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March 2, 2010
WILLY DEVILLE for Jane Aldridge
March 1, 2010
Dear Jane: I'm gonna cut your head off and put it on the wall, so you won’t eat no more hot dogs--Hasil Adkins
Uploaded by mrjyn
The decapitated heads of various girlfriends. “I’m gonna cut your head off and put it on the wall, so you won’t eat no more hot dogs.” | Chicken walk ghost — a reference to his song “The Chicken Walk.” | ||||||||||||||||
| Mars bars. They come from Mars—another of Adkins’ favorite nutritional sources. | |||||||||||||||||
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| Hasil’s dog,“Whacky”, wearing his master’s glasses. | |||||||||||||||||
| Hasil’s home-made guitar. | |||||||||||||||||
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| Officer Duncins—Hasil’s real-life nemesis and frequent arresting officer, subject of a song of the same name. | |||||||||||||||||
Hasil Adkins29apr1937—26apr2005
R.I.P.
Hasil Adkins
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| Hasil’s dream of “eatin’ commodity meat on the moon.” Commodity meat is cheap canned meat popular among poor rural people. | ||||||||
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Joe Coleman's favorite psychobilly musician, Adkins developed his unique, multi-instrumental playing technique as the result of a wild misconception. Growing up in a tarpaper shack in Madison, West Virginia (where he still resides in a trailer), Adkins would listen to band music on the radio and hear the announcer identify the group as, say, the Louis Armstrong Band. Adkins would then assume that all the instruments were being played by Louis Armstrong. Not only does Adkins simultaneously perform on at least three instruments (drum, harmonica, guitar), he also writes all his own material and is one of the most prolific--and original--songwriters in America. His subjects range from eating commodity meat on the moon to the local sheriff who is the bane of his existence.Adkins performed at Coleman's 2000 wedding and provided the soundtrack for the Joe Coleman documentary, R.I.P.: Rest in Pieces. | ||||||||
| Drunken hallucinations of hot-pants sirens. | ||||||||
A documentary film, The Wild and Wacky World of Hasil Adkins, is due for release this fall, one of two upcoming films to feature the inventor of the Slop, the Hunch, and the Chicken Walk.Deuce of Clubs: How did you come up with your sound? It's so different from anything else I've ever heard.Hasil Adkins: What I done, I learnt to play, you know, by myself and everything, and I just, you know...well, what I'm doin is, you know, what's in my mind and stuff. I don't—what it is, I don't play to no beat, you know, like 2-, 4-beat, or 6-, 8-, or 12 & all that. You know. Ain't nobody can play with me. You know, I just play what's in my mind, you know. Change when I get ready, go up and down. I've tried a lot of bands, but you know, I can't do—well, in other words, if I go up they go down or somethin, if I go down they go up, so...Sometimes I listen to your records and I think, How is he doing all that? So you're working the drums with your feet?Do what now?You're working the drums with your feet, then?Yeah, I play drums, bass, & lead, & rhythm, harp—you know, harmonica—around your neck. I can play organ & piano with my elbows. I'm riggin' that up now. I can play about anything, but I gotta get it all rigged where I could get to it, you know, so I can play it all at the same time.That's the thing I find hard to understand. For example, the song "The Slop"—Do what now?Your song, "The Slop."Yeah?You can hear the guitar playing, and then there's drums, and then there's also, sounds like, what is that—spoons? You're playing the spoons?Yeah.How do you have that rigged so you can do that all at one time?
