THE ROCK 'N' ROLL REVIVAL - PART THREE

PART THREE OF AN IN DEPTH LOOK AT THE INFLUENCE OF 50's ROCK 'N' ROLL ON THE ROCK AND POP MUSIC OF THE 1970's. - THIS PART WILL FOCUS ON THE U.S.A

READ PART ONE - ROCKIN' THROUGH THE 60's: FROM THE BEATLES TO BOLAN HERE

READ PART TWO - THE INFLUENCE OF 50's ROCK ' N ' ROLL ON THE 70's GLAM ROCK MOVEMENT AND THE REVIVALISTS WHO YEARNED TO JOIN THE PARTY HERE

                                                       

                                                       DO YOU BELIEVE IN ROCK ' N ' ROLL?

''AMERICAN PIE'' by singer-songwriter DON MCLEAN hit the US TOP SPOT upon it's release in 1971 and went on to repeat that success in 15 other countries. The phrase '' THE DAY THE MUSIC DIED '' is repeated throughout the song and refers to a plane crash in 1959 that killed 50's rock and roll stars BUDDY HOLLY, THE BIG BOPPER and RITCHIE VALENS. The songs much analyzed lyrics allude to a loss of innocence and the cultural malaise that occurred during the following decade. MCLEAN had clearly articulated a collective feeling as it's release corresponded with a series of concerts featuring 50's ROCK ' N ' ROLL SURVIVOURS at NEW YORKS MADISON SQUARE GARDENS

The shows were organized by RICHARD NADER. They kicked off in OCTOBER 18th 1969 and ran into the following decade. TWENTY FIVE EVENTS were held at the venue and a number of other concerts were organized at different cities around the country. With the exception of ELVIS, all of THE ORGINAL BIG NAMES appeared on the billboards, with many coming out of semi retirement to perform 

Footage from two of THE ROCK & ROLL REVIVAL SHOWS { one at The NASSAU COLISEUM, LONG ISLAND and another at THE COBO HALL, DETROIT MICHIGAN } formed the basis of the 1973 CONCERT FILM '' LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL '' . This was intercut with 50's ERA PERFORMANCES and NEWS FOOTAGE using a SPLIT SCREEN technique. The featured artists were: CHUCK BERRY, CHUBBY CHECKER, THE COASTERS, DANNY and the JOUNIORS, BO DIDDLEY, FATS DOMINO, THE FIVE SATINS, BILL HALEY and the COMETS, LITTLE RICHARD, THE SHIRELLES and BOBBY COMSTOCK

                                                                 

                                                                   THE KINGS OF ROCK

RICK NELSON had mixed feelings about his performance at the MADISON SQUARE GARDEN '' ROCK ' N ' ROLL SPECTACTULAR '' in '71. He appeared on the bill as ' SPECIAL GUEST STAR ' in a lineup that included CHUCK BERRY, BO DIDDLEY and THE COASTERS. He presented the audience with material from his most recent LP , but the contemporary sounding COUNTRY ROCK songs were less than warmly received. Snatching victory from the jaws of defeat, NELSON wrote the song '' GARDEN PARTY '' in response and scored a sizable hit

                                            

                                                   '' SOMEONE OPENED UP A CLOSET DOOR

                                                     AND OUT STEPPED JOHNNY B. GOODE

                                                    PLAYING GUITAR LIKE RINGING A BELL

                                                    AND LOOKING LIKE HE SHOULD

                                                    IF YOU GOTTA PLAY GARDEN PARTIES

                                                    I WISH YOU A LOTTA LUCK

                                                    BUT IF MEMORIES WERE ALL I SANG

                                                    I'D RATHER DRIVE A TRUCK ''

Shrugging off the apparent swipe within the lyrics of '' GARDEN PARTY '' , CHUCK BERRY made moves of his own in '72. He recorded an LP in LONDON with some YOUNG BRITISH MUSICIANS, including two members of THE FACES { KENNY JONES and IAN MCLAGAN }. '' THE LONDON SESSIONS '' included a live version of a track DAVE BARTHOLOMEW wrote and recorded in 1952: '' MY DING-A-LING ''. The song was issued on 45, the same month as '' GARDEN PARTY '' and hit the top spot on both sides of the Atlantic that summer. The LP reached Number 8 in Billboard and was his ALL TIME BEST SELLING ALBUM

BO DIDDLEY recorded a '' LONDON SESSIONS '' LP the following year, backed by a mix of musicians from the UK { RAY FENWICK, EDDIE HARDIN and ROY WOOD } and the US { PHIL UPCHURCH and WILLIE HENDERSON }. It didn't sell in the same numbers as the CHUCK BERRY LP, but was certainly an ARTISTIC SUCCESS. Musically it followed the FUNK ROCK format of his 1970 ''BLACK GLADIATOR '' release. Since the Mid Sixties JERRY LEE LEWIS had concentrated on COUNTRY and a few of his records from that period sold well. In 1972 he returned to rock with '' THE KILLER ROCKS ON '' LP and followed with his own LONDON SESSIONS LP, titled '' THE SESSION...RECORDED IN LONDON WITH GREAT ARTISTS ''. The DOUBLE LP contained CLASSIC ROCK COVERS and utilized a number of UK PLAYERS, including ALVIN LEE, GARY WRIGHT, KENNY JONES and ALBERT LEE. In 1971 LITTLE RICHARD signed to REPRISE records and recorded  '' THE KING OF ROCK '' LP with producer H.B BARNUM and '' THE SECOND COMMING '' LP with his long term collaborator ROBERT '' BUMPS '' BLACKWELL. Both were exciting records on the GOSPELL / ROCK ' N ' SOUL style, but they failed to sell in great quantities 

The first ELVIS Long Player of the decade '' THAT'S THE WAY IT IS '' { NOVEMBER 1970 } didn't reach the artistic peak of his previous release '' FROM ELVIS IN MEMPHIS ''. The record primarily consisted of formulaically arranged BALLADS in an MOR style. The follow up '' ELVIS COUNTRY '' { 1971 } was more convincing and featured songs in a variety of different COUNTRY MUSIC styles. '' LOVE LETTERS '' { released later the same year } consisted of outtakes from the previous two and a flood of live LP's, COMPILATIONS and a further CHRISTMAS album and a GOSPEL album followed. His 45's during the period were HIT and MISS in terms of sales, but he continued to release some great ROCKIN' 45's in the form of '' PATCH IT UP { 1970 }, '' BURNING LOVE '' { '72 }, '' RAISED ON ROCK '' { '73 }, '' PROMISED LAND { '74 }, '' T-R-O-U-B-L-E { '75 } and '' WAY DOWN '' { '77 }. Playing to his fans was high on the agenda at this point. He performed 636 SELL OUT SHOWS in LAS VEGAS between JULY 1969 and DECEMBER 1976. Other important appearances were A SERIES OF SHOWS at MADISON SQUARE GARDENS in JULY '72 and the HAWAII CONCERT in JANUARY ' 73. Both were recorded and released as LIVE LP's. PRESLEY thrived on the HERO WORSHIP and ADORATION OF HIS FANS during these performances and drove himself to the point of exhaustion with the boost of prescribed pharmaceuticals. Addiction and Poor health resulted in him being hospitalized on four separate occasions before he lost his life in AUGUST 1977

