February 2000 Back Issue
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Feb. 2000 - Issue 5
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Editor's Note

Ever Heard Of . . .
Obscure Band Feature:
Episode Six

Golden Nugget
How Much is it Worth?
Collectors feature:
Gong & David Bowie

Led Zeppelin Plays
The Fillmore East 
New York City welcomes Led Zeppelin for a two night stint

Picture This . . .
Keith Richards' country
home is raided by police

Lyrics, Quirks &
Questions
Test your Rock & Roll
knowledge and WIN!
Print Giveaway: Beatles

Our Resident Hippy Remembers . . .
Real life stories from
the 60s and 70s.
Subcriber Contribution
Thanks Raul!

Rock & Roll Heaven
New Addition:
Procol Harum Drummer
BJ Wilson

With their repertoire of Top 40 hits, the band had no trouble finding live work in the popular dance halls and clubs in and around London in the mid-sixties. They were also known to supplement their income by working the odd wedding gig too. Following in the footsteps of The Beatles and gaining experience playing clubs in Hamburg, the band improved musically but failed to develop a unique style or catch the ear of the hip crowds of the time. After a month long stint at a club in Germany, lead singer Andy Ross quit, replaced by a nineteen-year old Londoner by the name of Ian Gillan.

After being signed by Pye Records in November 1965, four successive singles were released in 1966. Their first release, "Put Yourself In My Place" displayed an early Beatles influence, while the flipside was a catchy Glover original titled "That's All I Want". After covering an old Tokens song for their follow-up "I Hear Trumpets Blow" b/w another original "True Love Is Funny That Way", the band decided to cover a Beatles song for their next single. They chose to rework The Beatles' "Here There And Everywhere", and added another Glover original, "Mighty Morris Ten", as the B-side. Although not drastically different from the original, it stands out as a solid re-working. Without much success with their previous efforts, a temporary name and style change was attempted for their fourth single. It was credited as "Sheila Clarke and Episode Six" and was a real crooner that oozed sap and did nothing to further the band's career.

They recovered very well to start off 1967 with, "Love, Hate, Revenge" b/w "Baby, Baby, Baby". With many of Britain's top bands experimenting with the sitar and other eastern influences, Episode Six used both very effectively and this single is regarded by many as their best. Once again their hit-and-miss output continued, as their next two single releases in mid '67 died shortly after their release.

They capped off the year with a stand out psych-pop tune titled "I Can See Through You", this time riding the "flower-power" craze which was in full bloom at the time. Written by Roger Glover if featured layered vocal harmonies and was backed with a healthy sprinkling of psychedelic touches. Ian Gillan seems to hit his stride here and contributes a mighty vocal performance, demonstrating what he was capable of and would later achieve when Deep Purple came knocking after the departure of Rod Evans. Although a great song, it was eclipsed by the recent release of The Beatles' "Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" which still had the music world buzzing since its release in June 1967.

After a falling out with their record company over the promotion and distribution of what the band thought was a sure fire hit, Episode Six left Pye and signed with MGM in February 1968. The relationship with MGM lasted just one single and after dismal sales of "Little One" b/w "Wide Smiles", the band was dropped in May.

In yet another effort to capture mainstream attention, a further departure in style was attempted in the summer of '68. As brass instruments began to successfully mix with rock and roll around this time, the band adopted a very brass heavy approach for their next single "Lucky Sunday", this time for Chapter One/ Decca Records. The B-side of this single, "Mr. Universe" is of note to collectors as it marks the first recorded Ian Gillan composition. Episode Six released their final single in March 1969 and folded shortly thereafter.

Gillan and Glover both left to join Deep Purple in July 1969.

Led Zeppelin Plays The Fillmore East
February 1-2, 1969
New York -  After causing a stir on the West Coast on January 9, 10 & 11^th (on an unlikely bill that saw them opening for Country Joe And The Fish at the Fillmore West) British hard rock group Led Zeppelin floated into New York City last night with hopes of winning favor on the East Coast with a two-night stint at The Fillmore East. Reaction to the group's first album, released in the U.S. on January 17^th, has covered the broadest spectrum, ranging from lavish praise to full-fledged disdain. Toronto's Globe and Mail entertainment editor Ritchie Yorke said in his recent review, "It's the best debut album by any group since Hendrix's 'Are You Experienced'".

