1974/75 Mother Superior

The summer of 74 was hot, I was bored, Cosmetix are playing at the Lord Nelson on Holloway Road, I went to say hello. They tell me the bass player was leaving to become a nurse and ask if I would like to join. I said sure and we arrange to meet up the following week at a rehearsal room in Blackheath.

I arrive with my gear and walk straight into an almighty row between the two singer guitarists, Gaynor and Audrey, who decide they can't resolve their differences and are going to split up. What?  Gaynor leaves, Jackie, me and Audrey stay together. We choose to add a keyboard player and put an ad in Melody Maker. Lesley Sly, a New Zealander, who is here to further here career as a journalist, finds the ad intriguing and gives us a call. A meeting with Jackie and Audrey at Pizza Hut in Croydon is arranged, they get on well, but are dubious as to whether she plays the keyboards or not because of her long finger nails.

We audition each other at a rehearsal room at Greenwich Swimming Baths, although our tastes are very different we enjoy playing together, so now we are a four piece. Rehearsals begin immediately as there are some Cosmetix gigs to fulfil and we are starting from scratch. We manage to write some instrumentals, do a song I wrote when I was with Janis and Holly 'No Time Toulouse' and then the choice of covers begins - 'Rikki Don't Lose That Number' Steeley Dan, 'Long Train Running' The Doobie Brothers, Elton John's 'All the Young Girls Love Alice', 'Love the One You're With' Crosby Stills and Nash, I went along with all of these, but almost ignited when Lesley suggests Gilbert O'Sullivan's 'Get Down'. We all sang and could put together some pretty impressive harmonies.  Jackie Crew was particularly good at this and could reach notes only dogs could hear.

There is a lot of musical freedom in this band, which probably lead to its downfall, but we work well as a unit. I love playing with Jackie (drummer) she has great attack and I think we had a strong natural connection. Audrey is a fabulous guitarist, wonderful tone, impressive technique, a powerful feel for melody, and a big voice too. Lesley was red hot on the keyboards and along with Audrey gave us nice wide ranging lead vocal possibilities.

I particularly enjoy composing with Lesley, music theory was and is largely a mystery to me, Lesley with her keyboard way of thinking could take me in a direction I would never have been heading, I liked that a lot.

Some discussion about a name had gone on, but nothing came up, so one evening after rehearsal at Audrey's Nan's house, we decided to not leave until we had found one. The hours passed, some of us were drunk, still nothing. About to give up and go home I say as a joke 'we should call it Mother Superior'. The others loved it and that's what we were called.

Some gigs ate up a huge amount of songs, occasionally we had to do 3 x 45 minute sets and in these cases did get a bit desperate for material, at one point we even included the theme to the Pink Panther. We added Stevie Wonder's 'Living for the City' and 'Gimme Shelter' by the Rolling Stones, These were two of my favourites. Crosby Stills and Nash's 'Love the One You're With' always went down well. One time we were playing at Wandsworth Prison, Lesley was half way through the introduction to Santana's 'Evil Ways' when we all realised the significance, especially the opening line 'You gotta stop your evil ways...' The inmates found it hilarious.


Our first gig was an American Airbase in Huntingdon, bourbon, men with guns and we manage to get through it without too many duff moments, result.

2nd November we play the Marquee, although still billed as Cosmetix. Love to be in that tiny dressing room and walk out onto the stage with the green and white striped canopy where I'd seen so many of my favourite bands play. We went down well and they say they'll have us back. What a thrill.

26th December, Boxing Day in a transit van with two roadies we leave by ferry for Ostende, heading for Germany to play American Airbases in Ashaffenburg. As we are coming ashore we find that we should have completed carnet forms, that lists all the equipment we are carrying, previously we had told by the promoter we did not need to do this. This turns out to be a scam, that many bands are stung by, we have to pay money to the customs before they'll let us in, the tour operator gets his cut. Welcome to the music biz. We have to wait all night on the harbour waiting for the office to open, before we can pay and leave. This makes us really late and broke, we have to drive like crazy, no chance to eat and have to go straight to the gig. We are so tired by the end we fall asleep on the stage while the roadies take the gear out. This is pretty much how the tour went. There was a distinct lack of food and sleep and being vegetarian in Germany was laughable, sometimes I shared a meal with Lesley, she'd eat the meat and I'd get most of the vegetables.

