Rod Felton and his LP Mystery
Article by Pete Clemons
From the Coventry Telegraph.
Rod Felton and his Mystery LP
The New Modern Idiot Grunt Band never actually split up as such. There was no animosity or anything like that. It was a simple case that the band ceased being a professional outfit and, as such, never went after the gigs anymore.
However, that said, the pair still managed to play at least half a dozen dates a year right through to the mid 1990's. In fact, for the right occasion, they still find the time to play the odd gig together. The most recent get together I remember was during 2010 at the Dave Bennett memorial gig held at The Maudslay pub in Chapelfields. By 1971 Rod Felton and Rob Armstrong began to branch out more and had begun to build and concentrate on their new respective careers. Rob, of course, needs no introduction to the path he took of crafting handmade acoustic guitars to an incredibly high standard. And for more than 40 years he has built these instruments for the great and the good.
 |
| Im n Im- Rod Felton and Dave Bennett - Made up picture! |
Rob also formed a new folk group called 'Music Box' who also included 'Pip' and then Colin Armstrong (no relation). Colin came across Rob when it was suggested he took a damaged guitar to Rob for repair. And between them they released the acclaimed album titled 'Songs of Sunshine' on the Westwood Record label.
Rod, however, began to concentrate on a solo career. He was also organising his own folk clubs at venues like the Three Tuns in the city centre, the City Arms in Earlsdon and many others. He was also spending a lot of time in London sharing a flat with the likes of Shelagh McDonald and Keith Christmas.
And in turn these clubs were attracting artists of the calibre of Shelagh, along with a host of other top quality names such as Shirley Collins, Mike Absalom, Alex Campbell and Magna Carta. The list is endless and all made several appearances at the various folk clubs around Coventry and Warwickshire at that time. The folk music scene during the first few years of the 1970s was very strong in this region.
Rod Felton also signed management and recording contracts with Barry Murray and Harry Simmonds who were managers and producers to the likes of Mungo Jerry, Savoy Brown and Chicken Shack. They in turn signed Rod up with the British Talent International Agency who handled the previously mentioned bands along with the likes of Prelude, Weather Report and Herbie Hancock. But one of the biggest unsolved mysteries surrounding Rod Felton is did he, or didn't he not, make that all-elusive album.
It is widely rumoured that Rod did actually record two albums that were never released and, to all intents and purposes, still lay hidden in some vault somewhere. One of the albums was allegedly recorded for the Spark record label which was a part of the Southern Music group. The other album was apparently recorded for the Dawn record label which was a subsidiary of Pye Records and where he had been backed by a jug band called Bronx Cheer. The link up with Bronx Cheer is certainly very true because Rod supported them for an appearance at The Marquee club in London during April 1974 and a record of that gig is available to view on the Marquee website.
Rod Felton at the Marquee London in 1974
I have scoured the archives of both the Spark record label and Dawn records but to no avail. The closest I have got so far to solving this mystery was when I spoke to Roger Lomas. It certainly seems as though a single was destined to appear. During the early 1970s, and I think this must have been closer to 1973, Roger Lomas was signed to Southern Music Publishers in Denmark Street in London. He introduced Rod Felton to Southern Music and, according to Roger 'we recorded two tracks there together'. However, and also according to Roger, 'I don't know whether he ever recorded an album though'.
(Update May 2023 Roger Lomas says "Both ‘Driving You Crazy’ and ‘Keep It A Secret’ are tracks that I recorded with Rod at Southern Music Studios in Denmark Street in London in either 1969 or very early 70s. I have the original 1/4” tapes buried in my loft somewhere!!!! Me and Rod worked together on those songs to make them as commercial as possible, but like many tracks back in the day… they never got released. I’ve got a feeling that the tapes I’ve got are better ‘takes’ than those two. I’m playing lead guitar and top harmony vocals on both of them. I was signed to Southern Music Publishing at the time, and took Rod down with me to demo those songs before they were recorded properly, I think that the copies you have are the demos.")
My own gut feeling is that, at some point, Rod did record several other tracks - his songs really were that good - but, for whatever reason, they just did not see day of light. Either way, later on during the 1970s Rod settled back in Coventry and continued to play the folk clubs during the rest of that decade.
The 1980s then saw Rod playing regularly at The Freemasons Arms and Water Wine Bar while the 1990s saw Rod take up residencies at venues at The Foresters Arms and the Old Ball Hotel. These gigs were solo or with a variety of top players like Mick Stuart.
At the turn of the century Dave Bennett and Rod Felton had formed a formidable outfit in a similar vein to the NMIGB. They called themselves 'Im and Im' where Dave described it all as 'a duo with a meteoric rise to obscurity!' 'But we had a lot of fun doing it'. Sadly Rod's gigs nowadays are extremely rare, mainly down to the fact that he has been unwell of late.
The best passage of words I ever read that tried to describe Rod's music was that they can range from the beautifully serious to the bizarrely hilarious. His lyrics have covered the subjects as diverse as love and Riddy's army surplus store. And he really does have that rare ability to captivate any given audience. On stage he always exuded enthusiasm and a joy for what he does.
And, even today, musicians the like of Rod Felton are still fondly remembered. You do not have to go far around the city to get a positive quote or a memory about him which is normally accompanied by a bout of laughter. And it is not just in Coventry either that he is fondly remembered but even further afield it seems. Mike Harding, in a recent blog for the BBC folk site, reminisced about the old days and how he missed the characters from back then. He actually name checked The New Modern Idiot Grunt Band in a list of other well known names from the genre. And finally, Rod Felton could well be immortalised on a Shelagh McDonald album. The opening track of her second album release from 1971, Stargazer, is titled 'Rod's song'. This tune is widely understood to have been written about Rod.