Well, I just get it all, get it all close where I can get to all of it & everything, you know, at the same time. Put the harp around my neck, you know, then I play the lead. What I do, I play lead, rhythm, & I don't know how many different things on the guitar, and I play the drums, hi-hat—& I play 'em with my hands, too, at times, you know.I read in Kicks magazine that there's a documentary film you're in.Yeah, yeah.Do you know what the name of that is?It's The Wild and Wacky World of Hasil Adkins. They're gettin ready to start distributin' now. We worked on that, I don't know, they got a whole bunch they're comin out with, you know. The first one they're comin out with, I got some of it here now, but I guess it'll come out some time this Fall.Who exactly is making that film?Well, I think it was the whole [unintelligible] shop, one of the main ones. There's a whole bunch of 'em, on out in L.A. & Kentucky, uh, just different ones. But the main doin's of it is out in Kentucky. They're havin a time with distributin it, now. Course the ones wantin to distribute it, you know, are wantin too much money. But I think they got it worked out now, got it worked out where...it's out in Chicago, I can't think of the name, but there's a big distributor out there. They seen it & they wanna, you know, distribute it across the world & everything, get it out there where people can buy it & everything. If it would sell. They been workin on it for a while. But I think they got it straightened out now.So is it pronounced hassle or hazel?Hassle.Oh, I thought it was Hazel, 'cos you're The Haze.I know, everybody... nah, it's "hassel," what it is. Everybody call me—well, not everybody—most of 'em call me "Hazel," but I mean, you know, after they get to know me or seen me or somethin, why, you know, [I] tell 'em....Ah. Cos you've got a brother named Basil—or is it "bassle"?Do what now?Your brother's named Basil or Bazel?Uh, well, they call him both things, Basil & Bazel, but his real name's Basil. But they call him Bazel.Okay. Now I also read somewhere that you had lectured at a college—where was that?Do what now?That you had given a lecture at a college.Yeah, uh, in Louisville, Kentucky.How did that come about?That's when we was makin this video stuff. They went all over the place makin it. And they was wantin to know, at the college, how I got started playin and how do I do everything—you know, all that.Was that a lot of fun?Oh yeah, yeah. Kids wanna know everything, they did.Do you still play live much?Yeah. Well, I been workin here at home for a while now, I got a lot of [ ] stuff to do & everything. I could be workin 'bout eight nights, if I wanted to, but it gets old, you know, like that. I'm gonna play Charleston, I guess, Saturday night. Could be Friday Night. Friday or Saturday night, one of the two.Wow, I wish I was out there! I'd like to see you play. So you going to be touring around any more, you think?Oh yeah, yeah.Think you're ever going to get out Arizona way again?I just got back from Chicago ... huh?You think you'll ever get out Arizona way?Uh, yeah, they're workin on something, get out through Arizona, and I think San Francisco, L.A. I been to L.A., about a year ago now.Wow, I wish I'd have known that.Yeah. And I'm goin off of that, uh—well, this record'll be out pretty soon. I don't know what they're gonna call it yet. I.R.S. Records—you hearda them, ain'tcha? Miles Copeland?I.R.S.? Yeah.I cut about two albums for them.Oh really? I only have your albums that were on Norton. Also a Dutch import.Yeah. Well, I don't know, Capitol's gonna be—A&M Records, I know you know of them—them & I.R.S. Records, they all know each other, and get together, so they're gonna get—they'll put it over when they get it out. They been workin on it. So I went out there almost a year ago or somethin, cut, I mean, two or three albums' worth. So they been workin on it, you know, gettin it all...Do you keep in touch with Miriam and Billy [from Kicks Magazine and Norton Records] at all?Oh yeah, yeah, I talked to 'em, oh, I don't know, 'bout a week & a half ago, somethin like that.How many songs have you written?I got over 7,000 all the way written. I don't know just what now, 7,000-&-somethin. I got it marked down out to the house out there.If you had to pick a favorite, what would it be?It'd be hard. Well, they're gettin ready to come out with this one—well, it's been out, but it was, you know, way back, on a small label—a love song, "She's Gone," one of the first songs I ever wrote. The number six song I ever wrote, I wrote it way back when I was young. And if I had to pick, I would pick that. There's been so many. I like that "She Said," but ... there's so many to pick from.Besides The Cramps, do you know of other bands who have recorded your songs?Yeah, well there's been—I can't think of all of 'em, but I know you know of The Cramps.Oh yeah.And Percolators—you ever hear of them, outta Germany?The Percolators, yeah.They recorded "Chicken Walk." It's doin good, what they told me. They just come out with it. And there's been ... if I had all