The success prompted Brian to seek another venue, which he found not too far away at Hook. We had been staying at our home in France and the mail and papers had stacked up, meanwhile. This meant there was no break in the entertainment. I last saw Mark when I was travelling by train from Lowestoft to London in 1986. In 1973 we cut our last disc as The Treetops, a song arranged by Harry Robinson and produced by Bob Barrett, Life is getting Better. With every performance his ability showed , Which led us to recording at ABBEY ROAD . Graham Rousell sent in this 45 of the Monotones Pye single of What Would I Do, signed by some of the group. My condolences to his family, friends, and band mates. You will remember that Pam ( Sandys best friend ) was my long time on/off girlfriend who used to help with carrying amps etc! I know that Dad on a regular basis trawls the internet finding it hard to believe that kind people still purchase Monotones records from e-bay! Problem was, how could a then little known group fill the venue, on a Thursday evening when it was in any case competing with the London? 67 years old and still cannot act my age, Hi Ian I am putting on an evening with Brian in Derbyshire in September and am wondering if you have any publicity-style piccies for Monotones/ Treetops. R.I.P Bash and entertain the great manager in the sky with your rendition of Jezabel. 15/06/2022 It is with deep sadness that I tell you of the passing of Jim Eaton . The drummer and vocalist (also from Selmers) was John Bell. The home of Tennis on BBC Sport online. It features 9 tracks by The Monos, 6 by Mark and 12 of The Treetops. Who is playing at Wimbledon 2022? Rod thinks hes in Vancouver. Once again, my sincere condolences for the sad loss of Nigel,as he will be greatly missed. Now based in Peterborough with an amazing wife and an eccentric German Shepherd. We also had a Vernon J. Smith who played the G-banjo in those days. We passed through Adelaide a few years ago on a journey from Perth to Sydney. Once again I was searching for a replacement and found probably the best keyboard player I had ever heard. The next release,in 1968,California My Way brought the following review from a music critic..Ive heard more than enough about California..especially with my chances of ever getting there I wonder what he thought of the B side Carry On Living which was an homage to Whiter Shade Of Pale, with organ intro and the opening line Let the moon turn to cheese and the stars garden peas!I suppose he would have said our follow-up Mississippi Valley goes to prove the influence,on us,of America and its music.Which brings me full circle again as I also take the opportunity of congratulating Chris Bishop on his excellent website without which we wouldnt have discovered the release of When Will I Be Loved. Pasar Minggu adalah sebuah kelurahan yang terletak di Kecamatan Pasar Minggu, Jakarta Selatan. Colombia DB8934 1972 Gypsy/Life Is Getting Better. Somehow,I was given the dubious honour of singing the falsetto in Rag Doll.It was OK at rehearsal but on the Sunday cabaret night,in front of an unusually attentive audience,I dried up.the mouth opened but nothing came out!I must have been wearing the wrong trousers..not tight enough.I think it was Nigel that came to the rescue or did Brian take a solo and turn it into the only instrumental version of that song? Hi Brian This is my second attempt at a catch up be good to have a reply. For years I kept following the English program of RADIO LUXEMBOURG and I think, I was the only person in the southern part of Germany holding a subscription of the NEW MUSICAL EXPRESS. worry worm printable poem. Brian knows I am looking for some visuals and so I hope he wont mind me getting in touch in this way! One thing is very certain, I will never ever gig again. Behind every dream is the dreamer. Barry, our drummer had left to pursue his career in the mens department of a local store. I left Southend and went on to work in Oxford, before settling in Derby in 1970, where I opened a motor repair business which prospered well until I sold out in 1989. In nightclub terms, Tiffany's enjoyed a relatively long lifespan. he runs popset party ltd with his wife debbie graham. I became friends with Brian and we found we had two common interestsguitars and girls. I performed a number of songs by The Coasters such as Charlie Brown and Girls, Girls, Girls during which I remember clucking like a chicken as a solo! Thanks. Even more, it looks