On This Day11/10/1977 Dr Feelgood

On this day, 11 October 1977, English pub rock band Dr Feelgood played Cardiff’s Top Rank. Support was provided by American rock band Mink DeVille.

Hailing from Canvey Island, Essex, they are best known for early singles such as "She Does It Right", "Roxette", "Back in the Night" and "Milk and Alcohol". Their original and distinctively British R&B sound was centred on Wilko Johnson's choppy guitar style. Along with Johnson, the initial band line-up included singer Lee Brilleaux and the rhythm section of John B. Sparks, known as "Sparko", on bass guitar and John Martin, known as "The Big Figure", on drums.

Their breakthrough 1976 live album, Stupidity, reached number one in the UK Albums Chart (their only chart-topper). The Ramones were the opening act for the group's May 1976 shows at the Bottom Line in New York.

After the 1977 follow-up Sneakin' Suspicion, Johnson left the group because of conflicts with Lee Brilleaux. He was replaced by Gypie Mayo. The band with Mayo were never as popular as when Johnson was in the line-up, yet they went on to enjoy their only top ten hit single in 1979 with "Milk and Alcohol".

On This Day 10/10/1966 Manfred Mann

On this day, 10 October 1966, rock band Manfred Mann played Cardiff’s Top Rank.

The band were about to release their third studio album As If, their first to feature new members Mike d'Abo and Klaus Voormann.

The twelve tracks on the record include the line-up's first single release, a cut-down version of Bob Dylan's "Just Like a Woman" that reached the UK top ten, and a short cool jazz version of "Autumn Leaves", reminiscent of the Modern Jazz Quartet with Mike Hugg's vibraphone and double bass from the group's former bassist Dave Richmond, sounding like an out-take from the group's instrumental releases: these two make weight for a fairly short collection of group compositions. As d'Abo's presence somehow sparked Mike Hugg into producing baroque pop miniatures, both contribute three songs: d'Abo's "Box Office Draw" and "Trouble and Tea" are well-crafted pop, while "As Long as I Have Lovin'" is a generic soul ballad.

Hugg's "Morning After the Party", also released as a "B" side and on the compilation album What a Mann, recalls the rowdy rhythm and blues of the group's past, while two of his three collaborations with Mann suggest something of the direction they would later take with Manfred Mann Chapter Three. Guitarist Tom McGuinness provides a range of textures, including his trademark National Steel Guitar and contributes sleeve notes and a gentle folk-ballad. The group continued to exploit studio multitracking: keyboardist Mann layering Mellotrons, bassist Voormann taking over from Mike Vickers on flutes.

On This Day 09/10/1976 Climax Blues Band

On this day, 9 October 1976, blues, rock and pop band Climax Blues Band played Cardiff University.

The band had just found chart success with the song Couldn’t Get It Right taken from their eighth studio album Gold Plated.

The song was originally released by RCA Records in early 1976. Although the song did not make the UK Singles Chart until October 1976 it did manage to crack the top ten, entering at #47 and departing from #18 in early December 1976, having been at positions #10 and #11 the weeks before. It reached #8 in Canada and #29 in New Zealand.

Later on that year, the song was picked up by Sire Records and the following year it made #3 on the US Billboard Hot 100. Later that year, the song was ranked #32 on Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1977.

The band were formed in Stafford, Staffordshire, England in 1968 by vocalist, saxophonist, guitarist and harmonica player Colin Cooper (1939–2008), guitarist, bassist and vocalist Pete Haycock (1951–2013), guitarist Derek Holt (b. 1949), bassist and keyboardist Richard Jones (b. 1949), drummer George Newsome (b. 1947) and keyboardist Arthur Wood (1929–2005).[2]

Holt tells of their formation:

"When I left school, I went to work in a local grinding wheel factory as a laboratory assistant and attending college for a degree in Chemistry. Colin Cooper also worked there as a metallurgist, so that's how we met. He had already discovered a young Peter Haycock and had wanted to put a blues band together. He was already gigging with a jazz band on clarinet. We started doing local gigs with local drummer George Newsome and a keyboard player named Arthur Wood, who at the time was a school teacher. Our bass player then was Richard Jones, who also knew Pete from grammar school. I was rhythm guitarist. While playing local gigs we were "discovered" by a scout for the new EMI label Parlophone, who was on the look out for a young blues/rock outfit for their label. We signed up for two albums with them, though we still had day jobs, so had to take time off work to go and record in London. Our first album was recorded over two days in the infamous Abbey Road Studios in 1968. We were in Studio 1, The Beatles were in Studio 2 and Pink Floyd in Studio 3! I was just 19 years of age.”

