Guy Stevens | The Man Who Helped Shape Britain's Music Scene in the 60s
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- čas přidán 26. 08. 2024
- Guy Stevens is mostly remembered as the man who produced ‘London Calling’ by The Clash or as the crazy manager and producer of Mott the Hoople.
But Guy Stevens also played a major role in shaping Britain's music scene in the 60s.
His work with the Clash and Mott the Hoople has been thoroughly discussed in documentaries and books over the years, so this video will be focused on his early days in the music business and his major influence in the 60s.
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One of the finest channels on YT. This video was another great production.
Thanks!
A fitting tribute to a scene maker many will only now just discover....GREAT video. Guy Stevens is a Great subject.
This was a particularly fascinating episode! The insight into the Mod subculture was fascinating! Many interesting bands passed the review. And what an impressive record collection this Guy Stevens had at the age of 20! I can well imagine how he must have felt after its theft!
I'd go mad if my record collection got stolen.
@@YesterdaysPapers
Oh yeah, it would be traumatic. Every album/single has a memory attached to it. Receive my warmest greetings!
@@YesterdaysPapers So would I, although I now never play them, as the computer has taken it all over. Furthermore, many of these valuable artists have had their entire recording catalogs reissued on CD sets, including their previously unissued tracks from their same timeline. Look at all the hundreds of unreleased Motown tracks of the sixties that have now surfaced, many of them surprisingly great tracks that were never on vinyl.
My Dad new Mott the hoople, and he took me to one of there gigs when I was about 6years old. Max wall was the support act, and we went back stage to watch the gig from the side of the stage. Very cool. Years later when I was older, I did the on stage sound for Joe Strummer, a few weeks before he died. It's odd that I never heard of Guy Stevens before this video. It feels like some sort of synchronicity for me. Thank you so very much, for this video.
The Rock'n'Roll Circus tour! Envious.😀
In 1979, at 10 years old, i was introduced to Guy via the Mods book, by Richard Barnes. All i can say, is that indirectly, and without knowing it, that great man has influenced my musical tastes ever since.
Its brilliant to see him and his passion being acknowledged. Great work chaps.
In the current day, I don't think any of us can truly fathom how parochial the music scene was back then.
Example- a guy being renowned locally for his collection of records ? And when you further that thought ? Imagine you're in say, Brixton, and it's '62 and now you're hearing about a group from Liverpool ? That underlines the seismic impact that The Beatles had at that particular era, because of how local & individual each town's musical scene was. Nevermind how they exploded worldwide in '64 !!
This was a cool upload, thank ya !!
🚬😎👍
Good to see Guy Stevens getting some acknowledgement 👌
Absolutely brilliant. Yesterday’s Papers is by far and away the best music platform on 60’s - particularly u.k. scene and transatlantic influences going both ways. Top class journalism - a real education for those who really want to know about counterculture, progressive pop, subcultures, underground and........influential chart hits of the day!
Thank you very much!
@@YesterdaysPapers Well deserved praise
We need hip DJs right now! There's so much good music being made by bands that seemed fated to remain local legends that a smart DJ could start a channel here on You-Tube just to play unknown sounds.
Fascinating stuff! From Link Wray to Spooky Tooth and Procol Harum, Guy Stevens certainly had some interesting musical connections, and while I knew Guy died young, I’m amazed at the extent of his contributions. Huge thanks to Yesterday’s Papers for continuing to enlighten this old music-lover.
Thanks, Linda! Yeah, his contribution to the music scene in such a short period of time is pretty astounding.
@@YesterdaysPapers …….it truly is, he was only 38 when he died. And yet for all his impressive interest in and knowledge of the Mod scene (as well as the music), I rarely hear Guy mentioned. I’m genuinely thankful for the time you spend researching, and especially amassing all the fabulous footage for your videos. It’s always nice to revisit the music but I’m constantly learning of important Cultural figures besides the artists and bands from this era, thanks to your hard work.