like additional research confirms that you might be the only source on the Net that links these two together. Hi Jim, My memories go back to when I was a teenager at school, and going home, having to pass The Elms, I could hear a group practicing, and having just taken up the drums at that point, stopped and tried to look under the rotating front door of the dance hall at The Elms. I must admit, the result was pretty awesome! Lionel looked like a sort of overweight lump: how appearances can be deceiving! I am sure the fun was shared by all others around us. By . Dec 09, 2014 at 1:03 pm. Hello, I am presently writing an encyclopedia of 60s U.K. Groups and was doing research on Tim Gentle & His Gentlemen when I came across this wonderful website and saw a message from Tims sister. I last went to Alexanders Christmas 1985 and shortly after that Nigel went to live in Australia and Brian sold off the venues. The new club, which was to be called Bentleys was based on the same successful format and again required a trio of musicians. Just found your 2010 account of the music scene in Southend in the 60s. Reference to the Seven Up TV series stirred some memories of a BBC film about youth of the day which featured us playing at The Elms but I dont recall it being broadcast,do you? If you get this message you can contact me on awbarcelona@yahoo.com All the best. Hello fellow GARAGEHANGOVER enthusiasts. Would love to hear from you if you have the time. The lead roll in the film, titled The Best Legs in the Business was played by Reg Varney. So sorry to hear about Gary he was a brilliant drummer. Malcolm (Max). Tiffanys was designed in a Polynesian style with fake palm trees, lots of foliage and twinkling stars covering the ceilings. 1966 saw more changes in the band. Nice to talk ! Yes,I remember those steam-driven amplifiers.we probably diced with death every tme we plugged in but somehow we even survived the wet field eventsthose bands at Glastonbury have it easy! As part of our contract we were required to play the tune Theres No Business Like Show Business if a fight or a fire was to break out. Back to skool.Maffia Dance at the Midnight Lounge.Met Sam at the F&G (Fox & Goose) at 8.00 pm. miami building collapse update victims / timothy o'donnell chicago / timothy o'donnell chicago ), 3 weeks (that must mean the number of weeks with Sam)Another boring day at skool.Jackie went to the hospital about her back, she has to wear a corset too cos she has rhemetism? Then would then alert the rest of the clubs staff to man their pre-appointed stations. Former Life Enrichment Coordinator at Bulverde Assisted Living. On the subject of Pete Willshire, he played with Pete Nye and Norman Hull as the Marksmen behind Houston Wells, who cut a few discs they worked some pub on the Blackwater I think. Incidentally , we are , here in the UK , watching 63 UP ( and of course Trumps visit ! ) The link is quite amusing btw! Went to his house.Train was late had to wait hour. We booked in to some budget accommodation and went out to check out the famous red light district and clubs. Recently met Rodney Clark & shall soon see him & Peter Trout (facebook friend) in concert. Having recently left Selmers music store in Charing Cross Road, I was doing daytime recording sessions, and evening gigs with an organ and drums duo called The Organisation. Vogue sold a couple of records locally and soon dissolved. ps we were from guildford surrey, Leigh local (WHSB 61-67) often see John Wilkinson walking in Westcliff (God bless & keep him) & Jeff Chapman. In those days these studios, which were situated at The Holborn, were popular with many chart artists including The Stones and Jimi Hendrix who recorded his massive hit Hey Joethere. Most of working life has been in aviation but now looking after sheep. I worked at the Elm in those days and can add a little to the comments to date. Are you still head chef or retired? I was pleased and interested to hear about The Mustangs and hope maybe we could all meet up. His Father was a very accomplished carpenter and made Peters first bass. I must say I get envious as I would love an opportunity to join such a group so if ever you need a vocalist/rhythm guitar.let me know. In 63 / 64 I saw a crime program on TV with a Beat Band involved in some way. Alan Bowden - 24/6/12. Thats great to hear you had a reunion recently,its something we are unable to do following the sad loss of our drummer Gary,but Jim and I sat in with the band at