Arguably one of the greatest singles act of the 1970s, (The) Sweet racked up no less than 16 UK hits between 1971 and 1978. And although they reached the pole position only once – with 1973’s mercurial Blockbuster – they, impressively, five separate times hit no. 2.
Always something of a schizophrenic proposition, on one hand, a bubblegummy glam act while on the other a bona fide hard rock band, Sweet was never what one might call a critics favourite.Although all four of them – Brian Connolly (Vocals), Andy Scott (Guitar), Steve Priest (Bass) and Mick Tucker (Drums) – were clearly excellent musicians, they were more often than not perceived merely as a vehicle for the songwriting talents of Mike Chapman and Nicky Chinn (AKA Chinnichap) – not unlike the duo’s other high profile clients: Mud, Suzi Quatro and Smokie.
Time has been kind to Sweet though. Nowadays they seem to be viewed not that harshly, musically at least. Even though the often over the top visual appearance and image might predictably still warrant the odd ridicule, the music itself rarely does now.
Pre-Chinnichap, during the late ‘60s, The Sweet recorded a few unspectacular and unsuccessful singles here and there, but by 1971 had teamed up with Chinn & Chapman and began to churn out sticky bubblegum like Funny Funny and Co-Co. At first, apart from merely providing vocals to the proceedings, the band had precious little to do with the hits. The B-sides, though, were always real opportunities for the group to show their harder rocking tendencies.
It wasn’t until the somewhat risqué Little Willy, the fifth Chinnichap Sweet single, the band actually supplied instrumental backing to the A-side.1975’s Fox on The Run was their first self-penned & produced single and, although one of their best and universally most successful, in hindsight it also signaled the beginning of the end for the band.
By 1978 singer Brian Connolly had left Sweet and they never enjoyed another big hit after that year’s excellent Love Is Like Oxygen.
For fun, I’ve selected my Top 10 of Sweet’s singles and listed them here below with the oblibigatory links to YouTube videos.If so inclined, feel free to do the same in the comments section below, although I doubt the YouTube thing will work there.
Here goes…
Chiefly known as the co-writer (or sole writer as he claimed in later years) of a little ditty called I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll, Alan Merrill, born Allan Preston Sachs, sadly succumbed to COVID-19 on 29 March 2020.
Although for the past 50 years Alan worked consistently as a recording artist, both solo and with others, to the ‘70s teenpop community (as if there is such a thing!) however, he will be most fondly remembered as a member of mid-'70s glam act Arrows, who originally recorded I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll as a single B-side in 1975.
I had the good fortune of corresponding via e-mail with Alan back in the early 2000s.Some of said correspondence found its way into my book Don’t Stop the Music: The Bay City Rollers on Record, and focused mainly on Alan’s passing acquaintance with the Rollers who appeared a couple of times on the Arrows’ UK TV show in ’75 – ’76.
Alan was very articulate, had an amazing memory and was very generous of his time – in short, an ideal interview subject.I suspect he was also the person behind the fully warranted corrections of my haphazard piece on the Arrows for the ‘70s teenpop blog a number of years later. I was always hoping he'd write his own book, he was a natural storyteller and knew were many of the bodies were buried...so to speak.
In a long and varied career that was launched in Japan in the early ‘70s with Alan as singing, acting and modeling teen idol, there was seemingly never a dull moment. After stints as a front-man with the aforementioned Arrows as well as, later on in the ‘70s, with adult-oriented rock band Runner, Alan was humble enough to take the backseat as a guitarist with both Rick Derringer and Meatloaf in the ‘80s.
In 1982, of course, Alan’s ship well and truly came in when Joan Jett & the Blackhearts cover of ILRnR became a massive worldwide hit.Although Alan later claimed to not have seen any real royalties from the song until Britney Spears covered it twenty years later, it must have been huge validation nonetheless.Although mere validation musical probably doesn’t pay the rent.
