Gotta read thru this thread properly to catch all that has been laid down here, and as part of my
reformation, I thought I'd post some of my own pics along the way, If anyone declares an interest in what I post PM and I'll be happy to discuss a trade but no sales...
I started to note some of my influences on my own post, the RD was it...? but I'll try and be
more cohesive and on thread here...
(
HAH...! chance'ud be a fine thing...)
Uwe, you mentioned that you liked the Ian Gillan Band - took a bit of digging but I found this...
Mr John Gustafson fits the bill...
Mr G with a WAL on stage at the Marquee... my copyright...
... some of the negs/slides have some scratches but this is one I 'shopped before uploading...... and your welcome to a scan of the set if you would like them (about 30 or so), I know you
weren't there, and there is nothing I can do to help that so this is purely by way of a thank-you and to share the memory... I remember a lost and lamented guitarist with the initial SRV (along with the
most excellent Tommy Shannon and Chris "Whipper" Layton- never parting with that programme) gracing me with 20 minutes or so, sharing his memories of Duane Allman and Berry Oakley, backstage at Reading in '83, and gracefully reminding me that
Little wing, which he'd played earlier, was originally recorded by a certain
Mr Hendrix and not by Clapton (how dumb did I feel, and I said it!), who he also discussed, and I remember an American talking to me about Woodstock - his lasting memory of those 3 days was,
"the smell", and then we went in to watch Skynyrd play
That Smell as a brand new unreleased song, along with a set similar to their first official live album...
No matter how young, or old, there will almost always be somone with older memories to share... and share we should...
I was lucky enough to see Ian Gillan about 5 times at the Marquee (I only remembered 3 times but pics show me differently) IGB, the Steve Byrd line up 3 times
(
DRAT, DRAT and TREBLE DRAT...
the night Blackmore came on I'd left the "Baby" at home...! - "
Baby" was the nickname my buddies gave my old now retired Pentax A - odd thing with her was that I could
drink like a fish, and often did in those days... but when ever I was with "
Baby" some inner defence mechanism would always protect me from harm and I'd remain
compus-mentus... wierd...), anyway, I digress, also the torme lineup...
It is dificult to keep me on track without some
tangentelisms taking place... err, I digressed again...
so... I followed all of the Deep Purple spin-offs, I missed the #3 but did see Bolin (Taste' is an excelent Purple LP, even if it is more Bolin/Hughes than Bolin/Coverdale/Hughes/Lord/Paice, even got some pics in a (WS) tour programme and had John Lord set me up with some hard-to-get seats for their show at the Rainbow Theatre in the late 70's, not an intentional name drop, just a
thank-you Mr Lord to an extremely generous man - I think he had to
buy them from a tout with his own readies...!Uwe, you mentioned Kenny Aaronsen above (loved HSAS... love his playing) and seeing him play in Billy Squiers line-up - was that supporting Whitesnake, I was at the Dusseldorf show...back on thread... They (IGB) played a sparkling set and his voice was
spot-on , hitting all the
whoahs, just like
DP's MIJ , right to the top of the scale - I think the only other men to have effected me so much with their voices are probably Paul Rodgers and Ronnie Van Zant, both of whom I was lucky enough to have seen in the 70's - encoring with the obligatory
Smoke' - seeing him sing
Child In Time was something else - my only regret was no live version of
Five Moons, probably my favourite IGB track... the set was similar to the BUDOKAN recordings, but in a
pub/bar type location...
The band played like excrement of a shiny digging implement: John Gustafson's seminal sparkling runs with his WAL bass rumbling along in my ear-hole (I was sat on the edge of the stage in front of the stack for most of the gig, having a buddy get me the occasional (poor quality, vastly extortionate, but still quite refreshing) lager from the bar, Mark Nauseef's jazzy fills, Colin Townes' beautifully melodic keys, and Ray Fenwick's underestimated Strat' work...
a close-up of JG's spare WAL resplendant with leather tooling on the front - kinda weird to me... my copyright...The next lineup produced one of the
great lost rock lps , never having being properly re-issued as it came out of Japan, and featured an awsomely under-rated guitarist, Steve Byrd...
"The Voice" with Mr Byrd... I had forgotten these existed until I went digging... my copyright... and a drummer that blew his chances (Gillan's words), Pete Barnacle, Mr Townes again on the keys, and my
dad, the inimitable John McCoy, him of the gut wrenching bass-lines and jumping around like no-one his size or-ta be doing...
this shot was from a set of the Torme line up at the Marquee... my copyright...
Mr McCoy has been a
major influence in my life and for the offer he made re Samson I will never forget him, although it was a path I chose not to follow...
Thank you anyway John...
I mean, I seem to have turned into a clone, except what's left is greyer...
the "eyes must be that bit of the devil I have yet to exorcise... off stage checking the sound levels...... and resplendant with hat 'n' keepin' it tight with "Bomber" Cornwell...sorry, Uwe, my "jack" is a bit of a
pin-cushion, err... kinda happened..., anyway, I have to
admit my to my sins before I can
truly reform...
I wonder what else I can dig out of the pit that is my negative box...?Lord, hear mah words, ah beseach yah, before ah's dragged dahn to the farrrreee pit...psst, anyone got some good ones I can add to... wh... what was that noise back there...... ARRRRRRRGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH......