MUSIC MATTERS: You can sometimes get what you want.

You can sometimes get what you want.

You wait for a iconic band and two come along together.

Well that was the scenario last Saturday when Coventry welcomed not just the Rolling Stones, but our very own Specials.

The Specials, never fail to excite, though being the warm up to ‘The greatest rock n roll band In the world’ is no easy feat, especially in such a cavernous space. However this was our 2-Tone band in our 2-Tone city. Of course they got a huge reception, and you can bet Gangster, Rudy, The Man at C&A and the Monkey Man all worked for the rat race and did the dog at the Nite Klub.

By Trev Teasdel

Traitor in Disguise – Sue and Mary Decca 1962


Sue and Mary – The Story

Pete Chambers, Coventry music historian and Director of the Coventry Music Museum, has documented the amazing story about Sue and Mary, in his books and Coventry Telegraph Backbeat column and has since located and interviewed them as part of the Coventry Music Museum‘s lottery funded Sounding Off sessions. 

(Links to Pete’s Coventry Telegraph Backbeat articles on Sue and Mary can be found at the foot of this article).

Pete tells us “The story goes they (Sue McGowan / Greasly and Mary McGlynn) had written a song and were playfully singing it in the playground. A teacher (Mrs Broadbent) got to hear it and inquired about the catchy tune, believing it to be a song from the current hit parade. Once the teacher discovered it was a song the girls had written themselves, she set about finding someone to take it to the next level. The girls were signed to Decca and in 1962 the single Traitor In Disguise was released.”

Video One is Pete Chambers talking to Mary McGlynn at the Coventry Music Museum in 2015 before Sue turned up – You will have to click this link to view it as I was unable to embed the video here https://www.facebook.com/pete.chambers.90/videos/10153212001392913/

Video Two is a continuation but with Sue on board..https://www.facebook.com/pete.chambers.90/videos/10153213388017913/

NEW MUSICAL EXPRESS

The Wiki entry for the year 1962 below tells us that on September 21st 1962 Sue and Mary were one jump ahead of the Beatles at this stage and writing their own songs.

September 21 – “New Musical Express, the British music magazine, publishes a story about two 13-year-old schoolgirls, Sue and Mary, releasing a disc on Decca and adds “A Liverpool group, The Beatles, have recorded ‘Love Me Do’ for Parlophone Records, set for October 5 release.”

publishers in Denmark street and the musical director was Charles Blackwell  (pictured here) who started working as an arranger with record producer Joe Meek at the age of eighteen, and became one of the most prolific studio arrangers and record producers of the 1960s and 1970s, with a string of hit records to his credit . His hits include Johnny Remember Me by John Leyton; What’s New Pussycat, I’ll Never Fall In Love Again by Tom Jones; and Release Me, A Man Without Love by Engelbert Humperdinck, Hold Me P.J. Proby. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Traitor-in-Disguise/dp/B00VYQRP5M

The play Othello by William Shakespeare is based on an Italian story in Giraldi Cinthio’s Hecatommithi (Groliers). “In this play we encounter Iago, one of Shakespeare’s most evil characters. Iago is an ensign in Othello’s army and is jealous of Cassio’s promotion to Lieutenant. Through deception and appearance, we see unfolded a plethora of lies and clever schemes… Iago describes how Satan uses the appearance of something good to disguise the various temptations that we know are evil. He then tells how he will do the same…” Here

but again the concept of a Devil in Disguise stems from the bible, through Shakespeare but still not the exact song title phrase.

My friend, Ann Wainwright interestingly drew my attention to a song written in 1940 that is more directly in the same form as the other  two songs and could have inspired the New York writers more directly, especially as the team were writing songs for movies, and it’s possible the girls had seen the film from which the song came from too – 

The song is called Angel in Disguise. This is of course a much older and different song to the 1998 song by Brandy. 

“Angel In Disguise” was a 1940 pop hit from the Warner Bros. movie It All Came True with music by Paul Mann and Stefan Weiß and lyrics by Kim Gannon. It was sung in the movie by Ann Sheridan.

The tune became a staple of the Warner Bros. Looney Tunes shorts, including appearances in 1942’s The Wabbit Who Came to Supper, 1943’s Yankee Doodle Daffy, and 1948’s Back Alley Oproar.

