June 10. 2008 08:32

Ah, The Thanes... Good times, good times (as Van Morrison would have it). I remember my first introduction to Lenny, falling off a couch watching The Pink Floyd (back when the music mattered more than the cars) and mighty, mighty Syd Barrett.

If I only know now what I new back then, I will never have been the same again.

Strange that as technology gets more and more advanced, the desire for three chords and some soul gets stronger....

Jamie

June 10. 2008 20:34

As a fan of Status Quo, My desire for 3 chords has always been strong! (oh gawd, I cant believe I just openly admitted that).

stoaf

June 17. 2008 12:35

I have to comment, since Jamie gave me a link... the 1970s were crap and we were stuck with AC/DC, bad metal/prog bands and disco everywhere (I mean everywhere!). I was an obsessive NME and Sounds reader, and came across mentions of bands who played music which was different, and sounded interesting...the name John Peel usually arose in that context. In 1976 I was only 12 years old but my lifelong obsession with music had grabbed me by the short & curlies, and prog rock was wearing off (although I treated my baby brother gently by only playing ELO and Queen to him - he wan't ready for the Clash yet). 76 and 77 were Buzzcocks and Clash years - they rocked all our worlds, and promised a world of new music, instead of the recycled old nonsense normally played on the radio. Some time in 1978 Charles Shaar Murray wrote an article for the NME about Barrett-era Floyd and also the 13th Floor Elevators. It may also have been him who turned me on to Beefheart, though I can't remember when I first heard about the Captain - probably more likely via Peel.
Anyway...I lived through the punk era when there were at least 20 brilliant new singles and maybe one or two new albums coming out every week - it lasted for about 6 months before it got commercialised and all the crap punk bands jumped on the bandwagon. Crass and the Dead Kennedys were brilliant, but they were imitated by a million terrible hardcore bands, so I lost interest.
In 1980 the music scene in Edinburgh was dominated by synthesizer bands trying to sound like the Human League, and very bad metal bands who wanted to be Iron Maiden (they were unknown by the populace at the time, but popular among most of my friends).
I went to a gig that year, and was bored senseless, and asked the guy beside me in the crowd if he knew if there was band worth watching. He said he knew some friends called The Green Telescope who were playing their second ever gig - they would like an audience.
I went to the Yellow Carvel, which later became The Buccaneer, just opposite the Tron Kirk if you remember it, and walked into a psychedelic slide show. The band were amazing, and I walked up to the lead singer who seemed to be in charge, and asked if he had heard of the 13th Floor Elevators. Lenny (obviously it was him) went wild, and when he finally calmed down, we were friends for life.
At that time they were a 3-piece band with no drummer - only guitar, bass and keyboards and very emmmm...trippy.
For a couple of years, we were kind of intertwined, in a psychedelic kind of way (ahem)then I moved down to Sheffield , Bruce left the Green Telescope, as did Colin the bass player - he joined the Waterboys.
I spent those years trying to persuade Lenny, Bruce, and the rotating bassists/drummers that there was more to life than psychedelia and Nuggets-era punk - I maybe failed in that, but at the same time I was persuading Ian Binns and his cohorts in Rote Kapelle that 1960's music wasn't all hippy nonsense.
The upshot was that after a hell of a lot of persuasion, Ian joined the new version of the Green Telescope, when they renamed themselves The Thanes.
A strange connection is that Angus, who has now played guitar in The Thanes for I guess 20 years or more, was at school with my wife, and was expelled for bullying her.
Chris, I hope all is well with you - I think last time we met was at the Foos/Prodigy gig at the SECC
Love to you and yours from Robbie!

robbie

June 18. 2008 09:20

Hey Rob....
You know, I think thats the 3rd time I've read your comment and everytime I find something new. So interesting..but then again, you're probably one of the most intersting and in-depth people I had the joy of growing up with and knowing.

Put it this way, I can never go into a music store without thinking of Jamie and I helping you out at the record fairs. "10 pound for the limited press nirvana 7 inch..you must be joking!". Good times.

Hope all is well up your end (fnar)...keep it cool Charlie!
- Chris.

Stoaf

July 7. 2008 10:21

Hey, if you still love music, then search your little asses off for Robyn Hitchcock and/or The Soft Boys - you won't hear any more entertaing live music than that, he should be a superstar

robbie