Forlorn request for musical assistance.

Random Banter
User avatar
mbc1955
Lord Chancellor
Posts: 718
Joined: Mon 25 Aug, 2014 9:47 pm
Location: Stockport, Great Manchester in body, the Lake District at heart
Contact:

Forlorn request for musical assistance.

Post by mbc1955 »

Hi. I know this is the longest of longshots but if I don't ask, etc, etc,

A long time ago, in a decade faraway which we called the Sixties, there was a magical hit single called "Something in the Air" by Thunderclap Newman, of which many of you will be hopefully familiar. Said song was written and sung (and drummed) by John 'Speedy' Keen.

A few years later, in 1972, Speedy released the first of only two solo albums, 'Previous Convictions'. It was preceded by a single, "Old-Fashioned Girl", which also turned up on the album as opening track. I first bought the single, then the album. There was a marked difference between the two in that the single was a straight rock song, guitars (acoustic and electric), bass, drums, piano) but the album version had some weak and feeble strings and horns dubbed over it.

Like a fool, on the grounds of duplication, I sold on the single. Since then, still preferring the stripped down version, I've tried buying old copies of the single to get back my preferred track. Unfortunately, I must have got an early pressing of the single when it first came out as all the subsequent versions I've discovered are either identical to the album or, in one case, were blessedly free of overdubs at the beginning but afflicted by them later in the track.

You know what's coming: is there by some remotest chance someone out there who was similarly into Speedy's solo stuff, who bought the non-overdubbed version of the single, still has it and who has digitised it? If so, or if you know someone who might, I'd love to talk about getting a copy of it.

Please? Pretty please? Pretty please wiv' sugar on it?
The truth ferret speaks!
User avatar
51A
Committee Member
Posts: 115
Joined: Fri 19 Sep, 2014 8:06 pm
Location: South Wales

Re: Forlorn request for musical assistance.

Post by 51A »

Gosh. You know, I don't know of anyone who parted with their vinyl to not at some point regret parting with their vinyl. I never parted with mine willingly, it just got lost or nicked at parties.

I'll have a look on Newport market, brill stall there run by some old stoners, they might have it, otherwise there's a site and I have no idea now what it's called but google "rare vinyl". Of course, they'll try to charge you an arm and a leg. Haggle.
User avatar
LadyCentauria
Speaker of the House
Posts: 2437
Joined: Fri 05 Sep, 2014 10:25 am
Location: Set within 3,500 acres of leafy public land in SW London

Re: Forlorn request for musical assistance.

Post by LadyCentauria »

Try this place: http://www.discogs.com/artist/289157-Jo ... e=Releases or this one: http://www.cdandlp.com/en/john-keen/artist

No-one is selling it on discogs at the mo but you can create a wanted list or just keep an eye on the site. There is a youtube embedded vid on there of Old Fashioned Girl but it is the version with the overdubs coming in at the halfway-ish mark. cdandip have three copies for sale from two vendors. They don't say which version(s) they have, though.

The string sound does appear weedy, today, and always did sound reedy, but that is partly due to the fact that they come from either an Eminent Solina (re-badged by ARP as the String Synth) or a Ken Freeman String Machine Prototype II or maybe even the Prototype III - which was built in 1972. The former became the first commercially available string synthesiser whereas the latter two were pro instruments so, at the time and being a prototype, only in the hands of a very few people. Pete Townshend probably got hold of one, though, and I'm pretty sure that the single (all versions) and album were recorded in his home studio – or it might just have been done at The Who's Ramport Studios in Battersea, founded in 1972 as The Kitchen. I first went to Ramport in about 1978, so it would have been before my time, but they had some great keyboards there. Anyroad, John Keen played it himself – his credits on the album include keyboards.

As a thought, you could try dropping a line to Townshend – he has always been pretty open and helpful – as he might recall something that would help narrow down exactly when the synth-free version was recorded/released. Good luck and good hunting – it would be lovely to hear the straightforward original of it :rock:

Oh, and try Cherry Records too!
Image
This time, I'm gonna be stronger I'm not giving in...
User avatar
mbc1955
Lord Chancellor
Posts: 718
Joined: Mon 25 Aug, 2014 9:47 pm
Location: Stockport, Great Manchester in body, the Lake District at heart
Contact:

Re: Forlorn request for musical assistance.

Post by mbc1955 »

LadyC - That is absolutely fascinating and many thanks for the information.

I'm a bit loathe to just blindly buy copies of the single as I can't afford to stack up 'wrong' copies (and I'd never be able to sell the surplus!), and in my experience, you can't find out in advance. The suggestion of contacting Pete Townsend is a good one (I'd like to thank him generally for the great joy I've had from the Who these many years).

I'll also contact Cherry Records as you suggest. The stripped down version would have made a great extra on the CD 'Previous Convictions'.
The truth ferret speaks!
User avatar
LadyCentauria
Speaker of the House
Posts: 2437
Joined: Fri 05 Sep, 2014 10:25 am
Location: Set within 3,500 acres of leafy public land in SW London

Re: Forlorn request for musical assistance.

Post by LadyCentauria »

If Cherry Records re-mastered from the original full master-tapes for the CD then they should be able to strip out the strings, as it is possible that he just added those sounds onto the original tape rather than re-recording the whole track especially for the album. More difficult but possible if they only worked from a mixed-down tape. Could be a money-spinner for them, perhaps for an anniversary of some sort. And having thought about those sounds and those days a bit more, it might have been a Mellotron 400 (or earlier!) which would account for the somewhat strange tuning and tonal quality on some of the notes.
Image
This time, I'm gonna be stronger I'm not giving in...
User avatar
mbc1955
Lord Chancellor
Posts: 718
Joined: Mon 25 Aug, 2014 9:47 pm
Location: Stockport, Great Manchester in body, the Lake District at heart
Contact:

Re: Forlorn request for musical assistance.

Post by mbc1955 »

I've already e-mailed Cherry Red and suggested the original single version as a bonus track. It's decades since I last heard it but it was very definitely a straight rock version identical to the album track, and the 'strings' are overdubs. not like the difference between the intros of the single and album versions of the Moody Blues' Question, to take the first example that comes into my head.
The truth ferret speaks!
Post Reply