Film Reviews 4U: The Professionals TV Series

 

Film Reviews 4U: The Professionals TV Series

The Professionals:

Another hit series from the great Brian Clemens

Those of you around in the 1970's or who are interested in classic television will know who Brian Clemens and the Professionals were.

With the popular ITV Crime series the Sweeney coming to an end in 1978, ITV were looking for another fictional hit series to fill the slot. Cue Writer and Creator of the ABC Avengers and ITV "Thriller" Series Brian Clemens, who was asked to come up with a production to fill the television void that would be left by the Sweeney. Clemens had a string of hits in film and television to his name and could be relied upon for a quality product.

Whilst fictional Police dramas had filled the screens for many years since television became widespread in the 1950's, there was also a niche for programs featuring the unorthodox worlds of private investigation and espionage work. Series like Danger man, The Strange report and the Prisoner fell into that bracket.

The Avengers a series that Brian Clemens produced and also wrote for leading to the 1975 re-boot of the series as The New Avengers, perhaps brought Clemens into view as the writer for the Professionals. 

With the Avengers, Clemens had left the production late on, but was brought back in to rewrite some episodes to finish the last series. A situation he would later see in the Professionals and had also done earlier in 'Thriller'.

Rather than create another clone of the Sweeney for ITV to counter the BBC's Z Cars, it was decided to go 'underground' for ITV's next venture. Something the BBC would come back with as a counter to the Professionals was in the 'Target' series starring Patrick Mower, although that only lasted for one series. 

Target was of some merit, but lacked the triumvirate of the leading roles as the Professionals had. Its place was taken by Shoestring and later by Bergerac, which hit its stride as the Professionals bowed out.

Martin Shaw as Doyle with Lewis Collins as Bodie

Forming the Professionals

Martin Shaw was lined up for one of the lead roles with Anthony Andrews a friend of Shaw, slated to be the other male lead actor. Gordon Jackson, fresh off the role of Hudson the Butler in the popular ITV drama 'Upstairs Downstairs' took the role of George Cowley, who headed the fictional 'CI5' organisation that provided the hub idea Clemens originated for the program.

'CI5' were envisaged as an armed version of MI5, however it might be more accurate to compare CI5 to the some of the work of the real undercover SAS 14th Intelligence Company unit, in some ways as a yardstick. Also known as 'The DET' the 14th was a highly secret unit that works undercover inside the UK area.

The back story for the Professionals had Martin Shaw as Ray Doyle an ex Metropolitan Police Officer, Lewis Collins as William Bodie, ex Paratrooper and SAS Solider and Gordon Jackson as George Cowley, the former Army Major and then later mover and shaker in the Security Services, where he was approached to form CI5.

Cowley was an unorthodox operator who did not always care whose toes he trod on to get the job done and this added a good edge to the series. Gordon Jackson had enjoyed a varied film and television career and was in the film the Ipcress File with Michael Caine. 

Brian Clemens had seen Martin Shaw and Lewis Collins appear in an episode of the New Avengers where they had not bonded as actors on the set, although sharing a connected role. This was the reason that Clemens gave the role to Lewis Collins, rather than use Anthony Andrews. 

Clemens saw the friction between the actors as a thread to play on through the series.  

Although Martin Shaw has said that later he and Lewis Collins became friends, they kept the slight antagonism going as a theme throughout some of the series episodes. Perhaps it only existed on that Avengers episode. Actually, this casting made the series really work in that respect, and worked better than if the relationship had been too 'chummy' between Anthony Andrews and Shaw.

In the ITV series Special Branch, the lead roles were initially antagonistic but then blended together and worked well although the lead characters changed around. The fact that Bodie and Doyle in the series often relied on each other to be in the right place at the right time for each other was another key part, which Clemens crafted brilliantly. The continuity of Bodie and Doyle from day one to the end also made the series work well.