the names here, I don't know how many, there've been all kinds of groups, you know. Now there's another group, I don't know who they belong to, I can't think of their name. I know it but I can't, you know, it's hard...What kind of guitar are you playing these days?Yamaha.How many guitars have you had over the years?You mean how many I've got?How many have you had altogether, do you think?Oh Lord, I ... it'd be up in the thousands. I've got about forty now, forty-five, something like that.What kind of equipment do you use to record yourself when you're playing at home?Well, I've still got—have you heard of that movie they're comin out with, Tear It Up? They got Elvis, Carl Perkins, Chet Atkins, man, you name it, they got everybody! I guess it'll be out sometime this Fall with it. Honest, they come & interviewed me about six hours' worth. "We gonna want you in it!" you know. They gotta little bit of everybody in there. Well, the first tape recorder I had—that I recorded "She Said," you know, a lot of songs on that. I've got the same thing here now. Not the same one, but the same kind. Looks just like it & everything. 3M company made it. I been gettin all kinda mail from fans all over the world wantin me to record more at home. That's what I'm tryin to get done now. I bought me a trailer to tear it all out & put a studio in it, & I'm doin pretty good with it. I got a lot more to do to it, get it all lined up the way I want it. It's about a forty by ten trailer. Forty feet long, ten feet wide.I have to ask you this: what exactly is "commodity meat?" What does that mean?You mean commodity meat? Well, see, way back in the place of welfare, what they call it now, or "Human Services" & all that, you know, they changed all the names, but way back there they had that what they called the DPA—that's Dependent Children of Americans—and they used to give out, well, peanut butter, commodity meat, you know, the government give it out, commodity is what it was. Surplus stuff from the Army men, or all that kinda thing when they got back [after World War II], and they would give so much of that out every month for the people that's on welfare—well, it ain't welfare, now, but what it was, same thing, only different name. And they would give 'em so much, like, powdered milk, powdered eggs, & cheese, & peanut butter, commodity meat, uh, I don't know, just a little bit of everything. But that commodity meat is good, man!Is it beef, or what?Uh, you eat it.No, I mean is it beef, or pork, or what?Oh, it was pork, and...I think they had two different cans, I think one of 'em was beef and one of 'em was pork.Is it kind of like Spam?Yeah, yeah. Somethin similar to that. But that beef was something like the old-timey barbecues used to buy, you know, the barbecue sandwich. It taste just like you couldn't tell it. I mean, it looked just like it & everything. To me it's just like that barbecue they used in the real stuff, they made it. It was good. Real good!It's interesting that you bring up barbecue, because what we do in every issue of our magazine, we have some famous person give us a barbecue recipe. Do you have a barbecue recipe you could tell me?No, I, uh...I like all kinds of barbecue stuff, you know. But I got no recipes for ya.How about if you make one up? You know, how you fool around with human heads, and that kind of stuff?Oh yeah. Well, I'm workin on more of them now. Like "This Ain't No Rock & Roll Show," or "I Need Your Head," or, you know, "We Got A Date." Stuff like that?Yeah!I really made them up back in the fifties for a joke, you know, kinda all us kids runnin around together, you know, girls & boys & stuff. I don't know, I just had the recording stuff set up, so I just done it, really, for, you know, just bein doin somethin, you know, have somethin to do. And then they took off, man, they loved it! I get letters, I got letters from every place in the world, man. So if they like 'em that good, you know.... Every place I go & sing 'em—I just got back from Chicago a couple weeks ago, put a show on over there, it went over great out there. I had to do one of 'em out there, & people tell, you know, what they think of it, how they like it, & any of them songs with screamin' & hollerin', all that stuff, "cut your head off"—they love that! I really done that, you know, really, just to be doin somethin, 'cos back when I was young, all us girls & boys, we'd get together at night & run around along about ten, eleven o'clock at night, until. From about four or five in the evenin. And we all played, screwy things, you know, jokes & stuff. I just picked it up, a little bit from here & there, and sat down a-doin it just to be doin it. I never meant to put 'em out or anything. But after it got to Europe & then they wanted to put 'em out, & then after the people went & buy 'em, they wanted more of 'em. I've got a lotta them I made up back then, & then I've gotta lot I made up now. From the way they're goin with them, I got stuff what's fifty times worse than what they are! So they really should like the others coming in behind 'em!
