SHIRLEY BASSEY'S DUNDEE DATA



"A magnificent audience. A magnificent hall & magnificent acoustics.

My first time here. I hope it will not be the last"

This is what Shirley Bassey wrote in the Caird Hall visitors book on 19th May 1972.

Then on the next page we have...

"Here I am again as promised" - yes Shirley returned the following year and signed the book once more on 20th November 1973.

Shirley Bassey also has a creative connection with Dundee, when back in the 80's, Associates singer, Billy MacKenzie composed a song for her.

The recording was called "The Rhythm Divine".

This was a classy slow moody groove with a polished production and was made in Switzerland by Yello.

AAGA CD - NOW AVAILABLE

Now that Christmas time is closing in on us all once again, some of you will no doubt be wondering what to buy off the record tokens you get. Problem solved - treat yourself to this AAGA CD.

The compilation called "The World Makes Me Sad Sometimes", on Rightback Records, is the first time a collection of AAGA's original 80's material has been given an official release, and so a good opportunity to hear for yourself why Factory Records wanted to showcase the band in Manchester at the time.

You'll know by now that I have featured many of  AAGA's cassettes on Retro, all displaying their homemade covers, well keeping the self assembly process going, here above is the CD cover when it was still work in progress at the design stage. The cover visuals were a joint effort by Mike Kane's daughter & son, with the AAGA logo the work of Dundee graphic artist, Nick Wright.

It will of course be available on iTunes and so on.

Finally, below is another reminder of the band's sound, this time from a gig at the Tayside Bar in 1984 -  catching AAGA in one of their more mellow moods.

A gig I was at too!

Thanks to Craig and Brian.

BOO-HOORAY - G.I.G.O McGURK - 1984

Boo Hooray have made a couple of appearances on Retro already, those tracks having been taken from the early 80's Dundee Compilation Cassette, a local unofficial homemade product.

This record here however, called "G.I.G.O McGurk", was the bands official release, recorded at Wilf Smarties studio in Edinburgh and brought out as a 12 inch single in 1984.
Boo Hooray didn't exactly pander to pop chart formulas mind you, so this is probably the band at their most commercial.
Line-up on this recording were - Gerry Mitchell, bass + talk - Alison Mitchell, singing - Scott Gowans, guitars - Brem, sax - and the drums were of the programmed variety.
Quite an offbeat mixture stirring around in the blender - Magic Band style guitar - Manhattan Transfer sounding harmonies and Byrne "Once In A Lifetime" fashion talkover.
A captivating little cocktail!!
Boo Hooray were also collaborators on a variety of projects that became part of Dundee's Attic Archive. Included in the Archive are Boo Hooray live recordings, Erasmic Superfoam audios and various Mike Kane related artifacts, all of which have recently been passed on to the Dundee Central Library Social History Dept.
In fact, this record came courtesy of the Attic Archive, more of which will be dipped into over the next few days.

ANDY LOTHIAN ORCHESTRA - LIVE - 1960'S

In March 2009, I put a record up on Retro Dundee by Andy Lothian. This was a traditional Scottish tune that featured his violin skills.

Andy, however, was equally known for his big band sound, his orchestra being the resident band at the Palais for over 3 decades. In fact, he ended up owning the venue!

We are talking ballroom dancing music styles here, the orchestra supplying the tempo for the dancefloor with a mixture of latin, jazz and pop.

In 1946, his band was heard all around the UK when his orchestra was broadcast live from the Palais on BBC radio a few times.

Andy kept the big band going in the Palais up to around 1970, then bowed out to make way for the start of the disco era.

Below is a rare recording live at the Palais itself, from the mid 60's and showcasing the full orchestra sound - no lead violin.

The line-up includes - J. Couper - D. Gold - J. Croft - R. Bronson - G. Cully - B. Cooper - C. Fotheringham and C. Coats.

So go grab your partner and swirl around the room to this track below - Duke's classic..."The A Train".

Many thanks to Carolyn.

THE BLUSH ON VINYL - 1982

There is already a track by The Blush up on Retro Dundee which was taken from the "Dundee Compilation Cassette" and so was not really considered an official release, technically speaking.

