We made it because we really like this kind of music (just a bunch of old men with rock and roll clothes on sitting around the studio mumbling about the good old days).
Frank Zappa, sleeve notes to “Cruising with Ruben & The Jets”
There was a lot of mumbling about the good old days, and some great anecdotes as well as music.
Sunday 2nd July 2017
Guy Wellman (friend since 1971) and Peter
It’s going to be my number one in my Best show of 2017 list, that’s for sure. We decided to have a garden party for my 70th birthday, after Karen got fed up of me whining that the last party in my honour was in 1961. (Not true, she adds). We thought we’d have music and wondered about several local bands, and I asked Richard Palmer-James … who I first met at Hill View Infants school when I was four … about them. Richard said, ‘Why don’t I just bring my PA and guitars in the car and I’ll play?”
So, Richard (Rick) drove from Southern Bavaria. He was in the first line up of Supertramp, wrote songs for the 1973-1974 King Crimson albums, wrote many pop hits in Germany and Italy for a wide range of artistes from Italian disco stars, La Bionda to Haddaway to Mirrielle Mathieu and Patrick Duffy. He has been touring in a duo as Blues Meets Classical, and has a new solo album “Takeaway” out (LINKED). So we started out thinking Rick and acoustic guitars.
But my other great friend, John “Hutch” Hutcheson was travelling from California. My first date with Karen was watching Hutch play with his later duo, Tapestry, at the Royal Exeter Hotel, and he gave us a lift home to Karen’s house. Rick and Hutch were in the mid-60s Palmer-James Group with the late John Wetton (see TRIBUTE TO JOHN WETTON), then the three of them formed their first professional band, Tetrad, in 1968 (name changed to Ginger Man in 1969). Unfortunately we couldn’t run to a Hammond and Leslies as in Tetrad, but Hutch plays piano nowadays anyway.
Terrad, 1968. L to R: Richard Palmer-James, Bob Jenkins, John Hutcheson, John Wetton
We had got back in touch with Bob Jenkins, from Be Sharp (See http://www.besharp.co.uk/bob/) . Bob is a top session drummer, and was the drummer in Tetrad, and he was coming to the party too. Bob has toured the world with a long list of stars … follow the link above. When Ginger Man folded, Bob and Hutch joined the band Room, whose Deram album is astonishingly expensive among collectors. Bob bravely agreed to use my son’s starter drum kit (a far cry from his normal stage rig) though he brought his own snare and cymbals.
We realized we would have three of Tetrad together for the first time since 1969, though Rick and Hutch had made a 1977 album together, Jack-Knife, with John Wetton. Hutch is a Doctor of Science and has been in America since then.
Ginger Man (hair is longer) 1969 : L to R: Bob Jenkins – drums / John Wetton – bass, lead vocal / W.J. Hutcheson – Hammond organ, vocals / Richard Palmer- guitar, vocals
Hutch and Bob, 2017
We were all so aware that John Wetton was not to be with us. Then fortuitously, John Andrews, aka Andy, volunteered. Andy’s bass and vocals credentials go back to John Andrews and The Lonely Ones in the 60s, then The Joint with Rick Davies. Supertramp was formed around Rick Davies, and Andy moved over to management and sound engineer, and we worked together for Supertramp on the road. Andy later made an unreleased album with Rick in Munich in 1972, on which John Wetton guested on piano. Some songs are prototypes for the 1973-74 King Crimson albums.
Andy remembered playing with The Joint on the same bill as the Palmer-James Group at Bournemouth Pavilion in 1967 … he remembered Hutch’s massive home made Leslie speakers. Andy had first met us at Easter 1970, when Hutch cut Supertramp’s Hammond in two for transportation with my assistance. I still have the scars from the solder. Every key had a wire that had to be cut and soldered to multiple connectors.
1965
2017 – Richard, Alec, Hutch
That was to be our core reunion band. Alec James was the drummer in the Palmer-James Group, which he founded as The Corvettes originally with Rick in 1962. John Wetton joined, then Hutch. Alec was coming to the party and we asked if he’d sing some songs.
