I totally agree with you, Keith. I'm sure you are right about the Green/Spence/Farley/Cooper constellation, except Whole Lotta Woman which I'm quite sure must be from a different/later session with another guitarist. The playing style is somehow not Green-ish (though quite possibly inspired by him ) and the guitarist also features a fuzz-box which I'm quite sure we have heard from monsieur Green around this time. Though I like the tougher sound of the later Pirates, I certainly prefer the '62-64 Pirates anytime. Somehow Green's sharp cutting attack appeal more to me in this period with the smaller cleaning sounding amps he was using then (probably Fender Pro Amp og maybe Twin Amp) than the later heavier overdriven Marshall sound. That sound of his white Tele circa '64 - nothing can beat that:-). Also I thank the more ambient drum sound goes better with Frank's quite, for its time, heavy drumming. To me the Pirates lost some of its dynamic in the reformed 70s and onwards version, although still excellent. Especially Franks drumming is shining on these recordings. Though more a 60s beat tribute than an actual Pirates tribute band, my own band The Beatophonics, will certainly have a closer look at some of this material. Certainly could be great starting our live show with the Goofin' Around instrumental :-). Also... I'm still hunting for pictures/information to certify what gear/amps the Pirates were using in the '62-'64 constellation - especially Mick's amp I'm curious about. I'm been in email contact with both Frank and Johnny. None of them, quite naturally seem to remember in details what was used. Anyway, as Johnny puts it quite right - Mick sounding like Mick no matter what amp he played.
Just stumbled over the compilation album "Heros of Rock And Roll" by Johnny Kidd And The Pirates on Spotify. I've googled it and found it released as a CD. The album contains the following 10 tracks: ... more
These recordings surfaced some years ago on i-tunes and all vocals except "Whole Lotta Woman" are definitely Johnny Spence.Pirate avids are not agreed on the backing musicians however.I think they... more
Pirates recordings on Spotify — Soren Koch,Thu Apr 19 15:19
Yes - there's plenty of food for thought there ! One source of info re the amps is the many early photos usually showing Fender amps.My band "The Meteors" supported Johnny and the boys at a gig in... more
Thanks, Keith. Funny to hear the story about the exchange of gear. I got the picture that that's how you often did back in those days. Great! These days, many musicians are so much up their own arse, ... more
Hi Soren.Interesting reply!Not so many groups would let you use their gear but Johnny Kidd and the boys were really matey.We spent most of the day with them having picked them up from the ferry.Frank ... more
Hi Keith. Terrible story with that red Precision!. I recognized from looking at pictures/film clips that the red Precision was replaced by a Music Man Stingray (and later a Jazz Bass) when The... more
Hi All, Afraid I cant realy add much. As Ive said before I only saw Johnny Kidd and the Pirates live once in 1962 as Shot Of Rhythm and Blues came out. Johnny Spence had a Wallace Bass amp, Red... more
Hi Roger. Sorry, I certainly remember that you mentioned the Wallace amp etc some months ago when we discussed this issue. Couldn't be fun to exactly nail down when Mick changed from the Gibson Les... more
Hi Soren, Thanks for the interesting reply.I can't agree though on the Gibson / Tele recordings or when Mick changed over. The reason being, everytime I saw Johnny and the Pirates on tv it was always ... more
Hi Roger, It sure could be interesting to find out when Mick changed from the Gibson to Tele. I agree with you that when you google the internet you'll find mostly pics of Mick with Johnny K. holding ... more
That maybe answers the question then. Mick changed to Tele in 63' and probably did all the recordings after "Shot of Rhythm & Blues" / "I Can Tell" on the Tele ? using the old Gibson as back up... more
Hi Soren, I have the book and will have a look over the weekend time permitting.Dont think it could have got stolen after "Shot Of Rhythm and Blues" as "I'll Never Get Over You", "Allways and Ever"... more
Hi Soren, Had a read through the Johnny Kidd book and spotted a few things. My memory of seeing Johnny Spence in 62'playing through a Wallace amp was correct. Article in the book say's "Johnny Spence ... more
Hi Roger, I have to agree, I wouldn,t be without my copy of "Shakin all over" The book is a must for all J K fans. Is it still in print do you know ?. Regards Louie.
Hi Louie, I'd say probably not in print now . There is someone selling a copy on ebay at the moment for £62 plus £24 post in America Ridiculous price but great book although its not completely... more
It was a good book but I remember reading that Johnny Spence was disappointed that he wasn't consulted by the author (Keith Hunt).That is really surprising seeing that Johnny was a great pal of... more
Not sure Mick would have been bothered - bearing in mind his famous 'pieces of wood' quote. I remember how happy he was to get a freebie off Peavey when they gave him the blue cropper a few years ago ... more
wotcha, Rog. Mick said more than once that he wasn't interested in collecting guitars, having them hanging up in rooms etc. "they're just f#ckin' pieces of wood to me". But being Mick, he was pretty... more
absolutely no idea, Rog. I'd guess so since he also used it on Bryan Ferry tours. Absolutely nothing matched the old Tele sound though did it ? He'd had a 'few thou' wound on the pick-ups to give it... more