So to start with, may I introduce a pal of longstanding (I feel a comedic opportunity may have been missed here) Ian:
First ever gift record:
Little Children (Billy J Kramer)
First single with your own money:
Meet Me On the Corner (Lindisfarne)
First LP with your own money:
The Frost Report on Britain (David Frost)
Favourite top three singles ever:
Join Together (The Who)
The Air That I Breathe (The Hollies)
Without You (Nilsson)
Favourite top three LPs ever:
Beat of the Street (The Sutherland Brothers)
Rubber Soul (The Beatles)
Night Owl (Gerry Rafferty)
Three LPs that you own that you think nobody else will have ever heard:
The One You Follow (The Genesis)
The Combine Harvester (The Wurzels)
Captain Beaky Volume 2
Favourite top three artists from 'The World of' series:
Klaus Wunderlich (Wunderful covers), Frank Chacksfield, Charlie Kunz. Yes, I know I’m being childish. Ok, being serious:
Eric Clapton
John Mayall
Matt Monro
Favourite top three LP covers:
Sticky Fingers (The Rolling Stones)
On the Threshold of a Dream (The Moody Blues)
'The White Album' (The Beatles)
Favourite record label:
Vertigo
First gig:
The Rolling Stones (Hanley 1964)
Most recent gig:
The Beatles Experience (Harrow Arts Centre)
Favourite gig:
The Who (Empire Pool 1975)
Other gigs that you attended that you consider notable:
Wings (Empire Pool 1976)
Haywood and Lodge (Brunel University 1975)
Santana (Empire Pool 1976)
The Wombles (Empire Pool 1975)
CSN&Y (Wembley Stadium 1975)
Favourite book (fiction):
Anything by Lee Child or James Lee Burke - sorry I can’t be more specific
Favourite book (non-fiction):
Collins Pocket Guide to Insects of Britain and Western Europe closely followed by just about any biography I have ever read (Eric Sykes was particularly good)
Favourite comic when you were a kid:
TV21
Favourite top three films ever:
Shawshank Redemption
The Green Mile
Die Hard
Favourite painter:
Gainsborough
Favourite painting:
Mr and Mrs Andrews
Favourite Hi-Fi ever owned:
Wharfedale Linton system - wish I still had it
This last entry is one of Ian's own - feel free to use it or, indeed, make up your own!
So there you have it! The inaugural Cozooks questionnaire and soon to follow, myself in conversation with Ian on this and, well, quite likely, that, too. And then it will be somebody else's turn.
THE CHAT
So, I have known you for a good few years now, so I shouldn’t be surprised that you ran, rough-shod, all over my nice succinct questionnaire and turned this into a six-page extravaganza, should I?
Anyway, over that time I have known you by many names – these days, I more often than not lump for simply, I. What other names have you been known by and what is your favoured term?
Over the years I have been known as Andy, Paranoid, Lanky, Lanky Streak of P***, E, and more recently, Sequel. The latter because I am the youngest of two Ians in the group of friends who meet regularly. Strangely enough, the other Ian is usually known by his nickname as well (Zimmer, if you must know. 'Why ...' don’t ask) ... 'Oh!') so that anyone meeting us for the first time wouldn’t know that we were called Ian. Confused? Me too.
OK, Bob, so now on to business – what sort of age were you at the time of your first gifted record and who bought it for you.
Little Children: bought for me by my elder brother (probably for the message in the lyrics) when I was 7. Not having my own record player, I had to plead with my brother to get him to play it (it wasn’t a favourite of his).
But was it well received?
No, I can’t say it’s high on my list of favourites, either.
Oh dear! Let’s talk about your faves, then.
I actually bought 2 together. Meet Me on the Corner and Conquistador. They were ex-chart singles, bought from a newsagents in Headstone Lane. If they don’t count, the first full price single I bought was The Air That I Breathe, which I first heard on The Golden Shot, and thought, “Wow, this ain’t bad, gotta have it!” Or words to that effect. The flip side of Meet Me on the Corner, Scotch Mist, was a favourite at the scout hut parties back in ’73.
