THE ROCK 'N' ROLL REVIVAL - PART TWO

AN IN DEPTH LOOK AT THE INFLUENCE OF 50's ROCK 'N' ROLL ON THE ROCK AND POP MUSIC OF THE 1970's 

READ PART ONE HERE

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 

                                           

                                                                THE SOUND OF THE CITY 

ROCK ' N ' ROLL arrived in Europe in the mid 50's as a fully formed entity and for the most part fans were unaware of the origins of the music or how it evolved into the recognizable sound of CLASSIC ROCK. By the late 60's a large amount of vintage 45's were in the hands of collectors and a number of LP's and various artist compilations were freely available. Collectors and fans were becoming aware that the music they once regarded as a homogeneous entity was actually the coming together of a number of regional US forms. In 1970 a book called THE SOUND OF THE CITY was published. It's author CHARLIE GILLETT was an ENGLISH ROCK FAN who had written a thesis on rock history while studying for a master's degree in NEW YORK. It was the most in-depth look into THE HISTORY OF ROCK ' N ' ROLL that had been attempted and five distinct styles of rock were identified : NORTHERN BAND ROCK, NEW ORLEANS DANCE BLUES, MEMPIS COUNTRY ROCK, CHICAGO RHYTHM AND BLUES and VOCAL GROUP ROCK ' N ' ROLL. For each form he identified a popular exemplar. These were in turn: BILL HALEY, FATS DOMINO, ELVIS PRESLEY, CHUCK BERRY and THE PLATTERS

MEMPIS ROCK { or ROCKABILLY } would have a great influence over the next decade. Hundreds of obscure records were discovered, performers were brought out of retirement and new bands formed to play the music as it was relatively easy to master. Likewise VOCAL GROUP ROCK { or DOO-WOP } would continue to have an impact. In the US the songs were endlessly used in movies as a soundtrack to THE POST WAR BOOM YEARS and they also provided hits for several UK VOCAL GROUPS. BILL HALEY continued to be the only celebrated performer of NORTHERN BAND ROCK, but his following was huge {particularly in EUROPE }. He toured regularly and '' ROCK AROUND THE CLOCK '' made the charts on a number of occasions. CHICAGO RHYTHM AND BLUES would have less impact as it had formed the basis of THE MID 60's ROCK BOOM and was already part of the DNA of CONTEMPORARY ROCK MUSIC. In a similar way NEW ORLEANS DANCE BLUES had a fundamental influence on JAMAICAN music from BLUE BEAT through to REGGAE, but in ROCK the nuances of the style often remained too subtle to be perceived unless they closely mimicked the frantic style of LITTLE RICHARD

                                               WOODSTOCK, ALTAMONT and POWIS SQUARE

The US HIPPY COUNTERCULTURE reached its apex with THE WOODSTOCK MUSIC FESTIVAL in AUSUST 1969, but was quickly brought back to earth after the tragic events at ALTAMONT SPEEDWAY in DECEMBER and the trial of THE MANSON FAMILY the following year. HARD ROCK BANDS like THE STOOGES, THE MC5 { both from Detroit } BLUE CHEER { San Francisco } and STEPPENWOLF { Los Angeles } reflected this mood of despondency with their COMBATIVE, HIGH-VOLUME, ROUGH-EDGED sound

Across the Atlantic FREAK ROCK bands like THE PINK FARIES, DEVIANTS, GROUNDHOGS and EDGAR BROUHTON BAND were on a similar wavelength. These bands were closely linked to the UK wing of the COUNTERCULTURE and attracted an audience of STREET HIPPIES who realized that a LEATHER JACKET and a pair of LEVIS offered better protection against a cold English winter than a THREADBARE VELVET SUIT ever could. MICK FARREN of THE DEVIANTS was deeply involved in the movement which centered around the NOTTING HILL / LABROKE GROVE area of LONDON and he simultaneously edited the countercultural bible INTERNATIONAL TIMES

'' For him, the underground was a logical extension of the original rock 'n' roll rebellion. He cared passionately about ELVIS PRESLEY, GENE VINCENT and all the original rockers, and quite rightly thought they should belong in the pantheon along with BUCKMINSTER FULLER, WILLIAM BURROUGHS and JACK KEROUAC '' 

IT founder BARRY MILES quoted from MICK FARREN's Obituary in The Guardian - July 2013

'' I visited MICK FARREN one day. He was always telling me about all this ' property is theft ' stuff. He had some GENE VINCENT LP's that I was rather keen to own, so I said, ' I don't feel as strongly about it as you do, but I'll take these GENE VINCENT LP's '. It turned out that property is theft apart from GENE VINCENT LP's ''

DJ JOHN PEEL quoted in the book DAY'S IN THE LIFE by JONATHAN GREEN - 1988 

The MC5 Revive LITTLE RICHARD's '' TUTTI FRUTTI '' on their 1970 LP '' BACK IN THE USA '' 

THE STOOGES exhumed the BO DIDDLEY Beat for this raw and vital state of the nation address

MICK FARREN - SUMMERTIME BLUES - from '' MONA – THE CARNIVOROUS CIRCUS '' 1970

                  