JERRY LEE LEWIS and ELVIS both released music that appealed to the COUNTRY MUSIC audience, but a number of other SUN RECORDING ARTISTS subsequently carved out full time careers in the genre. CONWAY TWITTY reached the top of THE US COUNTRY CHARTS with '' HELLO DARLIN' '' in 1970 and followed it up with a number of other TOP 10 hits { many of them duets with LORETTA LYNN }. CHARLIE RICH belatedly hit the big time in 1973, topping the charts twice with the STRING- LADEN COUNTRYPOLITAN numbers '' BEHIND CLOSED DOORS '' and '' THE MOST BEAUTIFUL GIRL ''. NARVEL FELTS hit THE TOP 10 in the same year with a version of '' DRIFT AWAY '' and followed it with similar COUNTRY / SOUL numbers, including a remake of '' LONELY TEARDROPS '', a JACKIE WILSON number that was originally recorded in 1958

NARVEL FELTS cover of JACKIE WILSON'S '' LONELY TEARDROPS '' 1976

JOHNNY CASH retained bassist MARSHALL GRANT and guitarist LUTHER PERKINS after his move from SUN RECORDS to COLUMBIA in 1958. Their PARED DOWN style of playing was the perfect backdrop for the AUTHENTIC STORYTELLING that CASH employed in many of his best numbers. This approach, coupled with his ' HELL RAISING ' { not so } private life and ' MAN IN BLACK ' rebel image, presented a stark contrast to the increasingly sterile NASHVILLE SOUND that dominated in the 1960's. CARL PERKINS was a member of his touring band for many years and kicked off the legendary FOLSUM and SAN QUENTIN PRISON SHOWS with renditions of '' MATCHBOX '' and '' BLUE SUEDE SHOES '', a further demonstration that CASH retained an affinity with THE ROCKABILLY SPIRIT that most of his contemporaries had stepped away from

 

                                                                 
                                                                  OUTLAWS AND REBELS

'' SOMEBODY TOLD ME WHEN I GOT TO NASHVILLE

  SON YOU FINALLY GOT IT MADE!

  OLD HANK MADE IT HERE, WE'RE ALL SURE THAT YOU WILL

  BUT I DON'T THINK HANK DONE IT THIS WAY, NO

  I DON'T THINK HANK DONE IT THIS WAY, OK ''

'' ARE YOU SURE HANK DONE IT THIS WAY '' by WAYLON JENNINGS

TEXAN Singer-Songwriter WAYLON JENNINGS was discovered by BUDDY HOLLY'S father in 1958 while he was DJ'ing at a RADIO STATION in LUBBOCK. Soon after he recorded demos under BUDDY's guidance and joined his backing band for the fateful WINTER DANCE PARTY TOUR in JANUARY of the following year. JENNINGS continued to record, but felt a great sense of loss after the PLANE CRASH that killed HOLLY and fell into the first of many bouts of SUBSTANCE ABUSE. In 1963 he recorded '' THE STAGE { STARS IN HEAVEN } '' as a tribute to HOLLY, VALENCE, THE BIG BOPPER and EDDIE COCHRAN { who died in a CAR CRASH in 1960 }. HE signed to RCA in THE MID SIXTIES and recorded a number of his LP's and 45's, most of which appeared in the upper upper echelons of THE COUNTRY CHARTS. HE struck up a friendship with JOHNNY CASH and as the 70's dawned he became increasingly unhappy about the lack of money he was making on the road due to bad management as well as the ORCHESTRATED COUNTRYPOLITAN sound that RCA saddled him with

WAYLON JENNINGS PLAYING LIVE ON THE JOHNNY CASH SHOW - 1970

In 1973 WAYLON found a new manager in the form of NEIL RESHAN. A fresh contract was signed with RCA, giving JENNINGS artistic control of the recording process and he subsequently introduced RESHAN to WILLE NELSONS. A similar deal was struck with ATLANTIC RECORDS for NELSON and that signaled the beginning of the OUTLAW COUNTRY sub-genre, a broad church which fused the HONKY TONK sound of HANK WILLIAMS with the BAKERSVILLE sound of MERLE HAGGARD and added a dash of ROCKABILLY, SOUTHERN ROCK and R ' N ' B into the mix. KRIS KRISTOFFERSON, TOWNES VAN ZANDT and {fittingly } HANK WILLIAMS JR. were upholders of the faith as well as JOHNNY CASH himself

By the EARLY 70's there was also a vibrant MUSIC SCENE based around THE LAUREL CANYON area of LOS ANGELES. The musicians generally had a background in POST HIPPY COUNTER CULTURAL ROCK and used an amalgam of influences including BLUES, COUNTRY, FOLK and LATIN. The ARIZONA born singer LINDA RONDSTADT moved to LA in the MID SIXTIES and fronted a series of bands before gaining a huge degree of success as a solo artist in the middle of the following decade. Her BILLBOARD HITS included covers of THE EVERLY BROTHERS '' WHEN WILL I BE LOVED '' { in '74 }, BUDDY HOLLY'S '' THAT'LL BE THE DAY '' { 76 } and '' IT'S SO EASY '' { 77 } and PRESLEY'S '' LOVE ME TENDER '' in '78. THE EAGLES { who got their start backing RONDSTADT } were another huge act to come out of the scene. They harnessed the sensibility of OUTLAW COUNTRY and configured a POST HIPPY, COUNTRY ROCK sound that appealed to the mainstream. Their 1974 JAMES DEAN tribute single had an authentic 50's ROCK sound. The same year NASHVILLE singer-songwriter BILLY SWAN did even better. His COUNTRY / ROCKABILLY styled hit '' I CAN HELP '' was so convincing that ELVIS covered the song using an almost identical arrangement 