In the late ‘80s, a freakishly tall and buff friend of mine acted as a minder on the Meatloaf band’s brief visit to Iceland.And knowing my interest in all things glam, he told me of a moment when the whole group went to Hard Rock Café for a meal, and while there ILRnR came on the restaurant’s sound system one member of the group belted out, “That’s my song! I wrote that!” Indeed he did.
In later years Alan occasionally gigged and recorded, was very active on social media and appeared to be at long last reaping the awards of his life’s labour.All the more sad and shocking then, when the news of his untimely demise at 69 broke late last month. The ‘70s teenpop blog sends his friends and relatives its most sincere condolences.
This COVID-19 crap is royally starting to piss me off.Late last night I belatedly received the news another brilliant songwriter and musician, namely, Adam Schlesinger, lost his battle with the virus last week.
Schlesinger, the co-founder of Fountains of Wayne, one of the best bands of the past 25 years IMHO, as well as a prolific writer for films and TV (That Thing You Do, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend), not to mention a sought-after producer (The Monkees, They Might Be Giants), was only 52. RIP.
Soon, hopefully, these "troubled times" shall pass.
A mere two-hit-wonder as far as the British record buying public is concerned, Hello during their mid-'70s heyday nonetheless racked up an tangible track record elsewhere - particularly in Germany where they were a viable option until the end of the decade when the original line-up of Bob Bradbury (Vocals, guitar), Keith Marshall (Guitar), Vic Faulkner (Bass) and Jeff Allen (Drums) disbanded. I would - and have - go as far as to say that Hello is probably one of the most underrated U.K. acts of the 1970's.
Kudos, then, to Cherry Red/7Ts for recently unleashing this impressive package consisting of four CD's featuring what I gather to be pretty much everything ever committed to tape during the band's tenure with both Bell/Arista and Polydor. A scrumptious array of bonus tracks and previously unissued rarities is the main bait here, as well as the first-ever CD release of 1977 Japan-only album "Shine on Silver Light". Better late than never!
The popularity of progressive rock was probably at its height during the early to mid 1970s. With acts such as Genesis, Yes, Pink Floyd, and Emerson, Lake & Palmer, "prog rock" was supposed to be more advanced, complex and, above all, smart than what had come before. Musical wizardry was the norm and long drawn-out solos were both encouraged and applauded. Still, not everyone was taken in by the hype and some even longed for the more basic music of yesteryear. Thus the door was left a jar for a return-to-roots rock & roll revival. In fact, one could almost claim that said revival preempted punk as a knee jerk reaction to prog by a good few years.
The simplicity and raw energy of the music of Elvis, Jerry Lee, Chuck, et al, found new audience in the U.S. through films like "American Graffiti", and bands like Sha-Na-Na, and Flash Cadillac & the Continental Kids. Meanwhile in Britain, there was the historical London Rock and Roll Show at the Wembley Stadium in August 1972, starring giants of the genre like Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard, and Chuck Berry. Subsequently, the ball really began rolling in earnest with homegrown acts such as Wizzard, MUD, Showaddywaddy, and...The Rubettes.
A happy accident as it were, the Rubettes were initially brought together in late 1973 as mere session musicians to record a demo for the songwriting & production team of Wayne Bickerton & Tony Waddington. The song in question was a little ditty called "Sugar Baby Love", which had a distinctly '50s feel to it for sure, with some doo-wop styled harmonies and cutesy innocent lyrics thrown in for a good measure. And as the song was turned down by Showaddywaddy, Bickerton & Waddington became even more convinced that the demo had that certain "something" and should be issued as is...or rather, was. Thus a real band was needed to back it up and the gig was promptly and aptly offered to the session musicians who had recorded the song - namely; Alan Williams (Guitar and vocals); John Richardson (Drums), and Peter Arnesen (Keyboards). Vocalist Paul Da Vinci, the owner of that falsetto, was otherwise engaged and politely declined the offer. Tony Thorpe (Guitar and vocals); Mick Clarke (Bass) and a second keyboardist Bill Hurd completed the line up and The Rubettes were born.
