Hurdy Gurdy Songs: Words & Music by Donovan 1965-1971 - CD Review

ACE CDTOP 1595

A CD review by Stuart Penney

Tricky things, cover version albums.  They seldom improve on the original recordings and yet they often give familiar material an entirely new spin, reminding us exactly why we loved the songs so much in the first place.  The Ace label are old hands at this, having compiled countless such collections over the years, each one put together with loving care and meticulous attention to detail.  

Hurdy Gurdy Songs is described in the release blurb as “A kaleidoscopic trip into the craft of one of the most covered and influential songwriters of the 60s.  Features eclectic readings of hits and deep cuts, including some never recorded by Donovan himself.”  That’s a fair description of what’s on offer here, with the track listing running the musical gamut from the sublime (Deep Purple) to the somewhat ridiculous (Eartha Kitt) and all stops in between.  If nothing else, it serves to demonstrate just how good the source material is, allowing itself to be moulded into virtually any style and genre without losing the inherent magic.  

Donovan is well overdue for a collection like this.  His material has been covered countless times (with varying degrees of success) since he first arrived on the pop scene in 1965.  These 24 songs are drawn from his most prolific period 1965-71, when he was writing and recording some of the most captivating and original psych/pop music of his generation.  This CD is the perfect companion to those timeless original recordings.  

Track Listing:

1. Museum - Herman's Hermits (1967)

Donovan and the Hermits were part of the Mickie Most production stable, so it was no surprise when Herman was gifted one of Don’s songs to record.  The lyrics of “Museum” were probably a little weird for the Hermits’ teenage demographic, however, and while the single limped into the lower reaches of the US top 40, it sank without trace in Britain where it became their first 45 which failed to chart.  It’s a great record though with an impressive big band arrangement and became the opening track of Herman’s October 1967 Blaze album.

The song was also covered in 1967 by Beverley Kutner (later Beverley Martyn) and Noel Harrison.  

Due to the well-documented legal wrangles which threw his UK releases into chaos, Donovan’s original version of “Museum” didn’t appear in Britain until the CD era when the Mellow Yellow album was belatedly released.

2. Superlungs - Terry Reid (1969)

The one thing almost everyone knows about Terry Reid is that he was Jimmy Page’s first choice as vocalist for Led Zeppelin.  He turned LZ down and recommended Robert Plant instead, which turned out rather well for all concerned, except Terry, perhaps.

It goes without saying therefore that he is a remarkable singer with a tremendous voice and, had the cards fallen differently, he might have been a huge star instead of just a respected footnote in rock history.  Reid makes this song his own and delivers what is surely the definitive version, aided by a typically robust production from Mickie Most.  Lyrically the song sails very close to the wind, extoling the virtues of dope smoking 14-year-old schoolgirls but, hey, this was 1969, after all.  

Although it appears here as simply “Superlungs” the song started life as “Superlungs My Supergirl” on Reid’s self-titled second album (US title Move Over… For Terry Reid).  Donovan first released it officially on his 1969 Barabajagal album and a brace of earlier outtake versions also appeared as bonus tracks on the Sunshine Superman and Mellow Yellow CDs.

3. Sunny Goodge Street - Tom Northcott (1967)

Tom Northcott is a Canadian folk-rock singer who enjoyed brief success in his own country before dropping out of music in the early 70s for a career in politics and law.  

Possibly anticipating problems gaining North American airplay, Northcott’s recording of “Sunny Goodge Street” replaced the line “violent hash-smoker” with the more anodyne “fearless believer”.  Nevertheless, with the venerated Leon Russell and Lenny Waronker at the controls, this is a great-sounding record with a lush production and a complex arrangement. 

Northcott’s single made the Canadian singles charts, peaking at #20, but failed to gain traction in the US where it stalled at #123.

4. The Pebble and the Man - Bridget St John (1971)

There has long been confusion about the title of this song.  It first appeared on the 1968 LP Donovan In Concert as “The Pebble and the Man” with Don’s spoken introduction: “Here's a pretty little song that I don't know what it's called quite yet”.  It next appeared as “Happiness Runs” on Mary Hopkin’s 1969 Post Card album.  Donovan also released a studio version with that title on his Barabajagal LP the same year. 

So, it was all a little confusing when, in 1971, the song turned up as “The Pebble and the Man” once again on Bridget St John’s second album Songs For The Gentle Man.  Produced by Ron Geeson, better known for his work with Pink Floyd, this version really brings out the melody and, whatever the title, few could deny the charms of this delightful, childlike ditty.

