Intelligent Life On Planet Rock
I ♥ Old Gig Posters
Posted by David Hepworth on 24 April 2009 - 3:04pm.
Nothing brings back to the sweet rush of times past like an old poster.
This is from 1967, when the last of the great package tours swept through the shires, delivering Englebert Humperdinck alongside the guitar burning antics of Jimi Hendrix. What I really love about old gig posters is the detail: the name of the compere, the ticket prices, the number of shows a night.
Anybody found anything similarly evocative from that era or any other? If so, bring and share.
- More from David Hepworth.
- Login or register to post comments
-
The Night There Was Something to Do in Ipswich
"Aye, I played in The Terry Young Six. We used to be billed above the Big O, you know."
Yes, it's America's exciting Chris Montez supported by America's fabulous Tommy Roe (plus some others).
I love the "two shows" concept
When I went to see Chuck Berry it was the early show which was aimed at people who had to be up early the next day. But the other benefit was that it forced people to start their show on time. 6.35. That's what I call specific. Should be more of that kind of thing.
I love these
As I'm someone who hails from said arse-end of England town, pray tell where you found these gems, Mr. Valparaiso.
Google is your friend
"Beatles poster" and off you go.
Or, for that matter...
'revolutionary intercommunal day of solidarity poster', as I did!
Bowie at Plymouth 72
Yours for 100 earth pounds via ebay
And this book is a must have, a mix of promo and concert posters but a mighty collection
Gig posters?
My walls are adorned by this sort of handed-painted thing.
The translation reads "Potato Agriculture Innovation: go on strongly, let’s do it!"
Some of the more graphic ones show missiles strafing the White House, enormous fists pummelling maps of America into submission, that kind of thing.
Sorry, I think I'm in the wrong forum.
Potato Agriculture Innovation
So, it's a poster advertising the new Fall album?
The thing i like about those
package tour shows was I bet there people who turned up late because well they didn't fancy seeing Roy Orbison, or who slid out early to get the last bus. Plus all the people in ipswich that night who went to bingo, or who stayed in to watch some inconclusive boxing match on tv the film.
and were the californians any good?
This is a good £2.50-worth
Scrawled in biro under Jefferson Airplane...
on the day of the gig:
'It is with great regret that I must inform you that Jefferson Airplane will, due to unforseen circumstances, be playing a shortened set this evening. They would like to apologize to their loyal fans and also urge people to watch the utterly fabulous Led Zeppelin afterwards.
Yours,
P. Grant'
I was at that!
Still got the programme:
This was a good one as well:
Whose is the signature?
Mr Curious here...
Johnnie Walker's,
but added very recently at his "Evening with" in Solihull.
The actual concert was Midsummer Day in 1975 and it was a memorable event.
What a line-up!
Always knew that Stackridge would go far...
Indeed
and I am pretty certain that Jackson Browne joined the Eagles on stage. Elton struggled to follow the Beach Boys though. Great gig.
yes it was...
and even better me and a mate got in free "under the fence" and Donovan did a couple hours for free because groups couldn't get to the site because of traffic jams...great days.Hitch hiked down from staffordshire and still had change from a fiver...try telling the kids today that....
And then there's this
The opening of the legendary Friars Club. Which other promoter has the nerve to promise "nice people"?
It lasted
My computer reckons that this was in 1969. I was a regular at Friars in the early 80's (by which stage it was at the Civic Hall in Aylesbury) and it was still run by and attended by nice people then.
Here comes the Sun
My Mum
Went to that Walker Bros/Cat Stevens/Hendrix gig and came home and bought the "Stone Free" EP which I still have, and a hendrix compilation which i don't any more...
How cool is your Mum?
My Mum bought a Herb Alpert LP. Mind you, it didn't result in me becoming an Easy Listening lover
Beautiful!
even if it was late
great design
but now reminds me of Wasps away shirt.
and the mis-spelling of Russell grates
:-)
Russell?
what about the fact that Durutti / Durrutti is spelt two ways?
Crivens!
I'd never noticed THAT before!!
That band got bloody everywhere...
was there cake at huey's
birthday party and at gig with heavy weapons on the poster did people stump up the $2.50 to get in?
Attention Concert Promoters
Maybe its time to return to the idea of multi-act tours instead of "Coldplay plus support". I'm off to a concert at Massey Hall Toronto in May which features Emmylou, Patty Griffin, Shawn Colvin and Buddy Miller all for the bargoon price of $58.00 Canadian. Around about 1972 I saw the Kinks supported by ELO (with Roy Wood), Colin Blunstone and Ptet (18 with a Bullet)Wingfield.
Lucky man
but the 3 Girls & their Buddy isn't quite the same as the old package tours as you've got them all on stage at the same time. I'm sure it's going to be a great evening.
Twenty One Somersets!
