hookers, crooks, thieves and wino's - as well as visiting groups and other bands who had been playing in the city that night .  They went there for the same reason as everybody else - there was nowhere else to get something to eat after a gig and only the better known bands were granted free access at the nightclubs.

To suggest it was a place where bands specifically met is untrue - it was the only place open for ANYBODY who was a night person, which of course included the hundreds of groups that were around in those early days. So it was no surprise that we all bumped into each other occasionally with the usual, "Alright guys, where you been playin?" everybody would lie through their teeth about how much they got paid and how they'd gone down a storm, lead guitarists would be sizing each other up like gun-fighters, giving each other cursory nods of the head as some sort of mark of acknowledgement.  

There was a kind of clique of groups though, who were mates and didn't talk to the lesser bands who in turn, had their band of mates who sneered at the freshly formed groups who could only stand looking goggle eyed.  Quite funny really.

You'd buy your pie then all pile back into the van and start talking about the other bands who might be there in the queue, "Fuckin wanker" was quite often the opening phrase followed by, "If his Dad didn't own the van, he wouldn't be in that band", a lot of truth's spoken and a lot of bullshit spread about.   As for "Bands being formed there", there was more chance of that happening at a gig, where there would generally be two or three groups on the bill, or more likely inside one of the music shops that were frequented by all and sundry where one could pass a couple of hours playing some of the instruments off the wall whilst persuading someone to abandon their mates and join your group.  

Just to add to the confusion, there were two pie stands.....and everyone referred to them both as Alex's
the one pictured on the Brumbeat Pie Stand page was situated by the Albany Hotel, the second was located at Snow Hill Station and was a mobile van that used to arrive around 10-ish and stay there till about 2.30 in the morning.  On the side of the van was painted "Hot Snacks" or something similar but we all called it Alex's nonetheless.  I have no idea and in fact have no wish to know, if Alex was the owner of both.   It was just somewhere to eat, not an institution, no magic occurred there.   Some people should get a life! 

SWEET HOME CHICAGO

Some of you eagle eyed warriors may have noticed that the old "Bulls Head' logo has disappeared from the page.   I have replaced it with the Bulls Head on the Coventry road.  When I first started doing this blogging lark I simply added a picture of a bulls head, as a form of decoration for the page. I only became aware of the connection to the Chicago Bulls football squad when I began to get a lot of visitors to the site from the windy city itself. It got even more confusing when I mentioned Hollick and Taylor studios, because it would appear that one of the directors of The Chicago Bulls was called Tom Hollick!! - well I wish them well.

That aside, we owe a huge debt to the black Chicago musicians who provided all of us groups of the day with practically all our music.   The incredible songs of Willie Dixon, Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters and others being changed and chopped around by groups, generally speeded up and played at breakneck speed to willing audiences of dancing girls, the sales of harmonicas and Marracas soared.

For the more serious, the influence of Elmore James slide guitar and Big Bill Broonzy's guitar work meant lots of hours of practice to get the 'feel' correct.  Probably the very best blues guitarist and performer, Buddy Guy rose through the ranks of Chicago's bluesmen to become an inspiration to Jimi Hendrix, indeed, much of Hendrix' act and performance tricks were taken directly from BG. 

The original, medium paced 'My Babe" became a regular in Brummie groups' set lists but now sounded completely different, certainly louder and faster.  Howlin' Wolf's "Smokestack Lightnin" was also another favourite for lead guitarists.   The adaptation and modification of this wonderful black music by British guitarists was a precursor to the Brits going to America and playing to the largely white audiences the same black music that was practically ignored by them beforehand; the difference now was the UK groups were light years ahead in style, inventiveness and aggresion that had come from the years of playing fast Rock n' Roll.  By the time American bands got into it they sounded like cheap and soul-less copies for years.   

You only have to listen to any of Led Zeppelin's tracks to recognise riffs from the greats of Chicago, now ashamedly credited to Jimmy Page, whole lines of lyrics just 'dropped in' here and there like a modern day 'sample' gave Plant songwriting credibility that belonged to some other guys......brutal copies of the real thing.
Peter Green of Fleetwood Mac always gave credit and royalties to those blues guys who he borrowed phrases from.  Good Man.

THE KING BEES
Now when I was a lad there were only a few groups I would take the time to go and see.  One of those bands was the King Bees, a bit mod-ish in style for my liking but as their name suggested, they were equally influenced by the blues artists and were a pretty tight band to boot.    Why not take a cyber stroll onto the Brumbeat Pie Stand page to link to the story of the King Bees, nice interview by John with founding member and guitarist Geoff Brown (If I remember rightly, he played a Telecaster?).

BOB'S ON THE TOWN
I shall be doing a couple of gigs over the weekend and Monday too....so I look forward to meeting up with some of you.  Oh heck, I finished this blog without telling you where I was playing, never mind, there'll be other times!!

BRUMMIE GIG
Well I'm sure that some of you will remember this place with some affection.  Kinda small but great atmosphere:

Bob
Copyright Bullsheadbob.  Contact:  Bobsbullocks@GMail.com

FEBRUARY - BULLS HEAD BOB - OGGIE'S HOFNER SUPER SOLID 3, PAUL LINCOLN ROCK AND ROLL LEGEND

Watcha Brummies,

YOURS IN CONFUSION?  I get quite a few e mails from people and some of them have unusual first names but you know, I just can't keep up with the bizarre names people give to their offspring these days.

Just this week I had a e-mail from a girl in Tipton, she's obviously a fan but too embarassed to write me a message, it simply said.

Dear Bob,

Yowma Saftwat

"Yowma!", I wonder how that name came about?

SET FASERS TO STUN......Well we got over freezing January, amazingly I didn't have to take back any presents this year. Lucy has a great heart but kept buying me clothes that make me look like a Romulan, all bleedin' shoulder pads.  She's Star Trek mad, me and the kids call her Captain Slog but despite her lack of good judgement in her Telly viewing, she's not a bad un'. So anyway, as well as it being St Valentines Day this month, it's our 37th wedding anniversary and I've planned a romantic surprise for her on a Star Trek 'theme' - "Oh Bob you're such a sentimental old thing" I hear you say. "I know...I'm like that" comes my reply.

