Happy Waterloo day

50 YEARS AGO: BRIAN JONES IS FIRED BY THE ROLLING STONES

Brian Jones announced his departure from the Rolling Stones on June 9, 1969 with a statement that read: “I no longer see eye-to-eye with the others over the discs we are cutting. … I want to play my kind of music, which is no longer the Stones music. The music Mick [Jagger] and Keith [Richards] have been writing has progressed at a tangent, as far as my own taste is concerned.”

Screaming Jay Hawkins book

Looks great. I met SJH once.
In the annals of rock ‘n’ roll there have been a lot of strange characters, but there probably hasn’t been anyone as bizarre as Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, and this is his story. Known mostly for a single record, I Put A Spell On You, and emerging from a coffin to perform on stage, Screamin’ Jay was a whirlwind performer, lusty 
singer, prolific songwriter and a man who was total stranger to the truth.
Amazon link

Review of our CD from Maximum Rocknroll.

The Terraplanes All Good for the High Street CD

• Reviewer Allan McNaughton
• Label Radstock

The TERRAPLANES originally formed out of the ashes of ANIMALS & MEN in 1980. Disbanding after one 1981 single, they reformed in 2017, and this album is the result. A sparse, post-punk mix of new originals, revisited old songs, and favorite garage / rock’n’roll covers of JONATHAN RICHMAN, ELVIS PRESLEY, ED COBB etc. The raw, simplistic recording and dual female (mother / daughter!) vocals lends the whole thing a HEADCOATEES vibe, which is never a bad thing! Great stuff, and a welcome return to the music scene. From here

http://maximumrocknroll.com/review/all-good-for-the-high-street/

Tanks and other AFVs of the Blitzkrieg era (1972)

I got this the other day. Used to get it from the library when I was young.

Queen Vic at Priddy

My sister offered to take Susan and myself out for a meal and we chose the Queen Victoria at Priddy on the Mendips. Lovely old inn that is quite characterful. There is a local legend that Christ visited Priddy when he visited the West and there's a saying 'as sure as our Lord walked on Priddy Green.'

Priddy Green. Taken by Rod Ward 15th Aug 2006

Punk book birthday presents

My brother Neil got Sue and me these two books on two very different punk women Jordan and Poly Styrene.

Tony 'Little Sun' Glover

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Glover

Noticed this influential Harp player passed away aged 79. He taught me to play harmonica through his 1965 book (pictured). 

Gene Vincent - Temptation Baby - 1963

From the 1963 film, "Live It Up."  Music direction by Joe Meek. Wardrobes by Mary Quant.

See the whole movie here
https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=bJKP5aFhrNk

Midsomer Norton's got a record shop!

Lilley's vinyl revival. They will be selling cider soon too. Find them on Facebook or drop in. 

When we were Roundheads

 When we have up music and started a family we joined the local Roundness regiment Devereux's and got involved in English Civil war reenactment. A lot of our friends from that time are still doing it.

 After a weekend away

At Farleigh castle

The man who recruited me Gordon and his son Nick and me a pikeman

Being Napoleon

I don't watch Netflix but this comes recommended - about the reenactment in 2015

3d printed tanks

I like to keep an war to the ground in 1940 war games and one thing that is revolutionizing the hippy is 3d printed models. I don't know much about the process but scale is not a problem as once rendered they can be easily increased or reduced in size. https://www.otpterrain.com/collections/tanks-artillery?page=3
Files for World war one tanks  can be downloaded from here
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3555618

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