Original Liner Notes by Android Laser (also include in the Point Records reissue)
Recorded on the Mobile by Vic Maile.
Produced by Sheer Luck.
Sleeve design, Jet Power; Photos by Nevis Cameron & Pierre Tubbs
Special Thanks to Dave Charles
Dave Edmunds appears courtesy of himself and Rockfield/RCA Records.
Original Liner Notes by Android Laser The party started at six and came to something of a premature end when the Swansea Constabulary decided enough was enough at midnight. Wally Hot Stuff and a Legion of Charlies started things off followed by Ducks Deluxe, a newly-formed rock band who should be releasing records of their own before long.
Help Yourself, who have been friends of Man's since the legendary "All Good Clean Fun" tour ow Switzerland a couple of years ago, were next on with former Man member Deke Leonard on guitar, and the 'very famous' B.J. Cole adding steel-guitar licks here and there.
Next came the 'nostalgia' spot with three well-known groups from South Wales's rock past re-forming for the occasion. First up were The Jets (one of Swansea's finest) led by 'Plum Hollis' who, until recently has been Joe Cocker's road-manager, along with Terry Williams from Man, Martin Ace, the bass, another former Man member, and Deke on lead guitar who after three numbers, with the addition of two legendary Welsh rock guitarists Mickey Gee and Dave Edmunds, became Plum Crazy with Dave Edmunds or, if you prefer, Love Sculpture with "Plum" (if you're confused consult Man's family tree in "Be Good to Yourself").
The last of the re-formed bands was the Eyes of Blue, Phil Ryan's old group, who played a very tasty set. Unfortunately, "Gazzy", former lead singer now with Wild Turkey, was in the U.S.A. and "Pugwash", the Eyes drummer now of Gentle Giant, was on tour with the Groundhogs, so it wasn't possible to have the whole group back together, and rather than be dishonest, we left the recording, hopefully, until another day.
Martin Ace and his wife George, better known as the Flying Aces, followed 'oldies but goodies' time with a very short first appearance in public. Time was fast running out and the Aces only performed two songs, one of which "Welcome to the Party" was, as Martin said, 'especially written for the occasion'.
To finish off an amazing evening Man arrived on stage, and after a couple of numbers had be joined by Dave Edmunds playing slide-guitar and Stan Pfeiffer, who joined in on the vocals at the edn. Dead on midnight the police stopped the show and the party was over. Man would have gone on most of the night and the audience was ready to stay with them, but it wasn't to be.
Happy Christmas!
So began the sleevenotes to a neat little limited edition album, two
10-records in a suitably miniaturised,
handlettered gatefold package. penned by 'Android Laser' -- better
known as United Artists label boss Andrew
Lander, who'd had the bright idea to bring a mobile studio with him
to record the fun and games. What
emerged from the evening was a fascinating snapshot of one of the most
fruitful musical scenes in
Britain.
Live had always been the way Welsh rock bands were best appreciated: much of Man's first album, 'Revelation'. had been cut at the Langland Hotel in Swansea before being enhanced in the studio, while 1972 had already seen Man's earlier fourpiece incarnation of Deke Leonard, Micky Jones, Martin Ace and Terry Williams appear on two limited edition albums, 'Greasy Truckers Party' and 'Live At The Padget Rooms Penarth'' (both recently reissued on CD by Point/Voiceprint).
Appropriately enough, the show kicked off with 'Welcome To The Party'.' an offerinf from the F lying Aces 'written on that day and recorded that night,. never to be performed again.' Sadly, the Aces founded by then- husband and wife team of Martin and George Ace -- were never to make it to vinyl again in their own right, though plenty of tapes have circulated.
The medal for the man in the most bands on the the goes to Deke Leonard
who, having been sacked from Man, was filling in time before his own solo
career took off. He'd bailed out Help Yourself when their mainman Malcolm
Morley went into a ''Black Abyss' of selfdoubt, and the galvanising effect
he had on the formerly laid-back band can be heard here in 'Eddie Waring'.