On This Day 08/10/1966 The Rolling Stones

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On this day, 8 October 1966, legendary rockers the Rolling Stones played two shows at Cardiff’s Capitol Theatre.

Support was provided by Ike & Tina Turner,The Yardbirds,Peter Jay and The New Jaywalkers, Jimmy Thomas, Bobby John, Long John Baldry and The Kings of Rhythm Orchestra.

The tour commenced on September 23 and concluded on October 9, 1966.

The band had recently released their Aftermath album, the first Stones LP to be composed entirely of original material by the group, considered by music scholars to be an artistic breakthrough for the Rolling Stones.

Brian Jones emerged as a key contributor and experimented with instruments not usually associated with popular music, including the sitar, Appalachian dulcimer, Japanese koto and marimbas, as well as guitar and harmonica.

Along with Jones' instrumental textures, the Stones incorporated a wider range of chords and stylistic elements beyond their Chicago blues and R&B influences, such as pop, folk, country, psychedelia, Baroque and Middle Eastern music.

Influenced by intense love affairs and a demanding touring itinerary, Jagger and Richards wrote the album around psychodramatic themes of love, sex, desire, power and dominance, hate, obsession, modern society and rock stardom.

Women feature as prominent characters in their often dark, sarcastic, casually offensive lyrics.

SETLIST

"Paint It, Black"

"Under My Thumb"

"Get Off of My Cloud"

"Lady Jane"

"Not Fade Away"

"The Last Time"

"19th Nervous Breakdown"

"Have You Seen Your Mother, Baby, Standing In The Shadow?

"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction"

On This Day 07/10/1980 UFO

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On this day, 7 October 1980, hard rock band UFO played Cardiff’s Sophia Gardens on their The Wild, the willing and the innocent tour. Support was provided by Fist.

The Wild, the willing and the innocent was the title of the band’s ninth studio album released the following January.

The album was their first album to be entirely self-produced. Its song "Lonely Heart" was a minor UK hit.

Former Wild Horses' keyboard player Neil Carter replaced Paul Raymond, who had left to join the Michael Schenker Group after a disagreement with singer Phil Mogg. However, according to guitarist Paul Chapman, Carter – though credited on the sleeve – did not play keyboards on the album (see below).

"We produced it ourselves with nobody breathing over our shoulders. The only problem was it cost twice as much because we kept changing studios and re-recording stuff…. [After Paul Raymond's departure] I tried to get John Sloman involved because he could sing, play keyboards and guitar, and was just out of Lone Star like me. He did play on the Wild album, but most of the keyboards are by the brother of the engineer Gary Edwards – until Phil sacked him. We finished that album without a keyboard player, then got Neil Carter in later." – Paul Chapman

Setlist

Alpha Centauri

Lettin' Go

Long Gone

Cherry

Only You Can Rock Me

No Place to Run

Makin' Moves

Love to Love

Hot 'n' Ready

Mystery Train

(Little Junior’s Blue Flames cover)

Too Hot to Handle

Lights Out

Rock Bottom

Doctor Doctor

On This Day 06/10/1982 Dexys Midnight Runners

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On this day, 6 October 1982, Midlands band Dexys Midnight Runners played Cardiff St David’s Hall on "The Bridge" tour. The band were accompanied by new-recruits, Spike Edney on trombone and saxophonist Kevin Gilson.

Earlier in the month the band released "Jackie Wilson Said (I'm In Heaven When You Smile)" following on from the tremendous success of "Come On Eileen" earlier in the Summer.

The band had recently recorded their second studio album Too-Rye-Ay .

Shortly before recording this album, Dexys' bandleader Kevin Rowland had decided to add a violin section to the band's existing horn section, which had contributed strings (viola and cello) to the band's previous single, "Liars A to E".

