My Clubbing Days

Thanks, Old Friend,(name changed as I did not warn him that our correspondence would be posted on the WWW.)

interesting as always.

I do believe we also saw Sonny Boy Williamson with the Yardbirds at the Marquee because I remember being very close to him, and the old Marquee on Wardour Street had a very low stage where you could stand right up beside the performers. My recall is that Eric was still with them. He hadn't left for Mayall's band, and the Yardbirds had 3 lead guitarists for a time. Jeff Beck was also with them then. When Eric left, Beck became the No.1 guitarist. Is that what you remember too?

No doubt, if I fret, I can find a page with all the info on Wikipedia.

 

Wiki & Google blow me away some days. I have found incredibly detailed data on EVERY Dylan set list for 50+ years.

It boggles the mind on how much useless pieces of info are traceable.

Imagine knowing every song Miles Davis ever performed live around the world.. Oh, shit, I bet that's there...

 (More on the Yardbirds :  Of course Jimmy Page was with them for awhile too, and poor ole Chris Dreja, consigned to the footnote of musical history & Trivia night questions. I cannot remember their guitarists that joined in the revival of old bands movement in this century. Jimmy Page's business astuteness is how he ended up with the old Yardbirds' touring commitments that led to him morphing that line-up into Led Zeppelin.)

 

Those  were wonderful times when the music rose up through your feet into your heart and brain. No crowd of a quarter million bodies between you and the entertainers.

 

Michael

July 14, 1967

It is nothing to brag about, it is simply an ability I have; I made no effort to cultivate it, nor was I aware of it for decades: I can close my eyes and picture a specific day, or event, and can "see in my inner eye" what was going on in the past.. It is not a true eidetic memory, but a partial one.  Growing up, my friends used to tease me when I referred to an event or music show, whatever, and would throw in a comment -- don't you remember, you had one your new blue shirt, Carnaby Street trousers, whatever, and they would be exasperated saying, 'I barely remember the show...'

A recent blog posting by me  was a Bio piece concerning my arrival in New York on
July 14, 1966. The next year was a crazy one of my final undergraduate year. There were lots of moments that were not shared with my neighbourhood/school friends. They were spent with a couple of college friends I have since lost touch with; A crazy acid taking artist living with two Scandinavian beauties. A rich nutter with great sense of humour who just latched onto to me and we hung around pubs near Oxford Street or went to wild parties. A Jazz musician, who went onto a music career that lasted at least into the seventies when I lost track of him. However, my school friends remained in my life for -- well, centuries !! Many are still in my wide FB circle, email connections and Ma Bell network.

Back in the mid-sixties, my friends and I were fans of the Lovin' Spoonful. A great group who remain on the radio/TV/Movie/Internet world.

On July 14, 1967, I went to a movie called "You're a Big Boy Now" written & directed by Francis Ford Coppola. He was the wunderkind of the year. What attracted Mart & I to go to the movie particularly, was the soundtrack by John Sebastian and his group the Lovin' Spoonful .
Suddenly, in the middle of the movie, I remember turning to Mart and saying :"Holy Cow, I know exactly where I was a year ago today. I was where this film is set". Poor Martin, exasperatedly said "I don't know where I was a  week ago, let alone a year ago!"

However, You're a Big Boy now is set in NYC and has scenes in Greenwich Village, The New York Public Library and other iconic NY locations.  It was one of the first times I became physically aware that I could close my eyes and put myself in those scenes: because I had been in those same places, and the memory flooded back.

One of the best songs from the film is Sebastian's Darling, Be Home Soon. A love song that has been covered by hundreds of singers. It is magnificent. Listen to it on YouTube.

The Lovin' Spoonful were the soundtrack of my Summer of 1966, 67 and all the following years.

July 14, 1966

Fifty years ago today I landed in America. It was a heatwave in Manhattan. I thought that I had stepped into an oven, although it was about 6pm. The temp. Was 85+ with 100% humidity.
It was an amazing summer. I spent 2 weeks in New York before taking a Greyhound bus up & down the east coast.
I hung out at Times Square and got approached by lots of guys... I was clueless to the fact that it was a "pickup" spot.
Loved Battery Park & riding the Statten Island ferry. I also met Andy Warhol and spent an afternoon with him as he excitedly edited one of his latest epic movies.
What a summer for a 21 yr old Brit.
A wonderful chapter in Daddy Cool's book of memories.

 Sunset looking along one of the streets.

Battery Park and Statten Island Ferry Terminal from the air in 1966

More When The Lights Come On Again

Welcome to  When  the lights come on again.

