February 25th 1975

“BE-BOP DELUXE – CANCELLED”

OK, here’s where I KNOW I saw Cockney Rebel play live somewhen in 1974.

I’m sure of this because I saw Be-Bop Deluxe as a support band to Cockney Rebel long before I saw them headline… plus I spent more than two weeks after the show trying to hunt down a copy of their debut album, “Axe Victim”

As excited as I must have been to see Cockney Rebel in concert – presumably for the first time? – I can still remember how Bill Nelson’s tight little band completely blew me away that night. It’s certainly embedded in my memory how, on their final number (no encores for a support band), Bill created some screaming feedback on his guitar, coolly unstrapped it and laid it on the stage to continue screeching whilst the band walked off to tumultuous applause.

I’m not kidding when I say I really hunted for “Axe Victim”. None of my regular haunts seemed to have it in stock and no-one seemed to be able to obtain copies of it from EMI, Harvest Records’ distributor. I was phoning shops on a regular basis, all to no avail. None of the mail-order companies stocked it. No-one I knew owned the album either so I couldn’t settle for a taped recording of it to tide me over. Then my Mum took a phone message one day to inform me that Whitwams had received stock and they had popped a copy aside for me. I rushed in to Winchester and was probably never as eager to pass over my £2.99 or so.

In retrospect I know exactly why Be-Bop Deluxe appealed to me back then. Guitarist and founder Bill Nelson successfully merged prog rock sensibilities with a glam rock sound and image which, when totaled, was almost impossible for me to resist. “Axe Victim” is a perfect merger of snappy pop songs and extended proggy guitar-solo-ridden pieces that go off several tangents. I’d go so far as to say everyone will find a little something they would like about Be-Bop Deluxe.

(links to You Tube videos except where stated)

• “Axe Victim” (@last.fm)
sets out Nelson’s stall perfectly, telling a kind of Ziggy Stardust-lite tale about a post-glam band apparently disintegrating…

You came to watch the band, to see us play our parts
We hoped you’d lend an ear, you hope we dress like tarts
But back stage we stand naked, all the make-up cleaned away,
My poet sheds his pretty skin, and turns to face the day

And there’s nothing to be done, no nothing to be said,
Last night I felt immortal, this morning I feel dead

And the love that gave its blaze to my heart,
Now brings a haze,
Be careful…I’m an axe victim

Hung up on these silver strings,
Like wings,
Like time machines…
Like voices on the wind

We hit the road to Hull, sad amps and smashed guitars,
Played badly at ‘The Duke’ to almost no applause…
But someone made it worthwhile, when smiling with bright eyes,
They gave me full attention and took me by surprise…

But today the feeling’s gone.. no, faded like a ghost,
Last night I saw the future.. this morning there’s no hope

And the words that I sung so clear
Are now clouded by my tears
Please be careful…’cos I’m an axe victim

Hung up on these silver strings,
Like sails,
Like seagulls cries…
Like church bells in the night…

The final 90 seconds of the song is, essentially, an instrumental, Nelson showing off his not-inconsiderable guitar skills.

Someone once remarked something along the lines of that whilst Nelson had the intellectual ability write about ‘other wordly’ things in his compositions, he often threw in down-to-earth remarks about his own upbringing, preferring here to mention an unfashionable Northern city, Hull, rather than any number of ‘romantic’ American cities he could have chosen to accentuate the story.

• “Love Is Swift Arrows” (@last.fm)
Again shows off Nelson’s slick guitar work, this time overlaying a drumbeat that, for some reason, always reminds me of The Kinks. I always liked the lyric “Echoed words spoken by token romantics” and how easily it trips off the tongue.

• “Jet Silver And The Dolls Of Venus”
If the Bowie influence is not immediately apparent then this cut is the giveaway, just managing to fall short of being an out-and-out parody. Once again it is the guitar work that separates it from the ‘ordinary’ here, and I’ve always thought that – for whatever reason – Nelson sings this weaker than he’s otherwise capable of. Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s a fantastic track – the chorus again reminding me of the Kinks – just that it feels ‘undersung’, if that makes any sense? The ending is about as prog rock as you can get!

• “Third Floor Heaven” ( @last.fm)
feels a weak cut to me nowadays. It didn’t feel weak back then. It’s based around a ‘Stones’ riff that Nelson pulls off to perfection – which, yes, I tried to emulate on my own guitar… with predictably terrible results – but the lyrics, seemingly about an S&M hooker, fail to move as much as they did when I was an impressionable 17-year-old.

