I’m Professor Rick Galusha and I will be your University host on our trip this March to London, Windsor, Newcastle, and Edinburgh, Scotland. I can be reached at rick.galusha@bellevue.edu or by phone, 402-706-3781.
Wow! I’ve tried to PACK our trip with things to do. The concern is always being too busy. There is so much to do in London that our short time there will barely allow us to scratch the surface of this 2,000 year old town.
This blog will allow me to share information with you. I want to encourage you to spend time on this site and increasing your knowledge of the sites we’ll be seeing. The more you know, the more enjoyable our trip will be. This initial post will present The London Rock Walk. Since we will be traversing the city by foot, bring some comfortable walking shoes. Our day will begin at St.Paul’s Cathedral and end-up on the banks of the Thames River. We will hop-on the subway for a couple of jaunts but for the most part, we will be walking.
Also, spend some time watching the weather in the weeks before we leave. It appears that, generally, the daytime highs will be ~48f, the low, 42f and a 17% chance of a sunny day. As the old song says, “You can get a tan from standing in the English rain. ” So expect some rain. But most importantly, dress appropriately for the weather and for comfort. Our walk across London will not be a ‘death march.’ Inevitably we will have to omit some sites from the map and list. What I think we want to do on this walk is sight-see. We’ll see numerous historical and rock music related sites as well as just experience life on the street of this magnificent world-class capital city. Our stroll across greater London will include stopping more than once for a ‘pint’ or “cuppa” (tea), including lunch and souvenir shopping.
My mission will be to keep us moving – your mission is to have a good time.
We’ll find a good balance…
This is a link to a map of the proposed walk. I would encourage you to spend some time reviewing this extensive list of potential sites. I've tried to narrow it down, honestly I did!, while trying to keep the relatively close, and interesting locations that are found along the walking path. Come prepared to spend the whole day walking across Greater London and absorbing the sites and sounds of this wonder-filled and historic city.
As an aside, there are numerous pages on this blog. To access them, please see the links at the top RIGHT side of webpage. If you, or someone you know might want additional information on this Study Abroad opportunity (which is open to Bellevue University students as well as Non-students), please contact emily.krueger@bellevue.edu for additional information including dates and costs.
St. Paul's Cathedral
People buried in St. Paul's include:
Admiral Nelson (Nelson's Column, Trafalgar Square,
People buried in St. Paul's Aethelred the Unred,King of England, (AD 966-1016), [Pre-Norman conquest]
People buried in St. Paul's - Joseph Turner (painter) [There's a movie]
Sir Christopher Wren, London's most famous architect,
People buried in St. Paul's - Tate (poet), and
People buried in St. Paul's - Van Dyck (painter)
This painting by Flemish painter Van Dyck is of Charles 1, King of England.
"King Charles I was his own worst enemy. Self-righteous, arrogant, and unscrupulous; he had a penchant for making bad decisions. His troubles began the moment he ascended the throne in 1625 upon the death of his father James I. Charles simultaneously alienated both his subjects and his Parliament, prompting a series of events that ultimately lead to civil war, his own death and the abolition of the English monarchy.
Charles' problems revolved around religion and a lack of money. His marriage to the Roman-Catholic French princess Henrietta Maria in 1625 did not please his Protestant subjects and led to suspicions of his motives. In 1637 he totally misgauged the sentiments of his Scottish subjects when he attempted to impose an Anglican form of worship on the predominantly Presbyterian population. Riots escalated to general unrest; forcing Charles to recall Parliament in 1640 in order to acquire the funds necessary to quell the Scottish uprising. This so-called "Short Parliament" refused Charles' financial demands and disbanded after only one month.
The continuing civil unrest in the north forced Charles to again convene Parliament in December 1640. The following year the Irish revolted against English rule while the determination of King and Parliament to assert their authority over the other led to open conflict between the two in 1642.
The tide of the Civil War ebbed and flowed for the next six years, culminating in the defeat at the Battle of Preston of Charles' army in August 1648 by Parliamentary forces under the command of Oliver Cromwell. (See the legacy of Cromwell's severed head.)The King was charged with high treason against the realm of England. At his trial, Charles refuted the legitimacy of the court and refused to enter a plea. Not withstanding the absence of a plea, the court rendered a verdict of guilty and a sentence of death declaring:
"That the king, for the crimes contained in the charge, should be carried back to the place from whence he came, and thence to the place of execution, where his head should be severed from his body." Three days later, the king was led to the scaffold erected at Whitehall, London.
