Bulls Head Bob July 2022. Communucation Breakdown!! Fender METEORA, The guitar I Can't Buy!!. GRAHAM ASHFORD's Thumb. 1969 WEM SAPPHIRE.

 Hello you Brummies, Brummies Abroad and other assorted chums.

Ah, what a beautiful summer is upon us, BBQs, lounging on a sun bed sipping a cold tequila sunrise and of course the best music festival in the world, Glastonbury on the TV.    Macca did it again, putting on a brilliant show at 80 years old, pure class that only one other musician has matched through his own 80 years and that is the wonderful Brian Wilson with both celebrating their 80th birthdays last month..   Both are huge fans of each other and have been the driving force that inspired the two biggest bands in the world from the UK and USA of the 60's and beyond to better each others Albums.    The songs they individually crafted will be with us for many, many years and I'm so pleased to have experienced hearing them from their first airing, so exciting.  God only knows I need the warmth of the sun to keep having those good vibrations inside......!!

COMMUNICATION BREAKDOWN  

There has been a bit of an ongoing cyber glitch with the

BRUMBEAT.Net website with some of you guys having problems trying to link to the site from the blog or vice versa.  Should you experience any difficulty trying to access the blog from BRUMBEAT or any other link, you can simply Google "Bulls Head Bob" and there I am, at the top of the page, so with one click you will arrive at the blog ready to be amazed by the ramblings of a genuine old git!!

FENDER METEORA. The guitar I can't Buy!!! 

Back in April I wrote about the stylish Fender METEORA and, having written about it, I convinced myself that I should own one right now, with my choice being the stylish 3 colour sunburst with maple neck.   There were good reviews on Youtube from the usual guitar review sites even though the guitar is made solely in Mexico, which meant I would normally avoid buying it because, in the past, it would mean stripping out inferior electrics and putting in something more reliable and potent.  

I logged on and went to the Music Store site, credit card in hand, bursting with anticipation to get my grubby little mitts on it, I hadn't been this excited since the days of perusing the Bells of Surbiton guitar catalogue looking at a Watkins Rapier. 

So, I got to the Fender page and there was the METEORA in all its glory and then I noticed, written in red ink

"Estimated to be in stock April 2023!!!"...."What? Kin Hell" I thought stuffing the credit card back into my wallet, "that can't be right! It must be a typo".   I then proceeded to Thomann with the same result, except the wording was "available between 13 and 19 weeks".     

The next stop was

Andertons, normally very reliable but  their site too was bad news saying "available in 3 months".  I searched other outlets who said they had the guitar but their prices had been inflated by 2 or 3 hundred pounds more which I wasn't willing to pay.     

I am not at all surprised that this sunburst model is so popular but there is also a real downside to buying a guitar in demand and that is Fender rushing to get the product out to the shops which could impair their quality control which, I have to say, has been a Mexico problem in the past.  

So, with that in mind, I shall wait until the situation quietens down before venturing forth.  There doesn't appear to be as big a problem with the Meteora in other colours, although the silver grey Sunburst is in demand too now.

I saw it in action with the brilliant Declan Mckenna at Glastonbury and it looked and sounded great.

GRAHAM ASHFORD

The Brumbeats vocalist Graham Ashford is currently taking a "break" from "right hand activities" after getting a bone replacement and tendon repair to his right hand recently.   There is no truth in the rumour that he broke his hand himself because his wife Caroline had been receiving too much attention from friends after being in plaster herself for 4 months after breaking her left arm in a fall.

We know that the older you get, the longer It takes to heal and Caroline had just got back to her old self in time for Graham to get plastered! 

I hope you recover soon Graham so you can get back to painting.    

It won't interfere with his singing voice though so he and his Hawaian band will still be " giving it some" in the bars.

OLD KIT. 

WEM SAPPHIRE 

It was 1969, the glory days of the Watkins Rapier budget guitar that inspired a nation had passed, Watkins or WEM as it was now known had become one of the leaders in the field of amplification and great PA systems.   In a bit of a last gasp they released the Watkins/WEM  Sapphire guitar.

It had, in fact, been released in 1968 as the Wilson Sapphire, and had been badged accordingly with a different headstock and control knobs.   This rare beauty is really reminiscent of a few Burns models with the shape of the body identical to the Short Scale Jazz, the scratch plate layout just like the Burns Marvin and the controls from the Burns London split sonic.   This particular guitar is currently for sale on EBay from Germany at around £1000.00.  There were not too many of these made so it is a rarity worth buying for keen collectors of old British guitars.    

FINALLY

There's absolute bedlam at British airports.    The Govt gave the airlines a load of dosh to pay furlough wages to staff who were being laid off but they sacked the staff and kept the money and are now blaming the Govt.   What a disaster.

Take Care you Guys, it's a greedy world right now.

Bob

Copyright:  Bulls head Bob

Contact:  Bobsbullocks@Gmail.com 

Bulls Head Bob - June 2022. The last of the first - JERRY LEE LEWIS..Country Hall of Fame RICK PRICE - The Move RIP. The Queens Jubilee concert 2022. Us Golden Few.