At the time of production of the Professionals series, plenty of the 'unseen' people of the intelligence service and those in the civil service and government had served in WW2 with the forces, people like Airey Neave, Willie Whitelaw, Jim Callaghan, Peter Carrington, Dennis Healey and others -  the 'old guard' was now engaged in a new war against the IRA, foreign terrorists and also those inside Britain looking to cause disruption such as student anarchists.

The heart of CI5 - Doyle, Cowley and Bodie

Brian Clemens - Writer and Producer

Brian Clemens had initially built the concept and written some of the Professionals episodes and then put out other themes and storylines for episodes to other writers, once the initial cloth of the series had been woven to establish the style of the series.

Clearly, Clemens knew what he was trying to achieve with his idea and then rewrote some of the submitted and farmed out scripts produced for ITV by the guest writers to bring them more into line with his vision.

We see famous writer's names from other productions crop up in the credits such as Ranald Graham and Ted Childs both veterans of the Sweeney series, amongst others cropping up as episode authors as well as Tony Barwick (UFO), Paul Wheeler (Bergerac), Dennis Spooner (Bergerac) and Gerry O'Hara to mention but a few.

A 1970's time capsule in one picture!

In production

Like The Sweeney, the Professionals came in for criticism for the violence used in it (often from campaigner Mary Whitehouse). Although fairly tame by today's standards, the action reflects the world that these characters would have operated in in real life, the driving scenes were sometimes a bit wild, to put it mildly.

The Professionals centred mainly on Bodie, Doyle and Cowley, with a few 'colleague' characters like Murphy that reoccur throughout the programs. With program themes ranging from close protection, surveillance, finding those who want to remain unfound and preventing crimes, or detecting crimes the series episodes kept the three very busy over the three years of production.

Famous guest actors

Like the Sweeney and Fawlty Towers, many successful actors of the day wanted to get a part in an episode, the Professionals was no different, some familiar faces of the day included: Pamela Stephenson (Hazel, Not the nine o'clock News), Trevor Adams (Reginald Perrin), Geoffrey Palmer, Del Henney, Carol Royle (Hi-de-Hi, Bergerac), Art Malik (Bergerac, Jewel in the Crown), Derek Francis (Heartbeat), Nick Brimble (Sweeney), Tony Caunter (Sweeney, Eastenders), Arthur Treacher (Sweeney, Eastenders), Keith Barron (Duty Free, Take me Home), David Suchet (Poirot), Roger Lloyd Pack (Only fools and Horses, Morse) Maurice Denham (Edgar Wallce mysteries), Michael Kitchen (Foyle's War, Morse), Larry Lamb (Triangle), Michael Coles (Edgar Wallace Mysteries, The Sweeney), Stanley Meadows (Victim, Edgar Wallace Mysteries), Morris Perry (Special Branch, The Sweeney) and many others.

The Bodie and Doyle Ford Capris

The cars also stars

Like the Sweeney, the cars in the series featured heavily, with Doyle first driving a Ford Escort RS2000, Bodie had a V6 3 Litre Ford Capri and Cowley a 2.8 Granada, later Bodie graduated to a Gold Ford Capri S. 

Sundry other stock 'Euston films' type Fords turn up, a couple of 'coke Bottle' Mk3 Cortinas in Blue and White (likely off the Sweeney roster along with an apple green Escort 1.3 can be seen in the episodes.

It is quite fun to spot the then current vehicles of the era, most of which are now memories and very few preserved for today's classic vehicle operators to enjoy. The street scenes are fun to look at for those old makes and models long gone to a rusty valhalla.

Often very run down parts of London were used for the filming locations, many now long redeveloped, we see old factory units and industrial units now likely long gone, so it is interesting to see old London as it was.

There was no shortage of lairy driving!

The cars though have survived!

The episodes themes

The premise of the series was that CI5 took the jobs outside of the remit of MI5 or the Police. They often acted on the instructions of the government or from MI5. The episodes are well written and varied. They, like much classic television of the time do stand up well even though now half a century old.