This one above, however, was the band's "official" release, recorded at Wilf Smarties studios and came out in 1982.

It is a double A-side - "A Look From Outside" & "Skipping", and when it was out it became a Radio Tay "Toe-Tapper", that is, it got played on the station, twice a day for 2 weeks!

In previous items about them on Retro, I have The Blush line-up as - Jeff Doran, vocal & guitar - Eddie Robertson, guitar - Steve Duncan, bass and Steve Aungle, drums.

If it's still the same team on this recording then most have adopted pseudonyms on the cover, and they have also recruited a keyboard player.

Should this be Steve Aungle we're hearing on drums, then just like yesterday's band, there is a connection with Billy Mackenzie because later, Steve went on to record with Billy.

Coincidentally, The Associates also recorded a track called "Skipping" in 1982, appearing on the "Sulk" album, but a totally different song.

This is the track I've opted for to tune into, it being a bit edgier than the flip side.

Quite a lengthy robust intro, but it does break into song...eventually!

RECORDED DELIVERY - 1970'S

Part of the fun of collecting vinyl records is that moment when you come into possession of a rare recording, and this one here is so rare, it's the only one in existence.

Not that it contains a wonderful song mind you, no, if you recall the item I put up in March 2011 about railway recording booths, then this is an example of the end product.

It dates from the 1970/71 period and was recorded in a booth in Broughty Ferry.

The Calibre Auto Recording was pressed on heavy duty vinyl and is a 6 inch disc rather than the standard 7 inch.

As you may expect from the cheapest recording studio around, the quality of sound is pretty poor, but hey, it's only supposed to be an audio postcard not a chart hit, the idea being that you pop into the station booth with thought of sending someone a message.

So, the background behind the duo on the disc - you know regular Retro contributor Craig Methven, well his brother Jack and his mate Derek, after a couple of pints, popped into the booth to record a message for their fiancees, Judi & Barbara, in Canada. At the end of the day, however, they decided not to send it, but Jack & Derek went over to Canada in 1971 and married the girls in 1972, where they have remained since.

You'll be able to hear a wee Dundee United song at the start but the content after that is a bit hit and miss.

Still a rare wee gem though, and a big thanks to Craig for passing it on.

GROUCHO SHOP AD AND BAG

I'll end the recent run of shop ads with how I started it, that is, by displaying another one that uses the pun "just for the record".

There have been many variants of the Groucho Marx image over the years but the advert here, dated 1978, is my particular favourite. This graphic was also painted large size on the exterior wall of their shop in Perth Road.
The carrier bag is one from the 80's when they were in the Overgate.

So giving the final word to the man himself, here's a music themed quote of Groucho's I'm rather fond of - "Military justice is to justice what military music is to music".

LYON & SHERRIFFS AD - 1963

 

I must admit, this is one record emporium I know nothing about!

Lyon & Sherriffs Gray Street shop in the Ferry.

As a consequence of knowing nowt about the shop, I don't have any info to pass on other than, the reason they are highlighting The Beatles in their ad is because this was published in the local press on the night the Fab 4 were playing at the Caird Hall in October 1963.





CHALMERS & JOY RECORD SHOPS

Although I don't have any photos of Chalmers & Joy, I don't want to leave them without a presence on Retro Dundee, so I'll do what I usually do under these circumstances, and use other bits & pieces.

The top ad is one I found in the small ads of a 1972 Telegraph.

However, I don't actually recall visiting either of the 2 shop locations mentioned in the ad - one in the Hilltown and a shop up Albert Street.

By 1974, the Hilltown shop had disappeared and their city centre shop on the corner of Seagate/Gellatly Street had opened up, and that's the one I used to go to.

It was an upstairs/downstairs job, but us teenagers need not have bothered too much about what was on offer downstairs as, apart from the singles, it was a mix of Scottish traditional and easy listening. The youthful goodies were upstairs - where all my dosh went!

The staircase walls were covered in posters and when you reached upstairs, these walls too were taken over by poster racks. The room itself was quite spacious and they had a sizable vinyl selection, even if they didn't really keep up with the times as energetically as Bruce's did.

