Podcasts about Be My Guest

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Best podcasts about Be My Guest

Latest podcast episodes about Be My Guest

The Business of Meetings
263: The Noble Profession: Sales & Leadership in Hospitality with Frank Passanante

The Business of Meetings

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 25, 2025 36:07


It is a special day as we welcome a true industry icon to the podcast! Today, we are thrilled to have Frank Passanante, Global Head of Sales at Hilton, joining us for a conversation that has been a long time in the making. Eric has crossed paths with Frank through the MPI Foundation and has been looking forward to having him on the show to share his insights.  In this episode, Frank discusses his career, the art of sales, and the enduring strength of the Hilton brand. A Passion for Hospitality from a Young Age Frank's journey into the hospitality industry began in his early teens. While on a family vacation at the Hilton Hawaiian Village, he discovered a book by Conrad Hilton, Be My Guest, which ignited his passion for the hotel business. From that moment, he began working various jobs in hotels and restaurants before specializing in sales. He joined Hilton right after university and has remained in the industry ever since. Sales as a Noble Profession Frank believes sales is a noble profession centered on solving customer problems and providing value. He feels that true sales success comes from genuinely caring about customers and helping them find the right solutions. Frank integrates Lisa McLeod's Philosophy of Selling with Noble Purpose into his sales approach, focusing on customer impact rather than revenue alone. His mindset aligns with Hilton's founding purpose—spreading the light and warmth of hospitality. Building a Strong Sales Culture Recruiting the right people is essential to maintaining a strong company culture. Frank refers to The Ideal Team Player by Patrick Lencioni, which identifies three key qualities for success: humility, which prioritizes teamwork and continuous learning; hunger, which drives ambition and goal-setting; and emotional intelligence, which ensures strong interpersonal skills. At Hilton, hiring, training, and performance management are structured around those virtues to create a high-performing, customer-focused sales team. Adapting to Changing Buyer Behavior The landscape of meeting and event services has evolved in the post-COVID era. Modern buyers expect a seamless blend of self-service digital tools and personalized support for more complex needs. So, they developed a three-channel sales strategy at Hilton: digital self-service options that empower customers to research and book independently, direct sales for high-touch transactions requiring expert guidance, and voice-assisted support for critical moments in the buying process. Companies that fail to adapt to these shifting expectations risk missing valuable opportunities in today's rapidly evolving market. AI and Continuous Learning AI and automation are reshaping the industry, so Frank is committed to future-proofing the Hilton sales teams. The company promotes an always-learning mindset and prioritizes a coaching culture. Combining continuous learning with a strong coaching environment ensures that the Hilton sales professionals remain effective and adaptable. Building a Coaching Culture Frank emphasizes the power of coaching in leadership and business success. He stresses the importance of being coachable, asking the right questions, and seeking feedback to progress quickly. His organization holds monthly coaching sessions for leaders, focusing on practicing real-life coaching conversations to build communication skills. The Art of Difficult Conversations Having tough conversations is easier said than done. As a former SaaS CEO, Frank found that employees initially hesitated to voice their concerns. However, by welcoming constructive criticism and encouraging dialogue, he built a culture where feedback became a strength rather than something to fear. Continuous Learning & Expanding Perspectives Frank stays ahead by reading business publications, white papers, and research from Forrester and Gartner rather than constantly chasing new frameworks. He values learning from industries outside his own, believing that cross-industry insights spark fresh ideas. Year of the Travel Maximizer Hilton has identified 2025 as the Year of the Travel Maximizer. Their recent Meetings Maximizer report highlights trends like extreme preparedness, where attendees demand detailed agendas and networking guidance. Hilton developed resources to meet these evolving needs, including the World's Most Welcoming Events playbook, to help planners create more engaging experiences. Looking Ahead Frank is excited about Hilton's rapid expansion, with over 800 new hotels added in 2024 and 500,000 rooms in the pipeline. Next year, they will celebrate significant openings, including the iconic Waldorf Astoria New York and new Waldorf locations in Sydney and Tokyo.  Bio: Frank Passanante Senior Vice President, Global Head of Sales and HRCC, Hilton Frank Passanante sets the B2B strategy for Hilton through all selling channels. He's passionate about forging strong customer partnerships that drive mutual success, building winning sales teams through intentionally developing a coaching culture, and quickly adapting strategies to meet the continually evolving nature of B2B sales. In his current role as Senior Vice President, Global Head of Sales, and HRCC, Frank collaborates closely with commercial leaders worldwide on coordinated global B2B strategies. He takes great pride in his team of purpose-led sales professionals, who consistently develop meaningful customer relationships and consult on solutions. He describes his team as caring, committed to their clients' outcomes, and striving to be the best in the business.  Frank built and refined his hospitality sales and marketing expertise over three decades, with the vast majority of those years devoted to Hilton in various on-property, regional, and corporate roles. Actively engaged in industry organizations across all travel segments, he has served on the Professional Convention Management Association Board of Directors, the U.S. Travel Association Meetings Mean Business Coalition, and the Events Industry Council APEX Business Recovery Task Force. Currently, he is engaged with the US Travel Association Group Travel Network and the GBTA Allied Leadership Committee. Connect with Eric Rozenberg On LinkedIn Facebook Instagram Website Subscribe to The Business of Meetings newsletter   Listen to The Business of Meetings podcast Connect with Frank Passanante On LinkedIn Hilton Trends Report 2025 – The Vacation Maximized 2025 Hilton Trends Report – Special Section: The Meetings Maximizer – The Next Generation of Meetings & Events Books mentioned: Be My Guest by Conrad Hilton Selling with Noble Purpose by Lisa McLeod The Ideal Team Player by Patrick Lencioni The Advantage by Patrick Lencioni The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni The Medici Effect by Frans Johansson Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain      

Talks of Life
New Meaning of L.I.F.E | Living In Faith Everyday

Talks of Life

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 3, 2024 2:08


I'm excited to announce that Talks of L.I.F.E. has undergone a rebrand, and I'm stepping into a fresh chapter focused on what it truly means to live a life of faith every single day. Whether I'm navigating challenges, celebrating victories, or seeking purpose, this podcast will provide the tools, stories, and encouragement I need to strengthen my faith and make it a central part of my everyday life.In this episode, I'll share the vision behind the rebrand and dive into the new direction for the podcast. I'll be exploring how to live intentionally with faith, trust, and hope in every moment—no matter what life throws my way. From practical tips to inspiring conversations, Talks of L.I.F.E. will now offer a space where I can grow spiritually, deepen my relationship with God, and live out my purpose with unwavering faith.Tune in, stay inspired, and join me on this exciting new journey as I embrace living in faith, every single day.

Wiser Than Me with Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Presenting: Julia on Be My Guest with Ina Garten

Wiser Than Me with Julia Louis-Dreyfus

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 30, 2024 30:19


Today, we're excited to feature an episode of Be My Guest with Ina Garten, one of our favorite podcasts! On Be My Guest, Ina welcomes a different friend over to her Hamptons home to share stories about career, love, and life – all while cooking up an amazing meal. On this episode of Be My Guest, Ina and Julia spend the day together and talk about Julia's challenges at Saturday Night Live, her favorite standout "Seinfeld" moments and what she's learned from making this podcast, Wiser Than Me. Listen to Be My Guest wherever you get your podcasts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Making Space with Hoda Kotb
Ina Garten Opens Up on New Memoir “Be Ready When the Luck Happens”

Making Space with Hoda Kotb

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 2, 2024 32:58


Ina Garten is undoubtedly one of America's most beloved cooks, known and adored for her approachable style and comforting, attainable recipes. And while Ina has a gift for making everything seem effortless, her many accomplishments have been the result of hard work, bold choices and of course, an exquisite attention to detail. Now, Ina is opening up like never before, in her new memoir, “Be Ready When the Luck Happens”, sharing her remarkable story for the very first time. Ina sat down with Hoda Kotb, reflecting on her difficult childhood, her trailblazing career, and of course, the love of her life, Jeffrey.

We Can Do Hard Things with Glennon Doyle
Secrets to a Joyful Life with Ina Garten

We Can Do Hard Things with Glennon Doyle

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 1, 2024 65:56


350. Secrets to a Joyful Life with Ina Garten Ina Garten – the iconic Barefoot Contessa – shares her best life and business advice and her tips for how to host a successful dinner party. Plus, the details behind an unforgettable night with Abby, Ina, Taylor Swift, and beer pong;  Discover: -Ina's surefire way to silence the inner-critic;  -Why satisfaction has everything to do with not settling; and  -What the key to having a fun dinner party can teach us about life.  About Ina: Ina Garten has hosted her Emmy and James Beard Award winning show, Barefoot Contessa, on the Food Network since 2002 and recently launched a new interview focused series, Be My Guest, with Food Network and discovery+. She has published thirteen cookbooks, including eleven #1 New York Times bestsellers. In 2015 Ina Garten was named one of Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People. She lives in East Hampton, New York with her husband, Jeffrey. Her new memoir Be Ready When the Luck Happens is available now. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Over 50 & Flourishing with Dominique Sachse
Be My Guest - Part 3: Navigating Midlife, Relationships, and Overcoming Regret

Over 50 & Flourishing with Dominique Sachse

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 23, 2024 79:10


I'm so excited to be back with another episode of Be My Guest! This week, I'm joined by Courtney as we dive into some of your most pressing questions. From navigating menopause and caring for aging skin to relationship advice and handling life's regrets, we're covering it all. Listen to the Podcast: https://bit.ly/Over50andFlourishingwithDominiqueSachsePodcast Website: https://dominiquesachse.tv/ Book: https://dominiquesachse.tv/book/ Insta: https://www.instagram.com/dominiquesachse/?hl=en Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DominiqueSachse/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@dominiquesachse?lang=en Youtube:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXrsVPFsk-66NTaoGMXoPFQ Thanks to my Sponsors: Find your forever pieces @jennikayne and get 15% off with promo code DOMINIQUE15 at https://jennikayne.com/DOMINIQUE15 #jennikaynepartner #ad Go to https://greenchef.com/over50class for 50% off your first box + 50 FREE Credits with ClassPass! Get 15% off OneSkin with the code OVER50at https://www.oneskin.co/  #oneskinpod #ad Interested in being featured as a guest? Please email courtney@dominiquesachse.tv  For advertising opportunities please email PodcastPartnerships@Studio71us.com We want to make the podcast even better, help us learn how we can: https://bit.ly/2EcYbu4 Privacy Policy: https://www.studio71.com/terms-and-conditions-use/#Privacy%20Policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Travel That Matters
Another CurtCo Media Podcast We Think You'll Enjoy: Foods That Matter

Travel That Matters

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 6, 2024 37:14


Come along for a culinary thrill as Foods That Matter transports the epicures, the foodies, and the gastronauts to different corners of the world through stories of adventure with food archeologist John Robert Sutton, also known as 'The Indiana Jones of Food.' John has invited us to continue unlocking the secrets to the globe's most extraordinary cuisines, as he's been doing throughout his travel in over 120 countries. While he pushes on enriching top grocery stores and Michelin-starred chefs with the finest ingredients and powering them with the most unique and sustainable products, John is bringing us along with him to where these rare foods can be found. Listen and gain insider knowledge on trending foods, deep insights into food culture, and a comprehensive understanding of what you're eating, including food origins. Plus, learn how to discover these culinary treasures on your own. You might enjoy Foods That Matters if you also enjoy one of these other podcasts: The Splendid Table: Conversations & Recipes For Curious Cooks & Eaters, Food with Mark Bittman, Dinner SOS by Bon Appétit, Be My Guest with Ina Garten, and Gastropod. Listen to Foods That Matter: https://link.chtbl.com/FoodsThatMatter_CurtCoMedia  -- Episode Description We are spicing things up with Mark Jacobs, Chairman of Watkins, award-winning extracts, spices & herbs, seasoning blends, grilling rubs & marinades, artificial dye-free baking decorations, and more crafted in the USA since 1868; the company with the first ever documented money-back guarantee (talk about trusting your spices!). Mark divulges the delicate (and sometimes dangerous) process of sourcing the finest vanilla beans in Madagascar and explains why vanilla can be so darn expensive, only sometimes. But vanilla's not all they offer! Mark shares surprising health benefits of spices, and spills the tea on how Watkins keeps their huge variety of spices bursting with flavor - including a tip to properly storing your spices at home. Speaking of unique offerings, Watkins is now in the Bourbon business, and we learn all about the intricacies of this new exciting vertical for the brand. Mark even reveals the one spice that mysteriously eludes Watkins (and why), and shares exactly what to look for when you're on the hunt for the perfect spices. Whether you're a spice connoisseur, a curious cook, or a foodie, this episode is packed with flavor-boosting tips and fascinating facts about food and the brand leading the way for delicious flavors. - Did you know host John was the person who introduced Harissa from Tunisia to the U.S. 15 years ago? Or that Himalayan salt comes from Pakistan? - Tune into the episode for more. This season of Foods That Matter is presented by Watkins. Executive Producers: AJ Moseley and Stuart Halperin Editing: AJ Moseley Marketing: Catrin Skaperdas Music: Jenny G Listen to Foods That Matter: https://link.chtbl.com/FoodsThatMatter_CurtCoMedia  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Jersey Shore Morning Show With Lou and Shannon On Demand

Bobby & Liberty wake up the Tri-State area weekday mornings on MY 105.3 WJLT. Enjoy features like: Good News, What the Fun Facts, Flash Briefing, Slang Word of the Week, LOL Tri-State, Cubicle Confessions, Be MY Guest, & more!

Food Network Obsessed
Introducing: Be My Guest with Ina Garten

Food Network Obsessed

Play Episode Listen Later May 13, 2024 31:44


If you're enjoying Food Network Obsessed, you may also like Be My Guest with Ina Garten, from Food Network. Listen to Ina's episode with Frank Bruni here, and follow Be My Guest with Ina Garten wherever you get your podcasts. Join the party as Ina Garten invites friends old and new into her East Hampton home for good food and great conversation. With personal stories shared over cocktails and favorite recipes, each podcast episode features direct audio and exclusive, extended interviews from Be My Guest with Ina Garten, her multi-platform series for Warner Bros. Discovery. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Jersey Shore Morning Show With Lou and Shannon On Demand

Bobby & Liberty wake up the Tri-State area weekday mornings on MY 105.3 WJLT. Enjoy features like: Good News, What the Fun Facts, Flash Briefing, Slang Word of the Week, LOL Tri-State, Cubicle Confessions, Be MY Guest, & more!

The Jersey Shore Morning Show With Lou and Shannon On Demand

Bobby & Liberty wake up the Tri-State area weekday mornings on MY 105.3 WJLT. Enjoy features like: Good News, What the Fun Facts, Flash Briefing, Slang Word of the Week, LOL Tri-State, Cubicle Confessions, Be MY Guest, & more!

The Jersey Shore Morning Show With Lou and Shannon On Demand

Bobby & Liberty wake up the Tri-State area weekday mornings on MY 105.3 WJLT. Enjoy features like: Good News, What the Fun Facts, Flash Briefing, Slang Word of the Week, LOL Tri-State, Cubicle Confessions, Be MY Guest, & more!

The Jersey Shore Morning Show With Lou and Shannon On Demand

Bobby & Liberty wake up the Tri-State area weekday mornings on MY 105.3 WJLT. Enjoy features like: Good News, What the Fun Facts, Flash Briefing, Slang Word of the Week, LOL Tri-State, Cubicle Confessions, Be MY Guest, & more!

The Jersey Shore Morning Show With Lou and Shannon On Demand

Bobby & Liberty wake up the Tri-State area weekday mornings on MY 105.3 WJLT. Enjoy features like: Good News, What the Fun Facts, Flash Briefing, Slang Word of the Week, LOL Tri-State, Cubicle Confessions, Be MY Guest, & more!

The Jersey Shore Morning Show With Lou and Shannon On Demand

Bobby & Liberty wake up the Tri-State area weekday mornings on MY 105.3 WJLT. Enjoy features like: Good News, What the Fun Facts, Flash Briefing, Slang Word of the Week, LOL Tri-State, Cubicle Confessions, Be MY Guest, & more!

The Splendid Table
Check Out: Be My Guest with Ina Garten

The Splendid Table

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 30, 2024 27:53


In each episode of Be My Guest, Ina does what she does best - welcomes a different friend at her home to talk about life, love, and career, all while cooking an amazing meal or two. Before she was a culinary icon, Ina was an iconic host - making her guests feel comfortable just as easily as she makes a four-course meal. Who wouldn't want to spend an evening with her?In this episode, actress Jennifer Garner joins her very own “queen” and “kitchen fairy,” Ina. As they revamp Jennifer's grandmother's cornbread recipe and make pizzas, they talk about Jennifer's childhood in West Virginia, what it was like to move to Manhattan, and what she ate on repeat while filming 13 Going on 30.If you like the episode, be sure to follow Be My Guest with Ina Garten wherever you get your podcasts. And so, without further ado, here's an episode of Be My Guest with Ina Garten. 

The Take Home Podcast
Students Take Over: The Leadership Lab with Jacob and Mac

The Take Home Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 16, 2023 31:56


This summer I'm releasing bonus episodes of The Take Home. No new lectures on leadership, instead I'm sharing the amazing podcasts created by the students in my Leadership for Sport Professionals class. Today's bonus episode features "The Leadership Lab" produced and created by Jacob Ontiveros and Mac Douglas. In the podcast, they interview Marcus Mlcak. Marcus is a Trinity alumnus (@TrinityUAlumni) and Partner at EY. While at Trinity, Marcus was on the golf team (@TrinityUGolf) and he's continued to be active in campus life serving as an alumni mentor in the 1869 Scholars program.  During the conversation Marcus talks about learning from failure, how sports are crucibles for leadership development, and why leaders must be able to work closely with those who are different from themselves. He says that great leaders focus on “we, not me” and why they must build relationships as a means to understand how to motivate each employee as an individual, rather than a cog in the machine. I love his servant leadership approach and I hope you enjoy this episode as much as I did! Let me know what you think; reach out on LinkedIn or at @TingleJK on Twitter. Credits: Music used in The Leadership Lab: Intro and Outro - “Moda” by Fashion Season and during the Interview they used “Inspiring Life” by Fashion Season. The podcast cover photo was taken by Jacob Tingle at Los Rapidos Bacalar in the Yucatan, Mexico. The intro music is "Be My Guest" by Crowander. "My underground" by Distemper is the closing credits music.

The Take Home Podcast
Students Take Over: The One Take Pod with Cullen, Josh, and Sierra

The Take Home Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 9, 2023 21:18


This summer I'm releasing bonus episodes of The Take Home. No new lectures on leadership, instead I'm sharing the amazing podcasts created by the students in my Leadership for Sport Professionals class. Today's bonus episode features "The One Take Pod" produced and created by Cullen Betsey, Josh Mena, and Sierra Vargas. During the podcast Cullen and Josh have a meaningful and personal conversation about what they've learned about leadership during the semester. They share stories from their college and high school experiences and relate them to situational leadership, trait vs. process leadership definitions, and how leaders work to influence their followers. I hope you enjoy Josh and Cullen's conversation as much as I did! Let me know what you think; reach out on LinkedIn or at @TingleJK on Twitter. Credits: Music used in The One Take Pod: "Downtown" by HoliznaPatreon.  The podcast cover photo was taken by Jacob Tingle at Los Rapidos Bacalar in the Yucatan, Mexico. The intro music is "Be My Guest" by Crowander. "My underground" by Distemper is the closing credits music.