After the series ended Martin Shaw felt that the series had limited him professionally in what he was offered, this can often happen when you are in a successful series, it can be a double edged sword, although Lewis Collins seemed well enough at home in the film 'Who dares Wins' in 1982 which was very good and was made after the Professionals series ended.

Martin Shaw was later cast in the Inspector Dalgleish series taking over from Roy Marsden and later played the lead in the George Gently television series, which was successful.

Whilst a famous series can result in typecasting, it is often a price that actors pay, John Nettles who liked to work in Shakespeare had success in Bergerac, later for many years in Midsomer Murders, Mark Williams a fellow Shakespearean actor found great success with the Fast Show comedy series, but later also found success in the Father Brown series, whilst success can be a double edge sword for some actors, it can lead to other great things.

Often those chance role offers can lead to many other avenues opening up.

Lewis Collins did want to get into the real life SAS but it was felt that his face was too well known, he later went to America where he enjoyed success.

Doyle's Ford Escort RS2000

Rare then, commanding high prices on the classic car market now

The series in retrospect

Looking back half a century on at the Professionals, if you grew up in the 1970's you'll see a lot that you recognise like Skol Lager, the fashions, the 1970's! how different things were and looked then. I suppose it is a nostalgic retrospective exercise to review this series but it does show how much things have changed.

The remastered DVD complete Series is available on Amazon as a box set. This is well worth a watch!

The film restoration is great, the colours are good and the whole production is really good. It is of its time, this is how it was and it is a world long gone but for which we sometimes yearn for.

Guitar Reviews 4U - Brian Jones - Out of time

Brian Jones in 1965

Guitar Reviews 4U Why Brian Jones was 'out of time' by 1965

Brian Jones in Cheltenham had a dream of creating a British Blues Band playing the music in that style. He was not alone, in Home Counties Ripley, Surrey, Eric Clapton was doing the same. In Kingston Surrey, Keith Relf and Jeff Beck were into that music and in Dartford, Kent Keith Richards and Mick Jagger were likewise following that star.

Cliff Richard and the Shadows c. 1961

with Hank Marvin on the right with Stratocaster 

By this time they had made films and were London Palladium top billing

The British music scene since the mid 1950's had been dominated by American artists with Rock n Roll, a music that like fashions changed quickly. By 1960, the last knockings of the original American RnR performers were still performing, but were being overtaken by smoother crooners and an emerging Detroit sound which would spawn the Motown sound.

The Crawdaddy Club, 1 Kew Road Richmond -

where the Rolling Stones had a residency

Britain had not been slow to copy the new music from the other side of the Atlantic, even that as we have seen was not immune to fashionable change. Cliff Richard and the Shadows it would be fair to say had a dominance on the British music scene from 1959-63.

Cliff Richard imported a Fiesta Red Fender Stratocaster for Shadows guitarist Hank Marvin in 1959, a guitar that would change British popular music history and Marvin's playing and this guitar would influence thousands of bedroom guitarists - some of whom would later find fame, Jeff Lynne, Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, Pete Townshend, Brian May, Mark Knopfler and countless others who never made it past the youth club or pub rock scene.

A very young Rolling Stones in 1963

Brian Jones at right with his Gretsch 6118 2 tone Anniversary guitar

By 1960 there was no shortage of bands in the mould of Cliff and the Shadows, but that did not stop some young players of the time delving back further into the roots of the 1950's RnR to the Blues aspect of that music, just as there had been a 'jazz revival' in Britain at the time in the late 1950's as a counter rock and roll music.

In his Ripley, Surrey back garden, Eric Clapton would endlessly pick at an acoustic guitar, leading to his Kingston Art School studies giving way to a full time music career, fellow Kingston students Keith Relf and Chris Dreyja would also find fame with Clapton in the Yardbirds, before Clapton left to pursue a more authentic Blues vehicle with John Mayall.

The Yardbirds soon adopted a more commercial sound with hit songs from Graham Gouldman who also wrote for the Hollies and later his own band 10cc.