 Howdoo you Brummies!!

It's summer time here at Brumbeat Villas and I'm busy as a host of bees, immersing myself in the garden and it's definitely the place where I feel removed from the world in turmoil with this lust for power, hatred and greed so prevalent.  OK, enough of that, let's go back to better times when gender issues didn't exist because we had more pressing things to do with our time.

ALL THINGS HAVE A BEGINNING

"How true Bob" you're probably thinking because it all starts somewhere.  My own musical journey started at the birth of

Rock and Roll, albeit being only 8 years old at the time when first subjected to the hissing and popping sound of a scratchy 78 rpm record as the needle hit the lead-in grooves, and I experienced that moment of anticipation before my first listen to rock and roll.   Clunk! ssssssssssst "Well since my new baby left me".... Elvis had arrived, my eyes popped wide open as my elder teenage sisters screamed at the sound and my Father shouted at them to shut up.  It's perhaps, pertinent to note that the output from our wind-up wonder was slightly louder than hitting the top of a boiled egg with a teaspoon, no volume controls, no controls at all!

"Ah" I thought, my own beginning has arrived and with every new 78 that I heard I knew I wanted to play a guitar and sing and get told to shut up by my bully of a father, it was the only way I could fight back..   The instrument arrived quite quickly thanks to my mother followed by the anticipated recriminations from Mr Cruel of Wankerland.

I didn't listen to Elvis much from then on because, in 1957, a bigger rebel in the form of Jerry Lee Lewis  and his "Whole Lotta Shakin" was on the scene and I have been a fan of this devil since then.

'Great Balls of Fire', 'Breathless' and the fabulous 'High School Confidential' followed in quick succession.  I was a bit too young to care or understand about him  marrying his 13 year old cousin, which effectively finished his rock and roll career at the time, it did however give birth to my rebellious nature which is still a part of me.  Everything Mr Cruel hated, I loved, so 1957 was a great year for rebels.  It seemed strange that when in 1959, just 2 years later, Elvis moved 14 year old Priscilla into Graceland and the world just said how pretty she was?

COUNTRY MUSIC HALL OF FAME

So here we are in 2022, 65 years have passed, two of those four songs I still play on stage and 86 year old Jerry Lee is still performing, he is now the sole survivor of that early USA rock and roll music AND what is more, is about to be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.   If ever there was something that would stick in the craw of those "all sweetness and light", Bible bashing Country fans it would be this.  I am a happy man because he is a great artist with a love of Country music and was instrumental in creating that same melting pot of country rockin' styles that influenced The Band years later but Jerry did it first.

How people go on about Hendrix setting fire to his guitar!..well Jerry did it first in 1956 and on a much bigger scale, emptying a petrol filled Coke bottle into his piano and setting it on fire whilst playing Great Balls of Fire on stage to outdo Chuck Berry.  The British population was outraged when the Sex Pistols swore on TV, pretty tame by todays standards but in 56 Jerry Lee shocked, outraged and offended the whole world. 

This guy has been a real Rebel for a lifetime but a hero to me.   Go Jerry Lee!  

The Film of Great Balls of Fire starring Dennis Quaid is a must for fans of Rock and Roll music.  Early Rock and Roll made a brief comeback in 1968 and I got to play Jerry Lees songs which I adored.  That comeback had been championed by Birminghams, The Move copying the Duane Eddy sound for the intro to "Fire Brigade" which leads me to deliver a bit of sad news.....

ALL THINGS MUST PASS.

RICK PRICE - RIP

Another tick of the Brumbeat musicians clock has seen the passing of Rick Price,  ex Sight and Sound, The Move and Wizzard.  Rick had certainly paid his dues on the Brumbeat music scene serving with a few Birmingham bands before being somewhat surprised to be offered the job of bassist for The Move by Roy Wood.  However, at this time The Move were just doing cabaret dates and Rick was wholly suited to those kind of disciplines so he would have been the ideal replacement.

Although I was on the scene at the same time and we were both on the same Bill of shows that my band and his played, I never actually met him, just a nod of the head as we passed each other.   Sight and Sound were basically a cabaret style group and not to my personal liking.  For an in depth background article about Rick, make a visit to www.brumbeat.Net where John Woodhouse details his beginnings on the Sight and Sound band page.    Got to be worth a read for lovers of Birminghams music history at the best time for bands, the 60's.  

When The Move broke up, Rick continued playing with Roy when he formed Wizzard, after his departure from ELO, so enjoyed a few well deserved years in the charts.  My condolences go to his family and friends.   

THE QUEENS PLATINUM JUBILEE CONCERT.

I am pleased to see that those responsible for choosing artists for the 4 June concert at the Palace have heeded my advice and not employed anyone to do with X Factor.   The bill is headed by Diana Ross and they have bought back the immaculate Stevie Wonder, Cliff Richards, Ed Sheeran AND Birmingham's Duran Duran who had been ignored at the last Jubilee as reported by this very blog.  

