ROKOTTO ON TV - 1970's

In 1977, Cathie McCabe's record shop organised a bus to go up to Aberdeen - and I was invited along.
The event was Dundee based funky disco band, Rokotto, perform in concert at Grampian Studios.
Joan McCabe and the band members were also on the bus along with us punters.
I remember the studio had a scaffolding gantry at the side of the stage, which is where I chose to watch the show from, but most of the studio audience were at the front of the stage dancing along to the band.
The TV series was called "The Entertainers" and showcased a different act every week. Rokotto played for over an hour in Aberdeen but each episode was edited down to 30 minutes.
The show was broadcast on 17 June 1977.
I got in touch with Grampian quite recently to see if they had this episode in their vaults but unfortunately, although some of the acts on The Entertainers were kept, the one with Rokotto on has since been wiped.
Also, as well as appearances on Top Of The Pops in the 70's, Rokotto were featured on another BBC show in 1979 called "Roadshow Disco".
This was actually recorded in Dundee - Kirkton Community Centre in fact!
So if anybody out there has a copy of these shows, feel free to get in touch.
Vocalist, Lorna Bannon, went on to sing with Shakatak, Simple Minds, plus a few other acts after Rokotto.
Anyway, for those who are not familiar with Rokotto's sound or would like a reminder, here is a track & slideshow to tune into.

CATHIE McCABE RECORD SHOP

 

Cathie McCabe's in the Murraygate wasn't exactly the coolest record shop in Dundee in the 70's, but I did find myself shopping there on a fairly regular basis - not so much for vinyl, but for concert tickets.

Cathie was an agent and could get you tickets for any gig in Scotland.

I ended up going to dozens of gigs in Glasgow & Edinburgh, sometimes as many as 3 a week. She would also run buses when a concert was particularly popular.

Many of the acts I saw never played in Dundee, for example - Bob Marley, Herbie Hancock, Roxy Music, Weather Report, Gary Numan, Rainbow, Brand X, Tangerine Dream, The Cure, Black Sabbath, The Eagles, Eric Clapton, Kate Bush, Bad Company, Camel, Bob Dylan, Talking Heads, Pink Floyd, Spyro Gyra, Devo, Uriah Heep, Undertones, Robin Trower and plenty others - so travelling out of town was the only way to catch them in action.

The advert is a typical example of the kind of event McCabe's were involved in. It's for the Loch Lomond Rock Festival in May 1979.

Anyway, one strange record I do recall buying from this shop in 1977 - strange in that, it was a totally unexpected find to see this piece of vinyl in amongst the mundane chart pop stuff - it was a 7 inch single by Planet Gong and called "Opium For The People", it being a rather unusual punky effort from the space rockers!! Goodness knows how that ended up in her shop - maybe a rep dropped it in the racks when she turned her back..!!

Underneath the ad is a reminder of the shop carrier bag, and the reason why there is a piano on it is because Cathie herself used to perform as a pianist back in the 50's & 60's and so collected all sorts of piano related memorabilia.

Some of you may recall that they also had a wee kiosk outside their Murraygate shop - this was where they sold scratch cards - little sideline they had going.!

The bottom advert is from 1972, so before the Murraygate shop.

It has the other store locations of the time - Reform St, Arcade and Lochee.

I remember being in the Reform Street shop in 1974 when she was bemused that another record shop was in the process of moving in right next door.

This was Bruce's, and ultimately it lead to the demise of her Reform Street spot which is what forced her decision to move to Murraygate.

The picture was taken in June 1978.

Photo by DC Thomson.

DUNDEE GRAFFITI IN THE 60'S

Way before there was stylized graffiti as it has become today, and even before the abundance of gang graffiti in the 70's, Dundee was still being tagged upon.

In the 60's, chalk and stones were most commonly used for the swift tag, usually by those who were school aged.