Angel in Disguise – Ann Sheridan – from movie It All Came True

There’s also probably quite a genre of songs that pick up on angels and devils – Earth Angel by The Penguins 1955 comes to mind. The title is an oxymoron (a figure of speech in which apparently contradictory terms appear in conjunction) that inspired Paul Simon’s oxymoron title The Sound of Silence. Presley did a cover of this on a home recording in his army days while living in Bad Nauheim, Germany. The song Angel from his film Follow that Dream 1962 by songwriters Roy C. Bennett, Sid Tepper seems to be based on the concept of Earth Angel but without the oxymoron title!

But even older, in American literature –

The title Angel in Disguise goes back to 1851 T.S. Arthur’s 
An Angel in Disguise (1851) which was featured in his collection, After a Shadow and Other

Stories. Timothy Shay Arthur (June 6, 1809 – March 6, 1885) was a popular 19th-century American author, most famous for his temperance novel, Ten Nights in a Bar-Room and What I Saw There (1854). His novel, which demonized alcohol and the evils of over-consumption, held great sway over the American public and moved the temperance movement further ahead. He wrote a large number of short stories, which were printed in Godey’s Lady’s Book — the most popular antebellum era magazine in America.

TS Arthur

Later on we had Judy in Disguise (with glasses) of course by John Fred and his Playboys, a kind of pastiche of Lucy in the Sky (with Diamonds), a devil of a song but that was later on!

But back to Sue and Mary –

It’s quite possible, from a songwriting point of view, that Sue and Mary’s title came via the search for a rhyme rather than starting out with that title or concept. The song could just as easily be called ‘Blue eyes‘. They may have just been looking for a rhyme for Blue Eyes and come up with disguise as a rhyme solution rather than a title concept and got the title from that!

“Hey there blue eyes (hey there blue eyes)

You’re a traitor (traitor traitor)

In disguise (in disguise).”

Whatever the origin or method of the titles, Sue and Mary’s song was a great lost single, and if they had had a Brian Epstein to buy crates of the single to get it into the charts for one week, as had been suggested about Love Me Do, Sue and Mary’s story may have been very, very different! Give the song another listen- it deserves it!

Thanks to Pete Clemons, Ann Wainwright and Margaret Weir for feedback and searches.

And thanks to Pete Chambers for getting the story documented at the Coventry Music Museum. The story deserves a wider audience and I agree with whoever said the museum should get them back in the studio, especially as there is now a Coventry label – Alternative Sounds.

Check these Pete Chambers articles on Sue and Mary from the Coventry Telegraph –

1. https://www.coventrytelegraph.net/lifestyle/nostalgia/backbeat-sue–mary—3020492

2. https://www.coventrytelegraph.net/whats-on/music-nightlife-news/backbeat-coventry-playground-popstars-sue-10294263

3. https://www.coventrytelegraph.net/whats-on/music-nightlife-news/backbeat-reggae-dub-icon-lee-10219391

Frank Ifield, born in Coundon, Coventry 30 November 1937, to Australian parents. Ifield emigrated to Dural, 50 km (31 mi) from Sydney, with his parents in 1946. At the age of 13 he recorded “Did You See My Daddy Over There?“, and by 19 was the No. 1 recording star in Australia and New Zealand. He returned to the UK in 1959 after being demobbed from his National Service which had interrupted his musical career. 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Ifield


Frank gained a two-year contract with Norrie Paramor, A&R man for Columbia EMI after appearing on BBC TV. His first single was ‘Lucky Devil‘ in 1960 and it made the lower regions of the UK pop charts and with it came his first major booking – a summer season in the Isle of Jersey with comedians Mike & Bernie Winters. http://www.frankifield.com/bio.html

Tobacco Road is a blues song written and first recorded by John D. Loudermilk in 1960.

Most people will know the song as a hit by The Nashville Teens and produced by Micky Most in 1964 and an uptempo version many would regard as the best. The Nashville Teens version went to no 6 on the UK chart (No 5 in the NME chart) and No 14 in the US.

Originally framed as a folk song, Tobacco Road was a semi-autobiographical tale of growing up in Durham, North Carolina. Released on Columbia Records, it was not a hit for Loudermilk, achieving only minor chart success in Australia. His original version was issued in 1960 as the B Side to Midnight Bus. Other artists, however, immediately began recording and performing the song.

