Bath Festival of Blues & Progressive Music : Thursday June 25 to Sunday June 28 1970 Bath & West Showground, Shepton Mallet Promoted by Bannister Promotions On the bill in alphabetical order: THE BYRDS CANNED HEAT COLOSSEUM DONOVAN FAIRPORT CONVENTION MAYNARD FERGUSON BIG BAND FLOCK KEEF HARTLEY BAND HOT TUNA IT'S A BEAUTIFUL DAY JOE JAMMER JEFFERSON AIRPLANE DR. JOHN LED ZEPPELIN JOHN MAYALL COUNTRY JOE MACDONALD THE MOODY BLUES - did not appear PINK FLOYD SANTANA STEPPENWOLF JOHNNY WINTER FRANK ZAPPA and THE MOTHERS OF INVENTION FORMERLY FAT HARRY - not on the bill "GETTING LOST AND FINDING PEOPLE: No announcements will be made from the stage for people looking for lost people. Remember: you are very likely to become separated from your friends at some stage. Make arrangements in advance to meet at a pre-arranged spot if this should happen." from the Official Programme

MY REMINISCENCE: I guess I must have travelled down from Newcastle upon Tyne on the Friday by train, and then by shuttle bus to Shepton Mallet. This part of things remains a blur - my subconscious probably gauges it as an unimportant blur. Where my memory does kick in is the moment when I walked through the gates in the torrential rain for which I was so woefully unprepared. I'd read of the organisers' boasts of copious sleeping tents and all-weather cover, but I hadn't planned for such extreme conditions. Abandoning my customary tactic of orienting myself, I simply headed for the nearest structure - one of the showground's permanent buildings - and sheltered there. Some time later, when the place showed signs of filling to capacity, I moved on and found myself another, similar, but less crowded spot where I could lay out my sleeping bag and try to sleep. Very, very early the following morning, I awoke damp and cold. I'd found one of the few spots against the wall where the rain had seeped in. I was miserable, hungry and not a little depressed. For the first - and not the last - time, I caught myself thinking, "What the hell ever possessed me to come here?" Rip G : June 2002

Artists in approximate order of appearance: Note: The running order changed due to adverse weather, the heavy traffic and overruns. For further details and lots of first-hand accounts, refer to The Archive by following the links appearing below.

Formerly Fat Harry Not in the official programme. Refer to: Top of Page Return to Home Page

Maynard Ferguson Big Band "Most rock fans are familiar with Maynard Ferguson from his regular appearances on the Simon Dee Show. Simon Dee's liking for Ferguson goes back to the days when Dee would play the trumpet star's albums on Radio Caroline." from the Official Programme Refer to: Top of Page Return to Home Page

Keef Hartley Band "Much is made of Keef Hartley's temper. How, as a drummer, he nearly got into fist-fights with his first band, the Artwoods. And how, after that, John Mayall kicked him out of his band. This then, supposedly, is why he had to form his own band." from the Official Programme Refer to: Top of Page Return to Home Page

Donovan Not in the official programme. Donovan - Second Appearance Refer to: Top of Page Return to Home Page

Joe Jammer Joe Jammer - Second Appearance Refer to: Top of Page Return to Home Page

Fairport Convention "Fairport Convention have one foot in rural contentments and folk delights, and the other foot in electricity. They combine the constitution of folk music with the up-stepping rhythms of rock. Strangely, though, they are regarded in their home country, England, as a contemporary folk band, and in America as a British rock band." from the Official Programme Refer to: Top of Page Return to Home Page

Colosseum "Of all the groups to be vaguely related to a jazz-rock fusion, none have more honest credentials than Colosseum. You could even call them a 'supergroup', if you felt like being slanderous. What's outstanding about Colosseum is their approach in treating jazz. Instead of serving up some aged third-hand be-bop jazz lick in a 'sax break' and then calling it jazz, Colosseum hits with speed. Real speed, propelled by Hiseman's drums and filled out by Heckstall-Smith's multiple sax playing. A few other bands have similar line-ups and intent, but just don't get the clean command, that 'energy flow'." from the Official Programme Refer to: Top of Page Return to Home Page