COMMANDER CODY & HIS LOST PLANET AIRMEN were another COUNTRY ROCK band with a sound rooted in the 50's. The band originated in MICHIGAN, mixing WESTERN SWING, BOOGIE WOOGIE, BLUES, ROCKABILLY and COUNTRY influences. They became a popular live act in the late 60's and relocated to BERKELEY CALIFORNIA in 1969 where they scored a deal with PARAMOUNT RECORDS. Their cover of CHARLIE RYAN'S '' HOT ROD LINCOLN '' reached the TOP 10 of THE BILLBOARD CHART in early '72. It was their only hit 45, but a series of LP's picked up respectable sales and ensured them a healthy cult following. The similarly styled ASLEEP AT THE WHEEL scored a COUNTRY TOP 10 with their cover of LOUIS JORDON'S '' CHOO CHOO CH' BOOGIE '' in '74 and released a series of LP's on UNITED ARTISTS 

COMMANDER CODY & HIS LOST PLANET AIRMEN - '' HOT ROD LINCOLN '

                                                                      50's NOSTALGIA

'' My Audience wants to forget it's problems and return to { or at least recall } those happy high school times, the prom, no wars, no riots, no protests, the convertibles at the drive in. The past is an ailment from which one has fortunately recovered , so nostalgia is in part relief as well as amused fondness for bygone pleasant times ''

Cleveland ' Oldies ' Radio DJ DICK LIBERATORE speaking to THE NEW YORK TIMES JUNE 17th 1973

In 1971 DJ DAN COFFEY { who WASN'T related to the WELSH RECORD DEALER of the same name } began an ' OLDIES ' RADIO SHOW using records from his own collection. The show on KOOL-FM, a RADIO STATION based in PHOENIX ARIZONA, was said to be the first to exclusively play ROCK and POP MUSIC from the FIFTIES and EARLY SIXIES and it quickly became the most popular show on the station. By the end of the year the station had entirely switched over to the same format. Following their lead, a number of AM stations across the country began to mix OLDIES with SELECTED NEW RELASES, creating the ' SOLID GOLD ' format. These stations grew in popularity into the MID SEVENTIES and most broadly stuck to the concept until the start of the next decade

The musical GREASE opened on BROADWAY in JUNE 1972. It was set in a HIGH SCHOOL in 1959 and the songs were in the style of 50's ROCK and DOO WOOP. The following year a MOVIE titled AMERICAN GRAFFITI appeared. The COMMING OF AGE DRAMA was actually set in 1962, but could stylistically be mistaken for the 50's. It was a celebration of CRUISING culture that included an appearance by the ROCK REVIVAL act FLASH CADILLAC & THE CONTINENTAL KIDS. Three spinoff DOUBLE LP's that featured music from the 50's appeared. They were big sellers and the first volume peaked at NUMBER 10 on BILLBOARD. GREASE was adapted for a MOVIE in 1978. The lead male role of DANNY was taken by JOHN TRAVOLTA who had recently starred in the hugely successful SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER. His appearance helped to propel the film into being THE HIGHEST GROSSING MUSICAL FILM OF ALL TIME. A SOUNDTRACK LP that featured half a dozen songs by SHA NA NA went on to sell over 30 MILLION COPIES WORLDWIDE

SHA NA NA starred in their own SYNDICATED TELEVISION SERIES which ran for 97 episodes from 1977 until 1981. They performed songs and comedy sketches in the show. Guest performers were mostly contemporary names, but CHUCK BERRY, DANNY AND THE JUNIORS, FABIAN, DEL SHANNON, CHUBBY CHECKER and JAN & DEAN all managed to put in an appearance

 
CHUCK BERRY on the SHA NA NA TV SHOW - 1977


HAPPY DAYS was a TELEVISED SITCOM based around the life of a MIDWEST FAMILY in the late 50's. The public were initially lukewarm until the producers took one of the peripheral characters and placed him center stage. ARTHUR FONZARELLI, also known as FONZIE or THE FONZE was a HIP BIKER played by HENRY WINKLER. Once he was at the helm, the show went from strength to strength and ran for TEN YEARS. It spawned a tie-in ROCK ' N ' ROLL compilation LP { graced with a requisite cover image of THE FONZE } and a spin-off show: LAVERNE & SHIRLEY, which in turn spawned a BAND called LENNY AND THE SQUIGTONES, who mixed SURREAL COMEDY with VINTAGE 50's ROCK MUSIC. The result was similar in essence to the FRANK ZAPPA ' RUBIN & THE JETS ' project and CASSABLANCA RECORDS issued an LP of their efforts in 1979

LENNY AND THE SQUIGTONES on LAVERNE & SHIRLEY 1976

      

LEMON POPSICLE was another PERIOD COMMING OF AGE COMEDY MOVIE set in the 1950's. The ISRAELI made film was shot in TEL AVIV and released in 1978. The SOUNDTRACK contained a wonderful selection of VINTAGE US ROCK RECORDINGS that were said to have cost more money to use than was paid to shoot the film. This mattered little as their inclusion helped to make it become the highest grossing ISRAELI MOVIE of all time and it spawned no less than SEVEN SEQUELS. '78 also saw the release of two notable FILM BIOGRAPHIES: The self explanatory  BUDDY HOLLY STORY and AMERICAN HOT WAX. The later told the story of DJ ALAN FREED, but despite the participation of names such as CHUCK BERRY, JERRY LEE LEWIS, SCREAMING JAY HAWKINS and FRANKIE FORD, it sadly BOMBED AT THE BOX OFFICE

   

                                                              THE SOUL OF DOO-WOP 

The UPTOWN SOUL of MOTOWN RECORDS was hugely popular during the 60's and the DETRIOT based company saw 79 of it's singles reach the Billboard TOP TEN during the course of the decade. Their distinctive blend of SOULFUL R 'N ' B  and STRING LADEN POP had CROSS CULTURAL APPEAL and producers in other northern cities strove to complete with varying degrees of success. The city of PHILADELPHIA began to develop it's own variety of HARMONY SOUL which harked back to the DOO-WOP roots of the sound. Both '' THIS CAN'T BE TRUE '' by EDDIE HOLMAN { which reached 17 on BILLBOARD in 1966 } and '' YOU'VE BEEN UNTRUE '' by THE DELFONICS { on CAMEO RECRORDS in 1967 } were significant for pairing dramatic FALSETTO LEAD VOCALS and STREET CORNER HARMONY SINGING with LUSHLY ORCHESTRATED backing tracks. In PHILADELPHIA the DOO-WOP sound had never gone out of favor. PHILLY was home for a number of HARD CORE COLLECTORS and thousands tuned into DJ JERRY BLAVAT's OLDIES RADIO SHOWS and attended his RECORD HOPS