The Take Home Podcast
Students Take Over: Leading the Game with Sofia, Jordyn, and Jack

The Take Home Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 2, 2023 26:06


This summer I'm releasing bonus episodes of The Take Home. No new lectures on leadership, instead I'm sharing the amazing podcasts created by the students in my Leadership for Sport Professionals class. Today's bonus episode features "Leading the Game" produced and created by Sofia Leobas, Jack Downes, and Jordyn Williams. In the podcast, they interview Dean Mabson (@dean_mabson) from Sheffield, England. Dean is the Managing Director at The Evo Group and Head of Methodology at EvoSoccer/EvoRugby. Dean details that leadership is ultimately about helping people reach their hopes and dreams and in order to do so, leaders must truly know their followers. He also describes that leaders are innovators and life-long learners, who demonstrate a willingness to be vulnerable. And I truly appreciate Dean's two guiding philosophies: 1) focus on solutions, not the problems and 2) hire good people and get out of their way.  Dean and Jack have a lively, engaging conversation and I hope you enjoy this episode as much as I did! Let me know what you think; reach out on LinkedIn or at @TingleJK on Twitter. Credits: Music used in Leading the Game: "Power" by ashamaluevmusic.  The podcast cover photo was taken by Jacob Tingle at Los Rapidos Bacalar in the Yucatan, Mexico. The intro music is "Be My Guest" by Crowander. "My underground" by Distemper is the closing credits music.

The Take Home Podcast
Students Take Over: The Timely Rebound with Dani, Damian, and Garrett

The Take Home Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 26, 2023 25:28


This summer I'm releasing bonus episodes of The Take Home. No new lectures on leadership, instead I'm sharing the amazing podcasts created by the students in my Leadership for Sport Professionals class. Today's bonus episode features "The Timely Rebound" produced and created by Damian De Leon, Dani Cala, and Garrett Moran. In the podcast, they interview Danielle Hubenak, a Trust Solutions Senior Manager at PwC. Danielle is a Trinity alumna (@TrinityUAlumni) and was active during her time on campus as a member of the Student Managed Fund and standout on the Trinity women's basketball team (@TUWBBall).   Danielle highlights that great leaders are those who focus on asking good questions, rather than providing all the answers. She describes that asking good questions can be a sign of vulnerability, which is a first step to developing trusting relationships. She encourages us to focus on the process; to enjoy the journey and to follow our passions. Danielle mentions that leaders who focus on people first allows for a strong focus on task during “crunch time” and I love how she uses basketball as an analogy for leadership.  I hope you enjoy this episode as much as I did! Let me know what you think; reach out on LinkedIn or at @TingleJK on Twitter. Credits: Music used in The Timely Rebound: "Something Elated" by Broke For Free.  The podcast cover photo was taken by Jacob Tingle at Los Rapidos Bacalar in the Yucatan, Mexico. The intro music is "Be My Guest" by Crowander. "My underground" by Distemper is the closing credits music.  

The Take Home Podcast
Students Take Over: Tiger Talk with Caleb, Lucy, and Jen

The Take Home Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 19, 2023 31:35


This summer I'm releasing bonus episodes of The Take Home. No new lectures on leadership, instead I'm sharing the amazing podcasts created by the students in my Leadership for Sport Professionals class. Today's bonus episode features "Tiger Talks" produced and created by Caleb Harmel, Lucy Hansen, and Jen Tierney. In the podcast, they interview Nick Cornell (@CampoStrength), a coach and teacher at Campo Verde High School in Gilbert, AZ.  During his time as a teacher and coach, Nick has been named the Arizonia Health and Physical Education Teacher of the Year, the Campo Verde High School Teacher of the Year, and the 2019 National High School Strength Coaches Association Arizona High School Strength Coach Of The Year Coach Cornell says that to be a great organization, the focus must be on hiring the right people and that “relationships are key.” He's high energy and his positivity shines through. I love how he describes that great leaders pour into their followers and why people need to feel cared about. Coach Cornell believes that a leader's job is to create other leaders and they do that by helping followers enhance their self-efficacy.  I hope you enjoy this episode as much as I did! Let me know what you think; reach out on LinkedIn or at @TingleJK on Twitter. Credits: Music used in Tiger Talk: "Futuristic Beat.”   The podcast cover photo was taken by Jacob Tingle at Los Rapidos Bacalar in the Yucatan, Mexico. The intro music is "Be My Guest" by Crowander. "My underground" by Distemper is the closing credits music.

Professional Drinkers from Choose Sunrise
Episode 11: The Role of HR in Workplace Alcohol Culture with Victoria Bond

Professional Drinkers from Choose Sunrise

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 14, 2023 51:06


I apologize for the delay in releasing this episode due to personal reasons. I'm thrilled to announce that my daughter is now home and recovering. Thank you for your support. In this episode, I'm joined by Victoria Bond, CEO of Tenspace, to discuss measuring the success of the Alcohol Safe Workplace Accreditation. We will collaborate on pre- and post-accreditation surveys to demonstrate the impact of creating an alcohol-safe workplace. Addressing workplace safety, recent statistics show an increase in workplace fatalities and a report suggests alcohol is involved in 40% of industrial accidents. With the rise of remote work, it becomes challenging for employers to monitor alcohol consumption, which can affect productivity, well-being, and safety. Employers should create an environment where employees feel comfortable seeking help and prioritize their well-being. In this episode, Victoria and I explore the impact of alcohol culture on employee engagement, recruitment for culture contribution, and the changing dynamics of the workforce. We discuss challenges such as absenteeism and workplace accidents, and the need to rethink alcohol culture and consider alcohol-free workplace policies. Lived experience speakers and support networks play a crucial role in promoting alcohol-free alternatives. Connect with Victoria on LinkedIn to learn more about her work at Tenspace, helping organizations improve employee engagement and navigate cultural change. We also have a new brochure! Visit Choose Sunrise's website to see the Alcohol Safe Workplace Accreditation brochure. Let's strive for workplaces that prioritize well being, safety, and inclusivity. If you'd like to know more about the work we do, head to hello@choosesunrise.co.uk How alcohol safe is your workplace? Head over to https://choosesunrise.co.uk/hr-services and take the survey to find out, and receive free resources to help you to create an alcohol safe workplace, without killing the buzz. Do you have a story to tell about the workplace drinking culture? I'd love to hear from you, so please visit https://choosesunrise.co.uk/podcasts and complete the Be My Guest form.

The Take Home Podcast
Students Take Over: Tiger Tracker Podcast with Cooper and Matt

The Take Home Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 12, 2023 23:31


This summer I'm releasing bonus episodes of The Take Home. No new lectures on leadership, instead I'm sharing the amazing podcasts created by the students in my Leadership for Sport Professionals class. Today's bonus episode features the “Tiger Tracker Podcast" produced and created by Cooper Adams and Matthew Beam. In the podcast, they interview their fathers, Greg Beam and Cody Adams, both of whom are Trinity alumni (@TrinityUAlumni).  Greg is the Director of Merchandising and Marketing at H-E-B grocery stores and Cody is a Regional Vice President at Intertek. It's a lively and spirited conversation and it's a joy to hear Greg and Cody speak about their time at Trinity and how important it is for leaders to “stay close to the people doing the work.  They also highlight that it's easier to motivate followers if you know what they need and that great leaders are self-reflective. The emphasis on Path-Goal theory creates an important connection to class material. It's a fun podcast format and filled with lots of leadership nuggets. I hope you enjoy this episode as much as I did! Let me know what you think; reach out on LinkedIn or at @TingleJK on Twitter. Credits: Music used in Tiger Tracker Podcast: "Never Change For Them" by Holizna.  The podcast cover photo was taken by Jacob Tingle at Los Rapidos Bacalar in the Yucatan, Mexico. The intro music is "Be My Guest" by Crowander. "My underground" by Distemper is the closing credits music.

The Take Home Podcast
Students Take Over: Leadership Insights with Cade, Carter, and Emily

The Take Home Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 5, 2023 28:24


This summer I'm releasing bonus episodes of The Take Home. No new lectures on leadership, instead I'm sharing the amazing podcasts created by the students in my Leadership for Sport Professionals class. Today's bonus episode features "Leadership Insights" produced and created by Carter Self, Cade Rabson, and Emily Bartylla. In the podcast, they interview Bobby Kohler (@BobbyKohler4) a San Antonio area field rep from the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (@FCASanAntonio). Bobby played baseball at Texas Tech University for four years, setting numerous hitting records, was drafted by the Texas Rangers in 1982, and has been inducted into the Texas Tech Athletic Hall of Fame. He has been a faithful servant in FCA for over two decades and he describes great leaders as being humble, trustworthy, and caring deeply about those they serve. He highlights why leaders need to be self-aware and lifelong learners, and that ultimately leadership is about relationships - first.  This is a powerful episode for leaders of all ages. Let me know what you think; reach out on LinkedIn or at @TingleJK on Twitter. Credits: Music used in Leadership Insights: "Motivational Cinematic Corporate" by Alex-Productions.  The podcast cover photo was taken by Jacob Tingle at Los Rapidos Bacalar in the Yucatan, Mexico. The intro music is "Be My Guest" by Crowander. "My underground" by Distemper is the closing credits music.

The Take Home Podcast
Students Take Over: In Her Shoes with Reese and Taylor

The Take Home Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 28, 2023 33:50


This summer I'm releasing bonus episodes of The Take Home. No new lectures on leadership, instead I'm sharing the amazing podcasts created by the students in my Leadership for Sport Professionals class. Today's bonus episode features “In Her Shoes" produced and created by Reese Wallace and Taylor Campbell. In the podcast, they interview Robert Miller, the Director of Speed and Agility for LA Galaxy Conejo Valley Soccer Club and owner of Phenom Sports Performance. Robert is a former college football player and can be found at @Phenom_SP on Instagram and TikTok (he promises there are no dancing videos!).  Robert's mantra: “If it was easy, everyone would do it” is a great throughline in the episode -- and an important reminder for all of us, no matter where we are in our leadership journey. He also discusses why leaders need to be authentic, trustworthy, and care deeply about their followers. Robert highlights that providing the answers isn't what everyone needs and that great leaders help everyone, themselves included, stay focused on the process rather than the outcome. It's a unique and important take on the idea of controlling the controllables. I love how he talks about being vulnerable and honest as a means to develop strong relationships.  I hope you enjoy this episode as much as I did! Let me know what you think; reach out on LinkedIn or at @TingleJK on Twitter. Credits: Music used for “In Her Shoes” was produced and created by GG Riggs.  The podcast cover photo was taken by Jacob Tingle at Los Rapidos Bacalar in the Yucatan, Mexico. The intro music is "Be My Guest" by Crowander. "My underground" by Distemper is the closing credits music.

The Take Home Podcast
Students Take Over: Beyond the Scoreboard with Marina and Peyton

The Take Home Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 21, 2023 20:59


This summer I'm releasing bonus episodes of The Take Home. No new lectures on leadership, instead I'm sharing the amazing podcasts created by the students in my Leadership for Sport Professionals class. Today's bonus episode features "Beyond the Scoreboard" produced and created by Marina Delia Delaluna and Peyton Bowser. In the podcast, they speak with Coach Ryan Forehan-Kelly (@ForehanKelly) of the Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets). Ryan is currently an Assistant Coach with the Nets and has a long professional career that included stints in the NBA G-League and internationally in Japan, Venezuela, Italy, Jordan, China, France, and Mexico. Coach Forehan-Kelly describes why great leaders focus on developing relationships before jumping into tasks. “You gotta know someone before you're in the fryin' pan!” He also says great leaders: 1) know how to listen, 2) look to collaborate, 3) hold themselves and followers accountable to high standards, and 4) realize they can't treat everyone the same. His mantra “You Can't Take Time for Granted” is an important lesson for us all.  Let's keep the conversation going on LinkedIn or at @TingleJK on Twitter.  Credits: Music used in Beyond the Scoreboard: "Creative Minds" by Benjamin Tissot.  The podcast cover photo was taken by Jacob Tingle at Los Rapidos Bacalar in the Yucatan, Mexico. The intro music is "Be My Guest" by Crowander. "My underground" by Distemper is the closing credits music.  

Professional Drinkers from Choose Sunrise
Episode 9: Drinking Culture in Marketing & PR with Michael Sargood

Professional Drinkers from Choose Sunrise

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 31, 2023 77:15


There's no doubt that some industries are more boozy than others, and when it comes to after work drinks and entertaining clients, Marketing and PR agencies must rank in the top 10 industries for normalising alcohol consumption in the workplace. For a brutally honest account of a spiralling relationship with alcohol, hidden in plain sight in the workplace, meet the loveable and eccentric Michael Sargood – a true sober hero. Michael's account is hilarious, tragic, raw and honest, with a healthy sprinkling of inspiration for a perfect finish. Michael is now an ambassador for Alcohol Change UK as well as running the Sober Socials community. I love the way Michael has built a supportive and caring community where people can find the support and inspiration they need to ditch the booze for the princely sum of £3 per month – less than a glass of wine a month! Michaels is also an experienced PR professional, who now specialises in supporting other business in the alcohol-free community to reach their target audience. I'm really looking forward to working with Michael in the future. You can find out more about his work or join in with the weekly quizzes at https://www.sobersocials.co.uk or connect with Michael on social media on Linked In, Facebook, Instagram or Twitter How alcohol safe is your workplace? Head over to https://choosesunrise.co.uk/hr-services and take the survey to find out, and receive free resources to help you to create an alcohol safe workplace, without killing the buzz. Do you have a story to tell about the workplace drinking culture? I'd love to hear from you, so please visit https://choosesunrise.co.uk/podcasts and complete the Be My Guest form. Let's end the stigma, because nobody should feel afraid to ask for help with alcohol use.

Be My Guest
March 21, 2023 - Be My Guest

Be My Guest

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 21, 2023 29:47


March 21, 2023 - Be My Guest

Be My Guest
March 21, 2023 - Be My Guest

Be My Guest

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 21, 2023 29:47


March 21, 2023 - Be My Guest

Professional Drinkers from Choose Sunrise
Episode 8: Work Hard, Play Hard Culture with Natalie Elvin

Professional Drinkers from Choose Sunrise

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 17, 2023 34:09


Have you ever been caught up in the work hard, play hard culture of your workplace? Do you feel that drinking is part of your workplace identity? Do you work in a culture where you ‘have to' drink in order to do your job? This week's guest, Natalie Elvin, of Elvin Writes, reflects on her experiences of workplace drinking culture, from both her teaching days and her corporate IT office jobs, before becoming self-employed as a copy writer. We explore the role that the boozy night out plays in team bonding and how the expectations are set from the top, with the ‘what goes on tour stays on tour' mentality…with some truly cringe moments recounted along the way! We chat about some interesting points around the pros and cons of encouraging this kind of workplace behaviour. There's no doubt that a lot of fun can be had on work nights out for the ‘in crowd', but is it OK to only ever have boozy doo's as the go-to workplace event? Is it OK to only attract a one dimensional workforce? Or should employers be thinking more broadly about inclusion to attract a diverse workforce? Thank you so much Natalie for sharing your reflections on this fascinating topic with me and for your openness on the topic. If you'd like to find out more about Natalie Elvin's copy writing business, head over to https://www.elvinwrites.com or you can find Natalie on Linked In and Instagram. How alcohol safe is your workplace? Head over to https://choosesunrise.co.uk/hr-services and take the survey to find out, and receive free resources to help you to create an alcohol safe workplace, without killing the buzz. Do you have a story to tell about the workplace drinking culture? I'd love to hear from you, so please visit https://choosesunrise.co.uk/podcasts and complete the Be My Guest form. Let's end the stigma, because nobody should feel afraid to ask for help with alcohol use.

The Splendid Table
Check Out: Be My Guest with Ina Garten

The Splendid Table

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 15, 2023 43:12


This week we're sharing an episode from the upcoming third season of Be My Guest with Ina Garten, Ina's official podcast from Food Network. Join the party as Ina invites friends old and new to her East Hampton home for good food and great conversation. In each episode, Ina and a guest will chat about life, love, and career all while making a delicious meal. Guests this season include superstar ballerina Misty Copeland, actor-director-TV presenter-author Stanley Tucci, singer and award-winning stage and screen actress Laura Linney, and singer-songwriter Norah Jones. Check out Be My Guest with Ina Garten wherever you get your podcasts.

Dishing on Julia, the Official Julia Companion Podcast
Introducing: Be My Guest with Ina Garten

Dishing on Julia, the Official Julia Companion Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 5, 2023 42:48


If you enjoyed Dishing On Julia, the Official Julia Companion podcast from HBO Max, you may also like Be My Guest with Ina Garten, a podcast from Food Network. Listen to the first episode of season 3 with Misty Copeland now, and follow Be My Guest with Ina Garten wherever you get your podcasts.  Join the party as Ina Garten invites friends old and new into her East Hampton home for good food and great conversation. With personal stories shared over cocktails and favorite recipes, each podcast episode features direct audio from Be My Guest with Ina Garten, her multi-platform series for Warner Bros. Discovery. Guests include superstar ballerina Misty Copeland, actor-director-tv presenter-author Stanley Tucci, singer and award-winning stage and screen actress Laura Linney, and singer-songwriter Norah Jones.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Professional Drinkers from Choose Sunrise
Episode 7: Supporting Men's Health with Adam Smith

Professional Drinkers from Choose Sunrise

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 3, 2023 64:09


Are you feeling on your A-game? Do you have your health, nutrition and exercise sorted? Or, like most of us, are you struggling to juggle work, family and social commitments? Finding life stressful, and using alcohol to unwind? Then wondering why things never seem to get any better? These are some of the topics that I explore with my guest, Adam Smith, of A-Game Consultancy. Adam co-founded the company to help men like him to reach the best version of themselves by addressing alcohol, nutrition and fitness through a tailored programme. Drawing upon his own experience of ditching the booze and transforming his own life, Adam is now on a mission to help men reach optimum performance, have happier relationships, a successful career and a happy, healthy life. In short, to be on their A-game! We chat about some interesting points around why men might feel that it's difficult for them to stop drinking (hello sober shaming), and how the office culture is set up to facilitate heavy drinking, yet so often, ditching the booze can be the catalyst to everything else finally fitting into place. Thank you Adam for sharing your story so openly with our listeners and for being a sober hero for so many men, helping them to catch sight of what life might be like without the booze (spoiler alert – it's better)! Do you have a story to tell about the workplace drinking culture? I'd love to hear from you, so please visit https://choosesunrise.co.uk/podcasts and complete the Be My Guest form. If you'd like free HR resources to help you create an alcohol safe workplace, without killing the buzz, head to https://choosesunrise.co.uk/hr-services and sign up for free resources. Let's end the stigma, because nobody should feel afraid to ask for help with alcohol use.