I was fond of Lindisfarne back in the day, incidentally. I faithfully reproduced the band name logo onto, my school bag, a white Adidas bag, thereby ruining my chances with the ladies in those formative years, that is, if my raging acne hadn’t done for me already! Anyway…
Considering your great interest in music, your first bought LP was a bit of a surprise.
The Frost Report on Britain. Bought from a record shop in my home town (Uttoxeter). Again, it was one from the bargain bin. The first full price music album I bought was Every Good Boy Deserves a Favour by The Moody Blues. I remember being round my mates house and listening to it with the curtains drawn. I must try that again some time, the first track definitely sounds better in the dark.
Of course, I was familiar with the Moodies having got a copy of Seventh Sojourn on the strength of hearing You and Me on the Jimmy Young show when off school with a dodgy ear but I reckon it was your good self who placed them firmly in my consciousness. Still, onwards …
… would The Who’s Join Together have got to the top of your Top Three Singles if not for that quirky intro?
Well, possibly not but the feedback in the middle is awesome. Join Together was the 3rd single I ever bought, and still sounds as good to me now as it did in 1972.
I happen to know that this choice will be popular with a fellow Subber, Tim, but he will have his time under the spotlight later. Still, please continue …
The Air That I Breathe: melancholy with some superb guitar work.
Without You, by Nilsson. No one else should attempt to record this song ever, EVER again. I doubt whether Harry sang as well as he did that day again either. I don’t own this single, as I never found it in the bargain bins. For obvious reasons, I suppose.
Fave LPs: I read a positive review of Beat of the Street in the NME, so rushed out and bought it, early in 1975. I was astounded at how melodic and punchy it was on first playing. Sadly, very few people bought it, so the S B & Q decamped to California and made an inferior (in my opinion) album which, ironically, spawned the hit single, Arms of Mary. They were never the same again.
Incidentally, my brother went to grammar school in Uttoxeter with Ian Sutherland, or ‘Suthy’, as they called him.
Regarding Gerry Rafferty, Night Owl is from his earlier career (‘79ish) and whilst I appreciate this stuff, I have recently been listening to, for example, 1992’s On A Wing and A Prayer. What say you on his later songs?
Night Owl was another album which I got into straight away. I had it on tape, and I remember playing it loudly as I drove along in my green Mini Clubman. Unfortunately, if I went over 30 mph the road noise drowned out all but the loudest bits. My favourite Rafferty song, however, is from the later album (On A Wing and A Prayer). ‘Don’t Give Up On Me’ was clearly written from the heart, and even now, after numerous listens, I can’t sing along to it without my voice wavering. Soppy bugger …
How to choose a Beatles album when I love pretty much everything they did? I think Rubber Soul was a watershed moment for the Fabs and pop music in general. They were developing more complex studio techniques (or G.M. was on their behalf) and were moving away from the She Loves You/I Want to Hold Your Hand type songs. Oh, and George Harrison was starting to show he could write as well.
You got me with all three of your LPs that you expected no-one else would have heard (or at least that’s my story) … anyway, I have now given (Mary McKee and) The Genesis a listen on a popular media player and can report that it is a not unpleasant strumalong LP of Country-tinged Christian tunes. And I think I’ll leave it there – consider the subject exhaustively examined so that others won’t have to.
Ah yes, if you fancy a bit of Matt Monro, nothing else will do, I say …whereas, if you feel like some E. C., John Mayall probably would, eh?
Back in the day, a graffiti artist wrote “Clapton is God”. It has been suggested that the artist in question had intended to write Clapton is good, but ran out of space. While Clapton isn’t quite God, he’s certainly better than good. I mean, I’m good, but no one has ever defaced a toilet wall on my behalf. So far (how do YOU know?). Of course, it is possible that some Herbert, having witnessed a Riff-Raff gig and felt short-changed by our performance, may have shown his frustration by nipping into Debenhams toilet and whipping out his Sharpie, but I think it unlikely.
I saw John Mayall and his Bluesbreakers at the Shepherds Bush Empire 20 odd years ago. Mayall has done almost as much for rock guitarists as Bert Weedon’s Play in a Day.