" I go to where no disturbance can be"
January 30, 1649 was a bitterly cold day. Charles went to his execution wearing two heavy shirts so that he might not shiver in the cold and appear to be afraid. The following account of the event comes from an anonymous observer and begins as the doomed King addresses the crowd from the scaffold:
"[As for the people,] truly I desire their liberty and freedom as much as anybody whomsoever; but I must tell you that their liberty and freedom consist in having of government, those laws by which their life and their goods may be most their own. It is not for having share in government, sirs; that is nothing pertaining to them; a subject and a sovereign are clear different things. And therefore until they do that, I mean that you do put the people in that liberty, as I say, certainly they will never enjoy themselves. Sirs, it was for this that now I am come here. If I would have given way to an arbitrary way, for to have all laws changed according to the power of the sword, I needed not to have come here; and therefore I tell you (and I pray God it be not laid to your charge) that I am the martyr of the people. . .
And to the executioner he said, 'I shall say but very short prayers, and when I thrust out my hands - '
Then he called to the bishop for his cap, and having put it on, asked the executioner, 'Does my hair trouble you?' who desired him to put it all under his cap; which, as he was doing by the help of the bishop and the executioner, he turned to the bishop, and said, 'I have a good cause, and a gracious God on my side.'
The bishop said, 'There is but one stage more, which, though turbulent and troublesome, yet is a very short one. You may consider it will soon carry you a very great way; it will carry you from earth to heaven; and there you shall find to your great joy the prize you hasten to, a crown of glory.'
The king adjoins, 'I go from a corruptible to an incorruptible crown; where no disturbance can be, no disturbance in the world.'
The bishop: 'You are exchanged from a temporal to an eternal crown, - a good exchange.'
Then the king asked the executioner, 'Is my hair well?' And taking off his cloak and George [the jeweled pendant of the Order of the Garter, bearing the figure of St. George], he delivered his George to the bishop. . .
Then putting off his doublet and being in his waistcoat, he put on his cloak again, and looking upon the block, said to the executioner, 'You must set it fast.'
The executioner: 'It is fast, sir.'
King: 'It might have been a little higher.'
Executioner: 'It can be no higher, sir.'
King: 'When I put out my hands this way, then - '
Then having said a few words to himself, as he stood, with hands and eyes lift up, immediately stooping down he laid his neck upon the block; and the executioner, again putting his hair under his cap, his Majesty, thinking he had been going to strike, bade him, 'Stay for the sign.'
Executioner: 'Yes, I will, and it please your Majesty.'
After a very short pause, his Majesty stretching forth his hands, the, executioner at one blow severed his head from his body; which, being held up and showed to the people, was with his body put into a coffin covered with black velvet and carried into his lodging.
His blood was taken up by divers persons for different ends: by some as trophies of their villainy; by others as relics of a martyr; and in some hath had the same effect, by the blessing of God, which was often found in his sacred touch when living."
References: The anonymous account of Charles' death appears in Robinson, James Harvey, Readings in European History (1906); Schama, Simon, A History of Britain vol. II (2001); Wedgwood, C. V, A Coffin for King Charles; the Trial and Execution of Charles I (1964).
But WAIT...THERE's more...
Music critics have suggested that the title, "Oliver's Army" (from the refers to Oliver Cromwell whose New Model Army was a forerunner to the modern British Army. A reference in the lyrics to "a word in Mister Churchill's ear" suggests that the Oliver in question is Oliver Lyttelton, Churchill's President of the Board of Trade in the early stages of the Second World War. The Protected Occupations Act meant that any man not compelled to join the forces due to critically required trade skills was dubbed to be part of "Oliver's Army.
(Album cover to the 1979 Elvis Costello album, Armed Forces, which features the track "Oliver's Army."
Of the song's meaning, Costello himself has stated: "I made my first trip to Belfast in 1978 and saw mere boys walking around in battle dress with automatic weapons. They were no longer just on the evening news. These snapshot experiences exploded into visions of mercenaries and imperial armies around the world. The song was based on the premise 'they always get a working class boy to do the killing'. I don't know who said that; maybe it was me, but it seems to be true nonetheless. I pretty much had the song sketched out on the plane back to London."
As well as the Troubles the song alludes to several other "trouble spots" around the world at the time including South Africa, Palestine, and "Checkpoint Charlie". It has been suggested that the events in Belfast prompted Costello to write this "anti-occupation anthem".
The music video for "Oliver's Army" was aired on MTV's first US broadcast day, 1 August 1981.[citation needed]
The song lyrics contain the phrase "white nigger", which usually remains uncensored on radio stations. In March 2013 the digital radio station BBC Radio 6 Music played the song with the word removed despite BBC radio stations having played the song uncensored for over 30 years.Costello performed the song at Glastonbury 2013, aired by the BBC, with the phrase uncensored."
Just around the corner from St. Paul's is the location of the art gallery that a 20 year old Vincent Van Gogh worked at. The now famous artist lived in London at two different times in his life, including a stint in the Brixton area.