Seemingly based in Australia, you seem to know a vast amount of what went on in the UK during the sixties. But Australian bands of that time were obviously influenced by the sounds from this side of the globe, such as the pre-UK Bee Gees and Easybeats, both of whom had numerous releases in Australia only, before moving or returning to the UK for international stardom, of which The Bee gees vastly succeeded, despite little previous success in Australia, but The Easybeats did not, despite much bigger previous success in Australia.
@@lindadote In regards to the latter, maybe you're thinking of groups like The Missing Links who were never heard of outside Australia, and certainly not here in the UK.
But I believe that American Soul was much bigger in Australia during the mid sixties than here in the UK, and a lot more American material was released in Australia than the UK where even the then-Motown was virtually ignored, apart from just an occasional hit. I suspect it was because all the young British fans were prone to their home grown idols like The Beatles and The Stones, everything that was coming out of London, or at least everything that was recorded there, which blocked out anything from The States. Anything that sounded too American was foreign to the British ears. But in countries like Australia, it was imported there, just as much as anything from the States.
I like the early Australian Easybeats and pre-fame Bee Gees, before both bands came to the UK. But none of the early material by those bands were ever issued outside Australia at the time, and certainly not here in the UK. But compilations of their pre-UK material have been issued in the UK in later years, after they came here. I bought The Bee Gees' double CD Birth Of Brilliance through Amazon on Australian import. It was never actually released in the UK, likewise the CD reissues of their three Australian albums of the mid sixties. All are on the Australian Spin label.
Excellent, another bit of history preserved . Often people providing the social focus for a scene are as important as the art and artists that spring forth.
Cheers, Terry!
A time capsule opened. I’m in awe. Has Guy ever received this much attention & acknowledgement? Not likely. A critical reappraisal of this individual, who was generally slagged off as a inconsequential madman, has been delivered. If he, albeit quite indirectly, facilitated the release of Spooky Two, he’d merit a mention in a Hall of Fame.
That second album by Spooky Tooth is one of all-time favourite records. Masterpiece.
THANK YOU THANK YOU for this video. Guy Stevens has been The Forgotten Man for too long. When Guy and Andy Johns recorded Mott The Hoople's Brain Capers, they literally set the studio on fire. After The Clash had been produced by Sandy Pearlman, they welcomed Guy's anarchic madness on London Calling. Guy's effect on rock & roll was a great combination of a somewhat distanced catalyst (what today might be called an "influencer") & a hands-on "direct injection" producer of recorded mayhem. Guy once told Paul Simenon, "There are only two Phil Spectors in this world, and I'm one of them!" That's right up there with Keith Moon's "I'm the best Keith Moon-type drummer in the world!" We must pause and reflect on the great goody Guy Stevens brought into popular music. For starters, read Campbell Devine's Rock & Roll Sweepstakes. CHEERS
Very well said 👍
Imagine days where top upcoming bands visit one guy's house to keep tabs on music trends over the pond because nobody locally has released those records.
Can't believe this is the first time I've heard about such an influential guy... Cheers man! 🤩👍
About time someone wrote a biography of this great man!!
Produced London Calling 📞 ! He's a legend.
I've the 4 volumes of the Sue story. Great stuff. Daddy Rolling Stone is one of my favourites. So raw.
I was a Mod from 79 to 87 and love Sue.
Very cool, Maurice. The four volumes of the Sue story are essential-
Brilliant video. Thanks for posting. I really had no idea about Guy's involvement and influence before Mott and The Clash. Wow!! He had pedigree by the skip load.
The work this channel presents is exemplary. The writing alone exists somewhere between (and is simultaneously both) A-grade 60's Pop music journalism and serious Music history. This is essential viewing for any fan of the genre, especially with its focus on the UK music scene. Yesterday's Papers, we're consistently astounded by mini-docs such as this one. As fans/viewers (and indeed students), we remain forever in your debt, for the rich treasure trove of culture you uncover with every episode.
Thank you very much!
An amazing individual, to be sure! Not only was he a huge influence on the UK R&B/Blues groups, but that would translate into the US market, where the majority of white audiences seldom ventured beyond the general Top 40. The Rascals, to name only one, would be heavily R&B based, but it went well beyond the 60s and into the 80s, not to mention the acceptance and appreciation of hundreds of great old Blues acts largely ignored by teenage America.