                                  CROSSING TO THE MAINSTREAM AND THE BEGINNING OF GLAM

 

None of the previously mentioned UK FREAK bands had an eye on crossing over and making a pitch for the singles chart, but a couple of acts with ROOTS IN THE UNDERGROUND did just that. DAVE EDMUNDS cover of '' I HEAR YOU KNOCKING '' { a 50's NEW ORLEANS R 'N B number originally recorded by SMILEY LEWIS } topped the UK SINGLES CHART for six weeks in 1970. EDMUNDS recorded in the newly opened ROCKFIELD STUDIOS using the sound of SUN RECORDS as a template. The music of MUNGO JERRY was based on SKIFFLE / JUG BAND BLUES and EARLY ROCK. Their GOOD TIME sound proved to be extremely popular. '' IN THE SUMMERTIME '' topped the charts for seven weeks in 1970 and the follow up '' BABY JUMP '' held the NUMBER 1 spot for two weeks the following year. 

T. REX were the other UNDERGROUND act that CROSSED OVER at this time. '' RIDE A WHITE SWAN '' reached NUMBER 2 at the start of 1971 and the follow up '' HOT LOVE '' made number one and stayed there for 6 weeks. The 12 BAR ROCKABILLY feel of '' RIDE A WHITE SWAN '' and the '' ALL SHOOK UP '' vocal lift coupled with '' HEARTBEAK HOTEL '' middle eight in '' HOT LOVE '' showed that MARC BOLAN was captivated by VINTAGE ROCK, but he wasn't simply recycling it . His distinctive quivering vocal style, mystical lyrics and TONY VISCONTI's string laden productions helped to elevate his recordings into a different realm from those of his ROOTS ROCK contemporaries. He didn't share their workmanlike BLUE DENIM look and he emanated sex appeal and star quality

'' The way he moves really gets me. His curls stick to his forehead with the perspiration. Then there's the way he wriggles. His body actually ripples. It's too much. He pumps feeling into you. You just let yourself go. And his clothes are fantastic. He dresses to suit his body and his beautiful face. People knock him for wearing women's shoes but he wears what suits him. He doesn't care about anybody else ''

15-year-old Bolan fan NOELLE PARR quoted in THE MELODY MAKER - June 1972

Subsequent hits in '71 / '72: '' GET IT ON '', '' JEEPSTER '', '' TELEGRAM SAM '', '' METAL GURU '' and '' SOLID GOLD EASY ACTION '' stuck to the same R 'N' R based formula. '' CHILDREN OF THE REVOLUTION '', '' 20TH CENTURY BOY '', '' THE GROOVER'' and '' TRUCK ON { TYKE }'' moved in a HEAVIER direction. '' TEENAGE DREAM '', '' DREAMY LADY '' and '' DANDY IN THE UNDERWORLD '' all used the C Am F G / SLOW ROCK template and both '' NEW YORK CITY '' and  '' I LOVE TO BOOGIE '' marked a return to the 12 BAR / ROCKABILLY format. He also performed covers of '' SUMMERTIME BLUES '' { EDDIE COCHRAN }, DO YOU WANNA DANCE '' { BOBBY FREEMAN }, '' TEENAGER IN LOVE '' { FRANKIE LYMON } and '' ENDLESS SLEEP '' { JODY REYNOLDS } . The later was performed twice in the MARC TV SERIES broadcast shortly before his tragic death in 1977

T.REX - HOT LOVE - TOP OF THE POPS 1971

MARC BOLAN - ENDLESS SLEEP - THE MARC TV SHOW 1977

                                                             

                                                              BOWIE and SLADE

DAVID BOWIE had been a friend of MARC BOLAN since the mid 60's. He had also dabbled with the HIPPY FOLK SINGER / SONGWRITER style, but Little Richard had been his initial inspiration and the '' RISE AND FALL OF ZIGGY STARDUST ''  concept LP { inspired by British ROCK ' N ' ROLL singer VINCE TAYLOR } made the top 5 and earned him a fanatical following. '' HANG ON TO YOURSELF '' had been written with GENE VINCENT in mind and '' SUFFRAGETTE CITY '' was similarly rocking, but the remaining tracks were written in a variety of styles. He returned to the ROCKABILLY feel for '' JOHN I'M ONLY DANCING '' and '' THE JENE GENIE '' , but experimented with numerous forms during the decade and became one of the UK's biggest stars

SLADE broke through on 45 with a cover of LITTLE RICHARD's '' GET DOWN AND GET WITH IT ''. Vocalist NODDY HOLDER's hollering vocal style was based on RICHARD, but the bands self- penned 45's tended to alternate between the HARD ROCK of THE ROLLING STONES and the MELODIC ROCK of the BEATLES.  Digging deeper: LP cuts like the storming '' WE'RE REALLY GONNA RAISE THE ROOF '' and '' THEM KINDA MONKEYS CAN'T SWING '' show the RICHARD influence and they covered 50's R ' N ' B numbers like '' LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL /  I FEEL SO GOOD { SHIRLEY AND LEE } and  '' JUST A LITTLE BIT '' { ROSCO GORDON }. An ELVIS medley  comprising of '' MY BABY LEFT ME / THAT'S ALL RIGHT '' was chosen for a rare non band penned single in 1977. SLADE were huge in the UK during the GLAM ERA and their record sales were only beaten by T.REX