The Demon Barber of Fleet Street(Sweeney Todd)
Mrs. Lovett's Pie Shoppe (Sweeney Todd)
"Based on the true story of Benjamin Barker, arguably the most accomplished barber in all Victorian London, is married to the pretty Lucy, the two who have an infant daughter, Johanna. Lusting after Lucy, a sadistic judge named Turpin wrongfully has Barker sent to prison in Australia so that he can have Lucy to himself. Fifteen years later, Barker, who has rechristened himself Sweeney Todd, returns to London to seek revenge by killing Turpin and his accomplice Beadle Bamford, using the instruments of his trade to slit their throats. Below Todd's old barber shop is now a meat pie shop run by Mrs. Lovett, who admits to making the worst meat pies in London.
She tells Todd that Lucy poisoned herself after being raped by Turpin, and that Johanna, now a young woman, is Turpin's ward. Johanna and a young honorable sailor named Anthony Hope, who Todd met sailing into London, have fallen in love with each other from afar. Much like his feelings for Lucy, Turpin lusts after Johanna and wants to marry her, and thus he will do whatever he needs to to get Anthony out of the way. Back at the barber shop, Todd changes his plans for revenge solely on Turpin and Beadle out of circumstance, which includes an encounter with a rival barber named Adolfo Pirelli and a close encounter with Turpin himself. Including Turpin and Beadle, Todd's revenge is now directed at all mankind that has wronged him.
Todd will slice the throats of the unsuspecting public while giving them a shave. These bodies are then turned into Mrs. Lovett's new meat pies. Which are sold and fed to Londoner's of the area. With this plan being successful, all Todd needs to do now is try to convince the Judge to sit in his chair.
Todd is helped in his new endeavor by Mrs. Lovett, who has an interesting role in their collective scheme. Todd may reconsider his new collaboration with Mrs. Lovett if he were to learn her true motivations."
Templar Church As seen in the Dan Brown film The Da Vinci Code - starring Tom Hanks.
And then we'll walk past the original Twining's Tea House, in the heart of London's media area, 'Fleet Street.'
Waterloo Bridge (Kink's song, 1973) - Video
.jpg)
British band, The Kinks, is the quintessential "English band." Songwriter Ray Davies (pronounced Davis), sang about a by-gone era of tea, Village Green societies, school uniforms, Queen Victoria and a kingdom so vast that, "...the sun never sets on the English Empire." Among their vast vocabulary of great songs, Waterloo Sunset, is perhaps the most panoramic and descriptive...it is "quaint" and descriptive of proper English life after World War 2. Here is a Londoner's (cabbie) homage to what I consider to be among my favorite London locations: Waterloo Bridge.
Dirty old river, must you keep rolling, flowing into the night
People so busy, make me feel dizzy, taxi light shines so bright
But I don't, need no friends
As long as I gaze on Waterloo Sunset, I am in paradise
Every day I look at the world from my window
But chilly, chilly is the evening time, Waterloo sunset's fine.
Terry meets Julie, Waterloo Station, every Friday night
But I am so lazy, don't want to wander, I stay at home at night
But I don't, feel afraid
As long as I gaze on Waterloo Sunset, I am in paradise
Every day I look at the world from my window
But chilly, chilly is the evening time, Waterloo sunset's fine.
Millions of people swarming like flies 'round Waterloo underground
But Terry and Julie cross over the river where they feel safe and sound
And they don't, need no friends
As long as they gaze on Waterloo Sunset, they are in paradise
Waterloo sunset's fine.
"Waterloo Bridge is a road and foot traffic bridge crossing the River Thames in London, between Blackfriars Bridge and Hungerford Bridge. The name of the bridge is in memory of the Anglo-Dutch and Prussian victory at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. Thanks to its location at a strategic bend in the river, the views of London (Westminster, the South Bank and London Eye to the west, the City of London and Canary Wharf to the east) from the bridge are widely held to be the finest from any spot at ground level."
Syd Barrett's home (Founder and original songwriter of Pink Floyd)
Barrett was one of rock music's early drug related mental casualties. Like Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys, Peter Green or Danny Kirwan of Fleetwood Mac, and others, speculation suggests that Barrett's perchance for hallucinogenic substances caused him to lose his mind and drop out of the band. Barrett was replaced by David Gilmore. As the following story indicates, Barrett's disappearance from the band resulted in the homage, 'Shine on Your Crazy Diamond' from the band's album, Wish You Were Here. Please note that much like the Beatles "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" (or LSD), the song title spells out the name of the band's former leader, Syd.
"In another incident, Barrett (heavyset, with a completely shaved head and eyebrows) wandered into the studio while the band was recording Wish You Were Here, although Mason has since stated that he is not entirely certain whether "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" (ED: hear the full 25 minute suite)was the particular work being recorded when Barrett was in the studio. Because of his drastically changed appearance, the band could not recognise him for some time. When they eventually recognised Barrett, Roger Waters was so distressed he was reduced to tears.[1] Someone asked to play the suite again and Barrett said a second playback wasn't needed when they'd just heard it. Apparently, when "Wish You Were Here" was played, "He [Barrett] stood up and said, 'Right, when do I put my guitar on?'" Wright recalled. "And of course, he didn't have a guitar with him. And we said, 'Sorry, Syd, the guitar's all done.'"[6] When asked what he thought of Wish You Were Here, Barrett said it sounded a "bit old". He subsequently slipped away during celebrations for Gilmour's wedding to Ginger Hasenbein, which had taken place earlier that day.[7] Gilmour confirmed this story, although he could not recall which composition they were working on when Barrett showed up.
Roger was there, and he was sitting at the desk, and I came in and I saw this guy sitting behind him--huge, bald, fat guy. I thought, "He looks a bit...strange..." Anyway, so I sat down with Roger at the desk and we worked for about ten minutes, and this guy kept on getting up and brushing his teeth and then sitting--doing really weird things, but keeping quiet. And I said to Roger, "Who is he?" and Roger said "I don't know." and I said "Well, I assumed he was a friend of yours," and he said "No, I don't know who he is." Anyway, it took me a long time, and then suddenly I realised it was Syd, after maybe 45 minutes. He came in as we were doing the vocals for Shine On You Crazy Diamond, which was basically about Syd. He just, for some incredible reason he picked the very day that we were doing a song which was about him. And we hadn't seen him, I don't think, for two years before. That's what's so incredibly...weird about this guy. And a bit disturbing, as well, I mean, particularly when you see a guy, that you don't, you couldn't recognise him. And then, for him to pick the very day we want to start putting vocals on, which is a song about him. Very strange."
- More on Syd Barrett:Biography - More on Syd Barrett:Video
We'll visit the bar where the Rolling Stones were discovered in 1963 here
.jpg)
The driving force behind the formation of the band was the blonde haired Brian Jones - seen here in red pants. Jones would later succumb to "over-indulgence" and be forced out of the band in June, 1969. Jones was replaced by the very young Mick Taylor, who, like Eric Clapton, John McVie, Mick Fleetwood, Peter Green as well as Coco Montoya, Walter Trout and Rocky Althus - apprenticed in John Mayall's Bluesbreakers.
At the time Jones had purchased and was living in a country estate previous owned by author A.A. Milne of 'Winnie the Pooh' fame. Jones would be found dead in his swimming pool.
Although the death was ruled accidental drowning, mystery and accusation of murder would flourish for years: suggesting that his grounds-keeper Frank Thorogood held Jones underwater. Jones would be the first of numerous Rock musicians that died in their 27th year of life including Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison of the Doors and this author's distant cousin, Janis Joplin.
Nearby, and perhaps worth the venture, is the legendary Ronnie Scott's jazz club. In addition to being an on-going live music venue, Ronnie Scott's is where The Who debut their rock opera, 'Tommy' in 1969. It is also the location where Rolling Stone's drummer Charlie Watts recorded his solo Big Band Jazz album.
Jimi Hendrix came to Ronnie Scott’s on the night of the 16th September 1970 and jammed with American funk band, Eric Burdon & War. Burdon was a band mate of then Hendrix manager, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne's Chas Chandler (who later goes on to discover the band, Slade.)It would be the last ever time Jimi performed live on stage and his performance was uncharacteristically subdued.According to close friend and Rolling Stones guitarist, Ronnie Wood, Jimi Hendrix “looked really sad” as he left the club, and also noted that it was the first time Jimi never bade his audience ‘good-night’.
Karl Marx: 1st London home (Economist whose ideas served as the foundation of Communist Economic Theory)
Karl Marx: 2nd home
Sitting side-by-side is one of London's most popular live music venues, The Marquee Club and Trident Studios. Trident Studios: a famous recording studio - Facebook: Spotify playlist
Marquee Club Photo Gallery from the Marquee Club
Who recorded in Trident Studios? Here's a heavily edited list..