PETE DRAKE Jerry Lee Lewis Ringo Starr Connection Beaucoups Of Blues
PETE DRAKE
When Ringo sent his car to pick him up from the airport, Pete was amazed that Ringo had so many country music tapes in the car along with the rock'n'roll, and Ringo and Pete discussed making a country album.The son of a Pentecostal minister, Drake began his career with his siblings in the Drake Brothers band. His bother Jack went on to join Ernest Tubb's Texas Troubadors for 25 years. Inspired by the Opry's steel great Jerry Byrd he saved and bought himself a steel guitar (see later interview link). Drake's melodic steel guitar playing made him one of Atlanta's top young instrumentalists. He joined with future stars Jerry Reed, Doug Kershaw, Roger Miller and Joe South, in a mid-'50s band. Although this group failed to record, it provided Drake with the impetus to move to Nashville in 1959.
He recorded first for Starday before signing up to the new Mercury based Smash label. He played on many Nashville country/pop sessions for the likes of Don Gibson, The Everly Brothers and Marty Robbins. Pete had a pop Top 30 hit, "Forever" in 1964 (credited to "Pete Drake and his Talking Steel Guitar"), and recorded albums of country covers, his own tunes and experimental styles like his "talking guitar". More often his trademark mellow toned steel guitar was used to strengthen albums by other artists. .He played on many crossover country/pop hits such as Lynn Anderson's (I Never Promised You A) Rose Garden, Charlie Rich's Behind Closed Doors, and Tammy Wynette's Stand By Your Man. He became a cult name in the modern rock era by playing on sessions for Bob Dylan ( John Wesley Harding , Nashville Skyline & Self Portrait)), Ringo Starr (Beaucoups Of Blues, produced by Pete) and George Harrison (All Things Must Pass)
Far more importantly, he backed Jerry Lee on the Would You Take Another Chance On Me and The Killer Rocks On lp sessions in the early 70s, playing on hits like Me & Bobby McGee and Chantilly Lace.
Pete played on many of Jerry's 70s Nashville sessions and was often the session leader.
He also played on some forgettable mid 60s Elvis soundtrack albums like Double Trouble, Speedway and Clambake. He would've enjoyed the Fools Fall In Love, Big Boss Man, You Don't Know Me, Singing Tree, Guitar Man/US Male/Too Much Monkey Business sessions more (meeting up with old buddy Jerry Reed) as well as the gospel sessions of the period.
He eventually had his own studio, Pete's Place, and launched his own record label, First Generation, in the late '70s, Drake signed his brother's old boss Ernest Tubb who had left MCA after 35 years, and released an album, The Legend and the Legacy in 1977. Comprised of reworkings of Tubb's greatest hits, the album included guest appearances by country superstars such as Willie & Waylon, Marty Robbins, Conway Twitty, George Jones, Merle Haggard and Johnny Cash. This has now been reissued many times on budget labels.
Pete occasionally stepped into the spotlight, releasing solo album of pop-gospel standards,Steel Away and an album of Dylan/Beatles tunes. He died in Nashville on July 29th 1988, aged just 55.
Pete Drake is also responsible for one of Ringo Starr's best albums, "Beaucoups of Blues". Ringo met Pete at the Harrison "All Things Must Pass" sessions, and Pete was fascinated that Ringo was such a big country music fan.
