Strange Relationship - Connections, Reflections, Me and Prince

It's the morning after the night before, and the initial shock on hearing the rumours and then the confirmation that Prince had been found in his Chanhassen complex Paisley Park has subsided into a kind of numbness.

I spent the night listening to his songs, searching for videos and following the story online, each song creating a flux of emotions, from despair to laughter and back again. As the hours passed I was struck by the sight of fans massing outside Paisley Park, laying flowers, lighting candles, solemn and reflecting counter-posed with the queues and throng of  smiling, dancing party goers at the First Ave. nightclub. What decisions were made by each and everyone as to where they wanted to be, to share, console and celebrate the life of a man the majority of would have never met but had such an impact on their lives? This led to me thinking of why this news had affected me in the way it had? How the conscious and unconscious connections we make with music and its makers in our young years follows us through our days, where we revisit and re-evaluate, where loyalty strengthens and weakens and nostalgia sometimes clouds our view.

1984 - When Doves Cry, this was the song, this was the moment a seismic shift occurred in how and what I would be listening to in the future. Up to this point my main musical obsession had been Michael Jackson. Thriller was everywhere and his back catalogue was dominating radio stations. But this, this was something totally different, a neo-psychedelic soul groove that didn't even contain a base line! I bought the single, with this ultra cool, strangely dressed icon on the picture cover, the label strewn with flowers, the b-side, 17 days (which is still my all time fave, so much so I still have plans to make a video for it!). I couldn't get enough.Next came the album, Purple Rain, complete with a poster of the Revolution, Wendy, Lisa, Bobby Z, Marc Brown and Dr. Fink. Names that were etched into my brain like mythical warriors.  

Strange spiritual lyrics laced with sex and abandon. I was hooked and I wanted more, 1999, then Dirty Mind, on and on. 12 months later and he took a complete left turn on Around The World In A Day, a trippy, hippy journey which was the total opposite of Purple Rain. Then came Parade, the soundtrack of his latest film, Under The Cherry Moon. Containing the monster singles Kiss, Mountains,  Anotherloverholeinyourhead and Girls & Boys all pop perfection. You were on a wild ride and you didn't know where you were going to end up. He was writing for others as well, Bangles, Shelia E, Morris Day & the Time, he even wrote for Kenny Rogers under the name Joey Coco. The music made me dance, it made me sing, it was a passion I wouldn't swap for anything. 

1987 - Sign of The Times. Prince's ninth album. It was soul, It was rock, It was funk and so much more, it was tight, loud, quiet, political,sexy and nasty and it is nigh on perfect. Rightly regarded as his greatest album. Listen to If I Were Your Girlfriend and tell me he was not one of the greatest lyricists ever. There was no one who could have delivered an album like this (and still isn't). He tackled relationships, God, gangs, drugs and Aids. The subsequent concert film is one of the greatest you will see.

Where he led I followed. Contract disagreements, name changes, religious jazz albums, I made time to listen. Not all of it worked, but there was always something lurking, something cool and different. Even the album he tossed off and delivered to close his Warner's contract, Chaos & Disorder, rocks like a bastard and blows away the current batch of generic stadium fillers. 

I first saw him live in 1990. The Nude tour at Maine Road. Girls and boys, head to toe resplendent, dressed like their hero and the members of the Revolution, it was like being on a film set. Happy days. 

I could write for days about what he achieved, what he created, but there are far more qualified than me. So what did he mean to me? I've been thinking about this all night and I can't pinpoint one simple emotion or sound bite. What I can say is his music has been in my life longer than my wife and kids, and that music has sound-tracked so many memories both good and not so. I've sung at the top of my voice, danced like a loon and shed a tear too many times to mention whilst listening to him. I've had months when he hasn't even registered with me, then I'll catch a brief snippet on the radio and he's all I'll listen to for days.

I've read so much about him, watched his videos, his concerts. I've absorbed his lyrics like religious script, I know so much about him but I know nothing about him. This is how it should be because are heroes shouldn't be human, they shouldn't be accessible. They are viewed as Gods and Prophets because that's what they are.Commanding us to love, to dance, to tell us that regardless of our plight, there is something more, there is music, and true music can make us do anything it wants us to. 