The Beatles:Hey Jude (The first 8-track song recorded by the band)July 1968
Dear Prudence - Aug 1968
Honey Pie - Oct 1968
Martha My Dear - Oct 1968
Savoy Truffle - Oct 1968
ACE "FIVE A SIDE"
AL STEWART "ORANGE"
AL STEWART "PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE"
AMERICA "AMERICA"
BADFINGER
BARCLAY JAMES HARVEST "EVERYONE IS EVERYBODY ELSE"
BEATLES "THE BEATLES-WHITE ALBUM"
BIG AUDIO DYNAMITE "NO 10 UPPING ST"
BILLY COBHAM "SPECTRUM"
BILLY COBHAM "CROSSWINDS"
BLACK SABBATH "BLACK SABBATH"
BONZO DOG BAND "KEYNSHAM"
BONZO DOG BAND "TADPOLES"
BRAND X "UNORTHODOX BEHAVIOUR"
BRAND X "MOROCCAN ROLL"
BRAND X "MASQUES"
BRAND X "PRODUCT"
BRAND X "LIVESTOCK"
BRAND X "IS THERE ANYTHING ABOUT?"
BRIAN AUGER'S OBLIVION EXPRESS" REINFORCEMENTS"
BRIAN ENO "DISCREET MUSIC"
BRUFORD "FEELS GOOD TO ME"
BRUFORD "ONE OF A KIND"
CARLY SIMON "NO SECRETS"
CASS ELLIOT "THE ROAD IS NO PLACE FOR A LADY"
CHARLIE “FANTASY GIRLS”
CHARLIE “FIGHT DIRTY”
CHARLIE “LINES”
CHARLIE “NO SECOND CHANCE”
CHARLIE "HERE COMES TROUBLE"
CHRIS DE BURGH "FAR BEYOND THESE CASTLE WALLS"
CLANNAD "LEGEND"
CURVED AIR "AIRBORNE"
DAVID BOWIE “ALADDIN SANE”
DAVID BOWIE “SPACE ODDITY”
DAVID BOWIE “THE MAN WHO SOLD THE WORLD”
DAVID BOWIE “ZIGGY STARDUST”
DR JOHN "THE SUN, MOON & HERBS"
ELTON JOHN "FRIENDS"
ELTON JOHN “DON’T SHOOT ME”
ELTON JOHN “ELTON JOHN”
ELTON JOHN “TUMBEWEED CONNECTION”
ELTON JOHN "CARIBOU"
FATS DOMINO "'HELLO JOSEPHINE' LIVE AT MONTREUX"
FRANK ZAPPA "CHUNGA'S REVENGE"
FREE "FIRE AND WATER"
GENESIS "TRESPASS"
GENESIS "NURSERY CRYME"
GENESIS “TRICK OF THE TAIL”
GENESIS “WIND AND WUTHERING”
GENESIS "SECONDS OUT"
GENESIS "AND THEN THERE WERE THREE"
GRAHAM PARKER "HEAT TREATMENT"
JAMES TAYLOR "JAMES TAYLOR"
JEFF BECK "WIRED"
JOHN ENTWISTLE "SMASH YOUR HEAD AGAINST THE WALL"
JUDAS PRIEST "ROCKA ROLLA"
JUDAS PRIEST "STAINED CLASS"
KISS “DOUBLE PLATINUM”
LEONARD COHEN "SONGS OF LOVE AND HATE"
LINDISFARNE "NICELY OUT OF TUNE"
LINDISFARNE "FOG ON THE TYNE"
LINDISFARNE "LINDISFARNE LIVE"
LINDISFARNE “ROLL ON RUBY”
LOU REED “TRANSFORMER”
MAHAVISHNU ORCHESTRA "BIRDS OF FIRE"
MAHAVISHNU ORCHESTRA "VISIONS OF THE EMERALD BEYOND"
MODERN ENGLISH "STOP START"
MOTT THE HOOPLE "ALL THE YOUNG DUDES"
NAZARETH "NAZARETH"
NAZARETH "EXERCISES"
NICE "THE NICE"
NICE "ELEGY"
NILSSON "SCHMILSSON"
NILSSON "SON OF SCHMILSSON"
PAUL STANLEY "PAUL STANLEY"
QUEEN “QUEEN 1”
QUEEN “QUEEN 2”
QUEEN "SHEER HEART ATTACK"
RENAISSANCE "A SONG FOR ALL SEASONS"
RETURN TO FOREVER "ROMANTIC WARRIOR"
RICK WAKEMAN "THE SIX WIVES OF HENRY VIII"
RUSH "PERMANENT WAVES"
SAVOY BROWN "HELLBOUND TRAIN"
SAVOY BROWN "LION'S SHARE"
SPANDAU BALLET "JOURNEYS TO GLORY"
T.REX "T.REX"
T.REX "ELECTRIC WARRIOR"
TYGERS OF PAN TANG "CRAZY NIGHTS"
TYRANNOSAURUS REX "UNICORN"
TYRANNOSAURUS REX "PROPHETS, SEERS AND SAGES"
TYRANNOSAURUS REX "A BEARD OF STARS"
UK “UK”
VAN DER GRAAF GENERATOR "THE AEROSOL GREY MACHINE"
VAN DER GRAAF GENERATOR "THE LEAST WE CAN DO IS WAVE TO EACH OTHER"
VAN DER GRAAF GENERATOR “H TO HE “
VAN DER GRAAF GENERATOR “PAWNHEARTS”
YES "YES"
Carnaby Street, the heart of the 1960's "Swinging London" and depicted on this noted album cover by the Brit-Pop Band Oasis.