I sheepishly admit I've not heard of Guy Stevens before now, but I can say with certainty the music he helped bring had a major influence on my growing self.
Thanks, as always, YP! Another episode I loved watching!
Cheers!
Yes I did indeed enjoy it. I had not heard of Guy Stevens until now and I'm a boomer who thought I had nothing new to learn about '60's music and soul/R&B is my genre. Thanks.
Superb upload. I remember reading about him in Strange Things are Happening magazine in the mid 80s. Alas, I no longer have these. Great to acknowledge these important figures in British pop history.
So, Guy is the man behind all this. Such valuable information I never knew, thanks for sharing!
What a great video I had no idea Guy was such a huge influence in the 60's loved it
Great! Really well researched short doc and very informative also great shots of trolleybuses! Now I now where The Who found all those unusual covers in their early repetoire. Stevens was obviously a real obsessive music lover. Also fascinating his role in Whiter Shade of Pale. Truly fab gear!
Thank you, another great story of 60s music history, greetings from Berlin
Impressive video. Full of jewels that impose a necessity of repeated viewing. Great to be able to draw out of the archives what bring back invaluable recollections.
Not previously familiar with him; too sad that he was gone so young. Thank you again, YP.
Brilliant! lots of interesting connections and bands to seek out, very groovy! :)
Hats off again. An important piece of Rock History, so well documented. I still learn things with your videos witch are better and better each time. Rispetto.
Thanks!
It's amazing to hear now about the people behind the scenes who had so much effect on the music that was in my life. Mott the Hoople never took off here in the States, but Guy Stevens influenced every British Invasion band that we've all heard of.
Really appreciating the amount of research that's gone into this! ✊️😃
I really liked this. I had never heard of Guy Stevens. I learned about British music in the 60s. What's funny is last week I watched Absolute Beginners on Turner Classic Movies here in the States. I remember when I saw Quadrophenia back in the late 70s it dawned on me that the mods & rockers thing was non-existent in the north in cities like Liverpool and Manchester. Even though Chris Blackwell missed out on Procol Harum I'd say he did alright for himself. Here's a fun fact about Mick Jagger. As a teenager, he had a part-time job at a joint RAF/US Air Force base in the South of England. He was able to be American LP records the local populace couldn't buy until rations were lifted. That helped shape his budding career in music.
Yep, that's how Mick got records. I forgot to mention it in the video but Guy Stevens claimed that he got most of his records mail order from a record shop in Louisiana.
@@YesterdaysPapers You forgot to mention that a big reason for the Mersey Beat is that at the time Liverpool was one of the world's busiest seaports and merchant seamen brought American records unavailable in England in the 1950s.
@@chrisbacosI remember my dad telling me that he used to get rock n roll records from the boats in the docks.
@@mariakirton2540 right on
I liked Absolute Beginners enough to buy it on DVD, because it featured jazz as well as r&b, had Bowie, and introduced me to Slim Gaillard. Good times!
Those who stole Guy Stevens record collection you didn't steal just he's records you also stole Guy Stevens heart & soul and left him in state of depression that ended up cutting he's life sort in 1981 at the age of 38
Thieves have no soul and no shame.
I had never heard of Guy Stevens until looking at this great video. It is clear that Stevens had a great ear for music and was behind the British Invasion artists who took R and B and made it popular in America again after the early 60s that in the US was dominated by good but bland artists like Rick Nelson Bobby Rydell the Drifters. If you listen to the exciting great music of the late 60s which was a blend of everything from Pink Floyd to Aretha Franklin one can say Stevens may have been one of the early engineers of the music of that era and thank God for him.
What a brilliant episode. A gem of piecing together the roots and pieces that shaped the sound into what it became. A historical diamond, packed with facts and insight! Thanks so much!
Absolutely top notch stuff. You dig up footage and photographs that are of such high quality and rarity and you provide information that is superbly researched. I rate your channel one of the very best on youtube. Thanks.