I've been burning the midnight oil in the studio, plonking on me new Telecaster and have written her a special song that hopefully, shows the depth of my affection for her. I've plumbed the depths of my literary and physical soul to deliver something that I hope she will listen to again and again.....

It's called "I'm Gonna Beam You up the Wormhole".

OGGIE'S HOFNER SUPER SOLID 3. 
A blog that dedicates itself to the sixties music would be drastically incomplete if it didn't include something about Hofner guitars.  Now I'm not gonna go on about all the models that Hofner produced, there are fabulous websites dedicated to Hofner guitars where you can browse away to your hearts content.This is the best one: http://www.vintagehofner.co.uk/ look, enjoy and drool!!

Briefly, Hofner had been making some lovely acoustic guitars for years, with the Committee being it's flagship, a beautiful piece of work.

The transition to semi-acoustic guitars with fitted pick up's soon followed. However, these models aside, I want to talk about one of their best solid body guitars, specifically, the Hofner Super Solid 3. This was the foundation guitar of practically every young group or musician that wanted to emulate Hank Marvin or the Shadows but couldn't afford a Fender. I never owned a Hofner but practically everyone else did....my reasons were economic, otherwise I would have just loved to have had one.

I recall Oggie getting his brand new Hofner Super Solid 3,
I went round to his house the day he got it and was so impressed, it was immaculate. He'd owned it for two hours and had already polished it for one hour fifty minutes. I never heard a tune out of it for eight weeks, he was a bit worried about taking the shine off the strings!

When I eventually heard the strength of the Hofner's pick-up's in comparison to my budget guitar, I realised the difference - I think it was probably the first time I began to appreciate the technical details rather than simply the aesthetics of guitars. Hofner had not only excelled in the pick up's though, the volume and tone controls were a nice modern design and placed correctly and it had the really 'cool' (I thought) pick-up selector switch located on the bottom cow horn. I could just picture myself reaching across the guitar to switch my pick-up, mid-way through a solo. "That'll impress the girls, I'll definitely get a shag tonight" - mind you I remember actually thinking that if I owned a Watkins Dominator, as I walked through a dance hall carrying it, one of the girls would think "Mmm great amp", I was a very sad young man!!

The '3' sported a Stratocaster body design of course
and it was 'built to last', the paint was deep and very glossy. A black scratchplate, adorned with 3 gleaming chrome pick-up's was a visual treat, particularly the red coloured variant. It looked oustanding. The neck was I recall, a little on the 'generous' side - depth-wise and was liberally embellished with pearloid inlays that stretched across the fretboard and kinda' gave it a nice 'look of the times". It was obvious that some real design thought had gone into this guitar.

You could also comfortably play up to the fifteenth fret which was amazing for what was a budget instrument. It knocked the other budget guitars sideways in its quality build and forced the other companies to do better themselves.

All of a sudden nearly all groups were using Hofners fitted with flat wound strings, connected to a Watkins copycat and a Watkins Dominator. Not only could they sound like The Shadows but had guitars that looked every bit as good to an audience who knew nothing about instruments beyond their appearance. These days people are far more informed.

The headstock too was very nice with beautiful sculpted tuners and Hofner nameplate. A substantial tremeloe arm was incorporated, which was quite firm to use, a bit Bigsby-ish I thought. From a personal standpoint, design wise, I think they could have improved the shape of the arm a little, I never understood why it was almost dagger-like with its pointed end. "You could have your eye out on that thing" I could hear me Mum saying. It would have had Jimi's eye out probably if he'd had one, he'd be biting the strings and blinding himself at the same time, 'cor' luv a duck, what a carry on that would have been. Anyway, it had a beautiful clean sound throughout the tonal range and looked stunning for it's day but, with time, music styles changed and it's sound fell out of favour like some other guitar brands.

This guitar though rightly deserves to be treasured, it represents a real milestone in popular music both in terms of its design and it's success. It bought a quality budget guitar to a huge market of would be Hanks and there were thousands of em' - in my street alone.

Sadly, Oggie doesn't have the guitar anymore but still has a 'crackin' duster' and liberal amounts of polish so, "Wax on, Wax off Oggie".

THERE GOES A PIECE OF HISTORY. PAUL LINCOLN - THE 2i's COFFEE BAR SOHO . I was chatting to my mate, The King of Skiffle, this week. He told me that sadly one of his old friends, Rock and Roll legend Paul Lincoln who had been the owner of the historic 2i's Coffee Bar in Soho, had recently passed away. We musicians and music lovers alike, all owe a small debt to him because the British Rock and Roll scene started there. Cliff Richard, Tommy Steele, Terry Dene, all the various members of The Shadows, Wee Willie Harris, Vince Eager, Billy Fury, Tony Sheridan, The Most Brothers, Adam Faith, Les Hobeaux all started in that tiny basement room and for a while Paul Lincoln managed a lot of those acts and many more after them. Most of them also worked behind the coffee bar or swept up at closing time too for about a quid a week. Co-incidentally, Brian Gregg who I interviewed in December was a member of Les Hobeaux.

Paul Lincoln, an Australian, was a showman through and through. Not only did he own, in partnership, the 2i's but also the All-Nighter bar in Gerrard Street which was considered to be the real centre of Rock n Roll by those 'in the know'. He promoted the first RandR tours of Great Britain and was also a full time Wrestler who went under the name of Dr Death. Bizarrely for me, this was how, unknowingly I would have seen him on some of my outings to the Walford Road Wrestling shows in Sparkhill when I was a sprog.

In the mid sixties, as a musician, I visited the 2i's, as an act of homage I suppose. There was nothing special about it, no vibe really, the coffee was expensive and it was a place where people visited because of it's history. One could only imagine the scene during it's early years when it was considered the centre of British Rock and Roll, much like the Cavern in Liverpool during the Beatles emergence, The Marquee in London during the R and B period or Mothers in Birmingham - you had to have been there at the time to really feel it.  It has a significant place in British rock history though and the building where the 2i's was, now has a blue plaque on the wall noting it's existence for posterity.

