Here was your choice of groups one weekend around 69/70.
Thanks to Ian Wilkes for the above. See the article on his band Axis below. But first, Ian recalls working this circuit.
www.rockingscots.co.uk
Rockingscots is a website dedicated to Scottish beat groups
and rock bands from the '60s and '70s.
'60s/early '70s SCENE RECALLED.
Here are some thoughts on the '60s music scene in
Scotland that contributors have provided.
Here was your choice of groups one weekend around 69/70.
Thanks to Ian Wilkes for the above. See the article on his band Axis
below. But first, Ian recalls working this circuit.
SGT PEPPERS
Some pics of the outside of the
building that hosted Sgt Peppers Club for anyone that recalls it.. Provided by
Dennis McCue
MAGGIE BELL PIC - From Tony De Marco
We don't cover Stone the Crows as their story is well represented in
books, CD covers and other web sites but here is a great off stage pic of
Maggie Bell and pal Blossom that shows the hair, eye make up and clothes
fashions of the time. Doesn't Blossom just smoulder under that fringe?
.
Well we wanted to know for years who Blossom was and now we do. Here she is a bit earlier under her official name of June Maitland on the right of Margaret 'Maggie' Bell centre and fellow Trixons member Diane Brown left. Note the practice of the day in giving complete addresses out in the papers! Many thanks to Ray Jones for this cutting from a '60s Evening Citizen.
Heard of - Agatha's Moment; The US Images, Knuckles; Atmosphere; High Emotion; Halcyon Lake; Wildwood; Magnet Showband; Stars; The Key or Anagram???? Brian Angus was in them all. Check them out at: http://brianangus.moonfruit.com/
Lenny
Toshack's take on Edinburgh and the visiting Glasgow bands
My first real memories of Edinburgh bands starts around late 64 when I was
fourteen. The only place for teenagers to go here was The Top Storey club in
Leith Street where the entrance to St James Centre now stands. it was a
massive converted snooker hall. The records they played were minging
but every now and again instead of chasing lassies I started to listen to
some of the bands - like the Avengers who played mostly beat and chart
covers with the occasional RnB track like Boom Boom and Got Love If
You Want It - the Kinks version.
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Most groups were still churning out stuff like I'm a Lover Not A Fighter and Louie Louie. Some really were shite, luckily for most of them I can't remember the names but one was called 'This Side Up' - crap - I could play better. [Possibly a bit harsh there Lenny? - rscots]. Then DJs started to play this thing called the Motown Sound. Peeking over the decks I could see that the records were on the Stateside label. The new sound stunned everyone I mucked around with and we raided the record shops to get hold of it. In 1965 bands like the Hipple People and the Beachcombers came on the scene latching on to this fantastic new style - at first called RnB then later, Soul. The Beachcombers played Heatwave and Baby I Need Your Lovin. They had a superb singer called Mike and a really wacky drummer called Eccles (Kenny McLean Jnr) - now a very successful publican in Edinburgh. The Beachcombers ruled the Storey up to that time but the mod scene arrived and the music changed. With a snap of the fingers we were digging Wilson Pickett, Sam and Dave, Joe Tex and Don Covay. Then a band that had been lurking in the background - a tight four piece called the Jury started belting out Atlantic and Motown covers, battering the audience senseless with classics like Hold On I'm Coming and This Old Heart Of Mine. Their lead singer, the brilliant Linnie Patterson came from Leith and worked at Leith docks for a long time. His Sam and Dave type vocal knocked me sideways. Nobody was better. The band soon had a new name - Three's a Crowd and there was also a new place to go.
A ten minute walk from the Storey and directly opposite John Knox's house in the historic High Street was the Palace picture house. It had lain empty and boarded up for years until an aspiring Italian by the name of Crolla turned it in to a three tiered disco called McGoos. It had a smart coffee bar that had been the circle of the cinema. You walked up a flight of stairs to get in and then it descended three sets of steps at either side of the dance floor to the main stage with the DJ booth looking out over it. This was real forward thinking by the planners. The resident group at McGoos was the Moonrakers who were good but didn't come close to Three's A Crowd,
McGoos really was THE place. It was open most days of the week and we were never out of it. It pulled in overwhelming numbers and made a lot of money for the owners who, to give them their due, didn't stop at just putting on Scottish bands. In the space of a year and a half we'd seen the Kinks (fantastic, and utter mayhem in the club that night), the Who (another night of madness with Townsend smashing the place to bits!) and the real mods the Small Faces who gave a brilliant show. Crolla even approached The Beatles who were keen but when I spoke to Mr Crolla a few years ago he said there were problems getting a safety certificate for the club as they were of course massive by then.
