SWEENY TODD

 

SWEENY TODD

circa 1970-3

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Bob Young (lead vocals and guitar), Colin Young (bass), Nicky Trevisick (drums), Roger Prince (guitar), Baz Andruszko (accordion), roadies - Ricky and Dave.

Later became A Band Called George.

Sweeney Todd was revived in 1992 and recorded an album "A String Of Pearls"

From their former My Space site - 

SWEENEY TODD TO A BAND CALLLED GEORGE


Sweeney Todd was formed by Brothers Bob and Colin Young in Leamington Spa

A band Called George

Warwickshire England in late 1969 early 1970. We got the idea and name Sweeney Todd from the 30s film, starring Todd Slaughter (what a name eh!!)

The first line up of Sweeney Todd consisted of My self (Bob Young) on lead Vox and guitar, Colin on Guitar and backing Vox, John Cirriani on bass and backing Vox and a drummer from Sunderland whose name I'm afraid I cant remember. Sweeney Todd used to rehearse in St Paul's church hall on Friars St Warwick just up the road from The Seven Stars Pub.( I apologize to the neighbours ). We weren't there long; we got chucked out because of the racket we made. 

As Sweeney Todd we had various rehearsal rooms mostly church halls. There were no Garage bands then, and amps were either on or off.

If you wanted that nice loud crunchy guitar sound you had to crank it up to number eleven and the neighbours didn't like it.

So to get to your rehearsal room you also had to have transport as well. We were lucky, my dad gave us an old Bedford minibus. Just for fun we painted it matt black (blackboard paint) with runny blood red SWEENEY TODD letters on the back. The state of this Sweeney Todd van got me stopped by the cops about twice a day 

It wasn't long after this the Sweeney Todd van got swapped for a ford transit van, a dirty grey green one. nice and anonymous apart from the great iron bar and padlocks across the rear doors. This van later blew up on the way to the M6 some where near Birmingham. We were on the way to a gig at the Cavern in Liverpool. We had to hire a car to continue the Journey.

By now the line up of Sweeney Todd consisted of Me on guitar, and kazoo, Colin on Bass, Roger Prince on guitar, harmonica, and mandolin, Fat Bas on accordion and I think Harry Heppingstall on drums. We arrived at the Cavern with only guitars. This was in the days when you took your own PA as well as all the back line. We used another bands gear for the gig. I'm ashamed to say I cant remember who they were. I do remember that they were very good  It all gets very hazy from here on in But, Sweeney Todd were in the famous Cavern, We were on form and feelin' good.  We had a dressing room but apart from Colin who had a pair of cowboy boots we didn't have any stage clothes to dress up in, although Roger did have some Brut aftershave.


We used to frequent a pub in Leamington called the Coventry Arms


The set we were using had the title track SWEENEY TODD in it. All other songs referring to SWEENEY TODD had gradually been dropped and replaced by other stuff of a much gentler nature and somehow the name Sweeney Todd didn't seem to fit what we were doing we weren't a heavy rock band any more.

So in a drunken stupor we decided to change the name Sweeney Todd to something more suitable..Some one produced a matchbox, one of those with the little sayings and proverbs on the back this one was about a young lady trying to find a name for her baby she said to her husband that she would like to call the baby George he said No, every Tom, Dick and Harrys called George. Well we all fell about laughing. From then on we were called A BAND CALLED GEORGE a revolutionary name for the time.

We dropped the SWEENEY TODD songs and changed the complete set and later that year released a single NCB Man on Bell Records (p) Island Music."