MICK GREEN BLUES BAND c1970 - 72
The original line up in 1970 was -
Mick Green (later with Railroad, Eli, Rein Chantre) - Lead / rhythm guitar / vocals / harmonica.
Tony (Mojo) Morgan (later with Railroad, Eli, Rein Chantre, EMF, Travelling Riverside Blues Band / Roddy
Radiation's Bonediggers and now the Hoochie Choochie band - bass guitar
Steve Harrison (later with Nak ed en / Concert / Railroad) - Drums
There were several reformations with slightly different line ups and off shoots of this band and they reformed as Mick Green Blues band by 1972 with
Johnny Adams (later with Fission / The Blue Jays and Squad and more) on Lead guitar and vocals
Simon Lovegrove (later of Fission) on drums
I think also Paul Samson (later of Trigon / Reluctant Stereotypes and producer of the Primitives)
alongside original members Mick Green and Tony Mojo Morgan.
The band, as you would suspect, were blues based covering R & B classics, raw blues numbers and Chuck Berry classics - Sweet Little Sixteen and Johnny B Goode.
They played the Umbrella, The Navigation, Boatyard among others.
Some Background to the band and its derivatives from Trev Teasdel
Some of my own history relates to this basic band.
I met Drummer Steve Harrison in March 1970. I was about 19 and putting on bands at the Umbrella Club on a friday night 9pm to 2am. He came to one of the gigs and I recognised him as a kid I had played with at Junior school. He lived opposite our house. I'd lost touch with him when I went to Cov Boarding school and didn't we didn't know of each other's musical leanings. What's more Steve had a car so that night I didn't have the long 3 mile walk home to Willenhall Woods at 2 am after the gig! Later in July we went up to the Sportsmen's in Allesley for a heavy disco. Alright Now by Free had just reached the top of the charts and was playing full blast. Although I preferred progressive music at the time, the sheer power of the Free track blew us away.
Steve introduced me to the band and I realised I knew Mojo Morgan from the Boarding school. Although they mainly did covers, Steve asked me to write some lyrics for the band, learning that I was a lyricist. It would be another year before I could play guitar well enough to put music to my own lyrics. I'd fancied being linked to a band in the way that lyricists Pete Sinfield was linked to King Crimson (and whose lyrics I still think are brilliant) and Pete Brown, the poet who wrote lyrics for Cream - White Room, Sunshine of Your Love). I got the impression though that they wanted more down to earth and basic lyrics rather than more more poetic or progressive styled words. So although I took along my book of lyrics, I also sketched some basic and loosely structured lyrical ideas for them to look at which could be redeveloped around what ever kind music they came up with. Meanwhile Mojo Morgan wrote some music to one of my earlier efforts from when I was 17. A song called The Elusive Metallic Idol. The title was about money, written after watching a TV programme on the money-go-round and slightly influenced by Cat Steven's Mathew and Son - a track I used to love. Mojo played an acoustic version to me at his house, having altered one of the lines to fit his music. The track is now lost along with Mojo's other archives but here are the lyrics. It's imagery of designing cars and living in jackblock flats (Hillfields) all come from riding around Coventry in the van as an electrical apprentice in Coventry. I'd writtent he first draft of the song travelling along the Foleshill Rd on the way to a job in Hillfields with the TV programe in my mind. i had in mind a kind of Cat Stevens feel but Mojo brought his own musical interpretation to it.
The Elusive Metallic Idol (lyrics by Trev Teasdel 1968)
There’s a maze of minds
Designing all kinds of cars.
There’s a surfeit of time to kill
So the people do what they will
Living in flats, so very high
Working so hard till they finally die.
Cogwheels are spinning
And people are sinning.
Papa’s won the pools
Look at all the fools
Smoking and drinking
No time for thinking.
(Bridge)
I don’t know what to do for the best
I’m counting the hairs on my hairless chest
Times are so hard
Think I’ll send them a Christmas card.
Money becomes their life
The object of their strife
The elusive metallic idol
Can make you suicidal
So get outta bed
Screw on your head
It’s full speed ahead
Grab what you can while you may
No time for pleasure and play!
There were three short verses I sketched out for the band to play around with. None of the pieces got used finally and the band split up before the end of the year - reforming later on in different combinations or under new names.
Led Zepplin, Cream, Taste, Black Sabbath were some of the most listened to heavy bands of that year and I probably had Zepplin / Cream feel in mind for the lyrics but didn't hone them too much as the style of the music would need to be taken into acount. I never rated these ones among the best lyrics I'd written at that time but written more for someone else. There was a sort of backlash in 1970 against some of the more flowery lyrics of 67 / 68 / 69. I think this reflects that feel. That idea became more pronounced later when Lennon published his solo work debunking the Beatles and everything else.