• “Night Creatures”
This is where Nelson listened to Lou Reed’s “Walk on the Wild Side” or “Sweet Jane” and created his own take on ‘people of the night’. I love the laid back acoustic feel of this cut, Nelson’s voice matching the mood perfectly. It feels like the ‘calm before the storm’ of the next track…

• “Rocket Cathedrals”
Opening with what sounds like a garbled ‘public warning’ message, this quickly turns into an almost ‘pub rock’ anthem, worthy of someone like Ducks Deluxe. It just ROCKS. I never had it pegged as a song that was worthy of covering in any way shape or form, so imagine my utter surprise when, whilst researching a few things for this post, I stumbled across an awesome Brian Setzer Orchestra version of it!

• “Adventures In A Yorkshire Landscape”
This is the ‘tour de force’ cut of the album, almost single-handedly summing up what BeBop Deluxe are/were about. Romantic words (here, Nelson waxes lyrically about Northern England, poets, churches and more) highlighted with crafty guitar work and alternate bursts of energy and quiet. It’s one of Nelson’s songs that could have equally slotted onto any of the follow-up Be-Bop albums or the guitar-centric solo work later on in his career

Poster from a later tour

• “Jets At Dawn” (@last.fm)
is magnificently languid in its lyrics and presentation, Nelson’s guitar chops again coming to the fore. I’ve commented on this before, but it remains amazing to me that guitarists (who I consider third-rate hacks) such as Eric Clapton get all the ‘fame’ and attention for their (apparent) tricky guitar skills when they couldn’t/wouldn’t hold a candle to the likes of Bill Nelson in his prime.

• “No Trains To Heaven”
has always disappointed me. Did then, does now. Seems to go nowhere and has always felt like a ‘filler’

• “Darkness (L’Immoraliste)” ( @last.fm)
returns Nelson to Bowie/Ziggy territory, having a “Five Years” feel to its composition. It’s grand, orchestral and theatrically pompous in a manner that Nelson would repeat on later Be-Bop albums. You can imagine it performed by a huge chorus on a West End stage. (The only other artists I have ever known to have pulled this sound off successfully are Simon Warner and The Divine Comedy)

“Axe Victim” is, by far, the Be-Bop Deluxe album I know the best, but its far from their finest work. I think Nelson was still finding his artistic feet and whilst its a very admirable debut, his latter fascination for all things ‘sci-fi’ would prove to the making of him and the band.

Maybe the gig was cancelled because their tour bus burned out?

Tonight though, in 1975, the anticipated return of Be-Bop Deluxe onto the live stage was cancelled. Of course, in true EFA70sTRO fashion I have not gone into any detail as to why the gig was called off, nor given any indication that it was going to be rescheduled in the future.

However, by way of a little trivia I can impart that this new tour would have featured two members who I saw perform with Cockney Rebel the previous year. Bill stole Rebel bass guitarist Paul Jeffreys and keyboard player Milton Reame-James from under the nose of Steve Harley. Bit naughty, but this kind of thing happened a lot with bands back then.

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November 25th 1973

“Recorded Ziggy + Man”

Phew!

Those last couple of posts have been quite the mammoth writing tasks so it’s nice to return to a semblance of ‘mundanity’ here and let the diary entry speak for itself…

November 21st 1973

“Borrowed Ziggy Stardust”

Reading and realising the significance of this diary entry staggered me.

What it means is that DESPITE having seen Bowie on tour a few months earlier, I had STILL NOT actually bought  his “The Rise & Fall of Ziggy Stardust & the Spiders from Mars” album.

I borrowed it to commit it, merely, to tape. How considerably LAME is that?

I am especially horrified because this album, probably moreso than any other, is one that I grew to know inside out, start-to-finish, every nuance, note and lyric.

It is, to me, the consumate, most complete, Bowie album in his vast cannon of work.

Supposedly presenting the ‘story’ of an alien trying to warn the world of impending doom, the Ziggy Stardust character descends into a seedy world of promiscuity and drugs, and is eventually destroyed by his rabid fans.

“Five Years” kicks proceedings off with that mournful single drumbeat whilst the lyrics tells us that “earth was really dying” and we have the titular amount of time left.

“Soul Love” tries to document the various kinds of love that exist in the world; spiritual, romantic, grief, etc. I have always adored the line “love is careless in its choosing” which suggests both destiny and fate have an impact on who we find as a  soul mate.

“Moonage Daydream” starts with Mick Ronson’s fierce guitar riff and introduces the listener to the ‘space invader” (Ziggy Stardust) who is enticing doomed humans to “press your space face close to mine love” and “freak out in a moonage daydream“. What has always made this song special for me is the baritone sax solo in the middle.