However, after violinists Helen O'Hara and Steve Brennan joined the band, the three members of the horn section, including Dexys' co-leader and album co-composer "Big" Jim Paterson, decided to leave Dexys and become an independent horn band (ultimately known as The TKO Horns).

Rowland convinced them to stay with the band long enough to record the album and to perform in a kick-off concert debuting the album on BBC Radio One in June 1982.

All the songs on the album were rearranged to add strings, which caused Dexys to re-record the 1981 singles "Plan B", "Liars A to E", and "Soon". During the rearrangement process,

"Soon" was revised into the opening section of "Plan B"; since both songs were written by Rowland and Paterson, the merged songs are credited on the album simply as "Plan B".

Setlist

Old

Geno

The Celtic Soul Brothers

Let's Get This Straight From the Start

All in All (This One Last Wild Waltz)

Tell Me When My Light Turns Green

Plan B

Let's Make This Precious

I Couldn't Help If I Tried

Until I Believe in My Soul

Kevin Rowland's 13th Time

Jackie Wilson Said (I'm in Heaven When You Smile)

(Van Morrison cover)

Respect

(Otis Redding cover)

There, There, My Dear

Come on Eileen

Show Me

I'll Show You

On This Day 04/10/1976 The Runaways

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On this day, 4 October 1976, US rock band The Runaways played Cardiff University.

The Runaways were formed in August 1975[5] by drummer Sandy West and guitarist Joan Jett after they had separately introduced themselves to producer Kim Fowley, who gave Jett's phone number to West. Fowley then helped the girls find other members.

Two decades later he said, "I didn't put the Runaways together, I had an idea, they had ideas, we all met, there was combustion and out of five different versions of that group came the five girls who were the ones that people liked."

Starting as a power trio with singer/bassist Micki Steele, the Runaways began the party and club circuit around Los Angeles. They soon added lead guitarist Lita Ford and Jett switched to rhythm guitar. Steele was soon fired from the group, replaced by bassist Peggy Foster, who left after just one month. Lead singer Cherie Currie was recruited in a local teen nightclub called the Sugar Shack, followed by Jackie Fox on bass.

The Runaways were signed to Mercury Records in 1976 and their debut album, The Runaways, was released shortly afterward.

The band toured the U.S. in support of headlining groups such as Cheap Trick, Van Halen, Talking Heads, and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.

For their stage performance, the documentary Edgeplay: A Film About the Runaways (directed by former Runaway bassist Vicki Blue) revealed each girl patterned herself after their musical idol: Currie on David Bowie, Jett on Suzi Quatro, Ford on a cross between Jeff Beck and Ritchie Blackmore, West on Roger Taylor, and Fox on Gene Simmons.

On This Day 03/10/1978 Ramones

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On this day, 3 October 1978, NY Punk rock pioneers The Ramones played Cardiff University.

The band had just released Road to Ruin, their fourth studio album released on September 21, 1978, through Sire Records.

It was the first Ramones album to feature new drummer Marky Ramone, who replaced Tommy Ramone. Tommy left the band due to low sales of previous albums as well as stress he experienced while touring; however, he stayed with the band to produce the album with Ed Stasium.

The artwork's concept was designed by Ramones fan Gus MacDonald and later modified by John Holmstrom to include Marky instead of Tommy. The album includes the well-known track "I Wanna Be Sedated".

SETLIST

"Rockaway Beach"

"Teenage Lobotomy"

"Blitzkrieg Bop"

"I Don't Want You"

"Go Mental"

"Gimme Gimme Shock Treatment"

"You're Gonna Kill That Girl"

"Don't Come Close"

"I Just Want to Have Something to Do"

"Bad Brain"

"She's the One"

"Sheena Is a Punk Rocker"

"Havana Affair"

"Commando"

"Needles and Pins" (Jackie DeShannon cover)

"Surfin' Bird" (The Trashmen cover)

"Cretin Hop"

"Listen to My Heart"

"California Sun" (Joe Jones cover)

"I Don't Wanna Walk Around with You"

"Pinhead"

Encore:

"Do You Want to Dance" (Bobby Freeman cover)

"I Wanna Be Sedated"

"Today Your Love, Tomorrow the World"

Encore 2:

"Judy Is a Punk"

"Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue"

"We're a Happy Family"