Splines

 SPLINES

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From Hobo (Coventry Music and Arts Magazine) 1974

SPLINES

"A Jazz- rock unit doing Keith Jarret, Osibisa, Mike Gibbs as well as original material. Featuring John Rogers on bongos / percussion / Gil Monks - Barritone, Tenor, alto, flute, clarinet; Brian Johnson - Trombone; Graham Dent (Ex Wave), guitar; Baz Andruszko on bass.

 

And again from Hobo

"SPLINES
A unit playing a varied repertoire of Jazz music, swing, Jazz, Cuban, rock material. Material consist of numbers by Keith Jarret; Osibisa; Mike Gibbs plus their own material. In the band we find John Rogers bongos and percussion; Baz Andruszko on bass guitar; Gils Monks - Barritone / Tenor / Alto / Flute / Alto Flute / Clarinet; Brian Johnson on Trombone; Graham Dent (ex Wave) on guitar. The band can be seen at the MERCIA every Thurs evening."

In Hobo magazine we cited Fergie Maynard (ex Sid Lawrence Orchestra) as the drummer but Fergie has clarified that he didn't play for Splines

Comment from Fergie Maynard - "Fergie Maynard here. Although I have worked with the great latin percussionist John Rogers when I had my orchestra in Coventry Warwickshire. I did not work with SPLINES so the real drummer should take the credit. These days I would only work for MIRAMAX with Gwyneth Paltrow Albert Finney Mathew Modine"

So not sure who the drummer was with this band.

Squad

 SQUAD

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1977 - 1981

Coventry punk band is the band that Terry Hall came from when he later joined The Coventry Automatics (later called The Specials).

Line up - There were a lot of changes!

Terry Hall - Vocals (Later of The Specials). 

Replaced by Gus Chambers - Vocals (later of 21 Guns)

Danny Cunningham - Guitar

Mark Hatwood - Drums (at some point). Billy Little - replaced by Rob Hill - replaced by Steve Young

Scully - Guitar

Sam McNulty - Bass, replaced by Nigel Mulvey - Bass (Nigel later in The Urge.)

Johnny Adams - Guitar (Ex Fission and many other bands)

Steve Young - Drums

Above, Squad with Gus Chambers on on vocals and Johnny Adams guitar.

Singles 

Millionaire / Brockhill boys / Red alert / £8 a week

As far as I know the songs are Ady Dix compositions.

1st single Red Alert and £8 a Week. The singles were recorded after Terry Hall left but he has i believe a writing credit on Red Alert. " So many line up changes meant 6 months after releasing the two singles none of the original band remained"

 http://www.punk77.co.uk/groups/squad.htm

Johnny Adams says of the last line up of Squad with Johnny, Nigel Mulgrave, Steve Young, Gus Chambers - "John Adams - we done the best recording in Leamington Spa.. I had one copy..borrowed it to someone year's ago..never seen or heard it since..I don't know if the others guys have a copy..about 4 or 5 tracks..one of the tracks is one of mine..Different age, Different World..love to hear it again..probably the best Squad ever sounded"

Singles below on youtube - more details about the recordings are here https://www.discogs.com/artist/350553-Squad-3

Red Alert 1978 above.

Eight Pound a Week 1978, above. Was covered by the Last Resort.

2nd Single 1979 Millionaire / Brockhill Boys

Millionaire 1979

Brock Hill Boys - above.

The Flasher - Squad - from the Sent from Coventry album 1979. I think Ady Dix was one of the composers of this.

About the band

Pete Chambers from his article in the Coventry Telegraph 18th Nov 2014 - a tribute to Gus Chambers.

" Just over six years ago Coventry and the world of music lost one of its most colourful and charismatic figures, Mr Gus ‘Gary’ Chambers.

He will always be remembered for his days in Squad. So we take a look back at this top Coventry punk band.

If you’re talking Cov and punk then you’re talking Squad. Without doubt they were the finest punk band that ever came from this beloved City of ours.

