# Want to trip man?



## rayrecrok (Nov 21, 2008)

Hi.

Try This. Not many songs make me want to go back in groups again.. But this does..

I played in groups in the days of acid rock.. I had a Fender Strat 1960's version, 200 watt Hiwatt Stack.;; long hair and a beard I looked like Jesus.. Last spot everything on full chat, my white bell bottom flares used to flap with the wind coming off the speakers..

Full lightshow effects, blood effect dripping down all over the stage, Smoke machine belching out and the strobes set at a speed if anybody suffered from epilepsy it would trigger them off, but it was great to see Colin our drummer knocking seven bells out of the kit but his arms didn't seem to move.. The usual Rock Star stuff. :roll: :lol: :lol: :lol: cough!.

That is until I was knocked off my motor bike and broke my left arm in 13 places which stuffed me for playing the guitar.. :roll: I could have been famous, I could have been a contender. :lol: :lol: :lol: I did go professional for two years along with our Malc the brother in law on Base and singing and Colin our drummer and Eddie the singer who now has Parkinson's and is in a home in a really bad way, we toured all over and we had the ex manager of the Troggs when they finished playing live managing us.. Unfortunately I got this massive drink problem.

I couldn't afford to buy any.. :lol: :lol: :lol:

ray.


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## Hezbez (Feb 7, 2009)

Good stuff, always knew I was born a decade or two too late.
Here's one of my favourites, a true classic;


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## barryd (May 9, 2008)

The band story sounds great Ray. I can't open the vies on my phone so will have to wait until I fix the wifi antenna.

Sad about the arm. Are you able to play at all now? I play and can't imagine never being able to play again. We have been away for nearly five months now and all i have is a battered cheap Argos accoustic. The only thing I'm looking forward to when we get home is cranking up the leccy guitar an marshal combo. The village will at least know we are back then.

Back to that era the best band I ever, ever saw were hawkwind. I was too young to see the original line up but we saw then three times in the late eighties. Awsome.


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## steco1958 (Mar 5, 2009)

Raycock,

Same song, different singer.

Better delivery


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## rayrecrok (Nov 21, 2008)

barryd said:


> The band story sounds great Ray. I can't open the vies on my phone so will have to wait until I fix the wifi antenna.
> 
> Sad about the arm. Are you able to play at all now? I play and can't imagine never being able to play again. We have been away for nearly five months now and all i have is a battered cheap Argos accoustic. The only thing I'm looking forward to when we get home is cranking up the leccy guitar an marshal combo. The village will at least know we are back then.
> 
> Back to that era the best band I ever, ever saw were hawkwind. I was too young to see the original line up but we saw then three times in the late eighties. Awsome.


Hi.

It was a good time in the bands days we had some good laughs and adventures..

like the time we were travelling down from Yorkshire to somewhere near Southampton to an army barracks and their enormous club which served two armies, the yanks and the Brits, we had gone down to do their Christmas eve show, which ended up with them rioting when the compare said that was the last song, and we ended up barricading ourselves in the dressing room till it went quite, the Military Police sirens had stopped and the compare came for us with his shirt hanging off, his eye walled up and blood pouring from his nose shouting brilliant brilliant, you have to come back next year..

Or the numerous noon and nights we used to do in Clubs in Hull, where we had to share the same dressing room as the strippers who we had to play backing music while they did their act.

Or the week we had at the "Silhouette Club" in Southampton where the act the week before was Kathy Kirby who was paid off after two songs.

Or the "Battle of the Bands" we won in Bradford where we knocked "Smokey" off the top spot.

Or how I was nearly electrocuted to death through a faulty socket in a crappy pub in Barnsley standing in for another group who cried off their gig.. I got the full Monty when I touched my live Mike while I was holding my guitar, it through me across the stage and it was only my hand tightening on the strings and snapping them that broke the circuit...

Or how we use to do every New Years Eve for a tiny club on the outskirts of Barnsley which couldn't hold more than 50 folk but it was a brilliant venue and the atmosphere was tremendous, so we did it for beer money.

Or how we could change the clutch on our old ex milk mans Commer van at the side of the road in less than a hour, as we always carried two spares with us..

or How we had a week at the "Wakefield Theater Club" with Martin St James the hypnotist.

Or how walked round London to all the record companies pedaling a song we had written, without any takers.

Or when we went to see a lyrics writer in Huddersfield who was supposed to be a famous poet at the "Fringe" in Edinburgh, he went under the name of "Horatio Liberty" but his real name was Stan Smith, his speciality was his "rhythm stick" a brush handle with loads of beer bottle tops nailed on which he used to bash on the floor to get a rhythm going.. He was very proud of his instrument..And when asked if we wanted a pot of tea as he shoved the cats off the table into the hordes of kids all with snotty noses that were milling about.. We all refused as mysteriously we were not thirsty.

or how we had a cup of tea with the "Cream" in a Cafe near Leeds City Station, they were playing at Leeds University.. I can't remember how it happened but someone in our lot new one of them.. How we used to bump into named bands at service stations up and down the land in the early hours of the morning, as we were all making our way back home and had an all day breakfast all crowded round tables we put together.

I have loads of stuff, it would make a good book.

And all younger folk see when they come across us trundling up and down the country in our motor homes are old men and woman, who couldn't have "Ever" done anything exciting as they were never young.. Were they? :wink: .

And yes I still play occasionally, now not very good compared to before the accident, where I went to bed in Pinderfields Hospital for 7 months in traction.. It is painful to play more than half an hour, but hey ho that's life..

A bit long but good remembering.. :lol: :lol: :lol:

ray.


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## barryd (May 9, 2008)

Sounds like a great time Ray. Thanks for sharing the stories. Would love to hear more. Glad you can still manage to play if only for a short time. I've been a frustrated rock star all my life and still dream about playing a solo at wembley but have only ever managed the refectory at rag week at college and the odd village hall fair!


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