5. Sunshine Superman - The Standells (1967)

The Standells are probably best known for their 1965 garage band classic “Dirty Water,” found on virtually every Nuggets-style compilation.  Their version of “Sunshine Superman” is more restrained and remarkably similar to the Donovan original in tempo and performance, leaving only a few rough edges as a nod to their garage roots.  It appeared on their third album The Hot Ones! released in January 1967 alongside covers of recent hits by the Troggs, Monkees, Kinks, Beatles, Lovin’ Spoonful, Rolling Stones etc.

Fun fact: In 1964 Gary Leeds was briefly a member of the Standells. But by the time they recorded this song he had changed his name to Gary Walker and was enjoying huge success in Britain as drummer with the Walker Brothers.

6. Hurdy Gurdy Man - Eartha Kitt (1970)

Those of a certain age will remember Eartha Kitt for her mid-50s hits such as “Just An Old Fashioned Girl” delivered in that tremulous, oh-so-sexy voice.  A decade later she appeared as Catwoman in the Batman TV series and more recently provided distinctive voiceovers for several Disney animations.  

With an eclectic CV like that it really wasn’t too much of a stretch to imagine Eartha tackling one of Donovan’s pop psych gems.  Sure, it’s a bizarre version but the band are well up to the job, and she delivers an unforgettable vocal performance.  And if you thought it was a one-off, take a listen to Ms Kitt’s 1970 album Sentimental Eartha where, in addition to “Hurdy Gurdy Man”, she also covered Donovan’s “Wear Your Love Like Heaven” and “Catch the Wind” with equal flamboyance.

7. Young Girl Blues - Marianne Faithfull (1967)

One of Donovan’s most personal songs, “Young Girl Blues” was split between the delayed UK hybrid Sunshine Superman LP and the US Mellow Yellow album.  Almost before Don’s version was in the stores, however, both Julie Felix and Marianne Faithfull had covered the song - Julie for her Flowers album (where it was renamed “Saturday Night”) and Marianne on Love In A Mist. 

Both girls recorded several Donovan songs in the 60s, so it was no surprise they jumped on this one with its sensitive narrative delivered directly from a female point of view.  While Donovan wrote the song in the third person, Marianne and Julie sang it in first person, giving the lyrics an sometimes uncomfortable intimacy.  Of the two versions, Marianne’s won out with its understated string arrangement, acoustic guitar and a delightfully dreamy vocal.  

Her Love In A Mist album featured no fewer than three Donovan songs.  Alongside “Young Girl Blues” were “In The Night Time” and “Good Guy” which were retitled covers of “Hampstead Incident” and “Bert’s Blues” respectively.  It would be Marianne’s last album for a decade.  When she returned, her image had changed, and her voice had become decidedly huskier. 

8. Poor Cow - Noel Harrison (1969)

Noel Harrison, the son of My Fair Lady actor Rex Harrison, dabbled in both music and acting, recording at least six albums during the 60s.  He covered “Poor Cow” for 1969’s The Great Electric Experiment Is Over alongside songs by Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Fred Neil and others.  Harrison’s received pronunciation makes for an unusual vocal performance, but it works fine, aided by a solid arrangement and an array of big name LA session players.  

“Windmills Of Your Mind” from the film The Thomas Crown Affair was Harrison’s only major hit, yet he was clearly preoccupied with Donovan, as the B-side of that single was the self-penned “Leitch on the Beach”.  

"Poor Cow” was originally written as “Poor Love” for an aborted Lord of the Rings project.  The song was re-structured with slightly different lyrics for the soundtrack of the 1967 Ken Loach movie Poor Cow.  A different version then surfaced as the B-side of Donovan’s “Jennifer Juniper” single.  A live version from November 1967 was included on the Donovan In Concert album, released in August 1968.

9. Celeste - Paul Jones (1969)

Original Manfred Mann vocalist Paul Jones quit the group in July 1966 to pursue a solo music and acting career.  His third UK solo LP (or his fourth in the US, where the Privilege EP was padded out to album length) Come Into My Music Box contained an ill-matched assortment of covers by The Band, Foundations, Marvin Gaye, Mama Cass and Procol Harum.  

“Celeste” is a gorgeous tune by any measure and Jones makes a decent job of it, aided by a lavish string arrangement from long-time Donovan collaborator John Cameron, who worked on the original Sunshine Superman album version. 

It was a case of: close, but no cigar for Paul Jones.

10. Season of The Witch - Lou Rawls (1969)

This is possibly Donovan’s most covered song with notable recordings by Dr. John, Al Kooper & Stephen Stills, Julie Driscoll with Brian Auger & the Trinity, Vanilla Fudge and a dozen more.  The languid A7 to D7 chord sequence provides a perfect launchpad for improvisation in almost any style, including the laidback soul funk of Lou Rawls.  