On the night off, we hitch into town and start drinking with the locals, lager with spirit chasers that are described as being made from wheat, maybe, it was tricky conversing, none of could really speak each others language. We were all drunk, except for Lesley, who recently reminded me that she was tea total at the time, so we drank hers too and bought her fruit juice. Anyway, drunk or not we all get into a car with the local madman who is meant to be taking us back to our BandB, he doesn't, instead he drives really fast out of town into the forest. We're all yelling and shouting at him till he agrees to take us back, when we are somewhere near our destination, we make him stop and we all jump out. What his plans for all four of us were we could only guess.

Our last night of the tour is New Year's Eve at the Playboy Club on the Airbase, we were extremely popular, especially around midnight.

The drive back to London in the back of the transit, sat on the floor amongst the equipment, is long and cold. We are wrecked.

January 22nd 1975 and our first gig after the tour is at the Royal Oak, nearing the end of the second set, I realise that Audrey's solo is getting slower and slower. I turn round to see her slumped against a piano at the back of the stage. Friends in the audience jump up on stage, remove the guitar she is still gripping and take her to A and E, clearly she is unconscious and we are all really worried. It's a sad sight to see her attached to drips in her hospital bed. Probably exhaustion from the German tour and luckily she recovers quite quickly. In the meantime we cancel some gigs, then Pete deps for her till she makes it back in February.

We have an agent, but we feel the need for management and after much indecision we decide on a Mr. Campfield rather than Bunny Lewis who is also interested. Campfield has some music biz connections including the DJ Alan Freeman. We sign a deal with him, which includes his right to sign for 'minor' things on our behalf. How naive we are is almost beyond belief, of course the word minor is the important thing, what it actually meant is that he could sign anything on our behalf including passing us on to whoever he felt like, which is what he does the following year.

He is also responsible for this piece of advertising and a publishing deal with Panache.

On the 2nd April we begin recording an album at IBC studios on Great Portland Street, a place used by many groups, the Rolling Stones, the Who, etc.  We are given down time, usually late at night, and I get to hear the famous phrase 'it'll be all right in the mix' for the first time. It will be the last time I actually believe it. This is Hugh Jones first job as producer, the engineer is Keith Bessey. Many hours spent, some happy some very frustrating. Fascinating keyboards for Lesley to play with, Steinway, Mellotron, Moog and Oberheim. The album is finished and called 'Lady Madonna' - a management choice and comes out on a Swedish subsidiary of Polydor, no British record companies have the slightest interest in us. One night at the Golden Lion, the place is rammed with an audience of men and women, Sony have sent an A and R man down who says to us after two encores, that he can't see who our market is, women would be jealous of us and men wouldn't buy our records because their girlfriends wouldn't like it. Luckily this dreadful outcome is adverted as our album can only be purchased in Scandinavia, where apparently they can deal with such things.

We gig endlessly, pubs bring in about £20, Unis more, clearly we are not in it for the money, although we must have earned something because in April I am able to buy the black and white Rickenbacker 4001 stereo bass I had been longing for, I love it's metallic sound.

Can't remember what started it, but I have been learning to juggle, nothing extravagant, just the three balls, and it sounds like fun when someone suggests I do some if Audrey breaks a string. Surprisingly at the next gig she does just that. I put my bass down and start juggling, I am utterly dreadful, balls are bouncing all over the stage and the audience is hysterical. I have the feeling we won't be repeating this.

