OK, what were you doing in the Sixties? LJC1967, pictured right. Studying, mostly, but when I wasn’t studying, I was playing lead guitar in an enthusiastic but fairly ropey prog blues band, the name of which changed from time to time – The Decadent Streak, Autumn Blues Band, Albert Sunshine Blue Band, The Loop Blues Band, and finally, Stuff.
The band did all the usual college gigs, the most prestigious being as support band to John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers at Regent Polytechnic, 1970 – Mick Taylor lead guitar. Other gigs included a midnight set at The Roundhouse, Camden, several hundred audience, mostly high on recreational drugs, and midweek Upstairs at Ronnie Scotts.
Coming up for nearly fifty years ago, it was under the name Stuff, one Sunday afternoon in 1967, that three demo singles were recorded. Typical Sixties doom-laden lyrics, music owing more than a little to our heros at the time: Free, Deep Purple and others too numerous to mention – that was how we all learned, copying our heros. These demo disks have survived in my safe keeping, bit crackly in places, the odd scratch, but still playable.
Recorded in some spare studio time at London’s Abbey Road Studios, of Beatles fame. There any resemblance ends… I invite you … to get Stuffed:
“Castle of Sound”
(insert fresh rip here)
Playing lead guitar in a band was a lot of fun. It wasn’t great music, but it was fun just the same, not to be judged against really talented musicians. However humble, I know what it feels like to be on the stage, and playing the best you can. Makes you appreciate good music by really talented people all the more.
“Under the Moon”
Thats it. All that remains of those few years of rehearsals and gigs, friendship, forty cigarettes a day, long hair and tight trousers. But it was fun and I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.
“Do You Ever Think”
Stuff were:
Lead guitar: LJC; bass and vocals, Dave Wernham, drums: Dave’s brother Richard Wernham (later adopted name Ricky Slaughter), organ Paul x, roadie Tom Cheasty.
Richard Wernham (drums) part of ’80’s band Fallen Angels below, a group which revolved around the Svengali-like figure of “Knox”.
Postcript: RIP Dave Wernham, inspiration and leader of the band, heard on vocals and bass guitar.
LJC (left) Dave Wernham (right) circa 1965
LondonJazzCollector 