Animals & Men - Bath 1979

40 years ago - our first headline gig at Newton Park college Bath. Supported by the Bad Detectives who are also pictured. Got the gig as my sister was social secretary for the Students Union. Very few people attended. Mostly from Frome to see the support band. In the run up to the gig my sister got a phone call from the Psychedelic Furs wanting a gig and she said 'never heard of you'. She has no memory of this I have to add but we would have been happy supporting them. Geoff's Dad drove us out.

Animals & Men at Longleat House

 Photo session from 40 years ago by Peter O'Brien.

WILKO JOHNSON & LEW LEWIS LIVE

Wilko Johnson , Lew Lewis 1983 tour  " Rolling And Tumbling " . Extremely rare 8mm footage filmed in Le Havre .

I was a teenage Bad Detective - a playlist

Made this Playlist of all the songs I remember us playing in the mid 70s. Bound to have forgotten some. 

Happy birthday Little Walter

Happy birthday Otis Rush

Animals & Men Cloford Quarry 1979 by Peter O'Brien

There was a disused quarry near Nigel's and we went there to take some band photos. Years later they filmed an episode of Dr Who here.

John Lee Hooker Born with the Blues

Did you see the documentary on BBC4 last night? It's on I-player if you missed it. Meanwhile here's a film of him. I saw him live around 1979 or thereabouts. 

Ralph Mitchard interview on Auuuuu fanzine 2019

Recent interview with me in this Mexican fanzine - now on their blog with pictures
https://auuuuufanzine.blogspot.com/2019/04/ralph-mitchard.html

Eddie Cochran 'Cotton Picker' Sequence from the 1957 film Untamed Youth.

59 years since the fatal crash outside Bath that took the young life of Eddie Cochran. 

More of the Don't Misbehave in the New Age artwork by M O'Brien

Recording at Elm Studios Paulton

This studio we used to record demos and a single was in actual fact a garden shed run by a printer from Purnell's Bob Rowsell. It was a four track and so tracks were bumped if any double tracking was to occur. It cost about 30 pounds for a 6 hour session. After we went there - I think we heard Moskow from Trowbridge had used it - the phone number was in the Yellow pages - the Bad Detectives went there and took some of the photos you see here. When we recorded New Age we took Dominic O'Brien who was brother of the artist who did the sleeve and badge. Peter O'Brien also took some great band photos - he took the one of Sue  - so it was quite a family thing. Our single was produced by our then manager Alan. I remember him freaking out when my harmonica solos were different than the ones on the demo! 

Geoff in the drum room. Egg boxes on the wall.

Nigel House doing his bass bit

Me Ralph doing backing vocals

Ed Ivan and Henry

Note the studio letterhead

Henry at the controls

Sue by Peter O'Brien

Animals & Men debut single to download

Vive Torbay: Travelling to the British Seaside (1968) | British Pathé

This travelogue from the 1960s gives us a stunning view of the British seaside borough of Torbay (Torquay, Brixham and Paignton) in South Devon. This holiday destination has it all from an injection of French culture to celebrities on a getaway from city life.

Auuuuu fanzine 4

Issue 4 of this Mexican fanzine is out - and there's an interview with me in it. Facebook page

Badge design for Animals & men

Another 40 year milestone. Our badge design.

Batman's 80th birthday

Animals & Men 1979 demo available to download.

Recorded on a 4 track at Bob Rowsell's Elm Studio which was a shed in a garden in Paulton. Sent to John Peel who liked it and suggested we get a record out

Get it here

Monmouth House Cork Street Frome

You can read about what happened in Frome in the Monmouth Rebellion in my booklet. 

Raves from the Grave's new premises

Frome's record shop has moved into new premises. Very good it looks too. Loads of space and an upstairs. Used to be Telefringe - a TV and Hi-fi retailer - my brother worked there in the 80s. 

The Blue House Frome

Built in 1726 at a cost of £1,401 8s 9d, it replaced a previous almshouse dating from 1461 (and rebuilt in 1621). The Blue House provided accommodation for 20 female widows, and schooling for 20 boys, and the front of the building is adorned by two statues, one of a man, colloquially known as "Billy Ball", and one a woman called "Nancy Guy", indicating the building's dual role. Its role as a school ceased in 1921, and it now provides studio and one bedroom flats for 17 elderly residents.[2]

See a sketch of it in the 18thc . 
Wikipedia

Two figures used to flank the front door now at the back

Happy St Patrick's Day

This I have been waiting to post since I saw this film about 4 weeks ago. Basically the kids run away from a wicked uncle to Ireland arriving on Patrick's day. Cue cliches

The Two Killings Of Sam Cooke (2019)

Watch ReMastered: The Two Killings Of Sam Cooke on Netflix:https://www.netflix.com/in/title/8019...

The Mountain by Ralph Mitchard aged 15

Had a request to post the short story I wrote so I scanned it from the school magazine. Pic of me at school at Sexey's

Timpo U.S. Cavalry

Anyone remember these? Not painted but assembled parts of different colours. 

Norton Hill Colliery 1908. Midsomer Norton - pit disaster

Continuing about my Grandfather

Following along after the Great War my Grandfather (mines rescue in the tunnels) went back underground but he remained on the reserve and during the 1921 miners strike got called up for the Royal Engineers. I have a pay slip from that time. They were sent to the Kent coalfield. But unrest was in the air and my Grandfather and his colleagues agreed that if they were called to shoot they would refuse the orders and shoot the officers. Of course it didn't come to that. But an interesting footnote to his army career.

https://www.tolpuddlemartyrs.org.uk/story/tuc-150/hard-times-and-unrest/somerset-and-bristol-miners

Expeditionary Force 60mm Hundred Years War

Some lovely plastic figures for the 100 YW - see them here