                                  JERRY BLAVAT complied DOO-WOP COMP'S from the MID 60's 

EDDIE HOLMAN's biggest hit was a remake of RUBY & THE ROMANTICS '' HEY THERE LONELY GIRL ''. It reached #2 on BILLBOARD in 1969 and was followed with another DOO-WOP cover in 1970: '' SINCE I DON'T HAVE YOU'' , a song originally recorded by the SKYLINERS . THE DELFONICS had a number of hit 45's and their producer THOM BELL replicated their success with another vocal group: THE SYTLISTICS. In 1971 he set up PHILADELPHIA INTERNATIONAL RECORDS with KENNETH GAMBLE and LEON HUFF. The sound was finessed and modified with a number of vocal groups and solo acts , including: THE O'JAYS, THE INTRUDERS , BILLY PAUL and BUNNY SIGLER. P.I.R would soon outstrip MOTOWN in sales and when session drummer EARL YOUNG picked up the beat on the HAROLD MELVIN & THE BLUENOTES number '' THE LOVE I LOST '' , he hit upon something special: The '' FOUR ON THE FLOOR ''  KICK DRUM and OPEN HI-HAT combo would form the basis of many DISCO HITS in the coming years

EARL PALMER was also a member of THE TRAMMPS, a VOCAL / INSTRUMENTAL group known for the early DISCO SOUND of '' LOVE EPIDEMIC '' { 1973 } and the hugely popular '' DISCO INFERNO '' { 1976 }. Predating both was their cover of THE COASTERS '' ZING WENT THE STRINGS OF MY HEART '' in 1972. They matched the DOO-WOP HARMONIES of the original with a CONTEMPORARY, FUNK BASED, RHYTHMIC BACKING. A similar method was applied to THE DOMINOES 1951 hit '' SIXTY MINUTE MAN '' later that year. Those recordings inspired THE MOONGLOWS to update their 1954 hit ''SINCERELY '' and HANK BALLAD to revisit another 1954 hit that he'd recorded with THE MIDNIGHTERS: '' ANNIE HAD A BABY ''. MOTOWN responded with MICHAEL JACKSON's cover of a BOBBY DAY number from 1958: '' ROCKIN' ROBIN and it climbed to the number two position on BILLBOARD. STAX recording artists THE NIGHTINGLES offered a medley of two songs originally recorded by THE 5 ROYALS '' BABY DON'T DO IT and I'M WITH YOU ''. Stylistically they were close to the originals as LITTLE ANTHONY & THE IMPERIALS had chosen to do on their reworking of THE FIVE KEYS '' OUT OF SIGHT, OUT OF MIND '' in 1969

THE MOONGLOWS - ''SINCERELY '' 1972

 

BO DIDDLEY continued to use his TRADEMARK BEAT in a FUNK SETTING on his 1974 '' BIG BAD BO '' LP. It was produced by ESMOND EDWARDS who worked on JAZZ / FUNK CROSSOVER records for RUEBEN WILSON, JOHN HANDY and JACK MCDUFF and was clearly someone with the ability to create DANCE FLOOR FRIENDLY recordings. MICKY BAKER and SYLVIA ROBINSON were remembered for landing a massive hit with the BO DIDDLEY penned '' LOVE IS STRANGE '' in 1956. It reached #1 on Billboard, but they couldn't follow up on the success and SYLVIA moved into the production side of the industry. In 1973 she came back in front of the mic and scored her second hit with '' PILLOW TALK '', a tune in the fashionable ' PHILLY - SOUL ' style. The BO DIDDLEY FUNK RECORDINGS were evidently something she was aware of and the recording of her song '' SHAME, SHAME, SHAME '' used his rhythm as a base and set it against the sound of a sizzling EARL PALMER style DISCO HI-HAT. The song was clearly made for the dancefloor and vocalists SHIRLEY GOODMAN and JASON ALVAREZ were brought in to front the disc. GOODMAN had previously been half of the duo SHIRLEY & LEE who had a hit in 1956 with ''LET THE GOODTIMES ROLL''. The record came out at the end of '74 under the name SHIRLEY & COMPANY. It was a smash the world over and other records that utilized the BO DIDDLEY BEAT within a DISCO SETTING started to appear. HAMILTON BOHANNON delivered '' THE DISCO STOMP '' in ' 75 and followed up with '' BOHANNONS BEAT '' the following year. JIMMY BO HORNE offered '' IT's YOUR SWEET LOVE '' in '78 and '' YOU GET ME HOT '' in '79, the same year that THE NEW YORK CITY BAND covered '' BO DIDDLEY '' and RINDER & LEWIS reworked the JOHNNY OTIS penned '' WILLIE AND THE HAND JIVE '' as an ELECTRO DISCO WORKOUT

SHIRLEY & COMPANY -  '' SHAME, SHAME, SHAME '' 1974

 

Further DISCO recordings bearing a ROCK ' N ' ROLL influence arrived in the form of HODGES, JAMES AND SMITH's cover of the THE HARPTONES 1954 DOO-WOP classic  '' SINCE I FELL FOR YOU '' , a '' ROCK ' N ' ROLL MEDLEY by THEO VANESS '' { from his '' BACK TO MUSIC '' LP } and ''DOO WOP DISCO '' by FOURTEEN KARAT SOUL. The latter were a DOO-WOP VOCAL GROUP from NEW JERSEY that primarily covered songs authentically and often ACAPELLA. They would go on to record a number of LP's, appear on SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE and make a SHORT FILM in which they performed a DOO-WOP OPERA. THE PERSUASIONS were another group that performed DOO-WOP HARMONIES in the STREET CORNER ACAPELLA style. The group formed in BROOKLYN in the early 60's and were later discovered by FRANK ZAPPA. They recorded an LP on his STRAIGHT label in 1969 and released further LP's on CAPITAL, MCA, A&M and ELECTRA. They also recorded with a number of other artists, including: STEVIE WONDER, PHOEBE SNOW, DAVID ESSEX and DAVID SOUL

