THE VAL D'OR ADVERT - 1968

2 items on the Val d'Or restaurant, starting with this advert from 1968.
I can't remember much about the place, only got a hazy memory of being there with my parents in the early 60's.
The Val d'Or translates as The Golden Valley.

THE GRILL & GRIDDLE - MARKETGAIT

Sandwiched between Robinson Rental's and Brown the Optician in the Marketgait, there was a cafe called The Grill & Griddle.
I remember visiting it from time to time - a good wee place for a quick cuppa and a chinwag.
It had an amber coloured plastic sun blind on the window that turned the interior golden. When you stepped back outside though, it took a little while for your eyes to readjust to normal daylight again!

The photo dates back to the late 60's.

HONG KONG RESTAURANT - SEAGATE

The Hong Kong restaurant was located right next door to the ABC cinema in the Seagate, as I'm sure the majority of you will remember.

Here's a photo of the interior to refresh your memory, which dates from the late 60's.

The boss was Willie Wong, and included are 3 pictures of him on the premises.

It's strange that it was there for years & years and I would have passed by it hundreds of times, yet I don't recall ever having visited it!

Never mind me though - as well as the nosh aspect, they would often provide entertainment to go with it.

The ads under the photos are a wee example - first is dated May 1974 and has Sidney Devine one week and Bert Weedon the next.

Local act, Whistlefield, were the resident band at the time.

The second ad is dated March 1977 and here we have Paul Edison, ex lead singer of 60's pop group, The Ivy League.

Also on the bill, The Vikings.

Dundee act, The Vikings, released a single, but split up in the late 60's. However, band member, Drew Larg, kept the name going for his late 70's version of The Vikings.

The Hong Kong even dabbled in the "alternative" rock music scene for a period in 1981, by putting on post-punk bands!

END OF THE ROAD

Well I told you a month ago I had loads of music related items to put up, and although I've still got plenty more, I'm going to fade the music theme out for now in order to crack on with other Dundee stuff.

So, to play us out in the traditional way, here is a pipe band my brother captured in the mid 70's. They have just reached the end of the Nethergate and are about to negotiate the Marketgait roundabout.

His memory is blank as to what the occasion was unfortunately!

THIN LIZZY - CAIRD HALL - 3RD MAY 1980

29 years ago today, Thin Lizzy were letting rip their famous riffs along at the Caird Hall. Thin Lizzy found the knack of keeping a faithful "rock" following as their fan base while at the same time, having commercial success in the "pop" charts. A pretty neat trick, as they had many hits throughout the 70's and early 80's.
There was a guy in Dundee (who's name escapes me now, but he used to drink in the Bread and Perth Road pubs), who was a roadie for well known bands, and Thin Lizzy was one of those who he roadied for. He became friends with the band's main man, Phil Lynott, and before this Caird Hall gig, he brought Phil into Foreigners (the rock pub in Meadowside) for a couple of swigs before the concert. I was a bit disappointed to observe that they didn't serve Phil's whiskey, in a jar!!

SENSATIONAL ALEX HARVEY BAND POSTER - 1975

Welcome to my bedroom in Craigie in the year 1975. As you can see, I paid a visit to the SAHB merchandise counter at the Caird Hall gig. Came back with this poster and a programme which I no longer have, but at least the photo survived. The SAHB logo above the poster was my own piece of artwork, getting a bit of cartoon drawing practise done....although it has to be said, I wouldn't win any prizes for interior design!!

SAHB - CAIRD HALL - MAY 1975

The Sensational Alex Harvey Band brought their show to town on 3rd May 1975, and what a show it was, with showman Alex Harvey on top form.
It wasn't just going to see another rock band, it was going to witness a spectacle.
As soon as the pulsing throb intro to "Faith Healer" started, and Alex stepping on stage dressed like a punk pirate, you were hooked.
Alex would often act out a lot of the material. For example he would grease back his hair and put on a leather rocker's jacket for the song "Framed", then he'd dress like a B-movie detective for "Man In A Jar". He'd also use props like the brick wall behind the band to spray "Vambo rool ok" - gang graffiti being rather popular in Dundee at the time, so that went down well!. The rest of the band would join in too when it was time to do their zany dance routine during "Delilah".
The contrast in SAHB songs were quite extreme, sometimes scary sometimes funny, serious one minute cartoony the next, gritty then sophisticated, tales from the street then off on a flight of fantasy. When you dared take your eyes off Alex, you would then be mesmerised by guitarist Zal, dressed like a cross between the Joker & the Riddler from Batman, pulling faces and clowning around while his Gibson SG cut through you like a butcher's slicer.
A great band...a great night out!!
The support act on the night was Skyband.