What more could you want?
me too
more on my flickr
http://www.flickr.com/photos/11539972@N05
hhhmm that's supposed clash ramones and springsteen
how do i get the pictures to show on the post?
I've
Done it for you.
read
the FAQs?
While looking for something else...
...I found this: -
hey is that Elton/ beach boys poster
from THE elton show where he followed an hour of the beach boys doing their hits with the debut of a whole brand new album? nice to that if so.
It certainly was
I was there. In the highest profile example of miscalculation everv seen he followed the Beach Boys doing all their hits with the whole of "Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy*, much of which was about suicide!
Do I win?
Er...
Yes. You win.
Blimey, I'm sure that's genuine but...
Makes me wonder if there a website where you can generate your own "dream" line-ups and put them on a decaying poster?
Shame they can't spell "accommodation" and "atmosphere", though.
And they've got hot dogs!
How great is that?!
And
"knockout atmospere" with no "h"!!
I love a party with some atmospere
Where is Russ Abbott when you need him?
And you clearly have stolen a "P" from somewhere
Did you nab the missing "h" as well?
Good look,
great record.
I remember it well.
Change from a ten bob note on the door and ten ciggies for two bob.
Three or four pints of rough would see you swaying for another few shillings, and you'd still have half a crown for a fish supper and a tanner for the bus.
Wonder why
only Yes, Fleetwood Mac & Quintessence were 'In concert'. What were all the others doing?
The poster is for gigs promoted by Greg Van Dike,
and the entries for Yes, Fleetwood Mac, Quintessence and Free are advertising gigs to be staged at Plymouth Guildhall, which specifically used the strapline "In Concert", while all the others were gigs at the mighty Van Dike Club itself. Greatcoats or Afghan coats required for entry, patchouli optional but advised.
There was a teacher at my school called Nigel Peace...
in the mid 1980s he had longish hair and was always banging on about bloody Quintessence. Happy days...
Now there was someone who
really could have used a double-barreled surname.
Nigel Peace-Man.
Far out.
Up Against the Wall - posters from Sheffield Leadmill 1980-92
Can I recommend this book by Martin Bedford, the artist whose screen printed masterworks advertised gigs at the Leadmill for many a year?
Love this, the wonderful Mott
in Guildford 1972
And I would kill for the cultural backwater that is my home city would have somewhere like "Quaintways" again. 70p for Edgar Broughton and Thin Lizzy ffs! If it got too loud you could grab a meal, and head to see Matt Rattray and Friends on the folk floor!
Quaintways is now a three floor '80s' club frequented by undesirables called RB's. For shame.
Ha! Bourgeois running dogs
They spelled Thin Lizzy properly.
OK - I know this may open me up to ridicule
But did Max Wall really guest for Mott the Hoople in Guildford in 1972? Seems a less-than-natural mix.
Yup...
There were jugglers as well
"The Rock And Roll Circus was in town" (see what they did there) :-)
Non-appearance of Badger
I'm thrilled to have found this, because I attended the Amon Düül II soirée that was the major attraction here, in much bigger type than Thin Lizzie (sic), note.
I assume they were called "Morpheus lights" because of the Stoneground's reputation for freely available red and blue pills. And I've mentioned the delights of the venue's "cheap food" before.
OMG
Stoneground is where I saw Stackridge play (as in coming soon...) and got all my LP sleeves autographed. Don't ask me where it was or how I got there; I have not the foggiest idea!
Oh yes Stonegound
Saw Man play for hours supported by The Pink Fairies. Fantastic dj too who would play Floyd "One of These days" followed by Dr John "Right Place, Wrong Time" followed by "Little Willy" The Sweet. Also saw Joe Brown with his fantastic Homebrew band. Great days indeed! Nice beer-slopped, greasy dance floor complete with sick-inducing strobes.
Sam Cooke & Jackie Wilson
Otis Redding, Percy Sledge & Arthur Conley
Wow, a brace of Bettyes!
Can't fail. Christ, what a bill.
The Everlys, The Crickets & Eddie Cochran
The Platters & The Drifters
Wow.
The Beatles
Clyde McPhatter & Bo Diddley
Buddy Holly & Des O'Connor(!)
'Comedian With the Modern Style'? Call trading standards...
do you
own these PM or is it an interweb scouring device?
I wish I owned some of them, James...
I'm an inveterate image-grabber so if I find any interesting pics on the web (behave...), I've got into the habit of saving them.
Tinypic is very useful for revealing further websites which are hosting a particular image, while the 'site:' search* in Google Images certainly makes life easier.
*(eg. site:wordmagazine.co.uk)
Gene Vincent
Bo Diddley, Big Joe Turner & Etta James
Fats Domino, Clyde McPhatter & Chuck Berry
Purveyors of pretty lights...
...Pink Floyd, along with The Who and psychedelicamaniacs The Move.
Chuck Berry, Carl Perkins & The Animals
Little Richard
Johnny Cash & Carl Perkins