I think the shop went through a couple of interior changes over the years but the layout I've described is the one that sticks in my mind most.

The Top 20 album chart dates from December 1975, and gives a general idea of what kind of material was selling at the time. Apart from a couple of corny easy-listening crooners, the remainder are all well known established pop & rock acts. Disco Hits 75 is a good reminder, however, that the mid 70's wasn't just all about pop & rock music.

Next up we have another advert, this one dated March 1977.

Oh by the way, you see the Status Quo "Live" double album in the ad, well technically, I'm on that one! I went through to Glasgow for their gig at the Apollo where the album was recorded, so I was part of the audience.

The final ad dates from 1985, and reminds us that they had a special discount on offer for students.

Underneath that ad is a reminder of the shop's carrier bags.

The striped one being the Hilltown & Albert Street bag, and the pinky red one coming from their Seagate shop.

So, were you part of the Chalmers & Joy hoi polloi?

CATHIE McCABE'S ARCADE POD - 70'S

Looking like a set out of "2001 A Space Odyssey" and using the Countdown typeface, you might expect this shop to be a hip, ultra modern retail outlet where the young trendy youth hung out, but no, quite the opposite, it was a family friendly place selling a strange mix of toys and rather mundane records.

This is Cathie McCabe's Record Shop at the Arcade in Shore Terrace - picture taken in the early 70's.

The shelving racks were interlocking octagons, a theme that also crops up on their ad, dated 1974 and their carrier bag underneath it.

If you zoom into the photo you'll find a combination of easy listening 8-track cartridges, a few toys scattered around, electrical goods and of course, vinyl records.

Here's the albums I've spotted in the picture -

Klaus Wunderlich - "Around The World".

The Alexander Brothers - "Let's Have A Ceilidh".

Bee Gees - "Best Of".

Various - "Total Sound".

Paul & Linda McCartney - "Ram".

Soundtrack - "Love Story".

And one of those stereo sound samplers called "Impact".

Doesn't really set the pulse racing!

The other item above is from the small ads in the Tele dated January 1972 and you can see for yourself the products they had on offer down at the pod.

In 1974, Cathie McCabe also had shops in Reform Street and Lorne Street Market.

Photo by DC Thomson.

BRUCE'S RECORD SHOP AD - 1978

Another great record shop doing brisk business in 1978 was Bruce's in Reform Street.

I've already got a few items relating to Bruce's in the Retro archive, so because I've covered the basics, there's no need to repeat it here.

Something I haven't mentioned before is, in 1978, Bruce's main man, Jim Stewart, had a stint as DJ down at the Sands, playing a wide variety of sounds. Some of his selection would have been the latest hot imports, because as you can see in the ad, they were the only importers in town at the time.

The shop wasn't huge but they did cater for just about everyones tastes and I can even remember buying comedy records out of there. In fact I can rattle off 3 I got in 1975 for example - Billy Connolly "Cop Yer Whack For This" - Richard Pryor "Was It Something I Said" - Bill Barclay (remember him?) "Almost Live".

Mind you, I've no idea who the funny looking fella in the ad is, holding up the vinyl.
Mark Knopfler?

B.G. FORBES IN COMMERCIAL STREET



Here's some ads pertaining to BG Forbes, a shop that sold records and musical instruments.

First though, the photo is a good wee reminder of its location - right on the corner of Commercial Street and Dock Street.

I shopped in here quite a lot in the 70's because it had a really cool selection of jazz vinyl that other record shops in Dundee didn't have - a fine array of ECM albums for example. Some I recall buying were - Terje Rypdal, Jan Garbarek, Pat Metheny, Eberhard Weber, these kind of acts, although I must admit I also came home with a heap of pretty obscure albums from this place too. Names that spring to mind are Pacific Eardrum, Opa, Stomu Yamashta, Passport, Brand X, Casiopea, Shakti, Turning Point, PFM, Milton Nascimento, Nucleus, Marscape, Solution, Azymuth, UK, Nana Vasconcelos, White Noise, Isotope....and plenty others of this variety.