Yesterday I was sad. Sad for a loss I couldn't articulate but that's fine because maybe you're not suppose to and regardless if you are lighting a candle outside his home or dancing till you can't dance no more, you calibrate the loss against what he has left. The music. The joy his music brings. So grab a CD, spin an L.P., play it loud and remember what he left and what he will continue to give.

Everybody, get on the floor
What the hell'd you come here 4?
Girl it ain't no use, you might as well get loose
Work your body like a whore
Say everybody - Get on the beat
We're gonna show you mothers how 2 scream
People everywhere, loosen up your hair
Take a deeper breath and sing along with me, yes
Are you ready?
Everybody everybody ooh (ooh), alright (alright), dance music sex romance
Oh, everybody say ooh (ooh), alright (alright), dance music sex romance

Rest In Purple, Prince. I fucking love you man xxxx

     

Feeder rock the Parr Hall

Feeder Parr Hall 24/04/12

Check out this review from last nights gig

http://liverpoolstudentmedia.com/2012/04/feeder-gig-review-parr-hall-warrington/

Gigstory - David Bowie & The Buzz and The Powerhouse

David Bowie & The Buzz supported by The Powerhouse

The Lion Hotel – July 2nd 1966

After recently changing his surname from Jones (due to the popularity if Davy Jones from The Monkees) David Bowie began auditions and rehearsals for a new band called The Buzz in the February of 1966.The band consisted of Bowie (Vocals/Guitar/Saxophone), Derek ‘Dek’ Fearnley (Bass), John ‘Ego’ Eager (drums), Derrick ‘Chow’ Boyes (Keyboards) and John ‘Hutch’ Hutchinson (Guitar). Their first gig was on 11^th February at the Mecca Ballroom in Leicester and the tour continued right thru to December, including a residency at the Marquee in Soho. Part of the burgeoning Mod Scene the Buzz played classic R&B covers like the Harlem Shuffle & Hold on, I’m Coming, they also played You’ll Never Walk Alone along with two singles the band released; Good Morning Girl & I Dig Everything.

They were booked to play the Lion Hotel under Bowie’s old band name of The Lower Third. This gig was the first played with Billy ‘Haggis’Gray on guitar (replacing John Hutchinson.)

Support for the night was The Powerhouse who was put together by producer Joe Boyd on opening a London office for the Elektra label. He was looking for British talent to feature on a sampler Album for the label and Paul Jones (Manfred Mann) suggested the idea of a ‘supergroup’ to record a few tracks. The eventual line up was Paul Jones (Harmonica), Eric Clapton (Guitar), Steve Winwood (Vocals/Organ) and Pete York (Drums) from the Spencer Davies Group and Ben Palmer (Piano) who had previously played with Clapton and Jones in the Roosters. (quite a line up for a support act! What would be comparable today?).

The Powerhouse only recorded a few songs in March 1966 (produced by Boyd), three of which were released on the Elektra compilation album What's Shakin' alongside tracks by The Lovin' Spoonful, Al Kooper, Tom Rush and The Butterfield Blues Band. The album was later reissued in the UK under the title Good Time Music.
The tracks included were "Crossroads" (R. Johnson), "Steppin' Out" (M. Slim) and "I Want to Know" (S. McLeod). There was a fourth song recorded, a "slow blues", but to this day it remains unreleased. "The slow blues was never issued, so they must have it on tape at Elektra somewhere," said Clapton in a March 1968 interview, printed in Guitar Player magazine in 1992.
Bill for the night? Bowie and the Buzz were paid £30 and Powerhouse £25!

Were you there that night? Any memories of any other gigs in Warrington? Let us know at Warringtongigarchive@gmail.com

Gigstory - Cherry Vanilla & The Police

Cherry Vanilla & The Police Lion Hotel 9/3/1977

Originaly a performance poet and former actress (she performed in Warhol’s “Pork”) and David Bowie’s PR for 2 years, Cherry Vanilla began a tour of Europe in 1977. Brought over to England by Miles Copeland he tells Cherry to save on air fares by leaving the bands rhythm section at home as he knows a perfectly capable one in England. Stewart Copeland agrees to be the drummer on the condition The Police are booked as support and Sting is roped in to play bass.

The 1^st night is in Newport Gwent at a club called Alexander’s and the 6^th night of the tour arrives at the Lion Hotel. The Police, consisting of the original line up of Sting, Stewart Copeland and Henry Padovani on guitar will play the opening spot and then Stewart and Sting return to the stage with Cherry Vanilla.