Guitarist Brian May will be making two appearances, a solo performance, no doubt perched on top of a tall building playing God Save the Queen, personally I would love to see him doing it suspended on a zip line going from Admiralty Arch to the Palace, with rockets strapped to his trainers and his curly white locks of hair flowing behind him, a bit like the dog thing in Neverending Story. He will later be playing as part of Queen with Adam Lambert.  There are also 

a panoply of additional great artists too, not like the 2012 shambles.   

The British public are lucky to have had this Queen of Queens as the head of our country.  She set the standard of public dignity very high and she is respected throughout the world except by the fat orange racist buffoon who wouldn't know good manners if they were inserted analy with a red hot spoon where, I imagine, he keeps his head most of the time.  .

US GOLDEN FEW 

Us 60's Golden Few Brumbeat musicians are now in our twilight years and time marches on with the inevitable consequence that means we are getting fewer.  We were blessed to have lived through those times of post WW2 peace, where not only did we have the rebirth of a nation, us "Babyboomers", but we had the birth of the electric guitar and organ and homegrown rock and roll.  Charlie Watkins produced a great guitar in the Rapier and launched the best amplifiers available, Beat music thudded away in every sweaty and smokey pub in Birmingham and its environs, it was BRUMBEAT the vibrant 60's and the dance halls were packed.   There was a warm sense of optimism in the air and music was the key to it all.  People liked and respected each other in those days.  

DEAR OLD MUM.    Being a member of a very well known Brummie group was nice and on one summer day I was in the city with my Mother going to Rackhams for Lunch.  We walked along New Street then turned right up Corporation Street which I guess is about half a mile or so.  About every 3 or 4 steps I took, somebody would say "Hello Bob,  how yer gooin? Etc...", I was always polite and said "Hi".  My Mum kept looking at me quizzically as we walked along and as we got to the entrance of the department store she stopped and asked "Bob, does everybody in Birmingham know you"?!!   I just laughed but I could tell she was really proud and I knew she felt that reward was her's too for all the support she gave me and the sacrifices she had made, she was damn right, she was a marvellous person and I would give everything I own to see her again for a day.    

Those young Beat groups gained experience and became exposed to other influences, leading to ground breaking popular music that The Beatles took to its limit in the summer of 1967 with Sgt Pepper.    It was a recording miracle that still impresses the industry to this day when sound engineers are discussing new sounds and effects, the reference "post Beatles" is the benchmark they start from. The fashion industry bloomed too, after making Army uniforms for the previous war years.  We dressed in the brightest of colours and strutted our stuff.  The music of black artists from America, from blues through to Soul music was welcomed in the UK and they loved touring here where there was no racial hatred.  In return their presence gave us diversity and inspiration, their stage shows were stunning and it only cost about ten pence to go and see them, with 2 support bands too. 

We were Brummies and we made everything for everyone, complete with all the motorbikes and the majority of British cars we were a boom town and we had the time of our lives!!   We gave the world some memorable musicians and bands. 

That time has passed into history that only we can appreciate, us Golden Few.    Oh! all of a sudden I feel happy again so on that note, I'm off to tend to my Hibiscus.    Dib dib dib...and take care you survivors......here's a cyber hug!

Slava Ukraine!!

Bob

Copyright:  Bullsheadbob 

Contact:     Bobsbullocks@Gmail.com 

   

BULLS HEAD BOB - May 2022. ZOOM G1 X4 Update. Bev Bevan Very upset!! EXPOSED Metal Bands and The Dark Arts!! Gibson Theodore

 Hello Brummies,  Musicians, Brummies Abroad and all you wicked blog readers.

 ZOOM G1 X4 UPDATE.    

A couple of blogs ago I promised an update on the ZOOM Multi fx pedal.  Since then things came along that diverted me from that promise but now I shall address that omission.    I have to say right from the off that this piece of kit is very small in size but is a GIANT technically.   I am totally impressed by its capabilities and choices of sound that it affords, so much so that it would be nigh on impossible for me to write an in-depth review covering all the details of its wondrous workings which are many fold!!    At this point I need to re-iterate that I was a "FX Pedal virgin" until buying this and in truth I bought it as an aid to recording rather than for live performances and I am still in the learning process.

There are many, many YouTube clips of "How to" use all its possibilities and, to that end, I suggest that this is the best way for us all to learn, one facet at a time.  I have been a regular viewer.

I DO recommend it as a purchase though if you are thinking about effects, it's cheap and really built well, it occupies a tiny bit of space which is a real bonus and will give you endless hours of fun if you are a "knob twiddler" refining and honing your own preferences. There are installed pre-sets that can make you sound like David Gilmour or Brian May and you can build all your own effects desires outside of the pre-sets that are installed and the pedal will automatically save them for you.  It's a no brainer really, even if you buy one just for fun.

BEV BEVAN is Very Upset!!

Brummie drumming star Bev Bevan has had his Facebook account closed after being accused of breaking 'community standards' by failing to comply with Facebook regulations of account holders in that he failed to renew his associated email account in January.   He said "I'm Very Upset".  His current agent Ashley Yeates stated to Birmingham Live..... 