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Three's
a Crowd ruled McGoos until one particular Saturday night a band from Glasgow, the Pathfinders,
made their debut. The first thing that struck me was
that Clewset, the lead singer, looked a bit of a jessie - hands on hips and long
manicured nails. But what a great voice. From the off they played some of the
most incredible music we had ever heard or never heard! They pulled
out The Platters' With This Ring; Joe Tex's Show Me; Edwin Starr's I Have
Faith In You; Garnett Mimms' I'll Take Good Care Of You ( awesome! )
to name but a few. They also played a track by Carole King -
Road To Nowhere with a blinding organ riff. Later on they
made it their first single on Apple. After the arrival of The
Pathfinders, Edinburgh bands paled in comparison perhaps with the
exception of Three's A Crowd. Other groups from the West also came to
Edinburgh. The Poets played some soul but mostly their own songs. But
they were never really accepted by Edinburgh club goers. The
Beatstalkers were very trendy and professional but didn't really do much for
me.
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One
day McGoos held an all-dayer - on a Sunday before a Monday holiday.
The line up was breathtaking. If I've left any bands out I'm sorry but
it was a long time ago!. The Moonrakers--Edinburgh; The
Beachcombers--Edinburgh; Three's A Crowd-Edinburgh; The Stoics
(Frankie Miller was not with them yet - mid '66) -Glasgow; House Of
Lords-Glasgow; Scots of St James-Glasgow; The Chris McClure Section-Glasgow; The
Beatstalkers-Glasgow; The Poets-Glasgow; Jimmy
James and the Vagabonds-London (absolute soul gods to us) and
headlining - or at least finishing off the night was - The
Pathfinders-Glasgow. It was a great day and totally memorable night.
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Then completely out of the blue, McGoos shut down. The excuse was a fire brigade check deemed the club unsafe. We were devastated. No warning, just closure. It's been rumoured that Crolla was being harassed by Edinburgh gangsters for protection money and closed rather than pay. Very sad indeed. But not a million miles away in Victoria Street, a long time jazz and beat club grabbed the chance to get the McGoos goers to come to their club called The Place. This was a converted grain store and you had to go down three long sets of stairs to a dingy cellar. The first thing that hit you was the smell from the gents toilet. These were the worst toilets ever - say no more. You were supposed to be 18 to get in and we were only 16 but we got away with it. I even got in free once by carrying the Pathfinders gear! The stage was really low compared to McGoos so you could get right up close to the bands as well.
But to the music - here The Pathfinders were kings. Clewsey was master and commander. They introduced us to unheard soul gems such as, the Left Banke's Walk Away Renee; the Platters' Washed Ashore; Lou Johnson's Always Something There To Remind Me; The Artistics' I'm Gonna Miss You - as well as beat tracks like Sharon Tandy's Hold On. They were the complete band and I can honestly say I never missed a performance by the Pathfinders at The Place. Then one Saturday night at the end of their spot Clewsey told a packed crowd that the band was signing for Apple records and leaving Scotland. You could have heard a pin drop as well as my jaw hitting the floor. I knew they would move on to bigger things but we were just not prepared for it. They did a final Edinburgh gig before moving south. This was at St Mary's Hall in St Mary's Street - just around the corner from the now boarded up McGoos. The guests were mod legends The Action. I'll never forget watching them as The Pathfinders had always played two Action tracks - Baby You've Got It and I Love You Yeah! When the band came on to say farewell and played I'm Gonna Miss You I swear Clews ran off stage in tears. I wish I could contact him today to tell him that he and his band were worshipped in Edinburgh. One odd thing - Clewsey used to call Colin Morrison 'springboard heed' in his broad Glasgow accent - no idea why.
