Reggie 'Rocket' Sparkes

 

Reggie 'Rocket' Sparkes

By Pete Clemons

Given that he was once a well known local musician in and around Coventry, entertaining me several times, I felt it was appropriate to write down a few words about Reggie 'Rocket' Sparkes.

This is not meant as a definitive list of bands he played in. In fact I hope it isn't as I would love to see it added too. But it is a starter.

Born 1938 the earliest I see Reggie mentioned in a band was in 1965 and a group called The Soul Sect. The Soul Sect had a comparatively posh Bedford Van, a very good PA and plenty of gigs lined up, albeit in working mens' clubs. By all accounts they gave a valuable lesson in how to get enjoyment by revamping music that was initially not to the bands taste but demanded by the audience such as Dave Dee Dozy Beaky Mick and Tich numbers.

The Soul Sect featured Reg Sparkes on bass, his brother Rick Sparkes on drums, a rhythm guitar, player, Tony Warner who played a Hohner Cembalet Electric Piano and Colin Williams on on stereo Gibson guitar. Which I believe he acquired during the back end of 1966. They were later joined by Tim James on vocals and blues harp.

The Soul Sect, who also played a mix of Tamla Motown and Soul music, went on to gain a residency at the Chesford Grange Hotel. However the HP company eventually repossessed the gear and that was the end of The Soul Sect.

Towards the end of 1966 The Soul Sect lost Tim James and had a change of name, They carried on with a cosmic psychedelic name From the Sun.

From the Sun initially carried on from where The Soul Sect finished and found themselves plying their talents in clubs and pubs all over the north of England. British blues was in its infancy and the band found themselves becoming influenced by the likes of Eric Clapton and John MayalL's Bluesbreakers who at that time included Peter Green and Ainsley Dunbar and who they saw play at Coventry’s all night gig at The Locarno during Oct 1966.

From The Sun were Mick O'Rourke (vocals), Colin Williams (guitar), Tony Warner (organ), Reg Sparkes (bass), Rick Sparkes (drums). (The original singer Pete ?, who joined during the bands Chesford Grange days, was replaced by Mick O'Rourke from The Gazelles.)

It seems that after the 1960s passed and Reggie's flirtations with the underground music scene diminished he reverted to the rock and roll circuit where the 'Rocket' part of the name came in.

Vince Holliday is not 100% sure but thinks it did have something to do with his love for rock and roll. The audience would shout an encouraging 'Rock It' to Reggie. And the Reggie Rocket moniker stuck with him throughout his life.

It is sad when we lose another one of the local musicians who has made life so much more bearable. Reggie was very well known around the Coventry Music scene and will be greatly missed, especially by the likes of drummer Nigel Lomas who jammed, with Reggie, in a lot of those rock and rolling sessions.

Thanks to Robert Weston-Bartholomew and Vince Holliday for, unwittingly, providing some valuable thoughts and insights.

 

 

The VIPs

 

The VIPs

by Pete Clemons

Andrew Price – bass, Guy Morley – guitar, Jed Dmochowski – guitar, Paul Shurey - drums

Classed as a local band, possibly because they were formed at Warwick University in Coventry, The VIP's were based in South London. They were closely associated with the mod revival scene towards the end of the 1970s. As a band the VIP's were short lived but certainly left their mark. In part because band members were a part of the resident campus society 'Now Society' – previously known as Rabid Rat - who were hell bent on bringing, the unfashionable, new wave/punk/mod music to the university.

Rabid Rat, formed around 1977, were a university based club that catered for new wave enthusiasts. From the beginning they were formally told of the imposition to ban them following incidents at two new wave concerts they had organised.

The first concert had been by the band School Meals. It was a private booking held in the Disco Room and arranged through normal Arts Federation channels. According to an Arts Federation Rabid Rat had made a mess of the stewarding with only one person at the door.

After the concert abusive slogans were daubed in prominent areas of the union building. At least half of the audience had come from outside the university and it was them, rather than the students at the concert, who were believed to have done the daubing.

Also during 1977, and a week after a gig by School Meals, Rabid Rat organised a concert featuring the VIPs. On this occasion, after events the previous week, the Arts Federation installed its own stewards in the Disco Room, but again ugly incidents occurred.

'It was like the inside of a powder keg in there', an Arts Federation source said. 'The only way to handle gigs like that is with professional bouncers'. Again half the audience was non-student. There were plenty on the campus who were in favour of a ban on new wave concerts but, at the same time, there was an opposition group seeking to retain them.

By 1978 The VIP's had gained significant support. They had become known as the 'top campus pop group'. Unfortunately however it also brought notoriety. A gig at the campus was almost drowned out by hecklers rumoured to be the university rugby team who had just returned from an away game.

