Stagflation hits pop music

 

Stagflation hits pop music.

Stagflation is apparently a condition where you have persistent high inflation combined with a stagnant demand in a country's economy. Todays inflation rises are at their highest for 50 years. It is eerily similar to where we were in the 1970s. The live music scene doesn't appear to be recovering quite as well or as quickly as it had hoped now that post pandemic restrictions are easing.

As always there you will find exceptions, winners and losers. Some tours are going from strength to strength but at a grass routes level things could be a lot better. I am hearing of many events where music fans are reluctant to pay up front for tickets. Equally promoters are not willing to take a risk. They are waiting, or pinning their hopes on that last minute rush when they begin to see return from their investments.

For some reason a lack of confidence on all sides....promoters and audience. Punters are not willing to commit. This has a double edged sword effect as promoters are, in turn, getting cold feet at the prospect of empty venues.

I have heard so many times recently how, nowadays, a band's only real income comes from touring. No longer do they make money from album sales alone.

And this whole situation had me thinking back to the mid 1970s when we had similar issues and, where high inflation, also had a knock on effect on the music industry. I was reminded me of an interview with promoter Mel Bush who gave us his thoughts on the inflation issue at that time.

Here is that interview.......

If the cost of pop concert tickets keeps going up, a visit to a live performance could well become a rare treat rather than a regular outing for hard up music fans.

As prices increase people will decide to stay away – especially if the band is not very well known – and prices will be raised again to cover the cost of the concert.

A simple take is to slip into the kind of thinking that 500 people paying 50p per ticket is just the same as 250 people paying £1. But national and local promoters all agree that, unfortunately, it is not as simple as that.

Mel Bush, who was promoting Slade's nationwide tour explained that the band would probably be out of pocket after travelling around the country – even though they were playing to full houses every night.

'If you take the average group like Slade they will have about a dozen road crew, plus the groups personal tour manager and the group themselves.

There are hotel bills, wages, hiring out allowances and other running expenses. To put on one show costs around £1400 a night. And the hall takes 30% of the receipts, to which another 10% is added for extra stewards and electricians.

The hire of the van costs £400 a week, lights and sound equipment add another £400 a night and the hotel bill is around £300 a night'.

He said the band would not make any money on tour. 'It's purely done for the kids to get a chance of seeing them perform, and to promote records.

'Last year Slade sold more albums in Britain than anyone else and they have had a string of hit singles. But we want to keep the prices of admission down for the working class kids. We could charge £3 and still fill the halls – and that would make a profit – but we don't want to do that.

The situation is the same when groups are booked in to venues by separate promoters and are not on a tour arranged through one agency. But the loss is suffered by the promoter, not the band, in this case'.

Looking back at that interview, to me, what Mel Bush was suggesting appears to be a complete 180 degrees viewpoint from that being suggested today for the music industry. Times have changed during those 40 years I appreciate. We are now in this digital age for starters where, in my opinion, it hasn't been as kind to musicians as it might have been despite, initially, looking as though it was going to be all so great for them. But we do seem to be back in a situation where inflation is hitting music hard.

How different it all was in the 1970s when we were last faced with the kind of inflation rises we are feeling today. And yet, somehow, how very similar it all sounds. It is strange though that, despite the country being in a recession, the labour market has not noticeably been affected. All we can do now, I guess, is to continue to support the venues. And, where possible, attend gigs and buy merchandise.

Bill Haley in Coventry 1974

 Bill Haley in Coventry 1974

by Pete Clemons

When Coventry folk think about Bill Haley, I suspect that, a lot of their thoughts go back to February 1957. It was then that, what seemed like, the entire population of the city attended. If not then they were in the enormous crowd that gathered outside the Gaumont theatre or were with those who filed into Broadgate to get a glimpse of Bill on the Leofric Hotel balcony during his visit to the UK.

But Bill Haley's success did not last. He didn't carry the youthfulness of, for example, Elvis Presley. Or the same charisma. And towards the end of the 1950s the hits had dried up for Bill. And as his popularity in America waned he did make several more visits to the UK, the last of those being in 1974.