To make a long story short, "Sugar Baby Love", once released, became a massive hit - in fact, one of the biggest hits of 1974, knocking that quartet of chirpy Swedes whose name now totally escapes me, off the coveted U.K. No. 1 spot in the spring.
And although The Rubettes never eclipsed that initial burst of bubbly brilliance, there were several more hits in the coming years, as well some fine albums - five of which have recently been collected together, including extra tracks and everything, in a CD box set, "The Albums 1974-1977", released by Caroline International (CAROLR032CD).
Through numerous line-up changes, The Rubettes flirted with glam, gave Smokie a run for their money with countryfied anglo pop, but above all their rock & roll roots always shone through.
For a number of years now there have been two versions of The Rubettes touring the nostalgia circuit; the Alan Williams-led version on one hand, and keyboardists' Bill Hurd's Rubettes on the other. I've only had the pleasure to see the latter outfit on a number of occasions and I can attest to the fact that they're pretty good - and very nice guys as well.
As much as I love hits like "Juke Box Jive" and "Little Darling", as well as catchy and sometimes self-penned album tracks a la "Judy Run Run", Rumours" and "Don't Do it Baby" (also a U.K. Top 10 hit for Mac & Kate Kissoon), I have a confession to make though. One of my all-time favourite Rubettes tracks just happens to be this early '80s (Oh,the sheer shame of it all!) gem....
It's an indisputable fact that The Sweet always sold more singles than they did albums. That is not to say their long players weren't up to scratch. Far from it, since both "Sweet Fanny Adams" (incredibly enough their only L.P. to trouble the U.K. charts, not counting "Best of" compilations) and "Desolation Boulevard" are quintessential mid '70s rock albums - IMHO as good as anything either Purple or Zeppelin ever did. Nonetheless, the band will always be best remembered for their impressive run of classic pop-glam 45's, a la "Ballroom Blitz", "Blockbuster", "The Six Teens", "Fox on the Run", et al.
Semi-conspicuously absent from the above rundown is the hidden gem that is The Sweet's debut album, "Funny How Sweet Co-Co Can Be", from 1971. In essence a bubblegum record, it's a curious mix of the band's first hits ("Funny Funny" and "Co Co" - both Nicky Chinn/Mike Chapman originals), covers of '60s pop classics (Lovin' Spoonful's "Daydream", The Supremes' "Reflections"), some more Chinnichap filler ("Chop Chop", "Tom Tom Turnaround" - the latter originally a hit for New World), as well as some early band compositions ("Santa Monica Sunshine", "Spotlight").
About a year ago the Cherry Red Records imprint 7T's issued a double deluxe version of the album, including seventeen bonus tracks. Among which are early hits "Alexander Graham Bell", "Poppa Joe", "Wig Wam Bam", and "Little Willy", single B-sides, and, on disc 2, the earliest non-charting Sweet singles starting with 1968's "Slow Motion" and concluding with 1970's "Get on the Line" (an Archies cover, no less). A year later The Sweet's fate was sealed after they were taken on by the Chinnichap songwriting team, a veritable hit machine, and as a result, enjoyed their first taste of chart success with "Funny Funny". And the rest is, as they are prone to say, history.
The entire "Funny How Sweet Co-Co Can Be" episode is a true testament to the earliest - and lightest - side of The Sweet; a period the band later often went to great lengths to distance themselves from. And perhaps understandably so; most of the time session musicians were used on the records and the band wasn't allowed to include too many of their original compositions, and when they were allowed to do so, the material all too often ended up as mere B-side fodder. Truth be told though, Chinnichap had the magic touch, were indeed supplying the band with chart-making material which, as time went on, did get heavier - and, indeed, better.