  DAVID BOWIE - HANG ON TO YOURSELF

 

 SLADE - GET DOWN AND GET WITH IT

                                                            

                                                                 GARY  GLITTER 

Towards the end of 1971 singer PAUL GADD and producer MIKE LEANDER set about recording a track which they hoped would evoke the 50's ROCK ERA. JUKE BOXES, BLUE SUEDE SHOES and PONY TAILS were called out in the lyrics which were sung over a LOOPED TRIBAL DRUM BEAT and a STRIPPED DOWN HARD ROCK / BOLERO GUITAR RIFF. GADD had been recording since 1960. He was pushing 30 and lacked any obvious sex appeal, so he decided to play it tongue in cheek, calling himself GARRY GLITTER and affecting a HIGH CAMP approach to performance

'' I decided to try and get back to the initial flash I'd received from the first ROCK ' N ' ROLL I'd heard. Back to being 15 again. The very first ROCK ' N ' ROLL Thrill ''

GARRY GLITTER explaining the inspiration behind '' ROCK AND ROLL PARTS 1 and 2 '' to THE NME in 1974

The track was edited into two parts .The B-Side { Part 2 } proved popular in the clubs and 3 months after release it peaked at NUMBER 2. A ' GLITTER BAND ' { which included two drummers } was put together to back him on live dates and TV appearances, but only the sax players appeared on the records that followed

 GARY GLITTER– ROCK AND ROLL PARTS 1 And 2 

The public now regard GLITTER as a ' hate figure ' due to his subsequent imprisonment for sexual offences, but from the early to mid 70's he was a hugely successful performer with a number of top selling records. These included high energy ROCK ' N ' ROLL numbers like '' I'M THE LEADER OF THE GANG { I AM } '', '' HELLO, HELLO I'M BACK AGAIN '' and '' ALWAYS YOURS ''. ROCK BALLADS like '' I LOVE, YOU LOVE, ME LOVE '' and '' OH YES! YOU'RE BEAUTIFUL '' and MID TEMPO STOMPERS such as '' I DIDN'T KNOW I LOVED YOU { TILL I SAW YOU ROCK AND ROLL} '', '' DO YOU WANNA TOUCH ME? { OH YEAH!} '' and '' DOING ALRIGHT {WITH THE BOYS}. He also recorded a number of R ' N ' R CLASSICS including: '' THE WANDERER ''  { DION } , '' SCHOOL DAYS '' { CHUCK BERRY } and '' MONEY HONEY '' { ELVIS } 

 GARY GLITTER - ALWAYS YOURS

                                                      

                                                        THE GLITTER BAND / HELLO

THE GLITTER BAND's debut LP '' HEY! '' contained covers of '' TELL HIM '' { THE EXCITERS }, '' SEA CRUISE '' { FRANKIE FORD }, '' ALL I HAVE TO DO IS DREAM '' { THE EVERLY BROTHERS }, '' TWISTING THE NIGHT AWAY '' { SAM COOKE } and SEALED WITH A KISS { BRIAN HYLAND }. Producer  MIKE LEANDER recorded another version of  '' TELL HIM '' with a band of TEENAGERS called HELLO and it peaked at NUMBER 6 

THE GLITTER BAND - SEA CRUISE

 HELLO - TELL HIM

                                                                      ALVIN STARDUST

Singer BERNARD JEWRY already had some minor hits in the early 60's as SHANE FENTON and a couple of flops as JO JO ELLIS under his belt when he adopted the name ALVIN STARDUST and a GENE VINCENT inspired LEATHER CLAD image. A number of ROCK ' N ' ROLL inspired GLAM HITS followed.  '' MY COO-CA-CHOO '' { NUMBER 2 at the end of 1973 } ,  '' JEALOUS MIND '' { NUMBER 1 in FEB '74 } and '' YOU YOU YOU '',  '' TELL ME WHY '', '' GOOD LOVE CAN NEVER DIE '' and '' SWEET CHEATIN' RITA '' { all of which went TOP 10 in '74 / '75 } 

  ALVIN STARDUST - JEALOUS MIND 

  ALVIN STARDUST - LIVE ON THE WHEELTAPPERS AND SHUNTERS SOCIAL CLUB

                                                   

                                                    

                                                         

                                                            THE CHINNICHAP HITS BLITZ

The hugely successful SONGWRITING / PRODUCTION TEAM of NICKY CHINN and MIKE CHAPMAN also drew heavily on THE 50's ROCK ERA. They had a couple of hits with THE SWEET in the BUBBLEGUM style before looking towards THE GLAM WAVE with '' LITTLE WILLY '' in 1972. At their heart SWEET were an accomplished HARD ROCK band but were more than happy to record the material they were given and don outlandish outfits to promote them. The follow up '' WIG WAM BAM '' was based around a DUANE EDDY RIFF . '' BLOCKBUSTER '' { based on '' I'M A MAN '' by BO DIDDLEY } and '' BALLROOM BLITZ '' { inspired by '' LET'S STOMP '' by BOBBY COMSTOCK } were huge sellers. Their 1974 STUDIO LP contained a great cover of '' PEPPERMINT TWIST '' { JOEY DEE } and the amazing self-penned '' REBEL ROUSER ''. Based on a '' SOMETHIN' ELSE '' styled riff, the song defined THE GLAM APPROPRIATION of 50'S ROCK