DION AND THE BELMONTS reunited for a well received performance at MADISON SQUARE GARDENS in 1972 and a live recording of the event was issued the following year. THE BELMONTS also issued an ACAPELLA LP without DION on BUDDA RECORDS: '' CIGARS, ACAPELLA, CANDY '' . The record included a wonderful medley of CLASSIC DOO-WOP numbers entitled '' STREET CORNER SYMPHONY '' . A number of DOO-WOP songs were covered by CONTEMPORARY ARTISTS during the course of the era and some became major U.S hits: DONNY OSMOND's reading of the PAUL ANKER song '' PUPPY LOVE '' reached #3 on Billboard in '72. DONNY AND MARIE made #4 on Billboard in '74 with a song originally recorded by DON AND DEWEY in 1957: '' I'm LEAVING IT UP TO YOU ''. ART GARFUNKEL covered a song that was recorded by THE FLAMINGOS 1959 and featured in AMERICAN GRAFFITI '' I ONLY HAVE EYES FOR YOU '' It reached #18 in '75. Other artists had success with ORIGINAL NUMBERS that were inspired by the DOO-WOP sound: '' YESTERDAY ONCE MORE '' by THE CARPENTERS made #2 in 1973. '' SWING YOUR DADDY '' by JIM GILSTRAP reached #10 in 1975 and '' MY ANGEL BABY '' by TOBY BEAU peaked at #13 in 1978. Away from the mainstream JONATHAN RICHMAN & THE MODERN LOVERS offered a whimsical, childlike take on the music of the 50's for the CALIFORNIAN independent BESERKLEY RECORDS . A number of tracks from their late 70's '' ROCK & ROLL WITH THE MODERN LOVERS '' and '' BACK IN YOUR LIFE '' LP's bear the influence of DOO-WOP along with their cover of THE HOLLYWOOD FLAMES '' BUZZ BUZZ BUZZ '' and '' NEW ENGLAND '' { both released as singles in 1978 } 

JONATHAN RICHMAN & THE MODERN LOVERS - '' BUZZ BUZZ BUZZ '' 1978

                                                                  

                                                                 ROLLIN' ROCKABILLIES

'' I Remember very little before 1958 except the big hits, but as I go back and root out the records I find myself marveling at their raw energy and honest emotion ''

GREG SHAW -  From: WHO PUT THE BOMP Fanzine #9 Spring 1972

GREG SHAW had cataloged the SAN FRANCISCO's countercultural ROCK REVOLUTION during the MID to LATE 60's in his INDEPENDENT MAGAZINE '' MOJO NAVIGATOR ''. Much like DON MCLEAN, he felt that ROCK had lost it's way by the end of the decade and looked back to the innocence of the EARLY 50's ROCK for inspiration. In 1970 he instigated a FANZINE with a low print named after a DOO-WOP NOVELTY song by BARRY MANN: '' WHO PUT THE BOMP ''

After the first few issues, he began to include contributions from fellow enthusiasts. Some, like LESTER BANGS and RICHARD MELTZER were associated with the semi mainstream magazine CREEM, others including the ITALIAN born RONNY WEISER, were fellow fanzine fanatics. WEISER had moved to LOS ANGELES in the late 60's and began to publish his ROLLIN' ROCK fanzine around the same time as BOMP 

'' Seeing people like JIM MORRISON and JOE COCKER wearing black leather on stage and doing those gyrations so familiar to GENE VINCENT fans, I cannot help but think of him, especially considering that by their own admission are / were devoted Vincent fanatics. Morrison considered GENE VINCENT and ELVIS PRESLEY his two main influences. Like Gene, Jim was a ' freak ', unlike Gene though, who spontaneously created an uncontrollable excitement on stage, Jim had to resort to fabricated gimmicks in order to stir the same excitement ''

ROCKIN' RONNY WEISER - From: WHO PUT THE BOMP Fanzine #9 Spring 1972

While COLLECTORS in the U.S tended to focus on DOO-WOP, the interest in EUROPE fell on the COUNTRY ROCKERS who by the early 70's were increasingly referred to as ' ROCKABILLIES '. The DUTCH BOOTLEG label COLLECTOR kicked off a run of LP's which focused on ROCABILLY with the comp '' TEN LONG FINGERS '' in 1970. This was followed by three volumes of '' ROCK & ROLL '', two volumes of '' RARE ROCK-A-BILLY '', single volumes of  '' MORE GREAT ROCK '', '' ORIGINAL ROCK '',  and a number that featured individual artists. RON WIESER followed them with his own BOOTLEG of rare ROCKABILLY cuts, then sought out artists who owned the rights to material they recorded in the 50's and re-issued them on his ROLLIN' ROCK label. From there he began to record new material with the artists he tracked down, including RAY CAMPI, MAC CURTIS, CHARLIE FEATHERS and TONY CONN. The records sounded RAW and AUTHENTIC and the labels and cover art were HAND DRAWN. They became sought after items that greatly added to the popularity of the ROCKABILLY CULT in the U.S and AROUND THE WORLD 

RAY CAMPI - '' TORE UP '' 1973

RIPSAW and OLYMPIC were two INDEPENDANT LABELS that were clearly inspired by ROLLIN' ROCK. The former issued some newly recorded, authentic sounding ROCKABILLY 45's by TEX RUBINWOITZ and BILLY HANCOCK and the later legally issued RARE and PREVIOUSLY UNISSUED RECORDINGS from the 50's. NASHVILLE'S GUSTO RECORDS issued compilation's of OBSCURE ROCKABILLY 45's from the FEDERAL, KING, STARDAY and DIXIE labels. SUN RECORDS released PREVIOUSLY UNISSUED RECORDINGS from CHARLIE RICH and NEWLY RECORDED ones by SLEEPY LABEEF. PRIVATE STOCK RECORDS signed NEO ROCKABILLY singer ROBERT GORDON and teamed him up with the 50's guitar hero LINK WRAY. The label issued two LP's in 77' and 78' and RCA put out a further one in 79', but his anticipated crossover to the mainstream failed to materialize. ROCKY BURNETTE would be the only young ROCKABILLY INFLUENCED singer to score a genuine hit record in the 70's . The son of original 50's rocker JOHNNY BURNETTE, released the LP '' THE SON OF ROCK AND ROLL '' on EMI RECORDS in 1979. It had a RADIO FRIENDLY production and the song '' TIRED OF TOEIN' THE LINE '' was issued as a single and peaked at #8 on BILLBOARD

ROCKY BURNETTE - '' TIRED OF TOEIN' THE LINE '' 1979

                                                                    BORN TO BOOGIE 

POST WAR CHICAGO BLUES continued to influence YOUNG WHITE ROCK MUSICIANS and some of the bigger names from the 50's recorded with proteges on BOTH SIDES OF THE ATLANTIC. In 1972 JOHN LEE HOOKER made the '' NEVER GET OUT OF THESE BLUES ALIVE '' LP with a line-up that included VAN MORRISON and ELVIN BISHOP. HOWLIN' WOLF recorded '' LONDON SESSIONS '' in '71 with the assistance of  ERIC CLAPTON, STEVE WINWOOD, CHARLIE WATTS and BILL WYMAN. MUDDY WATERS completed his LONDON SESSION in the following year with a crew that included RORY GALLAGHER, MITCH MITCHELL and GEORGIE FAME

