Exclusive: Hear 'Tracks of My Tears,' extended

If the Miracles' 1965 smash "The Tracks of My Tears" is 2:56 of '60s R&B perfection — and its is, no doubt — then an extended version with more than an additional minute of music would be even more perfect, right? 

Right. 

A newly available version of the Motown Records classic, premiering at USA TODAY, is included in boxed set tied to the public-television rebroadcast of NBC's 1983 "Motown 25: Yesterday Today Forever" special. The seven-disc collection contains two dozen extended versions of familiar Motown hits, include Martha & the Vandellas' "Heatwave," the Four Tops' "Bernadette" and The Temptations' "Get Ready." 

"Most often the songs went much longer than the fades we are used to hearing," says MY MUSIC creator/executive producer TJ Lubinsky, who compiled the "Motown: Big Hits and More set," "and sometimes even extra verses were uncovered, like Smokey Robinson and The Miracles ad-libbing the line, 'the tracks of my tears, I've been crying for years,' which has never been heard before, because it was on the original session tapes past the fade-out on the 45." 

"Motown 25," which celebrated the 25th anniversary of the legendary Detroit record label, began airing on public television last month. It was the first broadcast in more than 30 years for the special, which featured a reunion of many Motown acts from the '60s and '70s and also introduced Michael Jackson's moonwalk dance step, which, combined with the release of his album "Thriller" a few months before, helped catapult him to a new level of popularity. "Motown: Big Hits and More" is available as a pledge-item premium for viewers who donate to their local public television stations. 

Listen to the track here: http://on.freep.com/1Mtv6r2

Celebrate Aretha's birthday with 10 of her best

http://www.freep.com/story/entertainment/2015/03/25/aretha-franklin/70381700/

R&B/soul singer Bettye LaVette takes the Detroit Metro Times through her new covers album track by track

http://m.metrotimes.com/detroit/randb-soul-singer-bettye-lavette-takes-us-through-her-new-covers-album-track-by-track/Content?oid=2306390

Sideline crew that created the sound of the ’60s

http://m.sfgate.com/movies/article/Sideline-crew-that-created-the-sound-of-the-60s-6145913.php

1965: The Most Revolutionary Year in Music by Andrew Grant Jackson

http://consequenceofsound.net/2015/03/1965-the-most-revolutionary-year-in-music-by-andrew-grant-jackson/

Paul Weller talks about his new album & will he write his memoirs in space? - YouTube

 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=OZQzi1PlzG0

Martin Freeman confirmed as lead actor for Midnight Of My Life

"The MOML team is incredibly pleased to announce that Martin Freeman is officially on board to play Steve Marriott."

 

The upcoming short film was written by Nina Gerstenberger.

 

Martin was the team’s number one choice for the part and they can’t think of anyone better to bring the character of Steve to life.

 

Filming will take place in the 4th week of April 2015 in London.

Punk godfathers The Sonics justify a continued existence few would deny them. Review by Kenneth Partridge

Formed in Tacoma in the early ’60s, before rock really got weird, The Sonics secured a place in history with “The Witch,” “Psycho,” and “Strychnine”: an unholy trinity of unhinged stompers credited with spawning punk, metal, and grunge. All three feature a muddy guitar-and-sax attack and lyrics that might read like Halloween camp were they not howled with such startling, joyful lunacy by singer and keyboardist Gerry Roslie. 

A half-century later, those recordings still sound subversive and bizarre in ways other ’60s garage rock doesn’t. Play a teen punk fan 1965’s Here Are The Sonics, and they might dig it for the same reasons Bruce Springsteen, Kurt Cobain, and the guys from Mudhoney did. 

Roslie has been touring alongside saxophonist Rob Lind and guitarist Larry Parypa—fellow members of the quintet’s classic lineup—since rebooting the band in 2007. This Is The Sonics is this classic lineup’s first proper studio album since 1967, and despite all the goodwill stemming from vintage material and recent live shows, the players come into this project with their work cut out for them.  

