THE BREAD / BOTHY - CONSTITUTION ROAD

It's a pub that had 4 names, the real name being The Breadalbane Arms, but locals referred to it as the Bread, the Bothy or the Howff. Take your pick. My mob favoured the Bothy tag.

The period I drank there was the late 70's and early 80's, the photo here taken in 1982.

I lived quite near to it back then so it was a place I used to go to quite a lot, but usually more midweek than weekends.

It had a bit of a reputation for being a hippy hangout, and I suppose there was an element of truth in that. I do recall it had the likes of Bob Dylan and Eric Clapton on the jukebox. Although it was a more mature crowd than you'd find in the city centre pubs, I always found it a really cheery place. In fact the humour veered towards satire most times. Politics and topical issues were discussed and mocked in equal measure. You would often see a copy of Private Eye magazine lying beside the Morning Star newspaper. That summed it up.

Downstairs had a cosy main bar area and a back room which was used for smokers frequently. Upstairs was a large lounge. This was the area where live music was performed in. Sometimes organised, sometimes improvised. If some regulars brought in their instruments, that would often trigger a spontaneous session, whether it be folk or rock. Local musicians Michael Marra and Peter McGlone were regular visitors.

It was probably the nearest I got to having "a local".

Oh yeah, and despite the fact that The Howff Restaurant was next door, the peh's & beans and the toasties in the Bothy were so scrumptious, I didn't need to visit it!

As is the way these days, the building is one the demolition team have since visited!

EDDIE & THE HOT RODS - DUNDEE - 1978

Another one of my Caird Hall ticket stubs, this time from 31 years ago this very night.
Eddie & the Hot Rods cropped up on the scene around the time punk was surfacing and so they kinda got chucked in with them. Their brand of rock-pop was fast & energetic, but they were more of a no nonsense rock band, than punks. Having said that, their 1977 hit single "Do Anything You Wanna Do" did sound like a record The Jam could have made, so they were pretty close to producing punk music. There was some pogo-ing near the stage when they were on, I recall.
2 support bands on the night.
Radio Stars leaned more towards a new wave/pop sound. They had done John Peel sessions by this time but they hadn't really cracked the charts in a big way. They always seemed to be just bubbling under the current scene without bursting through, a bit like their position on the bill.
Squeeze were the other band performing on stage. This was around the start of their pop career, and out of the 3 acts on stage, they were the ones who went onto be most successful. They hadn't released many records up to then but their excellent single "Take Me I'm Yours" was the one that everyone in the crowd knew. Jools Holland used to smoke large cigars while playing his keyboards back then. He also always stood up to play keyboards, not like nowadays, sitting down all the time. It's only a matter of time before he switches from cigar to pipe!! Only joking!!
Anyway, a pretty good value evening, working out at 50p per band!!
The other item is a full page ad from a 1978 NME that contains the tour dates.
And as far as I am aware, all 3 acts are still gigging today.

THE FIFIE

Before the Tay Road Bridge was built, Dundonians used the "Fifie" to cross the river. This ferry service was for passengers as well as vehicles and it took you to Newport.
The day the bridge opened was the day the Fifie crossings stopped. That was on the 18th August 1966. The above photo of the Fifie with its flags up was taken on the 18th, the final day of the ferry service.
I can remember being on the Fifie only once. That would have been around 1963/64 when I was about 6. Can't recall much of the trip other than the image of the boat moving away from the pier.
To bring back those memories into a clearer image, here below is a wee video that contains film footage of the boats in action.
Photo by the Scotsman.Tints by GG

THYNGLCHYME AND TIVVY ON TV

Here's a quirky item of Dundee music trivia from the 70's that may get a few locals scratching their head!

In 1971 Dundee band, Thynglchyme, appeared on TV talent show "Opportunity Knocks", hosted by Hughie Green.

At the time, my cousin was drummer in The Jacques who was one of the other bands who took part in the auditions for the local heat.

Thynglchyme won the Dundee contest though and made it onto the show. Not only that but they actually went on to win the TV show 2 weeks on the trot.

However, performing on national television in front of millions doesn't appear to have done their career much good because I put THYNGLCHYME into Google search and got absolutely nothing!

So if any of you knowledgeable Dundonians can fill in a few details on this mystery band with the groovy name, feel free to pass on the any info you have into the comments.

Then a few years later in 1978, it was the turn of local outfit Tivvy to make an appearance on the show.

The above cuttings are dated Feb '78.