"What I think happened with Bev's account.  We couldn't get in.  Somebody has either reported it and said it's not a legitimate account or somebody has posted on there.  We dont know what it was.  Bevs email account we had set up linked with the Facebook account had lapsed.   Around the same time the email lapsed, something happened to Bev's Facebook account.  By the time we noticed it we had 48 hours to sort it and get in or it would be switched off".

The account was subsequently deleted.   

COCK UP ON THE ADMIN FRONT    

I Bob, along with millions of others in the New Year, received from GMail notice that unused email accounts would be closed if they had not been used in the past few months.   It is common practice to link email accounts to other applications and not physically use them as channels of communication when the linked account itself has it's own messaging service as part of the application.   Rules are Rules and if you fail to comply with them you are guilty of breaking those rules and you will lose your account accordingly.

If you do lose your account it doesn't mean that someone had maliciously hijacked the account with mal intent. It means that you had failed in your obligation to maintain your account within the guidelines.  It's no great mystery, it's an administrative blunder that can happen to anyone.   Ashley Yeates further stated that "I and Bev both posted on the account as Bev was "less Tech Savvy' than me". ??? 

Drummers favourite PIN Number......1-2-3-4

HEAVY METAL GROUPS AND THE DARK ARTS EXPOSED!  NONE OF THEM ARE IN LEAGUE WITH THE DEVIL SHOCKER!!

What is it that makes metal fans believe that heavy metal groups are in league with the Devil??  It's no secret at all, it's the groups themselves, if you state something often enough then people believe it.    They all seem to home in on Alastair Crowley, self proclaimed dark wizard and the fact that Jimmy Page bought Crowleys house in London as explicit evidence of the sinister link, I believe that it was simply that Page had lots of dosh and could afford it.  

In a world shattering Bulls Head Bob expose, I can now reveal  that, in fact these Metal heroes are just ordinary people who wear black clothes,  crucifixes and cloaks, apart from when they pop round to their Mums house for tea on Sunday.   Just to be on the safe side however, thank goodness us ordinary mortal souls have Albus Dumbledore and The Shadows back catalogue of melodic tunes to save us all from their "Dark Riffs". No dark arts here thank you.  I'm a Hank Man!

Should you require confirmation just take a gander at the wonderful "Bad News" by Rik Mayal and Ade Edmonson it will explain everything.  

ART FOR ARTS SAKE - GIBSON THEODORE.

I get a bit pissed off with mega companies profiteering from defenceless musicians.  This time its Gibson and their recent offering, the Theodore.   It's a limited edition of a guitar that was never manufactured by them before, although the plans had been drawn up many years ago. It is now on sale for $4999 dollars and there are only 318 guitars.

Why was it not released?  Well I would guess that they thought, at the time, that it wasn't good enough but now in the world of stupid money it seems like a good way to get people to part with it stupidly.  The guitars will be bought by them then stored away until some person with more stupid money than they had will buy them for double the price....and so it goes.

It looks crappy to me, a slab of wood with a couple of P90s but then again I'm neither rich and/or stupid.

FINALLY

Remember, May the Fourth is Star Wars day.

Slava Ukraine!!

Take Care of each other, avoid buying anything Russian. 

Bob

Copyright:  Bullsheadbob 

Contact:  Bobsbullocks@Gmail.com 

Bulls Head Bob April 2022. FENDER METEORA SENSATION!! Queens Platinum Jubilee concert. West Side Story 2022

Hello Brummies, Brummies Abroad, and especially Birminghams beat musicians of the 60's.   

FENDER METEORA PLAYER PLUS 

What a beauty! 

I have oft found myself of the opinion that Fender guitar design started very well with two iconic guitars, The Stratocaster and the Telecaster, then had lived on the Fender name because, frankly, their designs from then on were mediocre at best, totally lacking in imagination.   The Jaguar lacked soul, it was too clean sounding which is strange because it had a panoply of controls but no amount of twiddling produced anything other than the same clunky sound.   I played Gibsons at the time and one night one of the tuners broke.  The support band's guitarist kindly gave me his Jaguar to use while our roadie fixed the tuner.    The difference between the warmth and/or aggressive tones of my SG compared to the Jaguar was staggering,  in the negative sense.   

The horrible Mustang and Coronado were just as bad.  Since then, Fender launched many ranges of their two main models with slightly different model names or signature models but nothing really new at all.   

As a very young kid I had stood, open mouthed, staring at the first Stratocaster in Birmingham.  It was inside a glass case at Jones and Crossland music shop and looked like something from outer space with a Sunburst paint  finish that was glorious beyond imagination in those early years.   Since then, Fender had never managed to dedicate the time for great design aesthetics or forward thinking.   It was more profitable to flood the market with cheap versions of the Strat under the Squier or Affinity label.

