Guitar Spotting

[Billyboygretsch]

I watched the first part of Cilla last night and quite enjoyed guitar spotting. Saw a Vibra Artiste with a maple neck a Hofner solid ? But couldn't work out which model. The obvious violin bass and Rickenbacher. Of John and George. There was a Hofner Verithin. The one which confused me was the Gretsch double cut looked like a 1962 6122 type. The program starts stating Liverpool 1960 ? I thought George used his Duo Jet in the Cavern Days then went on to the Tennessean then the 6122. Shame to get the detail wrong. There was a blue bass being used which I didn't recognise. Program was ok and what I expected. Another two episodes of guitar spotting.

[dave robinson]

The blue bass was a Futurama.
I also thought that George had a Futurama around that time in sunburst, unless that was in Hamburg.
I also believed that Cilla worked the cloak room at The Cavern, unless that is to come later.

[stephen]

I watched & enjoyed it also. Must admit, I don't think that the programme makers did too bad a job regarding guitars that were contemporary to that period, even though their actual match to the characters was probably not accurate. Good to see that someone had taken a bit of interest in sourcing period-correct guitars, though. Not always the case when these packages are put together.
Realistically, I suppose what we saw last night was about the best effort we could hope for, unless a real guitar anorak-type wielded the power on the production side. As I say, I've seen a lot worse.....
As a Liverpudlian, my main disappointment was with the general locations..............definitely not shot in Liverpool as far as I could make out. Having said that, the Matthew Street/Cavern scenes weren't bad at all and the layout of the club was depicted much as I remembered it some 50 years ago. Even down to the little alcove where you could buy a coke & a hot dog! I can still recall the rotting fruit smell that pervaded the warehouses in Matthew Street as you queued up for admission to the lunchtime sessions. Looking back all those years, I shudder a bit when I think about The Cavern. God knows what would have happened if there had ever been a fire. How on earth anyone would have got out quickly.

Dave's right about Cilla being the cloakroom girl at the club. Can't recall whether it was her actually working there that provided the opportunity for her to get up and do guest spots with the groups. Maybe the time-line will be shown in the next instalment.

I'm a great fan of Sheridan Smith and think she's a real rising star. First became aware of her as a gold-digging, Scouser 'tart' in an early 'Benidorm' series and then she really impressed as Ronnie Biggs' wife in the TV series about his life on the run. From what I've seen in this first 'Cilla', the role has added even more to her stock as an actress. Even singing all the songs 'live' herself! Reminded me of that other excellent actress, Jane Horrocks in that delightful 1998 film, 'Little Voice'.

It was good to see a portrayal of one of my favourite Merseybeat groups, The Big 3 last night. The blue bass certainly looked like a Futurama. Mind you, when I saw them in the club around '63/64 Johnny Gustaffson was playing a pale blue Fender Precision.

Also last night, killing time whilst waiting for the start of a film, I happened across a re-run of that Beatles '50th Anniversary-since-appearing-on-the-Ed-Sullivan-Show' tribute/thing. I'd caught the second half of it the first time around, but last night managed to see the first 15 minutes or so. If you could avoid watching when the cameras settled on the melted-plasticene features & coiffed hair of Sir Paul mugging it up when he thought he was on, the performances I saw were excellent. They ran some Beatles clips whilst their music was playing and I was convinced it was the Fab Four performing. It wasn't until the camera panned down to the stage, that you saw it was Maroon Five doing the honours. Their singer certainly did the music credit. Good ole' Joe Walsh did the lead guitar parts for George's 'Something', faultlessly. I managed to catch Stevie Wonder's version of 'We can work it out' (always liked that one!) before switching channels.

For once, not a bad night's TV...............and I managed to stay awake!
Stephen.

[dave robinson]

I too remember Johnny Gustaffson playing a pale blue Precision bass around '63/'64 at Pete Stringfellow's Black Cat Club in Sheffield, though these scenes were supposed to be much earlier than that. Looking forward to see how the guitars look as we move through the period, as bands changed instruments.

[JimN]

I too remember Johnny Gustaffson playing a pale blue Precision bass around '63/'64 at Pete Stringfellow's Black Cat Club in Sheffield, though these scenes were supposed to be much earlier than that. Looking forward to see how the guitars look as we move through the period, as bands changed instruments.

Yes, I've been discussing this programme elsewhere. The Big Three were depicted (in a scene apparently set in 1960) in the image of their line-up of 1963: Johnny Hutch (drums), Johnny Gustafson (bass) and Brian Griffiths (gtr), even though (of those three) only Johnny Hutchinson was a member in 1960.

The pale blue Futurama (Hagstrom) bass gave the same vibe as the sonic blue Precision seen on the cover of the classic "The Big Three At The Cavern" EP. It was also used in a later scene in the hands of the supposed bassist of Rory Storm & The Hurricanes. Otherwise, the Hofner Colorama was of more or less the same model as that used by The Big Three's Griff and paired with a Fender Bandmaster or Tremolux (it's difficult to say which) it sounded GREAT on the record, just as the reconstruction sounded great last night.

It was disappointing that no attempt was made to depict the legendary guitarist of The Hurricanes, Johnny Guitar, with his well-remembered Antoria LG50, an instrument familiar to most of us here.

Johnny is seen on the left in the picture below.

[Billyboygretsch]

The 1962 double cut 6122 I think was the biggest error which was probably the easiest to research and possibly the easiest to replicate with so many gretsch dealers now in the uk. Otherwise some good period guitars. Roll on next Monday.

[stephen]

On a minor point, looking at the photo. of Rory Storm & The Hurricanes that Jim attached, jogged my memory of those days in that Rory was as synonymous with his huge, BLONDE quiff as he was with his trademark shiny suit! It's odd to recall that all the bands in those days looked like teddy boys. It wasn't until the Beatles returned from Hamburg with their Astrid Kircherr styled hair that others slowly started to follow suit.
It's a bit odd that having researched his stagewear, the producers didn't ensure that the actor playing him was either naturally blonde or was prepared to get it out of a bottle. Unless of course, Rory had dark hair at that particular gig!
Anyway, an enjoyable & nostalgia drenched programme that has me looking forward to the next two. Glad others seem to think so too.
Stephen.

[dave robinson]

I noticed that the blue Futurama/Hagstrom looking bass was getting some hammer tonight, I think every bass player used it, did they all have the same bass ?

[stephen]

I thought exactly the same thing!
When I heard, 'Mash Potato' belting out in last night's Cavern scene, I was expecting to see one of my favourite Merseybeat groups of that era, The Undertakers, being portrayed as that was one of their signature numbers, but again it was King Size Taylor & the Dominoes................complete with that 'shared' bass!
Were you pleased to see Cilla taking coats in The Cavern Cloakroom, Dave?

Stephen.

[dave robinson]

I thought exactly the same thing!
When I heard, 'Mash Potato' belting out in last night's Cavern scene, I was expecting to see one of my favourite Merseybeat groups of that era, The Undertakers, being portrayed as that was one of their signature numbers, but again it was King Size Taylor & the Dominoes................complete with that 'shared' bass!
Were you pleased to see Cilla taking coats in The Cavern Cloakroom, Dave?

Stephen.

Yes Stephen I was, last week I thought I had dreamt it.