Lou’s version appeared on his 1969 Capitol records album The Way It Was, The Way It Is with a typically powerful David Axelrod production.

11. Translove Airways (Fat Angel) - Big Jim Sullivan (1967)

Thanks to the Beatles, Donovan and others, sitars became almost de rigueur in mid-60s pop/psych (witness the front cover of this very CD!)  Session guitarist extraordinaire Big Jim Sullivan, a veteran of countless chart hits (plus at least three Donovan albums) jumped on the bandwagon with his 1967 solo LP Sitar A Go Go (aka Sitar Beat).  

With generic tracks such as “Flower Power”, “The Sitar and the Rose” and the almost inevitable “A Whiter Shade of Pale” the album bordered on kitsch lounge music at times, but with two Donovan covers (“Sunshine Superman” was also featured) and a brace of Beatles’ numbers it’s now a sought-after collector’s item.

You’d never know it, but this delightfully funky instrumental is a cover of “The Fat Angel”, yet another Donovan song which appeared on the US Sunshine Superman album but was unreleased in the UK until the CD era.

12. You Just Gotta Know My Mind - Dana Gillespie (1968) 

This superb version of a still-unreleased Donovan tune is almost worth the price of admission alone.  The song dates from his early Denmark Street days and had already been covered by US singer Karen Verros (1965) and Swedish band Steampacket II (1966) before Dana Gillespie gave us what is surely the definitive recording.  

All versions received the same stripped down, garage band treatment, and if you didn’t know, you’d never guess it was a Donovan song.  It’s thought that an uncredited Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones played on the Dana Gillespie session, making the record hugely collectable today.  It appeared on her US album Foolish Seasons and was also issued as a UK Decca single.  

Fun fact: Australian indie band the Hummingbirds recorded a retro version of “You Just Gotta Know My Mind” in 1992 which even featured a picture of Donovan on the CD single sleeve.

13. Oh Gosh - Sandie Shaw (1969)

Sandie Shaw’s 1969 album Reviewing The Situation was clearly an attempt to throw off her lightweight pop image and reposition her as a serious artist.  It featured some unusual reinterpretations of songs by the Beatles, Stones, Bee Gees, Lovin’ Spoonful etc.  It also included “Your Time Is Gonna Come” which is thought to be the first-ever Led Zeppelin cover version. 

Donovan could usually get away with recording a seemingly airy-fairy song such as “Oh Gosh”, but others needed to tread more carefully.  Sandie’s version walks a fine line between charming and cringingly twee and often ends up on the wrong side.

14. There Is A Mountain – Dandy (1967)

Released in November 1967, only weeks after Donovan’s hit single, Dandy Livingstone’s reggae take on “There Is a Mountain” remained faithful to the original, with just a couple of modifications.  On the line “then there is no mountain, then there is” Dandy changed the scansion, making it shorter, which sounds hurried and very wrong on first hearing.  He also doesn’t seem too sure of the lyrics in places.

Donovan’s original had a definite reggae feel to start with, so Dandy didn’t have to work too hard with his somewhat lightweight version.

15. Try And Catch the Wind - The Gosdin Brothers (1968)

Changing the tempo from the original 3/4 waltz time to straight 4/4 and giving it a country rock treatment transformed “Catch the Wind” into one of the strongest tracks here. 

Rex and Vern Gosdin are probably best known for their work with Gene Clark but this track, with its extended title, appeared on their 1968 album Sounds Of Goodbye.  Vern Gosdin went on to record solo under his own name after this.

16. Skip-A-Long Sam - The Sugar Shoppe (1968)

Toronto quartet The Sugar Shoppe were pitched as Canada’s answer to the Mamas & the Papas.  They released just one album and while the material may have been lightweight, the backing musicians, including members of the Wrecking Crew - Hal Blaine, Carol Kaye, Larry Knechtel, Earl Palmer etc., - certainly were not.  

“Skip-A-Long Sam” was the opening track on the LP, and it was also released as a single, reaching #73 in the Canadian charts.

17. Snakeskin - Julie Felix (1971)

American folk singer Julie Felix was resident in the UK from 1964 to her death in 2020.  During the late 60s she hosted her own highly regarded BBC TV series which included elite musical guests such as Jimmy Page, the Incredible String Band, Leonard Cohen and Fleetwood Mac.  Naturally, Julie drifted into Donovan’s orbit, and she recorded at least seven of his songs across her albums.