For the older and more daring, a pot of paint and a brush were the tools used to get the job done. Gangs like SHIMMY (above), HUNS & COSMO were on the go, and I remember there was a huge MAFIA painted on Gussie Park wall.

Political slogans were also daubed in paint. I recall "NO POLARIS" and the "Ban The Bomb" CND symbol splashed on the walls in Exchange Street and under the rail bridge at Riverside (above).

Another method was to "etch" into a wall with something sharp.

There were examples of this technique along the length of the Riverside wall. Basic stuff like "We luv the Beatles", grooved like gouged tree trunks?

Anyway, by the early 70's when aerosols and felt pens were made commercially available, these took over, and are still the main gear used today.

PLATFORM JAZZ - 1980's

PLATFORM were a promotional organisation who, in the 70's & 80's, put Jazz concerts on in Dundee.

Tickets were usually purchased from Forbes music shop on the corner of Commercial St & Dock St.

Some of the acts I can recall going to see were Morrisey/Mullen, Billy Cobham (with Mike Stern), Allan Holdsworth, Stan Tracey, Soft Heap, Gary Boyle and, as my 1984 ticket on top shows, Dollar Brand, featuring a pretty intense Abdullah Ibrahim performance.

Gig venues included the Bonar Hall, Angus Hotel, The Rep, Royal Hotel, Whitehall Theatre and Tay Hotel.

The 3 items under the ticket are all from old Wire magazines I have and are good reminders of the scene at the time.

The Dundee Jazz Festival article dates from June 1985 and featured Gil Scott-Heron as one of the main acts that year.

That's followed by a small announcement about the launch of a new Jazz Club at the Tay Hotel - and this is dated November 1985.

The final item is an ad from October 1987 and has a couple of gigs in Dundee in amongst the Scottish shows - Bobby Watson Quartet at the Rep and Don Cherry's Nu playing at the Whitehall Theatre.

ROD STEWART IN DUNDEE - 1974

The picture here shows part of the crowd outside Bruce's record shop in Reform Street, waiting to catch sight of Rod Stewart opening the store on 14th Dec 1974.

I'm somewhere in the crowd too, wearing my Dundee FC scarf, because the team were playing Celtic that day.

Incidentally, Rod didn't have a gig in town, he was actually playing at the Glasgow Apollo that night, so he did travel through especially to do the biz at Bruces.

However, because Rod turned up late for the shop opening, I, along with many others, had to make a last minute mad dash up to Dens Park to catch kick-off.

Rod also made that same dash up to Dens for the game, getting the V.I.P. treatment in the directors box. Unfortunately, Rod didn't get to see the Dee on a good day - Kenny Dalglish was in scintillating form that afternoon and Dundee were hammered 6-0!

Kenny got a hat-trick and the footage below captures 2 of his goals from the match.

Rod & Bruce then had to scarper quickly back to Glasgow to make it in time for the start of his concert!

Yes things were pretty hectic the day Rod came to town in '74.

 

Photo by DC Thomson.

ROD STEWART AT BRUCE'S RECORD SHOP - 1974

On a cold Saturday afternoon on 14th December 1974, Rod Stewart made a special appearance at Bruce's Record Shop in Reform Street to officially open the store.
As you might imagine, the event did cause a bit of a commotion inside & outside the shop as the crowd gathered to catch a glimpse of him. The police were even present outside the shop, trying to keep control of the crowd and I should know, I was there in amongst it all!
The photo is of Rod inside the shop.
Scottish comedian, Bill Barclay was also supposed to be present but don't know what happened to him that day!
Anyway, it was a great way to introduce Bruce's shop to the city and I became a regular for many years to follow.
The shop then moved into the Wellgate Centre in August 1979.

Photo by DC Thomson.

SCHOOL BELTS IN THE 60'S

2 belts from Dundee's school days in the sixties that may make you cringe!
The TEACHER'S used the leather strap as punishment. A wallop on the hands for being a menace in class usually.
The PUPIL'S used the elasticated Snake belt to keep the troosers up. The belt would usually slip up around your belly dragging your shirt out with it!

