RICKY ROSS IN DUNDEE

Ricky Ross's music career took off when he moved to Glasgow and formed Deacon Blue. There is plenty of information about Deacon Blue's history on the net already, but not quite so much about Ricky's early Dundee days, so I thought I'd drop a few bits & pieces of the lesser known stuff about him.
RR actually lived near Dawson Park I recall (my old roll delivery patch) and was a Dundee High School kid. He then went to Dundee College of Education to become an English teacher.
Ricky was also involved in the local music scene around this time too (late 70's) - one aspect of which was playing in a band called Cahoots. Another connection with the Dundee music scene was his friendship with the Scrotum Poles, going to all their early gigs and helping them out behind the scenes, which included travelling to London with the the band, sharing driving duties on the way down, when it was time for the Scrotum Poles to cut their "Revelations" EP.
RR also ran a youth club in town called The Other Door Cafe, in a city centre church. A place where local bands could play and teenagers could grab a few soft drinks.
He even dabbled in a bit of acting on stage, along with Scrote, Craig Methven. There is photographic evidence for that one!!
Anyway, these wee snippets of his youth spent in Dundee, all eventually lead up to him going west in the early/mid 80's - and the rest is well documented.
I had a sift through some old music papers I have and found the above item in an NME from June 1987, an early tour schedule which shows a Deacon Blue gig at Dundee's Dance Factory (Fat Sams) on 5th July that year.
2 years later, the band put on a show at the Whitehall Theatre, and as if by magic, I have a track from this gig, below, the concert having taken place on 1st March 1989.
Apart from a bit of sax near the end, it's pretty much a Ricky Ross solo spot. A track called "Thunder Road".

BOW STREET RUNNERS - 1970'S

 

I remember seeing the Bow Street Runners name crop up quite a lot in the "Entertainments" pages of the Tele back in the 70's, however, the original band of 5 brothers actually started out by calling themselves Annie's Boys.

2 of the brothers were well known Hulltoon Huns members and were always getting into trouble throughout the early 70's, but by the mid 70's they tried to get away from their life of gang wars and run-ins with the police, by forming a band. I'm sure their eventual choice of band name, Bow Street Runners, was decided on with a touch of ironic humour!

A typical ad of the kind I was referring to is the example above taken from an old Tele I have dated March 1977. It's for a gig along at the Quarter Gill.

So, they ended up swapping their tiffs for riffs, gigged locally on a regular basis, and toured around the UK too.

What I'd like to know is - did they use HH amplifiers?!

GENE VINCENT & EDDIE COCHRAN - DUNDEE 1960

This is the oldest item of music memorabilia I have posted on Retro Dundee so far.

A ticket stub for the Gene Vincent - Eddie Cochran gig at the Caird Hall on 20th February 1960.

This was the first time these 2 legends of rock 'n' roll had toured the UK, and in Eddie's case it was also to be his last. A couple of months later in April, he died in a car crash in England.

The photo of Gene Vincent on stage at the Caird Hall looks at first as if it was taken by the drummer, but it was in fact captured by George Arthur Roney, as was the other picture of Gene backstage.

The audience in the top shot look excited, but well behaved at this point, however, there was a genuine, good old rock 'n' roll riot took place during the gig! The crowd also invaded the stage, and as a result, rock 'n' roll itself was banned from the Caird Hall for a couple of years!!

The stub was for the 2nd show that day which started at 8.45. The 1st show was a 6.15 start.

Tickets were purchased from Larg's in Whitehall Street with prices starting at 2/6 (12p). The one above is 3/6 (17p) and those who could afford the front area had to splash out 7/6, a whopping 37p!!

Backing band was Marty Wilde's Wildcats (Kim's father). UK singer, Vince Eager was also on.

Photos by George Arthur Roney.

GREY APPROACH - 1980

Around 1980, local band, Grey Approach, started to make inroads into the Dundee music scene. The original trio of Jim Low, Colin Warden and Cresta, were generally described as sounding like a synthy Joy Division.
Although the photo is a tad overdone on the Xerox machine, the band posing in amongst the Dundee debris does reflect the kind of imagery those Manchester bands were so good at conjuring up back then. Sombre cityscapes made trendy!
One notable gig they did was at the Art College, along with Dundee's most cutting edge acts, the evening's line-up being Grey Approach - Strange News - Boo Hooray - Erasmic Superfoam. That sounds like a good night!
Even though later members included Ray Manston, Dave Fehilly, Guy Gayford and Marion Achfeld, the band didn't seem to last very long. In fact I think they may have reached a dead end before 1982.