It's A Beautiful Day "The violin has always been a part of country & western, jazz and classical music, but never rock and roll. Not up until a few years ago, that is, when suddenly up came the Velvet Underground, Eric Burden's band, United States of America, Sea Train, the Flock and It's A Beautiful Day ... all with violin to the fore. The latter two groups will be performing at the Bath Festival, both showing the two possible uses. The Flock with its jazzy free form, and It's A Beautiful Day with its hushed forest beauty. "The plucked string and the drawn string, together, have a unique sound ... I don't know why they haven't been used before," says Day's violinist David LaFlamme. The publicity blurbs issued for the band make references about LaFlamme doing for violin what Hendrix did for guitar. When I asked LaFlamme about that, he thought for a moment and said thoughtfully, "No ... that's not right. But sometimes I really feel like burning it, yes." LaFlamme is 27 years old, and has been playing violin for 22 of them. After playing in an orchestra in his home town, Salt Lake City, he moved to California, when 20, to play with the Santa Barbara Symphony Orchestra. He eventually got to San Francisco and then in that magical summer of 1967, he cut a hole in the back of a violin, inserted a microphone, and formed his electric band: It's A Beautiful Day." from the Official Programme Refer to: Top of Page Return to Home Page

MY REMINISCENCE: I remember the stunning performance. I was spell-bound. I'd heard of It's A Beautiful Day, and was familiar with some of the Flock's music, so the concept of amplified violin was not new to me. But the sheer controlled power and beautiful range of emotions - especially when played in consort with Wagenet's guitar - simply caught me unawares. I believe that this was also the first time I heard enough of White Bird to put a name to it. It had been one of those songs which I'd half-heard on the radio without catching the name of the band. The "classicality" of the group's writing and the polished performances contrasted with the rawness of some of the other bands. To this day, I group It's A Beautiful Day together with Renaissance in terms of combining musical styles, and having the glorious female lead voice in control of the whole process. A major highlight of the Festival! Er ... did that make sense? Rip G : June 2002

Steppenwolf "When Dennis Hopper chose those two Steppenwolf songs to open up Easy Rider, he made exactly the right choice. No other band makes a sound more akin to heavy engines, belching exhaust, chrome horsepower biceps stalwart rock and roll." from the Official Programme Refer to: Top of Page Return to Home Page

Johnny Winter "When Johnny Winter was a twelve year old kid in the deep of Leland, Mississippi, he first heard the blues crackling on the old wooden radio. He then went out and bought every single blues record he could afford, taught himself to play guitar, and by the age of 15, he had a band. And that was the start." from the Official Programme Refer to: Top of Page Return to Home Page

Pink Floyd "The Pink Floyd first came to prominence in that much-missed London club, the UFO. The club was the cornerstone of the English underground and the Pink Floyd was virtually the house band, and probably the most important of the entire early scene." from the Official Programme Refer to: Top of Page Return to Home Page

John Mayall "The word had been, up until a month ago, that John Mayall was hanging up his harmonica. Didn't even want to think about forming another band, he said. And here he shows up, now, at the Bath Festival with Larry Taylor from Canned Heat, Peter Green, ex-Fleetwood Mac and ex-John Mayall, and his brother, Rod Mayall, ex-Mrs. Mayall. One of the oldest routines these days is to rattle off the list of stars that come from John Mayall's bands. His just disbanded group now leaves us with a prominent saxophone player on the scene, Johnny Almond. And then there was Clapton Bruce Taylor McVie Baker Etc. before that. Nobody in England that plays blues can claim themselves exempt from Mayall's influence." from the Official Programme Refer to: Top of Page Return to Home Page