Professional Drinkers from Choose Sunrise
Episode 6: : Alcohol and Employment Law with Anna Schiavetta

Professional Drinkers from Choose Sunrise

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 17, 2023 50:46


Can I sack someone for drinking at work? Where do you draw the line between events that happen in the workplace and events outside of work? Is being an alcoholic classed as a disability? What should employers be doing to protect their colleagues from alcohol harm? These are some of the questions that employers regularly bring to employment solicitor, Anna Schiavetta from Blacks Solicitors LLP in Leeds. We get into the nitty gritty of exactly what the law says about alcohol use in the workplace, and more accurately, what it doesn't say. It's so important to have an Alcohol Policy in place that sets out exactly what the rules are in your workplace and the expectations that you have for employees at workplace events. We also discuss the ongoing campaign from Alcohol Change UK which ultimately aims to amend the Equality Act to include ensure people with a history of alcohol dependence are protected from discrimination, which could be a game-changing piece of legislation that would require significant change from current practices by many employers. There's no doubt that navigating issues that come up in the workplace in relation to alcohol use can be a minefield, but with expert support from Blacks Solicitors LLP, you're in safe hands for all your employment law advice. It's been a very busy couple of weeks here at Choose Sunrise and there's a few upcoming events that I'd like to share with you. On Thursday 9th March, I'm collaborating with Stratus Coaching to host a completely free online webinar, "What Are We Going to Do About Dave?". I'll be exploring the latest data on drinking behaviours and the impact of sweeping emerging workplace issues under the carpet. You'll leave the session with some best practice tips that you can put in place to help you create an Alcohol Safe WorkplaceTM, without killing the buzz. I'm also delighted to have been asked to join the CIPD Workplace Wellbeing Conference in London on 1st March 2023 to co-host a session that tackles the taboo topics of suicide and alcohol. I'm teaming up with Abigail Hirshman to deliver an interactive fireside chat where delegates will leave with lots of TNT's (tiny noticeable things) that they can do differently at work to help eliminate the stigma associated with these topics. Do you have a story to tell about the workplace drinking culture? I'd love to hear from you, so please visit https://choosesunrise.co.uk/podcasts and complete the Be My Guest form. If you'd like free HR resources to help you create an alcohol safe workplace, without killing the buzz, head to https://choosesunrise.co.uk/hr-services and sign up for free resources. Let's end the stigma, because nobody should feel afraid to ask for help with alcohol use.

Professional Drinkers from Choose Sunrise
Episode 5: Hosting an Alcohol-Free Event

Professional Drinkers from Choose Sunrise

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 2, 2023 62:59


As we come to the end of Dry January, it will be heavy week for workplace absence as those who have ‘white knuckled' their way through finally crack open the 1st February wine. If you've noticed someone is absent, hungover, or you're worried about their drinking patterns and you're not sure what to do about it, come along to a webinar that I'm hosting in collaboration with Stratus Coaching on Thursday 9th March, "What Are We Going to Do About Dave?". This free 1-hour session explores the latest data on drinking behaviours and the impact of sweeping emerging workplace issues under the carpet. You'll leave the session with some best practice tips that you can put in place to help you create an Alcohol Safe WorkplaceTM, without killing the buzz. You may have read in the news last week that the Canadian government have changed their guidelines on alcohol consumption changing to reflect the latest research i.e. that there is no ‘safe' amount of alcohol. Here in the UK, the guidelines remain at 14 units per week, but for how much longer? And how do these latest findings about alcohol stack up with an employer's duty of care? Is it still OK to offer free alcohol as the go-to reward? Would you offer free cigarettes? Tune in to hear me and my guest, Andy Mee, founder of The Alcohol-Free Drinks Company, discuss these questions and much more. I'm delighted that Andy is hosting Teetoal Tasting Event for my workplace Sober Curious Society in Manchester on 9th February. We'll be meeting up to sample 30 alcohol-free alternatives and…wait for it…bottomless pizza! The take-up for this workplace event has been phenomenal and Andy and I are looking forward to working together to bring more events like this to workplaces near you. If you'd like your boss to fund this – tell them! (And give me a call)! The last few tickets are now on sale to the wider public, so you might just be able to grab one if you're lucky at Eventbrite. If you'd like to find out more about Andy's work or buy some of his wonderful selection of alcohol-free drinks, visit https://alcoholfreedrinks.co.uk Do you have a story to tell about the workplace drinking culture? I'd love to hear from you, so please visit https://choosesunrise.co.uk/podcasts and complete the Be My Guest form. If you'd like free HR resources to help you create an alcohol safe workplace, without killing the buzz, head to https://choosesunrise.co.uk/hr-services and sign up for free resources. Let's end the stigma, because nobody should feel afraid to ask for help with alcohol use.

Professional Drinkers from Choose Sunrise
Episode 4: Inclusivity for Non-Drinkers at Events with Elizabeth Gration

Professional Drinkers from Choose Sunrise

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 17, 2023 48:15


This episode is all about Generation Z, or Gen Zed (or even Gen Zee, depending on how ‘street' you are). At an upper age of around 26, this cohort are well and truly making their way into the UK's workforce. They've grown up in a more protected environment than the likes of myself, Gen X, who spent my teenage years downing pints, keeping up with the boys and generally making a nuisance of myself at any opportunity. This has had a profound impact on their attitude towards alcohol. Clearly, I'm taking in very general terms here, and there is as much diversity amongst this population as there are people in it. One trend that is clear, though, is that risky behaviours such as binge drinking, unprotected sex, drug taking, and dangerous driving are all on the decrease. I'd be fascinated to understand if one is a catalyst for the others. In my experience, removing the alcohol tends to remove the risk of some of these other behaviours occurring, too. I'm sure we can all relate! I learned so much from interviewing a Gen Zed guest this week, Elizabeth Gration, Senior Content Marketing Executive at MacNaught Digital. Elizabeth also writes for Micro Biz Mag, which is where I first came across her excellent article on the importance of inclusivity for non-drinkers at events. I was genuinely surprised, and delighted, to hear about Elizabeth's work to support people who arrive at University with no experience of drinking alcohol. What a brilliant initiative that not only keeps these people safe, but promotes a real sense of belonging for them. Elizabeth gives us some delightful insights into best practice when it comes to promoting inclusivity at events, from Universities right through to conferences and workplace settings. It's truly heart-warming to hear how times are changing and how progressive organisations are putting in the small amount of effort needed to make a huge leap forwards in this space. With Gen Zed pouring out of Universities and into the workforce, employers who understand this cultural shift and are ready to accommodate the sober curious in their workplace will attract the best of this talent. Believe me, productivity levels and absence rates from non-drinkers are very desirable attributes in a new recruit, in stark relief to the hangovers I used to cover up at work in my 20's. The world is changing – are you ready? Do you have a different view? Or would you like to share how your workplace is supporting the sober curious? I'd love to air your views on the Podcast, so head to https://choosesunrise.co.uk/podcasts and complete the Be My Guest form. If you'd like to find out more about Elizabeth's work, you can connect on linked in, or check out some of her great work here. If you'd like free HR resources to help you create an alcohol safe workplace, without killing the buzz, head to https://choosesunrise.co.uk/hr-servicesand sign up for free resources. Let's end the stigma, because nobody should feel afraid to ask for help with alcohol use.

Professional Drinkers from Choose Sunrise
Episode 3: How Employers Can Raise Awareness of the Link Between Alcohol and Breast Cancer with Kathryn Elliott

Professional Drinkers from Choose Sunrise

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 6, 2023 59:28


A very Happy New Year to all my listeners! In this early January 2023 episode, I touch upon my views as to why New Year's Resolutions don't work, and how you can get so much more value from choosing what you want more of in your life, instead. There's also updates from some of the workplace Sober Curious Societies that I run and why it's so important to support Dry January in the workplace. Guest speakers; alcohol free drink tasting; check your EAP; free resources – subscribe! I'm delighted to welcome my first guest of 2023, Kathryn Elliott, who works as an alcohol mindset coach and is a passionate advocate of promoting understanding of the link between alcohol and breast cancer. Kathryn knows firsthand the fear and devastation that this diagnosis brings, and she draws upon her own experiences, both in the corporate world and as a survivor of breast cancer, to call out the need for better information and awareness. There are millions of women (and men) worldwide who drink alcohol and are unaware of the strong link between even moderate drinking and increased risk of breast cancer. Of course, it's not all down to employers to put this message out there; public health campaigns would ideally originate from governments. However, in the absence of meaningful action worldwide on this issue, employee wellbeing programmes are brilliantly positioned to start making changes in this space. Do you have a different view? Or would you like to share how your workplace is supporting the sober curious? I'd love to air your views on the Podcast, so head to https://choosesunrise.co.uk/podcasts and complete the Be My Guest form. More About Kathryn Elliott Six weeks into her alcohol-free life in 2019 Kathryn Elliott was suddenly thrown a curveball when she discovered a large lump in her breast while getting dressed to race out the door to work. She instinctually knew something wasn't right and two days later was diagnosed with locally advanced breast cancer. Within a week she started an intense 6-month program of chemotherapy. Kath is now living cancer free and has a successful alcohol coaching business - The Alcohol Mindset Coach. As a former binge drinker for over 30 years, she coaches from lived experience and believes vulnerability and sharing our stories is one of the most powerful tools in healing and finding a more balanced relationship with alcohol. Kathryn works with men and women who want to look more closely at and change their mindset around alcohol, particularly those who identify as following healthy lifestyle principles but also have a problematic binge drinking history that they are struggling to shake. Her unique binge drinking breakthrough coaching programs have been developed to specifically address and disrupt long term binge drinking behaviour. Kath is based in Melbourne where she lives with her husband of 20 years, Paul and their three sons (Oscar 17, Tom 16 and Hugo 14) and much-loved golden English cocker spaniel, Ralph. Find out more about the work that Kathryn Elliott does at The Alcohol Mindset Coach here: Website: www.thealcoholmindsetcoach.com Linked In: Kathryn Elliott Instagram: @thealcoholmindsetcoach Facebook: The Alcohol Mindset Coach If you'd like free HR resources to help you create an alcohol safe workplace, without killing the buzz, head to https://choosesunrise.co.uk/hr-services and sign up for free resources. Let's end the stigma, because nobody should feel afraid to ask for help with alcohol use.

A History Of Rock Music in Five Hundred Songs
Episode 159: “Itchycoo Park”, by the Small Faces