A distinct form of BLUES ROCK developed in the late 60's and rose to prominence in the early part of the next decade. It was based on 12 BAR CHICAGO BLUES but the UNDERLYING SHUFFLE FEEL was augmented with the STRAIGHT EIGHTH notes of ROCK ' N ' ROLL and a HARDER BACKBEAT. Early examples of the sound were: '' FRIED HOCKEY BOOGIE '' by CANNED HEAT { 1968 } , '' NATURAL BORN BUGIE '' by HUMBLE PIE { 1969 },  '' SPIRIT IN THE SKY '' by NORMAN GREENBAUM { 1969 } and '' ROADHOUSE BLUES '' by THE DOORS { 1970 }. The term BOOGIE stuck and bands like ZZ TOP, JOHNNY WINTER, BOB SEGER, BACHMAN-TURNER OVERDRIVE, JO JO GUNNE and BROWNSVILLE STATION became the WEEKEND PARTY MUSIC of choice with WHITE YOUNGSTERS from a BLUE COLLAR BACKGROUND. UK BOOGIE OUTFITS such as BAD COMPANY, FOGHAT and HUMBLE PIE were more popular in the U.S than they were back home as the GLAM ROCK of T.REX, SLADE, SWEET and MOTT THE HOOPLE seemed to perform a corresponding function on this side of the pond. STATUS QUO were an exception to the rule and their brand of HEADS DOWN, NO NONSENCE, UBER BOOGIE gained them a huge home grown following, but little recognition in the U.S. Revived 50's numbers played BOOGIE STYLE included: '' JIM DANDY '' by BLACK OAK ARKANSAS , '' YOUNG BLOOD '' by BAD COMPANY, '' BROWN EYED HANDSOME MAN '' by BULLDOG  and '' JAILHOUSE ROCK '' by ZZ TOP. AUSTRALIA developed a GLAM / BOOGIE hybrid of it's own and the bands involved often played and recorded ROCKIN' 50's COVERS. Examples of this include: BILLY THORPE & THE AZTECS '' LET'S HAVE A PARTY '' , COLOURED BALLS '' WHOLE LOTTA SHAKIN ' ''  BUSTER BROWN's - '' ROLL OVER BEETHOVEN ''  and  '' BONY MARONIE ''  by HUSH 

 BLACK OAK ARKANSAS - '' JIM DANDY '' 1973

 COLOURED BALLS '' WHOLE LOTTA SHAKIN ' '' 1973

 

  

                                                                       

                                                                      ROOTS ROCKERS

THE FLAMING GROOVIES 1973

'' I reckon that in 1980 or so, those of us who survive will look back and view 1968-72 as the years of sterility, mediocracy and excess. And among those who are smashing into the apathy and prolonging the myth of excitement through these dead years of rock are The Flaming Groovies ''

PETE FRAME - ZIGZAG MAGAZINE #25 - OCTOBER 1972

'' I first heard Bo Diddley in 1966. I knew The Rolling Stones were big on this guy and I got a copy of Bo Diddley's '16 Hall Time Greatest Hits ' and flipped over it and played it constantly ''

GEORGE THOROGOOD - NME Magazine -  2008

Not every BLUES INFLUENCED band went down the HARD AND HEAVY route that the BOOGIE ROCKERS followed. THE FLAMING GROOVIES and GEORGE THOROGOOD & THE DESTROYERS both employed a HIGH ENERGY, ROOTSY take on the VINTAGE R ' N B SOUND. THE FLAMING GROOVIES formed in SAN FRANCISCO in the MID 60's. Their self pressed DEBUT EP '' SNEAKERS and the '' SUPERSNAZZ '' LP on EPIC were in the GOOD TIME, NEO JUG BAND mold of THE LOVIN' SPOONFUL, but the band adopted a rougher edged STONES INFLUENCED approach and signed to KAMA SUTRA RECORDS in 1970. They released two CLASSIC ALBUMS for the label '' FLAMINGOW '' { 1970 } and '' TEENAGE HEAD '' { 1971 }. The songs were mostly originals written in the CLASSIC ROCK MODE by vocalist ROY LONEY and guitarist CYRIL JORDAN. The critics raved and the band picked up a cult following, but sales were low. ROY LONEY quit the band, to be replaced by CHRIS WILSON. They headed to the UK in 72' and recorded 4 songs with DAVE EDMUNDS at ROCKFIELD studios: '' SLOW DEATH '' { which had been co-written with LONEY before he departed } and covers of '' TALLAHASSEE LASSIE '', '' MARRIED WOMAN '' and '' GET A SHOT OF RHYTHM AND BLUES ''. The songs were released over 2 singles in the UK and FRANCE. After this the band went for a POWER POP influenced sound and achieved a degree of success before splitting at the end of the decade

GEORGE THOROGOOD was born in WILMINGTON, DELAWARE in 1950. As a TEENAGER he listened to BRITISH BLUES ROCK, picked up the guitar and began to work his way back to the ROOTS OF THE BLUES. By the EARLY 70's he was performing SOLO ACOUSTIC sets inspired by the likes of ROBERT JOHNSON and ELMORE JAMES before moving onto ELECTRIC GUITAR and a HIGH ENERGY mix of CHICAGO BLUES and ROCK ' N ' ROLL augmented by a SMALL BAND. The self titled LP '' GEORGE THOROGOOD AND THE DESTOYERS '' { 1977 } contained mostly BLUES COVERS and displayed his mastery  of SLIDE GUITAR playing. '' MOVE IT ON OVER '' { 1978 } cast the net further and included BO DIDDLEY'S '' WHO DO YOU LOVE '', CHUCK BERRY'S '' IT WASN'T ME '' and HANK WILLIAMS '' MOVE IT ON OVER ''. The band continued to pick up converts into the next decade, playing support slots for THE ROLLING STONES and recording their best remembered song '' BAD TO THE BONE '' in 1982

THE FLAMING GROOVIES '' LITTLE QUEENIE '' LIVE 1972

GEORGE THOROGOOD AND THE DESTOYERS - '' IT WASN'T ME '' LIVE 1979

COCKNEY REBEL - OLD GREY WHISTLE TEST 1974

 