Still, "Funny How Sweet Co-Co Can Be" can easily be enjoyed as what it was probably always meant to be: a light, fluffy piece of bubblegum pop - or, quite simply put, a '70s teenpop classic.
The Sweet in all their glam rock glory, circa 1973.
A chart maker in three consecutive decades, Alvin Stardust first emerged as "moody guy" Shane Fenton during the mid '60s, although he is undoubtly most fondly remembered for his early to mid '70s Gene Vincent-inspired Glam Rock persona responsible for top flight U.K. hits such as "Jealous Mind" (#1, 1974), and "My Coo Ca Choo" (#2, 1973).
And, as if that wasn't enough, he made an unlikely second comeback a decade later with hits such as "Pretend" (U.K.#4, 1981), and "I Feel Like Buddy Holly" (U.K. #4, 1984).
Well, to make a long story short, we lost Alvin this past week. And, according to all accounts, he was an all around professional and a nice guy to boot. He will be sorely missed. R.I.P., Alvin Stardust/Shane Fenton...
Finally out on DVD (by Odeon Entertainment) are a couple of mid-'70s curios, namely British musical comedies "Side By Side", and "Never Too Young To Rock".
Both were made in 1975 by G.T.O. Films and featured a number of Glam/Teen Pop acts of the day, such as The Glitter Band (NTYTR), MUD (in both films), The Rubettes (in both), Slik (NTYTR), Kenny (SBS) and Hello (SBS). Needless to say, the musical performances, although all of them are mimed, are the most interesting scenes in both films. A case in point, the earliest known Slik appearance on film...
"The Boogiest Band in Town" (1975) was Slik's debut single and as the clip clearly demonstrates, the familiar, later image of short hair and baseball shirts was still someways off. The single flopped, and a year or so later the Arrows also had a crack at it, albeit with similarly underwhelming results.
The late Dave Mount, drummer of MUD, had a starring role in "Side By Side" and really holds his own compared to some of the "real" actors appearing alongside him.
Likewise, singer Stephanie de Sykes ("Born With A Smile On My Face") had an acting role in "Side By Side", where she also performs her signature song, while former Herman Hermit Peter Noone made a bizarre cameo in "Never Too Young To Rock", which served little or any evident purpose to the overall plot (or lack thereof) of said film.
Plot wise - as if that matters any - "Side By Side" has little more going for it. Centering around feuding night club owners, there's aplenty opportunity for both music and mayhem. Kenny makes an appearance, and so does Hello...
"Never Too Young To Rock", on the other hand, is set in the none too distant future where Rock 'N' Roll has been banned. So, secretly a savior is sent (by exactly whom isn't made entirely clear) in something resembling an old ice cream van, roaming the English country side in search of MUD, The Glitter Band, The Rubettes, and others in order to stage a big Rock concert.
Aside from the Slik clip, the concert-cum-finale part of the film is also the most riveting bit in it. There, MUD, The Glitter Band, and The Rubettes stage a Battle-of-the-bands style show where each band performs a couple of its biggest hits before they are all joined together on stage for a fun romp through the title track of the film.
Although the overall artistic and/or cinematic value of these films is, at best, questionable it's nice to see them finally easily available as officially issued DVD's (They've both been around as bootlegs for years) to enjoy in the privacy and tranquility of one's home. Next up then - hopefully - the 1980 car racing film "Burning Rubber" featuring the music of - and starring - the Bay City Rollers...
These days, Barry Blue may be a big-time music mogul, involved in writing and/or production capacity with current teen acts such as The Saturdays, and Pixie Lott. But there was a time when Barry himself was in their shoes...
Born Barry Ian Green in London in 1950, by his mid-teens he, as Barry Green, had already become a proper recording artist in his own right. Furthermore, an early composition of his, "Rainmaker Girl", was recorded as a single B-side by none other than the late great Gene Pitney.