Marvin’s Alley (Morvens Alley) – believed to be the inspiration for the ‘Tobacco Road’ of the song in East Durham,North Carolina.

More here http://www.opendurham.org/buildings/1304-morven-place-marvins-alley-morvens-alley

Hogsheads of Tobacco

“The English group The Nashville Teens’ garage rock / blues rock rendering was a bold effort featuring prominent piano, electric guitar, and bass drum parts and a dual lead vocal. Mickie Most produced it with the same tough-edged-pop feel that he brought to The Animals’ hits. ” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tobacco_Road_(song)

JD Loudermilk also wrote Indian Reservation, a hit for former Coventry band – The Sorrows’ lead singer – Don Fardon, reaching No 2 November 28th 1970.

Frank Ifield’s version was the B side of his fifth UK single for Columbia in May 1961, Life is a Holiday. It was one of the early covers of the song but it wasn’t a hit wasn’t a hit however. The arrangement was by Ken Jones.

Pete Chambers, Director of Coventry Music Museum with Frank Ifield.

Tobacco Road by JD Loudermilk

Frank Ifield Tobacco Road 1961

Lou Rawls Tobacco Road

Nashville Teens Tobacco Road

Support band, The Specials, appeared on stage at just before 7pm. The stadium appeared to be a little over half full. And under the evening sunshine it didn’t take them very long to whip up an atmosphere worthy of the occasion.

Comments from the stage were few and far between. But Lynval Golding did manage to get hold of the mic in between a couple of songs. Not remembering what he said word for word, Lynval did mentioned what a momentous week for him personally. He had been to Wembley to see the Sky Blues promoted and continued by saying that playing in Coventry, at the Ricoh, in support to the Rolling Stones was just incredible, and questioned if it could ever be topped.

Rather than it just being an audience pleasing comment, his words came across as genuine and sincere. For me, and I suspect many others, I just felt that it was touching and poignant moment. It was heartfelt and you couldn’t help but feel pride for him.

From the bands angle, I could only imagine how it all felt. It must have been stunning. Having said that, maybe not so, as I later saw a FB post from bass player Horace Panter mentioning that the crowd was tough to crack. That may have been because the band could only see the gold areas but from where I was, in the not so gold area, the atmosphere that The Specials created was just incredible. Virtually everyone at the rear standing area were singing and dancing.

The Specials set seemed to end abruptly. Away they turned leaving the stage to huge cheers. No encores and no goodbyes, none that I could hear at least. And strangely no ‘Ghost Town’ played. Maybe The Specials feel that times have changed and it no longer applies. Job done, they had certainly set a marker for the main event.

‘No filter’, in the urban directory, is a term used to describe someone who is very direct when conversing on various subjects. Anyone described as having ‘no filter’ says exactly what is on his/her mind. Someone, who will not hold back on what they have to say.

And it seems that the no filter reference to The Rolling Stones tour is being applied here to emphasise that there were certainly no limits as to what songs they were prepared to play. So long, of course, that they had been rehearsed. The set list for this tour does change slightly on each night due to the fact that the audience get the opportunity to vote on some of the songs they want to hear.

I was apprehensive when I booked for this gig but I shouldn’t have been. I should have kept the faith. This performance was simply age defying. Now at this point I really could get lost in the superlatives I could use to describe it all but superb doesn’t even come close. As Mick Jagger skipped and danced his way through an incredible set list, covering every inch of a huge ‘H’ shaped stadium wide stage, The Rolling Stones were, I thought, simply astonishing.

And birthdays were abounded as well as it turned out that both Ronnie Wood and Charlie Watts had celebrated birthdays during their visit to Coventry. Charlie looked suitably embarrassed as a chorus of happy birthday was struck up.

The sound, at times, wasn’t perfect. But reading through comments I have seen since, suggests it varied in different areas of the vastness of the stadium. But as a performance it will certainly be one that I will remember for all time. It was slick and polished and they worked as a team. There were no real intermissions as such as part-way through Keith Richards, for example, took over lead vocal so as to give Mick a break. With Mick reciprocating later on acoustic guitar giving the others time to get a breath.