BANDS DOING BATTLE IN DUNDEE

Here's a couple of examples of Dundee based contests involving bands doing battle with each other.
The first item dates from August 1979 and is for a talent contest being held at the Tech College (Bowling Alley).
This one ended up with around 6 bands battling it out I seem to remember. No idea what the winner got mind you!
The ad was published in a local fanzine.
The other item is dated July 1982 and was for a UK battle, the Dundee heat taking place on 9 October.
I don't know which local bands ended up participating in it or what venue it was, but the eventual winners got cash and a recording deal.
The item was published in the national music press.

THE SMITHS - DUNDEE UNIVERSITY - 1984

The recording below is from a gig by The Smiths who were playing at Dundee University on 3rd March 1984.

Morrissey gets a bit stroppy on this as a result of someone in the audience splashing the stage with beer. The song "This Charming Man" was stopped and we pick it up as Morrissey gives the culprit a ticking off, and it being 1984, finishes by saying "The world is watching you, Dundee!" before giving the song a 2nd go.

So there, be on your best behaviour next time!

Incidentally, the Smiths badge of mine is just my wee joke, it has nothing to do with The Smiths.

Having said that, the track is a nice crisp recording!!

TAYSIDE BAND CONTEST - TIFFANY'S - 1981

Here's an interesting night that was going on at Tiffany's in the Nethergate in April 1981. A competition to see who was Tayside's no1 band. Unfortunately, apart from The Grip, I don't know who else was participating or who won it, so if anybody has any info on the contest, feel free to pass on the details in the comments.
In the 70's, Tiffany's had a bit of a nasty reputation for being a place notorious for fights. I remember visiting it around 77 just to assess it for myself. Think I stayed for 1 hour in which there were about 3 scuffles, so scarpered and never went back. Amusingly, an anagram of Tiffanys is - ANY TIFFS - yeah, loads!
The place did try to get a change of image around 1980 in which putting on events such as this helped.
Still involved doing battle though!
Thanks to DD.

THE GRIP AT BLAZERS - 1982

Another reggae night at Blazers organised by Gripping Youth and this time featuring The Grip.
Not quite sure why it says "Leather Jackets Not Allowed". Don't recall any Hells Angels running amok in the city in 82!
Blazers opened in 1981 but was only in business for a couple of years despite having a licence up to 1985.
Did you know that in it's former life the place that became Blazers used to be a Masonic Lodge? It's full title was - "The Ancient Order of Buffalo's Meeting Rooms".
I remember being in there in the mid 60's too for a Christmas party, a works do organised by Charlie Gray. I got a book about Cowboys & Indians from Santa!
Cue - Buffalo Soldier!!
Thanks to DD.

GRIPPING YOUTH REGGAE CLUB - BLAZERS

Blazers reggae disco was located in a wee Pend in Victoria Road, quite near to the Vic cinema, in the early 80's.

I can remember being at this very gig in 1982, because before there were any reggae clubs in Dundee, I used to visit the Ital Club in Edinburgh regularly, and Papa Swi was the DJ.!
Papa Swi's girlfriend used to be on the door there, and when I visited I used to keep asking her when they were going to bring their Sound System to Dundee.
And so after a couple of years passed, they did indeed eventually visit Blazers - this of course was organised by Dundee's Gripping Youth rather than me, and once again the same lassie was on the door!!
Papa Swi had a fantastic record collection and one mighty Sound System, and often during his sessions he'd mix in an array of sound effects to enhance the dub sequences, such as echo machines, sirens, ricochet drum loops and so on. Wicked.!!...as we used to say back then. Right up my street in fact...or in Blazers case...Pendie!!

The article announcing the gig is from Deadbeat fanzine.
Thanks to DD for the ticket.

THE GRIP'S TAYSIDE BAR FLYER

From the early 80's - this flyer for a gig taking place in August may very well be the one The Grip used to advertise their gig featured in yesterday's post.
Everyone in the photo is wearing summer shirts anyway!!
Thanks to DD.

THE GRIP - TAYSIDE BAR - EARLY 80'S

Here's The Grip dropping some live reggae & dub down at the Tayside Bar in the Seagate in the early 80's. A place where I saw them play a couple of times myself.

The crowd participation on this occasion would appear to involve the use of Rizla papers and filling the room with herbal aromas..!!

For a reminder of the The Grip in full flow, you can backtrack to the March 2009 Archives and give them a wee blast.

Thanks to DD.

THE GRIP - PROMO AD - EARLY 80'S

Described on this promotional ad as playing "jute mill reggae", The Grip did indeed bring the sound of Jamaica to Dundee in the 80's, playing various venues around town.

It also mentions their single called "Keeping The Peace" which was recorded in Edinburgh at Wilf Smarties Planet Studio.

The photo of the lads splashing about with their troosers rolled up was taken in that far off exotic location...The Barracuda!!

You'll probably need to click on the image to read the large version of it.

I've got a bundle of great Grip stuff coming up, so the guys are gonna be hoggin' Retro Dundee for the next couple of days.

Thanks to DD.