A History Of Rock Music in Five Hundred Songs

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 7, 2022


Episode 159 of A History of Rock Music in Five Hundred Songs looks at “Itchycoo Park” by the Small Faces, and their transition from Mod to psychedelia. Click the full post to read liner notes, links to more information, and a transcript of the episode. Patreon backers also have a twenty-five-minute bonus episode available, on "The First Cut is the Deepest" by P.P. Arnold. Tilt Araiza has assisted invaluably by doing a first-pass edit, and will hopefully be doing so from now on. Check out Tilt's irregular podcasts at http://www.podnose.com/jaffa-cakes-for-proust and http://sitcomclub.com/ Resources As so many of the episodes recently have had no Mixcloud due to the number of songs by one artist, I've decided to start splitting the mixes of the recordings excerpted in the podcasts into two parts. Here's part one and part two. I've used quite a few books in this episode. The Small Faces & Other Stories by Uli Twelker and Roland Schmit is definitely a fan-work with all that that implies, but has some useful quotes. Two books claim to be the authorised biography of Steve Marriott, and I've referred to both -- All Too Beautiful by Paolo Hewitt and John Hellier, and All Or Nothing by Simon Spence. Spence also wrote an excellent book on Immediate Records, which I referred to. Kenney Jones and Ian McLagan both wrote very readable autobiographies. I've also used Andrew Loog Oldham's autobiography Stoned, co-written by Spence, though be warned that it casually uses slurs. P.P. Arnold's autobiography is a sometimes distressing read covering her whole life, including her time at Immediate. There are many, many, collections of the Small Faces' work, ranging from cheap budget CDs full of outtakes to hundred-pound-plus box sets, also full of outtakes. This three-CD budget collection contains all the essential tracks, and is endorsed by Kenney Jones, the band's one surviving member. And if you're intrigued by the section on Immediate Records, this two-CD set contains a good selection of their releases. ERRATUM-ISH: I say Jimmy Winston was “a couple” of years older than the rest of the band. This does not mean exactly two, but is used in the vague vernacular sense equivalent to “a few”. Different sources I've seen put Winston as either two or four years older than his bandmates, though two seems to be the most commonly cited figure. Transcript For once there is little to warn about in this episode, but it does contain some mild discussions of organised crime, arson, and mental illness, and a quoted joke about capital punishment in questionable taste which may upset some. One name that came up time and again when we looked at the very early years of British rock and roll was Lionel Bart. If you don't remember the name, he was a left-wing Bohemian songwriter who lived in a communal house-share which at various times was also inhabited by people like Shirley Eaton, the woman who is painted gold at the beginning of Goldfinger, Mike Pratt, the star of Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased), and Davey Graham, the most influential and innovative British guitarist of the fifties and early sixties. Bart and Pratt had co-written most of the hits of Britain's first real rock and roll star, Tommy Steele: [Excerpt: Tommy Steele, "Rock with the Caveman"] and then Bart had gone solo as a writer, and written hits like "Living Doll" for Britain's *biggest* rock and roll star, Cliff Richard: [Excerpt: Cliff Richard, "Living Doll"] But Bart's biggest contribution to rock music turned out not to be the songs he wrote for rock and roll stars, and not even his talent-spotting -- it was Bart who got Steele signed by Larry Parnes, and he also pointed Parnes in the direction of another of his biggest stars, Marty Wilde -- but the opportunity he gave to a lot of child stars in a very non-rock context. Bart's musical Oliver!, inspired by the novel Oliver Twist, was the biggest sensation on the West End stage in the early 1960s, breaking records for the longest-running musical, and also transferred to Broadway and later became an extremely successful film. As it happened, while Oliver! was extraordinarily lucrative, Bart didn't see much of the money from it -- he sold the rights to it, and his other musicals, to the comedian Max Bygraves in the mid-sixties for a tiny sum in order to finance a couple of other musicals, which then flopped horribly and bankrupted him. But by that time Oliver! had already been the first big break for three people who went on to major careers in music -- all of them playing the same role. Because many of the major roles in Oliver! were for young boys, the cast had to change frequently -- child labour laws meant that multiple kids had to play the same role in different performances, and people quickly grew out of the roles as teenagerhood hit. We've already heard about the career of one of the people who played the Artful Dodger in the original West End production -- Davy Jones, who transferred in the role to Broadway in 1963, and who we'll be seeing again in a few episodes' time -- and it's very likely that another of the people who played the Artful Dodger in that production, a young lad called Philip Collins, will be coming into the story in a few years' time. But the first of the artists to use the Artful Dodger as a springboard to a music career was the one who appeared in the role on the original cast album of 1960, though there's very little in that recording to suggest the sound of his later records: [Excerpt: Steve Marriott, "Consider Yourself"] Steve Marriott is the second little Stevie we've looked at in recent episodes to have been born prematurely. In his case, he was born a month premature, and jaundiced, and had to spend the first month of his life in hospital, the first few days of which were spent unsure if he was going to survive. Thankfully he did, but he was a bit of a sickly child as a result, and remained stick-thin and short into adulthood -- he never grew to be taller than five foot five. Young Steve loved music, and especially the music of Buddy Holly. He also loved skiffle, and managed to find out where Lonnie Donegan lived. He went round and knocked on Donegan's door, but was very disappointed to discover that his idol was just a normal man, with his hair uncombed and a shirt stained with egg yolk. He started playing the ukulele when he was ten, and graduated to guitar when he was twelve, forming a band which performed under a variety of different names. When on stage with them, he would go by the stage name Buddy Marriott, and would wear a pair of horn-rimmed glasses to look more like Buddy Holly. When he was twelve, his mother took him to an audition for Oliver! The show had been running for three months at the time, and was likely to run longer, and child labour laws meant that they had to have replacements for some of the cast -- every three months, any performing child had to have at least ten days off. At his audition, Steve played his guitar and sang "Who's Sorry Now?", the recent Connie Francis hit: [Excerpt: Connie Francis, "Who's Sorry Now?"] And then, ignoring the rule that performers could only do one song, immediately launched into Buddy Holly's "Oh Boy!" [Excerpt: Buddy Holly, "Oh Boy!"] His musical ability and attitude impressed the show's producers, and he was given a job which suited him perfectly -- rather than being cast in a single role, he would be swapped around, playing different small parts, in the chorus, and occasionally taking the larger role of the Artful Dodger. Steve Marriott was never able to do the same thing over and over, and got bored very quickly, but because he was moving between roles, he was able to keep interested in his performances for almost a year, and he was good enough that it was him chosen to sing the Dodger's role on the cast album when that was recorded: [Excerpt: Steve Marriott and Joyce Blair, "I'd Do Anything"] And he enjoyed performance enough that his parents pushed him to become an actor -- though there were other reasons for that, too. He was never the best-behaved child in the world, nor the most attentive student, and things came to a head when, shortly after leaving the Oliver! cast, he got so bored of his art classes he devised a plan to get out of them forever. Every art class, for several weeks, he'd sit in a different desk at the back of the classroom and stuff torn-up bits of paper under the floorboards. After a couple of months of this he then dropped a lit match in, which set fire to the paper and ended up burning down half the school. His schoolfriend Ken Hawes talked about it many decades later, saying "I suppose in a way I was impressed about how he had meticulously planned the whole thing months in advance, the sheer dogged determination to see it through. He could quite easily have been caught and would have had to face the consequences. There was no danger in anybody getting hurt because we were at the back of the room. We had to be at the back otherwise somebody would have noticed what he was doing. There was no malice against other pupils, he just wanted to burn the damn school down." Nobody could prove it was him who had done it, though his parents at least had a pretty good idea who it was, but it was clear that even when the school was rebuilt it wasn't a good idea to send him back there, so they sent him to the Italia Conti Drama School; the same school that Anthony Newley and Petula Clark, among many others, had attended. Marriott's parents couldn't afford the school's fees, but Marriott was so talented that the school waived the fees -- they said they'd get him work, and take a cut of his wages in lieu of the fees. And over the next few years they did get him a lot of work. Much of that work was for TV shows, which like almost all TV of the time no longer exist -- he was in an episode of the Sid James sitcom Citizen James, an episode of Mr. Pastry's Progress, an episode of the police drama Dixon of Dock Green, and an episode of a series based on the Just William books, none of which survive. He also did a voiceover for a carpet cleaner ad, appeared on the radio soap opera Mrs Dale's Diary playing a pop star, and had a regular spot reading listeners' letters out for the agony aunt Marje Proops on her radio show. Almost all of this early acting work wa s utterly ephemeral, but there are a handful of his performances that do survive, mostly in films. He has a small role in the comedy film Heavens Above!, a mistaken-identity comedy in which a radical left-wing priest played by Peter Sellers is given a parish intended for a more conservative priest of the same name, and upsets the well-off people of the parish by taking in a large family of travellers and appointing a Black man as his churchwarden. The film has some dated attitudes, in the way that things that were trying to be progressive and antiracist sixty years ago invariably do, but has a sparkling cast, with Sellers, Eric Sykes, William Hartnell, Brock Peters, Roy Kinnear, Irene Handl, and many more extremely recognisable faces from the period: [Excerpt: Heavens Above!] Marriott apparently enjoyed working on the film immensely, as he was a fan of the Goon Show, which Sellers had starred in and which Sykes had co-written several episodes of. There are reports of Marriott and Sellers jamming together on banjos during breaks in filming, though these are probably *slightly* inaccurate -- Sellers played the banjolele, a banjo-style instrument which is played like a ukulele. As Marriott had started on ukulele before switching to guitar, it was probably these they were playing, rather than banjoes. He also appeared in a more substantial role in a film called Live It Up!, a pop exploitation film starring David Hemmings in which he appears as a member of a pop group. Oddly, Marriott plays a drummer, even though he wasn't a drummer, while two people who *would* find fame as drummers, Mitch Mitchell and Dave Clark, appear in smaller, non-drumming, roles. He doesn't perform on the soundtrack, which is produced by Joe Meek and features Sounds Incorporated, The Outlaws, and Gene Vincent, but he does mime playing behind Heinz Burt, the former bass player of the Tornadoes who was then trying for solo stardom at Meek's instigation: [Excerpt: Heinz Burt, "Don't You Understand"] That film was successful enough that two years later, in 1965 Marriott came back for a sequel, Be My Guest, with The Niteshades, the Nashville Teens, and Jerry Lee Lewis, this time with music produced by Shel Talmy rather than Meek. But that was something of a one-off. After making Live It Up!, Marriott had largely retired from acting, because he was trying to become a pop star. The break finally came when he got an audition at the National Theatre, for a job touring with Laurence Olivier for a year. He came home and told his parents he hadn't got the job, but then a week later they were bemused by a phone call asking why Steve hadn't turned up for rehearsals. He *had* got the job, but he'd decided he couldn't face a year of doing the same thing over and over, and had pretended he hadn't. By this time he'd already released his first record. The work on Oliver! had got him a contract with Decca Records, and he'd recorded a Buddy Holly knock-off, "Give Her My Regards", written for him by Kenny Lynch, the actor, pop star, and all-round entertainer: [Excerpt: Steve Marriott, "Give Her My Regards"] That record wasn't a hit, but Marriott wasn't put off. He formed a band who were at first called the Moonlights, and then the Frantiks, and they got a management deal with Tony Calder, Andrew Oldham's junior partner in his management company. Calder got former Shadow Tony Meehan to produce a demo for the group, a version of Cliff Richard's hit "Move It", which was shopped round the record labels with no success (and which sadly appears no longer to survive). The group also did some recordings with Joe Meek, which also don't circulate, but which may exist in the famous "Teachest Tapes" which are slowly being prepared for archival releases. The group changed their name to the Moments, and added in the guitarist John Weider, who was one of those people who seem to have been in every band ever either just before or just after they became famous -- at various times he was in Johnny Kidd and the Pirates, John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, Family, Eric Burdon and the Animals, and the band that became Crabby Appleton, but never in their most successful lineups. They continued recording unsuccessful demos, of which a small number have turned up: [Excerpt: Steve Marriott and the Moments, "Good Morning Blues"] One of their demo sessions was produced by Andrew Oldham, and while that session didn't lead to a release, it did lead to Oldham booking Marriott as a session harmonica player for one of his "Andrew Oldham Orchestra" sessions, to play on a track titled "365 Rolling Stones (One For Every Day of the Year)": [Excerpt: The Andrew Oldham Orchestra, "365 Rolling Stones (One For Every Day of the Year)"] Oldham also produced a session for what was meant to be Marriott's second solo single on Decca, a cover version of the Rolling Stones' "Tell Me", which was actually scheduled for release but pulled at the last minute. Like many of Marriott's recordings from this period, if it exists, it doesn't seem to circulate publicly. But despite their lack of recording success, the Moments did manage to have a surprising level of success on the live circuit. Because they were signed to Calder and Oldham's management company, they got a contract with the Arthur Howes booking agency, which got them support slots on package tours with Billy J Kramer, Freddie and the Dreamers, the Kinks, and other major acts, and the band members were earning about thirty pounds a week each -- a very, very good living for the time. They even had a fanzine devoted to them, written by a fan named Stuart Tuck. But as they weren't making records, the band's lineup started changing, with members coming and going. They did manage to get one record released -- a soundalike version of the Kinks' "You Really Got Me", recorded for a budget label who rushed it out, hoping to get it picked up in the US and for it to be the hit version there: [Excerpt: The Moments, "You Really Got Me"] But the month after that was released, Marriott was sacked from the band, apparently in part because the band were starting to get billed as Steve Marriott and the Moments rather than just The Moments, and the rest of them didn't want to be anyone's backing band. He got a job at a music shop while looking around for other bands to perform with. At one point around this time he was going to form a duo with a friend of his, Davy Jones -- not the one who had also appeared in Oliver!, but another singer of the same name. This one sang with a blues band called the Mannish Boys, and both men were well known on the Mod scene in London. Marriott's idea was that they call themselves David and Goliath, with Jones being David, and Marriott being Goliath because he was only five foot five. That could have been a great band, but it never got past the idea stage. Marriott had become friendly with another part-time musician and shop worker called Ronnie Lane, who was in a band called the Outcasts who played the same circuit as the Moments: [Excerpt: The Outcasts, "Before You Accuse Me"] Lane worked in a sound equipment shop and Marriott in a musical instrument shop, and both were customers of the other as well as friends -- at least until Marriott came into the shop where Lane worked and tried to persuade him to let Marriott have a free PA system. Lane pretended to go along with it as a joke, and got sacked. Lane had then gone to the shop where Marriott worked in the hope that Marriott would give him a good deal on a guitar because he'd been sacked because of Marriott. Instead, Marriott persuaded him that he should switch to bass, on the grounds that everyone was playing guitar since the Beatles had come along, but a bass player would always be able to find work. Lane bought the bass. Shortly after that, Marriott came to an Outcasts gig in a pub, and was asked to sit in. He enjoyed playing with Lane and the group's drummer Kenney Jones, but got so drunk he smashed up the pub's piano while playing a Jerry Lee Lewis song. The resulting fallout led to the group being barred from the pub and splitting up, so Marriott, Lane, and Jones decided to form their own group. They got in another guitarist Marriott knew, a man named Jimmy Winston who was a couple of years older than them, and who had two advantages -- he was a known Face on the mod scene, with a higher status than any of the other three, and his brother owned a van and would drive the group and their equipment for ten percent of their earnings. There was a slight problem in that Winston was also as good on guitar as Marriott and looked like he might want to be the star, but Marriott neutralised that threat -- he moved Winston over to keyboards. The fact that Winston couldn't play keyboards didn't matter -- he could be taught a couple of riffs and licks, and he was sure to pick up the rest. And this way the group had the same lineup as one of Marriott's current favourites, Booker T and the MGs. While he was still a Buddy Holly fan, he was now, like the rest of the Mods, an R&B obsessive. Marriott wasn't entirely sure that this new group would be the one that would make him a star though, and was still looking for other alternatives in case it didn't play out. He auditioned for another band, the Lower Third, which counted Stuart Tuck, the writer of the Moments fanzine, among its members. But he was unsuccessful in the audition -- instead his friend Davy Jones, the one who he'd been thinking of forming a duo with, got the job: [Excerpt: Davy Jones and the Lower Third, "You've Got a Habit of Leaving"] A few months after that, Davy Jones and the Lower Third changed their name to David Bowie and the Lower Third, and we'll be picking up that story in a little over a year from now... Marriott, Lane, Jones, and Winston kept rehearsing and pulled together a five-song set, which was just about long enough to play a few shows, if they extended the songs with long jamming instrumental sections. The opening song for these early sets was one which, when they recorded it, would be credited to Marriott and Lane -- the two had struck up a writing partnership and agreed to a Lennon/McCartney style credit split, though in these early days Marriott was doing far more of the writing than Lane was. But "You Need Loving" was... heavily inspired... by "You Need Love", a song Willie Dixon had written for Muddy Waters: [Excerpt: Muddy Waters, "You Need Love"] It's not precisely the same song, but you can definitely hear the influence in the Marriott/Lane song: [Excerpt: The Small Faces, "You Need Loving"] They did make some changes though, notably to the end of the song: [Excerpt: The Small Faces, "You Need Loving"] You will be unsurprised to learn that Robert Plant was a fan of Steve Marriott. The new group were initially without a name, until after one of their first gigs, Winston's girlfriend, who hadn't met the other three before, said "You've all got such small faces!" The name stuck, because it had a double meaning -- as we've seen in the episode on "My Generation", "Face" was Mod slang for someone who was cool and respected on the Mod scene, but also, with the exception of Winston, who was average size, the other three members of the group were very short -- the tallest of the three was Ronnie Lane, who was five foot six. One thing I should note about the group's name, by the way -- on all the labels of their records in the UK while they were together, they were credited as "Small Faces", with no "The" in front, but all the band members referred to the group in interviews as "The Small Faces", and they've been credited that way on some reissues and foreign-market records. The group's official website is thesmallfaces.com but all the posts on the website refer to them as "Small Faces" with no "the". The use  of the word "the" or not at the start of a group's name at this time was something of a shibboleth -- for example both The Buffalo Springfield and The Pink Floyd dropped theirs after their early records -- and its status in this case is a strange one. I'll be referring to the group throughout as "The Small Faces" rather than "Small Faces" because the former is easier to say, but both seem accurate. After a few pub gigs in London, they got some bookings in the North of England, where they got a mixed reception -- they went down well at Peter Stringfellow's Mojo Club in Sheffield, where Joe Cocker was a regular performer, less well at a working-man's club, and reports differ about their performance at the Twisted Wheel in Manchester, though one thing everyone is agreed on is that while they were performing, some Mancunians borrowed their van and used it to rob a clothing warehouse, and gave the band members some very nice leather coats as a reward for their loan of the van. It was only on the group's return to London that they really started to gel as a unit. In particular, Kenney Jones had up to that point been a very stiff, precise, drummer, but he suddenly loosened up and, in Steve Marriott's tasteless phrase, "Every number swung like Hanratty" (James Hanratty was one of the last people in Britain to be executed by hanging). Shortly after that, Don Arden's secretary -- whose name I haven't been able to find in any of the sources I've used for this episode, sadly, came into the club where they were rehearsing, the Starlight Rooms, to pass a message from Arden to an associate of his who owned the club. The secretary had seen Marriott perform before -- he would occasionally get up on stage at the Starlight Rooms to duet with Elkie Brooks, who was a regular performer there, and she'd seen him do that -- but was newly impressed by his group, and passed word on to her boss that this was a group he should investigate. Arden is someone who we'll be looking at a lot in future episodes, but the important thing to note right now is that he was a failed entertainer who had moved into management and promotion, first with American acts like Gene Vincent, and then with British acts like the Nashville Teens, who had had hits with tracks like "Tobacco Road": [Excerpt: The Nashville Teens, "Tobacco Road"] Arden was also something of a gangster -- as many people in the music industry were at the time, but he was worse than most of his contemporaries, and delighted in his nickname "the Al Capone of pop". The group had a few managers looking to sign them, but Arden convinced them with his offer. They would get a percentage of their earnings -- though they never actually received that percentage -- twenty pounds a week in wages, and, the most tempting part of it all, they would get expense accounts at all the Carnaby St boutiques and could go there whenever they wanted and get whatever they wanted. They signed with Arden, which all of them except Marriott would later regret, because Arden's financial exploitation meant that it would be decades before they saw any money from their hits, and indeed both Marriott and Lane would be dead before they started getting royalties from their old records. Marriott, on the other hand, had enough experience of the industry to credit Arden with the group getting anywhere at all, and said later "Look, you go into it with your eyes open and as far as I was concerned it was better than living on brown sauce rolls. At least we had twenty quid a week guaranteed." Arden got the group signed to Decca, with Dick Rowe signing them to the same kind of production deal that Andrew Oldham had pioneered with the Stones, so that Arden would own the rights to their recordings. At this point the group still only knew a handful of songs, but Rowe was signing almost everyone with a guitar at this point, putting out a record or two and letting them sink or swim. He had already been firmly labelled as "the man who turned down the Beatles", and was now of the opinion that it was better to give everyone a chance than to make that kind of expensive mistake again. By this point Marriott and Lane were starting to write songs together -- though at this point it was still mostly Marriott writing, and people would ask him why he was giving Lane half the credit, and he'd reply "Without Ronnie's help keeping me awake and being there I wouldn't do half of it. He keeps me going." -- but for their first single Arden was unsure that they were up to the task of writing a hit. The group had been performing a version of Solomon Burke's "Everybody Needs Somebody to Love", a song which Burke always claimed to have written alone, but which is credited to him, Jerry Wexler, and Bert Berns (and has Bern's fingerprints, at least, on it to my ears): [Excerpt: Solomon Burke, "Everybody Needs Somebody to Love"] Arden got some professional writers to write new lyrics and vocal melody to their arrangement of the song -- the people he hired were Brian Potter, who would later go on to co-write "Rhinestone Cowboy", and Ian Samwell, the former member of Cliff Richard's Drifters who had written many of Richard's early hits, including "Move It", and was now working for Arden. The group went into the studio and recorded the song, titled "Whatcha Gonna Do About It?": [Excerpt: The Small Faces, "Whatcha Gonna Do About It?"] That version, though was deemed too raucous, and they had to go back into the studio to cut a new version, which came out as their first single: [Excerpt: The Small Faces, "Whatcha Gonna Do About It?"] At first the single didn't do much on the charts, but then Arden got to work with teams of people buying copies from chart return shops, bribing DJs on pirate radio stations to play it, and bribing the person who compiled the charts for the NME. Eventually it made number fourteen, at which point it became a genuinely popular hit. But with that popularity came problems. In particular, Steve Marriott was starting to get seriously annoyed by Jimmy Winston. As the group started to get TV appearances, Winston started to act like he should be the centre of attention. Every time Marriott took a solo in front of TV cameras, Winston would start making stupid gestures, pulling faces, anything to make sure the cameras focussed on him rather than on Marriott. Which wouldn't have been too bad had Winston been a great musician, but he was still not very good on the keyboards, and unlike the others didn't seem particularly interested in trying. He seemed to want to be a star, rather than a musician. The group's next planned single was a Marriott and Lane song, "I've Got Mine". To promote it, the group mimed to it in a film, Dateline Diamonds, a combination pop film and crime caper not a million miles away from the ones that Marriott had appeared in a few years earlier. They also contributed three other songs to the film's soundtrack. Unfortunately, the film's release was delayed, and the film had been the big promotional push that Arden had planned for the single, and without that it didn't chart at all. By the time the single came out, though, Winston was no longer in the group. There are many, many different stories as to why he was kicked out. Depending on who you ask, it was because he was trying to take the spotlight away from Marriott, because he wasn't a good enough keyboard player, because he was taller than the others and looked out of place, or because he asked Don Arden where the money was. It was probably a combination of all of these, but fundamentally what it came to was that Winston just didn't fit into the group. Winston would, in later years, say that him confronting Arden was the only reason for his dismissal, saying that Arden had manipulated the others to get him out of the way, but that seems unlikely on the face of it. When Arden sacked him, he kept Winston on as a client and built another band around him, Jimmy Winston and the Reflections, and got them signed to Decca too, releasing a Kenny Lynch song, "Sorry She's Mine", to no success: [Excerpt: Jimmy Winston and the Reflections, "Sorry She's Mine"] Another version of that song would later be included on the first Small Faces album. Winston would then form another band, Winston's Fumbs, who would also release one single, before he went into acting instead. His most notable credit was as a rebel in the 1972 Doctor Who story Day of the Daleks, and he later retired from showbusiness to run a business renting out sound equipment, and died in 2020. The group hired his replacement without ever having met him or heard him play. Ian McLagan had started out as the rhythm guitarist in a Shadows soundalike band called the Cherokees, but the group had become R&B fans and renamed themselves the Muleskinners, and then after hearing "Green Onions", McLagan had switched to playing Hammond organ. The Muleskinners had played the same R&B circuit as dozens of other bands we've looked at, and had similar experiences, including backing visiting blues stars like Sonny Boy Williamson, Little Walter, and Howlin' Wolf. Their one single had been a cover version of "Back Door Man", a song Willie Dixon had written for Wolf: [Excerpt: The Muleskinners, "Back Door Man"] The Muleskinners had split up as most of the group had day jobs, and McLagan had gone on to join a group called Boz and the Boz People, who were becoming popular on the live circuit, and who also toured backing Kenny Lynch while McLagan was in the band. Boz and the Boz People would release several singles in 1966, like their version of the theme for the film "Carry on Screaming", released just as by "Boz": [Excerpt: Boz, "Carry on Screaming"] By that time, McLagan had left the group -- Boz Burrell later went on to join King Crimson and Bad Company. McLagan left the Boz People in something of a strop, and was complaining to a friend the night he left the group that he didn't have any work lined up. The friend joked that he should join the Small Faces, because he looked like them, and McLagan got annoyed that his friend wasn't taking him seriously -- he'd love to be in the Small Faces, but they *had* a keyboard player. The next day he got a phone call from Don Arden asking him to come to his office. He was being hired to join a hit pop group who needed a new keyboard player. McLagan at first wasn't allowed to tell anyone what band he was joining -- in part because Arden's secretary was dating Winston, and Winston hadn't yet been informed he was fired, and Arden didn't want word leaking out until it had been sorted. But he'd been chosen purely on the basis of an article in a music magazine which had praised his playing with the Boz People, and without the band knowing him or his playing. As soon as they met, though, he immediately fit in in a way Winston never had. He looked the part, right down to his height -- he said later "Ronnie Lane and I were the giants in the band at 5 ft 6 ins, and Kenney Jones and Steve Marriott were the really teeny tiny chaps at 5 ft 5 1/2 ins" -- and he was a great player, and shared a sense of humour with them. McLagan had told Arden he'd been earning twenty pounds a week with the Boz People -- he'd actually been on five -- and so Arden agreed to give him thirty pounds a week during his probationary month, which was more than the twenty the rest of the band were getting. As soon as his probationary period was over, McLagan insisted on getting a pay cut so he'd be on the same wages as the rest of the group. Soon Marriott, Lane, and McLagan were all living in a house rented for them by Arden -- Jones decided to stay living with his parents -- and were in the studio recording their next single. Arden was convinced that the mistake with "I've Got Mine" had been allowing the group to record an original, and again called in a team of professional songwriters. Arden brought in Mort Shuman, who had recently ended his writing partnership with Doc Pomus and struck out on his own, after co-writing songs like "Save the Last Dance for Me", "Sweets For My Sweet", and "Viva Las Vegas" together, and Kenny Lynch, and the two of them wrote "Sha-La-La-La-Lee", and Lynch added backing vocals to the record: [Excerpt: The Small Faces, "Sha-La-La-La-Lee"] None of the group were happy with the record, but it became a big hit, reaching number three in the charts. Suddenly the group had a huge fanbase of screaming teenage girls, which embarrassed them terribly, as they thought of themselves as serious heavy R&B musicians, and the rest of their career would largely be spent vacillating between trying to appeal to their teenybopper fanbase and trying to escape from it to fit their own self-image. They followed "Sha-La-La-La-Lee" with "Hey Girl", a Marriott/Lane song, but one written to order -- they were under strict instructions from Arden that if they wanted to have the A-side of a single, they had to write something as commercial as "Sha-La-La-La-Lee" had been, and they managed to come up with a second top-ten hit. Two hit singles in a row was enough to make an album viable, and the group went into the studio and quickly cut an album, which had their first two hits on it -- "Hey Girl" wasn't included, and nor was the flop "I've Got Mine" -- plus a bunch of semi-originals like "You Need Loving", a couple of Kenny Lynch songs, and a cover version of Sam Cooke's "Shake". The album went to number three on the album charts, with the Beatles and the Rolling Stones in the number one and two spots, and it was at this point that Arden's rivals really started taking interest. But that interest was quelled for the moment when, after Robert Stigwood enquired about managing the band, Arden went round to Stigwood's office with four goons and held him upside down over a balcony, threatening to drop him off if he ever messed with any of Arden's acts again. But the group were still being influenced by other managers. In particular, Brian Epstein came round to the group's shared house, with Graeme Edge of the Moody Blues, and brought them some slices of orange -- which they discovered, after eating them, had been dosed with LSD. By all accounts, Marriott's first trip was a bad one, but the group soon became regular consumers of the drug, and it influenced the heavier direction they took on their next single, "All or Nothing". "All or Nothing" was inspired both by Marriott's breakup with his girlfriend of the time, and his delight at the fact that Jenny Rylance, a woman he was attracted to, had split up with her then-boyfriend Rod Stewart. Rylance and Stewart later reconciled, but would break up again and Rylance would become Marriott's first wife in 1968: [Excerpt: The Small Faces, "All or Nothing"] "All or Nothing" became the group's first and only number one record -- and according to the version of the charts used on Top of the Pops, it was a joint number one with the Beatles' double A-side of "Yellow Submarine" and "Eleanor Rigby", both selling exactly as well as each other. But this success caused the group's parents to start to wonder why their kids -- none of whom were yet twenty-one, the legal age of majority at the time -- were not rich. While the group were on tour, their parents came as a group to visit Arden and ask him where the money was, and why their kids were only getting paid twenty pounds a week when their group was getting a thousand pounds a night. Arden tried to convince the parents that he had been paying the group properly, but that they had spent their money on heroin -- which was very far from the truth, the band were only using soft drugs at the time. This put a huge strain on the group's relationship with Arden, and it wasn't the only thing Arden did that upset them. They had been spending a lot of time in the studio working on new material, and Arden was convinced that they were spending too much time recording, and that they were just faffing around and not producing anything of substance. They dropped off a tape to show him that they had been working -- and the next thing they knew, Arden had put out one of the tracks from that tape, "My Mind's Eye", which had only been intended as a demo, as a single: [Excerpt: The Small Faces, "My Mind's Eye"] That it went to number four on the charts didn't make up for the fact that the first the band heard of the record coming out at all was when they heard it on the radio. They needed rid of Arden. Luckily for them, Arden wasn't keen on continuing to work with them either. They were unreliable and flakey, and he also needed cash quick to fund his other ventures, and he agreed to sell on their management and recording contracts. Depending on which version of the story you believe, he may have sold them on to an agent called Harold Davison, who then sold them on to Andrew Oldham and Tony Calder, but according to Oldham what happened is that in December 1966 Arden demanded the highest advance in British history -- twenty-five thousand pounds -- directly from Oldham. In cash. In a brown paper bag. The reason Oldham and Calder were interested was that in July 1965 they'd started up their own record label, Immediate Records, which had been announced by Oldham in his column in Disc and Music Echo, in which he'd said "On many occasions I have run down the large record companies over issues such as pirate stations, their promotion, and their tastes. And many readers have written in and said that if I was so disturbed by the state of the existing record companies why didn't I do something about it.  I have! On the twentieth of this month the first of three records released by my own company, Immediate Records, is to be launched." That first batch of three records contained one big hit, "Hang on Sloopy" by the McCoys, which Immediate licensed from Bert Berns' new record label BANG in the US: [Excerpt: The McCoys, "Hang on Sloopy"] The two other initial singles featured the talents of Immediate's new in-house producer, a session player who had previously been known as "Little Jimmy" to distinguish him from "Big" Jim Sullivan, the other most in-demand session guitarist, but who was now just known as Jimmy Page. The first was a version of Pete Seeger's "The Bells of Rhymney", which Page produced and played guitar on, for a group called The Fifth Avenue: [Excerpt: The Fifth Avenue, "The Bells of Rhymney"] And the second was a Gordon Lightfoot song performed by a girlfriend of Brian Jones', Nico. The details as to who was involved in the track have varied -- at different times the production has been credited to Jones, Page, and Oldham -- but it seems to be the case that both Jones and Page play on the track, as did session bass player John Paul Jones: [Excerpt: Nico, "I'm Not Sayin'"] While "Hang on Sloopy" was a big hit, the other two singles were flops, and The Fifth Avenue split up, while Nico used the publicity she'd got as an entree into Andy Warhol's Factory, and we'll be hearing more about how that went in a future episode. Oldham and Calder were trying to follow the model of the Brill Building, of Phil Spector, and of big US independents like Motown and Stax. They wanted to be a one-stop shop where they'd produce the records, manage the artists, and own the publishing -- and they also licensed the publishing for the Beach Boys' songs for a couple of years, and started publicising their records over here in a big way, to exploit the publishing royalties, and that was a major factor in turning the Beach Boys from minor novelties to major stars in the UK. Most of Immediate's records were produced by Jimmy Page, but other people got to have a go as well. Giorgio Gomelsky and Shel Talmy both produced tracks for the label, as did a teenage singer then known as Paul Raven, who would later become notorious under his later stage-name Gary Glitter. But while many of these records were excellent -- and Immediate deserves to be talked about in the same terms as Motown or Stax when it comes to the quality of the singles it released, though not in terms of commercial success -- the only ones to do well on the charts in the first few months of the label's existence were "Hang on Sloopy" and an EP by Chris Farlowe. It was Farlowe who provided Immediate Records with its first home-grown number one, a version of the Rolling Stones' "Out of Time" produced by Mick Jagger, though according to Arthur Greenslade, the arranger on that and many other Immediate tracks, Jagger had given up on getting a decent performance out of Farlowe and Oldham ended up producing the vocals. Greenslade later said "Andrew must have worked hard in there, Chris Farlowe couldn't sing his way out of a paper bag. I'm sure Andrew must have done it, where you get an artist singing and you can do a sentence at a time, stitching it all together. He must have done it in pieces." But however hard it was to make, "Out of Time" was a success: [Excerpt: Chris Farlowe, "Out of Time"] Or at least, it was a success in the UK. It did also make the top forty in the US for a week, but then it hit a snag -- it had charted without having been released in the US at all, or even being sent as a promo to DJs. Oldham's new business manager Allen Klein had been asked to work his magic on the US charts, but the people he'd bribed to hype the record into the charts had got the release date wrong and done it too early. When the record *did* come out over there, no radio station would play it in case it looked like they were complicit in the scam. But still, a UK number one wasn't too shabby, and so Immediate Records was back on track, and Oldham wanted to shore things up by bringing in some more proven hit-makers. Immediate signed the Small Faces, and even started paying them royalties -- though that wouldn't last long, as Immediate went bankrupt in 1970 and its successors in interest stopped paying out. The first work the group did for the label was actually for a Chris Farlowe single. Lane and Marriott gave him their song "My Way of Giving", and played on the session along with Farlowe's backing band the Thunderbirds. Mick Jagger is the credited producer, but by all accounts Marriott and Lane did most of the work: [Excerpt: Chris Farlowe, "My Way of Giving"] Sadly, that didn't make the top forty. After working on that, they started on their first single recorded at Immediate. But because of contractual entanglements, "I Can't Make It" was recorded at Immediate but released by Decca. Because the band weren't particularly keen on promoting something on their old label, and the record was briefly banned by the BBC for being too sexual, it only made number twenty-six on the charts. Around this time, Marriott had become friendly with another band, who had named themselves The Little People in homage to the Small Faces, and particularly with their drummer Jerry Shirley. Marriott got them signed to Immediate, and produced and played on their first single, a version of his song "(Tell Me) Have You Ever Seen Me?": [Excerpt: The Apostolic Intervention, "(Tell Me) Have You Ever Seen Me?"] When they signed to Immediate, The Little People had to change their name, and Marriott suggested they call themselves The Nice, a phrase he liked. Oldham thought that was a stupid name, and gave the group the much more sensible name The Apostolic Intervention. And then a few weeks later he signed another group and changed *their* name to The Nice. "The Nice" was also a phrase used in the Small Faces' first single for Immediate proper. "Here Come the Nice" was inspired by a routine by the hipster comedian Lord Buckley, "The Nazz", which also gave a name to Todd Rundgren's band and inspired a line in David Bowie's "Ziggy Stardust": [Excerpt: Lord Buckley, "The Nazz"] "Here Come the Nice" was very blatantly about a drug dealer, and somehow managed to reach number twelve despite that: [Excerpt: The Small Faces, "Here Come the Nice"] It also had another obstacle that stopped it doing as well as it might. A week before it came out, Decca released a single, "Patterns", from material they had in the vault. And in June 1967, two Small Faces albums came out. One of them was a collection from Decca of outtakes and demos, plus their non-album hit singles, titled From The Beginning, while the other was their first album on Immediate, which was titled Small Faces -- just like their first Decca album had been. To make matters worse, From The Beginning contained the group's demos of "My Way of Giving" and "(Tell Me) Have You Ever Seen Me?", while the group's first Immediate album contained a new recording of  "(Tell Me) Have You Ever Seen Me?", and a version of "My Way of Giving" with the same backing track but a different vocal take from the one on the Decca collection. From this point on, the group's catalogue would be a complete mess, with an endless stream of compilations coming out, both from Decca and, after the group split, from Immediate, mixing tracks intended for release with demos and jam sessions with no regard for either their artistic intent or for what fans might want. Both albums charted, with Small Faces reaching number twelve and From The Beginning reaching number sixteen, neither doing as well as their first album had, despite the Immediate album, especially, being a much better record. This was partly because the Marriott/Lane partnership was becoming far more equal. Kenney Jones later said "During the Decca period most of the self-penned stuff was 99% Steve. It wasn't until Immediate that Ronnie became more involved. The first Immediate album is made up of 50% Steve's songs and 50% of Ronnie's. They didn't collaborate as much as people thought. In fact, when they did, they often ended up arguing and fighting." It's hard to know who did what on each song credited to the pair, but if we assume that each song's principal writer also sang lead -- we know that's not always the case, but it's a reasonable working assumption -- then Jones' fifty-fifty estimate seems about right. Of the fourteen songs on the album, McLagan sings one, which is also his own composition, "Up the Wooden Hills to Bedfordshire". There's one instrumental, six with Marriott on solo lead vocals, four with Lane on solo lead vocals, and two duets, one with Lane as the main vocalist and one with Marriott. The fact that there was now a second songwriter taking an equal role in the band meant that they could now do an entire album of originals. It also meant that their next Marriott/Lane single was mostly a Lane song. "Itchycoo Park" started with a verse lyric from Lane -- "Over bridge of sighs/To rest my eyes in shades of green/Under dreaming spires/To Itchycoo Park, that's where I've been". The inspiration apparently came from Lane reading about the dreaming spires of Oxford, and contrasting it with the places he used to play as a child, full of stinging nettles. For a verse melody, they repeated a trick they'd used before -- the melody of "My Mind's Eye" had been borrowed in part from the Christmas carol "Gloria in Excelsis Deo", and here they took inspiration from the old hymn "God Be in My Head": [Excerpt: The Choir of King's College Cambridge, "God Be in My Head"] As Marriott told the story: "We were in Ireland and speeding our brains out writing this song. Ronnie had the first verse already written down but he had no melody line, so what we did was stick the verse to the melody line of 'God Be In My Head' with a few chord variations. We were going towards Dublin airport and I thought of the middle eight... We wrote the second verse collectively, and the chorus speaks for itself." [Excerpt: The Small Faces, "Itchycoo Park"] Marriott took the lead vocal, even though it was mostly Lane's song, but Marriott did contribute to the writing, coming up with the middle eight. Lane didn't seem hugely impressed with Marriott's contribution, and later said "It wasn't me that came up with 'I feel inclined to blow my mind, get hung up, feed the ducks with a bun/They all come out to groove about, be nice and have fun in the sun'. That wasn't me, but the more poetic stuff was." But that part became the most memorable part of the record, not so much because of the writing or performance but because of the production. It was one of the first singles released using a phasing effect, developed by George Chkiantz (and I apologise if I'm pronouncing that name wrong), who was the assistant engineer for Glyn Johns on the album. I say it was one of the first, because at the time there was not a clear distinction between the techniques now known as phasing, flanging, and artificial double tracking, all of which have now diverged, but all of which initially came from the idea of shifting two copies of a recording slightly out of synch with each other. The phasing on "Itchycoo Park" , though, was far more extreme and used to far different effect than that on, say, Revolver: [Excerpt: The Small Faces, "Itchycoo Park"] It was effective enough that Jimi Hendrix, who was at the time working on Axis: Bold as Love, requested that Chkiantz come in and show his engineer how to get the same effect, which was then used on huge chunks of Hendrix's album. The BBC banned the record, because even the organisation which had missed that the Nice who "is always there when I need some speed" was a drug dealer was a little suspicious about whether "we'll get high" and "we'll touch the sky" might be drug references. The band claimed to be horrified at the thought, and explained that they were talking about swings. It's a song about a park, so if you play on the swings, you go high. What else could it mean? [Excerpt: The Small Faces, “Itchycoo Park”] No drug references there, I'm sure you'll agree. The song made number three, but the group ran into more difficulties with the BBC after an appearance on Top of the Pops. Marriott disliked the show's producer, and the way that he would go up to every act and pretend to think they had done a very good job, no matter what he actually thought, which Marriott thought of as hypocrisy rather than as politeness and professionalism. Marriott discovered that the producer was leaving the show, and so in the bar afterwards told him exactly what he thought of him, calling him a "two-faced", and then a four-letter word beginning with c which is generally considered the most offensive swear word there is. Unfortunately for Marriott, he'd been misinformed, the producer wasn't leaving the show, and the group were barred from it for a while. "Itchycoo Park" also made the top twenty in the US, thanks to a new distribution deal Immediate had, and plans were made for the group to tour America, but those plans had to be scrapped when Ian McLagan was arrested for possession of hashish, and instead the group toured France, with support from a group called the Herd: [Excerpt: The Herd, "From the Underworld"] Marriott became very friendly with the Herd's guitarist, Peter Frampton, and sympathised with Frampton's predicament when in the next year he was voted "face of '68" and developed a similar teenage following to the one the Small Faces had. The group's last single of 1967 was one of their best. "Tin Soldier" was inspired by the Hans Andersen story “The Steadfast Tin Soldier”, and was originally written for the singer P.P. Arnold, who Marriott was briefly dating around this time. But Arnold was *so* impressed with the song that Marriott decided to keep it for his own group, and Arnold was left just doing backing vocals on the track: [Excerpt: The Small Faces, "Tin Soldier"] It's hard to show the appeal of "Tin Soldier" in a short clip like those I use on this show, because so much of it is based on the use of dynamics, and the way the track rises and falls, but it's an extremely powerful track, and made the top ten. But it was after that that the band started falling apart, and also after that that they made the work generally considered their greatest album. As "Itchycoo Park" had made number one in Australia, the group were sent over there on tour to promote it, as support act for the Who. But the group hadn't been playing live much recently, and found it difficult to replicate their records on stage, as they were now so reliant on studio effects like phasing. The Australian audiences were uniformly hostile, and the contrast with the Who, who were at their peak as a live act at this point, couldn't have been greater. Marriott decided he had a solution. The band needed to get better live, so why not get Peter Frampton in as a fifth member? He was great on guitar and had stage presence, obviously that would fix their problems. But the other band members absolutely refused to get Frampton in. Marriott's confidence as a stage performer took a knock from which it never really recovered, and increasingly the band became a studio-only one. But the tour also put strain on the most important partnership in the band. Marriott and Lane had been the closest of friends and collaborators, but on the tour, both found a very different member of the Who to pal around with. Marriott became close to Keith Moon, and the two would get drunk and trash hotel rooms together. Lane, meanwhile, became very friendly with Pete Townshend, who introduced him to the work of the guru Meher Baba, who Townshend followed. Lane, too, became a follower, and the two would talk about religion and spirituality while their bandmates were destroying things. An attempt was made to heal the growing rifts though. Marriott, Lane, and McLagan all moved in together again like old times, but this time in a cottage -- something that became so common for bands around this time that the phrase "getting our heads together in the country" became a cliche in the music press. They started working on material for their new album. One of the tracks that they were working on was written by Marriott, and was inspired by how, before moving in to the country cottage, his neighbours had constantly complained about the volume of his music -- he'd been particularly annoyed that the pop singer Cilla Black, who lived in the same building and who he'd assumed would understand the pop star lifestyle, had complained more than anyone. It had started as as fairly serious blues song, but then Marriott had been confronted by the members of the group The Hollies, who wanted to know why Marriott always sang in a pseudo-American accent. Wasn't his own accent good enough? Was there something wrong with being from the East End of London? Well, no, Marriott decided, there wasn't, and so he decided to sing it in a Cockney accent. And so the song started to change, going from being an R&B song to being the kind of thing Cockneys could sing round a piano in a pub: [Excerpt: The Small Faces, "Lazy Sunday"] Marriott intended the song just as an album track for the album they were working on, but Andrew Oldham insisted on releasing it as a single, much to the band's disgust, and it went to number two on the charts, and along with "Itchycoo Park" meant that the group were now typecast as making playful, light-hearted music. The album they were working on, Ogden's Nut-Gone Flake, was eventually as known for its marketing as its music. In the Small Faces' long tradition of twisted religious references, like their songs based on hymns and their song "Here Come the Nice", which had taken inspiration from a routine about Jesus and made it about a drug dealer, the print ads for the album read: Small Faces Which were in the studios Hallowed be thy name Thy music come Thy songs be sung On this album as they came from your heads We give you this day our daily bread Give us thy album in a round cover as we give thee 37/9d Lead us into the record stores And deliver us Ogdens' Nut Gone Flake For nice is the music The sleeve and the story For ever and ever, Immediate The reason the ad mentioned a round cover is that the original pressings of the album were released in a circular cover, made to look like a tobacco tin, with the name of the brand of tobacco changed from Ogden's Nut-Brown Flake to Ogden's Nut-Gone Flake, a reference to how after smoking enough dope your nut, or head, would be gone. This made more sense to British listeners than to Americans, because not only was the slang on the label British, and not only was it a reference to a British tobacco brand, but American and British dope-smoking habits are very different. In America a joint is generally made by taking the dried leaves and flowers of the cannabis plant -- or "weed" -- and rolling them in a cigarette paper and smoking them. In the UK and much of Europe, though, the preferred form of cannabis is the resin, hashish, which is crumbled onto tobacco in a cigarette paper and smoked that way, so having rolling or pipe tobacco was a necessity for dope smokers in the UK in a way it wasn't in the US. Side one of Ogden's was made up of normal songs, but the second side mixed songs and narrative. Originally the group wanted to get Spike Milligan to do the narration, but when Milligan backed out they chose Professor Stanley Unwin, a comedian who was known for speaking in his own almost-English language, Unwinese: [Excerpt: Stanley Unwin, "The Populode of the Musicolly"] They gave Unwin a script, telling the story that linked side two of the album, in which Happiness Stan is shocked to discover that half the moon has disappeared and goes on a quest to find the missing half, aided by a giant fly who lets him sit on his back after Stan shares his shepherd's pie with the hungry fly. After a long quest they end up at the cave of Mad John the Hermit, who points out to them that nobody had stolen half the moon at all -- they'd been travelling so long that it was a full moon again, and everything was OK. Unwin took that script, and reworked it into Unwinese, and also added in a lot of the slang he heard the group use, like "cool it" and "what's been your hang-up?": [Excerpt: The Small Faces and Professor Stanley Unwin, "Mad John"] The album went to number one, and the group were justifiably proud, but it only exacerbated the problems with their live show. Other than an appearance on the TV show Colour Me Pop, where they were joined by Stanley Unwin to perform the whole of side two of the album with live vocals but miming to instrumental backing tracks, they only performed two songs from the album live, "Rollin' Over" and "Song of a Baker", otherwise sticking to the same live show Marriott was already embarrassed by. Marriott later said "We had spent an entire year in the studios, which was why our stage presentation had not been improved since the previous year. Meanwhile our recording experience had developed in leaps and bounds. We were all keenly interested in the technical possibilities, in the art of recording. We let down a lot of people who wanted to hear Ogden's played live. We were still sort of rough and ready, and in the end the audience became uninterested as far as our stage show was concerned. It was our own fault, because we would have sussed it all out if we had only used our brains. We could have taken Stanley Unwin on tour with us, maybe a string section as well, and it would have been okay. But we didn't do it, we stuck to the concept that had been successful for a long time, which is always the kiss of death." The group's next single would be the last released while they were together. Marriott regarded "The Universal" as possibly the best thing he'd written, and recorded it quickly when inspiration struck. The finished single is actually a home recording of Marriott in his garden, including the sounds of a dog barking and his wife coming home with the shopping, onto which the band later overdubbed percussion, horns, and electric guitars: [Excerpt: The Small Faces, "The Universal"] Incidentally, it seems that the dog barking on that track may also be the dog barking on “Seamus” by Pink Floyd. "The Universal" confused listeners, and only made number sixteen on the charts, crushing Marriott, who thought it was the best thing he'd done. But the band were starting to splinter. McLagan isn't on "The Universal", having quit the band before it was recorded after a falling-out with Marriott. He rejoined, but discovered that in the meantime Marriott had brought in session player Nicky Hopkins to work on some tracks, which devastated him. Marriott became increasingly unconfident in his own writing, and the writing dried up. The group did start work on some new material, some of which, like "The Autumn Stone", is genuinely lovely: [Excerpt: The Small Faces, "The Autumn Stone"] But by the time that was released, the group had already split up. The last recording they did together was as a backing group for Johnny Hallyday, the French rock star. A year earlier Hallyday had recorded a version of "My Way of Giving", under the title "Je N'Ai Jamais Rien Demandé": [Excerpt: Johnny Hallyday, "Je N'Ai Jamais Rien Demandé"] Now he got in touch with Glyn Johns to see if the Small Faces had any other material for him, and if they'd maybe back him on a few tracks on a new album. Johns and the Small Faces flew to France... as did Peter Frampton, who Marriott was still pushing to get into the band. They recorded three tracks for the album, with Frampton on extra guitar: [Excerpt: Johnny Hallyday, "Reclamation"] These tracks left Marriott more certain than ever that Frampton should be in the band, and the other three members even more certain that he shouldn't. Frampton joined the band on stage at a few shows on their next few gigs, but he was putting together his own band with Jerry Shirley from Apostolic Intervention. On New Year's Eve 1968, Marriott finally had enough. He stormed off stage mid-set, and quit the group. He phoned up Peter Frampton, who was hanging out with Glyn Johns listening to an album Johns had just produced by some of the session players who'd worked for Immediate. Side one had just finished when Marriott phoned. Could he join Frampton's new band? Frampton said of course he could, then put the phone down and listened to side two of Led Zeppelin's first record. The band Marriott and Frampton formed was called Humble Pie, and they were soon releasing stuff on Immediate. According to Oldham, "Tony Calder said to me one day 'Pick a straw'. Then he explained we had a choice. We could either go with the three Faces -- Kenney, Ronnie, and Mac -- wherever they were going to go with their lives, or we could follow Stevie. I didn't regard it as a choice. Neither did Tony. Marriott was our man". Marriott certainly seemed to agree that he was the real talent in the group. He and Lane had fairly recently bought some property together -- two houses on the same piece of land -- and with the group splitting up, Lane moved away and wanted to sell his share in the property to Marriott. Marriott wrote to him saying "You'll get nothing. This was bought with money from hits that I wrote, not that we wrote," and enclosing a PRS statement showing how much each Marriott/Lane

