19/03/2011

Wonderful Land/Stars Fell On Stockton


The column this week is intended as a kind of tribute to a recent contributor to the comments on this blog, ex-Shadow Jet Harris, who died on 18 March

To date, all the columns have been about songs and their associations with places but it is not only words, of course, that carry meaning and leave memories. Often, in fact, it is the melody itself that can act as a Proustian trigger for recollection, so that a snippet of music can waft you back to sitting on the beach as a child or on a boat on the Seine. The association for the listener can be totally different from what was intended because it depends on the circumstance in which it was heard. Eye-Level, the theme from Van der Valk, for example, - mentioned in the column on Holland Song - reminds me not of Amsterdam but Morecambe. That is because I was staying in rented accommodation there that had a strange coin-operated TV set which would show, when you put your money in, whatever channel had been programmed by the owner. I came across an episode of Van de Valk when I put in my 50p, or whatever it was: hence the memory of Morecambe sea front rather than the canals of Amsterdam when I hear the tune. Likewise, it is difficult to hear The Blue Danube without thinking of the film 2001: A Space Odyssey, rather than the Danube itself.

Instrumentals can, of course, be very evocative of place - in the instruments used, in the mood, in the very rhythms, so that hearing Salsa and thinking of Cuba is inevitable. St Etienne are effective in conjuring up a dreamy London landscape in some of their instrumental pieces ; or listen to some of the atmospheric tracks by St Etienne-influenced duo, Keep Shelly in Athens, and the mood is of a Greek beach sunset or, in the case of their Fokionos Negri Street track, sitting in a sun-drenched Athens street cafe.

They can also be misleading. Take the 1956 UK Number One hit, Poor People of Paris, by Trinidad-born pianist Winifred Atwell, one of the first black artists to get into the UK charts. This is actually an instrumental version of an Edith Piaf song, La Goulante de Pauvre Jean (The Ballad of Poor John), about a French hustler/gigolo. The story goes that the English music publisher mis-heard the title over the phone as ‘pauvre gens’ and called the tune Poor People of Paris, the ‘of Paris’ bit presumably added to signify it was French. In truth, this was probably needed as the boogie-woogie style of Winifred Atwell conjured up a knees-up in a pub rather than the boulevards of Paris. (Both versions are below to indicate the transformation in the tune that took place to accommodate cultural expectations. The rather eerie sound that comes in halfway through the Winifred Atwell version is a musical saw courtesy of record producer Joe Meek, the Telstar man, a decade before the Beach Boys used a theremin to get a similar sound in Good Vibrations - and a lot cheaper).


This little episode gives a very mixed message about Britain then. On the one hand Winifred Atwell had a string of hits in the UK at a time when she was barred from appearing on the American Ed Sullivan Show in case her colour upset viewers. On the other, it seems to bear out the column on European Lover, that the British at that time liked something vaguely ‘continental’ as long as it was put in a familiar package. Edith Piaf would be much too French: better to have a ragtime style that had been current for the previous 20 years or so and give it a title about Paris. Having listened to that, why would you actually need to go to Paris? It also says something about the fondness for sing-along piano tunes at that time, possibly an attempt to recreate the communal solidarity of the Blitz years and already tinged with nostalgia. When Winifred Atwell’s star waned, her place was taken by another pianist Russ Conway, who also had a string of hits in the late 50’s in a similar style - he also had an unusual characteristic for a pianist in that he had cut off part of a finger in a bread slicer accident and later in his career nearly severed a thumb in a car door. As late as 1965 German pianist Horst Jankowski had a UK hit with the jaunty Walk in the Black Forest.

The most successful British group for producing instrumental hits-and the biggest UK group of the pre-Beatles era- were The Shadows. Though staying virtually unknown in America they were for many years huge across much of Europe. In his 1969 history of pop, WopBopaLooBop LopBamBoom, Nik Cohn said of the Shadows: “ Even now, if you’re traipsing around the backwaters of Morocco and you stumble across a local group, they’ll sound exactly like the Shadows, flat guitars and jigalong melodies and little leg kicks and all. In Spain or Italy or Yugoslavia they’re regarded as the pop giants of all time. Elvis Schmelvis, Beatles Schmeatles. Viva los Shads! “. Their success was helped by two things, I think. Britain got its first guitar hero with Hank Marvin, who gave his name to a new verb of ‘hanking’: teenage boys vanishing to their rooms with a tennis racquet to pretend being an axe-man in front of the mirror. They were also given in the early years an image edge by bassist Jet Harris, whose quiffed dyed blond hair and reluctance to play the show-biz game gave an air of cool reminiscent of the Fonz in Happy Days.