Canned Heat "Canned Heat is good time music. Certianly free from any "blues band" pretentions. Bob 'the Bear' Hite weighs in at a good 20 stone (280 pounds - Ed), boogying across the stage as he sings. Al 'Blind Owl' Wilson looking a very scared kid, sweating and never looking up at the people. Antonio de la Barreda and 'Fito' de la Parra, are both a couple of unshaven Mexicans, as if from some moaning cantina below the Rio Grande. And Henry 'Preacher' Vestine, holding his guitar down by his knock knees, playing anything from country blues to ear-splitting Vestine rock." from the Official Programme Refer to: Top of Page Return to Home Page

MY REMINISCENCE: Canned Heat boogie'd in the dawn. After an uncomfortable night of fitful sleep and occasional awareness of snatches of dialogue from movies, I emerged from the cinema tent to the sounds of gutsy, driving, hard blues and the growl of Bob Hite's unique voice. After such a miserably damp evening, the sight of the sun rising behind the stage, and steam doing pretty much the same from the sleeping bag-huddled bodies littering the ground, heralded a promising day, and my spirits were instantly lifted. Whereas the previous afternoon I'd caught myself thinking "what the hell ever possessd me to come to this place?" I was now overwhelmingly glad I'd made the effort. Canned Heat was the ideal accompaniment to the promise of a glorious day of sun, exotic aromas, strange sights and the most memorable music I would ever - EVER - witness. Dust My Broom and On The Road Again still induce a surge of pleasure which takes me back to that morning, standing outside the marquee, moving gently in time with the infectious boogie rhythm, smiling the stupidest, broadest smile from ear to ear, a big emotional lump in my throat, and the hint of a tear in my eye. For me, this moment is what the Seventies Festival scene was all about. And I'm so very glad I lived to experience it! Rip G : June 2002

Joe Jammer Joe Jammer - First Appearance Refer to: Top of Page Return to Home Page

Donovan Not in the official programme. Donovan - First Appearance Refer to: Top of Page Return to Home Page

Frank Zappa and The Mothers Of Invention "The Mothers of Invention could only have come out of America. Borrowing on the influences of doo-wop Greaser Rock, third stream jazz, the classics, Madison Avenue Hot Dog advertising and electronic music, they made one of the most revolutionary bands of the decade." from the Official Programme Refer to: Top of Page Return to Home Page

MY REMINISCENCES: Zappa's performance spanned the full spectrum. I was so glad that he wasn't averse to covering the material from Hot Rats, as I adored Peaches En Regalia. Volman and Kalen were at their best, performing their theatrical duties with relish. Sometimes hilarious, sometimes thoughtful, occasionally just plain stupid or even annoying, the Mothers left nothing out. There was definitely something for everyone. For my taste, there was a little too much improvisation for an audience which was predominantly there either for the CBS Invasion American bands or Led Zep. As an encapsulated Zappa show - time-compressed for our viewing pleasure - it worked pretty well. I'm sure it won new converts ... and confirmed others' scepticism. I've never felt the urge to delve too deeply into Zappa's field. I have Hot Rats on CD, and will gladly watch a live video, but that's about it. My abiding impression is of a group assembled on stage to entertain each other with their particular brand of brillaince, with an audience as an incidental. I continue to reserve judgement. Rip G : June 2002

Santana ""It's music to make love by," says Carlos Santana, "- raw and basic." Santana's percussion-based band has been called a lot of things, Mariachi rock, Mexicano blues, Balling Rock, and whatever. It is part of the trend towards dance band status. When their first album came out in New York, some of the more case-hardened critics sniffed that all the songs sounded alike, the drums weren't in unison, or something very important. If, in their polish, these critics would have ventured out to the jungles of Brooklyn, they would have seen thousands of kids jiving and dancing on the door stoops and in the streets to the sound of Santana's drums. So what better authorization for a band could you get?" from the Official Programme Refer to: Top of Page Return to Home Page

Flock "Flock's music has no definite beginning or end. It's like a record eternally playing somewhere, and when somebody turns the sound up, it begins." from the Official Programme Refer to: Top of Page Return to Home Page

