(Hats off to) Roy Harper - His 1968 Top Gear Session

(Hats off to) Roy Harper - His 1968 Top Gear Session




I hope Mr. Harper will not object to this:

From two different sources, here is Roy Harper's second Top Gear session.
Originally tx on 13/3/68, tracks 1-3 come from a repeat of the session tx 12/5/68
The final track was sourced from Sugarmegs.
As far as I can devise this has not been released.
The superb orchestrated backing comes from the Keith Mansfield group of 9 musicians.
Apologies for tape hiss and small glitch at the end of Night Fighter

1. Night Fighter
2. Life Goes By
3. A Beautiful Rambling Mess
4. All You Need Is

Usual request for upgrades, and the first session from late '67
Thanks to Tony for having the foresight of taping this, and Knees at Sugarmegs, whose indepth
analysis of the similarity/differences between the LP and Top Gear versions, is worth reading.
Here's the link:    ROY HARPER Top Gear 1968

Check out Colin Harper's excellent site on You Tube, where amongst other things, has uploaded a better version of Night Fighter

MANDRAKE PADDLE STEAMER Part 2

I have just become aware of a site that has posted some more unreleased material by Mandrake Paddle Steamer/Mandrake.

Check it out here:

https://mandrakepaddlesteamer.bandcamp.com/releases

Three new songs, and some possible upgrades to tracks on the "Overspill" LP
Definitely worth a visit to hear the delights of "Stella Mermaid" and "Doris The Piper"
and a rather later track called "Nice Man" from 4/3/70 when the band were known as "Mandrake"
We have Terry Morley to thank for this new insight into the band. Hope there will be more to come.

The British Music Archive site also had some useful info on the band. However as of today the site is crashed.

TIM ROSE Saturday Club Session 2/3/68

Tim Rose did some marvellous sessions for the BBC in the sixties, and a few survive on transcription disc. Tim often came in for a lot of flack for claiming credit for co-writing  "Morning Dew" with Bonnie Dobson. Having listened extensively to Bonnie's excellent recorded work, I think without Tim's input -it would have been a much less interesting song.
Tim made several appearances on Brian Matthew's Saturday Club and John Peel's Top Gear, often performing the same songs on both programs though in different versions, with different backings.
Thanks to Ken Garner's indispensable guide, I can date this session to 2/3/68 and am disappointed to see that I am missing "Eat Drink and be Merry" from that broadcast, possibly because I suspect my tape  has been sourced from transcription disk - judging by the clarity of sound. Disappointing too, that I do not have any info on the backing band.
I hope to post some Top Gear recordings from 1967/8 if anyone is interested.
If anyone can supply the missing track from this broadcast, also his live version of "Dim Light" or any other sessions he did;  I would be very grateful.

"Plug" time for fans of my blog (both of you): check out You Tube contributor  "Ted B". He is posting some very worthwhile live material from the sixties.

Tracks are: Rowan Oak/A short interview with Brian Matthew/I got a lonliness/Morning dew.

Hear them: https://www.mediafire.com/?4v64yrjcmzl2tij

GLASS MENAGERIE Top Gear -Pt 2

Here at last are the two stella workouts the Glass Menagerie did live on John Peel's Top Gear 23/6/68
Love Me Two Times - and - Dear Mr. Fantasy
(sorry it took so long Syd!)
Sound quality is pretty iffy but it's the best I can find.
There is a better quality copy of LM2T that I have, but it is considerably shortened.
Play them here:

GM Pt2

DENNY LAINE'S ELECTRIC STRING BAND Emidisc Acetate

Here's an Emidisc acetate of Denny Laine performing "Ask the People" and "Why Did You Come"
From 1967 an early version of "Ask" later a Deram single track; "Why" did not get a sixties release, as far as I know.
Both tracks did make it to a late 1967 Top Gear session, with Tommy Vance competing with Peel for show supremacy. (Peel won hands down!). I believe these sessions are readily available in Netville; otherwise I could post them here.
Here is a link to both tracks:  Denny Laine Acetate

ELMER GANTRY'S VELVET OPERA Top Gear Session 19/5/68

Here is the complete session Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera did for John Peel's Top Gear broadcast 19/5/68.
Tracks are:
Fixing to die / Mary Jane / Dreamy / Air

As far as I know, the first and last tracks were unique to Top Gear, whereas the other two had appeared on Saturday Club, though possibly different versions

Here's the sound link:
http://www.mediafire.com/file/zbp3wir776eye9s/elmer_g.mp3

HONEYBUS Two Obscure BBC Tracks

If its HiFi you want then pass on this.
Here are complete with many flaws, The Honeybus performing "Lilly" and "Going Back"

Lilly missing the intro, is from an unknown BBC broadcast. Apart from being published in sheet music form, was not recorded - as far as I know

Going Back had a chunk missing in the middle -so I closed the silent gap. This was sourced from a Pete Brady show, where they were guesting for one week in January 1968.

If anyone reading this can upgrade either track, do get in touch.

Honeybus laid down many fine BBC sessions, a surprising number of which are in circulation, but to my best knowledge the two here are not.

Here's the link:
http://www.mediafire.com/file/88anwxqyycay244/01-Track_1.mp3