Tivvy once played at the Caird Hall supporting Slik - this was in 1976.

Apart from that, I have no details on this band or information as to how they did on the TV contest - so over to you to fill in the details in the comments.

GALLAGHER & LYLE - CAIRD HALL - 1978

31 years ago today, Gallagher & Lyle were in town.

Now, I went to see rock bands, jazz bands, punk bands, prog bands, pop bands, reggae bands, pub bands, new wave bands, the lot, but I think this was the nearest I got to experiencing an easy listening band. I don't mean that in a corny Foster & Allen kind of way, I mean it was an evening of relaxation, nice laid-back music to get you settled comfy in your seat. No rushing to the front of the stage for this gig.

The duo did write good tunes mind you, both as G&L and in their previous band McGuinness Flint. The biggest cheer of the evening came when they did their 1976 hit "Heart On My Sleeve".

I remember there was a joke doing the rounds at the time about a guy who went into a record shop and asked for "Tart On My Sleeve by Tate & Lyle"..!!

That's my surviving ticket stump at the top accompanied with an ad for the album they were promoting along with tour dates which appeared in an issue of NME back then.

U2 - CAIRD HALL - 1983

On this day, 26 years ago, U2 were playing in Dundee and it was a show I went to. In fact this was the 2nd time I had seen the band as I caught them at Edinburgh Nite Club a couple of years earlier.
I remember popping along to Da Vinci's for a quick pint before meeting up with my mates in the city square for the concert. So after my refreshment I was making my way into the town centre and as I was passing the Angus Hotel, lo and behold, there was U2 getting into their minibus ready to be taken to their gig. I very nearly shouted over to them to give me a lift but I managed to restrain myself. If I had another couple of pints inside me I may very well have been telling you about the time U2 drove me to their show!
Oh well, anyway, this Dundee gig was the very first date on this '83 tour. On the back of the stage they had a huge image of their "War" album cover. Bono was quite hyperactive on the night, pacing up & down the stage waving the white flag, clambering about on the PA stacks and even managing to reach the balcony at one point while still singing!
I missed the support act who were called The Nightcaps.
Below is a recording from this very U2 gig at the Caird Hall. Not only that, as they were trying out their new material, this track "Like A Song" would be the one and only time they would ever play this song on stage, so a bit of a Dundee exclusive!
Afterwards, me and my mates all went back to Da Vinci's to finish the evening off.

THE STEPS THEATRE - 1979

This is the same top of the Wellgate Steps area in the previous photo only in it's brand new transformation into the Wellgate Centre, Library and Steps Theatre. The image taken in 1979.

I used to go to the Steps Theatre quite a lot in the late 70's/early 80's for it's cinema. They used to show quite a lot of obscure French films, art house movies and underground stuff in general. The most commercial they got would probably be Woody Allen pictures.

Mind you, as a consequence of putting on such arty stuff the place would be pretty empty a lot of the time. All you'd see was rows and rows of bright green seats and hardly any audience! In fact the only one time I remember it being packed to capacity was when they showed a 2 hour Loony Tunes cartoon extravaganza. Bugs, Daffy, Droopy and the rest of them. Now that WAS entertaining!

The graphic is their well known ident which they used in their adverts. 

WELLGATE STEPS AREA - MID 70'S

Looking extremely run down at this stage in the mid 70's with all this area preparing to be knocked down. The boards going up on the shop fronts remind me of someone being blindfolded waiting to be executed!

THE WELLGATE STEPS - mid 70's

And a wee reminder of the steps...