Paul Lincoln was an early innovator and entrepeneur, he was loved and respected within the world of Wrestling and the coffee house'/Rock and Roll fraternity. I'm pleased I could have said something about him here, albeit a little too late.

FOOTBALL ROUND UP. It breaks my heart to say this but, congratulations to the Blues for getting to the Carling Cup Final. The mighty Villa have turned the corner and with their new sigining Darren Bent and are in the ascendency, great result on Saturday puts them (along with the Blues) into the fifth round of the FA Cup.  Meanwhile the Baggies are kind of drifting around after an amazing start to the season - what whent wrong there then?

BREAKING NEWS.... RIP John Barry.

So there you have it......Intrigue, music, classic guitars, history and a sports round up. Could a blog get any better I ask myself??

See you in March,

Bob

Copyright: Bullsheadbob. contact: Bobsbullocks@gmail.com

JANUARY - BULLS HEAD BOB - 2011

Hello Brummies and Company,

Well we had a white Christmas which was lovely.  I didn't go to the sales, which was even lovelier and for once this year I didn't have to take back any of my gifts - an absolute rarity!!

It's very quiet in the Bob household after a couple of manic days of visitors and also I find myself hiding from the 'Blues' supporters, ready to pounce on me as I enter the boozer - I have my ready wit poised to counter their jibes though with a few choice phrases passed onto me by Nobber, it is therefore only proper that I withhold them today for fear of offending the whole world - Nobber has cleverly learned every swear word in the world and links them altogether to ensure he can curse a whole football crowd in one go.    I have stopped eating French food too.

Got a nice Christmas present which is worth telling you about.

SQUIER 'CLASSIC VIBE' SERIES GUITARS
Way back in 1985 Squier made a Stratocaster copy that outstripped the 'real thing' and today this model regularly sells for 300 to 400 quid on E Bay.   Fender must have been real annoyed about that and today will be feeling even moreso because it looks like Squier have done it again with the 'Classic Vibe' series of Telecaster and Stratocaster models that are fantastically priced and play really well.  The guitars are available in differing colours and also differentiate between 50's and 60's models:

This is the very nice 50's SquierTelecaster
with Alnico pick ups.  Fabulous build quality
and nice playability.  Those thinking that it
would make a nice 'spare' could very well
find themselves playing this more than they think.

OK it doesnt have the Fender label on the
headstock but it doesn't mean that it doesn't
sound every bit as good as the 'real thing'.
The body however, is made of Pine and will
show up any 'dings'.  That aside, it's fantastic
value for money and I heartily recommend
you to check them out.....

This guitar is already a favourite of mine.



So, for those who may be thinking of taking up the guitar these models are highly recommended, they will give you the Fender sound for a few quid.  Experienced gutarists will still find themselves enjoying this too.  Can't go wrong really.  Check out the Squier site for the different models.

This blog is a short one owing to the excesses of the Festive season that has seen me consume everything drinkable that has truly addled my very small brain, mixed with a depth of despair over the French antics at Villa Park.    Nonetheless, I wish you all a Happy New Year and thank you all for your very kind e mails and support.  Here's hoping for a great 2011.

Take Care

Bob
copyright Bullsheadbob
contact:  Bobsbullocks@gmail.com

DECEMBER - BULLS HEAD BOB - 'SHAKIN' ALL OVER' - CHRISTMAS AT THE CARLTON - HAS MACCA GONE MAD

Happy Christmas Brummies, Associate Brummies and Brummies Abroad,

Ding-Dong the Christmas spirit is upon us and I LOVE IT !!!!  

BRIAN GREGG 'IN THE SNUG' WITH BULLS HEAD BOB.
THE WRITING AND RECORDING SESSION OF
- SHAKIN' - ALL - OVER

Brian Gregg is an icon in the world of Beat Music and I was more than pleased to have a chin-wag with him about the recording of the BEST beat song ever written.   He's a fabulous guy.......   Geographically speaking, Shakin' All Over is outside of our bailywick but in musical terms, we Brummies shared and relished the massive impact of it's heritage.  Every night in every bar, and probably twice a night -  this song was played by every Brummie Beat group - guaranteed.     A record and recording that stands as a model of what a great band should sound like and it's impact affected every red blooded musician from it's first release in 1960 to the present day.  I just know that some young band, probably at this very moment, have just discovered Shakin' All Over and are thrashing it out in a garage.

ANSWERED!! ....
THE GREAT RIDDLE OF WHICH GUITARIST PLAYED WHAT....JOE MORETTI, MICK GREEN, ALAN CADDY - IS BROUGHT TO LIGHT AND LAID TO REST. 

Click Here to Read on!!  http://www.brumbeat.net/bgregg.htm

CHRISTMAS AT THE CARLTON
If you were a popular Brummie band during the 60's your Christmas Gig List would have been full to bursting for a couple of months already.  If you were 'canny' though you always held New Years Eve open for a bit longer,  to get a better price, and could normally play a 'double' that night.  These days you would be lucky if you got two gigs for the whole of the month.   

One Christmas, maybe 67', New Years Eve to be precise, we played at The Bulls Head, finished there at 10.00 - I think the Idle Race were on then up till midnight, I'm not sure - we then drove over to The Carlton to play up to midnight there and then straight on to the Elbow Room to play till 2.AM.   Every gig at The Bulls Head was great, but playing to a jam packed house with everyone in party spirits on New Years Eve was extra special, even the bouncers smiled, or maybe it could have been some wind!  They always seemed to grimace at me, I think they could sense my fear!!    It proved a little difficult to leave the place though, with several high spirited girls demanding New Years kisses before we left - naturally the part that all musicians had to suffer!!  I always felt exploited....suffering at the hands of women.

On arrival at The Carlton we made for the entrance whilst the roadie did his thing, carting 4 x 12 cabinets up those metal stairs at the side, it must have been back breaking, particularly having just humped it all up and down the stairs at the Bull.  We went through the front into the downstairs foyer where Phil Myatt was holding court and and there was much 'Happy New Year-ing' between us all.  