The tracks here are the ‘A’ and ‘B’ sides of the last record he did with the group in 1962 before departing for a solo career and both are nominally about places. Stars Fell on Stockton is a throw-away ‘B’ side, with whistling a la Hampstead Way, though this bit does rather sound if the Seven Dwarves had wandered into the studio on their way to see Snow White. It was apparently written by the group after Jet Harris crashed his car after a performance at the Stockton Globe Theatre and was fined for driving without ‘L’ plates but gives no impression of Stockton, a northern town not to be confused with Stockport. The ‘A’ side ,Wonderful Land ,had the distinction of remaining at Number One longer than any other single in the 60’s, including the Beatles hits.

It is very much a tune of its era, suggesting less the wonderful land of Oz and more the Britain of the period between the ending of post-WW2 austerity and the explosion of Swinging London and the ‘sixties’ proper. A time of black and white TV with 2 channels (only one if you didn’t want to buy a licence) and summer holidays on the beach or, if really exotic, a caravan park in Wales or Somerset, whilst the local funfair blasts out Apache and FBI. However, also at a time when the charts were full of anodyne American ‘Bobby’s’-Darin, Rydell, Vinton, Vee – it is a reminder of a strand of distinctly British pop that flourished before the Beatles: and a brief period when a bass player from Willesden was one of the coolest faces on the musical block.


43 comments:

  1. Geoff, this is so nice. I think he would had loved to read this. What an awesome tribute you wrote.

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  2. I loved this column. I think it was one of my favourites so far. A lovely tribute too. I loved this description of a particular era in England, especially: "The Britain of the period between the ending of post-WW2 austerity and the explosion of Swinging London and the ‘sixties’ proper. A time of black and white TV with 2 channels (only one if you didn’t want to buy a licence) and summer holidays on the beach or, if really exotic, a caravan park in Wales or Somerset, whilst the local funfair blasts out Apache and FBI".

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  3. It's fascinating the idea that melody can conjure place associations too - I always imagined it was entirely dependent on lyrics! Thanks for this column Geoff.

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  4. Rock on Jet!: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gzz64XMTcdA&

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  5. Apparently it was Jet Harris who actually came up with the name “The Shadows.” They were originally called The Drifters, until someone told them that another very popular group already had dibs on that name:)

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  6. This is a really nice tribute to a great musician.

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  7. Without a doubt one of the most unique bass players that came out of the U.K. In many ways he reminds me of Japan's late (and great) bass player Mick Karn and the always fascinating and of course great Jah Wobble.

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  8. Here's to the band that I emulated in front of a mirror and practiced the "walk".

    These guys were pioneers.

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  9. He may be one of the greatest bass players ever, and also one of the most over-looked.

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  10. The Shadows are an essential part of rock history that is far too often forgotten. Thanks for writing about them Geoff. I love this period from the late fifties to the early sixties that found Chuck Berry in jail, Elvis Presley in the army and Little Richard busy with God.... when the Shadows were one of the few bands keeping guitar-based rock ‘n’ roll alive.

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  11. His contribution to the Shadows encouraged loads of early guitarists. Including me.

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  12. If you really want to hear the great stuff have a listen some of his solo tunes like Man With The Golden Arm, a darker twangier series of singles that reflected his darker, heavier personality.

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  13. Any teenager who had a guitar shoved in his hands during the 60's would immediately have tried to learn "Apache", "FBI", or any one of the other hit records by the Shadows.

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  14. Thank you for the link and info about the Winifred Atwell track with the musical saw from 1956!

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  15. It's really terrible they they weren't so big in the U.S. - we missed out!

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  16. Ha ha, this made me laugh a lot: "this bit does rather sound if the Seven Dwarves had wandered into the studio on their way to see Snow White.":)

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  17. For anyone else wondering about the phrase "knees-up," it is British for "a lively party," according to my Google search just now:)

    WONDERFUL column Geoff, and it's so cool Jet Harris posted on here before he passed away.

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  18. Wow, I had no idea about "Wonderful Land" being at number 1 for longer than any other single in the 60s, including the Beatles' songs - that's a pretty amazing fact!

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  19. I found your last line incredibly moving, Geoff: "a brief period when a bass player from Willesden was one of the coolest faces on the musical block". Now, THAT'S a tribute.

    Thank you.

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  20. Thanks for posting Wonderful Land Geoff - the tune speaks for itself - easily, one of the coolest & greatest instrumentals ever.

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  21. Here's my version of Stars fell on Stockton - Hope you enjoy!
    www.youtube.com/watch?v=FvOCOfa8dzE
    Andy

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  22. Oh, here is my version too: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAT9c3dRxaE. Maybe you can tell us whose is better?!