Sting describes the first night in his autobiography Broken Music.

“The Police set begins at ten to eleven and is finished on the stroke of the hour. It blisters along at such a pace – no gaps between the songs, defying the audience to be critical or appreciative, as if we don’t give a fuck either way, and then we’re off before they know what’s hit them”

Probable song list for The Police that night was

Landlord - Kids To Blame (Games To Play) - Clouds In Venice - Night At The Grand Hotel - It's My Life - Dead End Job - Fall Out.

Sting was paid £6.50 for each gig on the tour.

The following night was at Eric’s in Liverpool which is immortalised in the Cherry Vanilla song “Liverpool” in which the Lion Hotel is mentioned.

Were you at this gig? Any memories of this or any other gig in Warrington let us know at warringtongigarchive@gmail.com

The Archive

A Night of Christmas Cheer

Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat, if you want to get down, Osale is where it is at!!

Local legends are gathering at the Osale Rooms on Saturday 17th December, with the Plastic Palace Dj's  Selfish Lovers, Bill Davro and Headlining The Ambersons.

So get your Christmas started right.

http://www.princebaronrecords.com/2011/12/11/the-ambersons-christmas-gala-affair-osale-rooms/

http://www.osalerooms.co.uk/

British Invasion hits the Osale Rooms

The Osale Rooms were transported back in time to 60’s Hamburg on Tuesday Night as the Priestley College BTEC music year 1 performed songs from the Fab four and others to an appreciative audience of friends and family.

This was the 1st time some of the performers had played in a proper venue, but the confidence and showmanship displayed belied their inexperience.

First up was Help! who performed 4 songs, the highlight being  A Hard Day’s Night. They were followed by Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (sadly minus the costumes) who finished their set with a rousing rendition of The Who’s Pinball Wizard.

Third up was Revolver (and my favourites on the night) who performed 3 tracks form the album of the same name plus Come Together and finished with a storming version The Kinks’ All Day and All of the Night. Last but by no means least were Let It Be who finished with an excellent vocal performance with their version of Let It Be.

Several things came across during the evening; one was the obvious pride and encouragement seen throughout the audience, secondly the enjoyment and closeness of friends and colleagues during all 4 sets, but most striking was the outstanding commitment and hard work these future rock and pop stars are putting into their studies. In an age of X Factor and Autotune manipulation it is so refreshing to see young talent not only playing their own instruments but also showing a passion and dedication to their art.

Many thanks to everyone who performed for a brilliant evening. Keep working hard and we look forward to seeing you again soon.

The Archive.

So why a Gig Archive for Warrington

So my brother forwards a link to a photo of Fergal Sharkey from the Undertones (http://www.rockarchive.com/the-undertones_photo_print_un001sshe.html) with a caption saying it was taken in Warrington in 1981. Curious as to where in Warrington I did some digging and eventually got in contact with the photographer Sid Sheldon who said it was taken on a Sounds tour and appeared on the front cover of the magazine but he wasn’t sure it was actually taken in Warrington.

We tracked down a copy of the magazine to find it was taken in a club in Chester but during our searching we found an amazing array of artists that had played in our fair town over the years. So the idea was born to create this site as an archive of the gigs and appearances down the years. Over the coming weeks and months we hope to create a definitive guide to the when and where of the Warrington Music scene ranging for the biggest bands in the world to local talents both new and old.

We need your help as well. We want you to delve into the memory banks and tell us about the bands you have seen appearing in Warrington Venues. Were you at Deep Purple’s first gig at the Lion? Did you dance the night away at the Heaven and Hell Club in Bewsey. You can contact us here at warringtongigarchive@gmail.com. Have you any photos, ticket stubs or playbills from performances in Warrington? Let us know and help to build a comprehensive history of music in our town.

We also want to champion the superstars of tomorrow so if you play and gig around Warrington or your organising gigs at your venue let us know and we can help spread the word. (We’re on twitter at @iheartwazza)

We hope you’ll be able to contribute to our little project or find something on here to interest you.

The Archive.

P.S A special thank you to Sid Sheldon for inadvertently planting the idea for the site and the signed copy of the photo that started it all.

The Archive