Even recording with someone like Jim Diamond—a Detroit garage lifer who’s played with The Dirtbombs and produced just about every neo-Nuggets band worth knowing—the 21st-century Sonics risk losing the dank wallop so central to their ’60s favorites. How do a bunch of 70-something dudes reconnect with whatever wild-eyed spirit compelled them to cut singles about wishing for death and swilling poison for kicks? 

That first problem isn’t much of one, since Diamond keeps his analog production about as primitive as a modern professional can. Relative to the early stuff, there’s a little more separation between the instruments, but it’s a long way from slick. As for material, the group leans heavy on covers, just like back in the day, and still excels at roughing up old blues and R&B tunes. 

First recorded by Ray Charles in 1966, opener “I Don’t Need No Doctor” is a ripping showcase for Parypa’s gnarled guitar, Roslie’s frenzied piano plinks and still-mighty screams, and Lind’s strip-joint horn. With handclaps, harmonica, and Little Richard yelps, “Leaving Here” combines the best of Eddie Holland’s 1963 Motown original and Motorhead’s 1977 cover. The only thing better is the punk-soul dance party “Sugaree,” penned by country great Marty Robbins. 

The weakest tracks are the originals, if only because they don’t stand up to the band’s signature singles. Bassist Freddie Dennis, formerly of The Kingsmen, does his best to recreate “Psycho” with “Livin’ In Chaos,” but he’s like Sam Kinison on a Raw Power trip, and the whole thing feels forced. Lower stakes yield a higher payoff on “Bad Betty,” a bluesy romp about a mean momma in a Coupe De Ville. Whether it’s ’65 or ’15, the truly killer Sonics tunes sound the least premeditated.

Billy Butler - Sad News RIP reports Soul Source

http://www.soul-source.co.uk/_/news-soul/billy-butler-sad-news-rip-r3085

Paul Weller at The Royal Albert Hall

Highlights from Paul's Teenage Cancer Trust gig will be broadcast on Absolute Radio this Sunday 5 April at 8pm!  

http://absoluteradio.co.uk/schedule/the-sunday-night-music-club-19/episodes/36719/

Founder of Burton Brewers Scooter Club honoured with procession of scooters leading to his funeral

THE man who founded a popular scooter club in Burton has been honoured with a procession of scooters at his funeral. 

Members of the Burton Brewers Scooter Club led Bernard Cotton's funeral cortege as it travelled from his home in Rolleston Road to Bretby Crematorium yesterday. 

Riders said they thought it would be a fitting way to pay tribute to the man who formed the group five decades ago. 

Ian Vanes-Jones, from the club, said: "He and his brother Fred started the club 53 years ago. They were cyclists at the time, but one of them had an accident and could no longer carry on. 

"They decided to get these scooters and set up a club. It's now one of the top 10 clubs in the country. 

"When we heard Bernard had died, we wanted to do something. This is a nice little tribute." 

Mr Cotton, 84, had not been an active member of the club for some time, but told his family of fond memories when he would ride around Burton on his scooter. 

His son Andrew said he believed his dad may have had the first Lambretta in Burton. The club was a place he and his brother could socialise with people of similar interests. 

Mr Cotton favoured motorcycles in his later years and passed on his love to his son and grandson. 

He battled prostate cancer for many years before he died. He leaves wife Noreen, children Andrew and Lesley, several grandchildren and great-grandchildren. 

Andrew Cotton said: "He was the nicest man you could ever wish to meet. You can't imagine a father like him. 

"He was very compassionate. He commanded great respect in the family." 

Mr Cotton spent his working life as an engineer, setting up a company called Cotton Engineering. He lived in Burton all his life.