Why they stocked records such as these was probably down to the fact that the guy who ran the shop, Rob Adams, was himself a bit of a jazz-rock aficionado. In fact he was also in a couple of local bands called Europe and Head, acts influenced by the likes of Weather Report.

Anyway, getting back to the above items - the first ad that's making a "note" of the name, dates from 1978.

The small ad under it is from a 1972 Telegraph and the next one is from a 1977 Telegraph - both displaying albums that were more commercial than the kind I usually bought from there.

The 2 yellow items date from 1980 and were adverts that cropped up on the reverse side of tickets for gigs on at the University. The idea being that if you took the ticket stubs into Forbes you got £1 knocked off the price of the related albums - these here being for Peter Gabriel and Mike Oldfield.

We'll just have to ignore the fact that the Uni got the address wrong on one of them!!

Top photo by Neale Elder.

COLOSSUS - LAST DEMO - 80'S

A couple of weeks ago, I posted a demo track by Colossus that featured Gordon Band on vocals, dating from the late 70's.
Well this is another track of theirs, this time from the early 80's, and in fact comes from what turned out to be, the bands last demo session. The same line-up as before except Fran Docherty has taken over the singer's spot.
So here is a tune called "Anything You Want" - the first 90 seconds or so has a kind of Canterbury vibe to it, intricate interchanges knotting the intro together, before unravelling itself into a rocking groove that churns along like a tag match between Uriah Heep v Rush!
It's a bit of a bruiser!
Big thanks to Ewen.

SAXON - MARKETGAIT GIG - 1979

Saxon's debut gig on Scottish turf took place on 21st September 1979 and the venue was the College of Technology Union in the Marketgait - or the Bowling Alley as we all called it.
The show was recorded by resident Bowling Alley DJ Brian Wilson and he has passed on this rare track to me from the gig, featuring the vocal delights of the Dundee crowd as an added bonus!
So here are the heavy metal rockers going back to the old style rock 'n' roll days with a song called "Bop Shoo Wop"...and getting all interactive in the process!
A lively wee beastie!
Big thanks to Brian.

NO FIXED ABODE DEMO - 1980'S

Not sure why, but drumming and singing at the same time always seems to be a tougher task than crooning at the piano for example, could be because it's physically more demanding, but anyway, Lloyd Anderson had the job as singing drummer in No Fixed Abode, and his band mates were Lyle Osborne on guitar, with bassist Jed Ward later replaced by Ronnie Boyd.
As well as being regulars on the local music scene in the early 80's, they also made demo recordings, and the track below is taken from one of these original demo tapes.
So the tune I've chosen to play on the Retro Dundee jukebox is called "Wolftime" - one of their rockier numbers.
See how you rate this then!
Big thanks to Ewen.

JOHN MORAN - HOME & ABROAD

When John Moran began singing in Dundee in the early 60's, he opted to have a pop star kind of name, and became known as Johnny Hudson (top pic). He soon teamed up with established local band The Hi-Four and they in turn changed their name to the Johnny Hudson Hi-Four.

The band toured around Scotland and were the first Dundee pop group to work in Germany, approximately the same time as The Beatles famously resided there.
The Johnny Hudson Hi-Four hung out with guys like Long John Baldry, Willie Wilson, Tony Sheridan, Bobby Patrick and a young Alex Harvey! This experience in Germany was rewarded in 1963 on the band's return when they found out they were to be supporting The Beatles in the Caird Hall.
Quite a high to finish on - because in 1964 the band were transformed into the Poor Souls.
I've already written a couple of items about the Poor Souls on Retro so no need to repeat the info here, but around 1967, after a couple of record releases, the band split up.
However, it wasn't to be the end of the Poor Souls name because at the tale end of the 60's when John Moran moved to Canada, he resurrected the Poor Souls name in Toronto, albeit, obviously, with a completely different line-up. This incarnation of the Poor Souls released a 7 inch single on the Canadian Quality label in 1970 - A side "Lookin' Around", B side "Scarecrow".
John also made a solo album of self penned material the same year, a track from which you can hear below. The song is called "Something You Said", and although it dates from 1970, it does sound like the kind of thing that was popular in the UK in the mid 70's. Wings meets Gerry Rafferty! In fact if this had been released in the UK back then, I reckon it could have been a top ten chart contender.
See what you reckon.
Big thanks to Mac.