The next few years Barry spent working in music publishing as well as playing bass for the group Spice, which later became Uriah Heep. By then, though, Barry had other plans. Seeing songwriting as a more lucrative venue than as a mere artist interpreting other people's material, Barry Blue - as, by the early '70s, he was calling himself - had struck up a songwriting partnership with Linsey De Paul, and in 1972 De Paul hit it big with their co-composition "Sugar Me".
In 1973 Barry Blue signed a solo deal with the burgeoning Glam Rock/Teen Pop label of the day, Bell Records, and by mid-summer '73 he enjoyed his first - and biggest - solo success with the irresistible Zorba-the-Greek-goes-Glam single "Dancin' on a Saturday Night".
A number 2 U.K. hit, it was followed up with "Do You Wanna Dance", another top 10 entry in the autumn of 1973.
A self-titled debut solo album then appeared in 1974.
A largely unrecognised minor Glam/Teen Pop classic, it's a joyous and versatile smorgasbord of the sounds and styles of the mid '70s; from opener "Don't Wanna Be Blue", all Greek guitars and stomping Glam beat - not unlike "Dancin' on a Saturday Night", to the proto-disco closer of "One Way Ticket (To the Blues)", the only non-original there.
"Kalamazoo" and "Rosetta Stone", a couple of more dance-oriented tracks, probably also prepared Barry for his production work with disco band Heatwave ("Boogie Nights") in the late '70s, while the gorgeous ballad "Queen of Hearts" could very well have been recorded by someone like label mate David Cassidy.
But inexplicably, Spector pastiche "Ooh I Do", another Blue/De Paul co-write and one of the album's key cuts, was given to De Paul who cut a vastly inferior version and had a summer of '74 hit with it. Albeit a minor one.
The "Barry Blue" album was issued in two different sleeves in Europe: The upper one for Germany and Scandinavia, while U.K. and France got the lower one.
Oddly enough, the album wasn't a hit and all subsequent Barry Blue singles stalled outside the U.K. Top 10. "School Love" reached number 11 in the spring of '74, while both "Miss Hit and Run" (#26, August '74) and the-almost-title cut of Barry's second - and last - Bell LP, "Hot Shot" (#23, October '74) under performed to a fault.
The "Hot Shots" album was an odd exercise in contract fulfillment. Six new tracks, aforementioned singles "Hot Shot", "Miss Hit and Run" and "School Love" among them, paired with eight old tracks from the first LP, "Dancin' on a Saturday Night" and "Do You Wanna Dance" to the forefront, of course.
Barry Blue's spell at Private Stock Records during the next couple of years did not yield any hits, although some pretty decent singles were released. "Tough Kids" (Barry later also produced the Dead End Kids version) and "Devil's Gun" (American act C.J. & Co. covered this in 1977 and enjoyed a worldwide disco hit with it) are definitive highlights.
After his '70s solo career ran its course, Barry, as earlier touched upon, took to producing acts such as Scottish Teen Pop band Dead End Kids (I may have blogged about them once or twice here before) as well as Heatwave - to name but two.
In the '80s he worked with both Bananarama and Five Star, as well as returning to the charts once more as a solo act under the pseudonym Cry Sisco! Well, "Dancin' on a Saturday Night" it ain't...
Although there are a few fine "Greatest Hits" compilations out there, there was a truly excellent budget Barry Blue career retrospective issued by the Demon Music Group as a Music Club Deluxe double CD last year, which features all the best of Barry's work as an artist, songwriter and producer. Say what you like, but the guy has done some serious genre hopping...
OK, this is a first - and possibly last - for the '70s Teen Pop blog: a feature about an all FEMALE act.
Although musically The Runaways had more in common with Kiss than Shaun Cassidy (but, reportedly, they covered Eric Carmen's "That's Rock & Roll" before Shaun ever did, although to my knowledge they never recorded it - just played it live), they still register as a bona fide '70s Teen Pop act, since I'm not even remotely near to starting a '70s Teen ROCK blog any time soon...