MY REMINISCENCE: What a contrast with It's A Beautiful Day! Flock was pure energy. And Jerry Goodman was an explosive, flaming blur at the centre of it all. Live, Flock took the encapsulated anarchy of their songs and laid everything out there to be experimented with, expanded upon, taken to new levels. Of British groups, only Jethro Tull ever came close to what Flock did - and that mainly by virtue of their flamboyant leader. From my vantage point half-way up the banks of the natural amphitheatre, I could still see Goodman's flailing hair and furious bowing, accentuated by spontaneous sprints across the stage and threats to launch himself into the VIP area. Occasionally cacophanous, occasionally sweetly melodious, the overall sound was grungy, raw, electric, rocking ... loud. I loved it! But the studio sound never again could match what I heard that day, and I don't think I've listened to Tired Of Waiting For You without mentally embellishing it with a few extra experimental phrases, a bit more feedback ... and an awful lot more flying hair! Rip G : June 2002

Led Zeppelin "Led Zeppelin are probably the most immediate of all rock bands on the scene. They had been together for ten days when they recorded their first album, finishing it in about 15 hours studio time. While other bands have done the same, none have been so instantly smashing. They knew exactly what they were doing." from the Official Programme Refer to: Top of Page Return to Home Page

MY REMINISCENCES: Great play was made of the "Surround Sound". A gimmick, surely? Not at all. For the first and only time, it was really used effectively. My abiding memory is of Page bowing the guitar, then raising the bow and accentuating as the sound bounced along from one speaker stack to the next around the auditorium. The sound quality was astonishing. I don't think I've heard the like since. Somehow the technicians managed to get it just right. And the band was on top form. Page was priceless, playing with the bow for the first time. Plant's voice was at its best. Squeeze My Lemon was sung with such relish! Bonham's drum solo (with non-stick segment) was simply spectacular. The crowd wouldn't let them leave. Four encores, I think. I was closer to the stage now, and revelling in the atmosphere. Everyone on their feet, cheering, clapping, shouting. It was getting cold, but the heat generated by the crowd kept me from feeling the chill. Aside from Southampton University in 1972(?) (small venue, low ceilings, very loud, very intimate ... and I rolled a joint in the dressing room for John Paul Jones!), this was the very best of the many Led Zep performances I witnessed. Rip G : June 2002

Hot Tuna "Jefferson Airplane sometimes seemed likely to never end. After hours had passed, with some of them having left the stage, the audience still screaming for more, Jack Casady and Jorma Kaukonen would still be standing, ready to play more. One night at the New York Fillmore, a jam with those two and Hendrix drummer Mitch Mitchell passed on until four in the morning, when both Jorma and Mitch had to just throw it down in exhaustion and split. And believe it: Casady the blond dwarf bassman was still standing there, grinning, itching to keep playing." from the Official Programme Refer to: Top of Page Return to Home Page

Country Joe "To label Country Joe and the Fish is easy: simply a folk singer-cum jug band-cum political-cum western-cum soul band-cum Roaring 20's-cum damn good rock and roll band. But for this Festival, however, Joe is returning to his roots and playing just as a solo folk artist." from the Official Programme Refer to: Top of Page Return to Home Page

MY REMINISCENCES: Yes - he DID play Fish Cheer and - yes - the crowd rose to the occasion admirably! And Feel Like I'm Fixing To Die Rag was particularly heart-felt - maybe because of a virtually 100% sympathetic reception. The Vietnam War was very prominent in everyone's thoughts - a war which was both far away (with scant British involvement) and close at hand (with the events in Ireland still fresh in our minds). Rip G : June 2002

Jefferson Airplane "Jefferson Airplane is a churning music, blending a dozen styles into one. People could call that final style "San Francisco", but that would be a shade gratuitous. But they came out of that city and were the first band of that style to have a hit single. Somebody To Love in the spring of 1967, causing all the record companies to flock to San Francisco ... helped by ten million flower power kids all the same summer ... and the Jefferson Airplane right at the top." from the Official Programme Refer to: Top of Page Return to Home Page