So that was that. Hair started getting longer and flowers became the in-thing. One night at The Place it was "wear a flower and get in free!" - to see some hippy band blowing bubbles out of their backsides. At least the smell of incense was better than the usual smell of urine!
One last mention of Linnie Paterson from Three's a Crowd. I moved to London around late 69, and on my first night out I went into a pub in the Kings Road and who was sitting at the bar? Linnie and all the others from Writing On The Wall! When I ordered some drinks, Linnie hears the accent and says, "Where ye from?". "Edinburgh", I says and "I used to be your biggest fan"! That kicked off a long conversation and at the end of the night Linnie said, "Come along to the Marquee tomorrow, we've got a residency there". So we all piled in to watch the band but as an ex-mod and soul-boy I was flabbergasted at the heavy music they were playing. I cheekily asked Linnie for Sam and Dave's When Something Is Wrong With My Baby" which he used to sing to perfection. He just winked and said, "Sorry pal moved on from that". Many years later I attended his funeral, standing at the back watching the who's who of Edinburgh musicians that had turned out for him. The tears were flowing down my face. It's so sad to think about even now . He was unique and even if he wouldn't admit it, he was the king of the mods in Edinburgh.
I
never moved on in terms of music. The rock thing just wasn't for me.
I've maintained my devotion to soul and still DJ on the northern soul scene
in Edinburgh. - Lenny Toshack.
Martin Frutin - manager of many groups in the '60s - gives a wee resume of his showbiz past:
Then I took up Rock n Roll dancing. My girlfriend
and dance partner was Miss June Miller from Pollock. She and I
toured all the big dance halls as the leaders of Glasgow's Johnny Wilson
jive team. We became somewhat famous in the 60's as we were constantly on
TV - Ready Steady Go, Dance Party Roof, Juke Box Jury and we even
opened Kent Walton's new TV programme - Discs a Go-Go.
In 1962 we won the European Cha-Cha, Jive and Twist championship.
Frank Sinatra presented us with the cup. At
the height of our fame we were asked to dance in front of the late Queen
Mother at the now defunct Alhambra theatre, Glasgow. It was the most
upsetting moment of my life. We were the last act of the first half and
were doing a Twist routine - we were the reigning Scottish champions - lo
and behold, I did this high kick that caught poor June in the head and I
tumbled into the orchestra pit! Thankfully I only sustained
cuts and bruises but, as they say in Glasgow, I was black affronted!
However, the Queen Mum could not hide her laughter and we ended
up received a standing ovation. I can still hear the clapping
and cheering to this very day. We became even more famous after
that! We went out dancing seven nights out of seven and
that was the best keep fit you could get and so enjoyable too. I have not
lost my touch, and although I don't dance as much I can still get up
and go - as they say - much to the amazement of on lookers.
June's brother Ronnie was in a beat group (as they were
called in the 60's) and I was asked by them to
become their manager. I renamed them the Deljaks after taking
on board a new singer named Frankie Miller (no relation to Ronnie).
It all went from strength to strength - I managed the Hitch - Hikers, the
Avenue, the Breadline and from Inverness, the Size 4. I had them all
working up to 7 nights a week. I had dealings with the
Marmalade, Ian Clews (Clewsy) of the Pathfinders a brilliant singer
- whatever happened to him? - and of course, my old pal Joe Gaffney who
ran the Beatstalkers, the Kleen Machine and several others. I
even had some early contact with the Beatles as I knew Brian
Epstein. Elton John' s subsequent manager, John Reid, from Paisley,
was my assistant in the early 60's and went round my groups with me before
he hit the big time. I also managed a Eurovision song contest winner named
Ricky Peebles for several years. I think that
my success with the beat groups was mainly due to the well known Frutin
family name and thus I was hardly ever turned down when I asked for a gig
for my bands - and at good money too!
However, in 1972, I decided to start up a late
booking travel centre in Edinburgh. I had been trained in the
travel agency business at Scotia Transport in Bothwell Street and
spoke ten languages! Frutin Travel
became the top independent travel agency in Scotland and is still
going strong. I'm now semi-retired and living
mostly in Pattaya, Thailand
but I come back several times a year to Edinburgh mainly
for the hectic July-September period when I do my bit. I've
kept up my facility with languages, I now speak Thai fluently along with
six dialects. I love this country of smiling friendly folk, reminds
me a bit of the auld Glasgow hospitality.