'Hey it's been along time, good to see you again. You've been around this land and back again, yet you are never without a friend. You have a gypsies face, you wear a golden ring. And things you learn from travelling are written in your songs. You say no one will tie you down, it's your way of being free'.
These are some of the words from that song. And when you hear them you cannot help but think to yourself that it couldn't be anybody else really.
"People have talked about Rod's legendary album from the 70s. It definitely DID exist. I can remember Rod telling me all about it at the time, although you always had to take Rod's stories with a certain pinch of salt. The story goes that he recorded it in London for Pye Records, and it was pressed up ready for release, and then the A&R man at Pye left and the new regime weren't interested, so it got cancelled. There were apparently boxes of them in the Pye vaults never issued. However, a few pre-release copies did escape, and I remember seeing one in Coventry in the 70s, so I know it existed. Somebody somewhere must have one. Maybe Rod had one, but I doubt it. There was a galaxy of star musicians (of the day) on it, one of which was Bruce Rowlands (then of the Grease band and later drummer with Fairport)....More recently, I believe Malc Gurnham recorded some stuff with him for a CD release. Roddy showed me the artwork for the sleeve, but I never got to hear the results. No doubt, Malc still has these tapes, unless in true Rody fashion, they never got finished!!"
My own gut feeling is that, at some point, Rod did record several other tracks - his songs really were that good - but, for whatever reason, they just did not see day of light. Either way, later on during the 1970s Rod settled back in Coventry and continued to play the folk clubs during the rest of that decade.
The 1980s then saw Rod playing regularly at The Freemasons Arms and Water Wine Bar while the 1990s saw Rod take up residencies at venues at The Foresters Arms and the Old Ball Hotel. These gigs were solo or with a variety of top players like Mick Stuart.
At the turn of the century Dave Bennett and Rod Felton had formed a formidable outfit in a similar vein to the NMIGB. They called themselves 'Im and Im' where Dave described it all as 'a duo with a meteoric rise to obscurity!' 'But we had a lot of fun doing it'. Sadly Rod's gigs nowadays are extremely rare, mainly down to the fact that he has been unwell of late.
The best passage of words I ever read that tried to describe Rod's music was that they can range from the beautifully serious to the bizarrely hilarious. His lyrics have covered the subjects as diverse as love and Riddy's army surplus store. And he really does have that rare ability to captivate any given audience. On stage he always exuded enthusiasm and a joy for what he does.
And, even today, musicians the like of Rod Felton are still fondly remembered. You do not have to go far around the city to get a positive quote or a memory about him which is normally accompanied by a bout of laughter. And it is not just in Coventry either that he is fondly remembered but even further afield it seems. Mike Harding, in a recent blog for the BBC folk site, reminisced about the old days and how he missed the characters from back then. He actually name checked The New Modern Idiot Grunt Band in a list of other well known names from the genre. And finally, Rod Felton could well be immortalised on a Shelagh McDonald album. The opening track of her second album release from 1971, Stargazer, is titled 'Rod's song'. This tune is widely understood to have been written about Rod.
'Hey it's been along time, good to see you again. You've been around this land and back again, yet you are never without a friend. You have a gypsies face, you wear a golden ring. And things you learn from travelling are written in your songs. You say no one will tie you down, it's your way of being free'.
These are some of the words from that song. And when you hear them you cannot help but think to yourself that it couldn't be anybody else really.
Further thoughts on Rod Felton's Mystery Album.
by Graham Bradshaw
..................................
Steve Ashwell has a longstanding thread on Rod Felton on which there has been much discussion about his lost recordings from such as Ian Green, Geoff Thompson and many others the link to the facebook thread is HERE
............................................................
NEW There's a Rod Felton track on the New Alternative Sounds Album called Take me Away.
It has bass and drums on it. Nigel Meffen tells us it's an unreleased track from 1971 featuring some of the Stavely Makepiece musicians This Rod Felton track features: Steve Tayton, Rob Woodward, Don Ker, Steve Johnson and Nigel Fletcher. Stavely Makepiece (from which Lieutenant Pigeon was an offshoot) recorded on the Spark label around this time and so the track could be one of those earmarked for the proposed Spark album mentioned in the Pete Clemons article further on in this blog. Roger Lomas has confirmed it is not one of the two tracks that he recorded so presumably Stavely Makepiece produced and recorded the track.
Follow the link here
https://alternativesounds.bandcamp.com/track/take-me-away
It has bass and drums on it. Nigel Meffen tells us it's an unreleased track from 1971 featuring some of the Stavely Makepiece musicians This Rod Felton track features: Steve Tayton, Rob Woodward, Don Ker, Steve Johnson and Nigel Fletcher. Stavely Makepiece (from which Lieutenant Pigeon was an offshoot) recorded on the Spark label around this time and so the track could be one of those earmarked for the proposed Spark album mentioned in the Pete Clemons article further on in this blog. Roger Lomas has confirmed it is not one of the two tracks that he recorded so presumably Stavely Makepiece produced and recorded the track.
Follow the link here
https://alternativesounds.bandcamp.com/track/take-me-away
No comments:
Post a Comment