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Be My Guest
November 25, 2022 - Be My Guest

Be My Guest

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 25, 2022 28:53


November 25, 2022 - Be My Guest

Be My Guest
November 25, 2022 - Be My Guest

Be My Guest

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 25, 2022 28:53


November 25, 2022 - Be My Guest

Be My Guest
November 22, 2022 - Be My Guest

Be My Guest

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 22, 2022 29:19


November 22, 2022 - Be My Guest

Be My Guest
November 22, 2022 - Be My Guest

Be My Guest

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 22, 2022 29:19


November 22, 2022 - Be My Guest

The Take Home Podcast
The Take Home presents The Sports Arc

The Take Home Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 18, 2022 27:38


This fall I'm releasing bonus episodes of The Take Home. No new lectures on leadership, instead I'm sharing the amazing podcasts created by the students in my Leadership for Sport Professionals class.  Today's bonus episode features "The Sports Arc" produced and created by Cody Campbell, Karina Trevino, and Clay Raphael. In the podcast, they interview Coach Dan Campbell who had a long career as an NFL player and has served terms on the Miami Dolphins and New Orleans Saints coaching staffs. Dan is the current head coach for the NFL's Detroit Lions Coach Campbell details that leaders need to: have a strong vision, create a collaborative environment, and put the needs of their followers first. He also describes why great leaders are those who adapt their style to match the situation. The astute listener will hear strong connections to Blanchard and Hersey's Situational Leadership Model, the Hill Model for Team Leadership, and Servant Leadership philosophies. He also details how trust can lead to referent power.  This is an amazing episode!! I know you'll enjoy it. I would be grateful if you'd let me know what you think at @TingleJK. Credits: Music used in The Sports Arc: "Dream Family" by Evgeny Bardyuzha.  The podcast cover photo is of a Dale Grimshaw mural and was taken by Jacob near the Tybalds Estate in WC1, London, England. The intro music is "Be My Guest" by Crowander. "My underground" by Distemper is the closing credits music. 

Monday Motivation
"Be Our GUEST!" Monday Motivation w/Rabbi Garfinkel 11-14-2022

Monday Motivation

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 14, 2022 21:27


The incredible "CHESED" (Loving Kindness) of Avraham & Sarah reverberate throughout 3800 years of Jewish history down to us! Kindness is a hallmark of the Jewish people, and no one exemplifies that more than the "HOSTING" of Avraham & Sarah. So, sit back, enjoy, and "BE MY GUEST!" Lots of love, Rabbi Garfinkel of Project 613 in Chicago

The Take Home Podcast
The Take Home presents Tingletonians Take on Leadership

The Take Home Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 11, 2022 33:12


This fall I'm releasing bonus episodes of The Take Home. No new lectures on leadership, instead I'm sharing the amazing podcasts created by the students in my Leadership for Sport Professionals class.  Today's bonus episode features "Tingletonian's Take on Sport Leadership" produced and created by Jacob Stubbs and Kelly Simmons. In the podcast, they interview a star-studded group of amazing leaders including:  Troy Calhoun, head football coach at the United States Air Force Academy; Terris Tiller, Manager, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee;  Gretchen Sheirr, President Business Operations at the Houston Rockets; and Clay Allen, General Counsel at the Houston Rockets. Terris and Clay are Trinity alumni, and Gretchen's brother is a Trinity grad too! The conversation with such high-profile leaders is phenomenal and there's so much to learn -- make sure you have a pen and paper handy!  I would be grateful if you'd let me know what you think at @TingleJK. Credits: Music used in Tingletonian's Take on Sport Leadership: Title:  The podcast cover photo is of a Dale Grimshaw mural and was taken by Jacob near the Tybalds Estate in WC1, London, England. The intro music is "Be My Guest" by Crowander. "My underground" by Distemper is the closing credits music. 

Be My Guest
October 3, 2022 - Be My Guest

Be My Guest

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 3, 2022 28:49


October 3, 2022 - Be My Guest

Be My Guest
October 3, 2022 - Be My Guest

Be My Guest

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 3, 2022 28:49


October 3, 2022 - Be My Guest

Finding Joy in the Journey
Can Angels Help When You Are Running on Empty?

Finding Joy in the Journey

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 6, 2022 11:40


This is the wrap up of the Ask the Angels Series, unless some of you want to be guests! (see below) Here is what I cover in todays episode [00:00:09] A Beautiful Thank You Card :) [00:02:05] Let's Talk Earthly Angels [00:04:25] Let's Talk Feathers [00:07:20] Recent Heavenly Angel Help - An Empty Gas Tank [00:08:57] What if it is just a Placebo? I don't care!! [00:09:17] Be My Guest! I know people love angels, and sometimes they have experiences that they want to share that are appropriate. So if you want to pray about it and see if there's an experience that you'd like to share about angelic help in your life, whether it be earthly or heavenly, I would love to have you as a guest on my podcast. I will have a link to a place where you can go ahead and sign up to do that. And I really hope at least one or two of you, maybe even more will be willing to come on and share. It can be short and sweet or long. I don't care. I just want to have you as a guest on my podcast. Go to the calendar to set up a time, to be a guest. Thanks so much. https://calendly.com/enjoybirth/podcast

Food Network Obsessed
Be My Guest with Ina Garten: Fast Friends with Julianna Margulies

Food Network Obsessed

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 28, 2022 41:19 Very Popular


Award-winning actress Julianna Margulies visits Ina Garten at home in the Hamptons, where they share Real Margaritas. They pick herbs from Ina's garden for Julianna's Halibut with Herbed Butter and then head to the beach in Ina's convertible.For more conversations with Ina and her friends, check out Food Network's new podcast Be My Guest with Ina Garten. Listen wherever you get your podcasts.

A History Of Rock Music in Five Hundred Songs
Episode 144: “Last Train to Clarksville” by the Monkees