On a Kent railway platform back around the start of the 60's Mick Jagger saw Keith Richards holding a Blues vinyl LP a meeting of minds and people that ignited a musical flame. 

1965 - 'This can be the last time performance'

Brian Jones with the iconic Vox 'teardrop' guitar

A music paper advert by Brian Jones in 1962 sowed the seed for the young Jagger and Richards living an almost hand to mouth existence in bohemian Edith Grove Chelsea to audition for Jones. A spot at the Ealing Jazz club run by Alexis Korner and Cyril Davies followed and the band that Brian Jones started upa while previously had sifted out players and the Jagger and Richards compound made the formula complete.

Brian Jones in a telephone box on a call to a venue organiser was asked what his band was called, Jones had a copy of the Muddy Walters LP 'Rolling Stone' in his hand and looked at the coer and announced 'The Rolling Stones.' And so a band was born.

The 'British Invasion' pop bands had yet to hit America but this crop of bands that was growing underground in Britain very much located in the south of the country - the Home Counties and London. Motown music would soon hit the UK around 1964 with the establishment of the Mod scene as London became more modernised after WW2.

The Beatles now back from Hamburg in 1962, displaced thanks to the Cliff Richard and the Shadows mania, now in 1963 were starting to make a name for themselves. The future 'invasion bands' of the Yardbirds (with a soon to depart Clapton, replaced by Jeff Beck), The Kinks (Muswell Hill), The Who (Acton based), The Animals (Newcastle based) and the Stones Chelsea) came to the fore in 1963 to 1965.

Although Cliff Richard and many of the popular entertainers of the era managed to stay working, a new vanguard of popular music was hitting the airwaves, with Merseybeat and London sound and other movements such as ska taking the place of the old guard.

The early Rolling Stones chart output was initially confined to cover versions of Chuck Berry and Buddy Holly songs, the Beatles who had been doing some BBC Studio sessions in London, came down to Richmond to see the Rolling Stones play and offered them a song they had written - 'I wanna be your man.' 

Although this song was 'Bluesed' up by Brian Jones playing slide guitar on it, it was essentially a pop song and outside of the 12 bar 3 chord Blues structure. It was from this point that Brian Jones and his brief and dream of a 'pure blues band' died.

Spurred on by the gift of the Beatles song, Keith and Mick started writing songs together and Brian was effectively displaced in the Rolling Stones as leader. He was no longer the driver of the car. Just another of the riding mechanics. 

But Jones was not alone in this position, Eric Clapton too decided to seek purism, outside of the Yardbirds.

We must not write off Brian Jones though, because from the early times of the band, Brian was a very gifted multi-instrumentalist - a fact that drove the Beatles on to constantly reinvent their music to remain commercially relevant.

Brian's formal musical education when most pop players were academically untrained in music, was a rarity. Brian also had that natural ability that allowed him to pick up an unfamiliar instrument and to quickly get something sonically useful out of it that would go onto a recording.

The management of the Rolling Stones saw Jagger and Richards as now the front and centre of the group, Brian's pure Blues band dream had been dashed and even the Blues enthusiast Eric Clapton found his dream of a blues band faded, he joined Cream. (The 'pure Blues' that those players wanted wasn't really realistic for these men, although in America, the old surviving Blues players suddenly found new interest in their music thanks to the British Invasion.)

And although a few of Cream's tracks were based on the 12 bar 3 chord blues, 'Sunshine of your love' and 'Cross roads' - the other tracks were often musical odysseys pushed forward by musicologist Jack Bruce's contributions to poet Pete Brown's often slightly surreal lyrics.

The only place for Brian and Eric's pure Blues would be in the 'revival' of the Blues by the players like Muddy Waters, Howling Wolf and John Lee Hooker as examples who had come back into musical fashion. However, we are deviating slightly here.