They began their life in the posturing safety-pin clad mid 70s. With a certain Terry Hall on vocals, Danny Cunningham guitar, Billy Little drums and Sam McNulty on bass.

Hall, who was never really cut out for a life of punk, left to join a band called The Specials (whatever became of them?).


He was replaced by the great Gus Chambers. Now Gus was cut out to be a punk, after seeing Roddy Radiation and the Wild Boys he was hooked.

Squad’s rock 'n' roll punk style was the kind of dish most punters in the late 70s were looking for. If you didn’t move at least a little at a Squad gig then you must have reached your sell-by date some years previous. It was always sweaty, loud and enthusiastic with some great laughs thrown in.

The line-up changed constantly, with the band effectively becoming a training ground for Cov musicians. Danny Cunningham would leave and form The Ramrods/ Major 5/Gdansk.

Their drummers would include Mark Hatwood, Rob Hill and Steve Young. Guitarists included Jim Scully (from local band 1984) and Johnny Adams (from the bands The Blue Jays, RU21, Fission, and Don’t Talk Wet).

With Nigel Mulvey then Nick Edwards replacing Sam McNulty on bass, Sam eventually ended up with The Giraffes.

Vocalist Gus looked at all the line-up changes like this, "Coventry was a hotbed of talent in the late 70s, early 80s, some cutting-edge bands were formed, so it was hard to keep good musicians in your own band".

They released two singles in their illustrious career, 'Millionaire' (where they were hanging out with The Radford Boys) and 'Red Alert' with the rather wonderful '£8 a Week' on the other side. They also got onto 'The Sent From Coventry' compilation with the song 'Flasher'.

The singles also appear on The Anagram album Punk Rock Rarities Vol 2. Songs you were likely to hear at their gigs included Brockhill Boys (Millionaire’s other side), 'Son Of Sam', 'We Understand' and 'Bag On Your Head'.

They knew how to play the crowd. I will always remember them singing 'The Bells are Ringing For Me and My Girl' at The Market Tavern.

Whatever the song though, whatever the venue, be it The Heath Hotel, The Hand and Heart, The Domino or Mr George’s, you knew they would always come up with the goods, great times.

Of course it wasn’t all fun in those days, punk rockers despite the fact that most of them were decent friendly people, were stigmatised because of how they looked.

One incident Gus recalled happened in Birmingham after a Boomtown Rats gig.

"We were sitting in this club with a couple of band members, when in burst a guy with a huge kitchen knife screaming all punks must die because they had killed Elvis Presley.

"No one was hurt but it shows what a negative role the media played in it’s portrayal of punks.

"There were however some positives in that time" Gus says. "The race barriers was smashed down during this period and there was nothing stronger than a united front".

As the last pangs of punk rebellion began to die in the city, Squad members moved on, as for Gus well he joined 21 Guns, who released the single 'Ambition Rock' on Neville Staples Shack Records.

They’re line-up-included Stuart Maclean, Kev Tanner and former Specials roadies Johnny Rex and Barb’d wires own Trevor Evans, the record failed to sell and the band soon split.

Gus later moved to America and formed Sons of Damnation, finally joining the no-messing high-energy metal band Grip Inc.

They were formed by former Slayer drum-king Dave Lombardo. Releasing three brooding albums in the mid to late 90s ('Power of Inner Strength', 'Nemesis' and 'Solidify') finally coming back with a forth entitled 'Incorporated' in 2004 greeted as a true return to form by the critics.

"I’ve been very lucky in my career," said Gus, "I have had the privilege of playing in front of thousands of people at festivals like Rock in Rio and the Dynamo Festival in Holland.

"Nothing though brings back fonder memories of playing in front of maybe 20 or 30 people in The Hand and Heart or the back room of The Swanswell."

He is very much missed.

..................................................

Articles from Martin Bowes fanzine Alternative Sounds

Spider Murphy

 Spider Murphy

1986

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DV8 Coventry · Days Gone By - Murphy's Law - 1986

"Spider Murphy played the tenor saxophone
Little Joe was blowin' on the slide trombone
The drummer boy from Illinois went crash, boom, bang
The whole rhythm section was the Purple Gang"

Verse from Jailhouse Rock written by Lieber and Stoller

and performed by Elvis Presley 1957 in the film of the same name. 