.jpg)
Carnaby Street in the 1960's
More video from the 1960's and "Swinging London."
One more...just cause it's so decadent!
Located on Oxford Street is the legendary, '100 Club' (the home of the British Punk Rock movement)
"The 100 Club - London, UK The 100 Club has been playing original live music in London since the 40s. It is also home to the world longest running Northern Soul all-nighters for the last 31 years. Some of the famous alums are The Sex Pistols, Siousie and the Banshees, the Clash and The Dammed. It is the spot in London for rock with a slice of history."
Oxford Street (A song by the band, ‘The Jam’ and a prominent shopping area)
Video
Bricklayer's Arms, Where the Rolling Stones met for the first time to form a band: practicing upstairs. Today the premises are occupied by the record shop 'Sounds of the Universe', fitting well in with the musical heritage of the building.
"12TH JULY 1962
During the late spring and early summer of 1962 Mick Jagger and Keith Richards would catch the train from Dartford to London, where they nurtured dreams of forming a blues band.
They always visited the Marquee Club on Oxford Street where Mick, on a few occasions, sat in to sing a few blues songs with Alexis Korner’s Blues Incorporated. Playing drums with Alexis was one Charlie Watts.
Brian Jones, Ian Stewart, Mick and Keith along with whoever else they could find to play some Rhythm & Blues were soon rehearsing a set of favourites at The Bricklayers Arms Pub in Soho’s Broadwick Street, just a stone’s throw away from Oxford Street.
Their luck changed when The Blues Incorporated were offered a slot on BBC Radio’s Jazz Club programme on 12th July 1962, so the Marquee’s owner, Harold Pendleton booked this new four piece band to deputize for Korner’s group on this historic night.
Needing a name, quickly, so the club could advertise their appearance they came up with The Rollin’ Stones, lifted from a song by their hero Muddy Waters. Jazz News carried the band’s line up:
Mick Jagger (vocals harmonica), Keith Richards (guitars) Elmo Lewis, real name Brian Jones (guitars), Dick Taylor (bass), Ian Stewart (piano), & Mick Avory (drums).
Brian Jones was calling himself Elmo Lewis, Elmo, after his hero Elmore James, and Lewis being his first name: Lewis Brian Hopkins Jones.
According to the band’s handwritten set list for that first gig (penned by Ian Stewart in his appointment diary) they played songs by their heroes Jimmy Reed, Bo Diddley and Chuck Berry.
The rest is history.
THE SET LIST
Kansas City – Wilbert Harrison
Honey What’s Wrong – Billy Fury
Confessin’ The Blues – Chuck Berry
Bright Lights, Big City – Jimmy Reed
Dust My Blues – Elmore James
Down The Road Apiece – Chuck Berry
I Want To Love You – Charles Smith
I’m A Hoochie Coochie Man – Muddy Waters
Ride ‘Em On Down – Robert Johnson
Back In The USA – Chuck Berry
I Feel A Kind Of Lonesome – Jimmy Reed
Blues Before Sunrise – Elmore James
Big Boss Man – Jimmy Reed
Don’t Stay Out All Night – Billy Boy Arnold
Tell Me That You Love Me – Fats Domino
Happy Home – Elmore James
Perhaps we'll have time to pause for a pint when we reach the noted, Bag O' Nails club (a famous club frequented by the Beatles and Rolling Stones). This is also the location where, unannounced, now Sir Paul McCartney debuted what would become one of Rock's greatest albums, Sgt. Pepper's. In the club at the time was a soon to be concerned Mick Jagger.
On this evening The Beatles' manager Brian Epstein hosted a dinner party to mark the completion of Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.
Afterwards Paul McCartney went to the Bag O'Nails nightclub to see Georgie Fame performing. At the club McCartney had his first encounter with his future wife, Linda Eastman.
The Bag O'Nails was situated in the basement of 9 Kingly Street in Soho, London. The Beatles were regular visitors, particularly in 1967 and 1968, and McCartney had his own private table there.