With a changing music scene 1979 saw The VIP's move into the Mod Revival arena. A gig at the campus began with a film shot on site. Sadly it fell flat. One of the band members said ' It was supposed to impress you, out obviously it didn't'.

Technical problems plagued them throughout. The set seemed sloppy and disorganised and never really seemed to get started, until the end. They also seemed to concentrate far too much on other people's songs. Chris Montez' 'Let's Dance'. They covered some old Beatles songs too.

To be fair, the set did pick up towards the end and the audience began to join in demanding, perhaps somewhat excessively, two encores. The drumming was excellent and The VIP's were obviously all competent musicians. If the VIP's were going to succeed they were going to have to do a lot more work and think again about what direction they were aiming to go.

And that appears to be exactly what happened. Between 1979 and 1981, away from the university, The VIP's cut several singles. These included: Just Cant let you go, The Quarter Moon, Need Somebody to Love, Causing Complications, Things Aren't What They Used to be. The band did record an early single in Coventry with John Rivers during 1978 but, arguably, their best work can be found when they signed to GEM records.

Duke Ellington Orchestra - Coventry Cathedral 1966

 

Duke Ellington Orchestra - Coventry Cathedral 1966.

by Pete Clemons

Despite groups like The Beatles riding high, Revolver was just around the corner, a concert by the Duke Ellington Orchestra during the mid 1960s was still seen as an incredibly important event.

In fact it was predicted 'Far from being a joke, Harold Davison's conception of teaming Ella and Ellington promises to be the musical highlight of 1966'. As such any UK dates were met with much excitement and expectation. Although for the Coventry gig Ella Fitzgerald did not feature despite, it being said, stole the show during the European dates.

A late announcement mentioned that 'Duke Ellington and his band, who were due to end their 1966 visit to the UK on Sunday February 20 with concerts at London's  Hammersmith Odeon, will stay over on Monday 21 to perform at Coventry Cathedral for ABC television'.

The programme, it was promised, would be similar to those performed at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco during 1965 and at New York's Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church on Boxing Day same year, and is built around Ellington's then new work 'In the Beginning, God'.

'This piece is based on the first four words in the Bible  - In the Beginning, God. This will be the first thing we play using the orchestra and a choir' Ellington told music paper the Melody Maker.

Everything else that happens will follow 'In the Beginning' That we know, but the rest of the programme is not yet set. 'In San Francisco and New York we did something special, and no doubt, we will do something special in Coventry'.

'I've been invited to do this programme in many churches and I'm always honoured of course. When the chance came to play at Coventry I was delighted. But no I've not seen the cathedral yet'.

The European leg of the tour had seen drama. Poll winning drummer, Elvin Jones, was a last minute replacement for regular Sam Woodyard within the Ellington Orchestra. For one show the band featured Jones and the relatively unknown Skeets Marsh. But both drummers informed Melody Maker that they were unhappy with the arrangement. 'It isn't working out' said Elvin Jones 'and I'm not happy with a big band'.

By the time of the British dates the issue had resolved itself with Woodyard returning to the percussion seat. Woodyard had, in fact, re-joined the band in Switzerland.

 And indeed the momentous event in Coventry was filmed and broadcast by ITV and on the Midlands ABC channel as part of their Easter programming that year. The footage was long presumed lost, but was unearthed by Studio Canal, and restored by archive television company Kaleidoscope and the University of Warwick.

And this possibly explains why a subsequent CD release has 'In the Beginning' at the heart of it and not the opening piece as mentioned by Ellington. That said it is great to have rather than not.

The centre piece of the concert was not for everyone. One critic panned 'In The Beginning God' saying it was Ellington at his worst, overblown and pretentious. At one point George Webb chants, 'Matthew, Mark, Luke and John...' inviting the childish follow-on, ...'went to bed with their trousers on'. That said, it was just one of several sacred pieces performed.

But there were many though that did enjoy the concert where Ellington brought the full force of his repertoire. Out-tempo ballads, swinging sections and music that kept shifting and changing both thematically and rhythmically were all on display. There was also a section that featured The Cliff Adams Singers (for those who remember sing something simple?) who added their forte of easy listening, reverential chanting.

Ben Worsley - Guitarist

 

Ben Worsley - Guitarist

by Pete Clemons

https://x.com/benworsleymusic?lang=en

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063578972509

Ben Worsley, a musician who may not be a household name, but I recently saw him do the most delightful duet with David Gilmour at The Royal Albert Hall. It was during the song 'Wish You Were Here', when that musician type language of glances were shared. Ben is second guitarist on the current David Gilmour tour.

During that part of the concert a sense of sadness and pride fell over me.  But it was not for me. It was for Ben's late father Spike (real name John). I had barely known Spike. I only met him through attending gigs where you meet a whole range of wonderful people.