This is fantastic, I never knew of Guy Stevens but it appears he influenced a lot of the best music ever written. Thanks for sharing!
his production work on london calling alone catapults his accomplishments to the legendary superlative. easy to see why mick jones being a mott fan boy in the early 70s gravitated to him.
Excellent documentary! I've learnt so much. Tnx YP!
Great episode Yesterday! One of your best in my opinion!! Hope you’re doing well! Cheers, Jon
Thanks, Jon! Glad you liked it. That R&B/Mod era in the UK is a fascinating period.
Another fascinating presentation. What a treat! xxx
I loved all this explication! As a Yankee, there was much here I was not aware of
This is a great episode. Howver, I would point out that a lot of Mersybeat bands (including the Beatles) played masses of R'n'B covers.Not forgetting great UK rockers like Cliff Bennet, Roy Young. Tony Sheridan and Johnny Kidd who kept the groove going between '59 and '63!
Great Work! LOVED THE STORY!!!!!
Excellent episode! Thank you for your continued efforts
Bravo!
Great information❤❤❤❤thanks for this
A brilliant video. As Mott the Hoople's my fave band (with Purple), I knew a certain amount about Guy Stevens, but now I know a lot more of his beginnings thanks to this feature. That Hurt by Love single sounds a cracker. Believe Procol Harum the cat was a Siamese, so good luck came from the exotic feline. Whiter Shade of Pale was even more popular than I realized. It's virtually part of classical repertoire now, which is ironic. Mott say that their second album, Mad Shadows (one of their best) was Guy's virtual solo album, as he got inside the heads of Hunter and Ralphs to get the songwriting suitably intense. It worked! So sad that he died not many years after London Calling.
I love "Mad Shadows", great album. My favourite from their Island years is probably "Brain Capers".
@@YesterdaysPapers: Glad you like those albums too! Brain Capers is almost perfect. Almost as heavy as Deep Purple in Rock. Mad Shadows stands out because there were no covers on it. I Can Feel could almost be Spooky Tooth.
This is the first definitive biography of Guy Stevens on CZcams. Until this piece, my only reference was the hardbound book included with MTH, The Island Years, "Mental Train". Guy is a fascinating figure. Thank you for posting this.
That's a great boxset, I bought it when it came out a few years ago.
Excellent. Thank you.
wow.... I am a London/Soho DJ and didn't know half of this!....
"The Chuck Berry Appreciation Society" 😎 Chuck’s song are still powerful and when the Wolf is Howlin’, my hairs still stand up
What a wonderfull tribute !
A die hard Chuck Berry fan who think that Piano & Hammond organ association is the musical quitessence deserve an eternal cult in my opinion.
Thank you Guy, heaven is surely a better music club with you.
An outstanding video….thanks again for a such an interesting history lesson.
Good stuff 👍 Midnight to Stevens is one of the best songs The Clash ever did, should've been on Combat Rock.
Thanks YP -- that was so fascinating that I'm going to watch it again! :0)
Thanks. Great episode, learned lots I didn't know, cheers.
Perhaps you could do one for Joe Boyd as well. He was certainly very influential at the time. Legendary record producer amongst other things. And anyone who likes this should seek out his book "White Bicycles...Making Music in the 60s" A fantastically nostalgic read. ❤👍😎
Thanks for posting, I've been educated 😁
Only knew about Guy through Mott, he seemed one helluva guy !
Another excellent vid! But then again I've never seen one of yours that wasn't. Love the vintage Mod scenes.
The power of one mind that believes
Nicely done. I wasn’t familiar with Guy until I watched this. 😎
Well, I did enjoy this video, but I was hoping to learn more about the Mott period of Mr. Stevens, so I guess I'll have to search out those books. Thanks, though -- always like living and reliving the glory days of pop and rock with you.
I recommend the documentary "The Ballad of Mott The Hoople". It's on youtube.
Thanks, I'll go there right away!
Ronan O'Rahilly (2:41) became George Lazenby's agent and famously told the actor to reject _Diamonds Are Forever_ as the 007 role was outdated and about to become unfashionable. Stupidly, Lazenby listened to O'Rahilly and the rest is history, so to speak.