However, other notable critics are not quite as quick to shower such adulation on the hard rocking foursome. Rolling Stone Magazine's John Mendelsohn wrote recently in response to the band's first release, "It would seem that if they're to fill the void created by Cream, they will have to find a producer, editor and some material worthy of their collective talents."

Prior to show time, it seems a mini-musical crisis of sorts was unfolding backstage. The triple-band ticket was to have Led Zeppelin take the stage first, followed by Delaney and Bonnie and then headliners Iron Butterfly, who are still flying high with their monster hit "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida". It seems that Led Zeppelin manager Peter Grant (whose past managing credits include The Animals and the recently disbanded Yardbirds) called on an old favor from Fillmore owner/director Bill Graham, successfully asking for the order to be changed so as to have Zeppelin perform back-to-back with the main act.

Butterfly's vocalist/keyboardist Doug Ingle and guitarist Erik Braunn objected so fervently that they threatened to pull out of the show altogether. It seems that they've been a little unnerved by Led Zeppelin's quickly earned reputation as an incredibly tough act to follow (a previous show in Boston had the band forced to return until their short repertoire was drained by encores).

Backstage theatrics aside, Led Zeppelin hit the stage at exactly 7:30pm. and made the most of their scheduled 30-minute set, with only brief breaks between tunes for quick song introductions. The band borrows heavily on Blues influences as evidenced in yesterday's performance showcasing some blistering re-workings of old standards such as Willie Dixon's "I Can't Quit You Baby" and "You Shook Me". The band employs deafening volume and copious amounts of reverb and distortion to give the covers their own unique signature.

Former Yardbirds guitarist and Zep founder Jimmy Page provided savage guitar work firing off explosive solos throughout last night's show. Twenty year old Robert Plant, a relative unknown before being discovered by Page, compliments the band's ferocious sound with seething vocals, often imitating Page's guitar sounds with moans and groans of his own. The group is anchored with a solid rhythym section that's fuelled by yet another twenty-year-old, drummer John Bonham, whose style resembles a cross between The Who's Keith Moon and Cream's Ginger Baker. Rounding out the foursome is bassist John Paul Jones, a seasoned session musician who first met Page while working together on Donovan's "Hurdy Gurdy Man" album.

Further highlights of the evening came near the end of their set with a self-penned number called "Dazed and Confused" that saw Page thrashing a violin bow against the full fretboard of his Gibson Les Paul (a trick leftover from his Yardbird days). An eight minute version of "How Many More Times", another original from their debut album, capped off Zeppelin's set. The song started with some superb "wah-wah" work courtesy of Page that then erupted into an unrelenting guitar riff propelled by some impressive drum work by Bonham.

Judging by the sold-out crowd's ovation, Led Zeppelin had definitely succeeded in winning over more than a few new fans. Iron Butterfly had their work cut out for them, Zeppelin proving to all that they were indeed a tough act to follow. Perhaps the pre-show dramatics were justified after all.

Ed's note- Following their first American tour, sales of Led Zeppelin 1 mushroomed (some serious promotions by Atlantic Records didn't hurt the cause either). A month after its American release, the album entered the Billboard charts at #99 and quickly rose to #40 and then to #28. By the time May 1969 rolled around, it had reached the #10 position and would eventually spend 73 consecutive weeks in the top 100. The tour was a success on all fronts.

June Harris wrote in The New Musical express, "The biggest happening of the 1969 heavy rock scene is Led Zeppelin! The reaction to the group's first tour here, currently in process, has not only been incredible, it's been nothing short of sensational."

Picture this... It was a busy start to the year for The Rolling Stones. Their "outrageous" and anti-establishment behavior continued to garner them front-page headlines over and over again. They began capturing ink space after their performance on the Ed Sullivan show on January 15^th as Jagger had to tone down the risqué-for-the-times lyrics on "Let's Spend The Night Together" to satisfy the conservative host who was afraid of "corrupting his young audience". January 22^nd found The Stones back in England, performing on ITV's "Sunday Night At The London Palladium", a variety show that was popular throughout the U.K. at the time. In true Stones fashion, and at Jagger's prompting, the group refused to stand with the other artists and wave to the audience at the show's finale. The Stones gave everyone a hearty one-finger salute. The public was outraged, the affront making headlines in the major U.K. dailies. Such was the state of affairs for the Stones in early '67. Jagger once said in the early days, "We thrive on negative publicity"; Stones manager Andrew Oldham, himself initially responsible for establishing the Stones as the "nasty counterparts to the Beatles" said, "for the Stones, bad news is good news". They were to get plenty of both within weeks.

