Meeting Danny Rivers, the British Elvis

At the end of the Meek triburte night at the Ace Cafe, I started chatting to Danny Rivers. I explained how I was writing my dissertation on Joe Meek. He said he was more than happy to meet for a drink and chat about his time recording at 304 Holloway Road. So, three nights later I'm in a Wetherspoon's in Cricklewood talking to 40 years cab driver, 3 years pop star Danny (real name Dave) Rivers.

Robert Plant, when being interviewed by Suzi Quatro on her Radio 2 series, declared that "Im Waiting for tomorrow" by Danny Rivers, was one of the greatest songs to come out of Britain in the 1960's, by one of the greatest singers of the time. "A great accolade" says Danny. He tells me the "B-sides should have been the A sides". Picked up at 18 years old, the singer (now 68) was Joe Meeks pursuit after the image of Elvis, and answer to Cliff. Career wise, killed by the Merseybeat, Danny Rivers got out of the Show Biz world of the early 60's, and went to work with his parents at their DIY shop just up the road from where we were drinking. His stories of the past were both vivid and honest, and he recollected philosophically when putting his time in the limelight into perspective. His accounts of time recording with Joe Meek were short but insightful, painting more of a picture of the world around him. He brought past photos and cut outs of magazine articles he featured in, bringing the black and white world of 1960 to life. He told me, "Joe went for looks first. He could sort out their voices later with his production magic". The more I think about this, the more I fear it's true. Not that good looks aren't a bonus to great pop music, but Joe Meek did record the likes of Bowie and Rod Stuart before their proper music careers were even being born. Would he have paid more attention if they had the poster boy looks of the likes of Rivers, Heinz, or John Leyton? Either way, Danny Rivers only had good things to say about Meek. He never got the experimental edge given to the Moontrekkers, the Tornadoes or the space aged "I Hear a New World" album, but instead the song writing hit parade touch that was the sound of the majority of Meek records. His wife, sitting opposite, had little positives to say about the music business of the time, but had a fond glint in her eye for the short but bright era which was now just a story in a pub.

Highlights were Danny's story of Screaming Lord Such inviting him to share an eccentric number about vampires and Such like madness on stage, only then abandoning him with the microphone to battle through the song and his embarrassment.

Ace Cafe: Joe Meek tribute night

Getting off at Stonebridge Park station, located by the legendary North Circular, my expectations of the Joe Meek tribute night at the Ace Cafe were fairly close to something small. A famous biker haunt out in zone 3 didn't really make sense as a venue for a night of Joe Meek covers and the appearance of genuine 304 Holloway Road recording artists. On arrival, bike perverts studied the minor details of a long line of motorcycles spanning the width of the small car park, while the smell of black pudding and eggs emanated from inside the glass fronted cafe. Inside, the 1950's decor vividly sent me back to an age only the movies had ever shown me existed. Nods to Rockers history splattered over the walls with classic pictures and news paper clippings reading along the lines of, "Rockers celebrate as Mod's are beaten again". Its at this time I realize my shirt is covered in little mod symbols. I thought it was just a pattern! This wasn't a problem, 2010 and the average biker age seemed to be around 50 going on 60 with fairly passive mannerisms all round. The tribute act "The Triumphs" took to the stage at the end of the cafe dressed in uniformed light blue shirts and rocking a keyboard, bass, guitar and an electric drum kit being played by a man at least 3 times my age. The night seemed fairly busy, with cider drinkers and leather clad tea drinkers mixing together seamlessly, but it did make me ponder the Legacy of the Ivor Novello award winning hit maker Joe Meek. What would he have thought of of this? Highlights include ex Meek recording artist Bobby Rio who came on stage to sing a few of his 1960's hits, followed by the appearance of "England's answer to Elvis" Danny Rivers, who would have sang some of his hits if the band had remembered how to play them.

Playing in the Tate Modern

Played 45 minuets with David Toops 'Unknown Devices' improvisation group this afternoon. We were set up on the bridge of the Turbine Hall, so made full use of the acoustics of what is such a large space. The building has a natural low rumble, so the lower notes were quite hard to distinguish, melding together somewhat, but higher frequencies rang out like I've probably never heard before. Lots of people were watching. Don't know what they made of it, but most seemed to stay the duration and there was a positive response at the end . The highlight was probably 'the boundary piece', which you probably have to see as much as hear!

304 Holloway Road

I went past 304 Holloway Road today. This is the place where producer Joe Meek wrote, recorded and imagined his hits of the 60's. He is the subject of my university dissertation, so was interesting just standing outside the building. The flat (now split into an A and B) was above a vegetable shop, rather than the leather goods shop of the early 6o's which Joe Meek's ill fated landlady owned. A very modest looking place for somewhere so important to British pop music.

New Blog

I consider myself a little bit of a blogging Luddite, but have started one in the hope I will get to grips with it. As a musician, artist and producer I have plenty of work both of my own and of others that I would like to put up on web, therefore resulting in this blog....