Even as the sun set and the band were into their encores, there was no let up. During ‘Gimme Shelter’, backing vocalist Sasha Allen took centre stage with Mick duet ting with her in what produced some wonderful theatre of this, lyrically, dark song.

The Stones had certainly done their homework on the city too. They mentioned the Matrix Hall gig from 1963 and Locarno gig of 1964. They even mentioned the days of Jimmy Hill being at the helm of the football club. Not that I believe for a minute that they remembered these events. But they do have a very good website and archivist that they can refer to. And it was good that they took the time.

All these small touches, and attention to detail, amounts to exactly why ladies and gentlemen, The Rolling Stones are still known as the greatest rock and roll band on the planet.


……………………………………………………..

Specials Set List

1. Enjoy Yourself (It’s Later Than You Think)

(Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra cover)

2. Do the Dog

3. Gangsters

4. Friday Night, Saturday Morning

5. Stereotype

6. Man at C&A

7. Rat Race

8. Doesn’t Make It Alright

9. Nite Club

10. A Message to You, Rudy

11. Monkey Man

12. Too Much Too Young

One album that music lovers never seem to forget the release of was that of Mike Oldfield’s Tubular Bells. It was just one of those seminal moments that you never forgot. Once heard, it seemed to get under your skin. I personally cannot remember any major hype to it. It just seemed to appear in the shops, however, behind it all and known only to those closest to him at the time, was a story of sadness and despair that took years for Mike Oldfield to shake off…….if he ever did.

Mike Oldfield was born in Reading during 1953. He had 2 elder siblings, Terry and Sally. A fourth child was born after Mike but sadly he passed away at a young age and this, quite naturally, had a lasting effect on Mike’s mother.

Both Terry and Sally Oldfield were involved with music. Terry became a composer while Sally played the folk scene. Seeing Mike’s interest in guitar, Sally showed him the three basic chords. From then on Mike became self-taught and very quickly became a quite gifted player. Sally and Mike formed a duo called The Sallyangie who cut an album for the Transatlantic label in 1968. Mike then formed his own, short lived, band called Barefeet.

During 1970, and still aged only 16, Mike became a member of The Whole World who were Kevin Ayres backing group. They played in Coventry a couple of times. Initially Mike played bass but then moved to lead guitar. They produced two albums with Mike playing on the classic ‘May I’ during 1971. After Kevin Ayres disbanded The Whole World instability crept into Mike’s life and he retreated deeper into music. As they shared flats, Kevin had lent Mike his tape player and Farfisa keyboard. Experimenting with this kit Mike almost immediately came up with his minimalistic opening chord sequence for what would become Tubular Bells. He also created the framework for his future epic.

With sections of the ambitious fifty minute composition mapped out, Mike hawked his tapes to record companies like EMI and CBS who both promptly rejected them. In parallel Richard Branson was looking for business opportunities. He had already set up a mail order company that involved importing LP’s and selling them on for 10%-25% less than anywhere else. And he was ready to expand.

Mike Oldfield became a session player at The Manor recording studios in Oxfordshire. The studios were being run by producer Tom Newman, who had discovered the Manor in Oxfordshire that Richard Branson had invested in it, and fellow producer Simon Heyworth. Mike Oldfield practically forced Tom and Simon to listen to his tapes. The pair was instantly captivated. And in turn, took the tapes to Richard Branson’s business partner Simon Draper, who they knew had a better ear for music than Richard.

Simon Draper and Richard Branson invited Mike Oldfield to their houseboat and offered to give Mike a week of free reign to complete part one of the album in between any sessions he had been assigned to. So November 1972 saw Mike begin the process of completing the first phase of his project. Part two being completed slightly later.

To begin the process Mike ordered in a lot of instruments. Additionally, John Cale had just finished recording at the Manor and the instruments used for his sessions were due to be collected. John had used some tubular bells and just as they were about to be picked up Mike asked for them to remain. It was an inspired decision.

The albums sleeve was created by Trevor Key and Mike loved the artwork. So as not to spoil its effect Mike deliberately asked for his name to be kept in small script. Tubular Bells release was May 1973. It was the first of three simultaneous releases on the Virgin Record label but Tubular Bells was given the distinction of being the first official release with catalogue number V2001. Almost every instrument had been overdubbed by Oldfield. And his completed work had everything. Suspense, humour, tension but above all it kept your interest throughout.