The hard rocking “Snakeskin” was originally recorded by Donovan in 1968 but remained unreleased by him until 2005 when it emerged as a bonus track on the Barabajagal CD reissue.  The song was gifted to Julie Felix and in January 1971 it appeared in the UK as a non-album single on Mickie Most’s RAK label.

18. Hey Gyp (Dig The Slowness) - Keith Shields (1967)

Although authorship is credited to Donovan, this rhythmic two chord acoustic rocker is probably based on Memphis Minnie and Kansas Joe McCoy’s 1930 recording of “Can I Do It For You” with the title changed in tribute to Don’s buddy Gypsy Dave.  Eric Burdon and the Animals quickly picked it up for their 1966 US album Animalism and other cover versions followed by the Truth, the Soul Survivors and this one by Keith Shields.  

Shields who, serendipitously or otherwise, really did hail from North Shields on Tyneside, appears to have released just three obscure singles for Decca before disappearing from the pop scene.  All of them were produced by ex-Animals guitarist and fellow Tynesider Hilton Valentine, including a vigorous freakbeat version of “Hey Gyp”.  So rare and highly prized has this single become that bootleg copies with fake Decca labels have been circulating among collectors.

As often happened in the 60s, the credit on the original Decca single showed the composer as "Donovan, Leitch" as if it were two people (see photo). This was a relatively common error back then.  

19. Three King Fishers - Gábor Szabó (1968)

Hungarian gypsy jazz guitarist Gábor Szabó was no stranger to rock and pop.  Every track except two on his 1968 LP Bacchanal was an interpretation of a recent pop hit or movie soundtrack theme.  Donovan is represented twice with instrumental cover versions of “Sunshine Superman” and “Three King Fishers”, the latter a wonderfully atmospheric modal piece with a strong Indian flavour.  A third Donovan cover - “Ferris Wheel” - appeared on Szabó’s next album Dreams, also from 1968.  All three songs originated on the US incarnation of the Sunshine Superman album.

20. Hampstead Incident – Bojoura (1968)

A contender for the most obscure recording here, Bojoura’s version of “Hampstead Incident” seems to have been released only in her native Netherlands on her 1968 debut album Night Flight Night Sight (a UK CD later appeared in 2010).  It’s a decent arrangement, if a little overwrought vocally and adds little or nothing to a similar 1967 recording by Marianne Faithfull (which was re-titled “In The Night Time”). 

Far more interesting is Bojoura’s connection to the Dutch band Focus.  She played and recorded with vocalist / flautist / keyboardist Thijs van Leer and later married Hans Cleuver who was the group’s drummer in 1969-70.

21. Wear Your Love Like Heaven - Peggy Lipton (1970)

This is a strange one.  Peggy Lipton was primarily an actress who also recorded one album and a handful of singles between 1968-70.  She appeared in ABC TV dramas Twin Peaks and The Mod Squad and for 15 years was married to Quincy Jones.  

Starting with a rollicking Leon Russell style piano grab from “Sunshine Superman” before dramatically shifting gear into the slower tempo of “Wear Your Love Like Heaven,” this can only be described as sunshine pop, bordering on easy listening.  

Produced by Lou Adler (and released on his Ode label) this stand-alone single probably featured the same impressive line-up of musicians as Peggy’s 1968 self-titled album, including Jim Gordon (drums), Jim Horn (sax), Larry Knechtel (keyboards) and Hal Blaine (musical director).

22. Jennifer Juniper - The Sandpipers (1968)

Another generous helping of unashamed easy listening, this time courtesy of the “Guantanamera” hitmakers, The Sandpipers.  This is probably not how Donovan envisaged his February 1968 hit single would end up and, even allowing for the recent revival of (ironic) interest in lounge music, sitting through this syrupy version is like wading through aural quicksand. 

It originally appeared on the Sandpipers’ 1968 LP Softly, alongside similar MOR-tastic treatments of songs by Leonard Cohen, Gordon Lightfoot, Tim Hardin and the Beatles.

23. Legend of A Girl Child Linda - Joan Baez with Judy Collins & Mimi Fariña (1967)

This is taken from a 1967 compilation LP Save The Children on the Women Strike For Peace label.  WSP was founded in 1961 to protest US and Soviet atmospheric nuclear tests – their motto: “End the Arms Race – Not the Human Race.”

Joan Baez was no stranger to the anti-war movement of course and in May 1965 she was seen at a Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) march in London together with Donovan, Tom Paxton and Vanessa Redgrave.  A young pre-fame Marc Bolan (then still known as Mark Feld) was also present and managed to insert himself into the photos of the event.