COLOSSUS MEMORABILIA PART 2

The first 7 photos were all taken at the Caird Hall in December 1979 when Colossus were supporting UFO.
Not often a support act gets the crowd rushing the stage!
The newspaper article is a review of the same gig, featuring a photo of both Colossus and UFO.
Well when I say review, that may be pushing it a bit! I don't know who the journalist from Mennies was but when someone begins their music review with "I wandered down to the Caird Hall armed with cotton wool...", it may not have been the best person for the job!
The last photo is of Gordon Band at the Camperdown outdoor festival.
So finishing off with a reminder of how the guys sounded back in 79/80, here's another demo track of theirs, a tune called "Make It Last". Typical prog rock ingredients - moody intro, raucous guitar, synth solo, anthem chorus and tempo changes. Get a load of the hyperactive work on the snare and hi-hat!
The 2 days worth of Colossus goodies were from Gordon Band. Cheers!
Thanks too to Bowling Alley DJ, Brian Wilson, for the track.
Click on the review to enlarge.

HAVE A SAY WITH RADIO TAY

The top item is a good example of what I was saying earlier about getting an idea down when it hits you. These are the original lyrics to "Radio Tay", the song written by Craig Methven when he and the Scrotum Poles were in an Edinburgh recording studio in 1980. Just scrawled on the back of a flyer that was lying around, with an ad for B & R Rugs on the other side! Radio Tay was one of the tracks on their Revelation vinyl EP which has now gone on to become a bit of a collectors item, almost cult status in fact judging by the amount written about it on the Net! Even just recently word came through that the Revelation EP is to be re-produced by an American company, complete with a replica of the original sleeve insert!

Not a record that would have been played on Radio Tay itself of course, but just a couple of years later, Craig found himself making an appearance on the station along with Jock Ferguson after being invited on to have their say on a show called "Not So Much Kid's Stuff" hosted by Sally Masterson. This was in 1982 when Craig & Jock were doing Cranked Up, a time when the fanzine published a few scathing articles about Radio Tay! So they got a wee guest spot which allowed them to mention a few things about the local music scene that the station didn't touch on.

Radio Tay - so near and yet so far away!

Click on the Cranked Up item to read the large version.

Many thanks to Craig.

PULSEBEAT PLUS ASSORTMENT

Pulsebeat Plus were an alternative band from Arbroath who played regularly in Dundee in the 80's. In fact, according to Brian Sinclair, they were the first band to play at the Tayside Bar during his reign.

The top 2 items are Cranked Up reviews of gigs they played in town in 1981. Still early days for Pulsebeat Plus, not quite getting their act together live despite the opinion that their music was really good. Sound problems and personnel changes.

The photo of the band was taken at an outdoor event up at Dudhope Park, sometime around 1986/87. In case you're wondering about the stage set, they're umbrellas daubed with paint!

So, seeing as they were the act that started off all the fun at the Tayside Bar, I think I'll allow them a guest spot on Retro Dundee.

Here's a demo track of theirs, from 1984ish, a catchy song called "Better By Miles".

Photo by The Bear.

Thanks to Al for the track.

THE SOUND OF SATAN'S EMPIRE

The picture is a bit rough but good enough to identify the line-up of Dundee's Satan's Empire.
The band was - Derek Lyon, vocals - Bill Masterton, drums - Sandy McRitchie, guitar - Duncan Haggart, bass.
Heavy metal was their music of choice and this track below, called "Soldiers Of War", appeared on an album released in 1981 titled "Heavy Weight", a NWOBHM compilation.
They also had this track out earlier as a single (1980/early '81) but it seems to be extremely elusive, just as it is finding details about the band!
If anyone can add anything else, drop it in the comments.
Well they do say the devil has all the best tunes - so give this one a blast and see if you agree!
Thanx to Stephen.