After the albums completion and release Mike was a mental wreck and didn’t want to know about it. Despite this Richard Branson insisted that the album had to go out live. And Mike Oldfield agreed to just one concert. The QEH/Royal Festival Hall was booked for June 1973. Amongst others Virgin label mates and members of Hatfield and the North and Henry Cow were drafted into the live band. As was guitarist Mick Taylor and drummer Steve Broughton. Mike did not enjoy playing live and some pre gig nerves had set in. The concert itself received a huge standing ovation that Mike felt was underserved. He himself had felt that the gig was awful.

Back in 1973 records sold mainly through word of mouth, radio shows etc. So Tubular Bells was not an instant hit. Instead it was a slow grower. John Peel gave the LP a huge boost when he devoted a whole show to it playing the whole album. Bit by bit the album crept up the charts during July August and September 1973. Another boost, particularly for the American market came in late 1973 when segments of Tubular Bells was used by a cult film called The Exorcist. That exposure certainly helped Tubular Bells hit number one in America. By the end of 1973 sales of the record had far exceeding expectations. Richard Branson, it seemed, had had major reservations that the album, one track over two sides, contained few vocals. As it turned out, he need not have worried.

Mike Oldfield was now being pressurised for a follow up record despite the fact that he himself didn’t want to capitalise on the albums success. Mike didn’t want to do a follow up so quickly. During this period Mike became very low and remembers seeing his mother, and her saying something to him to the effect of, ‘you know what it’s like now don’t you’.

Despite all the difficulties Mike did create a follow up. Hergest Ridge was released during 1974 and was soon dubbed as ‘son of Tubular Bells’. This album didn’t capture the imagination of its predecessor. However Mike’s third album ‘Ommadawn’, released during October 1975, did go a long way to dispel feelings that Mike Oldfield had peaked with his debut release.

Fast forward to July 2012 and the memorable opening ceremony for the Olympic Games and Danny Boyle had the great vision to include Mike Oldfield’s masterpiece within it. For the first time, it seemed, Mike felt comfortable about his magnificent piece of work.

The people who designed and built those wonderful medieval churches centuries ago, along with the relatively more modern structures, could never have imagined that, years later, what they built for worship would provide incredible acoustics for electrified music.

Not what they were intended for I agree, but I am certain that those who sometimes devoted their entire lives too, would somehow be pleased. In fact electricity had not even been discovered when St John’s Church, at the end of Spon Street, was built. Yet this 14th century marvel recently played host to an electronic music icon.

To get David Vorhaus, along with his musical partner Mike Painter, to play there was an incredible coup for Synthcurious who, in conjunction with The Tin Arts Centre, are staging a series of electronic music events in and around Coventry.

David Vorhaus was a member of the ‘band’ White Noise who he belonged to along with Delia Derbyshire and Brian Hodgson. Together, and during some now well documented late night sessions undertaken at the BBC workshop in Maida Vale, they created the now legendary White Noise album ‘An Electric Storm’ released during June 1969.

David plays a Kaleidophon, an instrument that kind of looks like a slim guitar or bass guitar, the playing of it is similar, but is in fact an electronic bit of kit that he designed and developed himself……..from plastic drainpipe.

I remember David demonstrating his then new invention of the Kaleidophon on the Tomorrows World TV programme during the mid-1970s, several years after his initial involvement on the White Noise project. During the demonstration David described how the instrument was actually voltage was being played and how the idea was formed as a reaction to the keyboard. And how the ‘stings’ were made from ‘linear carbon resistance materials’. The Kaleidophon was fitted with different switches for different functions such as speed and pitch.

In David’s own words….
“I made the ribbons for the Kaleidophon using thermal paper which has a carbon underlay with a wax coating. I got hold of some of the material before they put the wax on and, amazingly, its resistance was quite linear. Obviously paper wasn’t robust enough so I got them to put it on plastic. Eventually these were made for me by the French Space Agency because the person who worked for Ozalid in the UK, who made the original strings for me,

died and took the manufacturing secret with him. The triggering is activated by pressing on the strings and the fingerboard is velocity-sensitive so you can hit it harder to get a louder note or a different effect. There are controllers at the bottom for the right hand and other devices such as chromatic switches to make it behave like a fretted instrument. It can also be semi-fretted, which corrects you if you’re close to the right note but still lets you do slides. The instrument itself generates voltage control, but I can feed it into my CV-to-MIDI converter and use it to control just about anything”.