Thanks for this,
Guy Stevens is a legend.
I bought the Hapshash and the Coloured Coat in London when it was released with an aluminium arty insert, so obscure I never heard it played anywhere then and now, it listed Guy Stevens as Producer, nice to hear it getting a mention at all. Red vinyl too, far ahead of most anything.
That record has become a valuable collector's item over the years.
Brilliant and very informative video.
Very interesting!
Superb article nicely researched. What a great channel this is
Thanks!
Yes this was yet another great video, and it filled a few gaps in my slightly conjectured knowledge. I often wondered how the British Invasion bands of the mid sixties discovered and covered these American black Rhythm And Blues tracks without the originals getting any UK airplay, or even getting released here. You gave me the answer in the form of this one man, who collected these records on U.S. imports, and supplied the songs to these British bands, before members of these bands developed their main songwriting crafts, so relied on Guy Stevens to supply them with U.S. songs from his collection. Few people including myself realized his full impact on the then-British scene. Previous to The Beatles, the British outlets of the American music publishing companies who these American songwriters got their songs published under, had control over the songs overseas, supplying them to these overseas artists to record, scoring the hits with them overseas, while the original American versions of these songs became the U.S. hits. Britain was a typical example, with these songs getting pitched to the local British chart regulars, who naturally scored the local British hits with them, such as Craig Douglas and Marty Wilde.
But his own Sue label of the sixties wasn't as grand as it may have seemed, even though many records on his label later demanded high prices, as often but not always, he dubbed the tracks from copies from his own collection, so the sound quality wasn't as good, although he did have brief master tape deals with a few U.S. labels such as Vee Jay, entitling him to better sound quality releases from the likes of Jerry Butler, and early Billy Preston. Often, songwriting credits on his label were flawed, indicating he may have slightly flouted the law, and issued many singles on his own label without any license or legal permission whatsoever.
Obviously, The Who based their version of Daddy Rollin' Stone on the Derek Martin version, and Derek was even credited as the songwriter on his UK release on the Sue label, and on the single by The Who, The surname Martin was credited under the title as the surname of the writer., But Otis Blackwell wrote it, and recorded it originally back in the early fifties, before he went on to pen classic hits for such artists as Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Little Richard. But The Who most likely never got legal permission to cover it, as when their second UK hit single, Anyway Anyhow Anywhere was released in the States, their version of this song which was on the B side of the UK release was replaced on the American release by their version of another song, yet of U.S. origin, their version of Garnet Mimms' U.S. hit of the previous year, Anytime You Want Me, which The Who never released at all in the UK during the days of vinyl. But around 2002, it appeared among the heap of bonus tracks on their double CD reissue of their first album, My Generation.
I often thought that the British Invasion bands who exploded from other parts of the UK, virtually killed the softer sound of the Merseybeat bands who dominated most of the early British Invasion, except The Beatles, in particular, the first ones from other parts of the UK, such as The Stones, Manfred Mann, and The Animals, as those bands came out with rougher and harder edged sounds.
But how did Guy get his record collection stolen from his mother's house?
Many thanks for yet another great and informative video.
"I often thought that the British Invasion bands who exploded from other parts of the UK, virtually killed the softer sound of the Merseybeat bands who dominated most of the early British Invasion"
The trouble with Merseybeat was that it proved ultimately unable to develop and adapt to changing tastes. Part of that was down to lack of access to quality material; they didn't have someone like Guy Stevens on tap (the American LPs that trickled into Liverpool via the transatlantic boats were no match numerically for his vast collection, and were dispersed among too many individuals) and none but the Beatles possessed enough creative talent to produce their own. Plus I think they were held back by managers too firmly rooted in mainstream showbiz tradition, who still saw pop as a transitional phase on the pathway to becoming "regular" entertainers. It's significant that the Big Three, almost universally acknowledged now as one of the best live acts to be seen anywhere at the time, were let down on both counts and consequently never made the sort of impact that a London-based manager in the Andrew Oldham or Lambert/Stamp mould might have been able to procure for them.