Being vegetarian on the road in 1975 is not easy, the best place to eat is on UK motorways where you can be guaranteed egg, chips and beans, in Germany nothing came without meat. As I said Lesley and I sometimes shared meals, she ate the schnitzel and I'd eat most of the potatoes and sauerkraut. The French wouldn't even entertain the idea of non meat eating. One place we stayed in France, the owners of the B&B offered to make dinner for us - they gave me a large bowl of lettuce. In Scandinavia all meals, even bread and cheese came with fish on top. Few people understood the word vegetarian and if they did they couldn't understand why you would choose do such a thing. I was so flipping hungry, if I did find food it was usually at breakfast where you might come across the component parts of a cheese roll.

Love are at the Lyceum, Arthur Lee wearing a turban, was his delightfully crazy self, I think this gig is recorded and released.

The Golden Lion in Fulham is a regular for us, with a great audience of enthusiastic Aussies, who build pyramids of empty lager cans on the stage. I like them.

September we are back in IBC recording our first and only single 'Back Track', this is never released.





In November we play our second Marquee gig, a year after the first one and not headlining, but supporting the Scorpions - oh well at least they kept their promise to have us back.

A week later we're on a ferry - touring France, Luxmebourg and Belgium, supporting the Scorpions in Leige (we'll have to stop meeting like this). More strange places to stay and motorways to drive down.

Zoot Horn cabinet with Jackie + Audrey 

 I have a Hi Watt 100 amp and want to change my 4x12 for a Zoot Horn, which is a serious piece of equipment the size of a small wardrobe with 1x18" speaker. One is for sale in Paddington, I arrange to try it out and Mick our roadie agrees to come with me. We are quite close to the address when I screw up the directions and we turn into the wrong street, that leads to the square behind Paddington Green police station. Mick is turning the van round when he accidentally reverses into a car, which very unfortunately belongs to a detective who is sitting in it. You may know that this particular police station is the one they use to take terrorists, which at this time would be from the IRA. The detective is hysterical and is out on the pavement screaming at us, perhaps he thought he was being targeted, probably lucky he didn't shoot us. I have to run off to get to the guy with the Zoot Horn because he won't stay much longer. Mick has to leave his details with the police and then follow me to the squat where I'm trying the cabinet out. I love it, pay for it, we carry it down many stairs (no easy task) and put it in the van. Mick understandably is not happy, but the detective's reaction gives us a few laughs on the drive home. 

'66 Rolling Stones. Bob Dylan, the Marquee club

The Lovin Spoonful arrive in London, 'Do You Believe in Magic' is a great single, written by John Sebastian, it's so enthusiastic and good time, as are they, we see them at the Marquee, they have lots of fun on stage and have a big laugh with the audience and play a really good set.

May Day, the NME Poll Winners concert, The Beatles, Cliff Richard, Rolling Stones, Who. I turn up at Wembley without a ticket, having already decided I wouldn't bother going in unless I got a good seat. I was about to leave when a guy came up to me and said, 'Here do you want this?'  It was one of a pair given to him because he was a press photographer, great seat in the 4th row for free. Result! Even enjoyed the Beatles. Can't say it stretched to Cliff though.

Later I saw Keith, we had an odd conversation about James Brown and his over the top stage act, with the never ending cape routine and how extremely sweaty he got. 'Out of Sight' was a big favourite of ours. His band was so tight, he really worked them hard.

Bob Dylan is playing the Albert Hall and Pamela and I have tickets in row E, well done us, we did some serious early morning queueing. The first half Bob does alone with guitar and harmonica and very nice it was too. He comes back for the second half with an electric band, The Hawks (essentially The Band without Levon Helm), we loved it, others seemingly didn't. Much shouting and booing from diehard folkies, the Beatles were in the audience to see this farrago.  I wonder what they thought. I love this photo of Dylan who at a press conference in Paris insisted upon answering through the ventriloquist's doll and drove them all crazy.


Met Roy C at RSGL, he was here to promote his single 'Shotgun Wedding', a kind of novelty soul record with gun shot sound effects and begins with the Wedding March, not sounding good is it?  But it really does work and he was knocked out with the reaction of the British fans.