REALITY (Lyric by Trev Teasdel March 1970)
Got no pretensions
‘Bout a love that is smooth
No candy floss trees,
No lemonade lakes.
No semi-detached
Or a shop-on-a-lease.
We’ll just make the most
Of what is least.
Reality…
Is what I offer you….
Broken dreams -
will only make you blue.
It’s you that I crave,
So let it be
The isle is waiting
For you and for me.
(lyric unfinished)
Guitar solo…..etc…
The Second one I wrote for them somehow got to Digger Dave who was then editing the Broadgate Gnome Magazine at the time and creating a conciousness of Coventry's underground Scene. Although at this stage I'd only produced one longish verse, I later finished it off in 1985 on Teesside and demoed - the demo, remastered
from cassette is now on the Songs From the Coventry Underground - on the Gnome Label and the You Tube of it is hear. Maybe you've already heard it. However the feel on the final track is obviously not heavy rock as fist intended. The song works on two levels - a kind of inner landscape and as Digger Dave has pointed out, a vibe about living in Cov at the time with it's industrialism and feeling of getting nowhere, going round in circles but wanting to escape the mundane, the inevitable. "and the sun did shine, and it shone so bright, that it dazelled me, now I'm back in Winter Town." It's a similar theme to A Lotta Rain is Fallin' which I'd written around June 1970 and which Pete Waterman (whom I worked with at the time at GEC) put to music orginally) That also is on my album but with my own music to it. The idea of doing a lot but getting nowehere was in that too "A
lotta rain is fallin' but the earth has moved aside" it built up a series of omages that refined that idea of frustrated effort along with Waterman's favourite line (which he repeated in his versin) "There's a lotta rivers flowin' but the sea's learned how to fly". The frustrated effort might be a relationship, or getting nowhere with your music, or being trapped in poverty or dead end low paid jobs. Here's the one I wrote for the Mick Green Band though march 1970.
BACK IN WINTER TOWN (Full lyric by Trev Teasdel)
I persevered through persistent rain
Believing that the sun must shine.
Through thunder clouds, I kept my head
Wishing that the sun would shine.
I was isolated in deep frozen snow
Believing that the sun would shine.
And the sun did shine
And it shone so bright
That it dazzled me.
And the rain came down
Now I’m back in Winter town
And the rain came down
Now I’m back in winter town.
Bridge
I’m a child of the snow
I’m a child of the snow
I’m a child of the snow…
I dug my way through the fields of hurt
Believing I would find the key.
Through the gates of pain, I kept my head
Believing that the key I’d find.
I was left alone, in that nowhere zone
Believing that the key I’d find.
And the key did shine
And it shone so bright
That it dazzled me
And the rain came down
Now I’m back in winter town
And the rain came down
Now I’m back in winter town.
………………………
The third lyric I heard a kind of Sunshine of Your Love feel although it wasn't structured in that way particularly. I think by that I heard a kind of decending Jack Bruce bass riff behind the words "that is, er well, I mean". Again unfinished and loosley structured.
IF IT’S LOVE THAT YOU WANT (lyric Trev Teasdel March 1970) Chorus I’ve got what you want, That is, er, well.. I mean - If it’s love that you want I think I can qualify. I’ll spread out my blanket No tricks up my sleeve If the blanket is blemished It’s alright if you leave. I wanna go steady And I’ve heard that you’re ready You’re searching for someone Could I be the one? I’m willing to try We’ll grow wings and fly Don’t make me wait Don’t hesitate – Cos - I’ve got what you want (etc). The Mick Green Blues Band broke up sometime in 1970. By summer 1970 Steve Harrison came to me again asking for lyrics. This time he was rehearsing with a new band called Nak ed en. They were rehearsing in a pub room in Primrose Hill Street (Hillfields) (can't recall the name of the pub). Although Nak ed en will be blogged about on here soon, the initial line up was Loz Netto - guitar (Loz was later in Love Zeus, Tsar and Sniff and the Tears - now a solo artists with loads of albums to his credit), Neil Richardson who came by Acorn and later to Drops of Brandy. Steve however was replaced very soon by John Bradbury (Brad) (ten years later Brad would be in the Specials of course. The full story of that band later under their name. Christmas 1970 saw Tony Mojo Morgan in an new outfit tht never really got oof the ground - CONCERT. Mojo sent me a christmas card that year with the line up on here. It included Martin Barter whom I'd known via Coconut Mat and the future sax player of Mojo's 1979 Ska band EMF.