Paul McCartney, "The night I met Linda I was in the Bag O'Nails watching Georgie Fame and the Blue Flames play a great set. Speedy was banging away. She was there with the Animals, who she knew from photographing them in New York. They were sitting a couple of alcoves down, near the stage. The band had finished and they got up to either leave or go for a drink or a pee or something, and she passed our table. I was near the edge and stood up just as she was passing, blocking her exit. And so I said, 'Oh, sorry. Hi. How are you? How're you doing?' I introduced myself, and said, 'We're going on to another club after this, would you like to join us?'
That was my big pulling line! Well, I'd never used it before, of course, but it worked this time! It was a fairly slim chance but it worked. She said, 'Yes, okay, we'll go on. How shall we do it?' I forget how we did it. 'You come in our car' or whatever, and we all went on, the people I was with and the Animals, we went on to the Speakeasy."
The Speakeasy was a club on Margaret Street, where they heard Procol Harum's A Whiter Shade Of Pale for the first time.
Linda McCartney, "We flirted a bit, and then it was time for me to go back with them and Paul said, 'Well, we're going to another club. You want to come?'I remember everybody at the table heard A Whiter Shade Of Pale that night for the first time and we all thought, Who is that? Stevie Winwood? We all said Stevie. The minute that record came out, you just knew you loved it. That's when we actually met. Then we went back to his house. We were in the Mini with I think Lulu and Dudley Edwards, who painted Paul's piano; Paul was giving him a lift home. I was impressed to see his Magrittes."
Rene Magritte was a surrealist artist.
The pair met again four days later, on 19 May 1967, when Eastman attended the press party for Sgt Pepper at Brian Epstein's house at 24 Chapel Street, London.
"The Jimi Hendrix Experience played a gig at the Bag O’Nails club on 25th November 1966, after which, Jimi remarked, “Britain is really groovy”- not a surprising observation considering the club backs onto the ultra-hip Carnaby Street."
The must see site where glam rock's biggest star launched his career...
David Bowie Ziggy Stardust album cover
The concert that launched a musical genre...live
Then one of the three London residences of Jimi Hendrix we'll see if we follow the plan: which is next door to the
London home of of noted Classic music composer, George Frideric Handel
Nearby is the home of Bee Gees and Eric Clapton manager/ Robert Stigwood's flat. It is here that the Bee Gee wrote many of their hit songs. The band reached the height of music stardom with the 1977 soundtrack movie release, Saturday Night Fever. Stigwood also owned RSO Records - which release the film Grease. For more information on this music industry entrepenuer, go here.
It is near this location, which may or may not be accessible, that the Beatles posed for the cover of their Please, Please Me album. This photograph would be later replicated for use of the "red" and "blue" hits compilation albums. Near-by was the home of...
Beatles drummer Ringo Starr lived right around the corner from Rolling Stone's frontman Mick Jagger, as well as the Swedish Embassy. Later, this would also be the home to John Lennon. It was in 23 Montagu Square the John and Yoko Ono-Lennon shot the "racy" cover to their album 'Two Virgins.'
Mick Jagger's home 1963 – 1968
We'll walk past the former home of Paul McCartney Home, where he wrote 'Yesterday,' 'Elenaor Rigby,' and 'I Wanna Hold Your Hand'
The "Home" of Sherlock Holmes rests on Baker Street...near to the home of noted science fiction writer H.G. Wells (War of the World). Baker Street was also the home to wartime code breakers during the WWII era known as 'Special Operations Executives.' Hear Gerry Rafferty's music tribute to Baker Street.
Next door to the the Sherlock Holmes museum is the Beatles Shop. An excellent place to stop and browser for Beatles related gifts and souvenirs. Across the street from 221B Baker Street is the "Its Only Rock and Roll Shop." Another excellent shoppe for souvenirs of your trip to London.
Hear the album
.jpg)
Abbey Road, Recording Studio and crosswalk. Go here to see a live webcam from the studios where an endless stream of fans and tourist replicate the icon pose of the Fab Four in the famed crosswalk.
When we first visited London, a friend captured the family...With some timing and forethought, your friends at home can see you too!
Tyburn "Tree"
"Sir, executions are intended to draw spectators. If they don’t draw spectators, they don’t answer their purpose….The public was gratified by a procession: the criminal was supported by it.
Samuel Johnson, The Life of Johnson
Imagine the sight: a huge wooden triangle with up to 24 bodies swinging from its beams by nooses, gasping their last breaths. From the middle of Queen Elizabeth I’s reign, this was the spectacle that attracted thousands of spectators every week to London’s notorious Tyburn Tree.
"Prisoners were allowed to stop en route from Newgate Prison to Tyburn for a jug of ale, but would then have to get back ‘on the wagon’, never to drink alcohol again, which is thought to be the origin of the saying."
Peter Pan Statue
The Peter Pan statue is located in Kensington Gardens to the west of the Long Water.