The Rolling Stones group's success was in part, besides Brian's vision that provided the catalyst that brought those 5 players together in 1962, was his ability to put Saxophone, Clarinet, Bass Pedals, Sitar, Harmonica, Vibes, Marimba, Piano and Hammond Organ onto the bones of the Jagger and Richards words and music and on the studio recordings.

By 1965, Brian Jones was like the Jagger and Richards song - and was literally 'Out of time'. Not because he was musically irrelevant but the band he had started had moved on and away from his original vision and musical brief. Brian's musical contribution to the songs doesn't always get the credit it deserves, sadly.

The Rolling Stones still performs many of those early songs that Brian helped to make iconic.

Perhaps their finest hour was with 'This can be the last time, the Riff was Brian's and they just looked at the height of their powers on this song. It has to be one of the greatest songs ever written and for the energy and the performances of it by the Stones we have on film.

As Keith Richards said 'you always remember the riff'.

We should also remember - No Brian Jones, no Rolling Stones.

Guitar Reviews 4U - 12 Gretsch Guitars of Gretschmas

Guitar Reviews 4U - The 12 Gretsch Guitars of Gretschmas!

The 12 Guitars of Gretschmas!

Hoping you all have a great time and like my reviews - 

Today we have assembled the 12 Gretsch Guitars at home from Left to Right -

1. 6120 Brian Setzer Lime Gold Hot Rod  2. 5420T 2 Tone Green 'Anniversary'

3. 6120AM 4. 5420T Fairlane Blue. 5. 6120 Azure Blue. 5. 6120DC 5. 6120TM

8. 6120 Brian Setzer Blueburst. 9. 6120 Brian Setzer Coolant Green Sparkle.

10. 6118T 140th Anniversary. 11. Rancher Acoustic. 12. 6120 Duane Eddy

Have yourselves a Merry little Gretschmas!

 

Guitar Reviews 4U The Vox ADIO Desktop Amplifier

 

Guitar Reviews 4U - the Vox ADIO Desktop Amplifier

Compact and stylish - the VOX ADIO unit

If you are looking for a compact guitar interface for recording on a computer and playing along to backing tracks, there's a few on the market. In 2024 I purchased a BOSS Dual Cube LX 10W 2 Speaker unit which also has a 'Flat' channel that can be used for MP3 players.

The Boss Dual Cube LX 10W

Recently I saw a VOX ADIO secondhand for sale and decided to take a look. It is still a current VOX product at the time of review and is on Amazon UK for £269, and on Vox's site for £229.

The ADIO Top Panel - a simple interface with easy to use controls

The Boss Dual Cube is a good unit but has no Guitar Tuner or Patch storage in Banks, both features that are on my VOX Tonelab units and on the VT40+ Amplifier I use. 

The ADIO looks like a radio which is perhaps part of the appeal, with styling that harks back to the early AC VOX amplifiers or around 1960. It is a stylish and compact unit.

On the top panel are the main controls, there are a 11 Amplifier models which can be used in 3 modes each, with preloaded patches - these can be used in a Manual mode or by pressing the bank patch button, can be edited.

The rear Panel view showing connections

You can have 8 editable patches to hand on the Bank mode section, although there is no footswitch to change them, they have to be done by hand.

There are two FX banks controlled by Rotary Dials, one is modulation based and the second for Reverb and Delay. These are quite basic effects but usable. By using the USB connection to a computer or by Bluetooth to a Phone, the JAM VOX App allows more FX patches to be run.

If you are using the ADIO as a guitar interface to a computer you are likely to have onboard FX patches on the computer you can use as well or instead of the unit's own onboard patches.

Saving patches is easy - you just adjust the controls to taste and then hold the patch button down whilst the LED light flashes a couple of times and then release. If you've used these VOX type units before it will be familiar.

A 'Wide' button allows a 'stereo wide' effect to be applied to the audio.

Bluetooth your Phone to the ADIO

There are two internal 8 Ohm speakers although rated at 50 Watts collectively it is doubtful that the output is that loud! 