By February 1971 - The Mick Green Blues Band was reformed under the name of Railroad with the original line up. I arranged for them to practise in the Umbrella Little Theatre and not only did they ask me to write some lyrics again but also try vocals with them. The full story of this band comes later under Railroad. The band didn't ast more than a month and never got to the stage of gigging. Although I wrote a series of lyrics for them, the vocals didn't pan out. I was only just getting to grips with learning guitar and keyboards that and hadn't got my confidence singing and I didn't have a PA. I'd phoned Pete Waterman who put me on to Bill Campbell of Coconut Mat (formerly the Eggy). Bill generously agreed to let me use his PA to do a try out but at the end of the day, his band got a gig on that night. but for a brief moment I was a band member of Railroad!
By 1972 The Mick Green Blues Band seemed to have reformed albeit with new members. I'd lost touch with them but one night I was down the Lanch (poly) Student Union gig with Ade Taylor of Wandering John. Ade had been giving me lessons in doing Barre chords on the guitar. It nearly killed my fingers but everynight I did the exercise he showed me starting on barre F down to Bb7 to Bb minor and then progressively moving up the scale with that sequence and back. It worked though - after a week I was playing songs with barre chords in. Thanks Ade!
However tht night we got a lift home and I had Lyndie's Spanish Guitar with me (yes I practised the barre chords
on a Spanish - nitemare for my fingers!!). A guy called Johnny Adams got in the back seat. He was wild - a punk before punk. (later he'd be lead guitarist with Squad - the band that the Specials got Terry Hall from). He asked if he could have a go on the Spanish guitar. I had visions of him doing thrash metal on it and leaving it in splinters Pete Townsend style! Instead, the gentle classical strains of medieval style music emanated from the back of the car. I looked around, I couldn't believe it was the same guy a few moments ago was acting so wild! The music was acomplished, sensitive and extremely well played. I realised then that there was so much more depth to this guy. He said he played in the Mick Green Blues band and so it was back to first base for me. Over the coming months we became close friends, jamming at his flat or in Cov city centre - even in Birmingham and Mosely on ocassions or out at Warwick Uni. We travelled around a bit.
Johnny picked up lyrical ideas from me and I learned loads of guitar. Johnny could play everything - you name it, metal guitar, medieval styles, classical, folk, middle of the road pop songs. He could synthasise styles. One of his tricks was to write a song using the common triads (so it was familiar to people) but substitue one of them for an augmented or a mediaval chord or such like. He always had intros for his songs done on the top e / b strings or similar. Sometimes the verse was in the first position but moved to barre inversions for the chorus or bridge. Sometimes he take on an usual pick inbetween the verses, or an unusual time signature. He had a great bag of musical tricks that freshened his songs, made them memorable and he could do them effectively on acustic or electric with a full band - they'd still sound great. Some were rock but he had what I called his gypsy ballad style - Gypsy Lady was an an example - I may record to give an example some time soon. My own song Throw Down My Pack was influenced by it (now on the album) so that will suffice for now.
He taught me to play in thrids and fourths - the style used for McCartney's Blackbird, to do power chords. I used these on Shortly After Midnight also on the album and Trev's My Space), medieval styles and much more. Johnny was mesmerised by my imagery and began developing the poetry of his lyrics.
One memory is of myself, Mick Green and Johnny Adams sitting on the steps of the Climax pub (in the city arcade near where Virgin Records used to be). Led Zep's A Whole Lotta lovin was blasting out of the disco and we sat there with three Eko Jumbo acoustics playing music to anyone who would listen. Having only been playing guitar for a year by then I felt outclassed by their musical talent - they had been playing a long time and were good. They went thorugh the R & B classics, getting me to follow them on chords or riffs while they duelled on acoustic lead. Sometimes Greenie would revert to harmonica, especially when they did Bowie's Jean Genie. Johnny would sing or sometime Greenie. Mick adopted it as his song because it named checked "Poor little Greenie". It was fun and a great learning curve for me on guitar - I didn't need to go to guitar lessons with so many talented guitar friends in Cov although it may have beed good for the discipline. Sometimes Johnny would do his own songs.
At the Mick Green Blues Band gigs (at the Navigation of Boatyard for example) I would do my songs inbetween their sets) this was so even as they changed the line up and name of the band or when Johnny Adams formed Fission in 1973. Sometimes the band would back me informally on acoustic instruments or come over to my own gigs for the Birmingham Streetpress bogged about under the name of the magazine or Johnny Adams elsewhere on this site.