STEVE HARLEY sadly passed away at the age of 73 in FEBRUARY of this year. All major UK NEWS OUTLETS ran obituaries for the singer who made such an impact in the 70's and continued to perform until ill heath forced him to cancel shows in 2023. Inevitably the tributes focused on '' MAKE ME SMILE (COME UP AND SEE ME) '' which was a huge hit in 1975 and remained his most recognized song. Footage of the number being performed on TOP OF THE POPS was shown and served as a reminder that TOTP's appearances featuring his breakthrough hits with COCKNEY REBEL: '' JUDY TEEN '' and '' MR. SOFT '' are currently missing from the BBC ARCHIVE

The band that appeared on both singles split after recording two remarkable LP's: '' THE HUMAN MENANGERIE '' { in 1973 } and '' PSYCHOMODO '' { in 1974 }. Harley's songs and the use of VIOLIN and FENDER RHODES PIANO as lead instruments marked them out as a UNIQUE and INNOVATIVE outfit. They performed live on BBC 2's OLD GREY WHISTLE test in FEBRUARY '74 and happily that footage WAS saved for prosperity. The band played two numbers: '' HIDEAWAY '' and '' MY ONLY VICE ''. They can be found as studio recordings on '' THE HUMAN MENANGERIE '' LP

SLADE ALIVE - EVERYONE'S A WINNER

Published in 1976, '' ROCK ON THE ROAD '' was a collection of essays on some of the major ROCK and POP acts of the day with photos by MICK GOLD. The book contained an excellent contribution from SIMON FRITH who describes how SLADE '' Weaned the hooligans off the football terraces and back into the concert halls '' . FRITH attended their EARLS COURT show in JULY 1973 and GOLD took photos at HAMMERSMITH ODEON in MAY 1974. What follows is an excerpt from the article and all of the photos that originally accompanied it

'' We went down the Kings Road first - a sunny afternoon and elegant accents, the shops were playing David Bowie and everyone looked suitably weary. French coffee and we got the tube at Sloane Square: it was packed with West Ham's North End. On their way rather than coming back, but happy like they'd already won. Scarves waving, shouting, elbowed ribs - no aggro, friendly but private. They knew something we didn't and by the time we reached Earls Court we'd picked up a Terrace Convention. Clenched greetings but they marched from the station at respectful distances. The singing began: rival anthems, graphic rudeness, but still no trouble. It was truce night. In the stadium the terraces came together and the enemy was outside '' 

'' At a football match the energy of the crowd moves in response to what is happening on the field - it is almost possible to follow a game just by listening. Not completely though, because the bond between footballers and their audience is twisted by two factors. First the crowd is not at one: every moment of joy is someone else's moment of frustration, every step forward is someone's mistake. In games of particular excitement or boredom or skill or brutality the contradictory responses of rival fans can create a pitch of tension which quite transcends what is happening on the real pitch - the crowd's energy becomes self-generated. Secondly, although footballers do respond to their crowds, only rarely do they do so exactly. The crowd is willing them to break the limits of their and their comrades' skills, to ignore the reality of the opposition, the pitch, the weather. Mostly they can't and if you do listen to a football match what you hear is brief moments of exhilaration punctured by periods of lull '' 

'' In it's cheerfulness and unselfconscious passion, Slade's concert was much more like a football match than any rock concert I'd ever seen. But it was unlike any football match too - Slade's bond with their audience was total and never broke: there were no twists. It was easy to say why: Slade's crowd was at one, they had all come to see Slade win and there was no opposition, no rival supporters, no reasons for bitterness: and Slade could and did respond to the crowds demands, they had no opponents to trip them, no lumpy turf, and although their musical skills are limited those weren't the skills they needed for this night anyway - skill here was not a matter of technique but of picking up moods and laying them down without missing a beat of the communal stomp '' 

BURUNDI BLACK

 

'' BURUNDI BLACK '' is an early 70's FRENCH 45 that has interesting origins and a far reaching influence. The basis of the track was a ' FIELD RECORDING ' taken in BURUNDI, a small independent state in SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA. The recording was included on the LP '' MUSIQUE DU BURUNDI '' , issued on the FRENCH OCORA LABEL in 1968. It featured the CHANTING and DRUMMING of the people of THE BUKIRASAZI COMMUNE in CENTRAL BURUNDI. The techniques of playing and drum making are passed down from father to son and the music and performance have been used in ceremonies for hundreds of years 

In 1971 a FRENCH RECORD PRODUCER named CLAUDE FRANCOIS augmented the recording with PIANO, CLAVINET and GUITAR parts for a 7'' SINGLE that was issued on BARCLAY RECORDS under the name '' BURUNDI STEIPENSON BLACK ''. The B-SIDE of the record contained an edited version of the original recording

The recording was picked up by CLUB DJ's and became a CULT RECORD in UNDERGOUND DISCOTHEQUES. It also sold well in a number of countries, including the UK where it reached number 31 in the SINGLES CHART. The RHYTHM OF BURUNDI was now ' out of the bag ' and continued to inspire other WESTERN MUSICIANS in the proceeding years. JONI MITCHELL used the same recording of THE BUKIRASAZI DRUMMERS on a song called '' THE JUNGLE LINE ''. The track was included on her 1975 LP '' THE HISSING OF SUMMER LAWNS '' . Sadly, like CLAUDE  FRANCOIS, she proved to be A SNAKE and claimed sole songwriting credit!

'' BURUNDI BLACK '' also proved to be an influence on POST PUNK music in the UK at the start of the next decade. '' C·30 C·60 C·90 GO '' by BOW WOW WOW and '' KINGS OF THE WILD FRONTIER '' by ADAM AND THE ANTS both utilized BURUNDI STYLE TRIBAL DRUMMING. The former was a minor hit towards the end of '81 { reaching number 34 } and the later climbed to number 2 at the start of the following year. The MUSIC PRESS began to use the term  ' BURUNDI BEAT ' and a new arrangement of '' BURUNDI BLACK '' was created by JEAN PHILIPPE ILIESCO with the help of DJ RUSTY EGAN, giving the sound new life on the dancefloor 

The BURUNDI DRUMMERS never received a penny from the SAMPLING of their playing or the CULTERAL APPROPRIATION of their sound and only began to benefit when they were brought to the UK for the first WORLD OF MUSIC, ARTS AND DANCE FESTIVAL in 1982. They displayed their skill and tradition to an enraptured audience and have since conducted TOURS AROUND THE WORLD, recorded THREE ALBUMS and appeared in WERNER HERZOG'S film FITZCARRALDO 

LINK FOR DRUMMERS OF BURUNDI

SPARKS ON THE MIDNIGHT SPECIAL TV SHOW 1974

 

