Birmingham musical history

[spinynorman]

Just found[url="http://www.youtube.com/user/BMHMusic/videos?query=untold"] these on Youtube[/url], not had that many views. Interesting what came out of Brum and a bit nostalgic, I expect, if you're a long-term brummie.

Part 1 of 7 as a taster.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGUTt4OWL_k&feature=plcp

[Zenitram]

Even Telly Savalas loved Birmingham

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EoHVO1eSMFc

[BILL POSTERS]

Lots of good stuff came out of Brum. Nice to see somebody else has noticed.

Most people seem to thinks its was just Ozzy. But whats a 'long term brummie' ? You either are or you aint surely..

Edited September 8, 2012 by BILL POSTERS

[gub]

As a chap born and bred just outside Dudley , very interesting

[BILL POSTERS]

[quote name='Zenitram' timestamp='1347130558' post='1797311']
Even Telly Savalas loved Birmingham

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EoHVO1eSMFc[/media]
[/quote]

Half of the Brum on that films been demolished and replaced with something worse still. Must be the only city centre thats been demolished and rebuilt twice since the 1960s

[EssentialTension]

[quote name='BILL POSTERS' timestamp='1347182011' post='1797651']
Half of the Brum on that films been demolished and replaced with something worse still. Must be the only city centre thats been demolished and rebuilt twice since the 1960s
[/quote]
Brummagem has always been a fast changing city:

[quote]
[b]I Can't Find Brummagem - James Dobbs[/b][b] (1781-1837) music hall entertainer[/b]

Full twenty years and more are passed
Since I left Brummagem.
But I set out for home at last
To good old Brummagem.
But ev'ry place is altered so
Now there's hardly a place I know
Which fills my heart with grief and woe
For I can't find Brummagem.

As I was walking down the street
As used to be in Brummagem,
I knowed nobody I did meet
For they've changed their face in Brummagem
Poor old Spiceal Stret's half gone,
And Old Church stands alone
And poor old I stands here to groan
For I can't find Brummagem.

But amongst the changes we have got
In good old Brummagem
They've made a market on the moat
To sell the pigs in Brummagem.
But that has brought us more ill luck
For they've filled up Pudding Brook,
Where in the brook jack-bannils took
Near Good old Brummagem.

But what's more melancholy still,
For poor old Brummagem,
They've taken away all Newhall-Hill
From poor old Brummagem,
At Easter time girls fair and brown,
Came rolly-polly down,
And showed their legs to half the town,
Oh! the good old sights in Brummagem.

Down Peck Lane I walked along,
To find out Brummagem,
There was the dungil down and gone
What? no rogues in Brummagem,
They've ta'en it to a street called Moor,
A sign that rogues ain't fewer,
But rogues won't like it there I'm sure,
While Peck Lane's in Brummagem.

I remember one John Growse,
Who buckles made in Brummagem,
He built himself a country house,
To be out of the smoke of Brummagem
But though John's country house stands still,
The town has walked up hill,
Now he lives besidea smoky mill,
In the middle of Brummagem.
Among the changes that abound
In good old Brummagem,
May trade and happiness be found
In good old Brummagem.
And tho' no Newhall hil we've got
Nor Pudding Brook nor Moat,
May we always have enough
To boil the pot in Brummagem.
[/quote]

[EssentialTension]

Here's Rock Family Trees - The Birmingham Beat:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lejEEr3ECI

[Big_Stu]

There was an excellent exhibition on Heavy Metal and it's birthplace (YVMV) in Brum last year. The show was good and extensive, featured mostly Sabbath and judas Priest and their family trees.
They had some of Iommi's backline there but sadly his guitars were represented by a handful of Epiphone SGs. Not a fan of the genre that much - apart from Motorhead - but it was interesting enough.

[bartelby]

[quote name='Big_Stu' timestamp='1347188774' post='1797753']
There was an excellent exhibition on Heavy Metal and it's birthplace (YVMV) in Brum last year. The show was good and extensive, featured mostly Sabbath and judas Priest and their family trees.
They had some of Iommi's backline there but sadly his guitars were represented by a handful of Epiphone SGs. Not a fan of the genre that much - apart from Motorhead - but it was interesting enough.
[/quote]

The Capsule/Supersonic Festival girls organised that (The Home of Heavy Metal). As part of this year's Supersonic Festival they're doing a Black Sabbath walking tour:
[url="http://www.supersonicfestival.com/line-up/walking-tour/the-crossroads-of-sabbath"]http://www.supersonicfestival.com/line-up/walking-tour/the-crossroads-of-sabbath[/url]

[spinynorman]

[quote name='BILL POSTERS' timestamp='1347131987' post='1797329']
But whats a 'long term brummie' ? You either are or you aint surely..
[/quote]

Fair point. I'm a southerner by birth, but have lived and worked in and around Brum since my first job in 1973, so I almost feel like I belong.I feel it's under-appreciated by the rest of the country, for lots of things beyond music. Even in music, there's not only the pop/rock heritage, there's also one of the finest symphony orchestras in the country and one of the best concert halls in the world.