Love him or loathe him, Kim Fowley's got a gift. During the mid-1970s putting together an all-female teenage rock group wasn't the most obvious thing to do. But it certainly was an ingenious thing to do. And Kim Fowley did just that.
Centered around a couple of talented California teens, Joan Jett (Guitar) and Sandy West (Drums), Fowley formed a band he named The Runaways from girls spotted around Hollywood under 21 clubs, such as Rodney Bingenheimer's English Disco and The Sugar Shack.
After names such as Micki Steele, who later re-emerged in The Bangles, and Peggy Foster had come and gone, the band's line-up was eventually completed with Lita Ford (Guitar), Jackie Fox (Bass) and the striking Cherie Currie on lead vocals.
A deal was struck with Mercury Records and The Runaways' self-titled debut appeared in 1976.
And although the lead-off single "Cherry Bomb" failed to make an impact (at least in their native land) at the time, it is now considered a pop/glam classic.
As debut albums by a bunch of 16-17 year-olds go, "The Runaways" isn't a bad record. But by no stretch of the imagination is it anything more than an interesting curio of its time and place.
"Dead End Justice", the album's craziest cut, fuses together over-the-top theatricals and melodrama not heard since the Shangri-Las were at their finest.
Today it is perhaps difficult to fathom why a an all-girl teenage ROCK group would be anything to write home about. But in the mid-'70s, believe me, The Runaways definitely were one of kind. Sure, there had been female rock bands like Fanny around before, but none of them had been as visually compelling or as musically aggressive as The Runaways were, and they were also hell-bent on carving their own niche in the then male-dominated music business.
It wasn't easy though. Fowley was a tough taskmaster, to put it mildly, who made sure the girls stayed in line by employing only the most overbearing and merciless babysitters (Read: road managers and roadies) he could find, who in turn kept the girls in check on the road with seemingly endless supply of drugs and the promise of a big payday....which, of course, never came.
Relentless touring made the band a tight-knit unit on stage, but off it things were starting to unravel. When Cherie Currie's unwanted pregnancy by the hands of the band's road manager, and, consequently, abortion, kept her out of the studio for much of the recording of The Runaways' second album "Queens of Noise", Joan Jett inevitably took over as the main lead singer of the band, whereas before Jett and Currie had split the lead vocals between them.
Much stronger and more musically varied than the first album, "Queens of Noise" hit the shelves in early 1977.
And in spite of the fact that Currie had now taken a back seat to Jett in the lead vocal department, one of the album's catchiest cuts, "Midnight Music", was all Cherie Currie...
Yet again though any considerable chart action eluded the band, although it was beginning to become all-too-evident that The Runaways were big business in the land of the rising sun, Japan. Which, of course, is were they were hauled off to at the earliest opportunity.
In Japan, The Runaways recorded their third album, "Live in Japan", and lost their bassist Jackie Fox, so they were forced to finish the otherwise exhilarating and triumphant tour as a four-piece, with Jett taking over the duties on bass.
Upon arrival back in the U.S., one Vicki Blue was recruited as The Runaways' new bass player.
Still, straining relations within the band were a continuous problem. Mainly between Lita Ford and Cherie Currie, which resulted in Currie's exit from the band almost immediately after the Japan tour.
The resulting "Live in Japan" album was a fine testament to how far the band had come, though, and an apt ending to the "old" Runaways, since changes were coming...
The "Waitin' for the Night" album had appeared by year's end 1977, and was obviously heavily influenced by the Sex Pistols and others of their ilk.
What could sometimes be a somewhat tiresome and unoriginal ordinary run-of-the-mill mid '70s American hard rock, was now replaced by the energy and bark the U.K. punks, although The Runaways lost none of their uniqueness in the process. The Suzi Quatro-influenced scream'n'sneer was still at the forefront of Joan Jett's now sole lead singer delivery and the band appeared to be tighter than ever.
