Controversy

Well It`s October 1973 and we've another gig coming up and no lead guitarist, so some quick advertising and recruitment needed, resulting in Dave (The Rave) from SACRIFICE joining us on lead guitar (an unknown Les Paul copy that sounded brilliant) and Gerald on keyboards (an Elka Orla). Why two new members? Well a few nights earlier before we had auditioned Dave, I was playing guitar for a laugh (and if you`ve heard me play then you know that`s true) with Geoffs` band at that time TUTTI FRUTTI and found out that their keyboard player Gerald was leaving. Well after we dropped him off at his home I thought that would be the last time I saw him, until Terry told me that there had not been any promising response to our adverts.  I told him about Gerald and suggested that a keyboard player would be better than nothing to complete the band as a four piece if he was willing to join. After seeing Gerald and him agreeing to join us Dave responded to our ad so we listened to him and liked what we heard. Well "in for a penny in for a pound" we couldn't  let Gerald down now could we? so we became a five piece and after some frantic rehearsing finding numbers that we all could play, we were ready for the gig which wasn't too bad considering.

The next phase in early 1974 enabled us to perform the music of THE WHO in an adaptation of the rock opera TOMMY staged by a local youth theatre involving dance and drama. This project really pulled us together as the performance left no room for mistakes and there were a lot of people relying on us to follow and to set cues. We toured round with this company all over North Wales playing several Colleges and Theatres and played to full houses every time. (If any one from that show  remembers us please get in touch and don`t forget I was Kit West then with a lot more hair). A lot of the "kids" or should I say young adults went on to become very respected people in the entertainment business and it`s good to have been a small part of their lives. Towards the end of 1974 Gerald decided to leave to join a Rock band playing avant-garde style rock, he now lives in Lancs.

While Gerald was still with us in 1973/74 we arranged a version of Griegs “In the hall of The Mountain King” which, though I say it myself was quite exceptional. This number consisted of Gerald and Dave doing answerbacks on keyboard and guitar while Terry provided a hard driving bass line. I did a 16 bar drum fill that acted as a bridge to Dave really letting rip on his guitar, and of course Colin was superb on tambourine!!!

Next came the comedy (although a lot of people were probably laughing at us anyway). I must admit I wasn't very keen on us doing comedy and stayed away from the first rehearsals so never saw what the others were actually doing. Well! the first time I saw it I`d left the drums and sat in the audience and I must admit it I was in bulk, when Groggs and Terry came on dressed as Windsor Davies and Don Estelle and did Whispering Grass that was it I was sold. There will be photos in the gallery just as soon as I can put them in. Dave decided to do an impression of Frank Spencer (with some jokes Frank would never have used...ooooh). I became Dougal from the Magic Roundabout as Dave (now playing a Guild SG style guitar) sang Divorce by Billy Connolly, remember?..."our little dog is only six years old" (changed to twenty six ). Groggs also did a thing with an emu (no he`s not kinky but he did get to shove his hand up its` bottom), he was also dressed as a Wurzel (hope any non Brits out there understand all this) and recited some Benny Hill monologues. Well we went from strength to strength and were always in great demand. Looking back Gerald also did some comedy involving a large bottle of Bells (Balls) whiskey and falling off his stool. Oh yes we all dressed as girls as well !!!

We supported many top line acts at the time including Pans People, Tom o Connor and Humphrey Littleton, some were true professionals and others just wrapped up in their own importance, you get that in this business some really nice people and some who think they can run the world. (allegedly). Next page 1977 and Dave has to leave.