Altoona Mirror, August 21, 1978: Difference between revisions
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The band went into “terminal shock” and considerable debt, according to [[Dave Robinson]], the ever unkempt but ultra-effective Stiff Records scion, who then managed the band. So, they retreated to a 10-bedroom house outside London to pick up the pieces. | The band went into “terminal shock” and considerable debt, according to [[Dave Robinson]], the ever unkempt but ultra-effective Stiff Records scion, who then managed the band. So, they retreated to a 10-bedroom house outside London to pick up the pieces. | ||
'''Began to Forge''' | |||
From there they began to forge a low-key career , playing up-tempo, countrified rock a la [[The Band]] (an oft-applied and deserved comparison). This coalesced into leading the pub movement when Robinson introduced them to another band he'd discovered playing in a London pub — Eggs Over Easy. | |||
An energetic quartet from Marin County Calif. the Eggs wound up in London on a bum recording deal and had persuaded a pub owner to let them play and pass the hat to keep the rent paid. London pubs had featured jazz but never rock, and the engaging atmosphere soon had the Brinsleys stopping by to sit in, finally playing the pub themselves. | |||
"Gradually all these good bands and musicians came out of the woodwork." says Robinson. As more pub owners caught on, a scene was born. | |||
It was more a diverse phenomenon than a style. Bands with tags like Bees Make Honey, [[Chilli Willi & the Red Hot Peppers|Chilly Willy]] and Quiver plowed a country-bluegrass furrow (from the latter two came [[Bruce Thomas]] and [[Pete Thomas]] respectively, now in Elvis Costello's Attractions. Elvis. then known as D. B. Costello, also fronted a pub bluegrass band in this era). Dr. Feelgood and Ducks Deluxe pursued raw hard-edged rock. And the inimitable [[Ian Dury]] fronted Kilburn and The High Roads, a perverse rock and roll horn band. | |||
'''Good Music''' | |||
London Pubs were filled with good music. "It was a very relaxed scene." recalls Robinson. | |||
"Really exciting and great fun. Then suddenly the press noticed this phenomenon — naturally because they spend a lot of time in pubs anyway - and they named it pub rock. | |||
It may have been the kiss of death. British and U.S. record companies looking to capitalize on what they thought was a trend tossed out albums they didn't understand. Most bombed. and caught in the bind of too much pressure too soon, the pub scene and many of the bands shattered. | |||
Brinsley Schwartz played a well-received farewell tour opening for [[Wings]] first outing, and the press and record companies went on to discover punk rock. | |||
'''Parker Discovered''' | |||
But the music lived on Robinson discovered Graham Parker, | |||
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Revision as of 10:28, 1 November 2016
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