During his UK tour of 1974 Bill Haley and the Comets performed several times in the area. And those gigs included visits to the Lanch, Chrysler Social Club and Bedworth Civic Hall where he had Shakin' Stevens and the Sunsets in support.

The Comets on that trip to the UK were Nick Nastos on lead guitar, Rudy Pompilli on tenor sax, Ray Parsons rhythm guitar and Freddie Moore on drums. Strangely the stage gear included orange hi-vis jackets and black trousers. Bill Haley wore a white jacket.

Incidentally, Rudy Pompilli passed away soon after this 1974 tour with lung cancer. Although not a smoker himself it is thought that Rudy contracted the disease through secondary smoking. Smoking had been common place in theatres, and other public spaces, for years.

When the band took to the stage the 'teds' shot to the front of the dance floor to be as close as they could to their idol. As for Bill well he looked just as he had done almost 20 years previously. Despite several musical revolutions during that time he looked relatively unscathed.

The old hits rolled and the youthful Comets rocked in authentic style. 'Shake, Rattle and Roll', 'Razzle Dazzle', 'See You Later Alligator', 'The Saints Rock and Roll', 'Rip it Up', 'Johnny Be Goode', 'Hail Hail Rock and Roll' and his anthem 'Rock Around the Clock' were all there. The latter, however, sounding a little jaded and like a worn out 45. In fact the whole event felt like that worn out cardigan that your Dad really loves and refuses to wear anything else – worn out but familiar.

By the end of it all though the sweat was pouring. Despite that Bill and the boys returned to the stage for an encore of 'Rock This Joint'. Bill Haley had come to terms with these twilight years admirably and was still playing rock and roll the way it used to be. It was still there for anyone that would listen.

The Queen and Coventry

 

The Queen and Coventry

'I am a dull and simple lad, cannot tell water from champagne, and I have never met the Queen'  wrote Ray Davies of The Kinks and sang by both Ray and Paul Weller.

Those lyrics have always resonated with me as I too have never met the Queen. And my life is relatively simple. Yet, like many. The Queen's passing has still shocked me.

If you agree with monarchy or not, as a person, you cannot, I think, criticise the Queen for her devotion to service and dedication to her duties. The lady will without doubt be remembered for all time.

Another aspect of my simple life is how I somehow tend to turn every event into something music related. And it struck me that the Queen's entire 70 year reign covered the whole gambit of rock n roll.

The Queen also visited Coventry on many occasions. Whether it be for a service at Coventry Cathedral, an official opening, a visit to a working men's club or visiting the Royal Show at Stoneleigh here are dates for when The Queen visited the area and what was happening in our musical world that day.

This is not a definitive list of dates just those I managed to find. There may be others.

May 22 1948 - Princess Elizabeth visits Coventry Cathedral – I cant find anything specific for that date but Arthur Askey had recently appeared at what was then The Hippodrome Theatre, later known as Coventry Theatre

March 23 1956 – Arthur Willis Broadcasting Orchestra appeared at The Rialto

May 25 and 26 1962 – Len Baldwin's Dauphine Street Six at the Mercers Arms / Terry King and the Saints at The Matrix Ballroom

July 5 1963 – Tony Martin and the Echo Four at the Heath Hotel

June 30 1970 – The State Three at The Smithfield Hotel

July 7 1972 – The Sun at the West End Club

July 27 1977 – Chris Tarrant and the Tiswas Team appear at Tiffany's

July 12 1981 – Nick Dowe at The Burnt Post folk club

November 13 1986 – The Travelling Riverside Blues Band at the Sir Colin Campbell

March 25 and 26 1988 – Doc Mustard at Stoke Green Community Centre / Some Kinda Earthquake at the General Wolfe

July 5 1989 – The Jolly Dwarfs The Bulls Head on the Binley Road

December 8 1994 – Tim James at The Broomfield Tavern

April 13 1995 – The Hamsters at The General Wolfe

July 3 2002 – Paul Downes at the White Lion Folk Club

March 4 2011 – Moonbears at Taylor Johns House

Hopefully the above list revives a few memories of venues that no longer exist.

Such was her stature The Queen's death was felt so keenly around the world. We now enter a whole new era and life moves on.