Although arguably the band's best album, behind the scenes things were still frail. Fowley's tyranny was an understandable issue of content as the girls were quickly coming of age, and his management contract was promptly terminated following the release of "Waitin' for the Night".
Those classic and notorious "musical differences" also reared their ugly head during this era, with Joan Jett wanting the band to be more of a punk/glam/bubblegum conglomerate (Much as she, herself, became later on in her successful solo career), while Lita Ford and Sandy West seemingly opted for the good old-fashioned American hard rock approach.
In this state of flux, the band recorded their last album, the truly confusing "And Now....The Runaways" (1978).
Both image-wise and musically, coming across as a mixture of ABBA and Suzi Quatro, it was never going to work, and "And Now..." is The Runaways' least likable album.
And as if on cue, Vicki Blue quit the band after the fiasco that "And Now..." arguably is, being briefly replaced by Laurie McAllister, who played only a handful of shows with the Runaways - the last being on New Year's Eve 1978 - before the band effectively broke up the following spring.
Joan Jett, of course, is the most famous ex-Runaway, having led a successful solo career with the aid of her ever-present backing band The Blackhearts for over 30 years now.
Lita Ford has also enjoyed considerable solo success, mainly in the hard rock/heavy metal field.
CherieCurrie released a lacklustre Kim Fowley-produced solo album immediately after her exit from The Runaways. Thereafter she teamed up with identical twin sister Marie Currie for one album, although acting became her main forte during the '80s. Today she is a chainsaw sculptor (!)
Jackie Fox quit music and got into entertainment law after her short and, apparently, bitter experience as a Runaway.
Sandy West led a sometimes troubled life after the demise of The Runaways, never quite recovering from the break-up. Sadly, she died of cancer in 2006.
Vicki Blue, now known as Victory Tischler-Blue, has become a successful documentary director, helming films about both Suzi Quatro and, of course, The Runaways.
Laurie McAllister fronted another Kim Fowley-created girl group, The Orchids, who recorded a sole self-titled LP in 1980. Then she retired from music to work in the veterinary field. She died in 2011.
Kim Fowleyhas been involved with the music industry in one way or another since his relationship with The Runaways seized to exist - just as he was before The Runaways ever came into being. As of this writing, though, he is undergoing a cancer treatment in California. We wish him well.
After all the books, documentaries and movies, there has, inevitably, been some talk of a Runaways reunion. Apparently, Lita Ford and Cherie Currie are up for it, although Joan Jett has yet to commit to the project.
Recommendedlistening:"The Mercury Albums Anthology" (2CD) (Hip-O-Select, 2011)
Recommended Reading: "Neon Angel: A Memoir of a Runaway" (Cherie Currie with Tony O'Neill. Updated 2011 edition.) Update, Sept. 15, 2013: I just finished reading the recently published"Queens of Noise: The Real Story of The Runaways"by American pop scribe Evelyn McDonnell, and can highly recommend that one as well. A completely different beast to Cherie Currie's book, it's a serious and thoroughly researched study. And although it contains some gaping errors (The Runaways supporting Metallica in 1977?! Uh-oh, I don't think so), which always surprise me in such seemingly otherwise well thought-out labours of love, it delivers the goods and then some. Not nearly as engaging on a personal level as the Currie book, which is a personal bio as opposed to a group bio, it does though - and succeeds I might add - to set the records straight for the Runaways - a band so misunderstood in their time that they can only be conceived as having been way ahead of that time. Upadate July 12, 2015: Kim Fowley having lost his battle with cancer earlier this year, this sad and disturbing recollection of Jackie Fox hit the internet mid-summer 2015: The Lost Girls.
Recommended Viewing:"Edgeplay: A Film About The Runaways" (A 2005 documentary); "The Runaways" (A 2010 feature film, loosely based upon the first edition of Cherie Currie's book)
From circa 1971 to '79, Vic served as a bass player for one of the most underappreciated British acts of the '70s - Hello.