The New Faces documentary by Dean Chalkley

Focusing on the sartorial passion and commitment of young British Mods in the twenty-first century, 'The New Faces' is a documentary showcasing the continuing popularity of the sixties-born youth cult. A study of eight Mods bound together by a shared passion for smart dressing, rare soul, socialising and dancing, this film short is directed by photographer and filmmaker Dean Chalkley. 

http://showstudio.com/project/the_new_faces

‘Detroit 67’ is a refreshing look at the heavy forces in play in Motown that year

http://m.metrotimes.com/detroit/detroit-67-is-a-refreshing-look-at-the-heavy-forces-in-play-in-motown-that-year/Content?oid=2318621

Clarks uses WhatsApp to narrate the story of the Clarks Desert Boot

http://www.retailgazette.co.uk/articles/20203-clarks-uses-whatsapp-to-narrate-the-story-of-the-clarks-desert-boot

Maximum Weekend: Genova capitale della cultura Mod

http://m.ilsecoloxix.it/p/cultura/2015/03/04/ARRCu8iD-maximum_weekend_capitale.shtml

The Italian rescue job: Iconic Lamborghini from classic film is found 46 years on... and no, the mafia DIDN'T throw it off a cliff

It has a starring role in the classic movie The Italian Job – in one of the most memorable opening sequences in cinema history. 

A stunning orange supercar races through the Alps, before disappearing into a tunnel. Then, in a heart-breaking moment for car fans, the Lamborghini Miura crashes in a ball of flames. The smashed up wreckage is dragged out of the tunnel by the mafia and pushed into a ravine by a bulldozer – followed by a wreath for the driver. 

The millions who have seen the iconic film since it was made in 1969 must have assumed the car was an irrecoverable write-off, never to be driven again. 

But now The Mail on Sunday can reveal the car seen powering through the Alps has been found in pristine condition – and is worth more than £1 million. Described as ‘the holy grail of supercars’, it has been tracked down by two British businessman. 

The car’s new co-owner, Iain Tyrrell, received a tip-off at Christmas that the Miura had resurfaced.

He said: ‘I was initially sceptical because no one had seen it for 46 years. But my source was a credible one so I started to pursue it.’ 

He was invited to see it – but given just three hours to verify the vehicle as the genuine article. ‘It was all very James Bond-ish – I had to go to Paris to inspect the car in a secret underground car park,’ he said. 

Mr Tyrrell learned that the thrilling sequence that opens The Italian Job was shot using two cars – both supplied by Lamborghini, but one of them was already smashed up.

It is the first, intact, car that has now been found. Mr Tyrrell said: ‘The Italian Job Lamborghini is the holy grail of supercars precisely because no one knew what happened to it after the film. I have a life-long passion for these cars but I just assumed this particular vehicle was out of reach.’ 

As the Miura is still in near-mint condition, Mr Tyrrell – who owns Cheshire Classic Cars – was able to cross-reference its original features with stills from the film. He has also checked the car’s history at the Lamborghini archive. He said: ‘After inspecting the car, there is no doubt in my mind that it is the Miura from The Italian Job. 

There are certain quirks within the interior of the car, such as the trim and the stitching. They are like a fingerprint or a birth mark. They can’t be replaced.’ 

Research has uncovered that the filmmakers, Paramount, hired the car from Lamborghini and after filming it was sold to a dealer. 

The dealer then sold the Miura to an unidentified buyer. In 2005, after it had changed hands a few times, Norbetto Ferretti, a luxury yacht manufacturer, bought it. This transaction brought a remarkable coincidence to the saga – as Mr Ferretti was the son of the dealer who originally bought it from Lamborghini after The Italian Job. Incredibly, it seems that both he and its previous owners had been completely unaware of its role in the movie. 

Mr Tyrrell and his friend and co-owner, Keith Ashworth, now plan to display the Lamborghini around the world, although they have not ruled out selling it on. The car’s value is likely to increase substantially in the light of its history. 

But the Miura mystery has not been entirely solved. The smashed -up Lamborghini, vanished without trace after it disappeared down the mountainside. 

Mr Tyrrell said: ‘When the production team went back to salvage the remains of the crashed car the next day it had gone. The whole car had disappeared and had obviously been stolen.’ 

Built between 1966 and 1973, the 170mph Lamborghini Miura is widely credited with kick-starting the trend for high performance two-seater sports cars. 

In 2004, Top Gear magazine voted it the coolest car in the world.