my daughters wedding..brave of them!but I think the audience reaction,though biased,convinced them it was worth taking the risk. On Saturday there was another . I was also a classmate of Nigels and Colin at WHSB and I can remember the very early times, in the small school gym., when Nigel was drummer Brian was guitar and If Im correct the first lead singer was a boy (as we all were then) called David Tripcanny, not sure of that spelling. he manages some of the greatist performers in australia. Tiffany's was a nightclub that was at the end of the road from where I lived. Hi Jim, Pete and others I note you see Nigel Basham in Sydney on occasions. The UK Monotones were a group formed almost exclusively of pupils/ex pupils of Westcliff High School for Boys, near Southend on Sea in Essex. Would it be possible to have that transferred to a CD, as I know we would love to add it to our collection. we use to go to the broadway pub in them days before we came to tiffinys . Tiffany's. 506 Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow. He used to swim competitively as did I and I met him a couple of times around the County. The tournament director is Jamie Baker. Mark sang his songs with huge epic endings such as Im Gonna be Strong by Gene Pitney and Jezebel by Marty Wilde and Frankie Laine. Saw Bev there.Went to party at 4.00pm. I will, however, contact Jim who has a daughter in Australia that he visits. Holly Golightly has an uncontrollable, hysterical reaction to very bad news. Thus, for a couple of gigs, (Whitehall off of Clatterfield Gardens, Westcliff and the community hall, in Snakes Lane Eastwood, I became the Monotones Bassist. He did however guest back with us whenever possible and we would be billed as Mark Lloyd and The Monotones. The bass player was a guy called Gus Chesney and the band played the local pub circuit, places such as the Elms Hotel in Leigh on Sea and the Cricketers at Southend. Going back to my nightmare.I have to confess that having written the words Somethings Hurting Me,I decided to leave the band in 1966 so that Rod could sing Rag Doll with you for the Tiffanys audition and I knew he wouldnt survive being called Un Garconand it would only be a matter of time.Well,in fact there was No Waitingand Brian came knocking on my door..to be continued !!! Tunnel 267 is open straight after work through till the late hours. I now live in the beautiful Adelaide Hills and go back to Essex every Christmas to see Mum. If you wish I can be contacted on pncstanley@talktalk.net Good to talkregards Peter. I am Pat, was Harper,praps you remember me from Bridgewater Drive. Sadly, I understand that The Monotones drummer, Gary Nichols, died in April 2007. Pete Stanley: The bass player and quiet man of the group. met a chap in Rayleigh High Street today, he reminisced about a group called Force Five or Whirlwinds, there were 2 Petes in the group, one was a drummer, can anyone throw some light on them? It is The Mark Punter Show on Sundays and the interview is usually around 13.30. To Gentleman JIM , my gracious Good- Bye , He was just EATON at Westcliff High . It is the Mark Punter Show on 11th and 18th June and usually around 13.30 . It will include The Monotones, Paramounts, Procol Harum, Mickey Jupp, Dr Feelgood, Kursaals, Eddie and the Hot Rods (who Ive already written a book on), Alison Moyet and so on, through to present day acts. Interesting chap. But all the other rocknrollers came thanks to the plugging by the new English groups. The Championships 2023 will be played over 14 days, this marks the second year that play on the Middle Sunday is part of the intended schedule. Nothing can compare to the brown, beige, cream random pattern on this midi length hooded monstrosity but they were all the rage then). I bought a blanket coat in the sales for 20.00 = ok. (20.00 that was a heck of a lot of money then and oh how I remember that coat. That certainly brings back memories. This image could have imperfections as its either historical or reportage. Anyway, you must be pretty ancient by now, did you stay with Julie? At this stage I was teaching in a secondary modern school with some very difficult pupils, it really was a tough job. Women's Bond NFT Collection The Mustangs. Please contact me at rchrisbishop@gmail.com if you can loan or donate original materials. It was so sad to lose Gary, I had only been back in Southend a few months before he died. From the very beginning of me buying records I always looked at the