The creator of Peter Pan, J.M. Barrie, commissioned Sir George Frampton to build the statue in 1902. It was erected in Kensington Gardens in 1912.
The Peter Pan statue features squirrels, rabbits, mice and fairies climbing up to Peter, who is stood at the top of the bronze statue.
J.M. Barrie lived close to Kensington Gardens and published his first Peter Pan story in 1902, using Kensington Gardens for inspiration.
In his Peter Pan tale, The Little White Bird, Peter flies out of his nursery and lands beside the Long Water. The statue is located on this exact spot.
Use your smartphone to magically bring to life the100-year-old statue. Swipe your phone on the nearby plaque to get a personal call-back from Peter Pan.
Princess Diana Memorial and the Elfin Oak
The Elfin Oak is a sculpture made from the hollow trunk of an oak tree that is carved with figures of fairies, elves and animals.
It is located alongside the Diana Princess of Wales Memorial Playground in Kensington Gardens.
The Elfin Oak sculpture was designed by Ivor Innes in 1930 and is made from the trunk of an ancient oak tree which originated in Richmond Park. It was given to The Royal Parks by Lady Fortescue in response to an appeal to improve facilities in the Royal Parks.
The Elfin Oak also appeared inside the cover of Pink Floyd's 1969 album Ummagumma. David Gilmour, guitarist and lead singer, is pictured in front of the Elfin Oak.
In 1996, famed English comedian Spike Milligan raised money for its restoration.
Royal Albert Hall
In June 1967, in the song, 'A Day in the Life,' the Beatles made a statement on their latest long playing record:
“I read the news today oh boy,
Four thousand holes in Blackburn, Lancashire
And though the holes were rather small
They had to count them all
Now they know how many holes it takes to fill the Albert Hall.”
(Hear it here.)
"It was John Lennon's idea to write this song by combining ideas taken from the newspapers. He and Paul scanned the Dail Mail for Jan 17th. 1967 and their eye caught the following short article: "There are 4000 holes in the road in Blackburn Lancashire, one twenty-sixth of a hole per person, according to a council survey. If Blackburn is typical then there are over two million holes in Britain's roads and 300 000 in London." There was no connection between this and another piece about the Albert Hall; it was just their imagination that made the link." br>
We'll also walk past the 'Suicides Crossroads' near the(Victoria Station bus entrance)
Why were suicides supposed to be buried at crossroads?
Suicide used to be regarded as shocking and blasphemous, and a coroner’s verdict of ‘felo de se’ – literally crime against oneself – usually resulted in the body being buried at a crossroads, with a stake through the heart, and with no religious ceremony. The suicide’s property could also be confiscated.
Historians and archaeologists have long speculated on the reasons for crossroads burials. Perhaps it was the nearest resting place the deceased would get to any sort of religious symbol. It may also have been because execution grounds were commonly at crossroads – eg Tyburn in London – and suicide was a crime.
Superstition may also have come into it: a crossroads might confuse the ghost of the deceased. Archaeological evidence suggests that crossroads burials of executed individuals have been going on since Anglo-Saxon times.
Crossroads burials ended with the increasing understanding of mental illness and depression, particularly after the suicide of Lord Castlereagh in 1822. Many Londoners were also shocked in 1823 at the crossroads burial of Abel Griffiths – a disturbed young man who had killed his father – at the junction of Eaton Street, Grosvenor Place and the King’s Road.
Crossroads burials were abolished by an act of parliament the same year. Few objected, although one argument against abolition was that the disgrace of crossroads burial was a ‘deterrent’ to suicide.
We will wander past the site where Brian Epstein manager of the Beatles died.
As well as the home where Judy Garland, perhaps most familiar for her role as Dorthy in the film, 'The Wizard of Oz' died.
Just down the road is the site of the Beatles tailor...which may or may not be worth the time and effort!
As we walk towards the Thames River we'll pass the site where Mozart debuted his ‘1st Symphony’
While the band did not last long, all the members of the Small Faces went on to significant follow-up musical careers.
Steve Marriott (goes on to form Humble Pie with unknown Peter Frampton
Kenny Jones (goes on to replace the late Keith Moon in The Who
Ian McLagan later appears in the Rolling Stones, Bonnie Raitt, Bob Dylan and numerous other bands...
Finally, we'll arrive at the river where we can peer across the Thames and see...
.jpg)
Please note: I sourced the material for this blog from countless sources. While I am not going to invest the time to cite each and every source, Music Pilgrimages, is an excellent mapping source. Another unique site is "View from a Cabbie's Mirror." Yet another fine source of names and addresses is the list of "blue plaques." And least I omit, the Shady Old Lady is a wonderful interactive site I would encourage others to use when compiling their own adventure in London town.
No comments:
Post a Comment