News, Views and Music Issue 52 (Intro)

January 22:

♫ Welcome back to another episode in the day in the life of the Alan’s Album Archives.  I know we said last week we’d have to stick to writing these newsletters every fortnight and no your eyes aren’t deceiving you over the date, it’s just that liker most of the country we’ve been snowed in and have had more time than normal to write this week. Not an awfiul lot has happened in the past week so there aren’t many news items for you this time around, but never fear because our anniversary, review and top five sections are all present as normal. I also have the happy news to report that we have now had 580 views on our website, so thankyou to everybody who has been reading/skim-reading/looking at all the pretty pictures on our website. Some day we will be famous. Well, if the Spice Girls can do it why can’t we?!

                                                                                  

♫ Hollies News: The only new story for you this week is one we forgot to mention last time around. The latest additions to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame have been announced and – shock horror – The Hollies have finally been recognised as the great little group they are and will be included some time this year, along with Abba and two other bands. Rumour has it that various incarnations of the band will be getting back together for the induction and we could see the Graham Nash line-up nestling with the Terry Sylvester-era. CSN are, of course, already members so that means that Graham Nash is now only the fourth person in the history of the world to be a member of the rock and roll hall of fame twice (the others are all AAA members: John Lennon, Paul McCartney and David Crosby. More news if and when we hear it!

                                      

♫  ANNIVERSARIES:  Happy birthdays over the next two weeks (January 16-22^nd and January 23^rd-29^th) to the following AAA names. First up, Mick Taylor (guitarist with The Rolling Stones 1969-74) turns 62 on January 17^th; Janis Joplin (singer with Big Brother and the Holding Company) would have been 67 on January 19^th and Eric Stewart (guitarist/pianist with 10cc 1971-83 and various reunions) turns 65 on January 20^th. Events for the first week include: Happy 53^rd birthday to Liverpool’s Cavern Club, which opened its doors for the first time on January 16^th 1957 – albeit as a jazz, not rock and pop venue; Paul McCartney suffers a bad start to the year 30 years ago this week when he’s arrested in Japan for drug possession during his first tour there since 1966 – he ends up serving 7 days in prison before being released (January 16^th 1980); JohnandYoko’s ‘Bag One’ gallery of lithographs opens at the London Art Gallery – several exhibits are seized later in the year under obscenity laws (January 17^th 1970); After a handful of flops the Dire Straits prove they are more than a one-hit wonder when ‘Romeo and Juliet’ makes the UK charts two ½ years after ‘Sultans Of Swing’ (January 17^th 1981); The Rolling Stones hold a benefit concert for victims of the Nicaraguan Earthquake (January 18^th 1973); The Film ‘Easy Rider’ receives it’s premiere – the film’s characters are loosely based on Byrds Roger McGuinn and David Crosby and the former has two otherwise unreleased songs on its soundtrack (January 19^th 1970); The second Beatles wedding: George Harrison marries model Pattie Boyd (January 21^st 1965) and finally, civilisation as we know it comes to a standstill when the unthinkable happens: The Rolling Stones forever cement their bad boy image by...refusing to appear with other guests on the revolving stage on TV show Sunday Night at the London Palladium. Outraged officials try to have them banned from television outright (January 22^nd 1967).   

And for week two, happy birthday to Nick Mason (drummer with Pink Floyd 1967-94) who turns 65 on January 27^th. Anniversaries of events include: Brian Epstein officially becomes The Beatles’ manager, although bizarrely Brian himself never actually signs his own contract (January 24^th 1961); John Lennon records his song ‘Instant Karma’ in a single day on January 26^th 1970, rush-releasing the song a week later; Less than a month after his death in a plane crash Otis Redding scores his biggest hit with the perennial ‘Dock Of The Bay’ (January 27^th 1968); The Who make their first appearance on music show ‘Ready Steady Go!’, the programme they will make their own over the following two years (January 28^th 1965); Keith Moon achieves a lifetime’s ambition by forcing an aeroplane to be grounded after The Who show ‘unreasonable behaviour’ en route to Australia in 1968 (January 28^th); The first of two Travelling Wilbury records is released, featuring AAA member George Harrison (January 28^th 1989); Henry McCullough officially joins Wings (January 29^th 1972) and finally Jimi Hendrix and The Who combine forces to honour Brian Epstein’s death with a gig at London’s Marquee Club (January 29^th 1968).