'' WHO IS THE FACE THAT'S GONNA SET THE PACE, 

I'M A ROCKER, I'M A ROLLER, I'M AN OUTER SPACE ''

 SWEET - REBEL ROUSER

SWEET broke free from the grip of  CHINNICHAP, but SUZI QUATRO and MUD replaced them. Both were produced by MICKY MOST and the records were released on his RAK label. '' CAN THE CAN '' , '' DEVIL GATE DRIVE '', '' DAYTONA DEMON '' and '' WILD ONE '' all had a 12 BAR / 50's ROCKIN' feel to them and were big hits for the leather clad QUATRO. Her LP cuts included '' ALL SHOOK UP '' ,and '' TROUBLE '' { both ELVIS }, '' SHAKIN ALL OVER { JOHNNY KIDD }, '' A SHOT OF RYTHUM AND BLUES '' { ARTHUR ALEXANDER }, '' KEEP A-KNOCKIN' { LITTLE RICHARD } and '' MOVE IT '' { CLIFF RICHARD } 

 SUZI QUATRO - DEVIL GATE DRIVE

After a couple of eclectic sounding minor hits, MUD moved towards the VINTAGE ROCK / GLAM sound with '' DYNAMITE '' which made NUMBER 4 at the end of '73. '' TIGER FEET '' , '' LONELY THIS CHRISTMAS '' and their DOO_WOP style cover of '' OH BOY '' all reached NUMBER 1. '' THE CAT CREPT IN '' , '' ROCKET '' and '' THE SECRETS THAT YOU KEEP '' all made THE TOP 5

 MUD - ROCKET

MUD were a fun band that commanded attention, decked out in bright TEDDY BOY SUITS while they did THE SHADOWS WALK. Singer LES GRAY took things a step further than the CAMP of GARY GLITTER, playing it for laughs while he channeled his INNER ELVIS. They appealed to parents who remembered the ORIGINAL ROCK ERA as well as their kids, recording two whole LPs of R ' N ' R covers { MUD ROCK 1 and 2 } 

                                                    

                                                                            WIZZARD 

'73 was a great year for former MOVE / ELO man ROY WOOD. His band WIZZARD made NUMBER 6 in January with '' BALL PARK INCIDENT '' and '' SEE MY BABY JIVE '' , '' ANGEL FINGERS '' and '' I WISH IT COULD BE CHRISTMAS EVERYDAY '' all went to NUMBER 1. The records used 50's ROCK as a template and utilized a PHIL SPECTOR type ' WALL OF SOUND '' production. Their '' WIZZARD BREW '' LP followed the same format and the follow up '' INTRODUCING EDDY AND THE FALCONS '' took things further. All the tracks were written as tributes to 1950s and early 1960s rock and roll musicians and the sleeve depicted the band wearing ROCKER GARB in a mocked up 50's CAFE, complete with a JUKEBOX and JAMES DEAN poster adorning the wall

 WIZZARD - BALL PART INCIDENT

 

                                                                  

                                                                  MOTT THE HOOPLE

'' We were in Memphis and it was something to do. My heroes were always LITTLE RICHARD, JERRY LEE LEWIS, and DYLAN. But it was there, it was ELVIS '' 

IAN HUNTER on his midnight foray into the grounds of GRACELANDS MANSION during MOTT THE HOOPLE's 1972 US TOUR

IAN HUNTER had been a member of the revivalist band AT LAST THE 1958 ROCK ' N ' ROLL SHOW and as front man of MOTT THE HOOPLE was also at the vanguard of the GLAM REIMAGINING  of THE EARLY YEARS OF ROCK ' N ' ROLL. '' HONALOOCHIE BOOGIE '', '' ALL THE WAY FROM MEMPHIS '', '' ROLL AWAY THE STONE '' and '' THE GOLDERN AGE OF ROCK ' N ' ROLL '' all showed the influence of the NEW ORLEANS RHYTHM & BLUES sound

 MOTT THE HOOPLE - ALL THE WAY FROM MEMPHIS

                                                     DANCING ON A SATURDAY NIGHT

Songwriter BARRY BLUE had hits with '' DANCIN' { ON A SATURDAY NIT } '' in 73 and '' SCHOOL LOVE '' in '74. The former was a BOUZOUKI DANCE / DOO-WOP hybrid and the later much closer to the genuine DOO-WOP format. '' CROCODILE ROCK '' by ELTON JOHN was another number that looked back to the sound and was in turn the inspiration behind '' GOOD GRIEF CHRISTINA '' by CHICORY TIP. An incredible GLAM / MOOG recording that lifted from the DOO-WOP NOVELTY '' PAPA OOM MOW MOW '' by THE RIVINGTONS 