From Pete Chambers column in the Coventry Observer

Tributes to musician and 'wonderful human' Steve Madden.

"Steve Madden RIP

RIP Steve Madden. I have known Steve from The Spider Murphy/Murphy’s Law days in the 1980s.

Spider Murphy were a blooming great band of the 1980s.

Steve fronted the band, they appeared at Covaid fundraiser for Africa in October ’85 and later rebranded as Murphy’s Law, bagging a place on the Cov compilation album ‘Rhythm Method’ with the classic track ‘Day’s Gone By’.

Once the band split, Steve remained a part of the music industry, mainly part of the bigger picture in London, but often trying out new projects back in Coventry.

He was an incredible musician and a wonderful human being.

Talented more than many could ever know, his latest venture was playing guitar in the Danny Ansell band.

Steve was a supreme songwriter and master guitarist and vocalist. He has truly left a Steve Madden shaped hole in this world of ours.

My thoughts go out to his wonderful family and friends."

SPECTRUM (The Paul Norman Sound)

SPECTRUM (The Paul Norman Sound)

Changed name to The Paul Norman Sound 1968

Resident band at The LOCARNO

 

Dave Jones – Drums
Pete Bowron – Lead
Norman Campbell – 1st Trumpet
Gordon Kelly – Bass
Young Freddy – 2nd Trumpet
? – Sax
? – Organ? – Keyboards

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Special Brew

Special Brew

http://www.specialbrew.info/

Darren - Dan Nothing - Drums
Simon - Stan Duppenskank - Vocals
Jason - Jay Walker - Trombone / Trumpet
Darrell - Rudy Messenger - Guitar
Simon - Herbert Orange -Street
Gemma - Sally Brown - Saxophone
Mark - Harry H Hammond - Keyboards
Andy - Rick Reed - Saxophone

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The Special Beat

The Special Beat

Special Beat is a 2 Tone band founded by members of The Specials and The Beat in the early 1992(to present). The band toured England, Japan and North America, and released some live albums.

The Beat / the Specials - Enjoy Yourself

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Special-Beat-Enjoy-Yourself-DVD/dp/B000HXDLXS

Members - 

Ranking Roger, Graham Hamilton, John Bradbury, Anthony Harty, Horace Panter, Finny, Neville Staple.

From Marco on Bass

" The Special Beat was a touring machine rather than a recording band that opened up things in the US. Nonetheless The Special Beat recorded an album's worth of demo songs that never saw the light day. The tracks have been circulating around for some time and are now available for your listening pleasure. Interestingly the band opted to record covers (including great versions of David Bowie's 'Golden Years' and Mitch Ryder's 'Breakout' that plays to John Bradbury's strength as a soul drummer) though the originals 'What You Thinking?' and 'Rainy Days' are also quite good.

The full Special Beat line-up that recorded these demo tracks included Neville Staple, Ranking Roger & Finny (Vocals), Sean Flowerdew (Keys), Sir Horace Panter (Bass), John Bradbury (Drums), Anthony Harty (Guitar), Graeme Hamilton (Trumpet) & Mark 'Chico' Hamilton (Sax). Both Rico Rodriguez (who solos on 'Time Longer Than Rope') and Saxa also feature as guests on these sessions. Thanks to The Return Of The Liquidator blog for the link."

Track listing:
What You Thinking? (Special Beat)
Better Must Come (Delroy Wilson)
Rainy Days (Special Beat)
Hypocrite (Bob Marley)
Time Longer Than Rope (Prince Buster)
Golden Years (David Bowie)
Breakout (Mitch Ryder & the Detroit Wheels)

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Spaceman 3

 Spaceman 3

Photograph by Greg Neate 2nd March 2009 of Spaceman 3 1989. More photos on Greg's Flicker site below.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/neate_photos/3323034097/

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Spacemen 3 - 'Revolution'

https://www.uncut.co.uk/features/praise-playing-fire-spacemen-3-95697/?fbclid=IwAR1TqJggHRQuH0x2bvJyPgLrbQF6MN36aaH1qQWMu8xYkakFPRNL5v526SQ

Good article here on Spaceman 3

Below from Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spacemen_3 where you can read the whole article. Quite a long and informative essay.