This was one of several/ riffbased numbers named after TV personalities:
'Ludovic Kennedy' and 'Frank Bough'' were others.
Deke tried to make us into a 'name' had with titles like that.' explains
guitarist Richard Treece. Morley eventually had a change of mind and rejoined,
leaving Deke free to found Iceberg.
Next up was Ducks Deluxe, a feisty four-piece who would go on to become stalwarts of the London pub scene and record two albums for RCA -- neither of which contained their contribution here. ''Boogaloo Babe'. The link with the Welsh fraternity was Help Yourself: Sean Tyla had both roadied and played with the band, while former Helps bassist Ken Whaley had been in their very first lineup.
The Jets and Plum Crazy were two seminal, though hitherto unrecorded, Swansea outfits from 1964-65 and 1968-69 respectively whose common factor was vocalist Plum Hollis. The Eyes of Blue (1964-69), who also played, didn't make it onto the album since two of their original lineup were otherwise engaged -- Gary Pickford-Hopkins with Wild Turkey, and John 'Pugwash' Weathers. a future Man drummer, with Gentle Giant.
Festivities were concluded appropiately, by Man with two guests sitting in. One was guitarist, producer and one-man-band Dave Edmunds who, earlier in the year. had lent his talents to their album 'Be Good To Yourself At Least Once A Day'. The other, Stan Phifer, was, Deke Leonard later revealed, a local character who was in lots of Swansea bands. He used to come up and do...well, it was hard to keep him off really!'
The spirit of 'Christmas At The Patti' has since been consciously evoked in the 1990's at three Welsh Conventions, organised by Man's information service, when various bygone groups have come to life for just one day. Yet the magic of the evening exists when any South Wales group sets foot on the boards, be it Man -- now about to celebrate their 30th Birthday -- the Archers. Featuring ex-Helps Richard Treece and Ken Whaley, or Clive John's Trembling Knees at any number of hostelries in and around Swansea.
Let's leave the last word though, to Treecey. 'Christmas At The Patti', he recalls, 'was an hilariously enjoyable day. Deke had helped to save a sinking ship, oddly enough far a man who called his band Iceberg!' Help yourself to a CD worth of festive fun...
Far further Man information, send SAE to PO Box 49 (VPl Bordon, Hants, GU35 OAF. England
The highlight of the set are the two songs by Help Yourself with Deke & B.J. Cole. Deke was not with "Helps" long enough to appear on any of their albums, and unless some clever devil finds some lost tapes and releases them this "three guitar" period in their history is lost forever. On this album they expand to four guitars with the addition of "the very famous" Mr. B.J. Cole, pedal steel master, and founder of the band Cochise. They do a chilling version of "Mona" (a traditional Quicksilver standard) and an otherwise unreleased Leonard composition "Eddie Waring". Both are extended jams with time for four guitar solos each. Deke's vocals are particularly effective on and this version of "Mona" is probably the most intense ever recorded.
Ducks Deluxe was a brand new band who would soon record two albums for RCA before breaking up. Sean Tyla would eventually form his own band. They were representative of the emerging Pub-Rock movement, which like Punk would be based on shorter songs, simpler arrangements. Brinsley Schwarz would evolve towards this kid of music, and new bands like Bees Make Honey, Ace, and Dave Edmunds own Rockpile would emerge in the mid to late '70's. The Flying Aces would later appear with Help Yourself on 'Happy Days', a free album included with early copies of 'The Return of Ken Whaley.' Man's live performance, unfortunately, was one of their weakest on record. Clint Space fills in on guitar for Clive John (for a brief description of Clint, see Deke's liner notes for 'Maximum Darkness'). Dave Edmunds is on slide guitar, but adds little to the confusion. Mind you, it's OK stuff, but if Man had been able to complete their set they would have probably found better material to include on this album.
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