The Mick Green Blues band with Simon Lovegrove on drums and Johnny Adams in tow changed their name
several times - Eli / Rein Chantre until the band finally split in 1973 and Johnny Adams formed the Hawkwind style band Fission, taking with him Simon Lovegrove.
One of Johnny's favourite songs to play while we were lurking around town with jumbo acoustics on our backs (eg outside the Herbert Gallery or in the Cathedral grounds or out front a pub) was Leadbelly's song The Midnight Special. it was one of the stock songs of the Mick Green Blues Band too. johnny sang his own songs, the rocky The Hangman's Gone, Gypsy Lady and more. often we'd write songs together on the road, while hitching 9one night it was a full red moon, and we wrote a Full Moon song with werewolf imagery in a strage time signature)
Extracts (a bit silly but..)
Full Moon
Full moon in the sky
Like a rusty eye
watchin' me watchin him
Thinking that he needs some Vim
to clean his rusty eye...
after verses about witches and satanic things we came back to our own situation
We have guitars upon our backs
and songs forming in our heads
Let us stay, oh let us play
Let us share your beds!
Chorus was
Full Moon in the sky
Hear the werewolf wine etc.
- more a bit of fun or he'd write one and I would on the same theme. he would advise on my chord sequencing and I would crit his words. Sometimes though it would be the other way around! One song we wrote - which was more of a throwaway rather than a serious song was about us gadding around with jumbo guitars annoying the universe with our songs -It was called Down at Johnny's Pad - Not our best song but a good reflection on what musicians did, jam, learn from each other, write songs, have fun (best ideas come when you are having fun, even if you need to hone them later), going to gigs, drinking but not for the sake of it - more socialising with peers interested in music - many an idea comes out of heated political discussion in a pub or a one liner! This was a song for that but we never honed it and Johnny did some neat Johnny B Goode lead towards the end - he was Johnny B Goode!
Down at Johnny's Pad
Digging the sounds on the stereo
Swopping songs, yeah yeah
Sometimes slagging, sometimes talking
Learning our craft like a sponge
Down at Johnny's pad.
Down at Johnny's pad
Long distance walking
with guitars on our backs
Always learning, always yearning
Learning our craft like a sponge.
Down at Johnny's pad. Down at Johnny's pad.
Coffee's on to a twelve bar blues
Kettle whistles like the Midnight Special
Clothes are ragged, holes in our shoes
learning our craft like a sponge
Down at Johnny's pad.
The dole is our shepherd
but our hopes are higher
Johnny's guitar licks
burn with fire
We're learning our trade like a sponge
Down at Johnny's pad.
Bridge
Jasmine flower
burnin' self-raising
to the spirtitual sky -hi..
Nourishes the soil
tht sows our songs
when we're down at Johnny's pad,
Down at Johnny's pad.
And the words we sing
are shadows of
the songs inside our heads
but we're learning our trade like a sponge
Down at Johnny's pad.
April 1973 Trev Teasdel, Johnny Adams.
By summer 1973, I started Hobo Magazine. Johnny formed Fission. I didn;t hear from Mojo morgan until 1978 when he asked me to write some songs for his newest band -EMF with Sky riffs and blues bass lines. I wrote With Some Nice Like you (on the Songs From the Coventry Underground Album and Saturday Night (set in the Dog and Trumpet) that I haven't blogged yet. Again they never got used - EMF got two girl singers in with their own material and the rest is history. Mojo went on to play with Travelling Riverside Band with John Alderson and other Cov musos and more.
Paul Sampson apparently played for while with The Mick green Blues Band although I don't recall him with them off hand. First time I met Paul was at the Hobo Workshop in 1974. He was playing in a Jazz Rock band called Trigon with Rick Thawn who had recently left Johnny's band Fission. Paul Sampson later formed Bung, Reluctant Stereotypes and then to producing bands like the Primitives.
Sadly, the last time I saw Mick Green was in 1980 before I left Cov. Strangely, like his counter part - Peter Green of Fleetwood Mac, Mick was exeriencing a serious mental health condition. I don't know what became of him but it was sad to watch the decline of a talented musician and friend. However Mick Green deserves his place in this history of Coventry music and I owe him for the friendship, the musical learning and the fun that was had down in the primordial Coventry Underground Music Scene.
Trev Teasdel
Hi,
Check out some of my songs when you get a chance!!!
Posted by: The Mike Korzak Band | 02/26/2008 at 10:19 PM