[EssentialTension]

[quote name='spinynorman' timestamp='1347208792' post='1798041']
Fair point. I'm a southerner by birth, but have lived and worked in and around Brum since my first job in 1973, so I almost feel like I belong...
[/quote]
I was born in Birmingham but left when I was 35 so you've been there longer than I was.

[BILL POSTERS]

[quote name='EssentialTension' timestamp='1347182617' post='1797658']
Brummagem has always been a fast changing city:
[/quote]
Agreed, and its been multicultural since the industrial revolution.

But where the luftwaffe failed in the 40s, the town planners obliterated most of the architechture in the 60s, just 15 years later, and replaced it wit the soulless concrete that you see in the - mid 70s ? - Telly Savalas film. Then demolished most of it again, and replaced it with either more concrete boxes, or tacky cheapo looking eyesores like Selfridges, which looks like its made of old hubcaps and is already looking old and tattered, you have to admit its unusual to rebuild on that scale after just 40 years.

Edited September 10, 2012 by BILL POSTERS

[EssentialTension]

[quote name='BILL POSTERS' timestamp='1347285783' post='1798808']
Agreed, and its been multicultural since the industrial revolution.

But where the luftwaffe failed in the 40s, the town planners obliterated most of the architechture in the 60s, just 15 years later, and replaced it wit the soulless concrete that you see in the - mid 70s ? - Telly Savalas film. Then demolished most of it again, and replaced it with either more concrete boxes, or tacky cheapo looking eyesores like Selfridges, which looks like its made of old hubcaps and is already looking old and tattered, you have to admit its unusual to rebuild on that scale after just 40 years.
[/quote]
Yes, here's Chamberlain's Central Library of 1882:



... and here's what replaced it in 1974:


... which is itself now being replaced:

[crez5150]

My boss Lyndon has a lot of ties to the Brum and Black Country music scene...

http://www.laney.co.uk/history.php

[BILL POSTERS]

[quote name='crez5150' timestamp='1347295120' post='1798962']
My boss Lyndon has a lot of ties to the Brum and Black Country music scene...

[url="http://www.laney.co.uk/history.php"]http://www.laney.co.uk/history.php[/url]
[/quote]

Yeah, I remember Laney had part of Devonshire House, the old Birds Custard factory back in the mid 70s. Was a useful source of transformers for me, and they were thoroughly nice blokes There still might be a few amps other than Laneys around with their trannies in them. There were a few bands around Brum using Laney PA gear with Sabbath Stencilled all over it back then as well I remember..

I did speak briefly to a guy there about a job, but had an offer a job with a car from an Electronics firm so I forgot the idea. Shame really, the job only lasted a few months.

Edited September 10, 2012 by BILL POSTERS

[spinynorman]

Interesting blog [url="http://birminghamcentral.blogspot.co.uk/"]here[/url] on the changes to the city centre, including the various [url="http://birminghamcentral.blogspot.co.uk/2009/03/countdown-to-library-of-birmingham.html"]incarnations of the library[/url] and the politics around it.

[BILL POSTERS]

just spotted this. Although i was at a fair few of them. why anyone would bother to compile a list like that I cant imagine.

Rest of the sites got good bits.

[url="http://birminghammusicarchive.com/memories-of-brum-gigs-77-79-where-you-there/"]http://birminghammusicarchive.com/memories-of-brum-gigs-77-79-where-you-there/[/url]

[spinynorman]

Nostalgia's never out of fashion.

[EssentialTension]

[quote name='BILL POSTERS' timestamp='1347382104' post='1800042']
just spotted this. Although i was at a fair few of them. why anyone would bother to compile a list like that I cant imagine.

Rest of the sites got good bits.

