The Strange Brew Podcast

One of Britain’s best songwriters, Mark Nevin picks a selection of favourite British tracks from the Sixties and Seventies.

1. The Tornados – Telstar (Single A-side, Decca, 1962)
2. David Bowie – There is a Happy Land (David Bowie, Deram, 1967)
3. Lulu – To Sir With Love (Single A-side, Epic (US), 1967)
4. Barry Ryan – Eloise (Single A-side, MGM, 1968)
5. The Kinks – Wonder Boy (Single A-side, Pye,1968)
6. Gilbert O’Sullivan –Nothing Rhymed (Single A-side, MAM, 1970)
7. Paul and Linda McCartney – Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey (Single A-side, Parlophone, 1971)
8. T.Rex – Jeepster (Single A-side, Fly, 1971)
9. Roxy Music –Virginia Plain (Single A-side, EG, 1972)
10. Alex Harvey Band – Next (Next, Vertigo, 1973)
11. Slade – Coz I Luv You (Single A-side, Polydor, 1971)
12. Cockney Rebel – Judy Teen (Single A-side, EMI, 1974)
13. Mick Ronson – Slaughter on 10^th Avenue (Slaughter on 10^th Avenue, RCA, 1974)
14. Ian Hunter – Once Bitten Twice Shy (Single A-side, CBS, 1975)
15. Ronnie Lane – The Poacher (Single A-side, GM Records, 1974)
16. The Hollies – The Air That I Breathe (Single A-side, Polydor, 1974)
17. Mark Nevin – The Girl On The Motorbike (Stand Beside Me In The Sun, Raresongs, 2011)

Listen to Mark “playing” his life. Travel back to the time of the moon landing, Saturday morning Top Rank discos, 7-inch’s , and shag-pile carpets. Grab your large seventies headphones now!

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Jason Barnard of the Strange Brew Podcast talks to Patrick Campbell-Lyons, one half of psychedelic pioneers Nirvana.

A legendary sixties figure, Patrick tells the Strange Brew of his early days to his time in Nirvana, the first group to be released on Island Records and the first to produce a rock-opera with ”The Story of Simon Simopath” LP. They produced some truly magical material including the “Tiny Goddess” and “Pentecost Hotel” singles and a string of peerless albums including “All Of Us” and “Black Flower”.

Patrick has continued to produce a range of great material, and tells of his recent successful book Psychedelic Days. With a forthcoming Nirvana release and one of the hottest British bands sampling “Rainbow Chaser” it’s a great time to meet up:

http://thestrangebrew.co.uk/articles/patrick-campbell-lyons-nirvana

By Nick Warburton

Not to be confused with the 1960s US R&B band that recorded a pair of singles for the Round Sound and Cameo labels (the first co-written by a pre-Velvet Underground Lou Reed and John Cale) nor the 1960s Liverpool beat group of the same name, The All Night Workers/The All Nite Workers was a name used by a bunch of West London musicians for a series of interrelated bands that spanned the years 1965-1972. 

Considering that around 30 musicians passed through the different versions of The All Night Workers/The All Nite Workers, the band’s history is almost impossible to pin down with complete accuracy, so the Strange Brew would welcome any further information to fill in the gaps.

In the first part of an exhaustive history, Nick Warburton tells the story of one of West London’s long forgotten bands:

http://thestrangebrew.co.uk/articles/the-all-night-workers-part-1

By Dominic Picksley

Just one of many bands to have grabbed a small slice of the 60s action, The Summer Set are now a mere footnote in the annals of UK pop. Despite possessing swashbuckling surf-styled harmonies, mod sensibilities and a freakbeat undertone, the group were never destined to emerge from the shadows and their tale is one of missed opportunities, bad luck and personality clashes that ultimately brought about their demise.

Remembered as one of the UK’s leading ‘surf’ groups, which in swinging mid-60s London may have turned off the scene’s hipsters, they were a favourite of Keith Moon and rubbed shoulders with some of the best in the business. But the passage of time has not been kind to The Summer Set and their legacy has been widely forgotten. 

They deserve recognition, though, for their ‘cult classic’ 1966 single and while they did not leave behind a huge body of work, they nonetheless stood out from the crowd due to their triumvirate amalgamation of surf, mod and freakbeat, which resulted in some unique-sounding records that have stood the test of time. 

Chart action and big-time fame eluded the short-lived Summer Set, despite being mainstays of the famous Marquee club, having a regular slot on a BBC pop show, performing in front of thousands at a huge rock festival and taking inspiration from The Beach Boys. Two of their members, though, rose out of the ashes of the surf group to hit the big time in the 70s, with Cliff Richard and the Eurovision Song Contest key stop-off points in the history of the band.

The Summer Set story, the full warts-and-all version, is told by Dominic Picksley and he is helped along the way by former band members Rocky Browne, Vic Gillam and Dave Green:

http://thestrangebrew.co.uk/articles/the-summer-set-part-1

In the second of a two-part series profiling US Midwest folk-rock singer/songwriters Brewer & Shipley, Nick Warburton talks to Tom Shipley about his formative years and the recording of the duo’s debut album Down In LA.

Read the second half of this revealing story behind the recording of this classic album:

http://thestrangebrew.co.uk/articles/down-in-la-the-brewer-and-shipley-interview-part-2

Listen to an extra special Strange Brew Podcast with Kaleidoscope/Fairfield Parlour’s lead singer Peter Daltrey. The show features Peter’s greatest songs and influences encompassing covers, rare demos, collaborations and solo tracks.

1. Kaleidoscope – Flight from Ashiya (Single A-side, Fontana, 1967)
2. The Who – I Can’t Explain (Single A-side, Brunswick, 1964)
3. The Sidekicks (Kaleidoscope) – I’m Looking for a Woman (The Sidekicks Sessions, Alchemy, 2003 rec c1965)
4. The Beatles – Eight Days a Week (Beatles for Sale, Parlophone, 1964)
5. Kaleidoscope –Holiday Maker (Single B-side to Flight from Ashiya, Fontana, 1967)
6. Formula V – Jenny Artichoke (Single A-side, Philips, 1970)
7. Donovan – Jennifer Juniper (Single A-side, Pye, 1968)
8. Kaleidoscope – Snapdragon (Faintly Blowing, Fontana, 1969)
9. Cerebral Corps – Music (Attributed To, Alias, 1992)
10. Fairfield Parlour – Bordeaux Rose (Single A-side, Vertigo, 1970)
11. Fairfield Parlour – Aires (From Home to Home, Vertigo, 1970)
12. I Luv Wight – Let the World Wash In (Single A-side, Philips, 1970)
13. Kaleidoscope – Epitaph: Angel (White-faced Lady, Kaleidoscope Records, 1991 rec 1971)
14. Peter Daltrey and Aeryon – In the Room of Percussion (King of Thieves: The Best of Peter Daltrey Volume 2, GRA Records, 2011)
15. Peter Daltrey – Wild Roses (King of Thieves: The Best of Peter Daltrey Volume 2, GRA Records, 2011)
16. Peter Daltrey – Tambourine Days (Tambourine Days, Chelsea Records, 2000)

Hear the story of the world’s favourite lost band! 

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