Hokus Poke - rare interview - The Strange Brew

Hokus Poke’s 1971 LP ‘Earth Harmony’ has an impeccable pedigree. Recorded at George Martin’s AIR Studios, it was originally released on Vertigo with a die-cut sleeve featuring photos by John Kelly, who also worked on the Beatles White Album sleeve. To match this was a unique mix of blues, hard rock and Americana. However, soon after they broke up. As Sommor Records reissue this sought after album Jason Barnard speaks to drummer Jonnie Miles, and bassist Smith Campbell, to hear about Hokus Poke’s story.

So how did Hokus Poke form?

Jonnie: I had been in a band called Earth in Kilmarnock, Scotland. We played blues rock – not to be confused with the pre-Black Sabbath group. I moved to London at the age of 18 and met the other members, the first being Clive Blenkhorn, who became our main songwriter and singer. He was from the north of England, an intense person and became a good friend. Our bass player was fellow Scotsman Smith Campbell plus guitarist Roger Clarke who was from London.

Why did you choose the band name Hokus Poke?

Jonnie: I came up with Hokus Pokus then Roger suggested we use Poke as we were a rock band. We all felt that worked well because ‘poke’ was also a fast car and an amplifier.

What other artists inspired you at the time?

Smith: We all listened to US rock music like Leslie West and Mountain. Clive was into blues and my early influences were rock and roll like Chuck Berry.

Jonnie: As well as hard rock I liked Stax and Motown too. I preferred the sound of American records, our song ‘Time and Space’ is a good example of the stripped-down groove I was aiming for. We recorded that before going in to Air Studios.

How did you meet up with Kenny Lynch, and what role did he play in supporting the group?

Smith: We met Kenny Lynch in Greyhound Pub in Fulham Road at one of our gigs. Kenny was likeable and funny. He had no airs and graces as such but he liked rock bands, he had recorded the Small Faces and others. He was encouraging but never took any active part in rehearsal or writing or management. He did however sign us up to his Specs Music Company, arranged our record deal with Vertigo and booked Air Studios.

What was it like recording at AIR Studios and did you meet George Martin?

Smith: It was a fantastic experience. The material was mostly self produced. Most of the guitars was Roger and Clive, with Jonnie and me working on the rhythm section.There was no digital then. It was still reel to reel tape machines so the music was more human and less robotic. One day we got to meet George Martin. He was a very nice person who was kindly helpful and encouraging.

Did you have much of a role in influencing the design of the Earth Harmony LP?

Smith: The design cover for our album sleeve was done by an old friend John Kelly. He took the pictures at Kenny Lynch’s house. John did a lot of fashion and pop rock photography. John took some pictures for the Beatles White Album plus other names like Donovan, Humble Pie and Mary Hopkin.

Looking back, what do you think about the album?

Jonnie: We had an amazing experience recording it. We thought it was going to be a hit.

Smith: I seem to remember being unhappy at the time as I felt the album should have sounded heavier but not until later did I begin to enjoy it. I thought the mix was good for the time the drums sounded well but the bass was too far back and not tight with the drums. The guitars I thought were very clean and worked well together on the harmony lines. My favourite tracks were ‘Living in Harmony’ and ‘The Poke’.

Do you think you got enough support from the label? Did that lead to the split?

Jonnie: We were playing pubs and clubs and the audiences liked us. But unfortunately, the label seemed to spend more money on recording the album than promoting it.

Smith: It was always a regret of mine that we were not afforded more support from Specs Music or the label. When the album was released there was going to be a launch party, but due to Specs Music being short of funds at the time it never materialised. We seemed to be on an uphill struggle with no one around to push us on. We still had bills to pay and I think we became disillusioned. That would be the main reason for the band splitting up as I see it.