The Corvettes: L to R, Richard Palmer- guitar / Paul Mead – vocal / Alec James – drums, vocal / John Wetton – bass, vocal. Circa 1964
Then Dave Gray had volunteered to do his reggaefied version of Don’t Look Back, so we asked him if he’d join in with the band from that point.
Saturday night: A pilgrimage to Don Strike Music, Westbourne: Peter, Hutch, Rick, Andy
This is for the people who attended. It was old friends playing for fun, not a “concert” or “gig” or “performance” but I enjoyed it more than any band in the last few years.
RICHARD PALMER-JAMES solo set
The night before: Rick with resonator guitar
Instrumental
Hi Heel Sneakers (Blues Meets Classical)
Half Remembered Summer (from Takeaway)
Easy Money (King Crimson)
Book of Love
Dance With Me (from Takeaway)
Band set
RICHARD PALMER-JAMES – vocals, acoustic guitar, resonator guitar, electric guitar,
JOHN HUTCHESON – Roland electric piano, vocals
BOB JENKINS – drums
JOHN ANDREWS – vocals, bass guitar
Richard Palmer-James, John Andrews
It’s A Long Road (Supertramp)/ Season of The Witch – Rick vocal
Like A Rolling Stone – Andy vocal
The Seventh Son – Andy vocal
Eyesight To The Blind – Andy voca
Interval
+ DAVE GRAY – vocals, electric guitar
Don’t Look Back- Dave Gray vocal
+ ALEC JAMES – vocals
I Heard It Through The Grapevine – Alec vocal
Johnny B. Goode – Alec vocal
I Heard It Through The Grapevine: L to R: Dave, Hutch, Alec, Rick, Bob, Andy
Hoochie Coochie Man – Andy vocal
The Weight – Andy + Hutch lead & Rick lead on verses 3 & 4
Baby Please Don’t Go – Andy & Alec vocal
Nadine – Andy lead vocal, Rick & Alec backing vocal
Hound Dog – Alec vocal
Jailhouse Rock – Alec vocal
Stir It Up – Dave Gray vocal
Rock Me Baby – Andy vocal
Richard Palmer-James, solo set
It was a beautiful afternoon and early evening. Richard’s solo set started with an instrumental and Hi-Heel Sneakers on resonator guitar, and included his “Dorset folk music” version of King Crimson’s Easy Money, which is such a radical transformation … but the song is still all there. Two songs from Takeaway were featured, Half-Remembered Summer, which as he said, is about Bournemouth, and the rocking Dance With Me.
Rick had been working on The Book of Love as a surprise treat for Karen, so much of a surprise that he only practised it when she was well out of earshot. If you don’t know the song, it is on Magnetic Fields triple CD, 69 Songs and was covered by Peter Gabriel for the film Shall We Dance? It has a very special connection for us, because it was sung at our elder son’s wedding on a California mountain. Rick knew that.
The Book of Love
Karen
The band came on. We’d been talking through songs on Friday with Rick and Hutch, and Saturday with Andy, but that mainly consisted of checking the words and chords. I don’t think they ran any song in its entirety to rehearse, and Bob was only there on the day.
Just as we started, John Wetton was on all our minds, and Andy looked at the others and said, “I’m standing in some very big shoes.”
Peter introduces the set: Andy on bass, Bob on drums
Rick had brought his resonator guitar and acoustic Gibson, and borrowed my grandson’s Squire Stratocaster for some of the electric set. It’s A Long Road is a Supertramp song, and as in 1969-1970 in live shows, they sequed into Season of The Witch. The latter was a puzzle. It was a song Ginger Man had done live too, and Rick had arranged it for Supertramp and we listened to Donovan (who wrote it), plus versions by Julie Driscoll & Brian Auger and Bloomfield & Kooper to get the words right. Rick said the Supertramp version had had different (and more interesting chords). So we dug out the DVD of Supertramp Live in 1969 in Munich. It was then we realised that the improved chords had come from Hutch back in the Ginger Man days.
Supertramp: 1970
Andy did a powerful Like A Rolling Stone and wisely ignored my suggestion that I should shout out “Judas!” and he should reply, “I don’t believe you. You’re a liar! Play fucking loud!” as Bob Dylan did at the Manchester Free Trade Hall in 1966. Lovely crunchy bass line, which I preferred to the original! Hutch was pulling fabulous piano sounds out of the Roland for the Al Kooper bits.