A History Of Rock Music in Five Hundred Songs

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 15, 2022


Episode 144 of A History of Rock Music in Five Hundred Songs looks at “Last Train to Clarksville" and the beginnings of the career of the Monkees, along with a short primer on the origins of the Vietnam War.  Click the full post to read liner notes, links to more information, and a transcript of the episode. Patreon backers also have a seventeen-minute bonus episode available, on "These Boots Are Made For Walking" by Nancy Sinatra, which I mispronounce at the end of this episode as "These Boots Were Made For Walking", so no need to correct me here. Tilt Araiza has assisted invaluably by doing a first-pass edit, and will hopefully be doing so from now on. Check out Tilt's irregular podcasts at http://www.podnose.com/jaffa-cakes-for-proust and http://sitcomclub.com/ Resources As usual, all the songs excerpted in the podcast can be heard in full at Mixcloud. The best versions of the Monkees albums are the triple-CD super-deluxe versions that used to be available from monkees.com , and I've used Andrew Sandoval's liner notes for them extensively in this episode. Sadly, though, the only one of those that is still in print is More of the Monkees. For those just getting into the group, my advice is to start with this five-CD set, which contains their first five albums along with bonus tracks. The single biggest source of information I used in this episode is the first edition of Andrew Sandoval's The Monkees; The Day-By-Day Story. Sadly that is now out of print and goes for hundreds of pounds. Sandoval released a second edition of the book last year, which I was unfortunately unable to obtain, but that too is now out of print. If you can find a copy of either, do get one. Other sources used were Monkee Business by Eric Lefcowitz, and the autobiographies of three of the band members and one of the songwriters -- Infinite Tuesday by Michael Nesmith, They Made a Monkee Out of Me by Davy Jones, I'm a Believer by Micky Dolenz, and Psychedelic Bubble-Gum by Bobby Hart. Patreon This podcast is brought to you by the generosity of my backers on Patreon. Why not join them? Transcript We've obviously talked in this podcast about several of the biggest hits of 1966 already, but we haven't mentioned the biggest hit of the year, one of the strangest records ever to make number one in the US -- "The Ballad of the Green Berets" by Sgt Barry Sadler: [Excerpt: Barry Sadler, "The Ballad of the Green Berets"] Barry Sadler was an altogether odd man, and just as a brief warning his story, which will last a minute or so, involves gun violence. At the time he wrote and recorded that song, he was on active duty in the military -- he was a combat medic who'd been fighting in the Vietnam War when he'd got a wound that had meant he had to be shipped back to the USA, and while at Fort Bragg he decided to write and record a song about his experiences, with the help of Robin Moore, a right-wing author of military books, both fiction and nonfiction, who wrote the books on which the films The Green Berets and The French Connection were based. Sadler's record became one of those massive fluke hits, selling over nine million copies and getting him appearances on the Ed Sullivan Show, but other than one top thirty hit, he never had another hit single. Instead, he tried and failed to have a TV career, then became a writer of pulp fiction himself, writing a series of twenty-one novels about the centurion who thrust his spear into Jesus' side when Jesus was being crucified, and is thus cursed to be a soldier until the second coming. He moved to Nashville, Tennessee, where he lived until he shot Lee Emerson, a country songwriter who had written songs for Marty Robbins, in the head, killing him, in an argument over a woman. He was sentenced to thirty days in jail for this misdemeanour, of which he served twenty-eight. Later he moved to Guatemala City, where he was himself shot in the head. The nearest Army base to Nashville, where Sadler lived after his discharge, is Fort Campbell, in Clarksville: [Excerpt: The Monkees, "Last Train to Clarksville"] The Vietnam War was a long and complicated war, one which affected nearly everything we're going to see in the next year or so of this podcast, and we're going to talk about it a lot, so it's worth giving a little bit of background here. In doing so, I'm going to use quite a flippant tone, but I want to make it clear that I'm not mocking the very real horrors that people suffered in the wars I'm talking about -- it's just that to sum up multiple decades of unimaginable horrors in a few sentences requires glossing over so much that you have to either laugh or cry. The origin of the Vietnam War, as in so many things in twentieth century history, can be found in European colonialism. France had invaded much of Southeast Asia in the mid-to-late nineteenth century, and created a territory known as French Indo-China, which became part of the French colonial Empire. But in 1940 France was taken over by Germany, and Japan was at war with China. Germany and Japan were allies, and the Japanese were worried that French Indo-China would be used to import fuel and arms to China -- plus, they quite fancied the idea of having a Japanese empire. So Vichy France let Japan take control of French Indo-China. But of course the *reason* that France had been taken over by Germany was that pretty much the whole world was at war in 1940, and obviously the countries that were fighting Germany and Japan -- the bloc led by Britain, soon to be joined by America and Russia -- weren't very keen on the idea of Japan getting more territory. But they were also busy with the whole "fighting a world war" thing, so they did what governments in this situation always do -- they funded local guerilla insurgent fighters on the basis that "my enemy's enemy is my friend", something that has luckily never had any negative consequences whatsoever, except for occasionally. Those local guerilla fighters were an anti-imperialist popular front, the Việt Minh, led by Hồ Chí Minh, a revolutionary Communist. They were dedicated to overthrowing foreign imperialist occupiers and gaining independence for Vietnam, and Hồ Chí Minh further wanted to establish a Soviet-style Communist government in the newly-independent country. The Allies funded the Việt Minh in their fight against the Japanese occupiers until the end of the Second World War, at which point France was liberated from German occupation, Vietnam was liberated from Japanese occupation, and the French basically said "Hooray! We get our Empire back!", to which Hồ Chí Minh's response was, more or less, "what part of anti-imperialist Marxist dedicated to overthrowing foreign occupation of Vietnam did you not understand, exactly?" Obviously, the French weren't best pleased with this, and so began what was the first of a series of wars in the region. The First Indochina War lasted for years and ended in a negotiated peace of a sort. Of course, this led to the favoured tactic of the time, partition -- splitting a formerly-occupied country into two, at an arbitrary dividing line, a tactic which was notably successful in securing peace everywhere it was tried. Apart from Ireland, India, Korea, and a few other places, but surely it wouldn't be a problem in Vietnam, right? North Vietnam was controlled by the Communists, led by Hồ Chí Minh, and recognised by China and the USSR but not by the Western states. South Vietnam was nominally independent but led by the former puppet emperor who owed his position to France, soon replaced by a right-wing dictatorship. And both the right-wing dictatorship and the left-wing dictatorship were soon busily oppressing their own citizens and funding military opposition groups in the other country. This soon escalated into full-blown war, with the North backed by China and Russia and the South backed by America. This was one of a whole series of wars in small countries which were really proxy wars between the two major powers, the USA and the USSR, both of which were vying for control, but which couldn't confront each other directly because either country had enough nuclear weapons to destroy the whole world multiple times over. But the Vietnam War quickly became more than a small proxy war. The US started sending its own troops over, and more and more of them. The US had never ended the draft after World War II, and by the mid sixties significant numbers of young men were being called up and sent over to fight in a war that had by that point lasted a decade (depending on exactly when you count the war as starting from) between two countries they didn't care about, over things few of them understood, and at an exorbitant cost in lives. As you might imagine, this started to become unpopular among those likely to be drafted, and as the people most affected (other, of course, than the Vietnamese people, whose opinions on being bombed and shot at by foreigners supporting one of other of the dictators vying to rule over them nobody else was much interested in) were also of the generation who were the main audience for popular music, slowly this started to seep into the lyrics of songs -- a seepage which had already been prompted by the appearance in the folk and soul worlds of many songs against other horrors, like segregation. This started to hit the pop charts with songs like "The Universal Soldier" by Buffy Saint-Marie, which made the UK top five in a version by Donovan: [Excerpt: Donovan, "The Universal Soldier"] That charted in the lower regions of the US charts, and a cover version by Glen Campbell did slightly better: [Excerpt: Glen Campbell, "The Universal Soldier"] That was even though Campbell himself was a supporter of the war in Vietnam, and rather pro-military. Meanwhile, as we've seen a couple of times, Jan Berry of Jan and Dean recorded a pro-war answer song to that, "The Universal Coward": [Excerpt: Jan Berry, "The Universal Coward"] This, of course, was even though Berry was himself avoiding the draft. And I've not been able to find the credits for that track, but Glen Campbell regularly played guitar on Berry's sessions, so it's entirely possible that he played guitar on that record made by a coward, attacking his own record, which he disagreed with, for its cowardice. This is, of course, what happens when popular culture tries to engage with social and political issues -- pop culture is motivated by money, not ideological consistency, and so if there's money to be made from anti-war songs or from pro-war songs, someone will take that money. And so on October the ninth 1965, Billboard magazine ran a report: "Colpix Enters Protest Field HOLLYWOOD -Colpix has secured its first protest lyric disk, "The Willing Conscript,"as General Manager Bud Katzel initiates relationships with independent producers. The single features Lauren St. Davis. Katzel says the song was written during the Civil War, rewritten during World War I and most recently updated by Bob Krasnow and Sam Ashe. Screen Gems Music, the company's publishing wing, is tracing the song's history, Katzel said. Katzel's second single is "(You Got the Gamma Goochee" by an artist with that unusual stage name. The record is a Screen Gems production and was in the house when Katzel arrived one month ago. The executive said he was expressly looking for material for two contract artists, David Jones and Hoyt Axton. The company is also working on getting Axton a role in a television series, "Camp Runamuck." " To unpack this a little, Colpix was a record label, owned by Columbia Pictures, and we talked about that a little bit in the episode on "The Loco-Motion" -- the film and TV companies were getting into music, and Columbia had recently bought up Don Kirshner's Aldon publishing and Dimension Records as part of their strategy of tying in music with their TV shows. This is a company trying desperately to jump on a bandwagon -- Colpix at this time was not exactly having huge amounts of success with its records. Hoyt Axton, meanwhile, was a successful country singer and songwriter. We met his mother many episodes back -- Mae Axton was the writer of "Heartbreak Hotel". Axton himself is now best known as the dad in the 80s film Gremlins. David Jones will be coming up shortly. Bob Krasnow and Sam Ashe were record executives then at Kama Sutra records, but soon to move on -- we'll be hearing about Krasnow more in future episodes. Neither of them were songwriters, and while I have no real reason to disbelieve the claim that "The Willing Conscript" dates back to the Civil War, the earliest version *I* have been able to track down was its publication in issue 28 of Broadside Magazine in June 1963 -- nearly a hundred years after the American Civil War -- with the credit "by Tom Paxton" -- Paxton was a popular singer-songwriter of the time, and it certainly sounds like his writing. The first recording of it I know of was by Pete Seeger: [Excerpt: Pete Seeger, "The Willing Conscript"] But the odd thing is that by the time this was printed, the single had already been released the previous month, and it was not released under the name Lauren St Davis, or under the title "The Willing Conscript" -- there are precisely two differences between the song copyrighted as by Krasnow and Ashe and the one copyrighted two years earlier as by Paxton. One is that verses three and four are swapped round, the other is that it's now titled "The New Recruit". And presumably because they realised that the pseudonym "Lauren St. Davis" was trying just a bit too hard to sound cool and drug culture, they reverted to another stage name the performer had been using, Michael Blessing: [Excerpt: Michael Blessing, "The New Recruit"] Blessing's name was actually Michael Nesmith, and before we go any further, yes his mother, Bette Nesmith Graham, did invent the product that later became marketed in the US as Liquid Paper. At this time, though, that company wasn't anywhere near as successful as it later became, and was still a tiny company. I only mention it to forestall the ten thousand comments and tweets I would otherwise get asking why I didn't mention it. In Nesmith's autobiography, while he talks a lot about his mother, he barely mentions her business and says he was uninterested in it -- he talks far more about the love of art she instilled in him, as well as her interest in the deep questions of philosophy and religion, to which in her case and his they found answers in Christian Science, but both were interested in conversations about ideas, in a way that few other people in Nesmith's early environment were. Nesmith's mother was also responsible for his music career. He had spent two years in the Air Force in his late teens, and the year he got out, his mother and stepfather bought him a guitar for Christmas, after he was inspired by seeing Hoyt Axton performing live and thinking he could do that himself: [Excerpt: Hoyt Axton, "Greenback Dollar"] As he put it in his autobiography, "What did it matter that I couldn't play the guitar, couldn't sing very well, and didn't know any folk songs? I would be going to college and hanging out at the student union with pretty girls and singing folk songs. They would like me. I might even figure out a way to get a cool car." This is, of course, the thought process that pretty much every young man to pick up a guitar goes through, but Nesmith was more dedicated than most. He gave his first performance as a folk singer ten days after he first got a guitar, after practising the few chords in most folk songs for twelve hours a day every day in that time. He soon started performing as a folk singer, performing around Dallas both on his own and with his friend John London, performing the standard folk repertoire of Woody Guthrie and Lead Belly songs, things like "Pick a Bale of Cotton": [Excerpt: Michael Nesmith, "Pick a Bale of Cotton"] He also started writing his own songs, and put out a vanity record of one of them in 1963: [Excerpt: Mike Nesmith, "Wanderin'"] London moved to California, and Nesmith soon followed, with his first wife Phyllis and their son Christian. There Nesmith and London had the good fortune to be neighbours with someone who was a business associate of Frankie Laine, and they were signed to Laine's management company as a folk duo. However, Nesmith's real love was rock and roll, especially the heavier R&B end of the genre -- he was particularly inspired by Bo Diddley, and would always credit seeing Diddley live as a teenager as being his biggest musical influence. Soon Nesmith and London had formed a folk-rock trio with their friend Bill Sleeper. As Mike & John & Bill, they put out a single, "How Can You Kiss Me?", written by Nesmith: [Excerpt: Mike & John & Bill, "How Can You Kiss Me?"] They also recorded more of Nesmith's songs, like "All the King's Horses": [Excerpt: Mike & John & Bill, "All the King's Horses"] But that was left unreleased, as Bill was drafted, and Nesmith and London soon found themselves in The Survivors, one of several big folk groups run by Randy Sparks, the founder of the New Christie Minstrels. Nesmith was also writing songs throughout 1964 and 1965, and a few of those songs would be recorded by other people in 1966, like "Different Drum", which was recorded by the bluegrass band The Greenbriar Boys: [Excerpt: The Greenbriar Boys, "Different Drum"] That would more successfully be recorded by the Stone Poneys later of course. And Nesmith's "Mary Mary" was also picked up by the Paul Butterfield Blues Band: [Excerpt: The Paul Butterfield Blues Band, "Mary Mary"] But while Nesmith had written these songs by late 1965, he wasn't able to record them himself. He was signed by Bob Krasnow, who insisted he change his name to Michael Blessing, and recorded two singles for Colpix -- "The New Recruit", which we heard earlier, and a version of Buffy Saint-Marie's "Until It's Time For You To Go", sung in a high tenor range very far from Nesmith's normal singing voice: [Excerpt: Michael Blessing, "Until It's Time For You To Go"] But to my mind by far the best thing Nesmith recorded in this period is the unissued third Michael Blessing single, where Nesmith seems to have been given a chance to make the record he really wanted to make. The B-side, a version of Allen Toussaint's swamp-rocker "Get Out of My Life, Woman", is merely a quite good version of the song, but the A-side, a version of his idol Bo Diddley's classic "Who Do You Love?" is utterly extraordinary, and it's astonishing that it was never released at the time: [Excerpt: Michael Blessing, "Who Do You Love?"] But the Michael Blessing records did no better than anything else Colpix were putting out. Indeed, the only record they got onto the hot one hundred at all in a three and a half year period was a single by one David Jones, which reached the heady heights of number ninety-eight: [Excerpt: David Jones, "What Are We Going to Do?"] Jones had been brought up in extreme poverty in Openshaw in Manchester, but had been encouraged by his mother, who died when he was fourteen, to go into acting. He'd had a few parts on local radio, and had appeared as a child actor on TV shows made in Manchester, like appearing in the long-running soap opera Coronation Street (still on today) as Ena Sharples' grandson Colin: [Excerpt: Coronation St https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FDEvOs1imc , 13:30] He also had small roles in Z-Cars and Bill Naughton's TV play "June Evening", and a larger role in Keith Waterhouse's radio play "There is a Happy Land". But when he left school, he decided he was going to become a jockey rather than an actor -- he was always athletic, he loved horses, and he was short -- I've seen his height variously cited as five foot three and five foot four. But it turned out that the owner of the stables in which he was training had showbusiness connections, and got him the audition that changed his life, for the part of the Artful Dodger in Lionel Bart's West End musical Oliver! We've encountered Lionel Bart before a couple of times, but if you don't remember him, he was the songwriter who co-wrote Tommy Steele's hits, and who wrote "Living Doll" for Cliff Richard. He also discovered both Steele and Marty Wilde, and was one of the major figures in early British rock and roll. But after the Tommy Steele records, he'd turned his attention to stage musicals, writing book, music, and lyrics for a string of hits, and more-or-less singlehandedly inventing the modern British stage musical form -- something Andrew Lloyd Webber, for example, always credits him with. Oliver!, based on Oliver Twist, was his biggest success, and they were looking for a new Artful Dodger. This was *the* best role for a teenage boy in the UK at the time -- later performers to take the role on the London stage include Steve Marriott and Phil Collins, both of whom we'll no doubt encounter in future episodes -- and Jones got the job, although they were a bit worried at first about his Manchester vowels. He assured them though that he could learn to do a Cockney accent, and they took him on. Jones not having a natural Cockney accent ended up doing him the biggest favour of his career. While he could put on a relatively convincing one, he articulated quite carefully because it wasn't his natural accent. And so when the North American version found  in previews that their real Cockney Dodger wasn't being understood perfectly, the fake Cockney Jones was brought over to join the show on Broadway, and was there from opening night on. On February the ninth, 1964, Jones found himself, as part of the Broadway cast of Oliver!, on the Ed Sullivan Show: [Excerpt: Davy Jones and Georgia Brown, "I'd Do Anything"] That same night, there were some other British people, who got a little bit more attention than Jones did: [Excerpt: The Beatles, "I Want to Hold Your Hand (live on Ed Sullivan)"] Davy Jones wasn't a particular fan of pop music at that point, but he knew he liked what he saw, and he wanted some of the same reaction. Shortly after this, Jones was picked up for management by Ward Sylvester, of Columbia Pictures, who was going to groom Jones for stardom. Jones continued in Oliver! for a while, and also had a brief run in a touring version of Pickwick, another musical based on a Dickens novel, this time starring Harry Secombe, the British comedian and singer who had made his name with the Goon Show. Jones' first single, "Dream Girl", came out in early 1965: [Excerpt: Davy Jones, "Dream Girl"] It was unsuccessful, as was his one album, David Jones, which seemed to be aiming at the teen idol market, but failing miserably. The second single, "What Are  We Going to Do?" did make the very lowest regions of the Hot One Hundred, but the rest of the album was mostly attempts to sound a bit like Herman's Hermits -- a band whose lead singer, coincidentally, also came from Manchester, had appeared in Coronation Street, and was performing with a fake Cockney accent. Herman's Hermits had had a massive US hit with the old music hall song "I'm Henry VIII I Am": [Excerpt: Herman's Hermits, "I'm Henry VIII I Am"] So of course Davy had his own old music-hall song, "Any Old Iron": [Excerpt: Davy Jones, "Any Old Iron"] Also, the Turtles had recently had a hit with a folk-rock version of Dylan's "It Ain't Me Babe", and Davy cut his own version of their arrangement, in the one concession to rock music on the album: [Excerpt: Davy Jones, "It Ain't Me Babe"] The album was, unsurprisingly, completely unsuccessful, but Ward Sylvester was not disheartened. He had the perfect job for a young British teen idol who could sing and act. The Monkees was the brainchild of two young TV producers, Bob Rafelson and Bert Schneider, who had come up with the idea of doing a TV show very loosely based on the Beatles' film A Hard Day's Night (though Rafelson would later claim that he'd had the idea many years before A Hard Day's Night and was inspired by his youth touring with folk bands -- Schneider always admitted the true inspiration though). This was not a particularly original idea -- there were a whole bunch of people trying to make TV shows based in some way around bands. Jan and Dean were working on a possible TV series, there was talk of a TV series starring The Who, there was a Beatles cartoon series, Hanna-Barbera were working on a cartoon series about a band called The Bats, and there was even another show proposed to Screen Gems, Columbia's TV department, titled Liverpool USA, which was meant to star Davy Jones, another British performer, and two American musicians, and to have songs provided by Don Kirshner's songwriters. That The Monkees, rather than these other series, was the one that made it to the TV (though obviously the Beatles cartoon series did too) is largely because Rafelson and Schneider's independent production company, Raybert, which they had started after leaving Screen Gems, was given two hundred and twenty-five thousand dollars to develop the series by their former colleague, Screen Gems' vice president in charge of programme development, the former child star Jackie Cooper. Of course, as well as being their former colleague, Cooper may have had some more incentive to give Bob Rafelson and Bert Schneider that money in that the head of Columbia Pictures, and thus Cooper's boss' boss, was one Abe Schneider. The original idea for the show was to use the Lovin' Spoonful, but as we heard last week they weren't too keen, and it was quickly decided instead that the production team would put together a group of performers. Davy Jones was immediately attached to the project, although Rafelson was uncomfortable with Jones, thinking he wasn't as rock and roll as Rafelson was hoping for -- he later conceded, though, that Jones was absolutely right for the group. As for everyone else, to start with Rafelson and Schneider placed an ad in a couple of the trade papers which read "Madness!! Auditions Folk and Roll Musicians-Singers for acting roles in new TV series. Running parts for 4 insane boys ages 17-21. Want spirited Ben Frank's types. Have courage to work. Must come down for interview" There were a couple of dogwhistles in there, to appeal to the hip crowd -- Ben Frank's was a twenty-four-hour restaurant on the Sunset Strip, where people including Frank Zappa and Jim Morrison used to hang out, and which was very much associated with the freak scene we've looked at in episodes on Zappa and the Byrds. Meanwhile "Must come down for interview" was meant to emphasise that you couldn't actually be high when you turned up -- but you were expected to be the kind of person who would at least at some points have been high. A lot of people answered that ad -- including Paul Williams, Harry Nilsson, Van Dyke Parks, and many more we'll be seeing along the way. But oddly, the only person actually signed up for the show because of that ad was Michael Nesmith -- who was already signed to Colpix Records anyway. According to Davy Jones, who was sitting in at the auditions, Schneider and Rafelson were deliberately trying to disorient the auditioners with provocative behaviour like just ignoring them, to see how they'd react. Nesmith was completely unfazed by this, and apparently walked in wearing a  green wool hat and carrying a bag of laundry, saying that he needed to get this over with quickly so he could go and do his washing. John London, who came along to the audition as well, talked later about seeing Nesmith fill in a questionnaire that everyone had to fill in -- in a space asking about previous experience Nesmith just wrote "Life" and drew a big diagonal line across the rest of the page. That attitude certainly comes across in Nesmith's screen test: [Excerpt: Michael Nesmith screen test] Meanwhile, Rafelson and Schneider were also scouring the clubs for performers who might be useful, and put together a shortlist of people including Jerry Yester and Chip Douglas of the Modern Folk Quartet, Bill Chadwick, who was in the Survivors with Nesmith and London, and one Micky Braddock, whose agent they got in touch with and who was soon signed up. Braddock was the stage name of Micky Dolenz, who soon reverted to his birth surname, and it's the name by which he went in his first bout of fame. Dolenz was the son of two moderately successful Hollywood actors, George Dolenz and Janelle Johnson, and their connections had led to Dolenz, as Braddock, getting the lead role in the 1958 TV series Circus Boy, about a child named Corky who works in a circus looking after an elephant after his parents, the Flying Falcons, were killed in a trapeze accident. [Excerpt: Circus Boy, "I can't play a drum"] Oddly, one of the other people who had been considered for that role was Paul Williams, who was also considered for the Monkees but ultimately turned down, and would later write one of the Monkees' last singles. Dolenz had had a few minor TV appearances after that series had ended, including a recurring role on Peyton Place, but he had also started to get interested in music. He'd performed a bit as a folk duo with his sister Coco, and had also been the lead singer of a band called Micky and the One-Nighters, who later changed their name to the Missing Links, who'd