The Who's Roger Daltrey says Pete Townshend 'wants to make another record'

The Who singer Roger Daltrey has claimed that bandmate Pete Townshend wants the group to record another album. 

The band released their last studio album 'Endless Wire' in 2006, with Daltrey now stating that Townshend "wants to make another record".  

Daltrey told Rolling Stone: "He's just talking about it. I've heard a couple of tracks, which are great. There are loads of things we can do in the future, but we can't keep doing this sort of tour. This bit of our career is closed, but maybe two more doors open up. Pete is an incredibly vibrant musician. I could see us playing acoustically in some ways." 

The band's current The Who Hits 50 jaunt, which stretches throught the year and includes a show at London's Hyde Park on June 26, was thought to be the band's last ever tour. However, now Daltrey has stated that he would be open to more shows. 

"If people want to add shows and we still feel great, then it will go for a while longer, but not that much longer. It might last two years," Daltrey said. 

The frontman, though, would prefer the band to go out on a high. He added: "We have to be realistic. I want us to stop at the top of our game when we are still really good at what we do. The quality of the music is really what this is all about." 

The Who brought their 50th anniversary tour to London's Royal Albert Hall last week as part of the Teenage Cancer Trust Concert gigs. 

The band performed a two-hour set of tracks and hits spanning their entire career in front of an audience which included artist Peter Blake, who famously created The Beatles' 'Sgt Peppers' Lonely Hearts Club Band' album cover, and former Charlton Athletic manager Alan Curbishley, whose brother Bill is the band's long-time manager.

To Be Someone - The Mod movement has zipped its way through the changes of the last half a century like a nifty Vespa in traffic says the Express and Star

http://www.expressandstar.com/editors-picks/2015/03/24/to-be-someone/

Mods scoot into town for 14-hour charity party night reports the Stoke Sentinel

MODS were dancing through the night as part of a nationwide charity event this weekend.

The Gardeners Retreat, on Boothen Green in Stoke, was taken over by fans of the subculture as part of Mods on the March, a UK-wide fund-raising celebration for the Teenage Cancer Trust. 

Fans of bands such as The Jam and The Who donned their finest outfits and headed for the 14-hour party, which saw seven bands banging out classic hits and also included a charity auction of mod memorabilia. 

Stan Bridge, a mod for more than 40 years, helped to organise the Mods on the March fund-raiser, which was the first event for the national campaign ever held in Stoke-on-Trent. 

The 53-year-old, of Union Street in Hanley, said: "It's one of the big national things that goes on, and when I noticed we'd never had one in the Potteries before I thought it would be great if we could bring it here. 

"There's a massive mod following around here, and I wanted us to be represented, so I jumped at the chance to do something here. 

"It's a big Stoke City pub, but as they didn't have a match on this weeke it was the perfect time to do it. 

"It's taken four or five months to plan everything, so we'd like to raise a lot of money." 

Stan hopes the weekend will have raised over £1,000 for the Teenage Cancer Trust. He said he was partly inspired to bring in a big total following his own cancer scare. 

Shortly before Christmas a routine dental appointment led to the discovery of a lump in his mouth, which he had removed last week. 

Stan added: "Finding the lump made the whole thing much more relevant to me. We've had a lot of support, and we've a lot of people to thank." 

Nottingham-based mod veteran Mick Keetley, aged 50, helped Stan to put on the event. 

He said: "Everyone comes here for the music, but there's real support for the charity side of things too. 

"The mod community is very close, we all like to come and help each other out." 

Ian McIntosh, aged 37, has been running The Gardeners Retreat for more than three years, and said he was delighted the pub hosted the first-ever Mods on the March event in the Potteries. 

He said: "Everyone has been a big help, right from the bands coming here and playing for free to all the people who've donated things for the auction. People have been really generous, and it's good to get everyone together. 

"The pub has got a lot of history of being a live music venue in Stoke, it's something we like to put on for everyone. 

"A lot of the music I like is quite mod-orientated too, so it's really good for me to have this event on here. I know we can make this a big success."