Beaucoups Of Blues
Ringo Starr
Beaucoups Of Blues - Front Cover Beaucoups Of Blues - Rear Cover Beaucoups Of Blues - Inner Gatefold (right side)
(The other side of the gatefold contains the lyrics)
February 28, 2010
Noosha Fox S-s-s-single Bed
Noosha Fox: S-s-s-single bed: (NL: 12/06/1976: 7 weeks #10: highest position)
| Muziek & Entertainment | |
S-s-s-single bed: NL: 12/06/1976 7 weeks 10 highest position Fox Fox Fox on the cover of their 1975 self-titled debut album Fox on the cover of their 1975 self-titled debut album Background information Origin United Kingdom Genre(s) Rock Years active 1974-1977, 1980 Label(s) GTE Associated acts Wooden Horse Yellow Dog Noosha Fox Former members Noosha Fox Kenny Young Herbie Armstrong Jim Gannon Pete Solely Gary Taylor Jim Frank Fox / Noosha Fox NEW CD RELEASE 16th October 2006 BLUE HOTEL Released by Cherry Red label (CATERED272), Blue Hotel contains the original tracks plus one bonus track. The tracks are S S S Single Bed, Liven' Out My Fantasies, Darkening, Blue Hotel, Almond Eyes, Magic Machine, My Old Man's Away, Moustaches On The Moon, Under Your Own Umbrella, Friendship Rose, Make It Like It Used To Be, Pain And Pleasure (bonus) The Original Fox album by the band Fox has been released in October 2002 on the Cherry Red label (COMRADE 222). It contains the original tracks plus four bonus tracks. Love Letters / Imagine Me, Imagine You / The Juggler / Patient Tigers / Only You Can / The More / Spirit / He's Got Magic / Pisces' Babies / Love Ship / Red Letter Day / Out Of My Body (bonus) / If I Point At The Moon (bonus) / Georgina Bailey (bonus) / Pretty Boy (bonus) At the time of first writing (10th October 1997) this, there was virtually no mention of the 1970s band, Fox, or of their uniquely voiced singer Noosha Fox, that I could find on the Internet. At that time they also seemed to have had no direct coverage by Record Collector magazine. They did however get a mention in Record Collector (No 188, April 1995, page 19) in an article titled 'Queen Collaborations'. It appears that Roger Taylor of 'Queen' added backing vocals to the track 'Survival' on Fox's 'Tails of Illusion' album. Queen were in the same studio recording 'Opera'. Although they had at least a couple of hit singles 'Single Bed', 'Only You Can' and 'Imagine me, Imagine you', I didn't start buying their records until I saw the album 'Fox' at a reduced price in Wealth's in Swindling, circa 1977. My favourite track on this LP is 'Patient Tigers'. It wasn't until the 1980s that I discovered they had also released two other albums 'Tails of Illusion' and 'Blue Hotel'. I obtained both these albums, second hand, through the small ads of Record Collector. Blue Hotel became my favourite. Tracks on "Tails of Illusion" are - Yule, Yule - Survival - Strange Ships - For Whatever it's worth - Minor Therapy - Lily Sing - UPI KP - Howdy - Me Without You - Little Brown Box. Tracks on "Blue Hotel" are - Blue Hotel - Junina - S-S-S-Single Bed - Moustaches on the Moon - Magic Machine - My Old Man's Away - Living out my Fantasies - Almond Eyes - Under Your Own Umbrella - Friendship Rose - Like it Like it Used to be. Apart from Nosher's stunningly unique voice, I liked the imaginatively styled tunes and Decoder type effects. Some of the backing vocals in 'Shingle Bed' and the introduction passages into 'Only You Can' & 'Strange Ships', being great examples of Fox strangeness. (thanks to a web surfing Fox fan for the Nashua scan) I never saw the band, except on television. I had heard that Noosha had gone on to release a single 'Georgina Bailey'. From about 1988 0n, I searched for their material on CD, but found nothing. Nothing that is until June 1997, when I discovered a budget price CD 'Only you can' in the HIV shop in Oxford Street, London, during my only visit to the UK in more than two years. It appears to have been issued in 1996 by 'Wise Buy' (QB 866702). Many of the tracks were new to me, but it was great to hear Noosha's voice again, without the pops and crackles with which my vinyl Lips are now afflicted. With 16 tracks the CD was great value for money at UK pounds 4.99. The tracks are:- * If you don't want my peaches don't shake my tree * Georgina Bailey * Model in a Leotard * I want to be alone * Electron people * Dancing