Clough's Classic UK Instrumentals

[ozover50]

Sorry, Roy...... just staggered into this thread. An absolute plethora of lovely goodies!

The Mexican is great. Makes me want to pick up a Strat, set reverb to 11 and have a crack at it. Then my sanity returns and I just listen!!!

Great stuff, all.......... thanks!

[royclough]

Howard absolutely no need for apologies, my comment was merely to underline fact that if I am merely indulging myself or if topic of no interest and I accept everyone has different tastes then neeed to rethink it.

[nick_allen]

Here's one that was a big hit, and a piece of nostalgia for all us Brits of a "certain age" - and the visual is a nice collection of 60s album covers

[royclough]

Made number 8 in 1962 would you believe.

For those not from UK, Z cars was a highly popular TV series based on British Police. Actor Brian Blessed was one of the stars before he grew the beard etc.

Fancy Smith I think was his character.

TV in UK in 62 consisted of only 2 channels, so captive audiences to some degree.

For those into football (soccer), Everton the other team in Liverpool run onto the pitch at home games to this theme every week.

[ozover50]

Goodness me!! "Z Cars" takes me back to my teens..... it was almost a religion at our home. I always wondered where they got the "Z' from and finally assumed that it was because the standard police car in those days was a MK II Zephyr. Then again, if my memory serves me correctly there were a heck of a lot of "Twanglias" (Ford Anglias) floating around as well. Am I anywhere near the mark Roy?

[nick_allen]

The TV show certainly used Zephyrs (or Zodiacs - still a Z). Plus it just sounds dramatic... Z, X or Q... and Q cars actually existed, hotted-up plain-clothes cars.

[royclough]

Both correct though Anglias were about , learnt to drive in one.

[nick_allen]

Me too!

[ozover50]

You're probably right, Nick....... Ford Zodiacs were used by the police here as well.

[royclough]

Here's another in this theme , I am enjoying this hope some others are.

Before The Eagles ,that lot who sang Lying Eyes there were The Eagles, a instrumental group from UK, released in 62 this was one of the first singles I ever bought.

Though they were in a film "Some People" they never had any hits.

I have all the tracks they ever recorded and won't bore with story too much, but about 10 years ago I stayed at a small hotel in Bristol and it turned out, that one of the group, was the brother of the woman who owned hotel.

She was grateful I even remembered them let alone knew all the stuff they recorded, she made a phone call to her brother and the guy, John was his name, came up to meet me, spent a enjoyable evening listening to his tales.

One thing I do recall is he said that they decided to go back to day jobs when they had just spent a week, playing support to Dionne Warwck, at the Paris Olympia.

They got off the ferry and realised they could just about afford the bus fare home to Bristol.

He also told how they were, like many groups I suspect, ripped off by Managers /Agents.He recalled one gig they played where after gig ,owner of club came up to them and offered to pay them, they said our manager deals with the money but owner insisted and said "oh just give him the £300 then", they had been told they were getting £60.


1962 The Eagles - Exodus

[hamilton_square]

Roy, do you remember the Wildcats (aka Krew Kats)

The story goes that early 1959, Larry Parnes was putting together a replacement Wildcats backing group for Marty Wilde. Parnes already had ‘Big’ Jim Sullivan (lead) and Tony Belcher (rhythm) pencilled in. This led to Sullivan persuading Brian ‘Licorice’ Locking (bass) and Brian Bennett (drums) then both of the Playboys, to make up the quartet.

During the two years they worked for Larry Parnes as the Wildcats, they not only backed Marty Wilde but on occasions Gene Vincent and Eddie Cochran also. Apparently, Parnes really got his monies worth out of them during their tenure. Which is why, on the grounds they weren’t being paid enough, I strongly suspect they finally parted company with Mr Parnes.

Unfortunately, due to contractual obligations they couldn’t take the Wildcats name with them. So they did the next best thing by sticking two metaphorical fingers up to Larry Parnes by renaming themselves as the Krew Kats. I understand that this was as close as they could get to the Wildcats name without incurring the legal wrath of their former employer.

The Krew Kats stayed together long enough to release two instrumental singles on the HMV label before October 1961 when first, drummer Brian Bennett, followed some months later by bass Brian Locking joined the Shadows as replacements for Tony Meehan and an unreliable Jet Harris.

This is a YouTube recording of ‘Peak Hour’ the Krew Kats first release on HMV - ‘Trambone’ by Chet Atkins was on the other side.



While Brian Locking was only with the Shadows for some 18 months, leaving for religious reasons to pursue activities as a Jehovah’s Witness, he was one multi-talented musician.

He got the nickname ‘Licorice’ because the clarinet or ‘Licorice Stick’ was the first instrument he learnt to play in his youth. He was also and still is an accomplished harmonica player, for it was Brian Locking playing the harmonica on the Shadows recording of Dakota.

I’ve managed to dig out this YouTube clip of a harmonica playing Brian Locking and a reformed Los Jets de Madrid performing Dakota at a Shadows convention that according to the date on the backstage advertising banner was taped sometime during October 2005.

[royclough]

Certainly do remember them I have all their recordings in fact on CD.

Your post is very informative though I did not know how Locking got his nickname though knew he was a JW. He was probably the influence on Hank Marvin who became a JW years later.

Locking was only on Shadows second album having replaced Jet Harris, he was featured on some tracks notably Dakota on third album but was not on cover, John Rostill had replaced him by time of it's release.

Glad to know I am not on my own on this topic.

[ozover50]

As you can possibly imagine, Roy, English instrumental bands beyond the likes of The Shadows and Acker Bilk didn't exactly raise the roof or even enter the building over here and that's why I'm finding this quite fascinating. Can't contribute much if anything verbally but keep 'em coming.... my ears are loving it!!

[royclough]

Thanks Howard can appreciate that and it also applies to US but your comment type of encouragement I need.

[ozover50]

Thanks to Peter, too....... I just loved the Brian Locking clip!!