The Way of Life were playing on stage as we arrived.  Apart from the Jones brothers I'm not quite sure who else was in the line up at that time but they were a fine band.   As you walked up the stairs the sound of the band got louder and louder, then it hit you full in the face as you cleared the top stair.

There was always a good atmosphere at The Carlton and on New Years Eve the place was HEAVING, the air was a blue haze of cigarette smoke, the smell of perfume and beer pervading everything.   The heat that night, inside the venue was incredible, all those hot bodies leaping around and the stage lights contributing their own share of therms.  We headed into the bar area and spent some time chatting to the group of girls who always followed us around and bought us christmas gifts.  They were great and loyal fans.

Having warmed up at The Bull, we were 'up for it' that night and had a really good time on stage getting the crowd going, it was twice as hot upon the stage as it was down on the dance floor.  We played our set and did the 'Midnight Countdown' thing then finished. We were all soaked to the skin with sweat - with still one more gig to go.  The roadie meanwhile, was humping the kit back down the two flights of steel stairs.

We arrived at The Elbow Room in that sweaty condition too, but now physically drained, after the 'sauna' at The Carlton.  The Elbow Room was always good to play at though, with some 'groovy' clientele. 

We must have looked like drowned rats and smelled like drains as we entered, but we joined in the ongoing fun whilst the roadie humped our kit up yet another couple of flights of stairs.  He was a real hero and all round good guy, not with us any longer I'm sorry to say.  After the last gig of the night, we 'wound down', partied and left our gear there to be picked up the day after.   We must have paid him a good bonus for that night.  A triple was never a recommended thing to take on but on New Years Eve was always worth the money.   

I'm sure this scenario will bring back memories for some of you guys who went through the same sort of thing at exactly those places and I know that if you close your eyes you can definitely picture it, almost hear it but thankfully not smell it!!.....Christmas at The Carlton, Happy Days when Live Music was King.  (For you download freaks, the photo used in NOT the interior of The Carlton - sorry)

HAS MACCA GONE MAD???
Paul McCartney seems to have spent his life fighting for equal recognition with John Lennon - criticised wrongly, in my opinion as a 'lightweight'.   I believe that he was the greatest driving influence in The Beatles, aside from his awesome output of songs.  It was he who had the project ideas, he wrote and played some of the best remembered guitar solo's - ie. Taxman - he was by far, the best bass player on the planet and he also wrote some thundering rockers.   I have always been and will always be influenced by him musically.  
But why is it he seems to lose the plot completely?  When he does that, he falls right into the hands of his worst critics.

He doesn't need any more money.  He is a hero of rock music beyond comparison and  I'm elated that he spends the time touring.  The Beatles were the most innovative and creative bands of all time who struggled for years to become a great little R&B group, as every other band in the UK did - only the strong survived.   He doesn't need any publicity either, everybody knows who he is.

So what the heck is he doing kow-towing to juvenile Corporate Music show - X Factor!!  It is this very show that has been the downfall of independent music, it's packaged tripe - week after week, playing to the Grannies and tinytots.   So it's surprising that he would come out with a gaff like:   "Its a tribute that The Beatles are having their songs sung by the X Factor contestants" - WAKE UP!!! MACCA, for F***'* sake....it's people like these who think, and state, that The Beatles were a fabricated boy band!  Now I don't watch the show personally, but I have read some stuff in the newspapers that suggests 'One Direction" a boy band on the show are the New Beatles. I don't have to watch the show to know that it's all..... BOLLOCKS!!, what a pile of crap.  

He's done it because of the business deal that will have the songs on the show available on i Tunes but the question is? 

Where's his sense of pride and self respect? 
Can't he see how vulgar these actions are when people are being thrown out of their homes through poverty?   Paul, you don't need any more money....give it a rest man.  A Working Class hero??
A Happy Christmas to him anyway.

A CHRISTMAS GREETING.
I would sincerely like to wish all the Brumbeat surviviors and the blog readers a truly Happy Christmas, these are uncertain days with the crisis and cuts in full swing.   Nonetheless, this is a time for us all to reflect and appreciate the things that we have, and have had in our past.  Be good to each other.

Wishing a speedy recovery and kisses to Maggie Crandles and a Christrmas 'Thankyou' to Judy Adkins for her patience.

I would further like to send a special greeting to any of you who have family members in the UK Forces serving on operational duties.   It is hard enough being parted from those who are dear to us at any time, but doubly so at the festive season.   A very special Happy Christmas to the guys in Selly Oak too.

Thanks for your e-mails of support concerning some Brummie traitors I mentioned.

AND FINALLY.....OGGIE'S CARD
OK, Here's Oggies Christmas Card, he's in California this festive season.  Last year I published a photo of scantily dressed females.  I have learned my lesson and decided that it was exploitation to ask girls to pose with just a pair of pants on........

.....................problem solved!!!

Toodeloo!!

Bob

Brian Gregg photo (Copyright Brian Gregg)
Copyright: Bullsheadbob

Contact:  Bobsbullocks@gmail.com

NOVEMBER - BULLS HEAD BOB - A TRUE BRUMBEAT HERO, THE BIRMINGHAM WALK OF FAME, TRAITORS

Hiya Brummies and friends around the globe,
Howya gooin?  

This very day, you find me showing my extremes...not in the testicular area I hasten to add, that would just cause pandemonium.  It's more anger, at the feeling of being socially and geographically snubbed by a bunch of W*****'S.    But don't let me prejudge anyone....read on and make your own mind up who the W*****'S are.   thats how serious I am today!

On the other hand... you will findWARMTH and respect oozing out of every pore.
Now, I'm known locally as 'Joe Placid' but here we go....I might as well start with the angry bit -

SOMETIMES WE DISAGREE.....TRAITORS

The office at BRUMBEAT Towers has been a hot bed of disagreement over the last month.

John is the type of guy who doesn't like to ruffle anyone's feathers too much because he's such a nice man, however, on my side of the office indignation rules and the word of the humble Brummy speaks out. 