Individually and together Joan, Judy and Mimi had already recorded a number of Donovan songs (or performed them in concert) with excellent results.  However, with three such pure (and, at times, strident) voices fighting it out, this four-minute song with its succession of identical verses palls somewhat before the end.  

Providing accompaniment here is Bruce Langhorne, the respected Greenwich Village guitarist who played on virtually every Bob Dylan album from 1963-65. 

24. Lalena - Deep Purple (1969)

Before they fully committed to heavy metal in 1970 Deep Purple’s early records were littered with interesting covers of sometimes unlikely pop songs by the likes of Neil Diamond, Joe South and the Beatles.  For their self-titled third album released in June 1969 they tackled “Lalena” a US-only Donovan single which was then just a few months old. 

It would prove to be virtually the last cover version Purple ever recorded and within weeks of the album’s release vocalist Rod Evans and bassist Nick Simper were replaced by Ian Gillan and Roger Glover and an entirely new chapter had begun.  

But this a masterful version of a great song with Evans’ operatic vocals and Jon Lord’s Hammond organ well to the fore and it makes a fitting closing track for this collection.

The original 1969 sleeve notes to the Deep Purple album said this: “Donovan’s song done how we thought Donovan might like to have heard it.  The only double tracking on this cut is the guitar passage at the end.  The slightly ‘jazzy’ feel to the organ is a bow in the direction of Donovan’s ‘Mellow Yellow.’” 

Then We Were Ziggy’s Band - On the Road with David Bowie and the JSD Band

by Stuart Penney and Mikey G

“I don’t think we’ve ever worked with a better group.  I think the JSD Band are fantastic, I really do” – David Bowie, Kingston Polytechnic, May 6, 1972

Those of us of a certain age will remember exactly where we were on the early evening of July 6, 1972.  We were watching Top Of The Pops on BBC TV, just like we did every Thursday.  But this night it was a little different.  This was the night when we saw David Bowie performing “Starman”.  

Strumming a bright blue 12-string guitar and sporting an orange mullet, white nail polish, red patent leather knee-high boots and a close-fitting two-piece quilted suit, Bowie looked lean, handsome and simply fabulous.  He and his band also looked like no one else who had ever appeared on the show.  And when, at a little over 1 min 30 seconds, Bowie fixed his gaze on the camera, pointed a finger down the lens and sang, “I had to phone someone, so I picked on you-oo, oo”, it was (as we would learn to say a decade or more later) Game Over.  As if to seal the deal Bowie then gave a look of studied insouciance and draped an arm around his peroxide blonde wingman, guitarist Mick Ronson.  Dads across the country may have spluttered their disapproval at this point, but their kids were already well and truly hooked.  Glam rock was still in its infancy in mid-1972, but before too long TOTP would be filled with like-minded wannabes dolled-up to the nines.  On that July night, however, David Bowie had inadvertently set the bar impossibly high for all who would follow him.

Of course, it didn’t just fall into place quite as simply as those four memorable minutes of TV would have us believe.  Earlier in 1972 Bowie had engaged high-powered music biz lawyer Tony Defries as his manager and between them they cooked up a publicity and artistic plan that would prove to be one of the most successful of the decade.  With the slow burning delights of Bowie's fourth album Hunky Dory still looking for the audience it deserved (and would eventually get) and a critically acclaimed new record The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars ready to hit the shelves, there was nothing else to do but put a band together and get the music out on the road and into every corner of the land.  The Ziggy Stardust Tour would eventually stretch to 19 months, totaling 191 shows in the UK, America and Japan.  The final dates even overlapped the release of Aladdin Sane, which many view as Bowie's American Ziggy album, as it finally launched the man, his alter ego and his band in the States.

The final Bowie/JSD show was at Friars Club, Aylesbury, July 15, 1972

So far, so well-documented rock history.  There is, however, a little-told story of what became an important part of one of the most memorable tours of the 70s.  After some early pub dates with earnest folk duo the Sutherland Brothers as support (this was prior to their partnership with Quiver) Bowie sought a more upbeat alternative.  After a chance meeting, a young Scottish folk rock group called the JSD Band was invited to be the support act for a large chunk of the first leg of the UK tour, playing their first show with Bowie just 12 days before the Ziggy Stardust album was released.  “Who are the JSD Band?” I hear you ask.  As luck would have it, this blog ran into Sean O’Rourke, vocalist and a founder member.  It seemed rude not to ask how it all fell into place. 

How on earth did a Scottish Folk Rock band end up on the road with Ziggy Stardust?