words in brackets under the song titles. Thought I would let you know that since the hay-days of the 60s, the band continued to meet up after Tiffanys. Regards Chris. Good to talk ! Although we didnt make it bigtime or cut any records, unlike the Monotones or Force Five, we had good steady work with three or four gigs every week and had a great time which I wouldnt have missed for anything. hi jim of treetops tiffinys wimbledon, you prob wont rememeber us brothers 4 of us use to come to tiffinys with others & great times , my younger brother always had to much to drink & go out back & set the alarms off, & the bouncers said not you again. Hi Alan, yes I do remember the great times we had at Tiffanys and Alexanders.if you remember it was myself and Nigel who nicknames you Fugley ( because you were too good looking! ) (now I have no idea what Scots Mac is/was so had to look it up on the tinternet. Tiffany's, Carter's Five-and-Dime. We had just began to get together, as he lived just around the corner from me. His talent undeniable His humour ceaseless His resistance immeasurable Towards his cruel illness, Thats robbed us of an artist A gentleman,a friend A memory thats endless, A song without end. Dundee's largest nightclub was given a new lease of life last year when it was taken over and turned into 1980s and 1990s themed Club Tropicana and Vogue. Barry had a unique drum style but more importantly he owned an old Austin estate wagon, which was perfect for transporting our few bits of equipment to future gigs. 341,587,075 stock photos, 360 panoramic images, vectors and videos, Share Alamy images with your team and customers. He said that he had survived for seven years with the illness and a few more weeks would be no problemsadly he didnt make it. It was originally a cinema I believe in the 50s, then it was a nightclub called the Moulin Rouge. Hi John By pure accident I came across this site looking for old 60s photos of Southend. Are you still alive? There is still plenty of Monotones and Treetops memories that sit proudly at their home, so if anyone had anything they may be tucked away that I could get for Dad it would be a pleasure to hear from you (Autographs of the band recently went for 5 on e-bay! 1966 was the year that the England football team won the world cup and Virginia Wade was the first English woman to win the Wimbledon Ladies Singles tennis championship. The end result was a remarkable live cover of that difficult song, and we soon realised that other Mecca bands were coming to the club to hear us perform it. Cliff was big and cool then. We knew this was going to be an important night for us, as several Mecca directors would be there. As Jim mentioned, whilst working at Alexanders, we built a recording studio together from scratch, which had a solid sound and a good reputation with south London bands. Hi De Hi Jim Thanks for more anecdotes.Youve blown away some more of the cobwebs clouding my memory.For most Brits 1966 remains special because we won the World Cup but for me it was the year I was lucky enough to return to the band at Wimbledon and at Tiffanys to meet the future Mrs Stanley.It seems that every other photo I have of the Treetops captures us in fancy dress. In one version of the Paramounts, Chris Copping of Southend High was on bass and Mickey Brownlee of Wentworth (or Eastwood) was on drums and he was a cracking little drummer. And that does remind me.You left out one of our major appearences..namely the Darby and Joan Fete at Chalkwell Park where we represented the local beat-comboplaying second billing to the Billy Cotton Band [ Wakey Wakey!] As you can see, it was a decade of big shoulders, V-necks, perms and page boy haircuts for the girls and smart shirts or Saturday Night Fever . Ian is now an eminent ceramicist. I am sorry to hear of Garys death and I hope Nigel is well nowhow amazing he lives in Sydney.small world.Please say Hi to the boys when you see them.and if there is ever a reunion I would love to be there! I wonder how many of those members of local bands went on to musical careers. seabrook grays harbor county, wa, united states Dear Jim, please do give me your email address under jonas43@email.de, so I can send you more information. Miss it! The reason being that Jim and I are meeting,this weekend, with a guy who is writing a book on the music of the 60s which will include bands that came out of Southend. We recorded this at Abbey Road Studios with I Remember, a song written by