with an alien * Strange ships * * Red letter day * * Yule Yul's * * He's got magic * * Imagine me, Imagine you * * Only you can * * Te yo * Temple of love * Torn between two worlds * Captain of your ship Those tracks marked * appeared on one of the original Lips. A Fox fan sent me the following additional information (December 29th 1997):- [One record you may or may not know about is a rather nice disco-Ash solo single from 1979 called 'The Heat is On' b/w 'Some Enchanted Evening' on Chrysalis CHES 12 2337 (12"). Unlike 'Georgina Bailey', It was produced by David Macao, and OSHA wrote the B-side.] In April 1998 I was made aware of another CD 'The very best of Fox'. This CD contains material taken from the albums 'Fox' and 'Blue Hotel', plus the single 'Georgina Bailey'. Last time I checked (Nov 2003) it was available from amazon.co.uk Fox were: Noosha ( Vocals ) Kenny Young ( Guitars, Percussion and Vocals ) * Herbie Armstrong ( Guitars and Vocals ) Pete Silly ( Keyboards ) Jim Gannon ( Lead Guitar ) Gary Taylor ( Bass Guitar ) Jim Frank ( Drums and Percussion ) * Kenny Young also wrote and produced most of the songs FOX Singles "Only You Can"was b/w "Out of My Body" "Imagine Me..." b/w "If I Point at the Moon" "He's Got Magic" b/w "The Love Ship" "Strange Ships" b/w "Little Brown Box" "S-s-single Bed" b/w "Silk Milk" "My Old Man's Away" b/w "Magic Machine" "Georgina Bailey" b/w "Pretty Boy" ( the list above was kindly supplied by Shaun Butcher ) Fox Singles Chart Positions Reina van Dam kindly supplied the following chart position information:- Hereby the chart positions of Fox and NOSHAFox in the United Kingdom (UK), West-Germany (BBROD, Netherlands (NNFL, Belgium (B) and the United States of America (USA). 15/02/1975 means 15th of February 1975 (date/month/year). Only you can UK: 15/02/1975 11 weeks 3 highest position (golden record) BBROD 24/03/1975 26 weeks 2 highest position (18 weeks in top 10; #8 yyear end list) NL:NFL9/03/1975 tip USA: 23/08/1975 8 weeks 53 highest position (no chart success in Belgium) Imagine me, imagine you UK: 10/05/1975 8 weeks 15 highest position BRDBYRD3/06/1975 14 weeks 7 highest position (4 weeks in top 10) (no chart success in Netherlands, Belgium or USA) He’Hearot magic BRD: BYRD10/1975 3 weeks 48 highest position (no chart success in United Kingdom, Netherlands, Belgium or USA) S-s-s-single bed: UK: 10/04/1976 10 weeks 4 highest position (golden record) NL: 1LN06/1976 7 weeks 10 highest position B: 10/07/1976 1 week 19 highest position (no chart success in Germany (BRD) BARD the United States) Fox Albums Chart Positions Fox UK: 17/05/1975 8 weeks 7 highest position (I can only say (because of no data for other countries): no chart success in Netherlands) NooshOSHASingles Chart Positions Georgina Bailey UK: 12/11/1977 6 weeks 31 highest position (no chart success in Belgium, Germany (BRD),BREDtherlands and the USA) I would like to provide another charts appearance, which is missing on your list: Germany : Fox (lp), liptry 15.05.75, peak position 47, 4 weeks on charts (Top 50 lp chlapts) cheers, DemskDamaskt> 'Only you can' in the Swiss single charts: First entry June 6, 1975 Highest position 1 Number of weeks in charts 13 regards, Juergt> A little more info you seem to be missing:- NooshNashua had a single "More Than Molecules" on Earlobe records (ELB-SELBA1) in 1981, b side "Odd Peculiar Strange" was written by NooshOSHAnt> Two bits of Chart info . In Ireland 6/3/75 Only You Can, number 3, 7 wks awoks/font> 13/5/76 SSSSiSingly number 4, 5wksfont> Best wishes Stewart Welsh I started this page October 1997, because at that time I could find no other pages devoted to Fox on the interinternedce then I was pleased to see other Fox pages appearing, but then they started disappearing again, so I have had to remove the links. Thanks to the many people who have written to me with information, I think I have now heard most of the material released by Fox & Noosha. Apart from what is available on the albums, three other tracks I really like are 'Skin Tight', 'Hot as Sun' and 'The Heat is On' (which was also released by Agnetha of Abba). I just love the way 'tropical', rolls off Noosha's tongue. Thanks to Stephen Frize who has drawn my attention to a track which features both Noosha and Agnetha performing 