Wizzard "Wish it could be Christmas"

[FlatEric]

Wizzard "Wish it could be Christmas"

Just watched this on TV - Noddy Holder's thing.
If it's on youtube, 'ave a look - red Jazz (I think) with seriously slanted pups!!!!
not noticed that before .

Any one know what it is ??

Strange for that era.

Cheers.

[Chris2112]

Looks like some weird custom job! There are a few controls on the front there too!

Although watching that video, I can't help but think that the mug dressed up as santa looks absolutely miserable! And also, the band look like nonces and it's a right old kiddy fiddler song too! Gary Glitter will do that to a generation of music!

[Cat Burrito]

This performance?

[Stingray5]

[quote name='FlatEric' post='1048604' date='Dec 5 2010, 07:24 PM']Wizzard "Wish it could be Christmas"

Just watched this on TV - [b]Noddy Holder's thing[/b].
If it's on youtube, 'ave a look - red Jazz (I think) with seriously slanted pups!!!!
not noticed that before .

Any one know what it is ??

Strange for that era.

Cheers. [/quote]
Sorry, 'Eric' - Inspector Picky of the Picky Police, 'ere.
I'm afraid, sir, I can't 'elp you with identifyin' that bass, but I 'ave to tell you, sir, that it was not '...Noddy Holder's thing...', but, in fact, Roy Wood's thing; Noddy Holder's thing being 'Merry Christmas Everybody'!
Ok, you 'int sin me, awright!?!

[FlatEric]

[quote name='BurritoBass' post='1048793' date='Dec 5 2010, 09:47 PM']

This performance?[/quote]

Yep, this one.

What the bleep is it?


[quote name='Stingray5' post='1048967' date='Dec 6 2010, 03:23 AM']Sorry, 'Eric' - Inspector Picky of the Picky Police, 'ere.
I'm afraid, sir, I can't 'elp you with identifyin' that bass, but I 'ave to tell you, sir, that it was not '...Noddy Holder's thing...', but, in fact, Roy Wood's thing; Noddy Holder's thing being 'Merry Christmas Everybody'!
Ok, you 'int sin me, awright!?! [/quote]

Inspector Picky, Mornin' Sir.

What I meant, me lo'd was Noddy Holder's Christmas Show, [i]featuring[/i] Roy Wood!!

Errr, can I go now?

[fender73]

i've ALWAYS wondered about that bass....must investigate further

[Ou7shined]

[quote name='BurritoBass' post='1048793' date='Dec 5 2010, 09:47 PM']

This performance?[/quote]
Is this where slap bass was invented?

[analog kid]

Random fact.

I work with a woman who was one of the kids that sang on that.
Needless to say the stick she gets when it comes on the radio each Xmas gets her slightly narked!

[Happy Jack]

[quote name='Ou7shined' post='1049252' date='Dec 6 2010, 01:42 PM']Is this where slap bass was invented? [/quote]

Yup - I was thinking exactly the same ...

[Big_Stu]

Could well be a John Birch custom owned by Roy Wood. He had quite a few made by Birch, including this montrosity

and a Strat style mandolin which featured in one of his catalogues.
John did say that he made a bass with a pup for each string & he was infamous for having sh*t-loads of controls on his creations.



Edit: this link [url="http://vintage.catalogs.free.fr/johnbirch.pdf"]http://vintage.catalogs.free.fr/johnbirch.pdf[/url] gets you a pdf download of a John Birch catalogue, it doesn't have that bass but page 8 does have three of Wood's guitars on it.
The rest of the book shows that shares in pots must have dropped after Birch stopped making guitars!

Edited December 6, 2010 by Big_Stu

[Slipperydick]

John Birch would be my guess as well. John Birch guitars were the 'must have' in them days.

I think its Rick Price pretending to play it isnt it ?

[Cat Burrito]

[quote name='analog kid' post='1049426' date='Dec 6 2010, 03:34 PM']Random fact.

I work with a woman who was one of the kids that sang on that.
Needless to say the stick she gets when it comes on the radio each Xmas gets her slightly narked! [/quote]
I met one of St Winifreds School Choir (google it kids!). And my old drummer used to go on about having had a picture in the Gallery on Take Hart. Sadly it turned out it was a lie!