'' GOOD GRIEF CHRISTINA 

  HOW COME YOU NEVER HEARD OF ROCK ' N ' ROLL    

  GOOD GRIEF CHRISTINA  

  HOW COME IT NEVER MADE IT TO YOUR SOUL

  I SEE YOU STANDING ROUND WHEN THE MUSIC'S SO HOT 

  WITH A BEAT LIKE THAT OF GOOD TIME ROCK    

  THEY'RE BRINGING IT BACK LIKE IT USED TO BE  

  COME AND SING THIS RIFF WITH ME ''

 CHICORY TIP - GOOD GRIEF CHRISTINA

'' TOUCH TOO MUCH '' by ARROWS was another great CHINNICHAP / MICKY MOST product that hinged around an EDDIE COCHRON type riff. It reached NUMBER 8 in mid '74. Sadly, the BO DIDDLEY styled follow up '' TOUGHEN UP '' did less well and the bands own '' I LOVE ROCK ' N ' ROLL sunk without trace { but it later became a huge hit for JOAN JET }

 ARROWS - TOUCH TOO MUCH

                                                            

                                                        DO THE JUKEBOX JIVE

WAYNE BICKERTON and TONY WADDINGTON wrote the song '' SUGAR BABY LOVE '' for a ROCK ' N ' ROLL MUSICAL. They recorded it with vocalist PAUL DA VINCI and a group of session musicians and eventually put a band together { minus DA VINCI } in order to promote it. A suitably DOO-WOP sounding name was chosen for the group and THE RUBETTES had a NUMBER 1 in NOVEMBER 1974. An LP '' WEAR IT WELL '' followed and contained a number of songs that were seemingly written for the aborted musical, such as: '' WAY BACK IN THE 50's '', '' ROCK IS DEAD { BUT IT WON'T LIE DOWN '' and '' TONIGHT '' . The later was selected for their follow up 45. It reached NUMBER 12 and two songs from the second LP '' JUKE BOX JIVE '' and '' I CAN DO IT '' were similarly styled and reached NUMBER 3 and NUMBER 7 respectively

 THE RUBETTES - JUKE BOX JIVE

'' SATURDAY NIGHT '' { a track from THE RUBETTES '' WEAR IT WELL '' LP } was given to the EDINBURGH based BILBO BAGGINS. None of their singles broke through, but the bands manager TAM PATON'S other act THE BAY CITY ROLLERS had some of the biggest selling singles of the decade. Their sound also relied on a MELODIC 50's ROCK / HARMONY VOCAL template. The bands breakthrough hits: '' REMEMBER { SHA-LA-LA-LA-LA }, '' SUMMERLOVE SENSATION ;'' SHANG-A-LANG '' and '' ALL OF ME LOVES ALL OF YOU '' were written and produced by BILL MARTIN & PHIL COULTER. When the ROLLERS jumped ship in 1975, the team continued having hits with KENNY and SLICK

 BILBO BAGGINS - SATURDAY NIGHT

 BAY CITY ROLLERS - SHANG-A-LANG

 KENNY - JULIE ANN

 SLICK - THE KIDS A PUNK

                                                       

                                                                   THE JUNKSHOP BOP

Aside from the big names, a multitude of GLAM ROCK records were released in the early to mid 70's and many display the influence of 50's ROCK. The following is a tiny selection out of the mountain of FUTURE FIFTIES / SPACEAGE ROCK ' N ' ROLL discs that FANS and COLLECTORS continue to unearth 

HARLEY QUINNE '' NEW ORLEANS '' 1972 - A great rocking cover of the GARY U.S BONDS number

KING BEDROCK AND THE RAJAH BAND - '' BEDROCK BOOGIE '' 1973 - An INSTRUMENTAL ROCKER that sounds like it was inspired by JOHNNY AND THE HARRICANES. Written and produced by RICHARD HEWSON who later re-worked it into the GLAM / SYNTH hit '' THE CRUNCH '' { as the RAH BAND } in '77

LORENZA JOHNSON '' MR. TEASER '' 1973 - A FRANTIC PARTY ROCKER with great BRENDA LEE style vocals, UPFRONT PIANO RIFFS and LOCOMOTIVE SNARE ROLLS

ROCK REBELLION '' LET'S GO '' 1973 - A cool update of the ROUTERS classic INSTRUMENTAL ROCKER for the GLAM ERA

ELI CUTHBERTSON '' I NEED YOUR LOVE TONIGHT '' 1974 - A HARD ROCKIN' GLAM cover of the ELVIS number featuring the awesome ' I can't believe t's not the King ' voice of MR CUTHBERTSON

DALSTON DIAMONDS '' KAMIKAZI KRAZY '' 1975 - A FAST PACED ROCKER that matches the piano attack of JERRY LEE LEWIS with the beat of  '' TIGER FEET ''

GEOFF APPLEBY '' HEY SADIE '' 1976 - A wonderful WIZZARD inspired slice of PHIL SPECTOR ROCK

TERRY WEBSTER '' ROCK ' N ' ROLL WE LOVE YOU '' 1976 - A great DANNY AND THE JUNIORS meet THE BEACH BOYS vocal harmony R ' N ' R number that was tucked away on the B-Side of the GLAM / DISCO crossover number: '' I WANT TO SEE YOU DANCING '' 