We met when the JSD Band played on the same bill as Bowie at Kingston Polytechnic (now Kingston University, May 6, 1972) in London.  David liked what he heard and publicly complimented us from the stage during his own set.  He then invited us to join him as support on his upcoming British Tour.  We started at Preston Public Hall (June 4, 1972), replacing the Sutherland Brothers, who had been the support act up to that point.  Bowie seemingly thought we could do a better job of warming up the audiences for him.

I believe the tour got off to a slow start

We were a bit disappointed by the audience numbers initially but thoroughly enjoyed the benefits of doing a major tour in large venues with good stage and dressing room facilities and so on.  We also learned from the professionalism of the PA and lighting crews with their attention to detail as well as the Spiders’ effort and consistency of performance including their stagecraft, clothes and make up etc.  Although the JSD Band didn't go as far as adopting make up! 

Most dates were quite sparsely attended until the final gig in London (Royal Festival Hall, July 8, 1972).  But no matter the size of the audience, Bowie and the Spiders gave it 100% at every show and over the course of the tour reviews were generally positive.  The music press focused solely on the performances and no mention was made of the small audience numbers.  With the good reviews, Bowie’s album sales began to increase, as did the audiences.  The Royal Festival Hall show was packed, no doubt helped by the distribution of complementary tickets to industry figures.  Aside from us, Marmalade and Lou Reed were also on the bill and Kenny Everett was the compere.

The next morning Ziggy Stardust was on the front page of all the British music papers and the big time was beckoning.  We only did one other gig with Bowie, at the Friars’ Club, Aylesbury (July 15, 1972).  Massive queues formed well before the start with many fans dressed in full Ziggy Stardust clothes, make-up and hair.

How did the audiences react to Bowie and his new image?

His appearance was obviously very striking.  He was extremely slim and sported a shock of flaming red hair, which drew a lot of attention, not all of it positive.  As a result, he had to be accompanied by Stuart George, a very muscular member of the crew whose appearance was enough to put off any would-be antagonists.  

Ziggy and the Spiders came onstage to the music of Walter (now Wendy) Carlos’s “Ode To Joy,” from the film A Clockwork Orange.  Stu would stand in the wings and encourage the audience to shout for encores at the end of their set.  On one occasion the lighting crew, as a joke, turned the spotlight on Stu, much to his embarrassment and annoyance.

How were you treated, as the support band?

Throughout the tour David was friendly and positive.  He seemed very interested in people and everything around him as if he was observing and absorbing whatever he came into contact with.  He asked me and Lindsay Scott (JSD Band fiddler) to play on some of his recordings.  Lindsay played on the single “John I'm Only Dancing” but logistics were such that I couldn't get the time to record with him.

I understand Bowie tried to get you guys interested in the Glam scene.  How did that go down with the band?

At one point David tried to impress on us the advantages of wearing eye make-up, to enhance our features and expressions.  He told us it would make our eyes stand out more when we were on stage.  We were a bunch of young guys from the mean streets of Glasgow so, as you can imagine, his suggestion was met with disdain, in fact it was a complete non-starter! 

Clothes, make-up and visual image generally were never a priority for us.  We never even thought about it.  The band members just wore whatever we felt like wearing with no thought of image or colour co-ordination etc, so you can imagine our reaction to Bowie's tips regarding wearing eye make-up.  However, later in the tour we did start playing around with the various hairsprays the Spiders were using, much to Bowie's amusement.

Bowie, being a visual person, was fascinated by our fiddler Lindsay Scott's face.  One day David said "Hasn't he got an amazing face?".  The band's collective reply was that he had a "baw-heid" (Scottish slang for a round or chubby face), again much to Bowie's amusement.

Did you cross paths with Angie Bowie?

Occasionally Angie attended the gigs.  She was exactly the loud and brash American you would have expected her to be, although she was always warm and engaging with anyone in her company.  She was very much in control of David’s image and was heavily involved in his stage appearance as well, both his clothes and the make-up.  They would both wear floppy hats and impossibly big flares when travelling between gigs.  

Angie was much braver than David when it came to handling fans and journalists, which is probably why she got a reputation for being difficult.  We have to remember that Bowie was a very non-confrontational guy which, when you were given to wearing ladies’ clothes and make-up in the early 70s, meant you got a lot of unwanted attention and abuse from guys, particularly out in the provinces away from the cosmopolitan streets of London. 

Angie was effectively his first line of defence.  As the tour went on and the press coverage surrounding Bowie’s stage persona grew, it became apparent he needed a bodyguard to fend off any unwanted attention, hence the recruitment of Stuart George, a bouncer from Hull and good friend of Mick, Trevor & Woody.