[url="http://birminghammusicarchive.com/memories-of-brum-gigs-77-79-where-you-there/"]http://birminghammus...here-you-there/[/url]
[/quote]
I was at a many of those gigs and at least one of them is a band I was in.

[BILL POSTERS]

[quote name='EssentialTension' timestamp='1347397088' post='1800363']
I was at a many of those gigs and at least one of them is a band I was in.
[/quote]

C'mon, which one ?

I might remember you. Pity it doesnt go back a year or two earlier. Pre punk Barbarellas was a geat venue for the time.

[EssentialTension]

[quote name='BILL POSTERS' timestamp='1347444304' post='1800776']
C'mon, which one ?

I might remember you. Pity it doesnt go back a year or two earlier. Pre punk Barbarellas was a geat venue for the time.
[/quote]

OK, Mr Downchild, Barbarellas, Sun Aug 21, 1977. We played there a few times including the following Saturday 27th. That listing has The Slits on the 27th but, IIRC, we were playing The Barrel Organ in Digbeth when the landlord got a call from Eddie Fewtrell (or one of his mignons) saying he'd sacked The Slits and could we do Barbarellas after we finished at The Barrel Organ, which we did. The five piece Mr Downchild didn't last long after that gig and three of us went on to become The Kidneys.

We are also on the menu for Rebeccas ([url="http://birminghammusicarchive.com/rebeccas/"]http://birminghammus...e.com/rebeccas/[/url] - although named as Down Child). We're sandwiched between Blondie and Jamerson Raid.

I remember playing the same bill as Jamerson Raid a couple of times with a previous band (probably Nimrod) and there being some handbags backstage about who was going on first.

The Rebeccas flyer also lists Ricky Cool & the Icebergs who had the Saturday residency at The Barrel Organ before Mr Downchild took it over.

On the list for 7th June 1977 at Barbarellas is The Jam - that was SIlver Jubilee day.

[BILL POSTERS]

Cant say I remember the name, I remember The Jameson Raid though. I'd stopped playing by mid 77 . Barrell Organ was a good gig on a Saturday night, even if you did have to pay to use their house PA. Was it like the Rebeccas/Barbs deal we got offered, You got Barbs on a Sunday night as long as you did Rebeccas for half the fee ?

I wont mention the [s]price [/s]pittance they were offering, but the rest band I was with at the time, The Remoulds, wouldnt do it for the price, which is one of the reasons I quit. They werent from brum so didnt understand. i'd seen so many class acts at Barbs, that I woulkd almost have paid them. wasnt so keen on doing Rebeccas though.

Edited September 12, 2012 by BILL POSTERS

[EssentialTension]

[quote name='BILL POSTERS' timestamp='1347478237' post='1801478']
Cant say I remember the name, I remember The Jameson Raid though. I'd stopped playing by mid 77 . Barrell Organ was a good gig on a Saturday night, even if you did have to pay to use their house PA.
[/quote]
I'm certain we used our own PA at The Barrel Organ. Our sound guy was called Wally and he went on to be keyboard tech for Kerry Minnear in Gentle Giant. After Mr Downchild split, the PA became Pangolin PA Hire.

[quote name='BILL POSTERS' timestamp='1347478237' post='1801478']
Was it like the Rebeccas/Barbs deal we got offered, You got Barbs on a Sunday night as long as you did Rebeccas for half the fee ?

I wont mention the [s]price [/s]pittance they were offering, but the rest band I was with at the time, The Remoulds, wouldnt do it for the price, which is one of the reasons I quit. They werent from brum so didnt understand. i'd seen so many class acts at Barbs, that I woulkd almost have paid them. wasnt so keen on doing Rebeccas though.
[/quote]
I can't recall the Barbarellas or Rebeccas deal at all or how much we got paid. In fact, I cant remember how much we were getting paid at any gigs at that time. Though I do remember that any money got spent on beer (and other stuff), petrol, and on more equipment and with that band I was playing a Precision bass and HH amps and Electrovoice 1x15s and later a Hiwatt 2x15.

[Big_Stu]

Barbarellas; infamous as the place in 1979 where Noddy Holder had his No.1 guitar - a customised 1961 SG Junior nicked by a punter "helping" the crew to load up the trucks.

[BILL POSTERS]

[quote name='spinynorman' timestamp='1347208792' post='1798041']
Fair point. I'm a southerner by birth, but have lived and worked in and around Brum since my first job in 1973, so I almost feel like I belong.[/quote]

I once heard somebody say you can always tell a brummie by how he wears the shamrock in his turban...