played mostly covers of Little Richard and Chuck Berry songs and later British Invasion hits. He'd also recorded two tracks with Wrecking Crew backing, although neither track got released until after his later fame -- "Don't Do It": [Excerpt: Micky Dolenz, "Don't Do It"] and "Huff Puff": [Excerpt: Micky Dolenz, "Huff Puff"] Dolenz had a great singing voice, an irrepressible personality, and plenty of TV experience. He was obviously in. Rafelson and Schneider took quite a while whittling down the shortlist to the final four, and they *were* still considering people who'd applied through the ads. One they actually offered the role to was Stephen Stills, but he decided not to take the role. When he turned the role down, they asked if he knew anyone else who had a similar appearance to him, and as it happened he did. Steve Stills and Peter Tork had known of each other before they actually met on the streets of Greenwich Village -- the way they both told the story, on their first meeting they'd each approached the other and said "You must be the guy everyone says looks like me!" The two had become fast friends, and had played around the Greenwich Village folk scene together for a while, before going their separate ways -- Stills moving to California while Tork joined another of those big folk ensembles of the New Christie Minstrels type, this one called the Phoenix Singers. Tork had later moved to California himself, and reconnected with his old friend, and they had performed together for a while in a trio called the Buffalo Fish, with Tork playing various instruments, singing, and doing comedy bits. Oddly, while Tork was the member of the Monkees with the most experience as a musician, he was the only one who hadn't made a record when the TV show was put together. But he was by far the most skilled instrumentalist of the group -- as distinct from best musician, a distinction Tork was always scrupulous about making -- and could play guitar, bass, and keyboards, all to a high standard -- and I've also seen him in more recent years play French horn live. His great love, though, was the banjo, and you can hear how he must have sounded on the Greenwich Village folk scene in his solo spots on Monkees shows, where he would show off his banjo skills: [Excerpt: Peter Tork, "Cripple Creek"] Tork wouldn't get to use his instrumental skills much at first though, as most of the backing tracks for the group's records were going to be performed by other people. More impressive for the TV series producers was his gift for comedy, especially physical comedy -- having seen Tork perform live a few times, the only comparison I can make to his physical presence is to Harpo Marx, which is about as high a compliment as one can give. Indeed, Micky Dolenz has often pointed out that while there were intentional parallels to the Beatles in the casting of the group, the Marx Brothers are a far better parallel, and it's certainly easy to see Tork as Harpo, Dolenz as Chico, Nesmith as Groucho, and Jones as Zeppo. (This sounds like an insult to Jones, unless you're aware of how much the Marx Brothers films actually depended on Zeppo as the connective tissue between the more outrageous brothers and the more normal environment they were operating in, and how much the later films suffered for the lack of Zeppo). The new cast worked well together, even though there were obvious disagreements between them right from the start. Dolenz, at least at this point, seems to have been the gel that held the four together -- he had the experience of being a child star in common with Jones, he was a habitue of the Sunset Strip clubs where Nesmith and Tork had been hanging out, and he had personality traits in common with all of them. Notably, in later years, Dolenz would do duo tours with each of his three bandmates without the participation of the others. The others, though, didn't get on so well with each other. Jones and Tork seem to have got on OK, but they were very different people -- Jones was a showbiz entertainer, whose primary concern was that none of the other stars of the show be better looking than him, while Tork was later self-diagnosed as neurodivergent, a folkie proto-hippie who wanted to drift from town to town playing his banjo. Tork and Nesmith had similar backgrounds and attitudes in some respects -- and were united in their desire to have more musical input into the show than was originally intended -- but they were such different personalities in every aspect of their lives from their religious views to their politics to their taste in music they came into conflict. Nesmith would later say of Tork "I never liked Peter, he never liked me. So we had an uneasy truce between the two of us. As clear as I could tell, among his peers he was very well liked. But we rarely had a civil word to say to each other". Nesmith also didn't get on well with Jones, both of them seeming to view themselves as the natural leader of the group, with all the clashes that entails. The four Monkees were assigned instruments for their characters based not on instrumental skill, but on what suited their roles better. Jones was the teen idol character, so he was made the maraca-playing frontman who could dance without having to play an instrument, though Dolenz took far more of the lead vocals. Nesmith was made the guitarist, while Tork was put on bass, though Tork was by far the better guitarist of the two. And Dolenz was put on drums, even though he didn't play the drums -- Tork would always say later that if the roles had been allocated by actual playing ability, Jones would have been the drummer. Dolenz did, though, become a good drummer, if a rather idiosyncratic one. Tork would later say "Micky played the drums but Mike kept time, on that one record we all made, Headquarters. Mike was the timekeeper. I don't know that Micky relied on him but Mike had a much stronger sense of time. And Davy too, Davy has a much stronger sense of time. Micky played the drums like they were a musical instrument, as a colour. He played the drum colour.... as a band, there was a drummer and there was a timekeeper and they were different people." But at first, while the group were practising their instruments so they could mime convincingly on the TV and make personal appearances, they didn't need to play on their records. Indeed, on the initial pilot, they didn't even sing -- the recordings had been made before the cast had been finalised: [Excerpt: Boyce & Hart, "Monkees Theme (pilot version)"] The music was instead performed by two songwriters, Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart, who would become hugely important in the Monkees project. Boyce and Hart were not the first choice for the project. Don Kirshner, the head of Screen Gems Music, had initially suggested Roger Atkins, a Brill Building songwriter working for his company, as the main songwriter for The Monkees. Atkins is best known for writing "It's My Life", a hit for the Animals: [Excerpt: The Animals, "It's My Life"] But Atkins didn't work out, though he would collaborate later on one song with Nesmith, and reading between the lines, it seems that there was some corporate infighting going on, though I've not seen it stated in so many words. There seems to have been a turf war between Don Kirshner, the head of Screen Gems' music publishing, who was based in the Brill Building, and Lester Sill, the West Coast executive we've seen so many times before, the mentor to Leiber and Stoller, Duane Eddy, and Phil Spector, who was now the head of Screen Gems music on the West Coast. It also seems to be the case that none of the top Brill Building songwriters were all that keen on being involved at this point -- writing songs for an unsold TV pilot wasn't exactly a plum gig. Sill ended up working closely with the TV people, and it seems to have been him who put forward Boyce and Hart, a songwriting team he was mentoring. Boyce and Hart had been working in the music industry for years, both together and separately, and had had some success, though they weren't one of the top-tier songwriting teams like Goffin and King. They'd both started as performers -- Boyce's first single, "Betty Jean", had come out in 1958: [Excerpt: Tommy Boyce, "Betty Jean"] And Hart's, "Love Whatcha Doin' to Me", under his birth name Robert Harshman, a year later: [Excerpt: Robert Harshman, "Love Whatcha Doin' to Me"] Boyce had been the first one to have real songwriting success, writing Fats Domino's top ten hit "Be My Guest" in 1959: [Excerpt: Fats Domino, "Be My Guest"] and cowriting two songs with singer Curtis Lee, both of which became singles produced by Phil Spector -- "Under the Moon of Love" and the top ten hit "Pretty Little Angel Eyes": [Excerpt: Curtis Lee, "Pretty Little Angel Eyes"] Boyce and Hart together, along with Wes Farrell, who had co-written "Twist and Shout" with Bert Berns, wrote "Lazy Elsie Molly" for Chubby Checker, and the number three hit "Come a Little Bit Closer" for Jay and the Americans: [Excerpt: Jay and the Americans, "Come a Little Bit Closer"] At this point they were both working in the Brill Building, but then Boyce moved to the West Coast, where he was paired with Steve Venet, the brother of Nik Venet, and they co-wrote and produced "Peaches and Cream" for the Ikettes: [Excerpt: The Ikettes, "Peaches and Cream"] Hart, meanwhile, was playing in the band of Teddy Randazzo, the accordion-playing singer who had appeared in The Girl Can't Help It, and with Randazzo and Bobby Weinstein he wrote "Hurts So Bad", which became a big hit for Little Anthony and the Imperials: [Excerpt: Little Anthony and the Imperials, "Hurts So Bad"] But Hart soon moved over to the West Coast, where he joined his old partner Boyce, who had been busy writing TV themes with Venet for shows like "Where the Action Is". Hart soon replaced Venet in the team, and the two soon wrote what would become undoubtedly their most famous piece of music ever, a theme tune that generations of TV viewers would grow to remember: [Excerpt: "Theme from Days of Our Lives"] Well, what did you *think* I meant? Yes, just as Davy Jones had starred in an early episode of Britain's longest-running soap opera, one that's still running today, so Boyce and Hart wrote the theme music for *America's* longest-running soap opera, which has been running every weekday since 1965, and has so far aired well in excess of fourteen thousand episodes. Meanwhile, Hart had started performing in a band called the Candy Store Prophets, with Larry Taylor  -- who we last saw with the Gamblers, playing on "LSD-25" and "Moon Dawg" -- on bass, Gerry McGee on guitar, and Billy Lewis on drums. It was this band that Boyce and Hart used -- augmented by session guitarists Wayne Erwin and Louie Shelton and Wrecking Crew percussionist Gene Estes on tambourine, plus Boyce and session singer Ron Hicklin on backing vocals, to record first the demos and then the actual tracks that would become the Monkees hits. They had a couple of songs already that would be suitable for the pilot episode, but they needed something that would be usable as a theme song for the TV show. Boyce and Hart's usual working method was to write off another hit -- they'd try to replicate the hook or the feel or the basic sound of something that was already popular. In this case, they took inspiration from the song "Catch Us If You Can", the theme from the film that was the Dave Clark Five's attempt at their own A Hard Day's Night: [Excerpt: The Dave Clark Five, "Catch Us If You Can"] Boyce and Hart turned that idea into what would become the Monkees theme. We heard their performance of it earlier of course, but when the TV show finally came out, it was rerecorded with Dolenz singing: [Excerpt: The Monkees, "Monkees Theme"] For a while, Boyce and Hart hoped that they would get to perform all the music for the TV show, and there was even apparently some vague talk of them being cast in it, but it was quickly decided that they would just be songwriters. Originally, the intent was that they wouldn't even produce the records, that instead the production would be done by a name producer. Micky Most, the Animals' producer, was sounded out for the role but wasn't interested. Snuff Garrett was brought in, but quickly discovered he didn't get on with the group at all -- in particular, they were all annoyed at the idea that Davy would be the sole lead vocalist, and the tracks Garrett cut with Davy on lead and the Wrecking Crew backing were scrapped. Instead, it was decided that Boyce and Hart would produce most of the tracks, initially with the help of the more experienced Jack Keller, and that they would only work with one Monkee at a time to minimise disruption -- usually Micky and sometimes Davy. These records would be made the same way as the demos had been, by the same set of musicians, just with one of the Monkees taking the lead. Meanwhile, as Nesmith was seriously interested in writing and production, and Rafelson and Schneider wanted to encourage the cast members, he was also assigned to write and produce songs for the show. Unlike Boyce and Hart, Nesmith wanted to use his bandmates' talents -- partly as a way of winning them over, as it was already becoming clear that the show would involve several competing factions. Nesmith's songs were mostly country-rock tracks that weren't considered suitable as singles, but they would be used on the TV show and as album tracks, and on Nesmith's songs Dolenz and Tork would sing backing vocals, and Tork would join the Wrecking Crew as an extra guitarist -- though he was well aware that his part on records like "Sweet Young Thing" wasn't strictly necessary when Glen Campbell, James Burton, Al Casey and Mike Deasy were also playing guitar: [Excerpt: The Monkees, "Sweet Young Thing"] That track was written by Nesmith with Goffin and King, and there seems to have been some effort to pair Nesmith, early on, with more commercial songwriters, though this soon fell by the wayside and Nesmith was allowed to keep making his own idiosyncratic records off to the side while Boyce and Hart got on with making the more commercial records. This was not, incidentally, something that most of the stars of the show objected to or even thought was a problem at the time. Tork was rather upset that he wasn't getting to have much involvement with the direction of the music, as he'd thought he was being employed as a musician, but Dolenz and Jones were actors first and foremost, while Nesmith was happily making his own tracks. They'd all known going in that most of the music for the show would be created by other people -- there were going to be two songs every episode, and there was no way that four people could write and record that much material themselves while also performing in a half-hour comedy show every week. Assuming, of course, that the show even aired. Initial audience response to the pilot was tepid at best, and it looked for a while like the show wasn't going to be green-lit. But Rafelson and Schneider -- and director James Frawley who played a crucial role in developing the show -- recut the pilot, cutting out one character altogether -- a manager who acted as an adult supervisor -- and adding in excerpts of the audition tapes, showing the real characters of some of the actors. As three of the four were playing characters loosely based on themselves -- Peter's "dummy" character wasn't anything like he was in real life, but was like the comedy character he'd developed in his folk-club performances -- this helped draw the audience in. It also, though, contributed to some line-blurring that became a problem. The re-edited pilot was a success, and the series sold. Indeed, the new format for the series was a unique one that had never been done on TV before -- it was a sitcom about four young men living together, without any older adult supervision, getting into improbable adventures, and with one or two semi-improvised "romps", inspired by silent slapstick, over which played original songs. This became strangely influential in British sitcom when the series came out over here  -- two of the most important sitcoms of the next couple of decades, The Goodies and The Young Ones, are very clearly influenced by the Monkees. And before the broadcast of the first episode, they were going to release a single to promote it. The song chosen as the first single was one Boyce and Hart had written, inspired by the Beatles. Specifically inspired by this: [Excerpt: The Beatles, "Paperback Writer"] Hart heard that tag on the radio, and thought that the Beatles were singing "take the last train". When he heard the song again the next day and realised that the song had nothing to do with trains, he and Boyce sat down and wrote their own song inspired by his mishearing. "Last Train to Clarksville" is structured very, very, similarly to "Paperback Writer" -- both of them stay on one chord, a G7, for an eight-bar verse before changing to C7 for a chorus line -- the word "writer" for the Beatles, the "no no no" (inspired by the Beatles "yeah yeah yeah") for the Monkees. To show how close the parallels are, I've sped up the vocals from the Beatles track slightly to match the tempo with a karaoke backing track version of "Last Train to Clarksville" I found, and put the two together: [Excerpt: "Paperback Clarksville"] Lyrically, there was one inspiration I will talk about in a minute, but I think I've identified another inspiration that nobody has ever mentioned. The classic country song "Night Train to Memphis", co-written by Owen Bradley, and made famous by Roy Acuff, has some slight melodic similarity to "Last Train to Clarksville", and parallels the lyrics fairly closely -- "take the night train to Memphis" against "take the last train to Clarksville", both towns in Tennessee, and "when you arrive at the station, I'll be right there to meet you I'll be right there to greet you, So don't turn down my invitation" is clearly close to "and I'll meet you at the station, you can be here by 4:30 'cos I've made your reservation": [Excerpt: Roy Acuff, "Night Train to Memphis"] Interestingly, in May 1966, the same month that "Paperback Writer" was released, and so presumably the time that Hart heard the song on the radio for the first time, Rick Nelson, the teen idol formerly known as Ricky Nelson, who had started his own career as a performer in a sitcom, had released an album called Bright Lights and Country Music. He'd had a bit of a career downslump and was changing musical direction, and recording country songs. The last track on that album was a version of "Night Train to Memphis": [Excerpt: Rick Nelson, "Night Train to Memphis"] Now, I've never seen either Boyce or Hart ever mention even hearing that song, it's pure speculation on my part that there's any connection there at all, but I thought the similarity worth mentioning. The idea of the lyric, though, was to make a very mild statement about the Vietnam War. Clarksville was, as mentioned earlier, the site of Fort Campbell, a military training base, and they crafted a story about a young soldier being shipped off to war, calling his girlfriend to come and see him for one last night. This is left more-or-less ambiguous -- this was a song being written for a TV show intended for children, after all -- but it's still very clear on the line "and I don't know if I'm ever coming home". Now, Boyce and Hart were songwriters first and foremost, and as producers they were quite hands-off and would let the musicians shape the arrangements. They knew they wanted a guitar riff in the style of the Beatles' recent singles, and Louie Shelton came up with one based around the G7 chord that forms the basis of the song, starting with an octave leap: Shelton's riff became the hook that drove the record, and engineer Dave Hassinger added the final touch, manually raising the volume on the hi-hat mic for a fraction of a second every bar, creating a drum sound like a hissing steam brake: [Excerpt: The Monkees, "Last Train to Clarksville"] Now all that was needed was to get the lead vocals down. But Micky Dolenz was tired, and hungry, and overworked -- both Dolenz and Jones in their separate autobiographies talk about how it was normal for them to only get three hours' sleep a night between working twelve hour days filming the series, three-hour recording sessions, and publicity commitments. He got the verses down fine, but he just couldn't sing the middle eight. Boyce and Hart had written a complicated, multisyllabic, patter bridge, and he just couldn't get his tongue around that many syllables when he was that tired. He eventually asked if he could just sing "do do do" instead of the words, and the producers agreed. Surprisingly, it worked: [Excerpt: The Monkees, "Last Train to Clarksville"] "Last Train to Clarksville" was released in advance of the TV series, on a new label, Colgems, set up especially for the Monkees to replace Colpix, with a better distribution deal, and it went to number one. The TV show started out with mediocre ratings, but soon that too became a hit. And so did the first album released from the TV series. And that album was where some of the problems really started. The album itself was fine -- ten tracks produced by Boyce and Hart with the Candy Store Prophets playing and either Micky or Davy singing, mostly songs Boyce and Hart wrote, with a couple of numbers by Goffin and King and other Kirshner staff songwriters, plus two songs produced by Nesmith with the Wrecking Crew, and with token participation from Tork and Dolenz. The problem was the back cover, which gave little potted descriptions of each of them, with their height, eye colour, and so on. And under three of them it said "plays guitar and sings", while under Dolenz it said "plays drums and sings". Now this was technically accurate -- they all did play those instruments. They just didn't play them on the record, which was clearly the impression the cover was intended to give. Nesmith in particular was incandescent. He believed that people watching the TV show understood that the group weren't really performing that music, any more than Adam West was really fighting crime or William Shatner travelling through space. But crediting them on the record was, he felt, crossing a line into something close to con artistry. To make matters worse, success was bringing more people trying to have a say. Where before, the Monkees had been an irrelevance, left to a couple of B-list producer-songwriters on the West Coast, now they were a guaranteed hit factory, and every songwriter working for Kirshner wanted to write and produce for them -- which made sense because of the sheer quantity of material they needed for the TV show, but it made for a bigger, less democratic, organisation -- one in which Kirshner was suddenly in far more control. Suddenly as well as Boyce and Hart with the Candy Store Prophets and Nesmith with the Wrecking Crew, both of whom had been operating without much oversight from Kirshner, there were a bunch of tracks being cut on the East Coast by songwriting and production teams like Goffin and King, and Neil Sedaka and Carole Bayer. On the second Monkees album, released only a few months after the first, there were nine producers credited -- as well as Boyce, Hart, Jack Keller, and Nesmith, there were now also Goffin, King, Sedaka, Bayer, and Jeff Barry, who as well as cutting tracks on the east coast was also flying over to the West Coast, cutting more tracks with the Wrecking Crew, and producing vocal sessions while there. As well as producing songs he'd written himself, Barry was also supervising songs written by other people. One of those was a new songwriter he'd recently discovered and been co-producing for Bang Records, Neil Diamond, who had just had a big hit of his own with "Cherry Cherry": [Excerpt: Neil Diamond, "Cherry Cherry"] Diamond was signed with Screen Gems, and had written a song which Barry thought would be perfect for the Monkees, an uptempo song called "I'm a Believer", which he'd demoed with the regular Bang musicians -- top East Coast session players like Al Gorgoni, the guitarist who'd played on "The Sound of Silence": [Excerpt: Neil Diamond, "I'm a Believer"] Barry had cut a backing track for the Monkees using those same musicians, including Diamond on acoustic guitar, and brought it over to LA. And that track would indirectly lead to the first big crisis for the group. Barry, unlike Boyce and Hart, was interested in working with the whole group, and played all of them the backing track. Nesmith's reaction was a blunt "I'm a producer too, and that ain't no hit". He liked the song -- he wanted to have a go at producing a track on it himself, as it happened -- but he didn't think the backing track worked. Barry, trying to lighten the mood, joked that it wasn't finished and you needed to imagine it with strings and horns. Unfortunately, Nesmith didn't get that he was joking, and started talking about how that might indeed make a difference -- at which point everyone laughed and Nesmith took it badly -- his relationship with Barry quickly soured. Nesmith was getting increasingly dissatisfied with the way his songs and his productions were being sidelined, and was generally getting unhappy, and Tork was wanting more musical input too. They'd been talking with Rafelson and Schneider, who'd agreed that the group were now good enough on their instruments that they could start recording some tracks by themselves, an idea which Kirshner loathed. But for now they were recording Neil Diamond's song to Jeff Barry's backing track. Given that Nesmith liked the song, and given that he had some slight vocal resemblance to Diamond, the group suggested that Nesmith be given the lead vocal, and Kirshner and Barry agreed, although Kirshner at least apparently always intended for Dolenz to sing lead, and was just trying to pacify Nesmith. In the studio, Kirshner kept criticising Nesmith's vocal, and telling him he was doing it wrong, until eventually he stormed out, and Kirshner got what he wanted -- another Monkees hit with Micky Dolenz on lead, though this time it did at least have Jones and Tork on backing vocals: [Excerpt: The Monkees, "I'm a Believer"] That was released on November 23rd, 1966, as their second single, and became their second number one. And in January 1967, the group's second album, More of the Monkees, was released. That too went to number one. There was only one problem. The group weren't even told about the album coming out beforehand -- they had to buy their own copies from a record shop to even see what tracks were on it. Nesmith had his two tracks, but even Boyce and Hart were only given two, with the rest of the album being made up of tracks from the Brill Building songwriters Kirshner preferred. Lots of great Nesmith and Boyce and Hart tracks were left off the album in favour of some astonishingly weak material, including the two worst tracks the group ever recorded, "The Day We Fall in Love" and "Laugh", and a novelty song they found embarrassing, "Your Auntie Grizelda", included to give Tork a vocal spot. Nesmith called it "probably the worst album in the history of the world", though in truth seven of the twelve tracks are really very strong, though some of the other material is pretty poor. The group were also annoyed by the packaging. The liner notes were by Don Kirshner, and read to the group at least like a celebration of Kirshner himself as the one person responsible for everything on the record. Even the photo was an embarrassment -- the group had taken a series of photos in clothes from the department store J. C. Penney as part of an advertising campaign, and the group thought the clothes were ridiculous, but one of those photos was the one chosen for the cover. Nesmith and Tork made a decision, which the other two agreed to with varying degrees of willingness. They'd been fine miming to other people's records when it was clearly just for a TV show. But if they were being promoted as a real band, and having to go on tour promoting albums credited to them, they were going to *be* a real band, and take some responsibility for the music that was being put out in their name.  With the support of Rafelson and Schneider, they started making preparations to do just that. But Don Kirshner had other ideas, and told them so in no uncertain terms. As far as he was concerned, they were a bunch of ungrateful, spoiled, kids who were very happy cashing the ridiculously large cheques they were getting, but now wanted to kill the goose that laid the golden egg. They were going to keep doing what they were told. Things came to a head in a business meeting in January 1967, when Nesmith gave an ultimatum. Either the group got to start playing on their own records, or he was quitting. Herb Moelis, Kirshner's lawyer, told Nesmith that he should read his contract more carefully, at which point Nesmith got up, punched a hole in the wall of the hotel suite they were in, and told Moelis "That could have been your face". So as 1967 began, the group were at a turning point. Would they be able to cut the puppet strings, or would they have to keep living a lie? We'll find out in a few weeks' time...

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