DUCK SLATTERYS GAS STATION - MID 80'S

As the name suggests, Duck Slattery's Gas Station in South Ward Road was decked out with old American gas station paraphernalia - petrol pumps, vehicle parts, nameplates, oil adverts etc.
I took these snaps in the mid 80's and they show the exterior and interior of the pub.
It's main feature, however, was the front half of a Cadillac hanging on the inside wall above the entrance, as if it had just crashed through the brickwork!
The manager was Jeff Currie and the owner was Alex Brown.
The advert underneath the snaps was published the day before the pub officially opened, which was 13 March 1986.
Later in April that year, they installed the first ever satellite dish in Dundee, and so the pub would show a variety of programmes such as Italian football & American music channels.
The other ad, dating from August 1986, gives a fuller description of the place.
Appropriately, Duck's was a popular stop-off place to get tanked up before hitting Fat Sams next door.

THE CAB INTERIOR - 1970's



A good example of the Hansom Cab (aka The Cab) being occupied by under-agers in the mid 70's was when one night a crowd drinking there set off bangers in the pub. The first one was just thrown into a corner area to give everyone a "wee fleg", but as the night wore on they ended up chucking the bangers from one end of the room to the other, like a snowball fight!

Needless to say, by the end of the 70's they clamped down on this sort of thing and made it compulsory to have your birth certificate with you for proof of age.

 

Photo by DC Thomson.

HANSOM CAB - 1970's

The Hansom Cab, on the corner of Seagate & Commercial St, had a reputation for being a haven for underage drinking in the 70's. For many it was seen as the place to visit as your first "city centre" pub, and it was indeed very easy to get served when aged 16. I suppose it was a rehearsal for the more serious boozing that was to follow in your later years!
Photo by DC Thomson.Tints by GG.

LARG'S LISTENING BOOTHS - 1960

Larg's in Whitehall Street, in the 60's, had listening booths near to their record dept. When you wanted to find out what the latest tune in the charts sounded like, they would put the record on the turntable, let you know what booth number it was playing in and in you'd go for a wee listen before deciding whether to buy it or not.
The snap here was taken in Feb 1960 and Anthony Newley was at the #1 spot in the UK charts with his track "Why" for the entire month!

Photo by DC Thomson.

RADIO TIMES COVER - Nov 1983

The Caird Hall made it onto the cover of the Radio Times when the film "An Englishman Abroad" was broadcast on BBC - 29th Nov 1983. The cover also shows Alan Bates who played the role of spy, Guy Burgess, in the play written by Alan Bennett. The film was directed by John Schlesinger. They also filmed some scenes inside the Caird Hall and around Exchange Street.

THE RUSSIANS ARE COMING - EARLY 80'S

When passing the city centre in the early hours of the morning, drunk after nightclubbing, I noticed these Communist placards up on the Caird Hall.
I remember thinking through my drunken haze that we had either been invaded by the Soviets or that there was a Labour Conference taking place!

Next day I went to check out what was going on and it turned out to be a film in progress. The Caird Hall was being used as a Moscow theatre double in the BBC film "An Englishman abroad".

I stayed for a while and watched them film a couple of scenes - complete with fake snow.

BEN SHERMAN 1970'S SHIRT BOX

The Ben Sherman checked shirt was incredibly popular in the early 70's, in school & out of school, and the box it came in was as iconic as the shirt itself.

Here's a wee reminder for those who indulged!

SHOPPING AT McGILL's

There can't have been many teenagers in Dundee in the 60's & 70's who didn't buy clothes from McGill's in Victoria Road. It was a regular stop for items such as school uniforms & sports gear, as well as casual clothes like Wranglers, Sta-Prest, Ben Sherman's, Harringtons, Dr Martens etc.