Spacemen 3 were an English alternative rock band, formed in 1982 in Rugby,

Warwickshire, by Peter Kember and Jason Pierce, known respectively under their pseudonyms Sonic Boom and J Spaceman. Their music is known for its brand of "minimalistic psychedelia".Spacemen 3 had their first independent chart hits in 1987, gaining a cult following, and going on to have greater success towards the end of the decade. However, they disbanded shortly afterwards, releasing their final studio album post-split in 1991 after an acrimonious parting of ways.

Kember and Pierce were the only members common to all line-ups of the band. Pierce has enjoyed considerable success with his subsequent project Spiritualized.

The creative and song-writing force throughout Spacemen 3's history were Peter Kember and Jason Pierce. They met at the (now defunct) Rugby Art College on Clifton Road, Rugby, Warwickshire  in autumn 1982, both aged 16, and became close friends. Pierce was in a band called Indian Scalp, but he left them near the end of 1982 in order to collaborate with Kember. The two guitarists recruited drummer Tim Morris, who played with a couple of other bands and had a rehearsal space at his parental home which they used. Shortly afterwards they were joined by an acquaintance, Pete Bain, on bass. Morris and Bain had previously played together in a band called Noise on Independent Street. Pierce handled lead vocal duties. Now a 4-piece, the band originally adopted the name The Spacemen. Their first live performances occurred around winter 1982/83, playing at a party and then at a couple of gigs they managed to get at a local bar; at the latter their set included a 20-minute version of the one-chord song "O.D. Catastrophe".

Music

Spacemen 3 decided to produce a demo tape. In 1984 they made their first studio recordings at the home studio of Dave Sheriff in Rugby. This material – which included early iterations of the songs "Walkin' with Jesus", "Come Down Easy" and "Things'll Never be the Same" – was used for a short demo tape entitled For All The Fucked Up Children Of The World We Give You Spacemen 3. They got a few hundred cassette copies made and produced their own artwork and booklet to accompany it, selling the tapes for £1 at a local record shop. Spacemen 3's music at this stage had a loose, swampy blues feel; some songs included harmonica and slide guitar, and their style sounded akin to The Cramps. These early demo recordings, which Kember later recalled as being "really dreadful",would later be released unofficially in 1995 on the Sympathy for the Record Industry label, thus providing an insight into the band's embryonic sound.

Sonic Boom

Sonic Boom solo project

In late 1988, Peter Kember was already working on new material for post Playing with Fire. His productivity meant he had a surfeit of songs, and he advised his bandmates of his intention to produce a solo album. New indie label Silvertone Records offered Kember a generous one-off album deal which he accepted. Kember finished recordings for his debut solo album and single in March 1989, prior to the commencement of Spacemen 3's European tour. Other members of Spacemen 3, including Pierce, as well as other musicians, had contributed sessions. Release of Kember's solo album (Spectrum) and single – under the moniker of Kember's alias, Sonic Boom – were put on hold in order to avoid a marketing clash with Playing with Fire"

Read more here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spacemen_3

Background information
Origin Rugby, Warwickshire, England
Genres - Space rock / neo-psychedelia
psychedelic rock / alternative rock
blues rock
Years active 1982–1991
Labels Glass, Fire, Dedicated Records, Bomp!
Associated acts

Spiritualized
Spectrum
E.A.R. (Experimental Audio Research)
The Darkside

Past members Peter Kember
Jason Pierce
Tim Morris
Pete Bain
Natty Brooker
Sterling 'Rosco' Roswell
Will Carruthers
Jonny Mattock
Mark Refoy