 

A bouncy oldie from Kay Starr, Side by side; written in 1927 and made popular by many singers, however, it this 1953 version that is the most memorable. A chart topper for her dual-tracked vocal. I listened to it often on the BBC's morning radio show, Housewives' Choice when I was home on school  holidays. It was a regular request on that show. 

 

SONGS

Side by side - Kay Starr

 

I love the next song because it is an English version of the famous Italian song 'Mattinata' written by Ruggero Leoncavallo in the beginning of 20th century. It is an absolutely wonderful melody that I have loved for nearly 7 decades.   It is You're Breaking My heart from Vic Damone, a big hit for him in 1949.

 

SONGS 

You're Breaking My heart - Vic Damone

 

One of the most popular singers of the postwar era  was Perry Como. His mellifluous tones of his voice graced many chart hits. Here is his Catch a Falling Star. Then Fever originally an RnB hit for its composer Little Willie John but done here by Peggy Lee who had a big world wide hit with this moody tune.

 

SONGS 

Catch a Falling Star  - Perry Como

Fever  - Peggy Lee

 

Now  the crooning voice of  Bing Crosby and the lovely wistful but aching You are my Sunshine.

 

SONGS 

You are my Sunshine - Bing Crosby

 

Songs about love are a sure-fire way to get your song noticed by the music buying public. Here is Young Love from Sonny James, a 1958 hit for him. Sonny just passed away a few months ago. He had a long successful  music career but it mostly remembered for this song. Then Treasure of Love from Clyde McPhatter. a solo hit for him after he quit as lead singer of the Drifters.

 

SONGS 

Young Love - Sonny James

Treasure of Love - Clyde McPhatter

  

Here are is an  Italian song written by Domenico Modugno  Ciao Ciao Bambino. This is Connie Francis' version. My family and I were on holiday in the summer of 59 on the what is known as the Italian Riviera, in English, to compare it to the more famous French Riviera but is actually known as the Riviera dei Fiore locally, as the coast of flowers. Everywhere we went they were singing this song. It is Followed by Sway from teen idol Bobby Rydell.

 

SONGS

Ciao Ciao Bambino - Connie Francis

Sway - Bobby Rydell

 

Here are a couple more examples of eccentric rock n roll hits. One From 1959 the other 1961.  Battle of New Orleans - Johnny Horton 's 1959 hit 

And a huge 1961 hit , But I Do by  Clarence 'Frogman' Henry. One of my sister's favourites and regularly played in the Lavalette household. In the 80s on a visit to London, I even managed to get a cassette of The Frogman's greatest hits. His was indeed a distinctive voice.

 

SONGS

Battle of New Orleans - Johnny Horton

 But I Do - Clarence 'Frogman' Henry

  

Here are The Del-Vikings with their Doo-wop hit Come Go with Me then an oldie re-done in the rock style Heart & Soul this is  The Cleftones

version. There was a bigger hit version by Jan & Dean out at the same time.

 

SONGS

Come Go with Me - The Del-Vikings

Heart & Soul - The Cleftones

 

Coming up are 2 classic rock era tunes. Mr. Rock n Roll himself, Chuck Berry with School Days. Ring Ring Goes the Bell ! Then an early Latin-rock tune, La Bamba from the late Ritchie Valens. He only had a brief life but his  impact on popular music of the rock era has been immense. His songs remain staples of Rock Bands everywhere.

 

 SONGS

School Days - Chuck Berry

La Bamba - Ritchie Valens

 

Here is something a little different. Once more it is a song that filled the summer night air in 1966.  Everywhere I traveled in the US that Summer I heard this song, Winchester Cathedral by The New Vaudeville Band. Although it was apart of the so-called British invasion of the 60s, I have put it into "When the Lights Come On Again"  because its style harkens back to the pre-war era. Not a rock styled song at all. It remains popular even today and was also recorded by Frank Sinatra!

 

SONGS

Winchester Cathedral - The New Vaudeville Band

 

British Grand Prix

My love affair with Formula1 racing definitely started with the home race of my youth. On Saturdays, the BBC would have a lot of sports events on, and in-between the Horse racing, they would broadcast club racing from Goodwood, Brands Hatch etc. Those races with souped up minis Ford Anglias and, of course, Jags, made me drool. Then F1 caught my attention. Back then, the cars were so slight, small & devoid of driver protection. It seemed as if one could see them sweat as they turned around corners so close to the cameras.

Monaco GP became the bench mark for glamour, The British GP was the bench mark for "true enthusiasts". I suppose because so much of the racing innovation for decades came from the British workshops.

I have just watched Louis Hamilton win the 2016 race, and it was good, but I yearn for those old cars that I dreamed about as a young boy/teenager/ man.