The clothing & footwear depts were in the store nearest to the Wellgate steps (as in above picture) and their sports dept was opposite, on the corner of Victoria Road & Hilltown.

This image was taken in November 1976.

Photo by DC Thomson.

GIRLS PLAYING ELASTICS - 1960's

Around the playgrounds and streets of Dundee in the 60's, one of the games girls used to play was ELASTICS.
They would tie dozens of elastic bands together to form a large loop and then they were ready.
2 girls stood opposite each other with the elastic loop around their ankles and a 3rd girl would jump in & out of them, as they did with skipping. There were different moves & different degrees of difficulty - twisting them, hopping in between etc.
After the first ankle level was complete, the elastics would be moved up to knee height, then the waist.
Can't recall now if there were rhymes that went with it too.
Anyway, here below is film of Dundee lassies showing how it's done...although demonstrating that you could also tie the elastics around a lamp-post to play the game.

THE LAST NIGHT OF THE SCOUT - 1982

The Scout in Westport on a good night was one of the best pubs in Dundee and some wonderful weekends were spent there in the late 70's & early 80's.

Humour & music were it's strong points whilst the pub itself was as grimy & basic as they get, and yet if you didn't get in early, there were often lengthy queues.

The pub's closing night occurred in 1982 and was one hell of an evening.

It was at bursting point earlier than normal and the mayhem & sweat was flowing all night! The singing went on all night too - with one of the most popular tunes I recall being Dexy's Midnight Runners classic "Come on Eileen", a song that was balsted out a few times that night and a track I will always associate with The Scout.

In its final couple of hours, everybody was standing up on the seats, tables and counter, singing, dancing, clapping and clowning around until it climaxed with the pub's decor being ripped from the walls by those in the pub wanting a wee souvenir of one of the town's best drinking dens.

 

Photo by DC Thomson.

BUILDING CRAIGIE HIGH SCHOOL

Being in with the first batch of pupils at CHS when it opened in 1970 had its advantages and disadvantages.

On the plus side, all the classrooms had brand new equipment, all the desks & chairs, science gear, sports stuff and so on - all newly installed - and we had the honour of trying everything out first.

One of the disadvantages was that when CHS opened it's doors to us, some parts of the building were still being built and so these areas were out of bounds. For example, we had to wait many months before the swimming pool was finished and ready for use.

Behind the scenes, they had to have all the staff at the ready as well of course, and here is the original advert for a rector, dated January 1970, which had Mr Scott answer the call!

The picture shows CHS under construction in 1969.

Photo by DC Thomson.

CRAIGIE HIGH SCHOOL - 1969

I was in with the very first group of pupils who attended Craigie High School when it opened in 1970.

It was great having the whole place to ourselves without there being any older kids around. However, it did mean we had to start everything from scratch, for example setting up the first football team, hockey team, etc, etc.

Needless to say, living in Craigie brought about the fact that we used to actually play in the area where CHS now stands, when it was just fields and wasteland, so we saw the school being built from scratch too.

This is a picture of it under construction in 1969.

 

Photo by DC Thomson.

BAY CITY ROLLERS - J.M. BALLROOM - 1970-74

 

The top cutting is from a "What's On" page in the Dundee Courier  - an ad for the Bay City Rollers playing at the J.M. Ballroom in the Marketgait on Sunday 12th April '70.
Interesting to see they were gigging in Dundee 4 years before they became famous. In fact The Rollers actually made a promo film in the J.M. in 1970, complete with hired screaming girls! I wonder what has happened to that footage?
The 2nd cutting is from an NME and they continue to be playing at the J.M. This one dated Monday 18th December 1972.
The 3rd cutting is from a Melody Maker music paper and in the gig guide section it has the Bay City Rollers playing at the JM on Monday 29th April '74.
So the band were still active in Dundee even in the year they hit the big time!
Other acts on in 1970 were, The Camera and Pat'r 4 + Three.