Night of the Guitars Newcastle City Hall 22nd November 1988
No Speak was an instrumental-only record label, founded by Miles Copeland in 1988. To complement the release of the label’s Guitar Speak album, Copeland organized a week-long “Night Of The Guitars” British tour with many of its featured artists. The line-up was truly stellar, and featured Copeland as Master of Ceremonies and the following guitarists: Randy California (Spirit), Pete Haycock (Climax Blues Band), Steve Howe (Yes), Steve Hunter (ex Lou Reed band), Robby Krieger (Doors), Alvin Lee (Ten Years After), Andy Powell & Ted Turner (Wishbone Ash), and Leslie West (Mountain). Each guitarist played a few songs of their own, backed by a “house band”. Highlights were Randy California playing “Hey Joe”, Powell & Turner with “The King Will Come”, Steve Howe performing “The Clap” and Leslie West with “Theme from an Imaginary Western”. But best of all was Robby Krieger who was introduced as the star of the show and played an impeccable version of the Doors “Love me Two Times”.
The London gig was recorded and the album contains the songs below. The show I attended featured a similar set.
Pete Haycock & Steve Hunter – Dr Brown I presume, The Idler, Lucienne
Randy California – Groove Thing, Hey Joe
Robby Krieger – Love me Two Times
Ted Turner & Andy Powell – The King will Come
Leslie West – Theme from an Imaginary Western, Never in my Life
Steve Howe – Clap Medley, Wurm
Alvin Lee – No Limit, Ain’t Nothin’ Shakin’
Everyone on stage for – All Along the Watchtower and a rock’n’roll medley including Whole Lotta Shakin’ , Dizzy Miss Lizzy, Johnny B. Goode, Rock and Roll Music & Bye Bye Johnny
Posts Tagged ‘guitar’
12 Feb
Night of the Guitars Newcastle City Hall 22nd November 1988
6 Feb
Leslie West and Del Bromham Newcastle Opera House 21st April 2004
Leslie West and Del Bromham Newcastle Opera House 21st April 2004
An evening with two great guitarists and two heroes of mine. The ticket lists the support act as Stray, but it was actually their frontman Del Bromham on a solo outing, as was Leslie West. The concert was in the bistro bar (again, the ticket doesn’t quite match this as it lists a seat number, which suggests that the concert was originally intended for the main hall, and moved into the more intimate setting of the bistro, perhaps to reflect ticket sales).
Leslie West was quite a regular visitor to the North East at the time, with his band Mountain, who often played the Opera House. This particular event featured West alongside the guitarist from Sheryl Crow’s band, Todd Wolfe. Leslie had just released his “Blues To Die For” solo album and likewise, Del had recorded his first solo album, “The Devil’s Highway”.
Del opened the show with a set of songs from “Devil’s Highway” which is a blues-based album with a combination of old songs which Del remembered from his childhood and some self-penned songs in the style of the old blues masters. He also threw in song Stray favourites. A great opportunity to see a legend close up and an excellent start to the evening. “In the late 60s the first wave of heavy guitar idols were usually Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck. Bromham’s past work should be reappraised as he clearly slipped through the net.” (Encyclopedia of Popular Music, 2002)
Leslie West has a unique guitar style, which can effortlessly move from the sweetest, gentlest tone to the deepest heaviest rock. His advice to Joe Bosso on MusicRadar (2011): “Tune your guitar. So many people who don’t like their sound aren’t in tune. So tune your damn guitar already, that’s the first thing. After that, take off any effects you have going on. 
Play straight into the amp. That’s the only way to do it. Work with your hands. Play right into that amp. You’ll find a sound. It might take time – a couple of years or whatever – but that’s all right. The important thing is to get there.” “West was affectionately nicknamed “The King of Tone” by his legions of fans, referring to his influential and world-renowned guitar tone” (WikiPedia). Leslie’s set was a mix of blues from his current album and a few Mountain classics. In 2011 Leslie West had his lower right leg amputated as a result of complications from diabetes. He continues to play and tour, although he hasn’t visited the UK in recent years.
This was a great opportunity to see two legends close up. The following night I was back in the Opera House with a group of mates to see the late great Alvin Lee, with Edgar Winter and Tony McPhee. Happy days 🙂
31 May
Fred Frith & Michael Chapman The Sage Gateshead 30th May 2014
Fred Frith & Michael Chapman Lau-Land The Sage Gateshead 30th May 2014
Last week I saw the great guitarist Jeff Beck at Manchester Bridgewater Hall. Last night I witnessed performances by two very different guitarists, Michael Chapman and Fred Frith, in the Northern Rock Foundation Hall of the Sage Gateshead. The concert was part of the Lau-Land festival, an event organised with, and by, the folk group Lau. The Sage announced the festival like this: “Following huge acclaim for their recent ‘Race The Loser’ album and a fifth nomination for Best Group at the BBC Folk Awards, free thinking visionary folk trio Lau curate their own festival at Sage Gateshead. Lau-Land invites you to enter into Lau’s musical world and experience some of the inspiring artists who have influenced Lau’s inventive approach to their own music.” The festival had a few days of concerts, who had influenced Lau. Last night’s gig brought together folk-singer/guitarist Michael Chapman and experimental musician Fred Frith.
