Development of the British Blues & Rhythm

  --- show 35 ---   9-23-2015

Keef Hartley Band                                1969

    + with Champion Jack Dupree         1969
Led Zeppelin                                        1969-71
   + Jimmy Page & All Stars                1968?

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We have already coe across Keef Hartley in our ongoing saga from his days as drummer for the Artwoods and later with John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers.  He took up drums at the age of eighteen and within the year (1962) he took over from Ringo Starr in the band Rory Storm and the Hurricanes.  Keef had also put in time with  Freddie Starr and the Midnighters before joining the Artwoods in 1964 where he would stay until April of 1967 to join the Bluesbreakers.

Once again, a Bluesbreakers drummer would only last through about one album, although Keef also appeared on the Alone LP where Mayall played all instruments except the drums.  If the portions that open and close this set are indeed true representations and maybe even actual recordings of the conversation, the first title Sacked would seem more appropriate than Hartley Quits, an instrumental from the Bare Wires album.  Guitarist Mick Taylor is credited with writing the song, but since it is Keef on drums I feel pretty confident it was Mayall who later put the title.  And Mayall was not always endeared to his drummers, as Aynsley Dunbar’s Retaliation got its name in response to his removal from the Bluesbreakers.

Anyway, Hartley quickly put together his own group, and we listen today to the first of seven Keef Hartley Band LPs, Halfbreed, which has long been hailed one of the best representations of the British Blues genre.  I had long put off purchasing it because I was not all that impressed with the two LPs in my collection (Battle of Northwest Six and 72^nd Brave) but found this album well worth playing in its entirety, even including the 1969 A-side Leave It ‘til the Morning, the only addition included on the CD version.

The lineup for the album had the rhythm section of Hartley and bassist Gary Thain, Peter Dines on organ and harpsichord and two guitarists, Spit James and Miller Anderson, with Anderson providing the vocals.  The basic band was augmented with brass provided by Harry Becket and Henry Lowther, Henry doubling on violin, and tenor saxists Chris Mercer and Lynn Dobson with Dobson also playing flute; Mercer had also played with Mayall including the Bare Wires album with Hartley.  Lowther and Dobson had also paired up previously in Manfred Mann circa 1966.

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We also make the final presentations from Champion Jack Dupree’s LP Scoobydoobydoo where his piano and vocals were already backed by members of The Avnsley Dunbar Retaliation, Free and Chicken Shack.  This set was recorded early February of 1969 (Halfbreed having been recorded in October and December the year previous) with Hartley and Thain along with Mick Taylor on guitars, including lap steel.  Producer Mike Vernon even throws in some extra percussion on the last tune.  This segment, like those previously presented, shows the quality of the CD throughout.

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The major portion, about half to be precise, of today’s show consts of the first four albums by Led Zeppelin.  As has already been noted in our last Yardbirds commentary, Zeppelin was an outgrowth of the Yardbirds.  When Eric Clapton departed the band they wanted Jimmy Page to take over, but Page was too successful as a studio musician to join an essentially unestablished band so he recommended his friend Jeff Beck.  Eventually, when bass player Paul Samwell-Smith opted out in favor of the production side of the business, Page did come in but was intended to take the bassist duties only until rhythm guitarist Chris Dreja could become proficient on the instrument.  Fortunately, Dreja learned quickly because in August of 1966 amid a US tour, Beck came down with tonsillitis and required a break, Page taking over on lead guitar.

Page would stay with the group to the very end and for a while upon Beck’s return the band had two of the most exciting of British lead guitarists, but all too often their egos did not allow them to live up to their potential.  Ultimately, after a concert on July 7^th 1968, vocalist / harp player Keith Relf and drummer Jim McCarty (Top Topham was the original guitarist before Clapton; there, I’ve mentioned absolutely every member of the Yardbirds in this write-up of Led Zeppelin!) left to form the band Together, leaving just Page and Dreja with some Scandinavian concert commitments still to be met.  I’m ot quite sure where Dreja left the picture, but by the time all was complete, the members of Zeppelin had played the last of the shows.

Those members were Jimmy Page on guitar, John Paul Jones on bass and John Bonham on drums, all fronted by the vocals of Robert Plant. 

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Since there was just the right amount of room left from the Hartley portion, there was some material I had long wanted to plug into one of the shows and this seemed the perfect fit.  I don’t have a lot of the facts available but somewhere around 1968 (as my best guess) Page was all set up and doing some independent recordings.  Whether Page was even a background player or just in charge of the recordings is not mentioned, but the players used mostly came from Cyril Davies All Stars.  The original rhythm section of the Davies band were drummer Carlo Little and bassist Cliff Barton (I can’t recall who played bass here but I do not think it was Barton) and Nicky Hopkins was a sometimes member of the ensemble.  Jeff Beck was a hot commodity so he is featured on a couple of the tunes.  The songs all appeared originally on the third in a series of British Blues on Immediate Records.  Anyway, as I said, it is a little set I have been waiting for the right moment to present to you and I’m sure you will enjoy it.

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One last note is the fact that KKUP is now streaming on the internet.  We have actually been doing it for a little over a month now and, while it is still in a developing stage, we are ready to put out the word.  I’m not all of that good with high-tech but it seems pretty easy to access.  If you go to our website at KKUP.org you will see on the home page a strip of options immediately above the pictures of the musicians (I think that’s Bullmoose Jackson holding the saxophone), the next to the last option being LISTEN ONLINE.  By clicking this, it brings up a choice of desktop or mobile.  I can only speak for the desktop but after maybe a minute I was receiving a crystal clear feed.  As already mentioned, this is still a work in progress and there is one problem that needs to be worked out and that is that there is a limited number of listeners at any one time.  I mention this so you will be aware to turn off the application when you are not actually listening.  I wrote this in a rush to get it into today’s blog but I’m pretty sure it is correct; if not, let me know so I can change it for next week.

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Babe I’m Gonna Leave YouCommunication Breakdown
How Many More Years
   Led Zeppelin I

Sacked Intro:

  Hearts and Flowers
  Confusion Theme
  Halfbreed
Born to Die
Sinnin’ for You
Leavin’ Trunk
Just to Cry
Too Much Thinking
Leave It ‘til the Morning
Think It Over; Too Much to Take
   The Keef Hartley Band

LIvin’ Lovin’ Maid

Moby Dick
Heartbreaker
Whole Lotta Love
The Lemon Song
Ramble On
Bring It On Home
   Led Zeppelin II

Steelin’   (Jeff Beck)

L.A. Breakdown   (Nicky Hopkins)
Chuckles   (Jeff Beck)
Down in the Boots   (bassist)
Piano Shuffle   (Nicky Hopkins)
   Jimmy Page and The All Stars

Immigrant Song
Gallows Pole
Bron-y-aur Stomp
   Led Zeppelin III

Puff Puff

Blues Before Sunshine
Going Back to Louisiana
Postman Blues
Ba’ La Fouche
   Champion Jack Dupree

Black Dog

Rock and Roll
When the Levee Breaks
   Led Zeppelin IV