                                                                      SHOWADDYWADDY 

SHOWADDYWADDY were a band that bridged the gap between the GLAM BANDS that were influenced by 50's ROCK and a number of groups who focused on making music close to the ORIGINAL ARTICLE. They formed in the town of LEICESTER and started playing the CLUB CIRCUIT in SEPTEMBER 1973. The band wore BRIGHT PASTEL COLOURED TEDDY BOY SUITS, their act was SLICKLY CHOREOGRAPHED and their set consisted solely of CLASSIC 50's ROCK COVERS. In November they took their SHA NA NA style act onto a TV TALENT SHOW called NEW FACES. They were noticed by MANAGER / PRODUCER MIKE HURST who signed them, persuaded them to write new material and struck a deal with BELL RECORDS { home to GARY GLITTER , THE GLITTER BAND and HELLO }. Their initial 45s were in the GLAM / 50's R ' N ' R crossover style. '' HEY ROCK AND ROLL '' peaked at NUMBER 2 in mid '74 and '' ROCK ' N ' ROLL LADY '' , '' SWEET MUSIC '' and '' HEY MR CHRISTMAS '' all made the top 20. They returned to covers in 1975 with '' THREE STEPS TO HEAVEN '' and '' HEARTBEAT '' and were rewarded with another couple of TOP 10 HITS. After that they pretty much returned to their R 'N ' R REVIVAL base and continued to bag hits, mostly with covers of DOO-WOP STANDARDS

 SHOWADDYWADDY - HEY ROCK AND ROLL - 1974

 SHOWADDYWADDY - UNDER THE MOON OF LOVE - 1976

                                                                 REDDIES FOR TEDDIES

The UK TEDDY BOY look evolved during the EARLY 50's prior to the arrival of ROCK ' N ' ROLL, but when it reached the UK in the middle of the decade it became their music of choice. The look had died out by THE MID SIXTIES and THE ROCKERS or TON-UP BOYS were seen to be holding the torch for VINTAGE ROCK at that time. By the EARLY 70's the influence of the US HELLS ANGELS had taken hold and the look of THE ROCKERS changed. Hair was GROWN LONG, LEATHER JACKETS were adorned with MULTIPLE CHAINS, STUDS and IRON CROSSES and CONTEMPORARY HARD ROCK bands like BLACK SABBATH and DEEP PURPLE became the new soundtrack. A relatively small group of men in their early to late 20's began to revive THE TEDDY BOY LOOK . They had been too young to participate THE FIRST TIME ROUND, but the style was familiar to them. The music was more closely linked to the fashion than it had been in the fifties and dressing as a TED now marked you out as a true ROCK ' N ' ROLL FAN

                     A group of  ' Authentic ' TEDDY BOYS - Inside The Black Raven Pub - London 1969

A network of nights dedicated to the music started in the LATE 60's and continued to grow in the 70's. These were run BY FANS FOR FANS and were held in PUB FUNTION ROOMS, COMMUNITY CENTERS and WOKING MENS CLUBS. An increasing number of FEMALES and TEENAGERS began to JOIN THE PARTY. Off the peg DRAPES began to appear, These were often made in brighter colours than tradition dictated and were eagerly snapped up by the TEENAGE MALES as the look evolved. ELEPHANT TRUNK QUIFFS grew ever longer and the D.A spilled over the rear shirt collar. Shirts with POINTED COLLARS were adopted and CREEPER SHOES were worn in a variety of colours. FEMALES were more likely to dress in a MIX and MATCH of different styles. SIXTIES BEEHIVE or BOBBED HAIRCUTS were seen as often as 50's PONYTAILS and an outfit could consist of a DRAPE JACKET teamed with a 60's MINI DRESS and 70's CALF LENGTH BOOTS 

 TEDDY BOYS AND GIRLS AT THE LONG BAR  – SOUTHEND-ON-SEA  - 1972

The TED image was increasingly being used on the COVER ART of OLDIES COMPILATIONS and TEDS were being sought as extras for MOVIES, TV SHOWS and MAGAZINE SHOOTS. To help meet the demand DJ's WAXY MAXY NEEDHAM and JAILHOUSE JOHN ALEXANDER set up a ' RENT A TED ' agency 

           

            Ted Exploitation Sleeves for Budget Price Compilation LPs on Golden Hour, Contour and MFP

Photoshoot for ' Top Shelf ' Men's Publication GAME MAGAZINE - 1974

                              

                                                       

                                                          THE ROCK ' N ' ROLL ALLSTARS

                                    

In addition to his DJ'ing and Ted Agency, WAXY MAXY also wrote a ROCK ' N ' ROLL COLUMN for RECORD MIRROR and managed THE ROCK ' N ' ROLL ALLSTARS. The band were  AUTHENTIC sounding and came from the TED / R ' N ' R underground. The B & C LABEL signed them in the hope they could be sold to a wider audience. Their cover of '' GET IT ON ''  was released in 1971 before most had considered jumping on the GLAM bandwagon. The band split in 1972 after releasing an LP housed in a NOVELTY RED CHINESE / CHAIRMAN MAO SLEEVE