Hey Paul! Yeah, the first time I heard those Who B-sides was when I bought that My Generation reissue from the early 2000s. There's not much info on how his record collection got stolen. My guess is that it was stolen by drug dealers. Guy was in jail for drug offences at the time and there was probably some sort of settling of scores there.
@@KrzyszczynskiAgreed.
@@Krzyszczynski I think you have a point, as groups like The Merseybeats sounded far too heavily restrained and had their heavily restrained musical limits, and relied on softer U.S. covers from writers like Bacharach/David to provide their UK chart entries, but in which their versions nowhere near matched the U.S. originals. Their version of Dionne Warwick's Wishing And Hoping, in no way even matched Dusty Springfield's' rival UK version, of which Dusty won the U.S. single release, her version being the hit in the States, resulting in the Merseybeats' version quite rightly never getting released there, as they unsurprisingly and deservedly had few releases there, as in no way were they ever going to crack it in the States with groups like The Beatles and The Stones having become far too big in the States.
But this was the beginning of the time when musical trends were shifting fast and furious, and even the British Invasion scene of the mid sixties was rapidly changing, before we hit the Psychedelic movement of 1967, which was to change the whole music world again.
But Gerry And The Pacemakers lasted longer than most from the earlier Merseybeat era, because even after their British hits got smaller in the UK during early 1965, they continued to have huge hits in the States right up to the end of 1966, when they finally had their last U.S. Top 10 hit with Girl On A Swing, which flopped in the UK, as by then their hits in the UK had run out. It wasn't until early 1967 that their U.S. hits suddenly stopped, obviously due to the onslaught of Psychedelia. But most of the Merseybeat groups of 1963-64 just didn't stand a chance of being able to change with the times.
@@YesterdaysPapers Could be, maybe his mother's house got broken into. Maybe he was still living with his mother, and the thieves obviously knew it. But he was a bit naughty to get involved in drug dealing. Maybe he still needed the money, as he could not have made a lot of money from his sixties label, as most of the singles on that label did not chart here. And maybe producing for groups like The Clash did not net him a lot of money either.
Lots of great stuff here, specially about the Scene Club. But wasn't it a jazz club before the mods moved in?
It was a jazz club called Cy Laurie’s Club in the 50s. Then Giorgio Gomelsky bought it in the late 50s and renamed it Piccadilly Jazz Club. The club closed its doors around 1962 and Ron O'Rahilli bought it and named it The Scene and that's when it became an R&B/mod club.
fantastic and fascinating ~ this man was a massive player who I never kew about.
Fantastic stuff
I once worked with an original 60s mod and I asked him about the Scene Club. He said Guy Stevens always playied great stuff but had a habit of also putting on Jerry Lee Lewis records (not an artist much associated with mods!) and he also shared the decks with a girl DJ who played almost entirely Motown stuff - no idea what her name was though.
Guy was a great guy! I'm very grateful to him for opening doors for my favourite SPOOKY TOOTH and FREE at least.
Another cracking video. Thanks YP
Cheers!
Very much liked this video about Guy Stevens who is very much an unforgotten hero..particularly the film you include. Fantastic period pieces.
Also confirmed my belief that Chris Blackwell was as a bit of a knob.
Excellent work as usual 👍
Particularly interesting on how the new groups found their material before they developed into song writers. It reminds me of how early Punk sourced so much of its inspiration from the New York scene.
What a man!
Good call YP I've read about this chap in many of my British pop and Rock History books over the years this stuff is fascinating to me along with the bands British Gear Guitars Amps etc Good Show Thanks Cheers !!!
Cheers!
Thanks for this . Excellent as always..It’s been known for a while that the guitar riffs in ‘ l Feel Fine’ and ‘ Daytripper’ were influenced by Bobby Parker’s ‘ Watch Your Step’. I think John Lennon admitted this in an interview. But I didn’t know George Harrison was on the Guy Stevens’ mailing list for all these influential recordings.. l remember watching Peter Green being interviewed . l can’t remember the exact question, but he was asked which other musicians he was a fan of? Without a pause he replied Bobby Parker.