LAST LOOK AT THE OLD WELLGATE

Better get yer hankies oot...
This photo taken from the Wellgate steps in the early 70's shows the street empty because most of the shops were being boarded up in readiness for imminent demolition. Shortly after, the whole Wellgate area was cordoned off to make way for the bulldozers and so to the street's final farewell.
For reference purposes, here's the complete list of shops & businesses that were in the street in 1970. Starting from the Cowgate corner and going up on the right towards the steps :-
J.LAWRIE costumiers - BOOTS chemist - JW WHYTE spirit merchant - A.MASSEY grocers - HUNTER household store - BRITISH RELAY tv's - WATT'S music - MENZIES & SONS outfitters - CALEDONIAN TAILORS - KEN'S BAZAAR - DUDLEY'S OF DUNDEE - BANKS fruiterer - MINIT HEEL BAR - FASHION BARGAIN CENTRE - S.C.W.S furnishing - BETTY WHITE fruiterer - JS YOUNG fish merchant - HENDERSON furniture - AG KIDD baker - HENDERSON furniture - and WEST RIDING WALLPAPER.
We reach the steps here and so back down the street we go with the shops on the right :-
SMITH billiard saloon - OLGA'S hairdresser - McRAE baby linen - CHRISTIE tobacconist - CALEDONIAN TAILORS - PIGGOT butcher - ALEX SMITH furniture - CHAS STEPHEN drugstore - DISCOUNT STORE - HOUSE OF HEARING - FORESTER ARMS BAR - AMUSEMENT ARCADE - MORGAN'S STORE - LYALL grocer - RADIO RENTALS tv's - GRAFTON SPORTSWEAR - MALONE shoe repair - NELSON CREAM ICE CO confectioner - WELLGATE SNACK BAR - GREENLEES bootmaker - THOW BROS stampcutters - and CLAUDE ALEXANDER tailors. Bringing us back down to Panmure Street corner.
In contrast to the empty street in the photo, below is a short film clip of how the Wellgate looked when in full hustle & bustle mode a few years earlier.

1963 AD #3 - D.M. BROWN'S

3rd ad is for DM Brown's, on the corner of the High Street & Commercial Street.
This was a large department store, the perfume area being the first thing you'd come to when you went in through the main High Street doors, and consisted of a big maze of counters that seemed to take ages making your way through when trying to find the other departments in the store!
I remember my mother, aunties and their friends talking about Coty L'Aimant back in the 60's, so it must have been pretty good stuff. The one in the ad costs 11/6.
Below is an original 60's commercial for another Coty product - lipstick.

1963 AD #2 - CAIRDS HAIRDRESSER

2nd ad is for Cairds Hairdresser's at 21 Reform Street.
Not a place I ever went to but I can imagine there was probably quite a lot of Bristow's shampoo involved!

1963 AD #1 - DRAFFENS

3 adverts from 1963 coming up, of particular interest to the ladies!
First is this one for Draffens, located on the corner of Nethergate & Whitehall Street.
Here they are letting you know about their Lancome Beauty Consultant who will give beauty tips when visiting the Perfumery Dept and keep you informed of the latest trends in Parisian make-up.
Ooh la la!

THE PULLMAN LOUNGE - WARD ROAD

Pullman's was for a while, the city centre pub that me and my mates used to arrange to meet in before hitting the rest of town, so my recollections of it are mostly being there only in the early evenings for a couple of pints to get the night started.
It attracted a young crowd at weekends, even if it did only have a basic wall jukebox.
Lunchtimes, however, saw more of a mixed age group because their pub lunches were popular.
To get your bearings in the photo, the windows faced onto Ward Road which is also where the main doorway was (centre area of the shot).
There was also another entrance on Constitution Road out of view behind the photographer.
The above image was captured on 21st April 1982.
The decor was at first done in a plum/wine colour, then a few years later it had a makeover and was transformed into a green coloured drinking den called No1.
In it's older pre Pullman's life, this building was Le Mirage restaurant.

Photo by DC Thomson.

AVERAGE WHITE BAND IN 1979

Exactly 30 years ago, I, along with a big squad fae Dundee, hired a bus to go through to Glasgow to see Average White Band do their thing live on stage at the Apollo.
And a funky night had by all, with a full house dancing the night away in the theatre!
Dundonians like to claim AWB as their own of course, but the fact is they are from all over Scotland, with only 2 of the original members hailing from Dundee when they formed in 1972. Robbie MacIntosh, the Dundee drummer, died in 1974 so that just left Roger Ball, from Broughty Ferry, as Dundee's representative, birth-wise. Molly Duncan and Alan Gorrie went to Dundee Art College with Roger, but Molly was born in Montrose and Alan, Perth, the others, Hamish & Onnie are from the Glasgow area.
Dundee trivia-wise - AWB once played at The Ambassador in Clepington Road.!!
Their mate, Dougie Martin, whose band Mafia, were playing there that night, and needless to say, by the end of the evening both acts ended up jamming together on stage.
This Ambassador event was also captured on film by a BBC tv crew who were doing a documentary on AWB at the time, following the band around, showing how the group spent their time when back home, away from life in USA.
The programme (see above) was broadcast on 31 March 1979.
The footage below is not from the documentary but is from the 1979 tour, although not the Glasgow gig.
The track is "I'm The One", a song of theirs that, along with a bucket load of other AWB tunes, has since gone on to be sampled by dozens of hip hop acts!