London Airport to see the Stones off to America, Brian looked particularly good, a stripy jacket and pink sunglasses. I was getting tired of this, I loved seeing them and talking to them, but it was becoming pointless and less fun than it should be, so many loud in your face fans. You always knew when they arrived they may as well have had a fanfare, their signature yelling and shouting was a sign for us and the Stones to disappear, but they always found us and eventually it became a total nightmare. I would still continue to see them play, but hanging out was coming to an end.

My last airport visit, the Stones were returning from the States in August '66.  I chatted to Charlie, I was sad, I knew I couldn't do it anymore, but what could take it's place.

As it happens London's exploding music scene was more than enough to occupy me, I more or less lived at the Marquee, along with occasional visits to the 100 club, Klooks Kleek, The Country Club. John C Gee ran the Marquee with a rod of iron, I don't remember ever having trouble in there, I don't think anyone would dare.

Top class acts were appearing regularly at these tiny venues, Cream, Jeff Beck, Peter Green with John Mayall and then Fleetwood Mac, Spencer Davis Group and sometimes American Blues acts. Later of course came Jimi Hendrix, Captain Beefheart, Mothers of Invention, Dr. John .

One Saturday afternoon I went to the Marquee, Radio London were putting on a show, someone called David Jones and his band came on, I thought he was rubbish, bit of a poseur with not much of a voice. May as well admit it David Bowie never did it for me, not that it hurt his career any.

I was heading home up Wardour Street when I bumped into Pamela and some friends who were talking to some German guys, we chatted for a while, then I left. As soon as I got home the phone was ringing, one of the Germans, JoMa was very keen that I should return, after a lot of persuasion I headed back into town, we all spent the evening in Hyde Park until the keepers chucked us out.

Bluesology were supporting The Move at the Marquee, a band put together by Long John Baldry -  Elton Dean, Reg Dwight and Caleb Quaye, some well known musicians here, Reg was already famous for those cover versions of hits that Woolworth's sold, although not quite as famous as he would become.

This time it was the Rolling Stones at the Albert Hall, row O, we're loosing our touch. Long John Baldry was MCing. Ike and Tina Turner were on the bill, as were the Yardbirds with Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page, they were good, Ike and Tina play a kicking set, (PP Arnold was one of the Ikettes), and now we're waiting for the Stones to come on. As they appear, the audience begins to move from the back of the hall, a couple of girls leap on the stage, one is glued to Mick's back. Brian's laughing at Keith who is being dragged off stage by security while still attached to his guitar. I end up on the floor under some seats with feet moving all around me.  The next thing I know is the show is stopped and Long John is on the mike. telling us all to go back to our seats. He is on a hiding to nothing, no one is paying any attention to him. Eventually they give up, the Stones come back on and finish the show.

A girl at school turns me on to Bert Jansch, a bunch of us go to see him at St. Pancras Town Hall, I loved it, I knew little of the British folk scene apart from Donovan, so it was a bit of an eye opener for me.

Jimmy James and the Vagabonds and Geno Washington are doing alternate Tuesdays at the Marquee, Geno's good, but I particularly like Jimmy James - Amen. We go regularly.

BBC2 put on  some weird thing at the Marquee - 'Tonight In Person Theodore Bikel', he introduces several artists who do a couple of numbers each, one of them is Sandy Denny, done up like Dusty Springfield, with her blonde hair in a beehive with a big black bow at the back, she looked none too comfortable, but she sang like an angel.

The Marquee's Christmas party is with Spencer Davis Group and Syn, this was the kind of Christmas party we liked, no mince pies, turkey or ancient relatives, just loud rocking music with Steve Winwood.

The New Year's Eve Rave was as good, Jimmy James, Count Prince Miller, The Vagabonds, The Bunch and  The Neat Change. A fabulous night and hours of dancing.  Come on 1967.