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  23. If you have time though, will you correct our band name to "Keep Shelly in Athens" not "Keeping" so that maybe this will help your readers to find us easier if they are interested in learning more.... Thank you and we appreciate the shout-out BIG TIME!

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  24. I didn't know about "Keep Shelly in Athens" but I really like the song you mentioned,Geoff - here it is for anyone else who wants a listen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZLhA5X23Z8

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  25. I though writing about Winifred Atwell was particularly cool because I read somewhere that Jet Harris's was inspired by her records to take up playing music seriously..........

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  26. Winifred Atwell was a great entertainer and a gifted piano player (- Fats Waller would have loved her!), her rendition of "Black And White" was a favorite of mine, even before I knew the musical term 'ragtime'. Thanks Geoff!

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  27. Atwell was also an iconic part of the piano culture of the 1950s in Australia and New Zealand. She moved to Australia in the 1960s I think and lived there until she died. We loved her in Australia, and she seemed to love us too!

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  28. Re Josie's comment, I have read Jet Harris was inspired to take up the bass after hearing Winifred Atwell playing a bass rhythm on the piano with the left hand.

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  29. Here the song "A Walk in the Black Forest" that Geoff mentioned: www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2nDB1Dz3KE

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  30. Hey, here's me playing the theremin in case your readers are interested in what it sounds like:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-3lU3bgOgE

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  31. Wow, apparently there is even an annual musical saw convention in New York - http://musicalsawfestival.org/ - and in 2009 the NYC Musical Saw Festival set a new Guinness World Record of the ‘Largest Musical Saw Ensemble’, with 53 musical saw players playing together...! Who knew?!

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  32. It's a really interesting idea, about the British have a fondness for sing-along piano tunes in the 1950s because it recreated the communal solidarity of the Blitz years. I don't think there is a U.S. equivalent for this nostalgia for communal solidarity, although I could be wrong. And it's fascinating that a whole genre of music can summon nostalgia in this way.

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  33. I still find it an interesting idea that the British used to like "something vaguely ‘continental’ as long as it was put in a familiar package" - to the point of turning Edith Piaf into ragtime!!

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  34. Here is my own arrangement of "Poor People Of Paris," the pictures are of the state of Ohio...Hillsboro, Bainbridge (home of the first dental school in the USA), and the Ohio countryside. I hope that you enjoy the music!
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ye39CrloOZ8

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  35. We had a coin operated TV when I was a child and anyone I have mentioned it to tells me there was no such thing. They have a grand laugh. Now I have the proof. Thank you!!

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  36. I didn't know about coin-operated TVs either, but here is photographic proof I found (although this looks like a US one that takes quarters): http://farm1.static.flickr.com/147/427835483_651a41b9e6.jpg

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  37. Hey man, the people liked "anodyne" I guess! Still do, too - come see us in Iowa or Calgary if you can! - http://www.bobbyvee.net/tourd.html

    I come to England too. They like me there. We do whole fifties-tours. I got in on that ride early, in the early 1960s. In the early days, you could have many versions of the same songs as hits all over the place. A country version, a swing version, because everything was so localized. It was easy to cover an American record in England, because chances are the act would never come over there. I did, and so did Del Shannon and Neil Sedaka and Gene Pitney. Gene Vincent too. I took the time to go over there and do television, and they never forgot that. I went over a lot in the 60s, and a little bit in the 70s. And I went over in '85 and it was like I never left.

    My band was called The Shadows too at one point, in the late 50s and early 60s. And for a short time, I had a band member named Robert Zimmerman.... later known as Bob Dylan!

    Remember, it's not about the head, it's about the heart.

    From, one of the "Bobbys" (Vee)

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  38. I like the idea of melodies being associated with particular places. For example, I hear steel or a slack guitar and I think Hawaii. It's like a kind of virtual tourism - capturing the moods of a holiday.

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  39. Speaking of the idea of tourism, I just read this book and thought you'd like it, Geoff: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Music-Tourism-Road-Again-Aspects/dp/187315092X

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  40. Yes, and remember Harry Belafonte, with his "Kingston Town" and "Banana Boat Song" - right around when Caribbean tourism was beginning to take off, and so the calypso became a way to construct this romantic tropical destination.

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  41. I love the idea of music as a Proustian trigger - it's definitely like that for me....... more so than scents I think.

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  42. Hey, The Night Has a Thousand Eyes was pretty good! I didnt know there was an American group called The Shadows- the British one was originally called The Drifters and changed their name to avoid confusion!

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