Playing in a Garage (acoustics & some old cars)

[abstamaria]

I began to learn guitar ten years ago, with the aim of playing just one tune - the Ventures’ 1960 version of “Walk Don’t Run.” I bought a cheap Gibson SG with thin strings and a small local amplifier and couldn’t understand why I didn’t sound like Bob Bogle at all. I was really quite ignorant.

Over the years, I was able to play a bit better. I realized too that my goal had changed and that what I really wanted to do was reproduce The Shadows’ recorded sound LIVE. My friends and I put together a non-gigging band called “Walking Shadow,” from a line in Macbeth that referenced my limited playing skills:-

“Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player,
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage,
And then is heard no more.”

We tried to sound like The Shadows on stage-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5UnP8mG1sY

The name of the show “Music As You’ve Heard it Before” stated our musical goal. In a more ambitious move, we produced new shows with an expanded repertoire, covering hits from 1958-1963 (the pre-Burns Shadows’ and pre-Mossrite Ventures era):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nU4DfWQBiUo

The name of the ad-hoc musical company was taken from Marcel Proust’s book “Remembrances of Things Past,” in which the hero visits his old home town, bites into a madeleine cookie and is immediately flooded with involuntary memories. We wanted to invoke the same experience from the audience by playing old pieces in the original style and with the same sound. And also to recreate the feeling I felt as a kid, looking at the shiny, new guitars the bands had on stage. Our guitars had to look new! No relics!

I was quite brave and didn’t let little things like my lack of talent get in the way.

But playing on a stage, while satisfying, required some compromise. The amps were mic’d, etc., and it was really hard for a player to appreciate how the band really sounded. I thought it would be great to play live in a more controlled environment, not to record or perform, but just to play and enjoy the sound. That meant playing at home with a live band.

Luckily, there is a garage beneath our kitchen in which I worked on old cars. I thought I could squeeze a band in there.

[abstamaria]

The little car in the photo above is a Lotus 23, made in England in 1963, during the time of The Shadows, just before the Beatles came in. When The Shadows were on the airwaves, these cars were on the race track, especially in England. Except to enthusiasts, however, the 23 is not well-known; Lotus is a fringe-end car manufacturer and this is a dedicated sports racing car (only 130 were produced). However, in the 1960s, Lotus had more constructor car trophies than Ferrari, and the Lotus 23 was a very quick car, made famous by the racing great Jim Clark (a 1960s icon – my life seems to revolve around the 1960s).

I had the 23 for about a decade and competed in it in the very friendly vintage-racing series here. Here is a larger photo, taken at the Subic Raceway, some 150 km from home.



Unfortunately, an injury made it imprudent for me to continue to race, so some years ago I quit and let go of the 23. It was my dream car, and I was sorry to see it leave. But that also meant I could have more time to play guitar and make the workshop a more dedicated music studio. That is what I set out to do.

Andy

[abstamaria]

The first step was to move the tool cabinets, workbench, drill press, and other shop things from the garage. We used to play around these, and I would have to move the amps to where we could use them each time friends came over to jam. I also would place a carpet on the floor, borrowed from elsewhere, to improve the sound a bit.



The place was fine for jazz (that's my cousin Bob and our bass guitarist Anna, who posts here occasionally), but when we played "Raggy Tramline" with an enthusiastic drummer, room acoustics become an issue.

Andy

[RayL]

When The Shadows were on the airwaves, these cars were on the race track, especially in England.
Andy

And not just on the race track! In the early days, Lotus cars were built in a yard by the side of Hornsey Station,in a suburban area 5 miles from Central London (and about a mile from where Hank and Bruce lived at Mrs Bowman's house in Holly Park when they first came to London and 100 yards from where The Kinks built their Konk Studios a few years later). Colin Chapman, (who founded Lotus) would test his racing cars by driving them carefully a few miles north to Winchmore Hill before 'letting rip' over those quiet roads in North London!

Ray

[Didier]

The advange of using a garage as a studio is that you can easily replace the drummer when he is not available :



But may be that the rythm would be a little too fast with a Lotus !

Didier

[abstamaria]

[quote="RayL" And not just on the race track! In the early days, Lotus cars were built in a yard by the side of Hornsey Station,in a suburban area 5 miles from Central London (and about a mile from where Hank and Bruce lived at Mrs Bowman's house in Holly Park when they first came to London and 100 yards from where The Kinks built their Konk Studios a few years later). Colin Chapman, (who founded Lotus) would test his racing cars by driving them carefully a few miles north to Winchmore Hill before 'letting rip' over those quiet roads in North London! Ray[/quote]

I of course know about Chapman and Hornsey, Ray, but didn't know that about that about the Shadows and the Kinks. It is amazing what one learns here. Would you or anyone have addresses so I can try to find these place of Google Earth? Many, many thanks.

Andy

[abstamaria]

The advange of using a garage as a studio is that you can easily replace the drummer when he is not available : But may be that the rythm would be a little too fast with a Lotus ! Didier

That is funny, Didier. Notice how the guitarist stops and looks at the tractor so it can do its thing.

I'll show the video to our drummer. No acoustic issues in that garage. And they play really well, too!

Andy

PS: I wish I could play like that old fella. He sounds like Chet Atkins.

[RogerCook]

Hi Andy

There's a thread here - viewtopic.php?f=11&t=3788&hilit=shadows+map -
that leads to this link - http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8& ... 4f363e86e8 - that has some Shadows related places plotted

Roger

[RayL]

Would you or anyone have addresses so I can try to find these place of Google Earth? Many, many thanks.
Andy

Andy,

Holly Park is a short road off Crouch Hill, next to Crouch Hill Station. These days the area is blocks of flats (apartments).

Konk Studio had a 'For Sale' notice last year when I passed that way. It is where Church Lane meets Tottenham Lane. If you can get hold of a street map of London, you will find these roads in the Index.

The famous 2i's coffee bar, where Hank was rehearsing that afternoon in 1958 when John Foster came in looking for a replacement lead guitarist for The Drifters, is in Old Compton Street. Google's Street View might include the plaque that was put up in 2006 (haven't looked) The guys in front of the plaque in this picture probably won't be there.

brian cliff bruce brian copy2.JPG

(28.01 KiB) Downloaded 3186 times

If you are interested in the London studios where most of the great UK instrumental tunes were recorded between 1958 and 1963 (including of course The Shadows at EMI Abbey Road), then you might be interested in the 'Special Feature' that was included with the double-DVD of the 2011 Pipeline Convention. This is a 35 minute documentary introduced by Dave Burke of Pipeline magazine which features the studios of Decca, EMI, Pye, Philips, Star Sound, Levy's and Joe Meek. It includes interviews with three musicians who were active at that time, Clem Cattini (The Tornados), Alan Holmes (Sounds Incorporated) and Bob Rogers (The Ted Taylor Four). PM me if you are interested.

(Sorry for going O/T on your thread)

Ray

[abstamaria]

[quote="RayL" Konk Studio had a 'For Sale' notice last year when I passed that way. It is where Church Lane meets Tottenham Lane. ...(Sorry for going O/T on your thread) Ray[/quote]

Not off-topic for me, Ray. The Lotus factory was at Tottenham Lane, as you know. I think No. 7, near the railroad tracks. This is very interesting for me. It places the Shadows and what went on in the early 60s in context. Sent you a PM.

Andy