On the rear panel are the power in socket (connecting to the supplied adapter), USB and Bluetooth connections and a rear battery compartment for AA Batteries, allowing you to use the ADIO as a portable amplifier or Bluetooth MP3 Amplifier via your Phone.

A Bass version is also available - behind the ADIO in this image

There is an internal 'scoop' handle for carrying and the unit is fairly light, made of an injection moulded ABS type material with nicely rounded corners.

In use the ADIO is easy to operate and although the owner's manual is a bit minimal (and downloadable if you need it) the instructions are easy to follow.

Compared to the BOSS, the VOX has more functionality with the extra patches facility, the Boss is limited to 3 per amplifier setting on the Main rotary control (as the VOX also has in Manual mode) - the Vox also has the 8 Manual set patches too.

Sonically the VOX sounds good, although the Amplifier range is limited to 11 types, I really only use the cleaner sounding ones like the AC30 or the US 2x12 (Reverb clone of the Fender Twin) models.

The ADIO is simple to connect to a Computer via USB

There are a set of higher gain models from the 'Texas Lead' to a 'Dual Rectifier' on the dial too, these aren't really patches I would use for the music style I play.

Playing a guitar connected to the unit is useful for songwriting or for performance, although the unit isn't designed for loud playing. The volume is quite adequate for room or studio use where you're playing in a situation that doesn't compete with other loud instruments.

Although the Vox has volume limitations, it is useful for what it does. For me it is useful to use with the BOSS, the BOSS can take an Ipod audio input and via the 'Flat' setting on the BOSS Amplifier setting mode which allows use of the pure signal as sent.

I use the ADIO as the Guitar Amplifier, likely using one of the saved Patches to play along to MP3 tracks.

I have set my ADIO up with 4 patches based on the Fender 2x12 Amplifier with clean settings on those. The other 4 I use for VOX AC30 clean patches.

In closing, the ADIO is a good unit for what I need it to do.

Film & TV Reviews 4U - The Edgar Wallace Mysteries

 

Film & TV Reviews 4U - The Edgar Wallace Mysteries

The Edgar Wallace Mysteries were made for television from 1959-65 as one hour programs. The early films were produced by Independent Artists and the later by Merton Park film studios.

The theme tune by Michael Carr started the programs and there were around four versions of the main theme over the time of the productions. The early version is orchestral and quite 'mysterioso' in style, the later version was more upbeat and modern sounding with a guitar lead reflecting the popularity of guitar instrumental music.

It was recorded as a chart single in 1960 by the Shadows, Cliff Richard's backing group who had a No.1 hit with the track. The Shadows were the most successful guitar instrumental band in the 1960's and beyond.

The No.1 Hit by the Shadows - the Sheet Music

A number of composers were brought in to provide background incidental music, one being Ron Goodwin, who would find fame later in the decade with this film scores.

The Shadows in 1960

Behind the camera the episodes were crafted by a range of names that would come to the fore later in the 'golden age' of television, writers like Gerald Glaister who wrote the Secret Army and Kessler series, Robert Tronson who would go on to direct episodes in the Bergerac TV series and the episode credits read like a foretelling of future fame and fortune.

Lobby Card from the 'Flat 2' Episode

The Edgar Wallace episodes featured many actors who would later go on to greater things, there are also some quite spooky connections to, with actors who would later appear together in the future or be directed by people in the Edgar Wallace episodes they would later work with on other productions.

John Thaw, later to appear in the Sweeney worked with Brian Mc Dermott and Lee Montague in an episode 'five to 1' - Brian Mc Dermott played Ken Agar in a Sweeney episode, Lee Montague played Kibber in a Sweeney episode and also in 'Regan', the pilot episode that was the test film for the Sweeney as part of the 'Armchair Theatre' type films for television.

Garfield Morgan also appears in one episode, later to play Frank Haskins in the Sweeney, Michael Robbins and John Colin, appear together with John Thaw, Michael Coles was another who appeared in the Sweeney series and in the first Sweeney film - all four would cross paths in the Sweeney in later years.