BRUCE'S RECORDS OF THE WEEK - 1977

3 ads for Bruce's Record Shop dating from 1977.
The top 2 are from Bruce's own fanzine "Cripes" dated end Aug '77.
Bruce's back then was in Reform Street, and although their shop stocked all types of music, they did go out of their way to champion new music.
1st ad - Cripes has the debut by 999 as their single of the week, a record which did pretty good biz amongst the punk fraternity.
2nd ad - Boomtown Rats were already pop stars by the time their self titled debut album became Bruce's LP choice for that week, the band having scored a couple of hit singles by then.
3rd ad - from a Tele dated March '77 - and Bruce's  Album Of The Week was "Marquee Moon" by Television.
What I can remember about this album is - I was tuned into Alan Freeman's radio show one Saturday afternoon, and he played a track from Marquee Moon. It caught my attention because it was something a bit different to the more rockier kind of material he broadcast on his Saturday show. As a result of this, I ended up switching the radio off, putting my coat on, getting a bus into town and buying the Television album from Bruce's there and then!
I was a real serious vinyl dude back then!!

THE WILDERNESS CHILDREN ON VINYL - 1988

This was the 2nd single released by The Wilderness Children.

It was recorded in December 1988 at the Chamber Studios in Edinburgh.

Line-up - Andrea Reid - Fraser Reid - Peter Moug - Phil Davidson - Mike Kane.

The record sleeve graphics were done by Laura Anne Walker (remember the DRCU creche artwork?), and photography by Joe Jordan featured on the inner lyric sheet.

So here below is the A-side, a frisky little indie number called "Plastic Bag From Tesco's"

AAGA - THE NEW SAINTS... CASSETTE

The final AAGA cassette I have in my collection is this one here from around the 1983/84 period - "The New Saints Of Drab Intensity".

There are 4 tunes on it, 2 are live recordings, 1 was done on 16 track and the one here below "Patience Is Virtue" was done on 4 track.

This is probably the most tuneful thing AAGA have ever done. It's even, dare I say, commercial sounding! Quite a sensitive touch to it too.

Thanks once again to Mike Kane.

 

FLUX - DESTROY ALL SYSTEMS - 1987

You may remember I put a track by Flux up last year which turned out to be a rare example of a tune connected to Mike Kane which everyone who commented seemed to like! It was a dreamy ambient chill-out track.
In the caption back then I said I would pick out a contrasting tune from the 1987 "In Flux" cassette and post it later. Now's the time, and so here is a little ditty of theirs called "Destroy All Systems(2)"
I think you can guess by the title that it's Flux in a tuffer mood and with the volume turned up! A dizzying wall of sound out on a mission to subvert the masses with it's relentless chants and slogans pile-driving their way through it all.
Well you didn't think they were gonna let you get comfy in your bean bags, did you?!!

NOVUS - LIVE AT DRCU - 1989

Now for some Auditory Integration Training.
Otologists explain (and they should know), that "Hearing is not the same as listening", because hearing is passive and listening is active. A wee reference for later.
So, in 1989, Dundee improvisers and sound manipulators, Novus, put on a show at the DRCU up the Hulltoon.
Band line-up was - Mike Kane - Gerry Mitchell - Paul Smith - Brem - Ewan - Kevin L Guthrie.
Doing away with any thought of rhythmic and melodic structures, they set about downplaying personal expression in favour of the collective process, a method which also included swapping instruments during the performance.
The sound you encounter at first on the footage below, appears to be a bit of a hubbub with them all "soloing" together, but that's your cue to allow your ears to go roaming around the stage. You'll discover all sorts of interesting things going on in there, and then just as you settle on one instrument for a moment, something happens elsewhere that sets your ears off on a different instrument to find out what's cooking further along. It's actually good fun.
It's a bit like going to a market with all the stallholders bawling, trying to grab your attention - there's no need to feel intimidated by it, just relax, have a wander about, and you never know, you may even stumble upon a tasty treat for your efforts.
The song Gerry sings at the start I recognised as a segment of "Desire", a tune they brought out as a single, but it is just one of many bits & bobs going on in the mix.
The clip is only a few minutes long, taken from a piece that went on for around an hour or so.
The thing is, getting back to my intro - are you willing to make the effort to listen...or are you gonna turn a deaf ear?!
The choice is yours.
Thanks to MK