Whilst I seethe with rage, he guardedly keeps his thoughts to himself.   Why do I seethe?  Well, it's because he gave publicity to that group of brummie musicians and their promoter Brian Yeates on last month's Pie Stand Page, who think that "referring to themselves as being from Birmingham, is a hindrance to them"!!  Johns editorial response was ("It should really enhance the appeal in my opinion! JRW"). That was John at his angriest.

I don't even want to mention their names, because to do so would give them more publicity, although I'm guilty of doing that very thing now.   I would have binned the whole thing and saved us the embarrasment of having been associated with a show that's ashamed of admitting they're from Birmingham.  

'Nobber'

Needless to say the Gang of Four at the boozer are ****ing fuming.   Nobber launched himself into 'abuse mode' with an assortment of conjoined swearwords I'd never heard before, but all of them ended in -ers!

I now give you the lowdown on a recent result of a vote from 'A selected voice' of the inhabitants of Aston who were in the pub at the time.... "Mon dieu, Gerard" -UTV.


RESULTS FROM QUESTIONAIRE, HELD AT A 'MEETING' OF THE BROTHERHOOD OF BRUMMIES AND INVITED GUESTS FROM THE SISTERHOOD 'ON DEFINITELY AN EQUAL FOOTING'  OF BRUMMIE-ESSES OR "BRUMS", DEPENDING ON YOUR ASPECT. - 38 ATTENDING.
(Quantity of 'gender blend' will be supplied if requested but will be resisted by certain elements of the brotherhood/sisterhood (or vice versa) of the 'fra/materinity' if certain issues arise pertaining to a percieved derogatory word or insinuation OR insult by any party in the world whatsoever, and their Mum.) dum de dum de dum......

RESULTS OF QUESTIONAIRRE:
1. Question One. Are They Wankers?
 answers ......YES 38 - NO -0 )
2. Question 2.   No further questions.

If there is an 'up' side to this sorry tale, then it's because I am pleased to see that at least Gibbo isn't a part of this.  It's probably just the same material served up under a different name anyway, so if you saw Brum Rocked, or The Move or Bev Bevans 'Move' or any of those other permutations of the same group of people, I imagine there'll be nothing new apart from a bit of Froggy's stuff.  Go and see them if you want, but be careful not to speak, they probably won't understand your accent....  I imagine GT thought he wouldn't be having a pie in the face any longer? - welcome back. 

Perhaps Roy Wood was right when he talked in such a derogatory manner about the Move reformation..... flogging a dead horse.

A TRUE BRUMBEAT HERO!!
Now for every low point there is a High.   Ladies and Gentleman, here is a real hero, who has done masses to promote Birmingham, is proud of his heritage and asks for nothing in exchange.  I also know that he would quake at the thought of anyone writing anything about him.  Particularly me. 

JOHN R WOODHOUSE
Just because he doesn't seek any publicity, doesn't mean that he isn't going to get any - not as long as I'm around that is! 

Ten years ago, bassist John Woodhouse, was thinking of a little hobby to entertain himself with.  He remembered some stories his uncle had told him about the days of being a musician during the 60's in Birmingham, the incessant sound of beat groups and Chuck Berry rhythms, the gigs, the night clubs and band hangouts.  John was already a fan of the music from the West Midlands and has a great record and CD collection of all the bands.  He thought that he could create a personal website about that subject.  Little did he know, or envisage that 10 years after, the website would be such a huge success.  From early beginnings, people started contacting him with details and accounts about groups they had played with, a small trickle soon became more of a constant flow.    A lot of stories were passed on, often contradicting each other but this is hardly surprising, as all the events had taken place 40 years prior to the website being launched.  

As time passed and information grew, some clarity began to emerge and group biographies were amended to amplify or remove some stories that were "Imaginative" and in a couple of cases clearly fabrications - Elvis never played with a band from Small Heath!!

There are now a massive amount of biographies archived on the site and although John receives some biog's sent in written form, they all need to be edited to fit the BRUMBEAT bio format, checked for inaccuracies and then re-written in his own inimitable style.  When I say that written bio's were sent in, they mostly consist of  "I played with this group, then this one and then the other" and from this undetailed information John has written full pages of relevant information about the bands activities and line-up changes.  The construction of these bio's are really time consuming affairs and can be made even more difficult in some groups cases, as the line-up changes were on a weekly basis.   The whole concept of this small army of Brummie musicians swapping groups and changing names was incredibly complex and in some cases unfathomable.  I know of one bass player who could have had a hundred notches on his guitar to indicate how many bands he had been in.  Of course John doesn't just write biographies, he has conducted reviews and interviews with a host of names from Birminghams illustrious musical past. 

What does he get out of it?...in financial terms nothing.  BRUMBEAT is a 'not for profit' website run by someone with imagination and a resolute determination to map the years when Birmingham throbbed with the sound of a group in every bar, pub or dance hall during the years that saw unparallelled changes in society, fashion and the arts in general.

Only those who lived through those days can truly know what a mind blowing experience it all was, at its climax.   Without a person like John, that experience, starting from the very start of the Group phase would never have been passed on and this archive would never exist.  As such, his contribution to the preservation of a generation of Brummie musicians is incalculable.  This website has aided the most familiar glossy music magazines with research into their stories and has assisted record companies with information and helped them to gain contact with group members, more often than not without any form of acknowledgement at all.

John has another tremendous asset.  He is a good, enthusiastic musician who likes to play rock n roll and plays with a couple of bands, the main one being PASSPORT.  He has had a load of gigs and has rewarded himself with a new Fender Jazz Bass.    Just where he finds the time to hold down his job, look after his family obligations, fulfill his commitments to the bands AND write stuff for the website is really something to be admired.

About 5 years ago, I suggested that we pool our resources, promising that "We wouldn't regret it". Well we have had some opposite views at Brumbeat Towers but mostly we are of the same mind and its great to work together, we just approach things from different angles.  The folk who were a part of the BRUMBEAT scene are becoming fewer and each time that happens, it only elevates the importance of the work undertaken by one of the nicest men about and I personally thank John for his dedication.

