NACK-ED-EN (1970)
A tasteful heavy rock band for 1970.
Lead Guitar - LOZ NETTO (later with Tsar / Love Zeus / Sniff and the Tears (Now solo) and more.
Bass Guitar - NEIL RICHARDSON - formerly with Acorn later with Drops of Brandy.
Drums - 1st drummer STEVE HARRISON previously with Mick Green Blues Band later with Concert / Railroad
Replaced by JOHN (BRAD) BRADBURY (much later with The Specials
Following on fromt he piece on the Mick Green Blues Band - drummer Steve Harrison introduced me to this band, asking me to bring some of my lyrics to a rehearsal at a pub in Primrose Hill St. one Sunday afternoon in 1970. it was the first time I'd met the band (apart from Steve) but got to see a lot of them later on, especially Loz.
A tight three piece with high-octane musicianship. The second week when I
went along with my lyrics, Steve had been replaced by John Bradbury. Brad ws a stand out drummer even back then, 10 years before the Specials, no long messy drum solos, his breaks were tearse and highly skillful (as in Gangsters) and he seemed to have a great sense of song structure and band leadership. Loz was a skilful lead guitarist - he seemed to let rip in a blues style and yet weave in melody as well. One of his heros was Bob Fripp of King Crimson. I know that because I was with Loz at the Lanch Poly when he collered hold of Greg Lake and Carl Palmer outside
after the ELP gig and quizzed Lake on Bob Fripp. Before that in 1971 we'd been at the Warwick university Arts Festival where the Pink Faries were playing (along with Cov bands Whistler / The Sorrows (reformed) etc. Loz and went into the dressing room and he got himself a go on their lead guitar - it was a special one but I can't remember what kind - Loz was more up on electric guitars than I then - I was just learning. Loz gave me my first lead guitar lessons in the dressing room but the lesson was disrupted whent he Pink Faries stuck a condom over the tap in the gents and turned on the tap - two besuited University gentlemen came out soaked to the skin and very annoyed - we headed back to the gig quick!!
I organised the band nights at the Umbrella club then and got them free
(Neil Richardon is in the Middle in the photo)
rehearsal space at the Umbrella and so saw a lot of them. The band (as was common then, didn't seem to last more than a couple of months - Neil left to join the pop band Drops of Brandy with Ted Duggan etc and went on tour. Loz joined Tsar and then Love Zeus.
Because Steve leaft my songs didn't get used but we went to the Dive bar (Lady Godiva) after the Primrose Hill rehearsal and sat with Guitarist Chris Jones and they read through the lyrics. i remember Brad reading them and
saying 'who is he?'. I wasn't sure if that was good or band but Chris Jones asked me to do some lyrics for him but again as soon as bands formed, they seemed to split so I never really got anywhere - but by the end of 1971 I could play guitar myself and began putting my own music to them and playing in folk clubs or between sets of my friends bands.
As far as I remember the music was mainly R & B but had an impressive progressive element with John Bradbury's jazz rock skills and Loz's interest in bands like King Crimson.
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