But Spike and I did connect, many years ago, even if it was at that 'and where are you from?' level. You see Spike was from Leamington Spa and had studied in Coventry. And they are not the only connections with Coventry.

Over twenty years ago almost 300 people had filled All Saints' Church at Burton Dassett country park in south Warwickshire. They were there to say a farewell to one of Coventry's most remarkable sons, Spike's father - Jack 'J.R.' Worsley.

Professor Worsley had grown up, quite impoverished, in a small terraced home in Coventry. After the war years he began to study osteopathy but also had an interest in a more holistic approach to healthcare. In order to advance his learning Jack Worsley travelled to Paris where he studied acupuncture.

By 1956 Jack had opened a college in Leamington Spa where, by the 1960s, he had mapped out a structure of the traditional Chinese medicine that he called Five Element Acupuncture. In fact the college was re-named as such.

The 1970s saw Jack living in Kenilworth. And this would be a base from where he would tour America, particularly Florida, giving lectures on this ancient Chinese art. Not even ill health, in the form of of heart attacks, could slow Jack down. He even founded a place of learning in America. Spike, who moved to London and where I assume Ben grew up, carried on the family tradition of acupuncture.

Sadly Ben's father, Spike, passed away during 2022. From memory he was not huge in stature, he was slightly shorter than I am, but I'm certain he would have been so hugely proud right now.

We never met up at gigs, as such, but quite often bumped into each other through attending mutual events. Particularly in the London area where he had moved to. Conversation didn't take long to switch to the subject of Coventry and often began with 'did you ever see.....?'

He did mention that, for a while, he was a fixture at the Lanchester downstairs sports hall where he attended many gigs. His musical passion was vast and varied. His knowledge of the subject was immense and he was more than keen to share it. Spike was a special character.

Coming from a less salubrious area it was easy to assume that growing up in the leafy suburbs of Warwickshire must have been so perfect. And I am as guilty as anyone for imaging these things. But I got the impression that life for Spike wasn't quite as imagined.

Throughout the Royal Albert Hall concert Ben Worsley never put a foot wrong. At least to these ears. He didn't look out of place either. It was a quite magnificent event.

The Pineapple Thief – @25 years

 

The Pineapple Thief – @25 years

by Pete Clemons

As the sodden Summer of 2024 - ok occasionally sunny I admit - makes way for Autumn, rock band The Pineapple Thief are gearing up for a tour of the USA, Canada, Mexico and a few other territories where, hopefully, brighter weather awaits.

What I find remarkable about all of this is that this tour comes during the bands 25th year of existence. And given the size of some of the venues The Pineapple Thief are still growing, still expanding their reach.

Thinking back to the many classic rock bands I have enjoyed, their lifespan, the period they created their best remembered albums, was relatively short. Yes bands like The Rolling Stones have existed far longer. But in terms of new studio output, albums have relatively rare during the last 40 years of their 60 year time span. The Beatles, 12 years or so together.

So I do think that 25 years of hard graft, and still releasing worthwhile music, deserves a tip of the hat.

In hindsight, it seems that changes within the band have happened on an 8 yearly, or so, cycle. Not that it is some kind of target or been planned in any way. It's just the way the bands career has panned out.

I think it was The Pineapple Thief's principle writer, Bruce Soord, who mentioned that there are three distinct phases or era's of the band. The early cottage industry releases that began during 1999, the early K.Scope era from 2007 and, more recently, the Gavin Harrison era. Each of these aspects of the band are very distinct with each having their own merits. Add that to Bruce's own solo career and it amounts to a very decent body of work.

What is absolutely wonderful to read on social media, for example, is the variation of opinion as to different favourite albums. That, to me speaks volumes about the reach of a band. Imagine, in a huge range of record releases, if everyone had the same favourite album. That band might not be so interesting.

Many music careers have been and gone during the 25 years that The Pineapple Thief have been in existence. Some of those careers more successful than others. The Pineapple Thief are not a household name, but at the same time, have not been unsuccessful. They have had chart success but, admittedly, that is very contextual nowadays compared to what it once was.

I always get the impression, reading interviews, that Bruce comes across as feeling guilty for putting those closest to him through it all. At the same time being incredibly thankful that they do so. But he is a musician albeit, I think, a very humble one.

Bruce's songs tend to ground you. They are far from mundane but they strike a chord within you. They tend to get you to reflect and focus on what really is important in life. If you allow them to they will wash over you on a more emotional level. They are unique in that the songs appear to be aimed at progeny and relationships. And, yes, they occasionally veer off to document the state of the world and self growth within it. Full of warmth if you like. But at the same performed with a venomous rocky edge to them.

Do these songs endure?. I think they are absolutely timeless. Memories, life experiences, loss and longing, courage, disappointment. Its all there. These are powerful records. May The Pineapple Thief continue for years to come.