'The Heat is On' - some research suggest that this was a put together as a fan mix by a person calling himself Carlybabes. During the year 2002, I was in a pub (The Witches Tavern), in Bangkok, Thailand, and heard what I was sure was Noosha, singing on the pub's juke box. A question to the waitress revealed that it was actually Macy Gray singing 'I Try'. Thanks to Marsh for the following comment on 15 December 2006 "I saw your page on Fox. I'm puzzled, as your listing for the B Side of 'My Old Man's Away' is 'Magic Machine'. I have my original copy which I bought at the time on original GTO, and the B Side is a song called 'Are You Sure' and is probably Fox's best record ever (second to 'Imagine Me') If they'd have released this as the A Side they'd have been back in the Charts with another massive hit on their hands! " Noosha was originally Susan Traynor, who prior to Fox sung with the band Wooden Horse. The number one question that everyone who emails me asks is, "Where is Noosha now?". The Fox seems to have evaded the pack! FOX What happened to Fox? This band had hits in the 70's with "Only You Can", "Imagine Me, Imagine You" and also a hit in Germany ("He's got Magic"). The band was formed by Kenny Young (the man who got the credits for writing the song "Under the Boardwalk" for The Drifters in 1964). Lead singer of The Fox was Susan Traynor (from Australia) who earlier did backing vocals on Kenny Young's solo album "Last Stage for Silverworld" in 1973 and also was in a band called "Wooden Horse". The rest of the band included Herbie Armstrong (guitar and vocals), Pete Solley (keyboards), Jim Gannon (lead guitar), Gary Taylor (bass guitar) and Jim Frank (drums & percussion). Kenny Young played guitars, percussion and vocals. Susan became known as Noosha Fox and their first album "FOX" was a top ten hit in 1975. It appears that Roger Taylor of 'Queen' added backing vocals to the track 'Survival' on Fox's 'Tails of Illusion' album. Queen were in the same studio recording 'A Night at the Opera'. What happened then? Noosha Fox (Susan Traynor), had a solo career when she left the band (1977) during the late 70s and early 80's. She only had one minor hit with "Georgina Bailey". Herbie Armstrong and Kenny Young moved on to a band called Yellow Dog and later Armstrong worked with Van Morrison in the late 70's and early 80's. Kenny Young has been working as a Record producer. Now Herbie is running a Restaurant together with his Swedish-born wife Elizabeth, in Hampshire called The Fountain Inn & Thai Restaurant. the rumour says they combine their talents in running one of the best eating places in the area. Pete Solley joined Whitesnake on keyboards in 1977 for Snakebite. He's also played with Procol Harum, Mickey Jupp and many more. He has also produced records for Oingo Boingo, Motorhead and Romantics. Jim Frank worked as an sound engineer for Alice Cooper ("Welcome to my nightmare") and Peter Gabriel's first solo album to mention a few. Jim Gannon played with the band "Black Widow" and also did some vocals on Alice Cooper "Goes To Hell". The band was founded by songwriter and producer Kenny Young, who had composed the song "Under The Boardwalk" for the Drifters in 1964. Young had worked off and on with Australian singer Susan Traynor for a number of years in the United States. As an uncredited member of the Charmettes, produced by Young, Traynor had scored a minor hit single with "Please Don't Kiss Me Again" and she had later appeared on Young's album Last Stage For Silverworld, where she was listed as "Amanda". Both Traynor and Young then relocated to England in 1968, after Young had written a song for Reparata and the Delrons called "Captain of Your Ship", which had been a British hit. He then discovered Northern Irish singer Clodagh Rodgers on a television show, who had recently released a single called "Play The Drama Till The End". The partnership produced three years of hit singles, beginning with "Come Back And Shake Me". With this, Rodgers became something of a blueprint for Fox, as she recorded demos of some of the songs which would eventually surface on the first Fox album in 1975, as well as earlier Young tunes. Meanwhile, Susan Traynor was in a folk group called Wooden Horse, which released two albums before