The story behind the now infamous "Redlands" bust, named so after Keith's 15^th century country home, had its beginnings with a February 5^th article that ran in the U.K. tabloid The News Of The World. It was the second of a five-part series detailing the drug habits of England's pop stars. The headline that morning screamed, "Pop Stars and Drugs - Facts That Will Shock You!" In true tabloid fashion, the article was a sensational and exaggerated "exposé" about the Moody Blues and their hosting of the "Roehampton Raves", LSD parties that boasted the attendance of Pete Townshend and Ginger Baker. Experienced in stretching the truth for the ultimate dramatic effect, the article was laced with generous mentions of LSD and cannabis, with hot-button words like "teenage sex" and "orgies" peppered throughout the article.

While "researching" the article, a drunken Brian Jones was interviewed at the Blases nightclub in London. Jones was notorious for his frank ramblings and certainly wasn't shy about sharing his adventures with sex and drugs. "I remember the first time I took it (LSD). It was on our tour with Bo Diddley and Little Richard". The article went on to report, "while we were at The Blases in Kensington, London, Jagger took about six full benzedrine tablets saying, 'I just wouldn't stay awake in places like this if I didn't have them'. Later at Blases, Jagger showed a companion and two girls a small piece of hash and invited them to his flat for a smoke".

The problem with the quote was that it was erroneously credited to Mick Jagger.

Jagger could not differ more from Jones, as he was always very careful about disclosing anything about his drug use. When informed of the article and misquote, Jagger was enraged and quickly released the following statement, "I am shocked that a responsible newspaper like the News Of The World can publish such a defamatory article about me. I want to make it quite clear that this picture of me is misleading and untrue, and therefore the only way left for me to prevent this libel being repeated is for me to ask my lawyer to take legal action in the High Court immediately".

The News Of The World now had a score to settle.

Saturday February 11^th saw The Stones convene at Olympic Studios in downtown London as work continued on the sessions that would evolve into the album "Their Satanic Majesties Request". Around 10pm things wrapped up and at Keith Richards' suggestion everyone was invited to his home in Sussex for a post-session party. While Charlie Watts and Bill Wyman declined the invitation, a convoy of cars carrying nine people sped off to Redlands. The group included Mick Jagger, Marianne Faithfull, art-gallery owner Robert Fraser, a Moroccan servant named Ali, a hippie hanger on and one David Schneiderman, who was referred to by most as Acid-King-David after his seemingly limitless supply of acid and other mood enhancing accessories.

The party began shortly after their arrival, food was served, but things remained relatively quiet as most of the early morning hours of February 12^th were spent listening to Dylan records and chatting with George and Pattie Harrison. Shortly after 5:30am the Harrisons departed and everyone retired for the evening.

According to Bill Wyman's book, "Stone Alone", "Schneiderman's contribution to the weekend had been a briefcase packed with sophisticated narcotics. He woke up most of the guests at 11:00am with cups of tea and 'white lightening', a hallucinogenic drug that had the effect of LSD but was slightly less powerful."

Needless to say, the morning got off to a flying start and ushered in what Keith Richards would later refer to as a "day of tripping." While others in the secluded village spent their mornings at church, the party of nine engaged in their own brand of spiritual enlightenment. They frittered about quite leisurely, spending time at the local beach, then taking a bit of a tour through the quaint village. Keith, elegantly wasted, strolled the beach and the quiet, cobble stoned streets of the village in dark sunglasses and an Afghan fur coat.

As the evening drew on, everyone reconvened at Keith's house. Keith picks up the story, "everyone is just sort of gliding down from the whole day of sort of freaking about. Everyone has managed to find their way back to the house. TV is on with the sound off and the record player is blaring. Strobe lights are flickering. Marianne Faithfull has just decided that she wanted a bath and has wrapped herself up in a rug and is watching the box".

This is when the merriment really begins to roll. The briefcase containing the chemical enhancements was brought out, everyone indulging freely in the latest, most exotic pharmaceuticals. As everyone's senses were heightened and records continued to blast the latest Dylan and Who albums, joints began to fly around the room. As the sweet herbal aroma wafted through the air, sticks of incense were lit adding to the room's fragrance. Everyone was having fun, but unbeknownst to Jagger, Richards and the rest of this unlikely, motley bunch, a phone call had been made to the police reporting exactly what was going on. Keith theorized in a later interview that an insider was at work, "The News Of The World got hold of someone who was working for us. I think it was the cat that was driving me at the time. They knew we were going to be down there at a party".

