Trubes' word is her bond, and she's posted a marvellous one here - you lucky Girl...!.
When I was at school, we formed "The Bootles", and learned every song the real Beatles had done up to then - 1964! It really was a great time to play a guitar, and not many of us had one surpisingly. As you can see if you peer closely at the pic, the black steel bedsteads and total lack of comforts were 'de rigeur' in dormitories like this, and this was one of the better ones! But it was the place to practise - and so we did. For ages. And every weekend.
My guitar had cost £7-10s-0d new (proceeds of holiday work on the hop farms in the summer...), Simon's was second-hand at a few quid, and Henry (second from left), drummed on a cardboard box, which was actually a surprisingly good sound. Warwick was actually our friend who actually didn't do much, except tap his feet and hum a bit, so we made him - er - 'Manager...'!
So Trubes, here are the Fab Four who didn't quite make it to 'The Cavern', and I'll dedicate it to you, as long as you'll tip your rather smart hat to Simon R-M, Henry T, and Warwick W.D., without whom, I'd never have persevered...
(I'm on the right wearing the only pullover we were allowed out of regulation Harris Tweed jackets and the rest of the thornproof uniform. Simon (on the left), is wearing jeans on pain of death (after prefectural mutilation and public humiliation...)
Good Guys.
30 comments:
Great post, thanks for sharing, Scrobs. I especially like the pic, not least because I've heard about these dorms but never seen one. They were a bit bleak weren't they? Did your friend really risk his safety for wearing jeans? I remember sitting in the bath in my red label Levis, that's what you did in those days. Shrink wrap.
Hiya Pips, you sound a bit brighter - Good!
I've got somewhere, a pic of my Prep School dorm, sadly demolished now...
The above pic was the later Public School, must keep location under wraps, just in case one of the others decides to commit something awful...;0)
We were only discussing how to shrink jeans a few days ago; Levis were the only one's which ever worked apparently...
As for Simon's jeans, they were so strict there, that one risked being punished for having your jacket undone, or hands in pockets, unless you were a prefect.
Usually three whacks with a house shoe was the normal punishment...
Or lines...
And Cuban heels were banned and confiscated too
It's good to have a spot of rock and roll in ones past...a little bit of dreaming whilst young is essential for a balanced life methinks.
Trouble is Thudders, we were also later brought up on Bob Dylan, and that meant I wasn't supposed to like Donavan - which I did...
The harmonica frame (which was a must), I made from a metal coat hanger, and it lasted for years!
I coulda sworn the one on the left was the real young George Harrison.
Sorry not to have been with you for the past two days; had to come in through the bathroom window you know....
I used to have one of those mouth organ whatsit holders too, but everytime I touched it it sagged just out of reach no matter how tightly I turned the screws. Gave it up in the end and concentrated on my keyboard instead.
PS: Don't tell anyone but I also quite liked Donovan. Whatever became of him [ie - where did he went to my lovely?]
Iders, he was rhythm guitar and I played George's parts, and I can still do the riff from 'I don't want to spoil the party'; something which regularly happened (according to some friends...), when I'd left the old place in the pic...
On the back of the pic (which he'd given to me), he wrote 'To George with love - Yeah'!
Sometimes these schools brought out the best in people didn't they...
Reevers, ha ha ha!
Yes, they did that didn't they; you eventually finished up bent double with a face like a camel with lips stretching further and further away!
I liked Donovan - there, I've said it - because he did a fabulous song called 'The war drags on', which I still think was pretty good on the protest front during Viet Nam.
On the words 'equality' and 'hope' in line four here he played two of the most enigmatic chords I'd ever heard up to then, and they still electrify...
He is still around, and there are several websites to peer at!
Gee thanks Scrobs for such a glowing 'crit' of my latest post.
I've had a terrific response, so much so, that I'm going to write some more.
When I first looked at your photo, I really thought it was the Beatles.
You look very cute in your 'wooly pully'!
Do you still play your guitar and do you sing?
We girls need to know!
Mrs Scrobs is a very lucky lady.
Di.x
Yep, I thought I was looking at the Beatles at first too! I do hope you get the guitar out. I wish I played an instrument..although I learned Bassoon for a couple of years and LOVED it, it was not something one could take to a party....
War drags on musical version here:
http://www.jango.com/music/Donovan?l=0
[One day I will learn how to do proper links...maybe..er um]
rvi: substitute pointy brackets: < for the curly brackets in this code and you too can hot-link..