Matt Monro was, according to Sinatra, “The Man’, so who am I to argue? One of the all-time great singers. He also drove a Routemaster. The complete all-rounder.
(Apparently, Ian did not feel like responding to my potentially spiky comment above)
Fave LP Covers:
I was in Discoveries, Wealdstone, during the school holidays, when I noticed Sticky Fingers, and like many people, I was fascinated by seeing a real zip on an LP cover (little things….). I have never listened to the album, but I believe it contained my favourite Stones song, Brown Sugar. My second favourite Stones song is Little Red Rooster, on that lovely blue Decca label.
My brother bought On the Threshold of a Dream soon after it came out, and although I quite liked some of the songs, it was the cover art by Phil Travers which interested me. I did grow to like the album, which contains some of Mike Pinder’s best work, in my opinion.
The Beatles caught my eye for a different reason. I mean, nothing on the front, apart from the embossed name of the band? Far out, man! Inside was a different matter, of course, with photos, lyrics and stuff. So that’s alright then. The album itself? Would have made a great single album, but too much drug induced experimentation for me to listen to all in one go. I won my copy of this LP at a Beatles night in Circles Disco, South Harrow, in 1975, for knowing the answer to the question: Which album did Michelle appear on?
Cool! So, that’s your choice of recorded music, I.
You’ve SEEN a fine bunch of bands, too. To start with, where is Hanley?
Hanley is near Stoke-on-Trent.
When I was a toddler, our next-door neighbours used to babysit me, and by the time I was 7, I was so much a part of their family that I called them auntie Chris and uncle Sam. Their teenage daughter, Sylvia, and her boyfriend used to take me on picnics in their car, which was always exciting. One day, knowing that I was mad on The Beatles, they promised to take me to see them in Hanley on their upcoming tour. However, when the day arrived, I was told that The Beatles had cancelled and that The Rolling Stones were on instead. I was crestfallen but went along anyway. I remember thinking that Charlie was an odd name for a pop star (not as cool as Ringo) but what a cool looking guitar Brian Jones was playing. It was, of course, his white teardrop axe.
I forgave The Beatles for the cancellation (if that was indeed what happened), but never quite fell in love with The Stones the same way.
After 57 years, I have forgotten how we got to Hanley but it was probably in Sylvia’s boyfriend’s black and white Triumph Herald.
Most recent gig:
As a Beatles fan, I’ve been to see a few tribute bands over the years (I’m almost in one, you could say), so when I saw that The Beatles Experience were appearing at the Harrow Arts Centre, I just had to go. They weren’t bad, although fat, right-handed ‘Paul’ didn’t quite look the part.
Favourite gig:
The Who at the Empire Pool in 1975 was the best, and certainly the loudest, gig I ever attended. They were at their performing peak, with Mad Moon thrashing away in his inimitable style, and Daltrey, hair shining, microphone twirling, singing for all he’s worth. Fantastic!
Notable gigs:
In the mid-seventies I attended lots of events at the Empire Pool and Stadium at Wembley as a part-time steward. The most memorable, if not musically exciting, was The Saturday Scene Pop Awards, 1975, containing such musical maestros as Gary Glitter, Alvin Stardust, The Wombles and The Bay City Rollers. I remember having to man-handle (with the help of others) a hysterical young lady out of the arena because she insisted on climbing over the seats. I still cringe now thinking about it.
Later on, in a rear corridor, I recall seeing a drunken Orinoco, minus fluffy head. One never knows what to say in such moments. “Don’t leave your empties lying around” might have worked, I suppose.
And the conversation moves onto matters of the written stuff.
Favourite Fiction:
I’ve read most of Lee Child’s books. His central character in each one is Jack Reacher, a six-feet five, ex-marine, lone drifter, and the toughest SOB you’ve ever seen.
Another favourite is James Lee Burke, who, although he’s written about several main characters, I love reading his stories about Dave Robicheaux. He’s your typical maverick detective with a heart, as well as being a recovering alcoholic. Lee Burke’s description of America’s Deep South almost evokes the smell of the bayou and the splash of the catfish.
