Mr Rich Hero has been there with us from the very beginning, as spiritual guidance, tour DJ, emotional backup, official photographer, van driver, record reference encyclopedia, listening post, and the provider of important tour support facilities (’98 Nissan Almera with parcel shelf removed). Upping the hair quota by at least 25 – 45% (dependant on current sideburn arrangement/setup), Rich has seen us when we have been at our most shambolic and tuneless (imagine that!) and when we have been at our most together, but more importantly: he gave a shit when no-one else gave a shit. He’s volunteered his wheels of steel at many a Wolf People gig, and this usually results in us playing better, due to hearing stuff we love and are inspired by before we go on. However, this good work is often undone by his very vocal desire to see us perform Maiden covers, dressed in spandex riding a semi-giant paper mache Eddie, whilst fireworks blast off behind us…
Anyway, we’d best let Rich carry on in his words, prepare to be informed:
I always appreciate the gents making space for me in the van and I’m flattered they asked me to contribute to their blog. When I requested a theme for this selection they responded ‘You are the theme!’ Rather than abusing their invite by charting a selection of ‘Hair’ cast recordings (no, I am serious) I chose to dip into the records I might pack for a Wolf People gig. Even then I was struggling to pick so I whittled the shortlist down further with format and country and hence here’s… A baker’s dozen* of UK bands on 7”. Hopefully you’ll find the contents less unwieldy than that title.
1. The Pentangle ‘I Saw An Angel’ (Big T 45 UK)
Let’s start proceedings with the masters at work. This song was tucked away on the b-side to ‘Once I Had A Sweetheart’.
Rich has kindly recorded all the tracks from the original vinyl and uploaded them to our soundcloud account, but the site won’t let us link this particular track due to copyright issues, so here is a youtube link for the meantime, apologies.
2. The Fruit Machine ‘Willow Tree’ (American Music Makers 45 US)
The Fruit Machine, hailing from south west London, released a total of three singles, all of which deserve a listen. Two came out on the UK Spark label but, for whatever reason, this appeared only in the US. Of the two sides I prefer the one we here which, with 20:20 hindsight, hints at the future direction of guitarists Andy Curtis and Steve Gould with Rare Bird.
3. The Battered Ornaments ‘Staggered’ (Harvest 45 FRA)
The definite article was added to the name after Pete Brown had been chucked out of the group he started as Pete Brown And His Battered Ornaments, the day before they were due to play with the Rolling Stones in Hyde Park. This 45 was lifted from the ‘Mantle-Piece’ LP. After he was ejected Brown’s vocals were erased from the tapes and rerecorded by Chris Spedding. Still, that nugget of information is rendered all but irrelevant here by the absence of much in the way of singing on this ‘song’.
4. July ‘The Way’ (Ariola 45 DEU)
When I first met Tom he was living in Ealing, above a row of shops, in a flat crammed with records and recording equipment. Once Jack formed the band, Wolf People used to rehearse in Tom’s front room. How’s that for a segue to this Ealing raga from July? (They also first formed in Ealing, in 1968, so I’m not just throwing that in entirely out of the blue).
Again, copyright problems have called time on this upload, here is a youtube link.
5. Affinity ‘I Am And So Are You’ (Vertigo 45 FRA)
Both sides of this single are taken from Affinity’s well regarded Vertigo LP. To the best of my knowledge, although the flip (‘Three Sisters’) was released on 45 in several different countries, this French demo is the only pressing with ‘I Wonder If I Care As Much’ substituted by the tune we have here. Things like this please me.
6. Mighty Baby ‘Egyptian Tomb’ (Philips 45 FRA)
Once again the French come up trumps by releasing yet another top notch album track on this convenient, portable format.
7. Arcadium ‘Poor Lady’ (Middle Earth EP UK)
I stumbled across this song on an old German compilation I’d bought for Pesky Gee’s ‘Where Is Mind’. A little research then revealed that the Middle Earth label, run by the owners of the club of the same name, put this out on a promotional EP along with ‘Aries’ by Writing On The Wall and Wooden O’s ‘Overture’. Thanks to Sarge in Belfast, the epic ‘I’m On My Way’ is another favourite from Arcadium.