{a href="https://www.URL.whateva"}text{/a}
Needless to say the URL doesn't really end in the word 'whateva' so don't type that. But you knew that, right?
Hi, Scobs *waves* :-))
Pips - Hiiii (waves back) You had a good break then?
Good masterclass in 'Href' - Well done that pretty girl with the plaits and the winning smile...
Lils' sweets from the jar are lovely too...
Trubes, you are on a roll now, and everyone is waiting with bated breath for the next instalment!
Any chance of a quick peek of the - er - legs then...?
Lils, when we had a chat, you could have mentioned the bassoon, and I'd have jumped upstairs and got ED's Huller!
It's still here, and gathering dust I'm sorry to say...
And my Yamaha electric guitar broke yesterday too...
Spot of soldering needed, or a quick visit to Tonbridge guitar shop for a service!
Reevers!
Marvellous - listened for ages too!
ED played too? Fantastic! I never had my own instrument, just the school's which is why I stopped after 3 years. Never mind dislocating the shoulder getting it from house to school and back again....
They are heavy aren't they Lils! Reeds are expensive too...
Gorgeous sound though!
Pip: Thanks. One day I shall be brave enough to try it with something innocuous. Perhaps I should read McSnot's book on Courage first?
Lil: Whenever I play tunes from Phantom of the Opera (and other stuff by Mr Webber) on my Yamaha organ I always use the bassoon "voice" for melody with strings for bass accompaniment. Makes a very poignant soundmix.
Revvers, I was listening to a chat with Les Paul last week, and he spent most of his musical life trying to make new sounds - and of course getting them!
One effect I used to use, was to tape a large Sellotape lid so that it just fitted over the hole in the guitar in the pic.
If it was sufficiently loose, it would reverberate with some interesting sounds too...
Like the idea of bassoon and strings too. Have you got the softward for recording on your PC?
I used to have both Cubase and Cakewalk, but with the new Windows, they're pretty slow to use as MIDI connectors and recorders!
Scrobs - no, none of those hi-tech things. I am not really into all that sort of thing at all and I only play the organ for my own amusement really. It has sockets and such for attaching bits and pieces, but none of them has ever been used. My previous organ had a slot for a floppy disc for recording the various, er, virtuosoisms on offer... That didn't get used much either!
Scrobs how fabulous! seems like you lot had a brilliant time and now have all of those wonderful memories...thank you for sharing :)
Reevers, when we got our first modern pc, I bought a bit of kit by Yamaha, which was an early version of the modern sound boxes.
It gave you the 127 sounds (like your bassoon, organ etc), and the software actually (Cubase) came on one floppy disk!
It really was a marvellous bit of kit and I spent ages every day making it into tunes etc - it really is very easy to use.
We used to plug a Yamaha PSR36 into it to create the MIDI interface, and even in those days, (1994), we got it going pretty well!
Daisers! Great to hear from you again!
Hope all's well with you these days - are you going to post again soon?
Hope so...
Hello Scrobs, I am doing a bit of research for my 'part two' of the 'pop scene' and Cavern days, in the sixies.
There is so much 'info', that I will have to be careful not to bore my readers with 'stats'.
About my legs!
It is true to say that they did, 'go up to my armpits', hence playing Principal Boy in local Pantomime productions, but, sadly, that was many moons ago.
So, not wishing to destroy 'the myth', I tend to keep them covered up.
Mind you, it is of general opinion, (family and friends), that the 'old gal', does brush up well!
Di.xx
the school sounds quite deranged...
Morning Trubes...
Looking forward to swwing the next installment - you've captured several imaginations here!
Principal Boy eh? Sorry, but you'll have to do another post on that too!
Trubes; do you need a secretary...?
'Free range' wasn't heard of then either Mutters...
But we didn't complain - couldn't really - with the gags, chains, regime and threats of corporal punishment at every opportunity!
Scrobs:
I am trying to follow Pip's guidance and do a link. If it doesn't work, I have not done it correctly and will have to go back to the drawing board - in which case please deleete this effort. Thanks.
For Pip, my party piece
a test which might not work, but we all have to start somewhere
Works perfectly Reevers!
It took me ages to work it out!
I think it was Fleets who told me where to look for a quick course, and here we are!
And there you are too! Marvellous!
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