MY REMINISCENCE: Stoically, stubbornly waiting until the act I was most looking forward to seeing took the stage, I was suddenly, sharply, aware of just how cold it really was. Perhaps it was the lateness of the hour and the fact that I'd had so little sleep. Perhaps it was the anticlimax after Zep's performance. Perhaps it was annoyance at the length of Hot Tuna's set and the consequent additional delay. But to my mind Jefferson Airplane's set dragged. There were highlights, of course. White Rabbit pleased, Volunteers rocked. But in the end I felt I was just prolonging my stay, and I sought shelter. I heard the last of the set from the sanctuary of one of the marquees. References on The Archive remind me that I was surprised at the rather sudden end to Airplane's music. One moment it was there, and the next there was a sort of stunned silence. I think I recall suspecting that I must have fallen asleep briefly, but I later discovered from hearing the comments of late arrivers that Grace Slick had received a shock from the microphone and downed tools. Rip G : June 2002

The Byrds "The Byrds have been up and occasionally down ever since their inception in 1965. But probably due to leader Roger McGuinn, they've consistently been a great band. Roger McGuinn makes his band practice every day. They've been through raga-rock, space-rock, folk-rock, acid-rock, and any other name-rock that's been invented. What's notable is that the Byrds invented most of these idioms. And now they're madcap space cowboys." from the Official Programme Refer to: Top of Page Return to Home Page

MY REMINISCENCES: Drifting into and out of a fitful sleep, I was aware of familiar phrases from various well-worn Byrds songs. There were no movies being shown in the tent in which I'd chosen to bed down, so the sounds from the stage gently wafted through the tent, finding their only competition in the howling of the wind and the intermittent hammering of raindrops on the canvas. Rip G : June 2002

Dr. John - The Night Tripper "Music from the deep Bayou has been ignored up until the last couple of years. Suddenly, it's Creedence Clearwater, Bobbie Gentry, Tony Joe White, and Doug Kershaw. All of them play good music, but none get near that essence of it all: the deepest dark swamp nasty bad voodoo-hoodoo. The place Dr. John calls home." from the Official Programme Refer to: Top of Page Return to Home Page

The Moody Blues Note: The Moody Blues did not appear at Bath, although they were on the proposed bill. Reproduced below is their entry in the official programme for the sake of completeness: "The Moody Blues won't even talk about their first hit, Go Now, anymore. But starting with that amazing heart-squeezer, they kept progressing through a dozen phases. Go Now was just a beginning, the basis, the dues paid initially. Album titles after that read like a scorecard of their progress." from the Official Programme Refer to: Top of Page Return to Home Page

Continuity: John Peel BBC Radio 1 Bio John Peel's Dandelion record label BBC Radio 4 Home Truths Mike Raven

"FILMS AT THE FESTIVAL: Films will be shown from midnight until dawn in the Festival's four cinemas (see map for details of positions). Amongst the films you can see are the following. Notices will be posted telling you which cinema is showing which films. Hellzapoppin': (Dir: H.C. Potter) with Olsn and Johnson, and Martha Raye. Frankenstein: original 1931 Boris Karloff classic. Bride of Frankenstein: (Dir. James Whale). 1935 film with Karloff, Colin Clive and Elsa Lanchester. Fahrenheit 451: (Dir. Truffaut). Oscar Werner and Julie Christie. Psycho: (Dir. Hitchcock). Anthony Perkins, Janet Leigh. Horse Feathers: Marx Brothers. Never Give A Sucker An Even Break: W.C. Fields. The Blue Dahlia: Alan Ladd, Veronica Lake, William Bendix. The Birds: another Hitchcock classic. Going To Town: Mae West. Where The River Bends: western with James Stewart. Brides of Dracula: 1960 film with Peter Cushing. There will be six other main feature films in addition to the above plus shorts like Woody Woodpecker." extracts from the Official Programme. Price 3/-

Top of Page Return to Home Page LINKS to other sites on the Web: THE ARCHIVE Memorabilia Package from Freddie Bannister Posters - from Freddie Bannister

last updated June 4 2002