I was enormously pleased to see and hear Fenders latest mainstream model, the incredibly stylish METEORA!!  I was hooked from the moment I saw it and at last Fender have installed two Fireball Humbuckers as standard and have also adopted a push/ pull pot similar to the Yamaha SG to enable its arsenal of fantastic sounds.  This guitar's design flows, its sexy, its aggressive and growls at you but purrs along nicely with rich clean tones too.  

The guitar comes in various colours but for me the nicest option is the Sunburst Player plus.  Such a beautiful paint job.  You can pre order from Andertons music Store for the sum of £859.00, it comes with a gig bag too.   If I had the money this would soon be in my hands inspiring me to greater heights.  So, thank you Fender I am beginning to drool, I guess I'd better start saving.

PLATINUM JUBILEE CONCERT

Here we go again!  It only seems like yesterday that the Queen held her 2012 jubilee concert outside Buckingham Palace with a panoply of some great artists and some who frankly, stunk.  Well this coming June it's happening again and I thought it timely to republish my last review of that day as an aid to the people whose job it is to assemble the artist line up, just to help prevent repetitive errors and here it is:

THE JUBILEE CONCERT 2012

"It became pretty evident that some of the Jubilee Concert was really the corporate arm of the 'X Factor' franchise on a day out which meant we had to suffer some poo, and didn't we just? But wait a minute.....there were some great people on too weren't there?  Well everybody who was a star in the 60's was still a star of that concert and performed like the REAL performers they are.  But as for today's pop heroes

CHERYL COLE (Nee Tweedy).

It has to be said that Cheryl Cole (nee Tweedy) was in a class of her own for this concert and in some ways it was her re-launch onto the world scene, having been dumped by the Americans a year ago, so she had something to prove.  Her publicity machine had conveniently brushed aside the recent controversy about her miming when appearing on the hit TV Show, 'The Voice", which is a show for singers apparently?

Some people said "She can't sing" and you know what, they're absolutely spot on!! but surely, she must be more than just a pretty little geordie?..... hang on, she was definitely taller than the Queen!!....that's something isnt it?

It's a good job the Queen didn't ask her about her dress either, a calculated publicity grabbing headline would surely have filled the Daily Rags to say she was wearing a dress designed by EWA MINGE..I thought that was a Saturday night game for consenting adults? and as for little Gary Barlow, now this might be a tad critical but "Gary I'd get another tailor" - I mean he must have been pissed out of his head when he went for a fitting cos his jacket had to be held together with a chain!! It didn't even cover his stomach, he was probably thinking "Well I'll slim down into it" and didn't quite make it.

ENTER THE YAK
Anyway, when Cheryl Cole's (nee Tweedy) duet with Gary started, she opened her mouth, and out came the sort of discordant noise that I have only heard once before from a sick Himalayan Yak.   I was moved to comment to Mrs Bob that it could be another one of those Bananarama 'harmonies' but was proved wrong as she continued her 'avoidance of melody' technique.  She wasn't a million miles away from the Bananas but was definitely worse than the sick Yak.  

Gary Barlow's face was magic, there was this fleeting moment of horror as he heard those first notes. He looked in her direction, (probably expecting to see a Yak?) and I bet he was thinking "What the ****?, I was hoping for a Knighthood for this?".  Sir Gazza of Boybandland.

I could clearly hear the sound techie, who by the way was shit all through the concert, piling on the effects board to try and salvage what could only be described as a vocal Kamikaze dive into a sea of useless crap.  As I watched this dire performance I was reminded of the mantra given to me by my old Indian cave-dwelling guru - "You can't polish a turd".

This is the face of music in our times my friends, concocted, orchestrated publicity machine and AUTOTUNE.  It was the only time I can think of being envious of the deaf, she probably sounded OK on sub titles.  Her manager, Will-i-am came to her rescue though with a host of flatties himself during his performance and then pathetically struggling to sing with the incredible Stevie Wonder.    The Queen who wore ear plugs throughout the concert was seen mouthing, - "Is it over yet?, "Right then, I particularly loved the Yak impersonater, how novel! time for tea and Knighthoods" - "Not you Barlow!".     

2022 UPDATE 

Since 2012 Cheryl Cole ( nee Tweedy) has had another two surname changes and has now reverted to being a Tweedy.  Apart from that....who cares?    So organisers, it's now 2022.... I just can't wait.

WEST SIDE STORY 2

In the late 50's/s 60's, the nation was still in love with film musicals and the songs from those movies made it into the British Charts week after week for a certain time.   The absolute cream of those musicals was the phenomenal West Side Story released in Feb 1962 in the UK.  My mum dragged me along to see it, I was 13 and definitely didn't want to go, however, after the viewing I was hooked by the sheer brilliance of the cinematography, musical score and dazzling choreography although I am no dancer.   Everything about it was incredible apart from the awful mis-casting of Richard Beymer as Tony.  

Elvis had been offered the part of Tony but manager Colonel Tom Parker told him not to do it because he didnt want him to be associated with gangs.   I don't think Elvis would have been a good choice either but thought it worth mentioning.    

Two years later, the influence of  musicals gave P J Proby two chart hits from the Film as us Brummies called it when "Gooin' tu the Flicks".  