breaking up. After his success with Rogers, Young founded Fox with Irish singer Herbie Armstrong, recruiting Traynor as lead singer. She adopted the stage name Noosha, a scrambled version of her own name, and a glamorous image inspired by Marlene Dietrich, wearing elegant dresses to contrast with the scruffy looks of the rest of the group. The band's self-titled debut album was released on GTO Records in 1975 to critical acclaim. The lead single, "Only You Can", was a Top 10 UK single, the follow-up "Imagine Me Imagine You" also reached the top 30 and "He's Got Magic" was a hit in some European countries. Shortly after the release of their first album, the band made a cameo appearance in the film Side By Side. However, Noosha was relegated to backing vocals for half the songs on the late 1975 follow-up album, Tails Of Illusion, with the other songs sung by Young. The album enjoyed neither the critical nor the sales success of its predecessor; without Noosha's distinctive voice, casual listeners did not associate the songs with the band that had recorded "Only You Can". Roger Taylor of Queen added backing vocals to the song "Survival". The band returned to the charts in August 1976 when "S-S-S-Single Bed" was a surprise Top 5 UK hit and topped the Australian charts. Again, though, the band failed to capitalize upon its momentum, and the weaker accompanying album Blue Hotel, which was only released the following year, failed to yield any further singles, even though Noosha was reinstated as lead singer on all its tracks. Noosha Fox left the band after Blue Hotel. Armstrong and Young continued to work together in the band Yellow Dog, while Armstrong went on to work with Van Morrison and Solley later joined Whitesnake. Noosha launched a solo career, and her first single, "Georgina Bailey", written and produced by Young, briefly entered the Top 30 in the UK in 1977. However, its title and subject matter (about a girl whose uncle turns out to be gay) were reminiscent of Rod Stewart's recent single "The Killing of Georgie", and the single's relatively weak chart placement meant that her planned solo album, already partly recorded, was shelved. In 1979, Noosha Fox tried again to start her solo career with a single, "The Heat Is On", on Chrysalis Records. It flopped, but a cover version by ABBA's Agnetha Fältskog was a big European hit four years later. Noosha recorded several singles in the early 1980s for the Earlobe label but none were successful, and she evidently retired from the music business, but not returning to Australia as many believe. Fox reformed briefly in 1980, releasing the New Wave-influenced "Electro People", written as the theme music for the Kenny Everett Show. The band considered a reunion in the early 1990s, but the tracks recorded at this time were unreleased until 2004, when they appeared as bonus tracks on the Tails of Illusion CD. It was reported in 2007 on BBC Radio 4's "The Music Group" that Noosha Fox is recording a solo album of electropop, and has her own website. * Noosha Fox (born Susan Traynor, December 8, 1944) - vocals * Kenny Young - guitar, vocals * Herbie Armstrong - guitar, vocals * Jim Gannon - lead guitar, vocals * Pete Solley - keyboards, vocals * Mike Lavender - accordion, electric piano * Gary Taylor - bass, vocals * Jim Frank - drums, percussion, vocals Albums * Fox (1975) #7 UK * Tails of Illusion (1975) * Blue Hotel (1977) * Only You Can (CD compilation including unreleased material, 1996) * The Very Best of Fox (CD compilation, 1998) Singles * "Only You Can" (1975) #3 UK, #2 Germany, #7 Australia, #53 U.S. * "Imagine Me, Imagine You" (1975) #15 UK, #7 Germany * "He’s Got Magic" (1975) * "Strange Ships" (1975) * "S-S-S-Single Bed" (1976) #4 UK, #1 Australia * "My Old Man's Away" (1977) Noosha Fox solo singles * "Georgina Bailey" / "Pretty Boy" (1977) #31 UK * "The Heat Is On" / "Some Enchanted Evening" (1979) * "Skin Tight" / "Miss You" (1979) * "Hot as Sun" / "The Cheapest Nights" (1981) * "More Than Molecules" / "Odd Peculiar Strange" (1981) b52jpg.jpg * * nooshafox.com * Site about Fox and Noosha Fox * Lost Idols page on Fox * Another fan site about the band * Page reviewing Fox's albums * Side By Side at the Internet Movie Database
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