Besides the episodes filmed, a number of 'fillers' episodes were made to be used to package the films for sale outside of the UK. In the DVD Box set the fillers were also included as extras on disc 3 in each DVD case.

Besides the obvious connector actors, the casts often featured many 'B movie' actors of the time and people who would populate television for the next twenty or thirty years, John Le Mesurier who would appear in many productions, most famous in Dad's army as an example who appeared in one episode.

Many character actors would also appear in the episodes who would go onto appear in television for the next twenty years such as Wilfred Bramble, Peter Barkworth and Maurice Denham.

The acting is good, the scripts are tightly written and the action is pacy. The old street scenes and backdrops of a world now long in the past are worth a look at, some of the locations lost to redevelopment, the old vehicles now only driven by enthusiasts, aeroplanes and trains lost to progress and a way of life to look back on.

Many of the locations are quite easy to spot, even later on, some like a boat yard that was used in the 70's in the Professionals series in one scene. Chobham was used in one episode with the Common in one episode and a house off the road that runs near to the village in the same episode.

Watch out for the cars too in the episodes and some frequently appear in more than one episode, a 1961 E Type Jaguar fresh out of the showroom appears in a couple of episodes, a Sunbeam Alpine crops up in at least three episodes, a Triumph Herald, a Citroen DS , A Bentley, Humber Estate and an Austin A60 Cambridge - just for a few cars for you to look out for if you have the box set of episodes.

The black and white film used on these episodes makes them atmospheric and they have that old 'B movie noir' quality. With AI, it would be interested to see these in converted colour.

Great nostalgia and worth watching for the historical scenes!

In the era, the strong message that 'crime does not pay' was an edict that the script writers had to adhere to and even though until 1965 the crime of murder could be punishable by hanging, it is interesting just how many of the episodes feature loss of life that could have led to the rope. 

However, the episodes are fictional, but nonetheless features some great writing and ideas, with some interesting plots.

Merton Park Studios was just one of a small number of studios making these productions, Butchers Films and Lion Films were other companies. 

Music Reviews 4U - Cool for Cats by Squeeze

 

Music Reviews 4U - Cool for Cats by Squeeze

The Iconic single Cool for Cats by Squeeze

Recorded in 1978 and launched onto the UK pop charts in March 1979, this second chart single from Squeeze hit the No.2 chart position and was certainly good enough to have been the chart topper at the No1 slot.

Chris Difford has a rare outing on lead vocals and the 'cool for cats' spelt out in musical notes sounds provides a nice little leitmotif, as Jools Holland might say.

The Cool for Cats era lineup features Harri Kakouli on Bass

The song is a bit of Pub Rocker in the sound that comes off the record and it reflects the area it was written in or about - that was Deptford, South East London. The song featured on the '45's and Under' compilation album which I've reviewed earlier and it is one of their songs which are personal favourites of mine.

The song has great musicality and even played on the radio all these years later it sounds great and takes you back to the Top of the Pops video with the 'dancing girls' as everyone remembers in the song.

The song verses seem to follow small themes or vignettes, variously centred around old cowboy films, the Flying Squad, pubs and casual sex. In a nutshell. 

The song title Cool for Cats references a music show for the young which was aired in the mid 1950's until 1961 and hosted by Kent Walton, a middle aged sports commentator who found his greatest fame perhaps in hosting the ITV World of Sport Wrestling slot on a Saturday afternoon. 

Still from Summer Holiday 1963 with Cliff Richard

singing the hit Bachelor Boy, somewhat ironically as he never married

Una Stubbs appeared in this film which provides a thread to Glenn Tilbrook

There's a connection of sorts here to the Cool for Cats show in that Glenn Tilbrook was taken to see the film Summer Holiday featuring Cliff Richard and the Shadows in 1963, when they were at the height of their fame - Tilbrook from seeing the instrumental band the Shadows play on the film, was thus inspired to learn the guitar.