Ten years is a long, long time and I know for a fact that I speak for all the musicians and anyone else with any form of connection to the BRUMBEAT era, when I say thanks and rightly applaud him for keeping those days, the spirit and the history alive.  

I give you

John Woodhouse,

BRUMBEAT Hero. 

Happy 10th Anniversary 

THE BIRMINGHAM WALK OF FAME

I believe that the Birmingham City Council should take note of John's achievements and think positively about Birmingham's Broad Street, 'Walk of Fame' star allocations.  I would certainly like them to give great thought to giving John Woodhouse or even simply BRUMBEAT some just recognition for 10 years of unpaid and incredibly important service to the history of Birmingham's music scene - in the years when it was proclaimed that the sound coming out of the West Midlands was called

    BRUMBEAT!!!

Here's to another 10 years....

COMING TO YOUR COMPUTER SCREEN IN DECEMBER

Bulls Head Bob's Christmas Bonus to all the BRUMBEAT readers.  Fantastic "In the Snug"  interview with BRIAN GREGG, Bassist for Johhny Kidd and The Pirates.   The story and "The Recording Session of  'SHAKIN' ALL OVER' - amazing stuff!!  Exclusive to BULLS HEAD BOB and BRUMBEAT, the worlds greatest BRUMMIE partnership - and proud of it!!

Bob

copyright:  Bullsheadbob

contact:     Bobsbullocks@Gmail.com

OCT - BULLS HEAD BOB'S 'BRUMMIES ABROAD'....WHERE ARE THE EXECUTIONERS? PLUS THE GREAT JIMMY O'NEIL??

Owdoo!
Winter approaches, time to start thinking about how miserable the festive season will be after the goverment have deprived me of some more of my assets, come the Budget later this month.   Is this the real winter of discontent?

BRUMMIES ABROAD

Thought I'd take the opportunity this month to put out messages for some people looking for old mates and to feature some more of our 'Brummies Abroad'.  Now I can't actually confirm that the next Brummie is actually living abroad because I don't know... but I know somebody who does.....

 

JIMMY O'NEIL

I recently wrote an article about the VOX Continental organ and in that piece mentioned the name of Jimmy O'Neil as being an organist of some standing.  In the absence of much written material about Jimmy, I think it right that I should try and give some more information about this fine Brummie musician of the sixties.  I write it in the context of Brummies Abroad, as it's believed that Jimmy lives in the States these days.   I am not in contact with him but as I had spoken with Will Hammond last month I asked him about Jimmy - they had been musical mates for years.

WH:  Jimmy O'Neil? great bloke and a brilliant musician, he was from an Irish family from the Yardley Wood area.  I think he started his musical career playing piano with the Jon Carter Image, playing the youth clubs and small dance halls scattered around Sparkhill in Brum.  I could be wrong though. 

I got to meet him when I was around about 14.  I think Jimmy must have been 17 or older because he had a motorbike, a nice one too.  I had been used to talking music with friends who, like me, had grown up teaching themselves how to play but Jimmy was on another level completely, he was an accomplished, trained classical pianist.    We 'hit it off ' from the very beginning and started playing music together round at his parents home where there was a piano.  He used to come and pick me up on his motorbike and I would balance myself and my guitar on the pillion which was no mean feat with the wind hitting the guitar case.  There was always a bonus of going to his house - getting some of his Mum's Cherry Pie. 

Early on, his name had been mentioned to me as someone who could play the piano 'a bit'.  I was knocked back on my heels when I actually heard him play.  His fingers used to float effortlessly, across the keys, an absolute joy to watch.  We talked for hours about music and particularly about things like, structuring discordant harmonies and the like, we both had great enthusiasm.    Sometime later we both found ourselves working at the Wholesale Food Market in the City centre, I was a junior salesman on a fruit pitch and Jimmy worked as a salesman in the Fish Market.  The working hours were 5am to 11am which suited the life of semi-pro musicians. 

The VOX Continental came out and he bought one straight away.   We played together in the same group -The Yamps - for a short while, doing things like House of the Rising Sun and a load of R and B things by Jimmy Reed, Willie Dixon, Howlin Wolf and their like.  His skills as an organist were amazing and he played with loads of passion, we worked very well together.

Jimmy came by one day to say that he was going to London to join The Walker Brothers, I was flabbergasted, I wasn't bothered about him leaving the group so much, as I was excited for him.  He was a mate as well as a musical partner and I was really pleased he was joining a famous act.  I didn't see him for about a month, then one day he turned up at my house looking like a star, wearing fabulous clothes, sporting the Walker Brothers type hairstyle, driving a new red Triumph Spitfire and not smelling of Salmon!!   I was very impressed and happy for him. 

The Walkers were then a four-piece outfit with Scott Walker on Bass, John on Guitar, Gary on the drums and Jimmy O'Neil on the organ.   They played one night at the Brum Cavern (or should I say the scout hut), around the time of 'Make it Easy on Yourself'  where I popped down to see him.   They were doing the normal 'Reagan double' and went from there to the Plaza Handsworth for the next show.  He told me, at that time, that the group would be using a full blown backing band and his tenure as the 'fourth Walker Brother' would shortly be coming to an end.  I hoped he'd be coming back to Birmingham to rejoin my group but he got an offer from The Ugly's which he took.  We continued to play together socially.

I joined up with The Uglys myself a little later on but was disappointed that Jimmy then switched to playing the Bass instead of the organ, and though he was a good bass player, I thought it was a real waste of great keyboard talent.   We were playing a gig at some Town Hall somewhere and there was a Bechstein grand piano on the stage, the support band were setting up their gear and various town hall employees were 'doing their thing' preparing for the night when Jim strolled across to the piano and started playing a piece by the Norwegian composer, Christian Sinding - 'The Rustle of Spring', an evocative, melodic piece - everybody just stopped doing whatever they were doing and stood 'open mouthed'.  You could have heard a pin drop, everyone burst into applause, recognising his enormous talent.  I think Jim felt embarrassed by the attention, he was more focused on the music.