Primarily perceived as Glam Rock (after all, some of their key records were produced by Gary Glitter/Glitter Band producer Mike Leander), although their '70s Teen Pop credentials can not be questioned either. In 1972, at the time of their first released record, they were all aged 16. And during their mid-'70s heyday they regularily appeared on the pages of top European teen mags such as Jackie, Bravo and Pop.
Water under the bridge. The story of Hello can be found elsewhere in this blog. So, fast forward some 30 odd years....
Far behind are his days as a globe-trotting teenaged pop star, Vic Faulkner now resides in Spain playing the occasional acoustic gig at the local bar. I suppose there are worse ways to spend one's semi-retirement.
In 2010, Vic released his first solo CD "Hombre", which he followed up a year later with the aptly named "My Teenage Soundtrack" - a book focusing on his formative years with Hello in the '70s.
"Hombre" is a pleasant surprise to say the least. Vic never contributed songs to the Hello repertoire, but for the past 30 years he seems to have developed into a pretty decent songwriter. Nine of the fifteen songs on the CD are penned by Vic, while the remaining six come from his partner in crime Michael Cashmore-Hingley, who is also in charge of both the CD and book artwork.
"Hombre" is very atmospheric; all laid back, understated and relaxed with a suitably sparse percussive backing. It oozes the charm of a warm Spanish evening just after the sun has set. In my imagination at least, since I've never even been to Spain!
The opener "Road Song" is a particular favourite. (Vic can be seen in the video above performing the song, seemingly, in his kitchen. Perhaps the very same kitchen the album was reportedly recorded in). "Star Studded Sham" it isn't, but it's all the better for it. Another time, another place indeed.
Meanwhile, the suitably melancholy and minimal "Alone Without You" and "Single Life" hit you right where they're supposed to, while "Senorita" and "Young at Heart" provide slightly lighter moments.
The subject matters are pretty universal: life, love, loneliness and the occasional drink.
But overall "Hombre" is a strong selection of intimate and personal songs. Well done, Vic!
"My Teenage Soundtrack" is a slim publication (mere 152 pages containing large print and numerous illustrations by the aforementioned Michael Cashmore-Hingley) which can easily be processed in one sitting during the approximate time it takes "Hombre" - or for that matter, "The Best of Hello" - to play through.
It is clearly not supposed to be THE story of Hello or any such thing - only the author's own recollections of people, places and events. Like Vic explains in the introduction, "Others who were there may remember things differently, but I lay before you MY recollections, not theirs."
And as such, it works very well. Although I personally would have liked to get a lot longer book which would take into account things like recording sessions, stories behind certain songs as well as the dynamics and the relationships within the band itself, that would be an altogether different beast to say the least. And perhaps not a viable propostition to the casual reader with only a fleeting interest in the era's music and the people behind it.
Nonetheless, one of the book's more entertaining sections is where Vic entails close - and in the case of ABBA's Agnetha, not that close - encounters with other stars of the time.
Amusing run-ins with the Osmonds and the Bay City Rollers is another highlight.
All too many bands from the '60s, the '70s and the '80s were mis-managed and ended up virtually penniless while their agents, lawyers and managers seemingly lined their pockets with the profits. And Hello, it appears, was no different. Their manager David Blaylock being the main culprit and, in the process, using the band as a stepping stone to launch Hello guitarist Keith Marshall as a solo act.
However, Vic holds no serious grudges. He's still on good terms with Hello lead singer/guitarist Bob Bradbury, but both have sadly long since lost contact with drummer Jeff Allen and guitarist Keith Marshall.
A quick, enjoyable and easy read which no serious Glam or '70s Teen Pop fan should miss.
Many thanks to Vic Faulkner, the dude in the cowboy hat; the sordid tale of which can be read in "My Teenage Soundtrack".
Both the CD "Hombre" and the book "My Teenage Soundtrack" are available from amazon.com
