Dancer: Mick Cuffe, Mike Jolliffe, Paul Athey, Jerry Cahill, Anthony Minghella © Mike Jolliffe
Folk, funk and punk
A summary of the 1970sThe Beatles had broken up. The popularity of the disco replaced the dancehalls who like the Dodo awaited extinction. Covers bands hit the lucrative dinner dance circuit to beocme little more than updated versions of Fred Hawkins and his Metronomes. Emerging rock bands were writing and performing their own material.
In 1970 Bouncer cum promoter Wilf Pine organised a series of gigs at the Music Box at Ryde Airport. He brought the Move, Black Sabbath, Matthews Southern Comfort, Van Der Graf Generator and Yes to the Island. The support act was often local band Perkin Walbeck whose stage act featured plucking dancer Sue Barnes from the audience her dress being removed and her body splashed with 'blood' amidst the smoke and lights. Perkin Walbeck rehearsed at Earthquake Milne's Shide laboratory.
Wilf Pine was the source for the Cherokees name change in the 70s to Wilfred. As Wilfred they released a single called 'Candle In The Wind'. By 1971 Wilfred had disbanded with the closure of their 69 Club. Drummer Ken Young and bassist Crann Davies hung up their instruments. Guitarists Brian Sharpe and Graham Betchley continued as a duo, Sharpe and Betchley.
Regular patrons of the 69 Club, the Jolliffe brothers (Mike and Steve) formed folk rock group Foehammer.
"We played venues like Fishermen's Cottage at Shanklin where Graham Spencer dragged his harmonium along the beach." - Mike Jolliffe
In the summer of 1970 Foehammer journeyed to RCA's Paris studios to record four songs that were released as two singles. The band's new name, suggested by the recording engineer was Peppermint Snuff of Wight which was shortened to Wight.
Back on the Island 'Wight' became Shide and Acorn. The Jolliffe's concocted a two hour folk operetta Legend of the Dreamstones. Shide and Acorn performed the opus on the Island and at Bedford College, London University and the Marquee supporting Aardvark and the Strawbs.
About to break up Shide and Acorn recorded an album 'Under The Tree' at the Regency Club in Cowes. Only 99 copies were minted. The album much sought after by record collectors. Kissing Spell would release virtually every scrap of Shide and Acorn's material on three CDs mistakenly including material recorded by both Foehammer and Wight as Shide and Acorn.
Meanwhile two Island bands, the country rockers Union Pacific and Monkton Mead took off to London with American manager Mike Wilkinson. Wilkinson passed off Union Pacific as 'Americans' and had them appear on Radio 2s Country Club, Wandsworth Prison and Ascot Races. When the money ran out the bands came home. Brian Munro of Union Pacific wrote "I Want To Sing" about the experience.
Shide and Acorn disbanded with Steve Jolliffe and Joy Perkis quitting music. Jerry Cahill and Mick Cuffe following Mike Jolliffe into various projects, Trans Love (a folk trio) and Earthlight 'a tonal jazz/poetry' group. Earthlight featured a young Ryde keyboard player called Anthony Minghella. Cahill, Cuffe, Jolliffe and Minghella were joined by Freshwater drummer Paul Athey in rock band Dancer.
On the brink of breakup Wilf Pine took Dancer to London to record an unreleased album "Tales of the Riverbank". Produced by the Groundhogs Tony McPhee the album featured the arrangements and music of Paul Athey and the lyrics of Mike Jolliffe. Anthony Minghella's song 'You, Me and the Whip' had the words altered to become the theme of the title track. Anthony Minghella and Jerry Cahill left with Minghella going off to Hull University and his eventual emergence as an award winning playwright and film director.
In the early 70s a young Mark King was singing 'I'm A Long Haired Lover From Liverpool' the Jimmy Osmond hit with pop cabaret band Psuedo Foot. He was the band's drummer. Fellow members of eighties band Level 42, Phil and Boon Gould were heavily into Fairport Convention and The Incredible String Band in a band called Greyflood.
In 1972 That'll Be The Day a film about a teenagers journey from boy to man was shot on the Island. It starred Ringo Starr, David Essex, Keith Moon and Billy Fury. Also on hand was Harry Nilsson and Vivian Stanshall. Stanshall began the 1972 summer season depping for Ronnie Wood's brother Ted in The Temperance Seven who performed on Shanklin Pier. Stanshall was writing material by day for Rawlinson's End his archetypical piece on the English way of life. By night he was donning a frock coat and bow tie in the last of the great seaside vaudeville shows witnessed on the Island. At the final night party at the Eastcliff Club Phil Gould's drum set was demolished by Keith Moon.