THE ODEON - COWGATE





This spot in Cowgate is where the Gaumont used to be, prior to it becoming the Odeon in the mid 70's.

Not much of a change to the interior of the cinema I recall but there was a bit of superficial tweaking to the outside with the addition of tiles to the entrance area.

The above photos were taken in September 1978 and the film was "Revenge of the Pink Panther", a movie I remember seeing at the time.

It looks as if the policeman is giving directions to Inspector Clouseau!

The Odeon closed down in 1981 then the building re-opened in 1983 as a bingo hall.

Photos by DC Thomson.

THE PALAIS - SOUTH TAY STREET

Although the Palais goes way back to around the 1930's, it's only from the 60's onward that need be mentioned here.

The main Palais man in the 60's was owner/promoter, Andy Lothian. He was the guy who brought all the best 60's pop acts to Dundee - both the Caird Hall and more specifically to this feature, the Palais "Top Ten Club" on Sunday nights.

Acts like Manfred Mann, The Hollies, The Yardbirds, David Bowie, The Move, Troggs, Love Affair, Amen Corner, Foundations etc, all performed here throughout the 60's.

As well as being a concert promoter, editor of “The Scottish Beat” music paper, presenter of TV show "Teenbeat", having his own jazz club and jazz band, Andy Lothian also ran ALP Records, a local record label for local bands, including The Vikings, The Poor Souls, The Hi-Fi's, etc. The letter "A" in the ALP logo was designed to look like a mountain (the Alps!!).

By the time the 70's arrived, more emphasis was being placed on the "DISCO" aspect and bands were often seen as an additional attraction rather than being the main attraction.

The ad above is typical of the kind that were published in the local papers in the early 70's, with the one here dated Friday 14 Jan 1972.

I didn't start going to the Palais until 1974 when they used to have an under 18 disco on Sunday evenings, so I missed out on all these well known 60's acts I was familiar with as a schoolboy.

The Palais then closed down for a while in the mid 70's after a change of ownership and re-opened in 1976 as Samantha’s - a disco and live venue.

Samantha’s stint ended around April '78 and was then transformed into another disco called Bloomers in October '78.

Bloomers, like Samantha's, also used to put on bands, more often than not acts that were part of the punk / new wave scene.

There was also a pub called the Stage Door Bar at the back of the Palais in Marketgait that was in biz the same time as Samantha’s & Bloomers and this had access at the back of the pub that took you directly into the discos which saved you going all the way around to the main entrance in South Tay Street.

Bloomers, however, turned out to be the final incarnation of the Palais, as it's short-lived run ended in August 1979 - then in  February 1980 the place was destroyed by fire.

Below is a short interview with Andy, who looks back over the 60's era.

JOHN MENZIES - MURRAYGATE CORNER - 1982

The above photo was taken in 1982, so this would have been a kind of last glimpse of John Menzies corner spot before moving to the opposite side of the Murraygate into Woolies old premises at the tale end of 1983.
As an added bonus, below you'll find a reminder of the Galaxian machines Menzies had on the stair landings.
Incidentally, at the time of this photo, there was also an Amusement Arcade next door to JM's that no doubt had the sound of Galaxians blasting out all day long too!
Photo by DC Thomson.

HOW TO WEAR YOUR SCARF IN THE 70'S

Around 1972, teenagers came up with alternative ways to wear a scarf.

The above examples were 2 of the most popular variants that earned you a bit of street cred at the time.

This wasn't only for football matches, it was a full fashion fad.

For example, youngsters who went to glam-rock concerts also wore their satin pop group scarfs like this for acts such as T.Rex, Slade, Sweet, Gary Glitter, David Bowie etc.

It probably peaked with Bay City Rollers fans and their tartan scarfs around 1975/76, and as all trends do, kinda fizzled out soon after.

DUNDEE GANG KARAOKE - 1973

The 2 karaoke renditions below are to the tune of "This Old Man".

These chants were heard regularly in certain areas of Dundee back in the early 70's when teenagers were "mental" - and yet ruled!

The first, by the Fleet, I can remember being sung in and around Dens Park on match days.

The Toddy version was sung upstairs on the 26 bus and in Craigie High School playground.

Incidentally, MP George Galloway used to be in the Fleet.

He said in a radio interview that he recalled spraying "Lochee Fleet" on walls.

Nowadays he makes headlines in Fleet Street and puts the boot into politicians..!!