Mod Style: How Melanie James has gone back to the swinging '60s with her retro clothing line reports the Leicester Mercury

Melanie James wanted a mod-style dress for a night out in Leicester as a teenager. So, she asked her mum to make one, and it was the start of a love affair with sewing and all things '60s. Becky Jones finds out about her new clothing line. 

Dressmaker Melanie James wasn't born until the 1970s but, for her, no other decade compares to the swinging '60s. 

It's a love she's inherited from her parents, who brought her up on a musical diet of The Beatles, The Who and The Kinks. 

"I went through a phase of listening to chart music but there was something about 60s soul music that grabbed me from a really young age," she says. "I rarely listen to anything else now. 

"There's something so free about the 60s. Everything was really strict before that. It was the first generation where people were so expressive, with their fashion and their music. I don't think anything's really been the same since then." 

It's fitting then, that the 36-year-old is becoming renowned for her fabulous 60s-inspired mini-dresses, each bearing a name popular in the decade, such as Nancy, Cynthia and Jacky. 

Having previously sold all of her creations on eBay, Melanie is now supplying her "Love Her Madly" dresses to shops, including Mod For It, in Leicester's Silver Arcade. 

With their figure-hugging tunic style, short hemline and largely monochrome design, Melanie's dresses epitomise the 60s. You can almost imagine them being worn by the likes of Twiggy and Cilla as they strutted down Carnaby Street at the height of their fame. 

What makes the dresses all the more impressive is the fact that they've been made by someone who, until eight years ago, had never used a sewing machine. 

At school, Melanie chose to study ceramics rather than textiles and, at home, though her mum and sister enjoyed sewing, she simply wasn't interested. 

"My mum had a sewing machine and just looking at it filled me with fear," she smiles. 

As a teen, Melanie didn't know what she wanted to do with her life, so rather than "pick a course just because it sounded like a fancy one to do" she opted to leave school at the age of 16. 

"I liked the idea of freedom and having money," says Melanie, who got a job working in a restaurant bar. 

"I knew I wanted to do something creative but I didn't know what that was." 

Despite the fact her mum and aunt worked in the hosiery industry, pursuing a career in fashion wasn't something that occurred to her. Her dramatic change in career, from bar worker to dressmaker, came about after a night out at the University of Leicester. 

"I was 27, I'd quit my job, I didn't know what I wanted to do, but I knew I didn't want to carry on working in a bar," she says. 

"There used to be a night at Leicester Uni called Brighton Beach and I used to go to that. I desperately wanted a Mod-style vintage dress to wear there, but I couldn't find one anywhere, so I asked my mum to make me one. 

"She used to make all her own clothes in the 60s. 

"She made me this little black and white dress and that night I had so many girls come up to me and ask where I'd got it from. They said if they could buy something like it, they definitely would." 

That, says Melanie, was her light bulb moment. 

She may not have been interested in sewing before – but here was a way to explore her creativity, indulge her love of the 60s and make a living. 

"I got my mum to teach me how to make a dress. We got an old pattern and adapted it a bit and she helped me cut out the fabric. 

"I just completely fell in love with it and picked it up so easily. I never thought I'd be able to do it, but it went really well – apart from the second dress I made, where I sewed the arm on to the neck." 

After a number of lessons from her mum and aunt, and many hours of practice, Love Her Madly was born. 

Well, sort of. 

"Love Her Madly was the name on my eBay account, which I opened before I started making dresses. I was 21, completely in love with Jim Morrison and thought it sounded like a cool name for an eBay handle. 

"When I started making dresses, I used the name 'Moddest' for them, but everyone said Love Her Madly was a much better name – and I agreed." 

Eight years on, Melanie can't imagine a life without dressmaking. 

She works in a converted studio in Braunstone, weaving her magic using a vintage Frister and Rossmann sewing machine. 

She uses 60s patterns and takes inspiration from old music videos and footage from Carnaby Street and other famous 60s hangouts. 