I suppose Bowie’s soft approach and camp image never caused him any problems in the future as he was cosseted by security people for the rest of his life.  Getting back to Angie, she was very lively, friendly, positive and interested in people.  A force to be reckoned with. 

 

Speaking of Mick, Trevor and Woody, how did you get along with them?

They were salt of the earth, Yorkshire lads from Hull.  They got on with us like a house on fire and their friendliness and generosity extended to the JSD Band staying at Trevor's parents’ house in Hull on a few occasions.  Mick Ronson even offered to help produce our band but unfortunately, logistics didn't make this possible.  If only we knew then what we know now, we would have jumped at the chance to have Ronson produce us.

How familiar were you with Bowie’s Music before the tour?

Someone in Bowie's crew gave us a cassette tape of the Ziggy Stardust album, which we would listen to in the van travelling between gigs.  So, we got to know every track, arrangement and lyric on it.  Along with the music Bowie had a set of choreography moves that he performed every night, and the Spiders did this too.  I've already mentioned Trevor's ill-fated forward rush and backward run (see below).  During sound checks Des (Coffield, JSD guitarist), who was the comedian in the band, took to aping Bowie's pre-planned moves, which caused Stu and the crew to go into hysterics.  Des's height and build didn't exactly lend itself to an elegant performance!

Did you encounter Bowie’s high-powered manager Tony Defries? 

Defries was only on the tour sporadically and he didn't really interact with us, as we had our own management company.  I recall he was fairly quiet, reasonably friendly but an extremely business-like bloke.  We could tell there was a lot of work going on in the background, as the amount of press and music industry people who turned up, even at the remotest provincial gigs, ensured that every show got a review of some kind in the local press.  I suppose you would expect nothing less from an Allen Klein protégé.

Any Spinal Tap moments during the tour?

We played a show at a glass pavilion in Liverpool where the electricity cut out halfway through (Liverpool Stadium, June 3, 1972).  We were able to carry on by switching to our acoustic instruments and then wandering through the audience, but Bowie and the Spiders had no choice but to vacate the stage and then resume where they had left off when power was restored.  

Then there was the time at the Colston Hall, Bristol where Trevor Bolder fell over his amp while doing his choreography moves, involving a backwards walk.  This was probably aided by the alcoholic refreshment both bands had been imbibing beforehand.  Speaking of Trevor, I recall how his famous sideburns took on a life of their own during the tour, growing ever longer.  He made a point of spraying them silver before every gig! 

But just about every gig on the tour was a highlight.  Barring the power cut in Liverpool and the lack of numbers at the initial gigs there were no real lowlights.

How did life change for you after the tour?

After the tour was over it was business as usual for us, playing venues all over the country.  No discernible change was obvious, although having witnessed first-hand Bowie’s success this inspired us and increased our ambition.  We would have appreciated a bit more press coverage during the tour as we thought we went down just as well as the headliners.  But, at the same time, we realised that this was David Bowie’s tour and his management company had put a lot of effort, belief and money into making him a success.

The JSD Band appears to have fallen off the radar in 1974

After the tour we brought Chuck Fleming back in on fiddle and completed the third album Travelling Days (1973) which, despite critical acclaim, didn’t sell as well as the “Black Album” (JSD Band 1972).  We also toured America for the first time, although the tour was cut short due to Chuck's flying phobia. 

Around this time Cube Records wanted us to aim at the pop charts and, although we had started a fourth album at Rockfield studios in Wales, they decided to concentrate on us becoming more commercial by putting out singles for the first time. 

In early 1974 we headlined our own British tour, playing major halls and venues supported by Randy Pie (a German band featuring ex-members of the Rattles).  The tour was quite disappointing numbers-wise and fissures which had already started appearing became more apparent within the band in relation to the music genre and style we should be playing. 

Then the all-too-common musical differences appeared, and the tour came to an abrupt end with the sudden departure of Chuck Fleming, which made it virtually impossible for us to reproduce live what we had just recorded and were supposed to be promoting.  With no immediate replacement available there was no choice but to end the tour prematurely.  After Chuck quit, I decided to leave the band permanently to pursue other interests.

Footnote:

The band continued for a few months as “The New JSD Band” without Chuck and Sean and with the addition of a new member Ian Lyons on lead guitar.  Under this name they changed their style from folk-rock to pursue a more pop-rock musical style, playing original material mostly written by guitarist Des Coffield.  Their new direction didn't go down well with their existing fanbase as it was so different from the music they had recorded previously, and it also failed to gain many new fans.  They had wanted to change the band name to reflect this, but were dissuaded from doing so by their management.  After about six months the whole thing collapsed, and the band members went their separate ways.  