 

 ROCK ' N ' ROLL  ALLSTARS - GET IT ON - 1971

 

   

                                                      SHAKIN' STEVENS AND THE SUNSETS   

               

CHAIRMAN MAO didn't make the sleeve of '' A LEGEND '',  the 1970 debut LP by SHAKIN' STEVENS AND THE SUNSETS, even though the band were managed by a CARD-CARRYING COMMUNIST! The man in question was the CARDIFF BASED entrepreneur PAUL BARRET who got the WELSH band onto the LONDON gig circuit where they were spotted by DJ JOHN PEEL. A deal on his DANDEILION label was mooted and demos were cut, but the band held out and their debut LP was eventually produced by DAVE EDMUNDS and released on PALROPHONE. The sleeve showed them dressed in TEDDY BOY SUITS and the songs were covers, mostly obscure and within the ROCKABILLY genre. The band were pleased with the authentic SUN production, but not so happy when EDMUNDS recorded his own version of one of the songs: '' I HEAR YOU KNOCKING '' and had a huge hit with it. The band continued to release LP's and were a popular live attraction both in the UK and on the continent. '' LONESOME TOWN '' made the DUTCH TOP 20 in '74 and the FRENCH ONLY release '' FRANTIC '' from '75 was their wildest and most powerful moment. In 1977 STEVENS joined the cast of '' ELVIS! THE MUSICAL ''. The band folded and he became a solo artist and appeared in the revival of JACK GOOD's '' OH! BOY '' TV SERIES. Things took off for him during the 80's and he reached NUMBER 1 on 4 occasions and had numerous TOP 20 HITS

 SHAKIN' STEVENS AND THE SUNSETS ON THE GEORDIE SCENE TV SHOW - 1974

 SHAKIN' STEVENS AND THE SUNSETS - FRANTIC - 1975

THE WILD ANGELS were an AUTHENTIC band that broke out of the SPECIALIST R ' N ' R CLUB CIRCUIT. Another popular live act that signed to the B & G LABEL, before switching to DECCA and cutting an EP of songs from GREASE the BROADWAY MUSICAL. The musical was staged in LONDON in 1973 and the group joined the cast. The following year they put out a cover of '' CLAP YOUR HANDS AND STOMP YOUR FEET '', a GLAM styled number which had been a DUTCH hit for BONNIE ST. CLAIRE

ROCK ISLAND LINE were a TED band who released a couple of 45's on DJM. The first of which '' ROCK ON MAN '' found it's way onto the soundtrack of the movie '' THREE FOR ALL ''. They also appeared in the movie '' THAT'LL BE THE DAY '' playing a cover of '' JAILHOUSE ROCK'' 

 WILD ANGELS - CLAP YOUR HANDS AND STAMP YOUR FEET

 ROCK ISLAND LINE - ROCK ON MAN

FUMBLE were a ROCK REVIVAL band who were produced by MIKE HURST prior to his involvement with SHOWADDYWADDY. They released a number of singles and LP's on a variety of labels and supported DAVID BOWIE on his 1972 TOUR of the USA. They also joined SHAKIN' STEVENS in the cast of '' ELVIS! THE MUSICAL '' and the revival of JACK GOOD's '' OH! BOY '' TV SERIES. Today they are probably best remembered for their eye catching LP SLEEVES 

 FUMBLE - GET UP 

     FUMBLE LP Sleeves Designed by The HIPGNOSIS Group 

                                                     LONG TALL ERNIE AND THE SHAKERS

In 1972 A DUTCH PROG ROCK BAND called THE MOAN created an ALTER EGO 50's ROCK REVIVAL ACT. At gigs they would finish their set, then go backstage, SLICK THEIR HAIR BACK, don ROCKER GEAR  and return as LONG TALL ERNIE AND THE SHAKERS. It was a tongue in cheek move that went down so well that THE MOANS were put on hold and the band dedicated themselves full time to being the SHAKERS. The band assumed the role of a GANG OF REPROBATES on stage and a SPOOF DOCUMENTARY { which formed part of a DUTCH SATIRICAL TV SHOW } showed them PLAYING WITH KNIVES, PIMPING and BRAWLING IN A CAFE. The band lasted for 10 years, during which they released a number of LP's and a few of their singles made THE DUTCH TOP 20. They also had a following in GERMANY and toured THE UK. Their BASSIST left in 1975 to form HANK THE KNIFE & THE JETS. This breakaway band released a couple of 45's that used DUANE EDDY influenced BASS LICKS: '' GUITAR KING '' and '' STAN THE GUNMAN ''.  Both of them went down well and managed to outsell anything that THE SHAKERS had released

 LONG TALL ERNIE AND THE SHAKERS - KISS ME BABY

 HANK THE KNIFE & THE JETS - TOPPOP TV SHOW - 1975

                                                              