DAVE SINCLAIR ON DRUMS

Dave Sinclair was in a Dundee band called The Esplins. He joined the outfit in the early 60's and played regularly up at the Admiral in Camperdown Road. As a matter of fact, The Esplins at one stage, held the record for the longest residency for a band playing in Dundee. A whopping 15 years at the Admiral!. Any other local band managed to beat that since?

After his stint in The Esplins, Dave went on to do backing for various cabaret acts around town.

The ad under the snap is from an old Evening Telegraph I have, dated March 1977.

THE VIKINGS ON ALP - 1966

Last month, I put on a recording released on Dundee based label, ALP. The single by Andy Lothian was an example of the label's traditional Scottish music output. ALP also chose to put out records by hip young beat groups, and this one by The Vikings, was the label's 11th record, released in September 1966. The song called "Bad News Feeling" features the groovy sound of an electric harpsichord, which were all the rage in the mid to late 60's.
3 Dundee guys in The Vikings - Mike Fraser & Donnie Coutts, are the 2 at the front in the band photo, and Drew Larg is centre at the back. The other 2 are, on the left, Doug Wightman, and of course on the right is Alan Gorrie of Average White Band fame.
The ad is dated June 1966.

GENESIS IN DUNDEE - 1977 & 1980

2 tickets - same band - same place - different dates.
Starting with the 13th January 1977 gig...
When the tickets went on sale for this show around November '76, a photo of the queue at the Caird Hall made it into the local papers. Fans started to form the queue around 9.00pm the night before, and the image of them with their sleeping bags, flasks and good humour was used along with the story of this rare sight.
The concert sold out within a couple of hours next morning.
This was the Genesis "Wind & Wuthering" tour, and like most prog rock bands in the 70's, the light show became part of the act, so there were plenty of lasers, strobes, dry ice and so on.
The photos were taken at this '77 gig, right from the front of the stage.
There is a recording of this show doing the rounds too....unofficially like!
The movie ad under the photos dates back to March that year and is from an old Evening Telegraph I have. This was another time I saw Genesis in Dundee in 1977, as the ABC were showing a double film feature on this occasion - "White Rock", which had a soundtrack by Rick Wakeman, and to accompany it, "Genesis In Concert".
I had to be alert to catch it mind you, as it was on for only one day!
On 24th April 1980, 29 years ago today, the band were here again, this time on their "Duke" tour and introduced 2 new band members, Daryl Stuermer who replaced Steve Hackett on guitar, and Roland....the drum machine! The new Genesis sound by this time was more lightweight as they ditched the idea of the 10 minute track in favour of the 3 minute pop-rock tune. As a result, they featured in the singles charts rather a lot in the 80's. On stage though, they still managed to squeeze in the occasional old classic from their back catalogue.
I remember Phil Collins name-dropped "Keiller's" during the intro to one of their songs! 

Photos by Alan Weston

EUROVISION - PEELY & HUTCHIE FAE DUNDEE

Another John Peel memory with a wee Dundee link I can recall, comes from the late 80's.
Peely was involved in covering the Eurovision Song Contest for radio which this particular year was the turn of Switzerland or Sweden to host.
During the programme he interviewed a guy called David Hutchison, who, although I can't remember his exact role, was one of the main organisers of the event. As the interview went on, I suddenly had the feeling that I recognised the voice, and thought it sounded like "Hutchie", a guy who used to live around the corner from me in Craigie, and who was in my class at Balerno as well as Craigie High. I remembered my mum knew his mum, so I asked her, the next time she saw Hutchie's mum, see if she could confirm it was David on the radio. It turns out it was him and he had been involved behind the scenes in the Eurovision contest for quite a while. His mum also revealed the extra info that David got paid £24 a minute for the Peel interview. A nice little earner!!
If you happen to read this, David, feel free to drop some details into the comments.

JOHN PEEL AT FAT SAMS - 1984

One of the best nights ever at Fattie's was the time John Peel paid a visit back in 1984.

There was a great buzz in the town pubs before the event, then the club itself was absolutely crammed with the clubbers fully stoked, and everybody just seemed to be in a dancing mood.

Peely's selection on the night was as diverse as the music he played on his radio show - from fresh indie to raw punk, new wave to old soul, 80's hip hop next to 60's garage, loads of reggae and African tunes, and even Status Quo got a spin!!

The friend I was with decided to go over to him to see if she could get his autograph. She came back beaming and showed me the bit of paper he had written on - it said "John Peel - the world's most boring man".

A short while later I went over and asked Peely if he could play any Ini Kamoze (this was a new reggae singer that had burst onto the music scene), he just smiled and nodded.

And yes he did play "Teenage Kicks", in fact I think that was his final record of the evening. Even back then it was a song that became his signature tune.

On his radio show a couple of days later, Fat Sam's got a mention and he said it was one of the best nights out in Scotland he's had!!