“Starman” is perhaps famous for originally NOT being on this album, Bowie having to be persuaded to add it after it was felt by his producers and the record label there was no “hit single” amongst the tracklisting. Bowie has changed his take on the meaning of “Starman” as a chapter in the whole Ziggy story over the years but the general consensus seems to be that it was the song Ziggy played – via some kind of intergalactic radio – to inspire people to follow him into outer space and escape the doomed planet Earth. Some, apparently, don’t hear the words, mooting “that weren’t no DJ that was hazy cosmic jive“. It’s almost impossible – maybe even criminal – NOT to love lyrics like that isn’t it?

“It Ain’t Easy” closes Side 1, and is a (space) oddity in its own right. Not only is it not one of Bowie’s own compositions (it was written several years earlier by American blues songwriter Ron Davies) it seems to have no relevance whatsoever to the album’s concept or storyline.

The song had already been recorded by artists such as Long John Baldry and Three Dog Night, but in the ultimate example of  ‘THAT’s weird!’ Dave Edmunds recorded a version of the song on his 1972 Rockpile album… which was released at almost the same time as Ziggy Stardust!

Side 2 starts with what is generally felt is Bowie’s homage to fellow glam-rocker Marc Bolan; “Lady Stardust” (Allegedly, a demo version exists entitled “A Song for Marc”). Regardless, it remains a beautifully-executed acoustic ballad about a strangely androgynous pop star, returning us, albeit obliquely, to the ‘alien’ theme of the storyline.

“Star” is driven by boogie-woogie piano and Mick Ronson’s (again) fierce guitar work, with Ziggy making a “transformation” into “a rock n’ roll star”

“Hang Onto Yourself” should always be played as loud as your speakers (or ears) will allow. The guitar work is wicked and I find it almost impossible NOT to stamp my feet along with the rhythm every single time I hear it. Glen Matlock from the Sex Pistols is on record admitting that their riff for “God Save the Queen” was partially stolen from Ronson’s on “Hang Onto Yourself”

“Ziggy Stardust” – as the name suggests – is the pivotal song in the album’s surreal concept. It is often reported that Bowie initially wrote this as a tribute to early English Rock & Roll legend Vince Taylor (of Vince Taylor & the Playboys) who achieved massive success in the early 60’s before plummeting into obscurity as a result of severe drug abuse. However, other resources suggest the lyrics are merely Bowie’s vague acknowledgement of several ‘musical messiahs’, most specifically Jimi Hendrix (…”he played it left hand, but made it to far“)

As far as the story goes, “Ziggy Stardust” would seem to – in just one song – plot both the rise and the fall of the Ziggy character, going from “we were ziggy’s band” to “when the kids had killed the man, we had to break up the band” in just a handful of stanzas.

“Suffragette City” may just be one of my favourite Bowie songs. Maybe even THE favourite? It has just SO much energy and verve, the synthesized sax, guitar, piano and drums all fighting one another for your aural attention, whilst Bowie purely croons over the top. That “Wham Bam Thank You Maam” break (a throwaway lyric stolen from an old Charlie Mingus album) is as thrilling to me now as it was when I first heard it in 1973, likewise the hyper-sexual “… she said she had to squeeze it, then she.. and then she…”

There’s ongoing rumours that Bowie initially offered this song to Mott the Hoople to help them out of the awful financial difficulties they were in at the start of 1972, but that it was rejected by Ian Hunter. Undeterred, Bowie sat down and wrote them “All the Young Dudes” instead!

The album’s finale is the anthemic and ultra-dramatic “Rock n’Roll Suicide” where Ziggy becomes little more than a washed-up rock star, trying in vain to engage his fading audience. I often wonder how many funerals this song has been played at, its “take my hands, you’re wonderful“, “I’ll help you with the pain” and “You’re not alone” all representing – at least to me  – cries both to and from the assembled mourners.

It’s the perfect finish to – to my ears anyway – a perfect album. 38½ minutes of sheer brilliance. I’ve never tired of listening to it, either in segments or its entirety. I have to say that I’ve never really ‘fallen for’ the whole space alien plot thingie, feeling it to be something of a distraction to what are, otherwise, a great set of songs. (I have presented an interpretation of them above without huge levels of any thought if I’m being honest)

I am mortally embarrassed by my admission that I initially only recorded the album, especially when recent entries have suggested that I DID pay money for a couple of LP’s of utter rubbish by Uriah Heep and Procol Harum!

“The Rise & Fall of Ziggy Stardust & the Spiders from Mars” was first released on 6th June 1972. It went on to reach #5 in the UK album chart and a paltry #75 in the American chart. Over the years it has appeared consistently in “best albums ever” polls, usually in the top half of the listings.

It has never been out my own personal Top 10.