Brian, on the B side. Last time I met Paul, was at the retirement bash for Westcliff Highs famed head, Henry Cloke at the Southend Cliffs Pavilion in circa 1972, when we enjoyed sitting together during the formal meal. Mark and Kit sang lead on this and I sang lead on the flipside, a cover of The Moody Blues Gypsy. Closed now : See all hours. Your Tiffany purchase comes wrapped in our Blue Box packaging. Regards and Best Wishes Pete Stanley ( The Monotones ). I live in Torbay Devon now and the music scene is quite good here. Wallpaper Engine > Workshop > DahSharky's Workshop . We now had a lead singer !! Brian had struck a deal with Ted that the Monotones would rent the hall for a modest sum: and Ted would benefit from the bar take. Hi Judy, Good to hear from you. Somebody did a website on me a couple of years ago. Affectionately known as The New Conti, the New Continental opened in 1967 when the old Conti club in Oxford Road was demolished. These came about following a request from the government to the BBC to broadcast popular music, following the ban and shutdown of the pirate radio stations. Brian became the leader of this assortment of individuals by virtue of the fact it was all his idea to start with. Probably true to say that it was in part Pete Stanleys sound that inspired me to buy an Epiphone Rivoli when I was playing with the Right Attitude. Promo shot for Now Waiting, from left: Jim Eaton, Brian Alexander, Gary Nichols and Pete StanleyMark Loyd backed by the Monotones with session musicians: Parlophone R 5277 -I Keep Thinking About You / Will It Be the Same (1965) Parlophone R 5332 Everybody Tries / She Said No (1965) Parlophone R 5423 When Evening Falls / When Im Gonna Find Her (March 1966), Note that all his solo releases spell his last name Loyd, Parlophone R 5628 Dont Worry Baby / I Remember (1967 also released in the U.S. on Tower 388) Parlophone R 5669 California My Way / Carry On Living (Feb. 1968), Columbia DB 8727 Mississippi Valley / Man Is a Man (1970) Columbia DB 8799 Without the One You Love / So Here I Go Again (1971) Columbia DB 8934 Why Not Tonite / Funky Flop-Out (Oct. 13, 1972) Columbia DB 9013 Gypsy / Life Is Getting Better (Aug 3, 1973). Im pretty sure he was. Reading your recap of the Monotones early years brought back so many happy memories for me and Im a so glad to hear that you are still fit and well. And a belated thanks for all the great music. I was working in an estate agency at the time and I will always remember the look of horror on the face of my boss, who turned up one evening and had no idea I was in a group!! Share. This would please me enormously I would be even thinking about going to England again. my girlfriend. Got a couple of patents granted, wrote half a dozen papers and messed about on emission control and invented the DI passenger car diesel engine. This gave another string to our bow as I sang most of the current pop songs, our drummer Ron sang the Andy Williams type ballads, and Dave covered the soul and reggae. The Watermill in Surrey and Bentleys near Chessington just off the A3. I met up with Paul Dunning again in the mid 60s when we both worked at Ford Europe and used to take it in turns to drive. I have found where Tims business is and will try to make contact. I spent a year at the Anglo Continental School Of English in Bournemouth in 1963/64. Pete and Jim were unable to forward your email address and I am very loath to post my email address into public domain blogs as there are some nasty harvesting software that could give me a hard time. Our bassist was Pete Stanley who was in Brians class at school. In 1978, Paul Anka's disco club Jubilation opened on Harmon Avenue near the Strip, and it was considered one of the first true dance clubs in Las Vegas. We also ran dances at the Southend Cliffs Pavilion and would support invited hit parade bands and solo artists who did guest appearances. By this time Mark had returned as lead singer and with Rod Clarke now joining our vocals we became more of a harmony group, concentrating on numbers by The Four Seasons, The Beach Boys, The Ivy League etc. best concrete pond sealer; mortal kombat 11 kronika fight; teacup poodle wyoming. Bert used to knock my socks off when they did Buddy Hollys Look at Me and Bert would play Chet Atkins Peanut Vendor as the solo! Towards the end of 1973 Mecca were releasing more and more live bands in favour of DJs. Bev at Tiffanys & Toby InnSam did not go to the Drs (coward)Fi is back at