The Last Few Weeks. Christmas Coming Soon.

Been ages. I'm sure there have been the usual conspiracy theories circulating on the Interweb, so just to set the record straight:

- I have not been in The Priory detoxing. They still have a 5 mile exclusion order out on me.
- I have in no way 'gone missing again'.
- I'm afraid I have not been holed up in a studio in the South of France putting the finishing touches to this year's come-back album with my old producer Martin 'Hamster' Hampson.

In fact I have been busy pulling together my pitch for the Christmas number one. The collaboration with Radiohead looks unlikely unless they reply to one of my messages soon (I'm not pissed off - I understand the pressures they must be under, what with the year off and all. Lots of house work to catch up on I imagine). The Faint are also busy doing "something else".

Anyway, I thought I might give the fans a chance to vote which one to put out. I'll lay down some MP3's when I get the chance, but it's likely to be between:

'Spangling Christmas Party Night' - knocked together tat, the stuff punters seem to love at Christmas.
'Merry Christmas (War Is ... errm)' - hard hitting political satire with a glam-party backtrack.
'Do You Want To Touch My Beard' - novelty re-make. Excuse to get tactile with groupies again like in the 70's (sigh).
'Christmas Time, Cigarettes and Wine' - novelty re-make. Cliff's people may be a problem.

A bientot,

Rick x

The Spangle Band

In the years following the hit thinks got a bit hazy. We were living the dream, and the dream was living us. No matter how crazy things got though we still had the band, the solid unit. It was a classic 5 piece - Vocals, Guitar, Bass, Sax, Drums – except that we had a reserve drummer in case Lenny ‘Lucky’ Stix was unable to play (or, to be more accurate, unable to stand).

If my memory serves me correctly Lenny 'Lucky' Stix died in a bizarre accident at the country house in 1977 and we buried .... no wait a minute - that's right, he went missing and try as we might we couldn't track him down. Wow, imagine if he was still around somewhere. Derrick ‘Spare’ Stevens took over full time until he had to retire through what would now be known as repetitive strain injury. We were convinced it had nothing to do with the drumming! He threatened to take us to an industrial tribunal but luckily he woke up one morning soon after and his mind had be erased, presumably by aliens.

We just about kept it all together right through to the legendary ‘Spangle Nation’ tour of 1981, when it all finally fell apart. One day we were playing a gig in Croydon, next thing I knew I was meditating in a cave in India with a Guru on one side and Spangle sax legend Dunston ‘Dunny’ McGiddy on the other. How and why I don’t know to this day, but this was to be life for the next few years.

Last I heard Dunny was doing the Butlins circuit with The Rollers - still one of the finest sax players of all time if you ask me. Last I saw him he was dressed in orange handing out flowers at Delhi airport - I was being deported. I tried to wave, but couldn't because of the handcuffs.

Of the original band, Steve ‘The Rage’ Paige still plays guitar in the band, and still has a hair-trigger temper on him. He was famously arrested in Glasgow on the ‘Spangle Banner’ tour of 1978 when he tied a policeman’s shoelaces together and threw him in the river because he “looked at him funny, like”. One of the roadies stepped in to play guitar, and it was a great show (despite only lasting for 3 songs).

Dave ‘No Nick-Name’ Roberts still plays bass, but keeps himself very much to himself these days.

Some thoughts from the 1970’s – The Hit(s)

Gary Glitter – he was not the talented one. He didn't write any of his own songs, and always mimed on Top Of The Pops. On my one and only almost-appearance I insisted on singing live (which incidentally had nothing to do with it being cut from the show at the last minute - that was due to Steeleye Span over-running). Until my accident in the hospitality suite I was promised an appearance the following week.

There was much resentment in the Glam Rock community at Glitter's success - some say that was the reason so many of us spent the 1980's in re-hab. But look where he is now.

For those too young to remember the time, my hit "Now Is Not The Time" was considered groundbreaking at the time. Taking the excess of the Glam Rock scene and combining it with lyrics that Melody Maker described as “simplistic” and “naive” threatened to revolutionise the work of popular music. Obviously a bit revolutionary for a number 1 hit, but number 27 would suffice.

Then disaster as the release of the risqué follow up “Do You Want To Touch My Hair” approached. Glitter appears with “Do You Want To Touch Me There” a matter of weeks before, and the thunder is well and truly stolen. Claims it was a coincidence have never washed with me, but I can’t say any more until the expiry of the 50-year restraining order that was imposed on me in the following months. I didn’t take it well.

At least it is now considered a collectable rarity. I like to think more for the music than the gold vinyl with limited edition scratch 'n' sniff sleeve.

Tour Diary

Well, I'm new to this blogging business, but I'm thinking of keeping an on-line diary during my upcoming tour of Central American hot-spots. It will probably be a bit crazy: touring with the Spangle Band is never dull and we normally lose at least one drummer along the way.

If anyone reads it I will keep going. Watch this space.

Love,

Rick x

Spangle Nights

Nights of Spangle.

Knight of Spangle?