"For the first year-and-a-half I made a point of never making the same dress twice, so every single dress was completely different, but I got to the point where I was exhausting myself of ideas and the designs became so popular I had to start making them again," she says. 

Melanie mainly uses a colour palette of black, white, red and navy. 

"Occasionally, coming into summer, I might find some fabric in other colours, but I like those colours and they suit me so I tend to stick to them." 

All the fabric is sourced from Leicester Market, while the buttons and zips are bought from local haberdashery shops such as Button Boutique, in Malcolm Arcade. 

"Its important to keep it local," says Melanie. Mod For It, with its similar attachment to the Mod subculture, is a perfect fit with Love Her Madly, she says. 

And she's pleased it's in her hometown. 

Two London shops have now signed up to sell Melanie's creations: Dolly Mix, just off Brick Lane, and Sherry's, off Carnaby Street. "I've been selling on eBay for eight years (during which time she's sold more than 2,000 dresses) and although it's great because I can get to a massive market worldwide, it's nice to be able to actually see my dresses in a shop," she says. "It feels more serious. 

"I felt quite nervous seeing them in a shop for the first time, to be honest." 

As well as the dresses available in the shops and through eBay, Melanie also takes on commissions. 

Dresses cost about £40 – which for a handmade, bespoke dress, sounds like a bargain. 

What's next for Love Her Madly? 

"I don't want to become a massive big brand. 

"If I was going to have my own shop, I'd have to go to somewhere like London or Brighton, where there's a bigger scene. 

"The stuff I do is so specific. 

"I like the idea of it just being in a few exclusive shops. Who knows what will happen in the future, though."

Counterbalance: The Who's 'The Who Sell Out'

What's for tea, darling? Darling, I said, What's for tea? It's a 1967 pop-art masterpiece. You're going to choke on it, too. A pioneer in the art of the concept album is this week's Counterbalance.

http://www.popmatters.com/post/191836-counterbalance-the-who-sell-out/

'Weekend goes Mod with Paul Weller' - did anyone see this Express & Star 'Special'?

Don't miss our exclusive chat with Paul Weller in tomorrow's Mod Special Weekend. 

The Mod God talks about keeping music fresh, family time and what he really thinks of Macca, Noel and Johnny Rotten. 

Elsewhere, we've got the anatomy of a Mod - the music, the haircut, the clothes and, of course, the scooters. Vespa or Lambretta? 

Quadrophenia, the Small Faces, fish 'n' chips, Ready Steady Go! and The Who all get a mention, and we take a Modish tour around Brighton and Northern Soul Mecca, Wigan. 

On our TV pages, comics Dara O'Briain and Ed Byrne's talk about their rocky road trip around America and we preview the return of Louis Theroux's eye-opening documentaries. 

And it's all about the Saddlers on our sports pages as we catch up with Dean Smith ahead of Walsall's trip to Wembley on Sunday. 

It really is super Saturday. Happy Weekend!

You Really Got Me: The Kinks, a girlfriend and a shady character

http://www.pri.org/stories/2015-03-29/you-really-got-me-kinks-girlfriend-and-shady-character

Paul Weller review – no middle-aged spread from the gladiatorial mod

Most rock stars try to stay in shape as they get older. It’s a commercial imperative. But gigs can also be susceptible to middle-age spread. A rambling anecdote here, a leisurely guitar tune-up there – when you’re cushioned by a decent back catalogue, why not luxuriate like Cleopatra on a gilt chaise longue? Leave urgency to the new breed still scrambling for success. 

Paul Weller is no Cleopatra. At 56, his default performance mode remains more gladiatorial than anecdotal. On the last night of a bespoke tour ahead of his 12th solo album, the closest Weller gets to spinning a yarn is when he mentions the first time he played Edinburgh’s grand old Playhouse: in 1977, the Jam supported the Clash on their White Riot tour. It’s not even a story – all he says is “that gig started seated and ended up with everyone standing”. 