Making up todays version of White Noise and accompanying David this evening, is Mike Painter on Theremin – an antenna which picks up your hand movement and, in turn, amplifies those movements and sends it to a speaker. And between them, and for just over an hour they created the most incredible sound that simply grabbed your attention.

They delivered, in an almost pitch black setting, a pre meditated but also improvised set of pieces of music. I didn’t notice a set list but one of the tunes was, I think, introduced as Picasso Rocks. There was also a unique version of ‘Love Without Sound’ (Thanks Ian Green for identifying that) which was fitting as it was a track from the Electric Storm album that David wrote together with Delia Derbyshire whose honour and birthday was being celebrated.

I am certain that she, and all those who built St Johns Church, would have approved.

Rock and roll is for the young people. The outpouring of musical creativeness and energy is, I agree, a factor of youth. Yet four men who, between them will have a collective age of 295 when they hit the city and play this gig, have created a real buzz in Coventry.

Having seen The Rolling Stones on several occasions, but never in my home city and certainly not within walking distance of where I live, I am as excited as anyone about the bands forthcoming visit to the Ricoh Arena on June 2 – which, by the way, coincides with drummer Charlie Watts’ 77th birthday.

Yes, I have read all the arguments and heard the comments as to why you should or shouldn’t bother with it all and, yes, they have not had a UK top ten single for getting on for forty years. And a part of me really does agree with those arguments. But for me at least, it’s not about what they do any more it is, in fact, all about what they are and what they represent. And having asked myself the question ‘would I regret not going?’ an almost instant message is returned ‘what a stupid fucking question, of course you would’.

It’s incredible really to think that what began as a chance meeting on the Southern Line almost 60 years ago combined with a shared love of the American R and B scene, a sound that would dominate their early releases which then moved onto their more eclectic period of the second half of the 1960s that also included experimentation through to country that then shifted through a rock period, the tax exiled years, the commercial highs and lows and the solo years remotely continues today. This is apart from all that early heavy touring and the incidents that arose out of all of that.

Having said that it’s easy to, not so much forget about, but to overlook the role guitarist Brian Jones played in the early success of the Rolling Stones. Brian grew up in a musical family and had the talent to play almost any instrument. When rock began to experiment in the 1960s Brian was one of the few who could shift with ease through those developments. He played marimbas on ‘Under My Thumb’, introduced the mellotron on a lot of ‘Satanic Majesties’. He was on the strings on ‘Two Thousand Light Years From Home’ and gave ‘We Love You’ that Arabic riff.

Based on those previous experiences of seeing The Rolling Stones live in a mix of cavernous buildings, sports stadiums and the fields of country estates, I expect to see Mick Jagger sporting a huge grin, dressed in his brightest finery prowling and exploring the width and breadth of the entire stage and giving very little outward indication as to his age. I will undoubtedly hear Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood bouncing off each other as they interact and weave their way through a set that will contain some spine chilling guitar riffs. And I will notice the normally calm and collected Charlie Watts sat behind his basic drum kit occasionally giving the impression he is actually enjoying it all. I will also get a huge sense of a band that care deeply for each in a way that only a family does. There will also be an abundance of insignia around the stadium that bears Mick Jagger’s mouth and tongue in that now worldwide familiar logo.

Of course, The Rolling Stones of today are more than just the core band. They will have exemplarily backing musicians and vocalists joining them on stage enhancing the sound. That said they may still play a few stripped back tunes. At least that was what happened on the Bridges to Babylon tour when part of the set went right back to basics and reminisced about days at the Marquee.

Whatever your thoughts, there is no escaping the fact that The Rolling Stones are just wonderful performers. They may not be as relevant and as fast as they once were but they are still as tight and as engaging. They interact with the audience, and the audience, which will no doubt span the generations, will respond. Coventry will love every second of them, of that I am confident.

Artist Nicky Cure and musician annA rydeR, spelt as such to presumably distinguish herself from the interior designer and TV personality, are collectively known as Radar Birds.