Una Stubbs an actress in the Summer Holiday film, was one of the dancers on the Cool for Cats program, who suggested Cliff Richard for the part in the Summer Holiday film, which gives a great set of connections and coincidences linking the program to the song!

'The dancing girls' who appeared on Squeeze's  

Top of the Pops performance of the hit song

Verse one references Davy Crockett,  with 1950's Westerns, popular in cinemas at the time Difford and Tilbrook were young kids in the late 1950's and cinemas often put on cheap ticket Saturday morning screenings for children. Usually on the bill were cartoons and American 1950's Westerns, Davy Crockett was a popular Western made in the 1950's.

Dennis Waterman and John Thaw as Carter and Regan

in the iconic ITV 'The Sweeney' series running from 1974-78

Verse two references the Metropolitan Police's Flying Squad known as 'the Sweeney' rhyming slang for Sweeney Todd, Flying Squad. The Sweeney specialise in going after armed robbers or 'Blaggers' as they are known in the trade. South London was somewhat awash with Blaggers.

The lyrics of verse 2 with the line 'in and out of Wandsworth with the numbers on their names' are a reference to the frequency of the Blaggers being in and out of the South London Wandsworth prison on remand for their 'jobs', the 'numbers' being the offences they were nicked for, usually armed robbery and the like. So now you know.

(Dennis Waterman who was in the Sweeney was also in a film called 'Up the Junction' in 1966 which was also one of the song titles on the '45's and Under' Squeeze album.)

The reference to 'a couple of likely lads that swear like how's your father' is real London lingo, 'how's your Father' being a slang term for fornication, more succinctly an oblique reference to a short four letter word describing sex beginning with 'F'. So 'swearing like f---k' has perhaps been sanitised for the lyrics and the line quoted in the song actually works nicely.

Singles bars and pubs were often used to pickup 

people for casual sex - before AIDS came on the scene

Verse 3 documents the efforts of a single young man 'posing down the pub' - looking smartly dressed and available, hoping to pickup a woman for casual sex. The world then was different and the one night stand on a Saturday night was often the norm for many young people. People openly lived together then, the stigma of this was now mostly long gone.

The line 'all I get is bitter and a nasty little rash' alludes to the young man's results of his endeavours finding a few days after his Saturday night efforts that he has contracted a minor sexually transmitted disease, whether the Bitter beer was lousy or the fact he is bitter in reflection of disappointing sex is open to interpretation.

In late 1985 the AIDS virus transmitted by sex, became well known and was fatal, and a national concern which many now seem to have forgotten but claimed the lives of celebrities like Freddie Mercury and Kenny Everett.

The Disco was a staple of the 1970's and 80's singles scene

after the hit film 'Saturday Night fever' brought the Disco

back into fashion again

Verse 4 finds our hero going a bit more upmarket in his 'conquest for congress' and picking up a young lady in a Disco. The lyrics 'I'm invited in for coffee and I give the dog a bone' has nothing to do with pet dogs and is a euphemism for sex ' giving her a boning , 'inviting in for coffee' was often an invitation for a bit of 'how's your Father' as we found out earlier.

'Giving the dog a bone' was a rather in poor taste by suggesting the 'dog' was a young lady who might not be very good looking but was up for a bit of uncomplicated sex, the bone was a male member and you can guess the rest.

'Seeing her later and giving her some old chat' was a throwaway 'thank you and goodnight' which the young shagger would say as a parting message and likely never see the woman again.

If you've ever seen pub rock bands in the 70's and 80's then this song is just like watching one of those bands at the time, it certainly brings back memories for me when I hear the song, having been around in the 80's as a teenager and in a band ironically with some old school friends that had since managed to escape the education system at 16 and played in a London pub in Richmond.

The song is cleverly potted and packaged nostalgia for London Boozers (Pubs), uncomplicated sex and when the Ford Capri was commonplace on the streets, often driven by a young chancer looking for a bit of easy 'how's your father.' Happy days.