Martin & Frankie Miller in Thailand
27 May 2005
If anyone wants to contact me from the old days, or even today, they are
most welcome to do so at marfru@csloxinfo.com
here in the land of smiles. Sawadee Crap and Chock Dee from Somsak-Martin
(Frutin).
John McBrearty's recollections as a roadie in the '60s.
John was the roadie for The Verge, a pretty good
pop band that played the Scottish circuit in the late 60's and
into the 70's. Started in the game at Burn's Cottage (Waterson's other
bar) when he went to see a band on a Saturday morning called Sock'em JB.
Supposed to be Frankie Miller singing. Walking downstairs, he heard a
female singing the most soulful rendition of "Summertime".
Sock'em JB was no more, Frankie had joined Westfarm Cottage. Maggie
Bell, Les Harvey, Jimmy Dewar and a guy named John McGuiness on keyboards
were in residency. The name of the band was Power, later to be Stone
the Crows. John thinks he was the only punter there but he
liked the sound and went back week after week. When the band got a gig
at a dance hall at Eglington Toll, Jimmy Dewar asked John to give them
a hand with the gear. Power became the house band at the Howff
therefore there
was not much roadie work so John worked for the Verge most of the time.
Robin Ramsay's take on Edinburgh in the '60s
Hello there. Just been perusing the versions of the Edinburgh rock scene and
offer these comments. They may be of interest.
I was 16 in 1964 and between then and 1969 I saw a lot of bands in
Edinburgh, played in a couple, and promoted a few gigs. A number of
bands remain in my memory. The best band in the pre-67 period I saw
was undoubtedly Glasgow's The Pathfinders. How Ian Clews - 'Clewsy' -
the lead singer didn't become a big star is a mystery to me. He was a
wonderful singer and a great dancer. The only dancer I ever saw to match him
was Linnie Patterson, who died recently I believe, of The Jury which became
The Writing on the Wall, made a couple of LPs and went to London. They
didn't make it, broke up and a couple of members turned up in the mid 1970s
in Meal Ticket. But Linnie couldn't sing worth a shit. I remember The Jury
doing support for Cream in 1967 at a big place on the High St. Mr Magoo's?
There was an R and B band in Edinburgh circa 1965/6 called The Crusaders
which at one time had Mike Heron (pre Incredible String Band) and Robert
Smith - 'Smiggy' - on lead guitars. Via Three's a Crowd, Smith ended up in
Blue in the early 1970s. In the post 1967 period one of the best bands was
East-West, named after the LP of that name in 1965 or 6 by the Paul
Butterfield Blues Band. Their lead guitarist was Ian Bairnson, who later
appared in Pilot in the early 1970s and had a no 1 hit with 'January'.
East-West had a big following for their long improvisations - again,
modelled on the Butterfield LP's sound. (Or soit seemed to me.)
The clubs to go to were The Place and Bungy's - especially Bungy's which
stayed open til the early hours at weekends. The Top Story club at the
top of Leith Walk was a huge fire-trap of a place on the top floor of a
tenement. God knows what would have happened had a fire broken out. I
ventured there only once to see The Moody Blues just after their first hit
'Go Now' when they were still basically an R and B band. The acid-taking and
their conversion to robes, mellotrons, flutes and mysticism came later.
In 1969 I organised Edinburgh's first concert-in-the park in the Meadows. On
the bill was the trio Skin, then very popular, supported by Writing on the
Wall, and a blues band whose name I have forgotten. A visiting London band,
Juniors Eyes, who had played at in Edinburgh the previous night, stayed
around all day to top the bill but the police closed the gig before they
could do on! Skin made an LP for Decca but had to change their name to The
Human Beast. The LP sold very few copies and is now incredibly hard to find.
Copies on e-Bay were going for around £600 the last I heard.
In retrospect there was strikingly little exchange between the Glasgow and
Edinburgh bands. The big Glasgow bands - Beatstalkers and Poets, for example
- hardly every came across. The hostility which sadly and stupidly existed
then between the two cities extended to music.
Cheers.