True, both songs borrowed from "Watch Your Step".
Outstanding!🤙🔥🇬🇧
Regents Park - that's a classy address! Clash manager Bernie Rhodes also had a pad in Regent's Park - I wonder if there's any connection?
Stax, Chess and Motown never had any releases on UK Sue. These were available through London (Decca), Pye and (for Motown) Fontana (Philips) then Oriole and finally Stateside.
Where Guy was important was that he had tracks from far more obscure US labels which had no outlet in the UK through a major distributor or the original release in the UK didn't sell.
There was no quality control at Sue as they were typically dubbed from Guy's 45s. This was the ethos at Island at the time as their early ska releases will attest.
BUT we didn't mind. Where else was I going to buy Bobby Parker's "Watch Your Step" (Sue WI 340) ??
Note: The go-to label for early ska was Blue Beat (Melodisc Records Ltd.) which gave its name to the genre. Island muscled in mid 1962.
Brill stuff as always, thanks!
Your right about the Haphash album anticipating Krautrock, I always thought it sounded like what Amon Duul II was doing later on on albums such as Yeti.
Shout Out to Terry Sylvester with the Escorts at the 2:18 mark.
guy stevens was the source of popularizing american soul music in the uk and managed/produced mott the hoople and the clash. this guy had a hand in the music collections of most of the audience of yesterday's papers.
Sue was actually an American label, not British. Some of their records were released in the UK on a British Sue label which was established and distributed by Island. Unfortunately, Island also started issuing records on the UK Sue label that were from American labels other than Sue which wasn't part of the deal so this collaboration was terminated.
Wow! Far as I'm concerned, Guy Stevens deserves the title of "kingpin in pop history". Thanks for this 'info-bomb' (subscribed because of).
All those colorful UK psychedelic posters - I remember an indie book shop in the West End selling them downstairs in the late 60s for one or two pounds each. But aside from a few wealthy rock stars, nobody had one or two pounds extra in those days for posters. I sure didn’t. Today they’re worth many, many times that amount.
To hear that he had his record collection stolen was a shock to me. It is depressing to think if my house caught fire, I would not be physically capable of saving all my physical media (including books).
Same here, I'd go mad if that happened to me.
This is the best video of yours I have seen for years now. Thank you so much for doing so much incredible research.
I do have a question: Was there ever any Mod/Rocker divide in The Scene? Plenty of these artists like Berry, Perkins and Fats Domino would become rocker/ted staples!! I can get how Diddley and Howlin Wolf became such mod staples because of their propensity for blues and grit(not to mention how future mod bands adopted their sound), but I always wondered how this divide between these groups manifested and what were the kinds of musics they listened to, and if there was any overlap or clashes based on music taste. I've heard that besides soul, mods also had an astute love for jazz. I can imagine several of them spinning Thelonious Monk, Eric Dolphy, Charles Mingus and Miles Davis records.
The Scene was considered a mod club so rockers wouldnt go there. The rockers had their own clubs and places where they listened to strictly 50s RNR. There were certain artists that both mods and rockers enjoyed like the ones you mentioned but rockers wouldnt go to mod clubs and viceversa. Having both mods and rockers in the same club was a bad idea anyway cause it would inevitably result in violence between the two.
Fantastic job. Learned a lot.
Hearing that Daddy Rollin Stone made me go isolate its drums. Music making from sharing 🤘
LONDON CALLING is one of my "desert island" albums
Just a note about the very popular and oft played Whiter Shad of Pale by Procol Harum --- they must have had some classical music training as the opening of it is ripped off from JS Bach's Air on a G String written in the early 1700's!!! It would be a fascinating episode to see just how much of Baroque classical music indirectly influence British pop music startgin from about the mid 1960's into the 1970's.
3:10 I assume the the Dave Clark Five single, "At the Scene", which was a top 20 hit in the USA and New Zeland, and a #1 hit in Canada, was about this place. Ironically, most of the people who heard it knew nothing of the place about which it was written.