James Oliver Band with Horace Panter – Temperance Café bar, Leamington Spa

 

James Oliver Band with Horace Panter – Temperance Café bar, Leamington Sp.

by Pete Clemons

I had decided to see the James Oliver Band after being highly impressed during their recent support slot for The Dirt Road Band at the Arches Club. When I bought this ticket I noticed that Horace Panter was also involved but what I hadn't realised was that he was going to grace us for the entire gig.

Now, as a headline band it was a tale of 2 sets. One mainly acoustic the other with loads of vocalisations.

James was great fun and went down very well with the audience. Many of the songs were very well known. Some modified slightly with his own, very clever, lyrics added. Such as Jimi Hendrix's Red House over Rhonda.

Drummer Mark Kemlo is one of those rare breed of percussionist who can make a small kit sound much larger. He is so sympathetic to James's guitar playing. A very 1950s thing maybe. He adds to the music rather than simply keeping time.

The evening was not purely about the twangy side of James guitar playing.  He mixed things up with other styles so as to appeal to all tastes such as Country Blues.

James' stage presence was always edgy but he showed a great sense of humour – especially when an audience member got up to get a bottle of beer opened. James offered up his (teeth) plate, 'try this' he said.

Horace Panter also found himself the butt of James inoffensive off the cuff humour as he described his band as not so much Special, but more the Mediocre's.

Even during the serious numbers James did not seem to take himself too seriously and in songs such as Ry Cooder's 'Every Woman I know' his utterly Welsh accent showed genuine emotion despite breaking a string.

One of the highlights, for me, was a rousing 'Rolling and Tumbling', where James really seemed to get the best out of the band. The evening finished up with a traditional song called 'My Baby Left Me'.

James's guitar playing was very good and of the instrumentals played, of which I really did enjoy, 'Wipe Out', 'Sabre Dance' and 'Miserou' were stand outs. After his last number James eulogised the band and venue with great sincerity.

There is no disputing James's overwhelming sincerity and dedication to the whole field of blues music. He clearly has great love and affection for the whole genre. And on a completely personal note, it was just so wonderful to hear tunes played live that I remember so well from my childhood. These would have been on Saturday morning radio presented by the likes of Brian Matthew and Ed Stewart.

The James Oliver Band return to the same venue during March 2025.

Hear them on YouTube at henry's Blues House, Birmingham. 

Held By Trees with Martin Smith

 

Held By Trees with Martin Smith

by Pete Clemons

What happens when you mix a band who, by there own admission are influenced by Talk Talk, and musicians from a Christian rock and modern worship band?

Essentially what you have is a new release by Held by Trees. What is Held by Trees? Through a by product of the chemical reaction process called photosynthesis oxygen is produced and released into the atmosphere by the tree. Just about everything you need to sustain life.

And that is what appears to be captured in this CD. It is sheer beauty from beginning to end. I have rarely heard so few lyrics put to such maximum effect.

Would I, had I known this level of detail beforehand, have overlooked this release. Quite possibly, who knows. But so glad I went into listening to this release blind.

The first thing I noticed was inside the sleeve where I read the words 'friendship is divine'. Just seeing that blew me away. And this collaboration and friendship is certainly made in heaven.

After several really excellent instrumental releases, Solace (2022) and Eventide – Live at Real World (2023), Held By Trees release their first music with a vocalist, Martin Smith.

The seven tracks on this release comprise of two 12-minute songs, 'You Deserve' and 'Lay Your Troubles Down' along with a third shorter one 'Oh My Love'.

The release also includes similar length instrumental mixes of all three tracks and an ambient version of 'Lay Your Troubles Down' by Hong Kong based ambient duo, Salt of the Sound who contribute a peaceful ambient feeling. Add Anita Tatlow’s ethereal vocals to the mix and it brings a whole new dimension to the song.

Given the nature of Held by Trees previous releases, how did this wonderful collaboration and release come about?.

As told by the band: 'Having established themselves with the highly acclaimed instrumental releases, an obvious question for the project has been ‘what would it be like with vocals?’

The answer to this question came when Held By Trees frontman, David Joseph, asked his friend Martin Smith to come and play a short opening set for their gig in Martin’s home town of Brighton.

Martin, a world-renowned singer-songwriter, on hearing Held By Trees set, found his imagination set on fire by the possibility of a collaboration. Over a phone call a few days Martin and David began to hatch a plan to get together at Real World Studios and record new music.

'Lay Your Troubles Down' was the first release from the resulting session, which also features Martin’s long-time friend and former Delirious bandmate, Stuart Garrard on guitar. It immediately garnered a Spotify editorial playlist, despite running to nearly 13 minutes.

Held by Trees will be joined by Martin Smith on a few live dates during November. And Friday 15th November see's the band play The Tin Arts Centre at the canal basin in Coventry. This could well be one of those genuinely 'I was there' moments.