school. Congratulations on your worthwhile and fulfilling career and we would like to read your book when you publish. I didnt emigrate to Australia though. and The Elms was responsible for many a hangover!! This includes a grant of 270,000 to Crisis to fund six new roles for a year, as the charity focuses on the urgent housing needs of people leaving temporary accommodation or made homeless as a . Peter and Jim have my contact email so please get in touch soon. Think the last time we saw each other was at my 21st party in Westcliff before you married Veronica. By this time in 1963 we had attracted a huge following in Southend and were considered one of the towns most popular groups. My e-mail address is jimboeat@hotmail.com All the best Mike, Regards, Jim. In 1962 the Mustangs were formed with Phil Thomas (lead vocals), Bob Church (rhythm), Adrian Philpott (lead guitar), Keith Chesher (drums) and myself (bass guitar and keyboards). As I was listening, a great big guy with a beard, apparently the manager of the pub, with an Alsatian dog came out and asked what I was doing? Sorry for my faulty English part of it got lost through age, haha. I was at WHSB with Pete Stanley, Brian Alexander, Ian Middlemiss, Richard Vousden, Paul Dunning, Jim Eaton, Nigel Basham and many others. Mark went on to create a successful event management company with the help of his wife Debbie, called Popset. Required fields are marked *. Glad to hear that your Mum is still around, perhaps next time you visit you could look us up. Hi Jim. It was originally a cinema I believe in the 50s, then it was a nightclub called the Moulin Rouge. I was fortunate to meet up with him again a few years ago at The Elms when he told me of Mark Lloyds passing that same morning. Wimbledon 2022 will be held from 27 June - 10 July. Lastly, Id like to know how I might obtain a photo of the group for inclusion in the book. I look forward to hearing them on Strictly Come Dancing! He lived in the same road as we did in Westcliff and I would go to the occasional band practices with him as well as a few of his gigs. I still have a scrap book of all the early Monotones press releases and pictures and will publish this if you really want to be embarrassed? During the year Mark, Tony and myself were asked to appear as a holiday camp trio in a film being made at Elstree Studios. The old Plough Lane was Wimbledon's home from 1912-1991. hehehehe ) Also ,I would be very interested in your compilation CD of the Monotones/Treetops/Mark Lloyd,as my partners son wants to know the music of my teenage years.He used to attend the Arts Education school in Chiswick and is now studying politics at Canterbury Uni. Finally, can anyone remember an excellent guitarist who used to play with Pete Willsher in a cafe on the Southend East sea front. Watched Why Shoot the Teacher = quite good (one for you Frac! [SFM] fredina's nightclub. One of demos we recorded was a song titled Nice Legs Shame About The Face This demo found its way into the charts, I believe by a group called The Monks. I used to see you also at the old London Hotel for the Barracudas gig on Thursday nights: everyone really was there, cos Teddy Knot and the boys were the leaders of the pack at that time. It is possible that our ability to emulate The Beach Boys harmonies prompted us to record a cover of another of their songs, which we featured in our live act titled Dont Worry Baby. Its amazing that you still keep in touch with him and Pete. I do remember you joining us for a few numbers and also working the door with my brother. When The Whirlwinds morphed into The Crocheted Doughnut Ring, their guitarist Bert joined The Continentals at Tiffanys in the west end. Around mid 1974 I left Tiffanys and with Mark and Tony we opened at the new club as a trio. Anyway I happened to find this site and could not beleive all the information etc which takes me back to that era. As we got further into the evening we were able to perform songs we were more used to including material by The Mamas and Papas, Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, The Byrds and The Beach Boys. I have been coming to Sydney every year since 1996 and saw Nigel every time I was here. Yes there are good memories of the old days at Leigh and Westcliff. Atlanta, GA. 239. The Elms was our local haunt Tuesdays and Thursdays and every other Saturday as I recall 1 shilling and sixpence om Tuesdays and two bob on Thursdays. Well push your creativity and go beyond your brief.