Continuing into the second instalment of 1971 I can see that my record purchases largely consisted of albums by Pink Floyd, King Crimson and Soft Machine with the first hint of a German band, Amon Duul II with their third album “Tanz der Lemmings”. The latter I had bought in Innsbruck whilst on a first family holiday abroad in a ski resort in Mayrhofen, Austria – an interesting choice as nobody could ski!
There were a variety of places where I could buy albums in Birmingham at the time. I can recall there was a large music section downstairs in WH Smiths at the bottom end of Corporation Street. This had listening booths where people would stand to listen to an album. However one place I discovered was in the Piccadilly Arcade just off New Street. This was Cyclops Sounds which is well remembered by a number of people in this link: Cyclops
It was run by a Welshman who was not particularly hospitable being referred to as “the Basil Fawlty of the record shop fraternity”. It is referenced in the book “The Rotters Club” by Jonathan Coe an author, who went to school in Birmingham in the 1970’s.
I recall going in there one day where “A Rainbow in Curved Air” by Terry Riley was being played. This is a wonderful piece of music with tinkling electronic keyboards buzzing across the stereo. It was released on CBS records in 1971. He is an American musician who was one of the pioneers of minimalist music subsequently developed by the likes of Steve Reich and Phillip Glass. Here is an abbreviated version of the piece:
His extensive use of repetitive tape loops as demonstrated on this piece inspired many rock musicians including Soft Machine on “Out Bloody Rageous”, Pete Townsend on “Baba O’Riley” and Mike Oldfield on “Tubular Bells”
This is the cover of a copy of Rolling Stone I bought in August 1971 which contained an extensive article about Jim Morrison, lead singer of The Doors who had died in a bath in a Paris hotel in early July. He was only 27 years old and was buried in the famous Pere LaChaise cemetery, alongside many celebrated artists, before his death was announced to the world. It is interesting to note that the cause of death was registered as “heart failure” and there was no post mortem – apparently this was allowed by French law at the time. The jazz singer and trumpeter Louis Armstrong had also died in early July that year at the age of 71.
It is interesting to see the albums which were reviewed in that edition of Rolling Stone. These included two that would subsequently be recognised as timeless classic albums – these being “Blue” by Joni Mitchell and “What’s Going On” by Marvin Gaye. Other albums reviewed included the first album by the jazz rock fusion band Weather Report and releases by Loudon Wainwright, Nina Simone and Johnny Cash. Clearly this was a creative time for music.
Other artists I went to see in 1971. Quintessence were a prog rock band with a strong Indian influence and the folk artist Ralph McTell most wellknown for his song “Streets of London”
Then in October I saw these two bands again only 2 days apart!
This was the second time I went to see Pink Floyd who on this occasion just consisted of the four members without an orchestra and choir as on the previous occasion. Setlistfm tells me that they opened with “Careful with that Axe, Eugene” one of their classic tracks from the “Umma Gumma” album before proceeding to play a version of “Atom Heart Mother” without orchestra. They featured two tracks from their upcoming album “Meddle” these being “One of these Days” and the long instrumental “Echoes”. I can recall during the latter track David Gilmour lying on the stage floor with his guitar from which he was emitting screeching noises.
There was a less than complimentary review of the “Meddle” album from the Melody Maker at the time in which the reviewer starts with the following sentence: “One can’t help but feel that Pink Floyd are so much sound and fury, signifying nothing”.
At the time I thought they were great and really liked those long space rock instrumentals such as “Saucerful of Secrets” and “Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun”.I recently went to see the band “Saucerful of Secrets” at Symphony Hall in Birmingham. This is a band founded by Nick Mason, the original drummer from Pink Floyd, with four other musicians who recreate the early works of that band. They also played “Echoes” and a version of “Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun” some fifty three years since I last saw these performed live. The latter was well played but I felt lacked the menace present in Roger Water’s voice from the original version. Here is a photo taken that night in which you can see Nick Mason,now aged 80, hitting the large gong that Pink Floyd used to have hanging behind the drumkit.
King Crimson played several pieces from their forthcoming fourth album “Islands” that I was given as a Christmas present that year.
Here is a review of that album from the Melody Maker which was much more complimentary:
Although there were many great albums being released in that year, including “Hunky Dory” by David Bowie my listening was increasingly including jazz, particularly British jazz musicians at that time. My notes as to what I was recording from the radio on my tape recorder include the likes of Colosseum, founded by the drummer Jon Hiseman, Ian Carr’s Nucleus, Mike Gibbs and John Surman. One musician who I have previously mentioned was the pianist Keith Tippett who in 1971 created a 50 piece band called Centipede who performed and released an album called “Septober Energy”. This group included his wife Julie who came to prominence in the 1960’s as the singer Julie Driscoll who released a version of Bob Dylan’s “This Wheels on Fire” with Brian Auger and the Trinity in 1968. A version of this was subsequently used as the theme tune for the TV series “Absolutely Fabulous”.
I can recall on a visit to London in the early 1970’s going to see a band at the 100 Club in Soho that included Keith Tippett and the sax player from Soft Machine, Elton Dean. As I was waiting on the stairs that led down into the club Elton Dean arrived and I asked him what they were going to play to which he replied “Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue”. Here is a track from an album recorded by the Keith Tippett group in 1970 that features a fine saxello solo by Elton Dean.
I finally got to see Soft Machine at the end of that year
However by that time Robert Wyatt who was a cheery presence within the band had left (or been sacked) and had been replaced by the drummer Phil Howard who made a lot of noise on the cymbals as can be heard on the first side of their album “Fifth”. This concludes my memories of 1971.
Great next instalment. If only concert tickets today were still 60p!