It could be interpreted as a threat if the wiry Weller and a phenomenally well-drilled five-piece band, including his long-time touring guitarist Steve Cradock – from Ocean Colour Scene – didn’t spend the next 100 minutes rattling through a persuasively energised 25-song set with barely a heartbeat between tracks. 

After an opening salvo that leans heavily on Weller’s debut solo album, they hit a fertile groove of maximalist R&B, from the tipsy melody of When Your Garden’s Overgrown to the tooth-rattling rocket of From the Floorboards Up. The closest thing to a lull is caused by a guitar pedal malfunction, but even then Weller doesn’t hang around, pivoting to the piano for two songs from his Britpop-era commercial peak, You Do Something to Me and Broken Stones, an improvised double bill that delights the crowd. 

His forthcoming album has a cosmic title, Saturns Pattern, but judging by the five tracks he plays here, it’s Weller proving he can go as loud and raw as the White Stripes or Royal Blood. The motorik-riffed Long Time throbs like the Stooges, while even the wistful I’m Where I Should Be rattles along to a martial drumbeat. 

After such a rush, Weller’s dual encores feel a little slacker than the main set, but everything snaps back into focus for The Changingman, his signature hit from two decades ago. The majority of the audience are on their feet, the packed balcony creaking and swaying. So when he returns for an unexpected third encore to play A Town Called Malice, the place explodes, presumably just like it did in 1977.

People tried to put them down... but the Mod generation of Who fans hit back

The Mods are on the march again... coming to the defence of their idols The Who when they almost lifted the roof off the old Industrial Club (now The Talk) in Norwich 50 years ago. 

Thank you for all your memories of the club in Oak Street now celebrating its diamond anniversary and it was a letter from Australia which got the former Mods mad.

Steve Moore wrote to say he and others went to watch The Who at the club in 1965 after they had just released My Generation. Drummer Keith Moon was ill so Viv Prince of The Pretty Things took over the sticks. 

“Overall they were pretty bad,” said Steve and his brother Nick wrote an angry letter to The Record Mirror. The paper ran it under the headline The Who – Painful Sounds which upset one Pete Townshend. Not a wise move! 

Now John Gerrard, of Thorpe Marriott, along with other Who fans, have recalled it was a great night. 

He thought his memory had been playing tricks on him after he read our story but he checked with other Mods who all said The Who were brilliant. 

They had just got some of the loudest Marshall Amps available and when they turned the volume up...wow. 

“The distortion and feedback were fantastic. The swearing at the audience referred to was all good banter and typical of The Who.” 

John added: “The only disappointment of the night was the fact that Keith Moon was sick, so the sound would probably have been even louder as Pete Townshend once described the first time Keith played with The Who it was like a 747 taking off behind you.” 

He said they counted themselves very fortunate in the 60s to have seen other world-famous bands in Norwich, the likes of The Kinks at Earlham Park, The Small Faces and the original Manfred Mann band with Paul Jones. Did you know his father had been manager of the Assembly House?

Video Of Toddler Singing Paul Weller Goes Viral

Watch as 3-year-old Johanna Connolly from Dublin nails Paul Weller’s ‘Uh Huh Oh Yeah’ 

Most 3-year-olds are learning how to sing nursery rhymes like Rock A Bye Baby but little Johanna Connolly from Dublin is more of a rock fan. 

The little rock chick is a massive Paul Weller fan and can belt out some of his best known hits like a pro. 

Her mother Martha captured her singing ‘Uh Huh Oh Yeah’ on video and posted it to Facebook where it got tens of thousands of shares. 

What is amazing about her performance is how the 3-year-old can keep time with the song. 

And while she may not have all the words of the song down to a tee, what she lacks in pronunciation she makes up for in attitude, shaking her head in time like a seasoned festival goer. 

Her performance has even drawn praise from Weller’s wife, her mother told the Daily Edge.

http://www.evoke.ie/video/video-of-todler-singing-paul-weller/

From Princess Vespa to civilian youth of an era - Sina Sina car

http://auto.sina.com.cn/motuoche/2015-03-04/19451407310_2.shtml?from=wap

St George’s Day celebrations planned for Preston Guild Hall

Patriotic Prestonians are being urged to celebrate England’s patron saint as much as they might celebrate Ireland’s. 

