Old Man Riva

Heard this today and thought it must be some modern hipster combo with an ear and eye on the 60s and also the 90s baggy scene. Shows how little I know. It’s Manfred Mann Chapter Three from 1969 (and I love it!)…

I’ll not hear a bad word against Tom and that track! Granted, Tim Hardin arguably wrote a better song about wood crafting with If I Were A Carpenter, Marvin Gaye (What’s Going On) with social injustice and the need for change, and Cabaret is right up there with songs about performance art, but what about a song that combines all three?! There are none, I hear you say. Well, my friend, that’s where you’re wrong. Enter Tom…

I missed out on OGWT due to it being “way past your bedtime”! (”But mum, I’m 27” etc.)

There were other tracks that were of interest, definitely; Lady Eleanor being one of them (I think there may have been a film of them rather than in the studio?). I also missed out Mouldy Old Dough by Coventry’s finest, Lieutenant Pigeon, and also a particular favourite of mine at the time, The Young New Mexican Puppeteer by Tom Jones - a song that, for many years after its release, I could recite the words to!

Early 70s ToTP was the gateway to the world of music for me. It was life changing. I was drawn to the singles that had a rockier sound, and in 1972 alone the following appeared on ToTP with singles that I liked: Slade, The Faces, T Rex, Argent, Colin Blunstone, Badfinger, Jo Jo Gunne, Ringo Starr, Rolling Stones, The Move, Hawkwind, Alice Cooper, Electric Light Orchestra, The Who, Blackfoot Sue, Mott the Hoople, Roxy Music, Family, Python Lee Jackson, The Osmonds, Wizzard, and of course Bowie. That was just in one year! After that it was recommendations from mates, their siblings and the like. I also had an uncle who later in the decade opened me up to the likes of Steely Dan, Joni Mitchell and Weather Report. But as a starting point to everything it was ToTP…

Grattan’s was seen as the posh one on our estate! We had Trafford (known as the ‘club book’, for some reason)…

Coventry’s finest! Gave us a huge sense of pride seeing one of them wear a green and black City away top on telly (ToTP maybe?) before football tops were a thing. I seem to remember Brian Johnson doing similar wearing a Newcastle top with Geordie on ToTP… Fair to say we drove the teachers made at the time with the chorus!

Spoilt for choice, lyrically! I also recall it being the first time I’d seen a video/film on Top of the Pops, rather than the artist in the studio or a Pans People interpretation (dread to think what Pans People would’ve come up with…).

I implore you to look into your heart and remove Ernie from that list. A simple (milk) man digs deep into his soul and wonderfully and poetically finds a way to tell of his love of and devotion to another, whilst battling a ne’er do well (with only one sordid thing on his mind, btw). He follows his heart with catastrophic and heart-wrenching consequences culminating in his own demise, and this doesn’t move you?! “Was that the trees a-rustling, or the hinges of the gate, or Ernie’s ghostly gold tops a-rattling in their crate? They won’t forget Ernie (Ernie)…” And neither should you, my friend. Neither should you… (My Ding-a-Ling, on the other hand…)

Indeed! “Just the facts, ma’am. Just the facts…”!

To this day, one of the few tracks I can recite (completely and accurately!) the lyrics to. High art, me! Re. The 70s. Not forgetting Monty Python’s The Lumberjack Song, and a number of Goodies singles. Amongst my dad’s 78s collection were a couple of Stan Freberg pieces I listened to and loved as a kid - St George & the Dragonet, and Little Blue Riding Hood. Felt quite the young hipster!

During the first lockdown I ended up having a listen to a few bands I’d heard the name of (and people I knew rated/recommended) but had never gotten around to hearing anything by them. STP was one of those bands. Not all to my taste, but ended up liking a few bits and bobs, but I ended up really liking the bass parts. Even more so after I watched this. To me, he comes across as a really nice and humble guy, who is hugely talented. Well worth a watch…

Jeff Beck at the Albert Hall in May - originally scheduled for 2020, then rescheduled for 2021, then rescheduled for next month. Hopefully…

Been watching this a lot over the weekend. I’m a fan of the track in any event but this version blows me away for a number of reasons, not least Rachel Flowers contribution (worth mentioning that she lost her eyesight at a very young age and has gone on to master the guitar and piano/keys - even if you’re not a fan of ELP fan it’s certainly worth checking out her take on Keith Emerson’s parts/playing). Her guitar back and forth with Dweezil is excellent, but the real standout is her take on the mid-song vocal part (originally done by the Ikettes, and went right over the head of a perplexed Ike Turner when he first heard it!). Anyways, if songs about dental floss are your thing then this may be for you…

He played on The Magnificent Seven off Sandinista…

Segs (Ruts) would be up there, for me…

Have you looked at The Gallery website?

… I’m now off to spend the day obsessing about JPJ’s ‘odd’ E string. By 6.30 I’ll have experimented with an array of errant E strings and will be thoroughly frustrated that I still don’t sound like him!

The Pretenders debut album. I was (still am) a big fan of Pete Farndon’s playing on this record - nothing too fussy, but drove the tracks along perfectly. He also looked cool as… James Honeyman-Scott was such an underrated guitarist. Anyway, here’s the opening track (over 40yrs old and still sounds great!)…

Great job, they look brilliant!

I was genuinely anxious reading that! Glad it all worked out… (… and nice 5.15 reference!)

Was just pointing out the similarities between the headstocks (esp. decal and lollipops); the blocks I genuinely have no idea about! I must admit I’ve never seen that combination on a Fender before, other than Bobby Vega putting a discarded ‘60s Jazz neck on a Precision body, and some of the latest CS range that feature a P bass with a Jazz (blocks) neck. That said, with 60s Fenders nothing would surprise me!

Similar to a headstock on a 1968 Precision on Andy Baxter’s site in the past - lollipop tuners and pre TV logo…

I’ve got a ‘71 Precision with a Jazz neck and it has the Precision decal rather than a Jazz one. I’m fairly certain that was how it was done for factory/special orders…