                                                                       TEDDY PALMER

TEDDY PALMER & THE RUMBLE BAND were a NORTHERN IRISH ACT that came out of THE SHOWBAND scene. SHOWBANDS were DANCE BANDS that played a variety of styles ranging from ROCK 'N ' ROLL, COUNTRY and JAZZ through to TRADITIONAL IRISH DANCE MUSIC. THE RUMBLE BAND formed in 1969 and mostly played OLD ROCK ' N ' ROLL standards mixed with the POP HIT'S of the day. They also moonlighted under the name of TREMBLIN' TED AND THE ROCKERS,  performing CLASSIC ROCK NUMBERS while dressed in VINTAGE TEDDY BOY garb. They broke through to THE BALLROOMS of the south around '72 / '73 where they caught the attention of former THIN LIZZY manager PETER BARTON. They signed with him, adopted a GLAM ROCK image and began to release records on POLYDOR. The bands subsequent 45's '' HELL OF A FUSS ON THE LATE NIGHT BUS '' { which featured in THE CONFESSIONS OF A POP PERFORMER movie }, '' TEDDY BEAR '', '' SUMMER LOVE '' and '' IS EVERYBODY HAPPY '' were all in the GLAM ' N ' ROLL style and an LP { mostly consisting of ROCK COVERS } was also released. As a solo artist PALMER covered the ELVIS number '' BLUE CHRISTMAS '' and recorded the excellent '' TEDDY '' LP for ID RECORDS in 1978

 TEDDY PALMER & THE RUMBLE BAND - TEDDY BEAR

 TEDDY PALMER & THE RUMBLE BAND - HELL OF A FUSS ON THE LATE NIGHT BUS

 TEDDY PALMER - BRING BACK ROCK ' N ' ROLL

                                                                     REMEMBER THIS

Perhaps the greatest 70's JUNKSHOP BOPPER was '' ROCK ' N ' ROLL REVIVAL '' by REMEMBER THIS. A great R ' N ' R tribute number with GENE VINCENT style vocals and a PUNCHY GLAM ROCK production, released on THE PENNY FATHING LABEL in 1975. The band also appeared on ' THE WHEELTAPPERS AND SHUNTERS SOCIAL CLUB ' TV SHOW, playing a high energy medley of CHUCK BERRY numbers with a leather clad couple upfront, showing off all the 50's DANCE MOVES. A year later the band released an LP of CLASSIC ROCK covers on the DANISH SONET LABEL, but that appears to have been the end of their Journey unless { like many others } they continued to play the clubs?

 REMEMBER THIS - ROCK ' N ' ROLL REVIVAL

 REMEMBER THIS - LIVE ON THE WHEELTAPPERS AND SHUNTERS SOCIAL CLUB

*** THE INFLUENCE OF 50's ROCK ' N ' ROLL ON THE BROADER POP WORLD OF THE 70's WILL BE EXAMINED IN PART THREE ***

JOHNNY BRISTOL - NOT A FACSIMILE

JOHNNY BRISTOL enjoyed a creative and successful period as a SONGWRITER / PRODUCER working for  TAMLA MOTOWN from the late 60's onward. He co-produced '' AIN'T NO MOUNTAIN HIGH ENOUGH '' for MARVIN GAYE and TAMMI TERREL and also co-wrote and produced '' MY WHOLE WORLD ENDED { THE MOMENT YOU LEFT ME } for DAVID RUFFIN, '' TWENTY FIVE MILES '' for EDWIN STARR,  SOMEDAY WE'LL BE TOGETHER '' for THE SUPREMES and '' WHAT DOES IT TAKE { TO WIN YOUR LOVE } for JNR WALKER. He left MOTOWN in '73 and continued to produce records for CBS. When the company were unwilling to back him as a solo artist, he struck a deal with MGM and they released his Debut LP '' HANG ON IN THERE BABY '' the following year. The title track reached the US top ten when it was released on 45 and was hugely successful on the dancefloor. Today it's seen as one of the key records of the EARLY DISCO ERA 

The LP included a number of great DISCO / FUNK and DEEP SOUL BALLADS, but BRISTOL choose the COUNTRY / SOUL number '' MEMORIES DONT LEAVE LIKE PEOPLE DO '' as the follow up. He clearly had great enthusiasm for the song as he had already produced a version for JERRY BUTLER and later did the same for JOHNNY MATHIS and TOM JONES .Unfortunately his his own version failed to register in the same way that '' HANG ON IN THERE '' had . The LP contained another COUNTRY / SOUL number that had an unusual BAROQUE feel: '' LOVE ME FOR A REASON ''. The track was placed at the end of the LP and it fades into a reprise of the opening cut '' WOMAN, WOMAN ''. That could have been the end of the story, but the song was given to another MGM act: THE OSMONDS. Producer MIKE CURB went for a more straightforward sound for their recording and dropped the harpsichord / flute feature which was reminiscent of '' I DON'T KNOW HOW TO LOVE HIM '' from the musical '' JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR ''. Two hit versions of that song had been recorded { one by cast member YVONNE ELLIMAN and another by HELEN REDDY } and to cloud things further: the melody was presumed to have been lifted from a violin concerto by ' Bach fanboy ' FELIX MENDELSSOHN

The OSMONDS were at the height of their success and the gifted song eased into the US top 10. In the UK it did even better, reaching the number 1 spot where it joined '' HANG ON IN THERE '' in the TOP 5. Ironically it's possibly still the only hit pop song to contain the word FACSIMILE!