At 7:30pm the party was in full swing. Incense continued to burn, barely masking the other scents that had by now taken over the room. While the party continued to get louder, its participants more spaced out, the police had obtained a search warrant and prepared for a full-scale raid on Redlands. Meanwhile, Marianne Faithfull is still draped only in the bear skin rug.

At 7:55pm, nineteen (!) officers arrived at the door of Keith's home, knocking hard and furious on the huge oak door that had, up until now, kept the revelry a private affair. Keith picks up the story as he recalled it in an interview in 1968 " Bang, bang bang, this big knock on the door and I go to answer it."

As Keith looks outside, he sees what he thought was an autograph-seeking fan. It turned out to be a policewoman peering through the window.

The police knocks became louder and more frenzied. Keith however, is still oblivious to what's about to happen. He refused to open the door, but took another look outside, "Oh look , there's lots of little ladies and gentleman outside".

Keith still has no clue who's waiting outside. Keith picks up the story again, "They're yelling at me, 'read this, read this and I'm, like, 'wha, wha? All right. "

Keith finally opens the door and the parade of officers, three of which are females, begin to file in.

Keith continues the story, "After a 12 hour trip, you know how that freaks people out when the cops walk in on you. The vibes were so funny for them".

Richards recalled how the search went and an exchange he had with a female officer.

"Would you mind stepping off that Moroccan cushion, "

"Why?" she asks.

"Because you're ruining the tapestries!"

"We were playing it like that. They tried to get us to turn off the music, which was still screaming, but we were like, "No, we won't turn it off! We'll turn it down, but not off".

Everyone was searched except for Faithfull of course who was still prancing about in her fur rug, even dropping it once while going up the stairs giving everyone a quick flash and a good laugh.

A search of Mick Jagger's coat turned up four tablets. Upon later analysis it was revealed that the pills were methamphetamines, Jagger saying that they helped him to "Stay awake and work". Robert Fraser was found in possession of twenty-four tablets of what turned out to be heroin (heroin jacks). A search of Acid-King-David found him in possession of a pipe that was later found to contain cannabis resin. A ball of "brown substance" was also found on him and was promptly seized. Good thing for all that the contents of his magic briefcase full of goodies was emptied and ingested earlier in the evening!

Besides the drugs, twenty-nine other items were seized including cigarettes, candlesticks, soap (that Keith had collected from hotels) and even cigarette butts.

Upon leaving the home, Keith was informed by the police that if drugs were found to have been used, Richards would be held responsible. Keith replied, eyes half shut,

"Oh, I see, they pin it all on me!"

As the truckload of officers began making their way out, one of the party-goers with a wry sense of humor (and cocky considering the scene that had just unfolded!) and impeccable timing, grabbed a Dylan album and played "Rainy Day Women", cranking the volume as the classic chorus kicked in, "…everybody must get stoned!!"

Just another day at the office!

Congratulations to our January trivia winners!
Giveaway: Bob Dylan plaque mounted print

Steppenwolf Calls it Quits, continued

Steppenwolf's inclusion on the film's soundtrack, along with Kay's signature sunglasses, earned them the reputation as a "tough biker band". Despite the reputation, Kay has always been very articulate and unabashedly political, using his band as a platform to voice his views and concerns. When asked about his fusion of music and politics, Kay summed up his approach by saying, "we are centralizing our thoughts and the direction of our generation through music. We are a reflection of what is happening today. We could be called the 'thinking man's rebel with a cause.'" The title track from their very political album "Monster" is a prime example of Kay's bold lyrical style as he commented about the state of affairs in America.

From the man who coined the phrase "heavy metal thunder" and whose group helped to define the free spirit of rock and roll, Kay's future plans include "some much needed time off" and a solo project. Under the current working title "Forgotten Songs and Unsung Heroes", he hopes to have it released later this year.

As this chapter closes on the incredible musical odyssey of Steppenwolf, there's no doubt that the band's army of fans throughout the world will continue to ride along with Kay as he moves on to his next project. Meanwhile, both Edmonton and McJohn stated at the conference that they hope to join forces and form their own group later this year.

. . . see ya next month!

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