In 1968 Jimmy left The Uglys, joining as the bassist for The Mindbenders, then left The Mindbenders, got married went into the antiques world, did something else then went to the States.  I haven't heard from him since 1970 when we had a brief musical encounter for a while but I was in another place at the time so it was doomed to failure.  I believe he lives in America permanently now.  I have some fond memories, I'd love to play music with him again" WH.

BRUMMIES RE-UNITED - JIMMY ALEXANDER

This is a call going out to find a long lost mate of Norm Crandles (Lee Stevens), another Brummie abroad, who is looking for old band mate Jimmy Alexander.  Norm makes the occasional trip back to the UK from Canada to see his beloved Aston Villa and has taken the opportunity to renew some old friendships with Johnny Neal and some of hs band.  If you are reading this Jimmy or if anyone knows of his whereabouts, an e email to the address at the bottom of the page will set the ball rolling to reunite these two old musical mates.
and whilst we're on the subject of Johnny Neal....................

BUCKING THE TREND - NOGA I'M HOME!!

Whilst other Brummies are still doing their thing across the globe, Roger 'Moon' Shaw has just returned to the midlands from his life abroad, having lived in Turkey for the last 40 years.   Roger hailed from the Great Barr area and was lead guitarist with The Zeniths and The Silhouettes before featuring in several line up's of Johnny Neals band.  From The Starliners right through to the Johnny Neal Sound.  Roger met up with some of his old band mates recently.  Johnny's band all seemed to have had nicknames and Rogers was because of his round face, like the moon.

Pictured below from left to right, Johnny 'Noga' Neal, Roger 'Moon' Shaw and 'Tiny' Tim at their recent re-union.

Roger, like most guitarists of the era, listened to the blues and was also influenced by Chet Atkins during his formative years.  Such was his dexterity that when Johnny Neals band backed Gene Vincent at The Carlton, Vincent himself said that he was the best 'picker' he'd heard outside of the States.  

So a happy Brumbeat survivor is welcomed back into the fold.  Roger now lives in Telford, where he continues to play and has a home studio.  Anyone wishing to make contact with him should simply e mail me at the normal address.

MAKE MINE METAL
OK you metal freaks.  Remember Henry's Blues House?   If you were or still are, a Metal Head why not take a look at the 'Home of Metal' website, set up to honour Birmingham as the birthplace of that type of music.  What did we call it before "Metal' - loud, I think!!  Still in its infancy, the website is just the place to visit to swap your thoughts or contribute a memory.  Rob Horrocks is the guy to speak to. 

Well guys, happy hunting. 

Still no new about The Executioners....
Cheers
Bob

Copyright:  Bullsheadbob
Contact: Bobsbullocks@gmail.com







  

SEPTEMBER - BULLS HEAD BOB - THE FIRST MUSIC VIDEO - THE FUTURAMA AND LIL' CHARLES

Hi Brummies and friends abroad,

THE ABSOLUTE FIRST POP MUSIC VIDEO

Much credit has been claimed by many different bands, including The Beatles, for having made the first music video to accompany a current song release.  George Harrison, with his normal and irreverent attitude to all things 'Fab' said, jokingly "So we invented MTV".

Well I'm here to state that the credit for having made the very first music video belongs to one man, ALEX WHARTON, ex-manager and producer of  Birmingham's, The Moody Blues.  In my 'In the Snug' interview with him last year we discussed, in some depth,  the recording session for Go Now.  I wanted to centre the interview on that particular subject for the publication but during our discussions we had talked, in passing, about music and the visualisation of songs as an art form.   Following the recording session of Go Now, in a developing Marquee Studios on Wardour Street (a half re-monted garage), Alex put up a black curtaining back drop, positioned some minimal lighting and filmed The Moodies miming to their current hit. 

Filmed in black and white, half illuminated faces of the band, with Denny Laine's position in the line up being moved from the foreground to the back left of the shot through the course of the song, are perfect for this ethereal piece of film, I would say video but of course there was no such thing then.   The half illumination reminded me of the 'With the Beatles' LP cover that was out in 1963 so perhaps there was a possibility he had also been influenced by this striking LP cover art.  I didn't ask him if that was the case. 

After filming the first session Alex superimposed another film of a girl, wandering aimlessly down a pathway, over the top of the Go Now film.   It's effect is hypnotising, giving the whole thing an atmosphere and helping to portray the sentiments of those very moving lyrics.   He brilliantly kept the superimposed girl 'shot' to the left side of the band video and her blonde hair appears to be floating around the heads of the band towards the latter part of the song as if she were in their minds.  Alex's creativity and artistic originality has either been intentionally forgotten, stolen, blatantly ignored or claimed by others who were a part of his life at the time.  I choose not to use their names because to do so would be to give them some credit. 

Alex has never asked for any recognition, he is not fuelled by his own ego, there are enough people out there who have enough ego to fill a lake, dropping names and make spurious claims - a smokescreen for mediocre talent.   However, I truly believe that Alex deserves to be recognised as a real ground breaker.  I said in the last article that his handling of the 'Go Now' recording itself was a masterpiece of production and I still stand by that belief.  Others may disagree, but they would be the people who recorded Hermans Hermits or some other disposable music like that, clinical and sterile pap.

There have been some remarks about the similarities for the much acclaimed Queen video for  'Bohemian Rhapsody' and the Go Now shoot, particularly the latters closing shot.  Who is to say who or what influenced peoples artistic decisions.  Life is full of  subliminal images stored and re-utilised sub-conciously in some other form, music is based on that same formula.   What is true though is that Alex Wharton did it first!

The Beatles made their 'video' for the record 'Hello Goodbye' in 1967. Alex Wharton filmed the Go Now session in 1964. I don't believe that there was anything before that.    Alex has never recieved one penny for that piece of history, we on the other hand are all the richer for his efforts.  So for what it's worth, thanks Alex.
'GO NOW' - THE VIDEO
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLgdcGEqgcw

IT'S NEVER TOO LATE TO HEADLINE!!!

Was it The Gorillaz that bored you to death at Glastonbury? 

Had all your food nicked out of your tent?

Caught a dose of crabs "from the toilet seat??"