The Northern Rock hall is the smallest of the three halls in the Sage, and last night it was quite respectably full. Michael Chapman was on stage when I arrived, shortly after the start time of 8pm. Its been some years (probably almost 40) since I last saw this guy in concert. I saw him a lot during the 70s, either supporting major touring acts like ELP, or once headlining at the Mayfair with his own band. 
Dressed in T shirt, cap, and jeans Michael’s set last night was entirely instrumental, the songs interspersed with the stories that lay behind them, usually about fellow guitarists. Michael is an excllent acoustic guitarist; his songs are very strong on rhythm, and also very melodic, some with an almost hypnotic quality, a fact which he acknowledged when introducing one piece: “this one can get quite hypnotic, wake me up if I fall asleep”. Chapman concentrates much more on his guitar playing these days, back in the 70s, he sang more. Great to see him again, and a nice opening to the evening. The crowd gave him a warm reception.
After a short interval, Fred Frith took to the stage. I had been looking forward to this, as I knew it was going to be something quite different. The last time I saw this guy he was fronting Henry Cow and they were supporting Captain Beefheart. I found them quite challenging musically at the time, very strange and experimental. I didn’t quite get it. Last night I went with an open mind. Frith continues to play experimental improvisation of a unique nature using the guitar as his instrument. I had read about his concerts which involve him laying “a couple of his homemade guitars flat on a table” and playing them with “a collection of found objects (varying from concert to concert). He would drop objects, like ball bearings, dried beans and rice, on the strings while stroking, scraping and hitting them with whatever was on hand.” (from his Wikipedia page). Frith started by telling us that in 1967 he saw Michael Chapman play at Hull University, and that he was great then, as he was last night. He went on to recall that his first professional, paid, engagement was playing with his band at Jarrow Working Men’s club, and that he played a guitar improvisation that night, which didn’t go down too well at all with the local club men. 
He sat with his guitar laid flat on his lap, a table beside him covered with a variety of objects. Ill try and describe some of Frith’s technique. Tapping the guitar to create rhythm. Sliding his hand up and down the strings. Tapping on the strings rhythmically. Hitting the guitar to get a deep booming sound. Playing the guitar with objects, perhaps a brush (I was sitting at the back, so couldn’t quite make out everything he was using). Drumming the guitar with a paintbrush. Using a couple of drinking straws, placing one between the strings and then using the other to drum on the guitar and the straw. Placing a ribbon between the strings and pulling in back and forth creating a scraping sound. Playing with a violin bow. Heavy use of echo. Detuning his guitar while he played. Clever use of harmonics up and down the neck. Playing the guitar through a tea towel. Lots of effects pedals; fuzz, noise, reverb. Dropping a necklace onto the guitar, then a chain, puling them up and down in turn into a metal bowl laid on the guitar. Two bowls with grains (of rice? sand?) , and pouring the grains from one bowl to the other on top of the guitar. Singing, squealing, whispering strange sounds into the mike; quite creepy. All of this sounds crazy, and it was, but it was also quite musical, hypnotic. Elements of eastern music, heavy rock, all came through. I know I have said this before, but it was truly unlike anything I have seen before. Mind blowing. After almost an hour, the sound slowly went quiet and then stopped. He stood up, bowed and walked off stage. The crowd stood and applauded. Wow.
Thanks to Aaron for releasing the image of Fred Frith for use under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 license. The picture is of Frith performing in Wallingford, Seattle, on 25th April 2009.
The Michael Chapman image is from one of my ELP programmes.
21 Apr
Bert Weedon and Basil Brush Sunderland Empire 1979
Bert Weedon and Basil Brush in Pantomine
Dick Whittington Sunderland Empire 1979 
I was sad to hear of the passing of Bert Weedon. His name, his guitar playing, and his Play In A Day guitar tutor book, are legendary. I only saw him once “in concert”. It was actually in pantomine at Sunderland Empire in 1979, and he was co-starring with Basil Brush, of all people. We would make an annual trip to the panto, and this particular year I took our daughter Ashleigh, who was at the time a big Basil Brush fan. We’d just bought Ashleigh a Basil Brush toy, which said “Boom Boom!” when you pulled the string in his tail, and if I remember right, she brought him along to the panto with us. Bert played Alderman Fitzwarren, and popped up every now and then to play a tune on his guitar and say a few lines explaining the links between scenes. I remember being quite thrilled that Bert was in the show, as it gave the night an extra musical interest for me. He’d been in the lp charts a few years earlier with his 22 Golden Guitar Greats album which reached number one in 1976. I can picture Bert now standing at the corner of the stage, playing Guitar Boogie Shuffle. Actually, Ashleigh still has my copy of Play In A Day, which was using to learn to play her acoustic guitar. Rest in peace, Bert.
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