Yes, I just heard… I was out collecting drugs and dogs and they played a song on PlanetRock.
I saw him on his tour after his cancer treatment. He did a farewell tour when he had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer which is not normally treatable. His pancreatic cancer the treatable kind which was only diagnosed later. He had the tumour, pancreas, part stomach and small and large intestines removed in 2014 and lived another 8 years. He said he had to do a comeback tour as he felt his farewell tour was done under false pretences. ISTR it was rather good
I never saw him play with Dr. Feelgood… I saw Dr. Feelgood with Johnny Guitar on guitar with The Big Figure and John B. Sparks and Leeds Poly. I think Big Figure and John B. Sparks were the tightest rhythm section I’ve ever seen. Then Gordon Russell in 1983 with a whole new band. They played a small but famous club in Leeds, the Fforde Green. It was a stunning show especially as Gordon Russell stood on our table to do his big solo. (I was with the woman who became Mrs. FMF, my mate Mike was with the woman who became his wife, can’t remember who else was there after 39 years)
Wilko and Lee Brilleaux in their prime.
Yes, Wilko is playing lead and rhythm at the same time, something the late Mick Green (Johnny Kidd and The Pirates) taught him to do.
The story is quite remarkable - whilst on his farewell tour, a chap I knew from the Oxford area (through the Caterham 7 club) who is a surgeon went to see Wilko play at one of the gigs. But he thought to himself that Wilko looked better than he would have expected at that stage, so he got in touch with a cancer consultant he knew at Addenbrookes in Cambridge and hooked him up with Wilco. This guy recognised it as a quite rare variation of pancreatic cancer that was operable and managed to save Wilko’s life.
Indeed - something he often credited Mick for
Also interesting that the was a natural left-hander who re-learned at an early stage to play right handed …
I saw him play with Dr Feelgood at the Liverpool Boxing Stadium, it would have been 1976 or 1977.
I remember the support group Roogalator did not go down well, and were booed off the stage.
Somebody went up on the stage to appeal for calm, but was nearly hit in the head by a bottle.
The flimsy seats of the stadium were completely trashed.
The Rawhide Scene from The Blues Brothers always reminds me of this.
Wilko and the rest of Dr Feelgood were brilliant.
I always thought the Rawhide (and Stand by your Man) scene where the band was behind a substantial steel grille (which was really funny) was an elaborate sendup of the dilemma many pub bands are in. And the bill for drinks exceeding the band’s appearance fee presented to the boys as they were getting away (and covered by a bum cheque) was all too true. Many bands then have to pay for a rental truck to get their gear to and from the venue too. So finish up going backwards financially.
Gosh. Yes she did feature Jim. When I was doing my O-levels, everybody had a copy of Rumours. I thought it was OK, I could listen to it thought it was a bit soft for my teenage tastes. A few years later I had discovered Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac with their 60s Blues Invasion sounds which was more my taste. But between me and Mrs. FMF we have some early Peter Green Fleetwood Mac albums, then some nondescript pre-Rumours albums and a few later ones. Tango in The Night is one, there maybe a copy of Tusk on vinyl somewhere. I preferred her voice to Stevie Nicks.
This is one from 1972 with her keyboards and vocals and is one of my favourites.
We’re now into “Fraser’s Formative youth” territory. I first discovered Fleetwood Mac in 1987 when they released Tango in the Night. I was 16 and recall that being a formative year for me and a good one musically.
My best mate Doug was a drummer and was learning blues drumming, due to him having joined a local blues band. That inevitably took us both on journey through Rumours, Fleetwood Mac and to the bands original Greatest Hits, a Blues double album, which I still own on vinyl. It opened up a world of blues to me, initially through John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers. Mick Fleetwood, Peter Green and John McVie both played for The Bluesbreakers before going on to form Fleetwood Mac.
I keep going back to the 1975 Fleetwood Mac album and Rumours. Cnristine McVies songs “Over my Head”, “You make Loving fun” and “Songbird” are just sublime. I really should play Tango in the Night more too. It’s technically outstanding and has some great music, such as McVies “Everywhere” and “Little Lies”. Classic pop songs.
I had a listen last night probably the 1st time in 20 years apart from hearing Everywhere or Little Lies on the radio now and then. It’s surprisingly good after a long lay off.
For me, Fleetwood Mac have been a constant presence over the years. I’ve got most of their material. Nice to see Bare Trees getting a mention Andy.
Of course I first came across Christine McVie when she was Christine Perfect in the blues band Chicken Shack. One of my early LPs is OK Ken which has bizarre intros by Stan Webb for each track.I feel a spin of the vinyl is required so I can listen to Mean Old World.
Christine McVie had brilliant song writing skills. A true talent gone from this world. RIP.
i’m old enough to remember the trad jazz revival years in the 50’s, so many of those tunes were based on 12 bar blues and when rock first burst on the scene it was also based on 12 bar blues (think Rock around the Clock!) so for me that chord sequence was ingrained and when later I started on jazz sax I took to blues improvisation like a duck to water! Although today pop music sounds a world away from the blues, often you can hear that the 8 bar blues sequence pops up. As Fraser says, they never leave you!
Not sure if The Stranglers count as part of “Andy’s formative years” but their drummer Jet Black passed away “peacefully at home” a few days ago (6-Dec-22). Saw them as a student at Sheffield City Hall back in 1983.
Yes, I bought Peaches when it came out and my mother was not amused. They did some fine songs over the years. I wasn’t a huge fan but bought stuff if there were enough good tracks on the album in my view. So I have Rattus Norvegicus on CD and Black and White, Feline and Aural Sculpture on vinyl (they may actually be Mrs. FMF’s purchases IIRC). I always like the tone Jean-Jaques Burnel got to his bass sound.
Off to listen to No More Heroes and Nice and Sleazy.
EDIT: I had forgotten just how good Nice and Sleazy really is. The rhythm guitar riff, a wonderful bass line and stunning MiniMoog solo. Sorry not much comment about Jet’s drumming but the whole is so much greater than the parts. I’d forgotten about their excellent version of Walk on By off that album. Not sure how I could but I had!
Oh and Hi-de-hi’s Ruth Madoc has left us too. Her character Gladys Pugh was hugely popular as was the program itself. It was part of my transition from school to university to working as my mother loved it and it always seemed to be on the TV when I was home at that time. I’d never make an effort to watch the program but there were some excellent slapstick scenes and wonderful lines in it.
I always wondered if she was related to Philip Madoc (the U boat captain from Dad’s Army — “Ah Pike, your name is going the list”) and more menacing Office Lutzig from ITV’s Manhunt). as Madoc is an uncommon surname. It turns out he was her ex-husband, I only found that out today!