Over the years the JSD Band have had several reunion gigs and they produced a couple of albums in the 90s - For the Record (1997) and Pastures of Plenty (1998).  They still get together on a regular basis for occasional gigs, musical sessions and various social events.

Sheet Music

JSD Band – The History

The JSD band started out as a trio comprising Jim Divers, Sean O'Rourke and Des Coffield, naming the band after the first letter of their forenames.  They hailed from Rutherglen, near Glasgow and all of them went to St Marks primary school in 1957.  Their roadie, Colin Finn was originally the drummer/percussionist.  He also came from Rutherglen and went to the same school as the other three, albeit a year earlier.  

The fiddle players Chuck Fleming and Lindsay Scott came from Loanhead, Midlothian and Hawick respectively.  Chuck was about five years older than the original three and had classical training on violin but in his teens got involved with the nascent Edinburgh folk scene of the sixties.  Lindsay was a few years younger and, like Chuck, had violin lessons as a youngster and was also well steeped in traditional music, his grandfather being Willie Scott the renowned traditional singer/shepherd from the Hawick area.

The four from Rutherglen began performing together when they were around 14 or 15, playing popular music of the day including material by the Beatles, Kinks, Who, Rolling Stones etc, plus some light classical music instrumentals.  After rehearsing in Jim's dad's garage they played local youth club dances, plus the occasional wedding and birthday party.

Around that time Jim, Des and Colin, together with a girl singer named Betty Little, began performing in lounge bars in the local area playing popular, mainstream material of the day.  Sean started busking with his friends from high school in Glasgow and Edinburgh with his guitar and a banjo bought for him by his dad, playing the music of Bob Dylan, the Incredible String Band and other folk and blues material.  Sean also got a few pointers on banjo playing from fellow Ruglonian (as those from Rutherglen are known) and future JSD collaborator Rab Mears, who also taught Billy Connolly some banjo tunes. 

Des’s sister then returned from America armed with a collection of folk albums including LPs by the Clancy Brothers, Dubliners and Journeymen, among others.  Jim, Sean and Des started to learn this traditional folk material, much of which they were already familiar with due to their family backgrounds.  Jim acquired a double bass, Sean already had his banjo and an acoustic guitar and Des bought a 12-string guitar and so the JSD trio was born. 

With this line-up and the new material, they quickly found places to play in the local area.  Their floor singing spots in local folk clubs got a good reception and this led to more and more offers to play.  At the same time they listened to a broad range of other music including Doc Watson, Pentangle, Margaret Barry and Michael Gorman among others.  Jim was the band’s researcher, picking up all sorts of unusual albums, mostly sourced from the famous Glasgow market the “Barras”.

The instrumentation was expanded with Des playing tenor banjo and mandolin, while Sean took up the fiddle and flute.  Meanwhile Colin, aside from his roadie duties, was gradually introduced into the band playing assorted percussion, turning the trio into a quartet.

As the JSD Band they played local folk clubs and the occasional concert, one of which was with the Humblebums (Billy Connolly, Gerry Rafferty and Tam Harvey) and Barbara Dickson.  An impressed Billy Connolly invited them to support the Humblebums at the Glasgow City Halls.  Encouraged by the audience reaction, the four decided to quit their jobs and pursue music full time. 

They gigged all over Scotland and also into the Newcastle area where they met the fiddler, Chuck Fleming, who soon came on board.  At that time, the band stayed in Tynemouth near Newcastle and, after playing a private party at the request of the local CID, they landed a residency at the North Shields Police Club.

 In 1970 they won the Scottish Folk Group Championships and, as part of the prize, were awarded a recording contract with EMI's newly re-booted Regal Zonophone label.  Their first album was recorded at Craighall studios, Edinburgh and its 1971 release brought them attention from various management companies, record producers and DJ John Peel, who played tracks from the debut album Country of the Blind on his BBC's Radio 1 show.  With a new management deal the band became busy playing across Britain and eventually in Europe and USA.

After many gigs and widespread travelling the band’s popularity grew and they were subsequently offered a recording deal from Cube records.  Cube was the successor to Fly Records and became home to several artists who had also recorded for Regal Zonophone, including T.Rex, Joe Cocker, Procol Harum, The Move etc.

They made two albums for Cube: JSD Band and Travelling Days and recorded three singles “Sarah Jane”, “Sunshine Life” and “Hayes and Harlington Blues”.  These were recorded in various studios including Island, Trident and Rockfield as well as Cube’s own studio with producers Roger Bain (Black Sabbath) and Phil Wainman (The Sweet). An Old Grey Whistle Test appearance was filmed in 1974.

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