The Mark King and Gould brothers briefly came together in Joe Bear. Originally the Gould brothers played bass and drums in the band before Mark King joined on drums. Phil Gould playing a few gigs in a two drummer line up. Then in 1977 as the Jets with Mike Jolliffe the Level 42 line up of the Gould brothers playing drums and guitar and Mark King slapping bass came together for Mike Jolliffe's Save The Whale Concert.
In November 1973 Islanders Tim Marshall and Doug Watson put their rock'n'roll shoes back on leaving a cruise liner combo to take a band to Venezuela. With them went two of Freshwater's finest musicians, drummer and guitarist Paul Athey and lead guitarist Mick Woods. As the Silver Band they recorded Reach For The Stars/Updown Today in a Caracas recording studio which reached number four in the Venezuelan top ten. For six months the band played bullrings, cinemas, political rallies, nearly starved and came home by boat brown and thin.
In 1975 Neon Rainbow's Moon Goddess was played on Emperor Rosko's Round Table on Radio One. Guest Gilbert O'Sullivan and Barry Blue said: 'Great but no commerical potential . . .'
With the aid of Island's Liberal MP Steve Ross Andy Skelton left the army and returned to Island music. He went with Tim Marshall and Doug Watson to Cophenhagen to play a six week stint club in a nightclub before returning to win ITV's New Faces in 1976 as Kite. The band cut a record for Decca which was finally released on Solent Records. Essentially Kite's straight ahead pop appeal was out of time with the raucous punk thrash of the period. Kite came to an end at Keats Inn on September 2nd, 1979. Tim Marshall heading back to the cruise liners and playing in the pit orchestra at Sandown Pavilion for Norman Wisdom, Jimmy Tarbuck and Tommy Cooper. Doug Watson became involved with holiday camp and dinner dance circuit bands. Andy Skelton joined Island punk band The Pumphouse Gang who did four stints of touring the North of England:
"Drinking a lot, driving a lot, carrying your gear through a fight in a mining town where everyone is getting shit faced" - SG, Pumphouse Gang's lead guitarist.
"We recorded in the Who's studios, Shepperton 3, hence the Who like harmonies on the single 'Stay With Me Little Girl' with SG and Andy Skelton on twin lead guitars. Clive and Des from Jigsaw had taken us on. We were in competition with the Knack as to who got the deal to go to the States. It was to do with finances. The Knack came in cheaper than we did. We were really pissed off.We achieved our pinnacle with Andy Skelton. The harmony guitars were stunning. You're standing with a musician and thinking 'Are we actually playing this?' - John Lytle Pumphouse Gang's bassist
The decade closed with Freshwater's finest, the funk jazz rock band Big Swifty undertaking a tour of Saudi Arabia. The band, who formed in 1975, was driven by the engine room of Paul Athey drums and Mick Cuffe on bass. The combination of Mick Woods spiralling guitar work and Chris Mackett's vocals and keyboards gave them a special edge. They covered Average White Band, Return To Forever jazz funk against the tide of punk. Mick Cuffe could not make the Saudi tour and Boon Gould played bass in his place. The band folded after coming home.
"It was a devastatingly good band. If I die tomorrow I could not wish to have been in a better band. It was very special. Woody in many ways was the best guitarist the Island ever had. Just listen to the solo on 'Endless Dream'. If we'd have been given the right sort of tide and a following wind we could have done something." - Chris Mackett, Big Swifty
While Boon Gould was in the Middle East, brother Phil was already playing Top of the Pops with M whose single 'Pop Music' made number two in the charts. He went to Montreux in Switzerland to record the M album. At the Eastbourne sessions for M's second album the nucleus for Level 42 was born. Phil Gould and Mike Lindup knew each other from music college. Phil Gould called Mark King to join them in 1980. When the first guitarist Dominic Miller dropped out Boon Gould joined them in a series of sessions with influential musician Wally Bardarou.
As Mark King has said "Level 42 were never an Isle of Wight band." Maybe not but the band was formed around three Island musicians and Mark King was the third former milkman to become a star.
As Level 42 were headed towards international stardom Dave Steele was already playing in Birmingham band The Beat. Kicking about in local band The Nice Boys he had met Dave Wakeling and Andy Cox by replying to an advert in local weekly paper the County Press. The pair were fitting solar panels in Arreton. From there it was Birmingham then the world when he and Andy Cox evolved from The Beat into The Fine Young Cannibals with Roland Gift.
As they say around here 'Nothing ever happens on the Isle of Wight'.