Anyway the songs "Maria" and "Somewhere" or "Summer Wear" as my great Aunt Gertie sung it, reached number 8 and 6 respectively. As for PJ, he was vilified by the British press for his 'trouser ripping' incidents on stage, he later became a farmer in Derbyshire.  

In 1968 The Nice featuring a young Keith Emerson had a hit with their instrumental hit of "America" which caused a great furore when they burned the American flag at the end of the performance at The Albert Hall.  As a Brumbeat aside, The Uglys did a great guitar version of this in their act too!! Minus the burning thing...or The Albert Hall!!   So, the quality of the music has carried for years.  

Last week I saw Stephen Spielbergs 2022 re-make of the Film and I was left feeling deflated by the whole thing, pure mediocrity.  My daughter, Pretty Bobette was indignant at my criticism and said I couldn't handle the future and was afraid of change!!   I mentally mustered all my wit and wisdom to sally forth with an appropriate and cutting rejoinder, but all that came out was "Piss off". 

It was the same story with which they took liberties, changed scenes and songs around.   In 1961, the intimacy and energy of Rita Moreno oozing sexuality with The Sharks dancing on the roof to "America" is a moment of Cinematic history that can't be bettered and it certainly wasn't.   The new version doesnt have the dance on the roof.

I submit to you that the 62 film was full of passion and drive that can't be manufactured, it was pure magic.  It's true that It was devoid of native Puerto Ricans which they have now remedied but that apart, it is devoid of everything else that the original delivered in bucketfuls.    I won't be watching it again.  

FINALLY.

I would like to extend my thanks to Mike Lockley and the Birmingham newspaper The Sunday Mercury for its continued support of the 60's Brumbeat musicians with their two page spread of the March blog remembering the late Dave Hynds.  

A warm Birthday greeting to the wonderful Eric Clapton for 30 March.    

Take Care

Bob

Copyright: Bullsheadbob 

Contact:    Bobsbullocks@Gmail.com 

 

BULLS HEAD BOB Mar 22. DAVE HYNDS R.I.P TRUE BRUMBEAT HERO. NEVER STOP BELIEVING.

Hello Brummies, Chums, Mates and Brummie Musicians of the 60's.

The whole impetus of the Brum Beat Groups of the 60's was the ambition to succeed, to be heard and to bring hard, gritty rock and roll to the dance halls of, in our case, Birmingham and its environs.  Birmingham, the heart of British industry and the crossroads of the whole British transport network, bred some hard working and determined people.  The factories thundered all week and on Friday night the great mass of employed males applied the Brylcreme, aftershave and a sharp suit and went out in search of beautiful High Heeled girls who danced around a selection of handbags all night to LIVE bands, there were no discos.  There were exceptions to that "going to the dance" rule and that exception was the aspiring young musicians who gathered at the front of the stage to watch the band and learn stuff.    I was one of those and so was a young Drummer

DAVE HYNDS

BRUMBEAT HERO 

  

Pop music was in its infancy, there were no pop shows on our black and white TVs until much later, no pop music Radio Shows except for one hour on Sunday afternoons for the top selling singles.   It was difficult to move on musically as we had only had Cliff Richards and The Shadows as role models to copy.  The premier venue to see music acts was The Ritz at Kings Heath where local groups played as support acts to the Rock and Roll stars of the day.  One of those top local bands was The Cheetahs and they had a recording deal!    Dave Hynds had been a drummer at home until he answered an ad for a drummer with a "local band", it would be his chance to see if he was good enough.  He attended the auditions and got the job......he phoned his wife to tell her that he had not only got the job but that it was as the drummer for The Cheetahs who he had watched at The Ritz !!!..he said when he told her, the phone went silent at the other end, she didn't believe it was true!!   For Dave it was the dream job.

Music started moving at a pace in 63 when The Beatles came along and the media began to take an interest.   Move forward a few years and a thousand gigs later. Fashions changed and so did the music which was now more Psychedelic which prompted The Cheetahs to change their name and music direction, a radical name change was needed and a change in sound so in came Bill Bonham, a fresh keyboard wizard, and The Cheetahs became Fairfield Ski.    The dynamics changed and the bands enthusiasm and self belief rocketed and why not? they felt they were on the cusp of true success, after all they were a cohesive unit who had played together for some years now, they wrote their own songs AND now, they had recorded an album!!  These days you can record an album in your bedroom on a computer but back then it was an expensive undertaking but such an uplifting experience, it was a music plateau that had been just a dream to reach.  Dave Hynds belief in the band was the real driving force.   