Big Name festivals are humungous by reputation and that being the case, anyone with a sense of fashion thinks they should be seen THERE because it's the place TO BE SEEN.   However, it doesn't mean that during the Festival season it was the best PLACE TO BE....Basic ticket prices for Glasto this year were 195 pounds!!....each!!   Now I'm a frugal sort of guy but love great music so I had an alternative Festival season and went to:

NETHERBURY 2010.
Firstly, Gorillaz didn't make an appearance.
There were no tents.

There were slightly less fashionistas...but

There was a girl that SOLD crabs!

and top of the bill were

SHINDIG

Tony Russell (left) had been featured here on the BHB Blog last August in the Hank Marvin/Fender Stratocaster piece.  Now he's a headline act with his band Shindig.  "We owe it all to Bulls Head Bob" says Tony, one mention and here we are, in a park".  Shindig showed their versatility and rocked their way through their set.

The band are a very much sought after act in the 'club' world where they bang out early sixties hits blended with a few of The Shadows instrumentals.  A real inclusive package for those who are into that period, what's more, these guys lived through all those times learning their craft with the changing times so there's no band more authentic than this one.  Look out for them.   

In the true tradition of Festival spirit, guest artists make surprise appearances with featured acts.  At Glastonbury Kylie Minogue teamed up with the Scissor Sisters.   Not to be outdone, SHINDIG  attracted the NETHERBURY debut appearance of the Black Country's hottest young guitarist 'Lil Charles.....or as he's better known 'Ar Kid'.  Armed with his luthier made guitar he laid down some hot gritty licks with Shindig providing him with a rockin' backing.   His sheer presence and confidence on the stage, struttin' his stuff was enough to have the crowd roaring their approval.
Go-Go-Go little Charlie!!!!!  
  

THE FUTURAMA - FROM THE SUBLIME TO THE RIDICULOUS
Way back when, it was impossible to buy a solid body guitar and even when they became available they were either built in Italy, Germany or Czechoslovakia and imported and badged under different names for sale in the UK.  Those were the days when a 'solid body' electric guitar was simply seen as a faddish thing that would be short lived.  The Futurama III was made in Czechoslovakia by the Resonet factory and imported by Selmer.  It was called the Futurama III because of it having 3 pick ups.  It was an excellent guitar, given the competition from other guitars on sale at the time was limited and, although it's looks wouldn't have knocked you out too much, the electrics were really excellent.  George Harrison famously spent time drawing pictures of this guitar in his schoolbooks whilst daydreaming about success.

The guitar itself was quite well put together with 3 pick ups, volume and tone rotary controls and three  Rocker switches for tonal selection.  An uncomplicated tremelo arm assembly gave the opportunity to bend some notes, long before the physical finger bending of strings was a known thing.  Nice sunburst finish and natural fingerboard.  The strap button on the upper cutaway was not placed very well but apart from these little imperfections it was quite a stylish option for a budding guitarist and many, many blossoming guitar heroes chose this model as their first solid body instrument.

With the lifting of the UK importation bill, guitars flooded into the country from the USA and with the likes of Fender, Gretsch and Gibson models becoming desirable, those earlier guitars found themselves on hooks in second hand shops.  However guitars from the US were costly and with the enormously popular solid body Hofners and Watkins Rapier models selling fast at the budget end of the market Selmer introduced a new range of re-modelled Futurama guitars to increase it's share of that market but this time made by Hagstrom.

I remember very well passing Jones and Crossland and seeing, for the first time, the new Futurama models (II and III) hanging on the wall.  The body shape of the Stratocaster had been adopted, like its competitors, but that was the only thing that had anything going for it.   Cheap, tacky plastic covering, screwed onto the guitar itself was hardly impressive in my eyes.  Nonetheless, curiosity got the better of me and I went in and had a closer look.  The build quality was horrible and this guitar would probably have been better placed to sell in Woolworths department store, not a serious music shop.  It was like a toy.  I know that these days folk like to think that any guitar from the 60's has a collectable value, well if you are into kitsch and tacky memorabilia then this is the very thing for you.  But with guitar dealers asking silly prices of around 400 to 500 pounds for something that is only suitable to hang on a wall and look at, I have to say that they are incredibly over-priced.  If you really want a Futurama from the 60's for your collection that is worth having as an instrument and not as a design disaster, then the Czech made Futurama III is the guitar to get.   These comments purely reflect my personal opinion but I have watched some Youtube clips of this guitar and they tend to reinforce that this guitar sounds as bad as it looks - dreadful. 

BRUMBEAT DOT COM!!
Hot news from the office.  The best Brumbeat site in the world is now to be found at http://www.brumbeat.com/   Add it to your list of favourites.  This is the only site about Brumbeat that offers you a 'second to none' list of band biographies AND a monthly blog filled with facts, features on old kit and guitars and of course my inane ramblings.  What more could you hope for?   It doesn't even cost anything.  Bloody miracle if you ask me.  We should be given a star on Broad Street for our services to Brummie rock music.

BRUMMIES ABROAD.

WILL HAMMOND

The ex-guitarist of The Uglys, is currently 'knocking em bandy' in the central part of Spain with his band of Spanish musicians at various blues and rock clubs.  "The club scene here is brilliant and vibrant once you've cracked the market and your name gets around, the audiences are knowledgable and very enthusiastic about music and we're going down very well".

"There are some beautiful clubs to play at and some fantastic musicians here in the land of the guitar.   I really had to lift my game, a bit like the old Brummie scene where you had to work hard and get a reputation to get into the better bands in the City".

"I Still do Shakin' all over but now I sing it as well!!" (see Six of the Best)

(Will Hammond Band: photos courtesy Manuel Jesus Salguero)

OK y'all, that's about it for this month.  I hope you enjoy what's left of the summertime and keep your eyes peeled for another

'In the Snug' interview coming soon.  A real highlight for BRUMBEAT'S 10th Anniversary year.  More importantly thanks to you all out there for your letters of support and encouragement.

Bob

Copyright Bulls Head Bob
Contact : Bobsbullocks@gmail.com