John “Hutch” Hutcheson
The Seventh Son and Eyesight to the Blind were numbers the Palmer-James Group did in the era when they played cool R&B rather than soul (as later). They both come from the LP Mose Allison Sings, an all-time favourite, and their source. Eyesight to The Blind was revived for the I Wish You Would album by Jack-knife in 1977, but in a harder version. Andy sang both.
Dave Gray joined them after a short break for The Temptations number Don’t Look Back, in the style Peter Tosh used for his 70s cover with Mick Jagger. Very different from the Temptations original. I’ve heard Dave do it before and it was my request.
L to R: Dave, Hutch, Rick
Then we were into the Palmer-James soul era when Alec got up to sing I Heard It Through The Grapevine. It’s a song dear to my heart, as Grapevine was our second most successful textbook and video series, and we used the music as the theme for the video. Alec is a fantastic showman. We had been discussing which Chuck Berry to do, basically depending on someone knowing the words, and Alec knew the words to Johnny B., Goode, so off they went.
Peter & Andy recall tales of Ford Transits
Hoochie Coochie Man was marvellous singing by Andy. During the lunchtime sound check, Bob wasn’t there and so I said, “I’ll do the bass drum” (anyone could) and sat on the drum stool which was half on the sheet of hardboard over the grass. I hit the bass pedal twice, promptly fell over backwards, taking the drums, but fortunately not the PA system with me. I’m still sore. The day before Rick had taught me the bass part to Hoochie Coochie Man (which I thought I knew, but didn’t) and we vaguely contemplated me playing it, but as soon as I heard Andy, I decided discretion was the better part of valour!
Sound check: I fell off the drum stool just after this …
The Weight had been a sure choice, with Andy on lead vocal and Hutch and Rick doing the Rick Danko / Richard Manuel verses. Rick was on acoustic, Dave on electric guitar. Again, great Hutch piano throughout. It was the only one we recorded on iPhone, and it’s Bob’s rock solid drumming that makes it. And those are also very big shoes to fill.
After that Andy started on Baby Please Don’t Go and Alec was sitting next to me singing along, so I said “Go and join in …” and Alec did the full modern Van Morrison vocal tricks and signalled the band beautifully on stops and starts.
Nadine was one we had discussed, as my all-time favourite Chuck Berry song. Andy was word perfect from memory, so it had to go in. Rick and Alec were on the same mic for the chorus … a magic “Palmer-James” moment.
Nadine: Alec and Rick
That led into Alec saying “Do you all know Hound Dog?” Chords were shouted out … it had never been discussed, then same again for Jailhouse Rock. I don’t think anyone had played them before, but with every song they were sounding more and more like a band who’d been playing together for ages.
A quick “What next?” huddle, and Dave suggested Bob Marley & The Wailers’ Stir It Up. a song we had used in our ELT stage shows for years, and an absolute favourite. I bought Cath-A-Fire the dayit came out. Bob started the rhythm (he has played with Johnny Nash who also recorded it) , chords were shouted, Andy produced a reggae bass line and they played it. Marvellous singing by Dave.
Andy rounded out the evening with Rock Me Baby, by which time the whole lot was sounding tight and polished (a tribute to great musicians, easily picking up on each other).
L to R: Huxley (6 months), Tom, my son-in-law, Me, Bob at background, Graham who rode to school with me on our bikes for 7 years.
BBQ: My daughter, grandson #2, granddaughter, and friends Sally, Graham, Richard A.
To round off all our talk of The Weight, Rick sent me a photo from his ferry back to the Continent … it was “Nazareth.”
And birthday cake too! My daughter (holding the cake) and the other three grandkids in the picture. Ages 12, 6, and 6 months
What can you say? Three people there I’ve known since primary school. Several more from secondary school. The Weight, I Heard It Through The Grapevine, Nadine, Stir It Up, The Book of Love, Don’t Look Back would do nicely for my Desert Island discs playlist. Sitting in the evening sunshine outside the tent, watching them play with my six month old fifth grandchild on my knee, and the others all there. Mind you, the little one was enjoying the music but startled and horrified when everyone started clapping!
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