Together, the Radar Birds have developed a penchant for Oscar winning actor Mark Rylance. And additionally, they have directed and produced a couple of short films that extenuates Mark’s non emotive style and acting personality.

The first episode of Being Mark Rylance has actually been viewed by the man himself. And at Marks own request he challenged the Radar Birds to come up with another spoof. This time though, using his character from the multi award winning film, Bridge of Spies.

With task accepted Radar Birds set about achieving it. And the resulting efforts were recently premiered at the incredibly comfortable Everyman Theatre, Stratford upon Avon. And I was honoured to be present.

To ease you into the theme of what was to come you are gently transported back in time by way of a public information film and a couple of adverts that brought the era of ‘Pearl and Dean’ to mind.

Hot on the heels of that opening sequence you are treated to the main event. Thirty minutes of pure escapism that, in addition to the Radar Birds, also features the talents of musicians Sally Barker and Marion Fleetwood. This silent film, set at the time of the 1960s cold war with the Soviet Union, is essentially the story of a spy swap and release. The plot here is an adaptation of the scene showing secret information being typed up and which is then carefully removed from a fake coin. With the vital information in hand it is exchanged on a bridge, suspiciously with a backdrop very similar to one of those in Jephson Gardens, Leamington Spa. The film is also embellished by an avant-garde jazz soundtrack……….or so you think until you see the making of the soundtrack tagged on as an extra at the end.

After viewing MR2 – Bridge of Spies, Mark Rylance was compelled to reply again. ‘Once again I am undone. Both Steven Spielberg and I watched and enjoyed it immensely’.

On a personal note, I truly enjoyed it all, and at the end my immediate thought was that, the other Anna Ryder needs to watch out. She could be next. Would it help?

Radar Birds enjoy laughing a lot. It’s infectious and, presumably they enjoy making others laugh too. And with their brand of humour they certainly achieve this plentifully. The work Radar Birds produce may be light hearted, but both Nicky and annA are right to be proud of their achievements. For further information, a Radar Birds website exists and both films, as I understand, are up on YouTube and well worth checking out.

I must admit to having a soft spot for the Status Quo. There early hits were a regularly played at our youth club. And the tunes just stuck in my mind. To the point where, whenever I hear them, they kind of transport me back in time. The sell-out concert they played at Coventry Theatre was a highlight. Another was when, the ‘frantic four’ as they were known, reunited for a reunion tour in 2013. They repeated it again in 2014. This after the Quo had split up, bitterly, during 1985. The cracks, however, had first begun to appear a few years earlier after drummer John Coghlan departed.

The Status Quo story began when Alan Lancaster and Francis Rossi, then known as Mike, first met during 1960 at school when both were aged 11. Francis has made no secret that he loved Alan’s family and in particular his Mother.

By 1962 and amongst other musical activities both Alan and Francis had a band going called The Scorpions. They met up with the slightly older John Coghlan while they were rehearsing at a T.A. barracks. John was over the road at the Air Training Corps centre rehearsing with his band. Having recruited John into their band The Scorpions became known as The Spectres. Alan Lancaster’s Mum became involved and oversaw the band and dealt with any issues and organised events.

About two years in and The Spectres were joined by keyboard player Roy Lynes.

Meanwhile, future Status Quo guitarist, Rick Parfitt, was winning local talent competitions that led to gigs at places like Butlins on Hayling Island. Rick also had a season with a trio called The Highlights at Minehead during 1965.

Coincidentally The Spectres also happened to be auditioned at Butlins in Minehead during the summer of 1965. And it was there that they met Rick Parfitt. It seemed that Rick had wandered across to The Spectres audition and was hugely impressed. Despite Ricks more cabaret background, The Spectres and Rick hit it off and became firm friends.

That same year the band The Spectres gained their first recording contract. They recorded three singles: ‘I Who Have Nothing’, ‘Hurdy Gurdy Man’ and ‘We Aint Got Nothing Yet’ under the directorship of John Shroeder. All three singles failed to touch the charts though.

1967 saw The Spectres change their name to The Traffic Jam. At the same time they decided that they also needed another singer and so offered Rick Parfitt the opportunity to join. After a brief spell as The Traffic Jam, the band became known as The Status Quo during August 1967.