As part of a massive St George’s Day Festival, bosses at the Guild Hall are welcoming the move to commemorate the date on April 23, with a line-up of Mod and Northern Soul favourites to celebrate with a great night out, in the same way many do for St. Patrick’s Day. 

Susan Burns, of Guild Promotions, said: “We were very keen to include the Northern Soul element to our program of events here at the Guild Hall, and what better day to introduce this than on St Georges Day!  

“We are wanting to make more of a weekend of entertainment next year, but thought we couldn’t let this year go without marking the occasion.   

“We have close ties with a few avid fans of this genre of music and they have given us the thumbs-up for the chosen line up, so we are happy that this St Georges Day Festival will be authentic to the style of music we have decided to go with. 

Susan added: “We want to put time and effort into growing this event and hopefully in a couple of years it will be a firm favourite date in the Northern Soul / Mod calendar.” 

During the one-day festival, Mod revival band Secret Affair will headline at Preston Guild Hall. The line-up will also include favourites The Lambrettas. 

Ian Page, lead singer with Secret Affair, said it should be important to celebrate the dragon-slaying George. He said: “Like many English people, I am always surprised that the other home nations seem to embrace celebrating their patron saints, while we almost seem embarrassed to do so because it might be seen to have certain connotations. But it should be celebrated and we’re certainly going to give it a good show.” 

Doors will open at 7pm with the show starting at 7.30pm. 

Tickets are on sale now. For more information see the Guild Promotions Facebook page or follow @guildpromotions on Twitter.

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Mod-rock fan's multi-million pound collection to feature on The Who's 50th anniversary tour reports the Daily Echo

AN iconic artwork collection paying homage to one of Britain's biggest 1960s rock bands is being displayed at a historic gig.  

Sixties legends The Who were at the forefront of the Rock n Roll culture and the swinging sixties.  

Their seminal 1973 album Quadrophenia formed the unforgettable soundtrack of the hit film of the same name featuring epic battles between the infamous Mods and Rockers.  

Now a Hampshire man who owns a £1.8million collection featuring rare paintings inspired by their music and original merchandise from the film is exhibiting artefacts in London.  

The paintings, along with antique Vespa scooters, Mod suits and a parka coat signed by one of the cast, are currently on show at two landmark gigs by the band at the O2 Arena last night and today Paul Kelly, from Southampton, is exhibiting his entire Whofreak Artwork at what is the band's 50th anniversary tour.  

The Who Turns 50 tour initially launched last year but the final shows were postponed when singer Roger Daltrey fell ill with a throat infection. Now diehard fans have a fresh chance to watch the rock legends and see the exhibition.  

Mr Kelly, 51, initially inherited the paintings - which feature Egyptian motifs and abstract designs - after his best friend the artist John Davis died in 2006.  

Mr Davis, originally from Shirley, was commissioned in 1969 by the Who to do the artwork for their first book 'A Decade of the Who', eventually released in 1977.  

The illustration collection was valued at £500,000 in 2008 and last year Mr Kelly signed a deal with the band's official merchandising company Bandmerch to create limited edition and order versions of them.  

This, along with a collection of scooters, clothing and limited edition records, means the whole collection is worth an estimated £1.8m.  

It comes after he initially tried to sell the paintings for £165,000 on global internet auction site in 2009 but received no takers.  

Mr Kelly, who has often displayed the merchandise at The Who conventions, said: “It's an opportunity for people to see some rare merchandise, items from the film and 1960s culture representative of Britain in 1964.  

“It's part of the British culture and they can reminisce about things that happened those days.”  

Haling Mr Davis who he met at a history re-enactment society in Fordingbridge in 1991, he said: “Pete was a very close friend and the band all knew him well.  

“By leaving me the artwork I am keeping his name alive and all the Who fans really appreciate what I've done.  

“Lucky they didn't sell and I've been able to do this over the last eight years.”