No matter how much drive and energy you have it's sometimes not enough and like many others the Fairfield Ski dream didn't materialise.   One might think that there comes a time when you pack up your kit and move it into the attic along with your dreams, I mean, to carry on would be like leaning into a punch wouldn't it?  Not Dave, who had the self belief and love of music to carry him through, real spirit.     In the 2000's he joined the band Critical Mass 

who managed a few gigs but nothing more was forthcoming.  Through it all Dave was still mates with the Skis' and they still had an album that he could promote all those years after because he BELIEVED in its quality and it paid off because in the 2010's Cherry Red records released it on CD.  The band whipped up publicity for the release.  "Come on you Skis'".   It was a great moment for that young lad who had spent years practising at home, joining the band of his dreams and going through all the perils and disappointments as well as moments of pure ecstacy along that musical journey.   He had now been keeping the dream alive for over 50 years and was still not lacking in motivation.    During the past few years Dave had some really serious illness problems and EVEN THEN he kept on pushing forward, believing in "Never stop Playing", never give up hope.    Sadly Dave Hynds passed away on Feb 8 2022.  He had arranged his own funeral, to take place within days straight away so as not to cause a fuss to anyone. 

I have stated, in the past that the music business is the cruelest business in the world. Shit managers and crooked promoters were always there and of course there were musicians who would crush other musicians to get to their next objective only to get bored with it and move onto another group to break up, leaving behind a trail of disillusionment for others who got washed away in the damage.    There were a few all round Mr Nice guys like Dave who stayed true to their beliefs and the loyalty of being in a band of like minded companions.

DAVE HYNDS

There are millions of people who have never heard of Dave Hynds from Birmingham, UK. Drummer, Singer/songwriter, Dreamer and Believer and above all a beautiful person.  It's a shame that he was never a big star because for all that effort and belief he really deserved it.  Maybe the old adage of "The nice guys dont survive" had applied in his case.  Music is a complex profession with a million ways to fail.

All that apart he never gave up and that is his legacy and a lesson to us all.  A true Brumbeat Hero in my eyes.

God Bless you Dave.

Bob

Copyright: Bullsheadbob 

Contact:  Bobsbullocks@Gmail.com 

 

Bulls head Bob Feb 22. The Beat Goes On...Tom Lane. ZOOM G1X FOUR.......Cause and FX! The FIRST WATKINS COPICAT! "BE MY BABY" - The Spector Sound Gem. NFT's.....NFC!

Hello Brummies, Muso's, Hot Dog vendors, Fender Benders, Javier in Argentina, Olaf in Oslo, Yuki in Japan and a big hello to the guys in Thailand.

Welcome to the February blog, I've increased the font size to aid all of us "more mature" souls with dodgy eyesight.

February was the month that me and Mrs Bob got hitched, jumped the broomstick, tied the knot etc....48 years ago.   We both knew, from the first time we met that we would be a couple and were married within 6 months.    One of the few times I made a good decision that didn't go bad although as with all marriages, it's had its moments!  Love the one you're with and dont forget St Valentines Day.    

TOM LANE. The Beat Goes On...

My mantra has always been, "don't stop playing, dont lose the will to perform" and one of my West Midlands correspondees, drummer, Tom Lane, is also from the same school of thought.  Tom has played with many a band from the 60's onwards including Blues with Tuxedo Junction and laying down some Soul rhythms with Luddy Sams but just as he was thinking of hanging up his Hi-Hats he finds himself more in demand than before it seems. 

 Although gigs are not as freely available as pre- covid, he keeps getting phone calls to go and Jam with people and there's no better cure for the soul than a sweaty night in good company.   

He has also been approached to join a couple of bands as their permanent skinbasher.

Tom has the answer to drum transportation problems too after buying his Yamaha Hipgig "Russian Doll' drumkit where each drum fits inside the bigger ones.   It comes with its own elephant head so he doesn't forget who he is.  Good Man Tom, it warms my heart, keep the dream alive and onwards and upwards!!  There's a host of experience in those hands.

CAUSE AND FX.

Some of the blog readers will be aware that I am not a lover of guitar foot pedals at all.  I did buy a second hand Marshall Bluesbreaker pedal but, in honesty, I used it for 10 minutes and then put it away in my box of odds and sods.   

A year ago I was gifted another pedal, this time it was a SOLO DALLAS STORM, a highly rated piece of kit as championed by Angus Young retailing in the £200 bracket.  Due to covid and the associated gig cancellations I have never had the cause to use it "loud and live" so can't comment on its effectiveness in a gig situation.    I practised with it a little in my home studio but nothing more.    In this continuing lull in musical activities I decided that I should use my time positively and get some songwriting and recording going so as not to lose the drive to play music, which has happened to a few of my friends. 

I love recording and the mental challenges that come with it, and it is here that effects come into their own and, moreover, it gives me the opportunity to become more adept at pedal effects usage.   I started investigating what would be right for me and opted for a multi-effects pedal which is more compact and transportable and makes economic sense. My choice was the:

ZOOM G1X Four.

A nice looking piece of kit that comes loaded with in-built adjustable effects and also gives you plenty of opportunity to craft many of your own effects patches and parameters and store them, all this for less than £100, depending on who you buy it from.

Zoom are synonymous for their 'budget but effective' range of electronic music equipment and they have certainly got it right with this very attractive pedal.  

The 'X' stands for the attached expression pedal which is a very welcome addition, it can be used as a volume/wah pedal too and as if that wasn't enough Bang for your Buck, it features a 30 second Looper which is invaluable for recording.    The inputs/outputs are all nicely located at the rear including USB port.  A very tidy design concept.   