[molan]

I heard from a fairly reliable source that Roy Wood earns around £375K a year from this song!

I think that's amalgamated earnings from royalties and live performance (he's usually out on tour this time of year at university balls etc.).

[Big_Stu]

[quote name='molan' post='1049865' date='Dec 6 2010, 09:00 PM']I heard from a fairly reliable source that Roy Wood earns around £375K a year from this song!

I think that's amalgamated earnings from royalties and live performance (he's usually out on tour this time of year at university balls etc.).[/quote]
It's a possibility; Holder/Lea were making £100k each from Merry Xmas Everybody & that was about 10 years ago.

[Slipperydick]

[quote name='molan' post='1049865' date='Dec 6 2010, 09:00 PM']I heard from a fairly reliable source that Roy Wood earns around £375K a year from this song!

I think that's amalgamated earnings from royalties and live performance (he's usually out on tour this time of year at university balls etc.).[/quote]

Could probably have been a lot more if the beach boys had released it in the states, apparently they recorded it, but it was never released.

I did hear a rough mix of it once, and if you think about it, its got Beach Boys written all over it.

[casapete]

[quote name='Slipperydick' post='1049889' date='Dec 6 2010, 09:18 PM']Could probably have been a lot more if the beach boys had released it in the states, apparently they recorded it, but it was never released.

I did hear a rough mix of it once, and if you think about it, its got Beach Boys written all over it.[/quote]

On one of his later solo ventures Roy thanked Brian Wilson (and many more including Phil Spector) for his influence.
I think Roy is still relatively overlooked considering how much great music he's made - The Move released
a lot of classic stuff, then he founded ELO before leaving to form Wizzard. Their 'Ball Park Incident' and
'See my baby jive' singles are classic 70's tunes. He also plays a staggering number of instruments, and is
still touring with his band,playing all the hits. He's a top bloke too!

[Ou7shined]

[quote name='Happy Jack' post='1049476' date='Dec 6 2010, 04:06 PM']Yup - I was thinking exactly the same ...[/quote]
I thought he was just mucking about in front of the cameras but apparently that's actually how he plays.

[KevB]

Roy occasionally used to pop in to the Sat rock nights at Rock City in Nottm when I was a regular. Someone reckoned he'd moved into a place in Derbyshire. Never gave it the 'look at me, big star' guff. He'd just turn up on his own or with a couple of mates and have a few beers and chat with people. I was slightly awestruck but approached him (in a very non fanboy kind of way) just to say thanks for all the great music through the years and he seemed genuinely quite touched by it and was extremely down to earth. Top bloke.

[Delberthot]

[quote name='molan' post='1049865' date='Dec 6 2010, 09:00 PM']I heard from a fairly reliable source that Roy Wood earns around £375K a year from this song!

I think that's amalgamated earnings from royalties and live performance (he's usually out on tour this time of year at university balls etc.).[/quote]


That's good because to this day he still gets nothing for Flowers in the Rain thanks to a prank by the Move's then manager, Tony Secunda

[Deep Thought]

[quote name='Slipperydick' post='1049504' date='Dec 6 2010, 04:20 PM']I think its Rick Price pretending to play it isnt it ?[/quote]

I was convinced for years that it was a young Lemmy! I love the bit in that vid where he says 'OK you lot-take it!' and the kids, instead of miming the vocals, carry on pretending to play their toy saxes whilst the disembodied voices sing the chorus. Never work with kids or animals, eh?

[Slipperydick]

[quote name='FlatEric' post='1048604' date='Dec 5 2010, 07:24 PM']Wizzard "Wish it could be Christmas"

Just watched this on TV - Noddy Holder's thing.
[color="#0000FF"][b]If it's on youtube, 'ave a look - red Jazz (I think) with seriously slanted pups!!!!
not noticed that before .

Any one know what it is ??[/b][/color]Strange for that era.

Cheers. [/quote]

Can almost, but not quite, make out the logo on the headstock on this...

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BtE_DgJu1kU"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BtE_DgJu1kU[/url]

[hillbilly deluxe]

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