Back in 2006, Mark, a friend of a friend here in Northern Kentucky informed me that he and his band, Leisure, would be performing the “Ziggy Stardust” album in its entirety at local indie venue, the Southgate House. It was a mere $5  to get in and I have to say it ranks amongst the best five bucks I have ever spent since moving stateside.

The band all dressed up in glitter and glam and VERY enthusiastically and respectfully covered the album – in its original playing order – from start to finish. I sat up on the balcony with a few whisky and cokes thoroughly enjoying and revelling in every single minute of the performance. It’s testament to the band – but not to my shitty memory – that I can remember MORE about that night than seeing Bowie perform Ziggy etc on stage at the Southampton Guildhall in 1973.

Owning Ziggy Stardust should be mandatory for all fans of popular music. Even 15-year-old pirates in 1973! Shame on me!

July 23rd 1973

“Stuck project into folder” / “Went into ELeigh and got Life on Mars + Pyjamarama” /”Neil came up later”

This purchase of two singles – probably both snagged at Jack Hobbs Records in their clearance bins  – would seem to solidify my teenage passion for all things musically “glam”

David Bowie’s “Life on Mars?” single was released (somewhat strangely in retrospect) by RCA Records almost two years after the album it came from; “Hunky Dory”. Twinned with the cut “Man Who Sold the World” (later butchered by Nirvana) on the b-side, it reached #3 in the charts and had remarkable staying power, staying in and around the Top 30 for over 3 months.

It came after a run of 4 hit singles – “Starman” , “John, I’m Only Dancing“, “Jean Genie” and “Drive-In Saturday” – for Bowie, enhancing the remarkable success he had been enjoying with 1972’s “Ziggy Stardust” album and the more recent (in April 1973) “Aladdin Sane” LP. I don’t think anyone could have anticipated the timeless, ongoing appeal of Mr Bowie in 1973 or the fact that now, in 2009, he is considered one of  rock music’s “gods”

I loved – and still love – Bowie’s early work (I kinda started to pass on his ‘art’ after 1980’s “Scary Monsters” album), “Life on Mars?” remaining one of my absolute faves. This is despite the unfortunate overkill the single received on the back of the BBC’s drama series (of the same name) in 2006. Like many other people of that time, I was first drawn in by the singles, moving to his classic albums a little later.

What some people may find weird is that despite seeing Bowie a few weeks earlier, I had STILL not heard the Ziggy Stardust album in its entirety!

Roxy Music’s “Pyjamarama” has been poetically talked about by me before.

Released in Island Records’ familiar bright pink paper sleeve, the single featured another non-album cut, the tunelessly-atmospheric “The Pride and the Pain” on the b-side.

It was released in March 1973, reached as high as Number 10 in the charts before dropping out of the Top 30 at the end of May. (Jack Hobbs usually sold off non-chart singles pretty cheaply as a way of clearing his shelves, which is doubtless why I waited until July to snag it).

The cut was originally scheduled to be included on Roxy Music’s “For Your Pleasure” album but was left off the final mix. The decision to use the single as the album’s “promotion” would come to be regarded as commercial madness by the music industry in later years, but I seem to remember this practise was quite common in the early part of the seventies.

Here’s today’s trivia corner…

• All-girl pop trio Bananarama’s name was inspired by the phrase “Pyjamarama”
• Rick Wakeman played keyboards on “Life on Mars?”
• “Life on Mars” has been covered by artists as diverse as Michael Ball, The Flaming Lips, Seal and Barbra Streisand

June 19th 1973 (II)

“david Bowie – Guildhall”

If there was ANY concert I really wish I could remember anything about, it would be this Bowie concert at the Guildhall.

This was his infamous Ziggy Stardust & the Spiders from Mars tour, to promote the classic album of the same name.

Bowie would mean SO much more to me later on, but tonight – in June 1973 – he represented “just another gig”

I tell ‘kids’ these days that ‘when I was their age’ I saw the likes of the Clash, Bob Marley, Beefheart or Kate Bush in concert. But nothing impresses like saying I saw Bowie on the original Ziggy tour, his rise to fame in the interim assuring him of icon status for the rest of history.

As captured in DA Pennebaker’s 1983 documentary film “Ziggy Stardust – The Motion Picture“, a few weeks after this Southampton show, Bowie announced his ‘retirement’ from the stage

I’ve watched that film several times over the year, sadly nothing about the performance reminding about the night I spent watching Bowie, Mick Ronson & co go through their historical paces.

Memory’s a REAL bitch sometimes. I think what is especially galling is the fact that I never saw Bowie in concert ever again, even when he became one of my premier musical idols.