AAGA - WHATALIFE CASSETTE - 1982

The AAGA "Whatalife" cassette dates from 1982 and only contains 2 tracks - "Illness" and the title song.
I can't help chuckle at some of the lyrics in "Whatalife", which are basically saying there is more to life than just going boozing and watching telly. The only song ever to mention the Lea Rig and Harry O..!!
Me being a bit of a dubologist (makey up word!) also gives the echoed phrase weaving in & out, the GG seal of approval!
Thanks to MK

AAGA - THE UNHEARD CASSETTE - 1983

I've still got quite a few items of Mike Kane based material I haven't delved into yet, so ploughing on with a few more post punk goodies, here's a 4 track cassette by AAGA called "The Unheard", done in 1983.
Get a load of the gruff, grimy, gritty, grunge guitar powering it's way through. WOWEE!!
The basic drum machine rhythm along with Steve Grimmond's distant vocal is really all it needed.
All the tracks are untitled, so this is just referred to as "Track 4".
Thanks to MK

LONDON BROADS - EARLY 80'S

The info I have on locals, London Broads, is a bit patchy, so I'll need you to help out on this one to try fill the gaps.
The only band members I have are Dave Christie, bass - Steve Taylor, guitar - Duncan Paterson, vocals.
I actually saw them play in the Oriental around 1979/80 (?), they being the first band to play at that pub. They did of course play the Tayside Bar too, but once at a gig at the YMCA in the Ferry, a group of local soul boys disconnected the power supply 5 minutes into their set!
They were a good, lively alternative pop act, performing a mix of their own material as well as covering tunes by the likes of The Jam, Boomtown Rats and The Clash.
In 1981 they split temporarily, with a couple of members intent on resurrecting the band name with new signings in the line-up. I don't know what happened after that, whether they did continue as London Broads, or changed their name or called it quits.
There was a local band on the go in 82 called New London. Could that have been ex Broads involved?
Anyway, as you can see in the photo, there were 5 guys in the original outfit.
If you have any details to add, just drop them in the comments.

ROKOTTO - BRICK HOUSE - 1977

Dundee's disco funksters, Rokotto, penned a good chunk of their material themselves, but occasionally they would top up their repertoire by dipping into a dance classic. They covered Banbarra's "Shack Up" for example, and this one below, The Commodores 1977 hit "Brick House" was another they added to their parties.
Rokotto's version is almost an identikit copy of the original, as I'm sure many of you who were regulars on the Sands dancefloor will spot, but nevertheless, a fine slab of funk it is, and a tune that just makes you want to go out clubbing!

DON CHERRY - WHITEHALL THEATRE - 1987

From Street Life magazine, here's a review of Don Cherry's NU gig at the Whitehall Theatre on 22nd October 1987, organised by Dundee jazz promoters, Platform.

Although Cherry's mainstay was jazz, having worked with big hitters like Ornette Coleman, Sun Ra, Albert Ayler and many others, his lifelong global travels with his wee pocket trumpet saw him become one of the innovators of World Music, fusing various cultures along the way, and so this show had a bit of both.

His band in Dundee were - Mark Helias, bass - Ed Blackwell, drums - Carlos Ward, sax and the peerless percussionist Nana Vasconcelos.

My brother was at this gig and managed to get a signed copy of a cassette called "Garden Of Music" - that's Don Cherry's autograph in gold ink!

As well as being a highly regarded trumpeter, Don was also genuinely "cool", and remained young and hip to new musical trends right up to his death in the mid 90's.

Click the review to read the large version.

STRANGE NEWS - HUNGRY LOOK - 1980

Although The Associates had only been in existence for a year or so at the time, in 1980 Billy MacKenzie got involved in a little side project with a few friends that ended up a short-lived outfit called Strange News.
Billy, vocals - Steve Reid, guitar - Andy Sturrock, bass - Gavin (surname?), drums.
They must have liked the sound they were making because it lead to them recording a couple of tracks in Edinburgh.
Here's a wee blast of one below, a song called "Hungry Look".
Check out Steve's guitar in it. Wicked! The driving chords of the main tune sounding like John McGeoch of Magazine, while a 2nd layer of plinky plonky notes are sprinkled about randomly in the background.
This tune also appears to be a precursor to Club Country, lyrically at least.
I don't have a photo of the Strange News line-up, but I do have this rather strange news item (above) from the same year - 29th April 1980, to be exact. A quirky wee feature from the Record Mirror telling of the time when Billy missed out on getting a cut of Howard Hughes billions!
Bit of a strange picture of him too as a matter of fact...bathing with his beret?!!