I imagine that you pedal freaks will think I've gone mad but I believe that common sense prevails over the need to buy more and more increasingly expensive pedals for show!!   

UPDATE.     While writing this the pedal arrived at the door, eager

to  get going I opened the box and it is certainly well built.  The only down side of this purchase is that, being a "pedal virgin", it never crossed my mind that I would also need to buy a power source!!!!  What a dope, back online to order the Zoom AD 16 power supply cable.   Although there were 4 batteries supplied, I know that they dont last much more than a heartbeat or just enough to do a very brief exploration of the pedal's possibilities which, I must say,  I am initially impressed by.  However, I shall provide an update next month after some serious testing, of whether or not I have made a good choice or a cheap folly!  Keep tuned. 

THE FIRST WATKINS COPICAT 

It's a far cry from the Watkins Copicat Echo days, the only effect available from the late 50's/early 60's... 60's.....60's.......60's.  From an interview with Charlie Watkins he stated that the first band to own a Copicat was Johnny Kidd and The Pirates, bought direct from Charlie himself for the princely sum of £38.  I spoke with Brian Gregg, The Pirates bassist, and co-writer of Shakin' All Over, who said that when he and Clem Cattini joined Johnny Kidd in 1959 fresh from doing the rounds on the Larry Parnes shows with the likes of Billy fury and the other biggest stars of the day, no-one on those big tours had a Copicat but Pirates guitarist Alan Caddy already had one when Brian joined him, so it's probably correct.   While I'm talking of Brian and to quote him regarding his age, Happy 117th Birthday for yesterday Brian, one of the best Bassists the UK produced and moreover, one of the first groundbreaking rock stars in the country.

I see that you can buy a new Copicat Gold these days for £1250.00 from Watkins as pictured below

I have left the email address and phone number on this Advert so you can make contact.   I couldn't find any videoclips of it in action.  There are several solid state WEM copicats for sale on Reverb UK for around £400.    Talking of Echo, there's someone who made it his trade mark.

BOOM, BOOM-BOOM CRACK,  BOOM, BOOM-BOOM CRACK.

"BE MY BABY"  

The 1963 Spector Sound Gem.  

In 2021, Phil Spector, died at the age of 81 reportedly through Covid complications whilst languishing in jail for murder.  He was an innovator in the 1960s world of recording with his, echo soaked, multi layered technique, the Wall of Sound.    Hits came thick and fast including "River Deep Mountain High" and "You've lost that Lovin Feeling",  both classics but the real gem for me was the 1963 hit "Be My Baby" by The Ronettes.   The backing track was like a sumptuous cloud of music wrapped around the vocal sound of The Ronettes and that vocal sound itself, was fixed right in the centre of your brain.  Lots of drums, percussion and pianos.  

Many folk have tried to copy the sound including Brummie, Roy Wood but never really succeeded, probably because technology had moved forward and sounds had changed.     The Ronettes lead singer, Veronica Watkins, later became Mrs Ronnie Spector and that is how the world knew her from then on.  She was as sexy as could be, particularly for a 14 year old like me.  She was the only one of the trio who was on the record.

At 78, Ronnie Spector sadly passed away last month from cancer and with her passing,  part of my youth went with her but what a thrill to have experienced her well deserved fame and amazing voice on that particular recording.  The Ronettes didn't do particularly well after their first couple of hits but like all classic records "Be My Baby" and Ronnie's name will endure.

Darlene Love and Sonny and Cher had been the backing singers on the Ronnettes releases and many other Spector releases too, and the musicians that were used became known as The Wrecking Crew.  The Spector Sound inspired the wonderful Brian Wilson who used the Wrecking Crew on Beach Boys recordings, like God Only Knows, Heroes and Villains and the incredible "Smile" LP.   However,  Spectors treatment of The Beatles "Long and Winding Road"  made McCartney more than angry despite it reaching the top of the charts. 

Ronnie divorced Phil Spector citing his abusive and controlling nature.   An inspirational music genius he was, he was also a

mad man and his antics with firearms which he would shoot inside the recording studio to get peoples attention brought him notoriety and eventually lead him to commit an act of murder, Spector claimed it was accidental suicide.  

Someone paid with their life so as to satisfy his idiosyncrasies.

NFT's....NFC!!

Julian Lennon has put up for sale photos of John Lennon plus the cloak he wore on the cover of "Help".   The cloak has a starting bid price of $28.000.  However, these are being sold as NFT's (non Fungible Tokens) whereby you dont physically own the cloak, you only own a certified photo!! which you can sell to someone else presumably.   Now you can call me crazy but I am hard pressed to see any value in this sort of cock-eyed transaction so would I buy this?.......

No F****** Chance.  Let the buyer beware!!

FINALLY

Well I've rattled on long enough.    Take care my friends, keep warm, keep safe and get jabbed if you haven't already.

Bob

Copyright:  Bullsheadbob

Contact:  Bobsbullocks@Gmail.com