Footage of GROUPS and SINGERS performing on TV SHOWS in the 70's turn up regularly on YouTube. They're always great to see, but more often than not, are unofficial and in fuzzy ' bootleg ' quality. THE MIDNIGHT SPECIAL YOUTUBE CHANNEL began a few months ago and sets a new standard that will hopefully be followed by others. The performances from the LEGENDARY US TV SHOW are all fully remastered and restored from the original tapes and a wealth of great artists from the era are included. A recent addition to this amazing archive is a dazzling four song set from SPARKS that was originally broadcast on November 15, 1974. All four numbers were taken from their third studio album '' KIMONO MY HOUSE ''

The Midnight Special YouTube Channel

STARING AT THE RUDE BOYS WITH COLIN MCGLASHAN

The following is an extract from a SUNDAY TIMES MAGAZINE FEATURE on REGGAE SOUND SYSTEMS in LONDON. It was written by COLIN MCGLASHAN and focuses on the interaction between second generation West Indian teenagers and their white counterparts in East London. The full article was originally published in on 4th FEBURAY 1973

'' East London is different. There is a relationship between black and white. You can taste it in Dalston market and not in Brixton and Shepherds Bush. It is not liberal tolerance, not always even liking. It is respect based on similar values: family, toughness, extrovert warmth. In 1968-9, a new generation of black Cockneys threatened to become the East End's trendsetters. In street football games they picked the sides, scored the goals, settled the arguments. It was a time when what was being peddled as pop music might as well have been Beethoven. ' Underground ' music at two quid something an album, freaky lollipop heroes you couldn't admire...it didn't take down the Mile End Road. In the youth clubs, the black teenagers had what the girls wanted: not super-sexuality, but style, social confidence, and music you could dance to. Out of that equation came the skinheads, London's white Rudies: their music was Reggae

There followed a strange period when black and white girls and boys mixed in the East End's clubs and discos with an ease and casualness you could see nowhere in England, perhaps nowhere at all. It seemed almost impossible to use words like ' integration '. Thanks to the adults, it didn't last

English society has always reacted with paranoia to groups of working-class teenagers in uniform - Teddy-boys, mods and rockers, skinheads. It credits them with starting patterns of delinquency that already exist, with alarmist publicity that ensures imitators to make the myth come true. Paki-bashing wasn't new. It attracted attention only when performed by another visible minority. Once it was unearthed by the media, most East End teenagers couldn't get out of their braces fast enough. While the Midlands and Manchester rushed to buy a cherry-reds and Ben Shermans, down in Bethnal Green you could almost hear the hair grow

What followed was London's great Reggae War. Black teenager's suddenly found youth clubs attractive. Starved for years of anywhere of places that would let them in, they travelled across London to anywhere with good sounds. They arrived twenty, fifty, even a hundred at a time. Some youth leaders with near-empty clubs were delighted: most neighbours weren't. Police virtually picketed some clubs and discos at closing-time: mayhem, predictably followed. White youngsters who had been happy with a one-third black minority, found themselves outnumbered: they fled or called in reinforcements of heavies. The game of musical clubs lasted perhaps nine months. Black teenagers wandered round a shrinking circle of youth clubs that played their music, to the accompaniment of clashes, residents petitions, frantic committee meetings. Most clubs chucked their Reggae records in the dustbin. Segregation returned

But the skinheads had changed something. As late as the spring of 1971, you could see the juniors from the Mile End Mob at Sloopy's Disco or the A-Train, wearing West Indian-inspired gear like long open overcoats { a fad taken up by white youngsters around Brixton and translated into the crombie } and stingy-brim hats. They were dancing hesitantly to reggae and American soul numbers with lyrics like '' going back to Af-ri-ca 'coz I'm black '' . Remembering the generations of West Indians whose teachers obliged them to chant '' Bri-tons never-never-never shall be slaves '', those white youngsters presented a pleasantly ironic spectacle 

No white kid, one of Britain's leading pop gurus told me confidently in 1971, is ever going to dig James Brown, much too strong.... A month later, James Brown's Albert Hall concert drew a sixty per cent white crowd. The black kids listened decorously; it was the ex-skinheads who leapt up and down and danced in the aisles and rushed for chartered buses for his second show in the East End. A devoted minority of white working-class teenagers haunt the Brixton reggae shops. And at Tiffanys, Mecca's archly renamed palais-de-danse at Ilford, there isn't a black face in sight. But peering through the plastic palm-fronds from the balcony, you can spot the thighs that have learned to move to other rhythms, learned, indeed, to dance to a very different drummer. The DJ plays two Otis Reddings and then James Brown. '' And we're really getting it together down there.... A lot of sex machines here tonight. ''

* The photos that accompany this article are screenshots from the documentary film EXTREMES. They show members of an EAST LONDON BLACK STREET GANG called THE BATTERY BOYS, who were being interviewed alongside their WHITE ASSOCIATES. The film was shot in 1970 and released the following year

PUNCH ON THE ROAD - A BBC DOCUMENTARY FROM 1976

'' In May they took a big gamble, they gave up their jobs, got themselves an agent and became full time  professional musicians. That summer was the most exciting time of their lives. There was the possibility of a recording contract and the chance to audition for Opportunity Knocks. they'd all tried to make it before and failed every time, but somehow they thought this time would be different '' 

Bradford's PUNCH were a hard working HARMONY POP band who plied their trade around WORKING MEN'S CLUBS in the NORTH OF ENGLAND. A film crew from THE BBC followed them during the hot summer of '76 as they attempted a step up into the big time

The band are captured playing sets that mainly consist of the popular tunes of the day. At a gig in SUNDERLAND they're rewarded with £43 for playing three 40 minute spots 

'' You brainwash yourself into thinking you're going to make it, otherwise I don't think you would carry on''

The film shows them passing an audition for OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS and their continuous slog the clubs while they search for a record contract. It ends with them playing a cover of the KINCADE hit '' DREAMS ARE TEN A PENNY '' to a receptive audience

'' We all just want to make a better living than we are now. If we didn't get into the top ten and get international recognition, I'm sure if our money went up, we would be happy '' 

WATCH THE FULL DOCUMENTARY ON YOUTUBE:

The promised OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS appearance didn't transpire, but the band secured a RECORD DEAL with the RED BUS label and recorded a song penned by MITCH MURRAY and PETER CALLANDER. The pair had recently scored some big hits for PAPER LACE and '' BALLAD OF THE GOOD LUCK CHARM '' was in a similar vein to those . The single was released in NOVEMBER of that year, but their luck wasn't in and the single failed to chart