With producer John Shroeder The Status Quo released their debut single, ‘Pictures of Matchstick Men’ during January 1968. Matchstick Men which became a huge hit both in the UK on the Pye label and also in the US where it was released on the Cadet Concept label. The Status Quo was also invited to play Top of the Pops which was an incredible experience in those days.

Strangely, Matchstick Men was to be the only major Status Quo hit in the States. After the follow up single bombed, the band returned to the charts later on during 1968 with ‘Ice in the Sun’. Although the Quo broke as a psychedelic band, Francis insists that this had been at the guidance of their management. ‘They even sent us to Carnaby Street to buy frilly shirts for photoshoots’.

Around this time the Status Quo management hired Bob Young as a roadie and tour manager. Almost immediately Bob began writing with the band. And over the years Young became one of the most important pieces in the Status Quo family. In addition he would also play harmonica with the band both on stage and on record.

But the hits dried up for a while and the group began to re-think their direction. On tour in Germany they heard ‘Roadhouse Blues’ by the Doors and they all suddenly had their heads turned to a certain sound. In addition, Status Quo came to the realisation that they were all about jeans, pumps and t-shirts.

After a short time away they returned to the charts in 1970 with a tune called ‘Down the Dustpipe’. It was the first record to feature their soon-to-be trademark boogie shuffle. Roadie, Bob Young, plays the distinctive harmonica on the single.

Soon after the ‘Ma Kelly’s Greasy Spoon’ album, also released during 1970, Roy Lynes left the band. Roy had appeared on three Status Quo albums before leaving and was, by all accounts, just a bit too easy going for the rest of the band. He was replaced, albeit not as a full time member, by Andy Bown.

Between 1970 and 1976 the Quo became hugely popular. Their easily distinctive sound was as clear on their albums as it was on stage. And this tended to set them apart from other rock bands. During that period Status Quo released 5 top 5 albums. The first of those was the ‘Piledriver’ album. Piledriver also contained the song that changed their fortunes ‘Roadhouse Blues’. 1972 culminated with a highly successful appearance at the Reading Festival. After that success sales of albums and singles grew with successive releases. The ‘On the Level’ album hit the number 1 spot at the same time as the single ‘Down Down’ topped the singles chart.

It wasn’t to last though. At the time of the Rockin all over the World album during 1977 Andy Bown became a full time member. At the same time Status Quo found themselves exiled in Jersey and the excesses of rock n roll were taking over. After the single of the same title drummer John Coghlan left the band to be replaced by Pete Kircher.

In the words of bass player Alan Lancaster ‘the band was never quite the same again’ and that they ‘suddenly made bad albums’. So the band embarked on an ‘End of the Road’ tour.

But it wasn’t quite the end for Status Quo. Bob Geldof and Midge Ure had organised the Live Aid concert in July 1985 and at their insistence The Quo regrouped to open up the event. They opened with ‘Rockin’ All Over the World’ and finished with ‘Don’t Waste My Time’. This would be Alan Lancaster’s last gig with the band. It seemed that Alan and Francis just couldn’t work together any more.

That didn’t stop the band carrying on though. They recruited and added Jeff Rich and John ‘Rhino’ Edwards to their ranks and along with Alan Bown, Rossi and Parfitt embarked on a new phase. The first album in this new format was titled ‘In the Army Now’. And it was this version of this band that continued to tour until the untimely death of Rick Parfitt on Christmas Eve 2016.

The ‘classic’ line up of Parfitt, Rossi, Coghlan and Lancaster did, however, have a final and timely hurrah. Under the banner of the ‘Frantic Four’ they toured together during 2013 and 2014 simultaneously while Parfitt and Rossi kept the current Status Quo line up going. I remember hearing an interview on the radio with Francis during 2012 when rumours were rife of a reunion and where he recalled, fondly, his thoughts of Alan’s mother and how close he had been to that family. Coordinated by the bands manager, Francis Rossi and Alan Lancaster got talking again, about the old days. Any bad blood was suddenly buried.

Status Quo is an institution of the British Rock scene. With Quo you got what you heard. No aires and graces. They were unfashionable among the more ‘thinking’ rock fan but their denim clad army of fans was fanatical about them. And that was all that bothered the Quo.