THE SOUNDS OF R.T. RIPPER

It all started back in 1977 when young tearaway, RT Ripper aka Rat The Ripper aka Ewen, walked out of school aged 15, and never went back. He teamed up with Mike Kane (who was still at school) and formed The Bastards. Rat had no interest in playing instruments in the conventional way, instead opting to explore the sounds they made by bashing them about, mutilating the tuning and generally deconstructing their original use.
This approach fitted in perfectly with Dundee noise guru's, Vex, Flux and Novus, of which he was a member.
I have 2 tracks of RT Ripper's solo work from the early 80's below - both, nuggets of darkness!
The 1st track called "Asterisk" is a spooky wee beastie, who's haunting drone lasts 2.40 minutes. Swiftly followed by "Return From The Land Of The Dead", a scary shrieking monster with a really menacing voice. Some of you may be glad it lasts only around a minute - I would have liked more!
If Jack The Ripper had been a musician, he may very well have sounded a little like this..!!

SWEET 'N' TENDER MOTION - 1960'S

Here's a rare photo of Dundee band - Sweet 'n' Tender Motion.
The group formed sometime around the late 60's, with Henry Simson their manager.
As regards the line-up of Sweet 'N' Tender Motion, I can list 4 - these being...
Danny Mitchell on drums.
John Manby on bass.
Ritchie Duncan on guitar.
Ian Mann on vocals.
On the photo though, you can see there's 5 in the group, so if anyone out there can do a "from left to right" style definitive line-up of the guys, feel free to pass on the info in the comments, along with any other details you can recall.
The JM advert is dated November 1969 when Sweet 'n' Tender Motion were sharing the evening with the Set.
Then in 1971, after a change of line-up, they were transformed into Forever Amber, along with a couple of guys from Rite Tyme.

Thanks to Craig & Danny.

DUNDEE SHOPPERS #4 - 1984-86-87

3 Murraygate shots to finish the 80's shoppers sequence.

TOP - 4th February 1984 - pretty packed at this end of the street looking towards Arnotts across the road. Pretty cold too by the look of the clobber!

Some of the Murraygate shops are- Menzies - Curry's - Top Shop - Jean Jeanie - Peter Lord - Radio Rentals - Dolcis.

MIDDLE - 2nd June 1986 - not quite so packed but a bit warmer with most folk going around in their shirtsleeves.

A few more shops - Dixons - Question Mark - Top Man.

BOTTOM - 6th July 1987 - back to being busy, and now the height of summer.

Some of the items featured on the Dundee Summer Events banners are, Frigate Unicorn, Witch's Blood and The Rep.

You might even be able to spot Mrs Doubtfire in the crowd!

Photo by Neale Elder

DUNDEE SHOPPERS #3 - 1985 & 1986

The top scene looking along the Nethergate was taken from Burton's doorway and is dated 13th April 1985.

A couple of things I spotted in the City Square - there seems to be some kind of petition going on with stuff laid out on a table, although can't make out what for.

The other thing is the yellow poster with "The Man" on it. I thought it may have been for a play at first, but I couldn't find any info about a play from 85 with that title. So a couple of other possibilities - there was a band on the go in 85 called Happy The Man, it may be a gig poster. Or, Elvis Costello released a best of album in 85 called "The Man", perhaps it's an advert for that.

The other colourful image below it was snapped on 2nd June 1986 and has some locals taking a wee break from shopping, down at the Steeple grounds.

Photos by Neale Elder

DUNDEE SHOPPERS #2 - 1986

Another 2 shopping pictures from the mid 80's, the High Street this time.

The top image taken on 15th September 1986 contains a tantalising glimpse into the fashions of the day! Smashing shell suit!!

The picture below it, dated 2nd June 1986, has more traffic than shoppers but this is how it looked just 6 months before I moved South. Some kind of work going on outside the Andrew G Kidd / Keiller Centre area. I recognise those orange vehicles too but can't recall who they belong to. Begins with a "P".

Photos by Neale Elder