8. Crazy Mabel ‘You’ve Never Had It’ (Pink Elephant 45 NLD)
When I was introduced to this number, by way of a CD from Chris ‘The Judge’ Arthur, the politically incorrect intro heard here was absent. The LP includes applause and introductions between songs although I strongly doubt that the music was actually recorded ‘live’. There’s great footage of the Crazy Mabel on stage in the 1971 film ‘Bread’, in front of a full Orange backline. At the time of release it was described in Today’s Cinema as “far too recognisably a Cliff Richard musical with nudes and swearing”. From what I’ve seen, musical performances aside, I’m not sure it’s even as entertaining as that.
9. 10 C.C. ‘Hot Sun Rock’ (UK 45 UK)
Prior to the group’s commercial success in the seventies, the future members of 10 C.C. honed their craft by, amongst many other things, penning numbers for The Yardbirds and Kasenetz-Katz’ Super K Productions, playing with The Mindbenders and with Ramases on ‘Space Hymns’, which was produced at the band’s Strawberry Studios in Stockport, and recording their own songs for the Marmalade label. This b-side, from their first single as 10 C.C., bears the imprint of this considerable apprenticeship.
10. Nashville Teens ‘Wydicombe Fair’ (Qualiton 45 HUN)
‘Widdicombe Fair’ appeared on the Nashville Teens eponymous second LP but that take differs from the one we have here by more than merely a few letters. Zalatnay Sarolta had quite a bit of mutual appreciation going on with the Teens, resulting in busman’s holidays back and forth across the Iron Curtain, and this resulting Hungarian single is apparently the only release this recording had at the time. Thankfully those fine chaps at Finders Keepers had the good sense to rescue it from obscurity for their ‘B-Music – Cross Continental Record Raid Road Trip’. There’s stunning footage of the transitional line-up of Renaissance, including ex-Teens John Hawken, Terry Crowe, Mike Dunford and Neil Korner, performing a rambling arrangement that is strikingly similar to the Nashville Teens’ album version. Although that LP was released in 1972 my best guess is that both of the Teens’ versions were recorded before pianist Hawken left to form Renaissance (and then, incidentally, Third World war). Anyone know for sure?
11. The Way We Live ‘King Dick II’ (Dandelion EP UK)
Another Wolf People chart, another John Peel endorsed track from Rochdale (and still no ‘All Ends Up’ from Tractor!) with the trio effortlessly shifting up and back through the gears.
12. Paul St. John ‘Flying Saucers Have Landed’ (PYE 45 UK)
This song wears the influence of Desmond Leslie and Erich Von Däniken plainly, borrowing its title from Leslie’s first book. What’s more the other side is ‘Spaceship Lover’. Something of a musical chameleon, Paul (real name Laurice Marshall) recorded the charming ‘I’m Gonna Smash Your Face In’ as Grudge before relocating to Canada and returning to the stars as Laurie Marshall in his ‘Disco Spaceship’.
13. Chris Spedding And The Battered Ornaments ‘Goodbye We Loved You (Madly)’ (Harvest 45 UK)
On the b-side to a single from Chris Spedding’s New Band can be found this swan song from The Battered Ornaments. And what a way to bow out, with seven tantalising minutes of what could have been. Certainly a bang and not a whimper.
*Alright, so 3. and 13. are pretty much the same band.
My thanks to Chris Arthur, Sarge and Gabor for introducing me to some of these records. If you can track them down, The Judge’s Eccentric British Vibrations charts in the old B-Music zine are well worth a read.
And this seems like an appropriate point to mention that we (that’s Wolf People and myself) will be joining with Glasgow’s finest (that’s the EWO team) behind the decks, in front of the bar and on the dancefloor at Future Thoughts in The Flying Duck on Friday 13th January, after the Glasgow date at Stereo. If you’re coming to the gig you may as well make a night of it!
Rich is DJing before and after our 4 gigs in the UK in mid January, dates as follows:
Glasgow Stereo: 13th + Hidden Masters
Leeds Brudenell: 14th + Diagonal
Brighton The Haunt: 15th + Diagonal
London Garage: 17th + Diagonal + Olivia Chaney
Wolf People