Finally, further to Ray Davies lyric - I don't ever expect to meet the King either. Although I do wish him well in all he does.

A Million Things – Shiloh Clarke and friends

A Million Things – Shiloh Clarke and friends

by Pete Clemons

It's fair to say that it has been a good while since some of the protagonists involved with this song have had a bona fide hit single. Yes they have had their fair share of success over the years. And they have traded on those past glories, very successfully. More recently they have produced some very fine new music. But in terms of chart success that new music has not hit the heights of past achievements. 

Movies have been made about veteran artists having an amazing swansong in an already successful career. And here it could be for real. Start with a trio of the 2 tone genre's all-time greats: Neol Davies (The Selecter) on guitar, Horace Panter (The Specials) bass, and drummer Charley ‘Aitch’ Bembridge (The Selecter). Completing the roster is Andy 'Shiloh' Clarke, arguably one of the finest voices around these parts. Finally a lyric writer of some prowess, namely Leigh Malin, possibly more well known for his saxophone playing. It really does feel like something of a dream team has emerged. And it doesn't end there. Grammy award winning producer Roger Lomas has sprinkled his magic into the mix by giving the song the most powerful of openings. Add these ingredients together and I hear no reason why 'A Million Things' should not repeat those past successes and hit those heady heights once more. Shiloh Clarke is a Coventry born reggae stalwart. 

From his Spotify page Shiloh has 'mastered the art of creating good vibe melodies that are intact with reggae's roots for considering the environment'. Shiloh has had considerable success recently with his own song 'Freedom Will Reign'. Leigh Malin, in his own words has 'been around a bit so far as performing and recording goes. I’ve played on two of 'The Specials albums', two Lee 'Scratch' Perry albums, one of which won the Grammy award in the reggae category (Jamaican E.T) in 2002 and the final album of Manchester band Puressence, amongst others. In terms of performing, I’ve played with The Selecter, The Beat, The Specials, Hazel O’Connor, Carleen Anderson, Dave & Ansell Collins, Judy Collins, Carol Decker, Brian Eno, UB40 and too many others to remember'. Interestingly Leigh also mentions that 'I’ve noticed in recent years, there’s quite a lot of anger and aggression in the lyrics of songs that play on daytime radio. 

I associate hearing music more with positive feelings, although that's not to say lyrics shouldn’t project a serious message'. 'A Million Things' was initially written 12 or so years ago. Despite the misgivings of his wife who loved the words the lyrics were shelved by Leigh. The song, it seems, was always intended to have a reggae vibe to it. And it was Shiloh Clarke, who Leigh has known and worked with since the early 1990s, that encouraged Leigh to work up a demo of the song. After writing and performing for many years any success for 'A Million Things' will hopefully give Leigh the confidence to continue writing and for him to maybe delve deeper into his back catalogue of lyrics. Also adding their talents to 'A Million Things' are Tony Mullins (of UB40) on keys, Shiloh's sister - Sofia Jones - on vocals, James Morgan on steel pan, Steve Holdway Trombone and Paul Daleman on Trumpet. 

When asked, Shiloh Clarke said that 'he heard the potential in the tune. He heard something in it and was attracted to it. He tweaked the lyric slightly particularly on the second verse'. As with 'Freedom Will Reign', that featured Neville Staple and tackles climate change, Shiloh wants to highlight the issues of the world right now. At the same time Shiloh recognised that there was a distinctive Coventry sound and really wanted to recreate it. To do that he had to engage musicians that had created that sound originally. But he wanted to incorporate the lyrics of today. Shiloh's vision is to create that unique Coventry Sound but flourish it with modern lyrics that attempt to highlight what he sees as the current issues within the world today. In doing so, something truly special has happened here. 

I do not say this lightly but, for me genuinely, given the right exposure, this song has massive hit written all over it. If there is such a thing as The Coventry Sound then the complete package has been, quite brilliantly, captured here. As I write these notes I do not know in what formats, or from where, 'A Million Things' will be released to download but it will be available from September 23rd.

Freedom Will Reign (Official Video) By Shiloh Clarke