Favourite non-fiction:
Collins Insects of Britain and Western Europe has been a constant companion and bible for 30 years. I regularly dip into it. In fact, only the other day a friend sent me an insect to identify, which, according to the Collins book, was a brown longhorn beetle (Leptura rubra), which is rarely seen in Britain. Stuff like this gets me excited. In a Chris Packham sort of way, you understand.
Well, actually, no, I don’t! Mind you, heaven forbid that I should begin understanding you now!
I also love biographies; Eric Sykes’ “If I Don’t Write It, No One Else Will” being particularly good.
I too have a mountain of biographies on my shelves. I find that most of my would-be heroes let themselves down in my critical eye, in one way or another. Which superstar, apart from Eric Sykes, retains your respect as much at the end of their story as at the start?
Roger Daltrey I reckon. I read his 2018 autobiography, ‘Thanks A Lot Mr Kibblewhite’, and thoroughly enjoyed it, especially as I could find no evidence of it having been ghost-written.
Favourite Painter/Painting:
I had never really considered this question before, except that I prefer my paintings to look like the thing that’s being painted. For this reason, I agree with an ex-colleague of mine who said of Picasso: “I wouldn’t give him the steam off my willy!” Indeed.
VAR had a look at this one but decided to let it … hmmm, I WAS going to say ‘stand’ … HELP!
We have a print of a Gainsborough on our lounge wall (Ah, thanks, I) called ‘Mr and Mrs Andrews’, which, let’s be honest, I wouldn’t have ever noticed but for the title. It so happened that Jane was on a school trip to the National Gallery, as a supervisor, and thought it would be fun to have this picture in our home. Who am I to disagree?
You both look well in it, I must say …
A fine couple of extra question snuck in at the end there. I can’t claim to be an aficionado of the turntable but I invite John (fellow Subber), who may be, to comment on the entry below.
Favourite Hi-Fi System:
Rather like one’s first car, or first love, the first hi-fi is often fondly remembered. In this case, for good reason. In early 1975 I purchased a Wharfedale Linton system, comprising turntable (Garrard I think), amplifier and 30-watt speakers, for the princely sum of £119.00 (I recorded this in my diary which I still have, sadly). To me it sounded heavenly, although I was rarely able to wind it up as my parents only ever went out on Saturday night, it seemed.
I now have a pair of M-Audio BX5a monitors which I use mainly for recording. They’re probably on a par with those Wharfedales, sound wise, but they don’t have the cool teak veneer cabinets.
John chips in:
Answering a question like this is MUCH easier than a music survey! As you know I have a Garrard SP25 and this is probably the turntable that Ian bought in the 1970s. The Linton amps were rebadged Leaks and probably sounded quite good, though the speakers might sound a bit 'old fashioned' today.... but the whole set up would be perfect for listening to WORLD OF... LPs. Warm and cozy, a bit like Val Doonican, The Bachelors... or THE WORLD OF ENGLAND. Best wishes, John
How does John know these things? If you're all good, he might tell us all when his dreaded survey results are in. I sold the Wharfedale system five years later in order to buy an all-in-one music centre (cringe), which of course, I soon regretted. Oh, the impetuosity of youth.
Have You Ever Met a Musician:
Yes! Well there’s those fine Riff-Raff boys …
Seriously, I met George Melly 40 years ago. At the time, I was a member of the Northwick Park Hospital music, arts and drama group (M.A.D.), and one of our members had ‘connections’ and thought it might be possible to get George to play at one of our events.
So it was that on the night that ‘Jazz at NPH’ happened, I was deployed to go and meet George and show him to his dressing room. I still remember opening the door to this small grey cupboard that passed for a dressing room, and seeing a tiny table, upon which sat a glass and a bottle of red wine. “Here we are George”, I said. “Thank you, dear boy”, he replied, looking down his nose at me. I was too awestruck to say much else.
The show itself was great, with Melly being accompanied by John Chilton’s Feetwarmers, although I missed some of it, having been seconded to work behind the bar.
Happy days!
Well. You’ve hinted here and you’ve hinted, not to put too fine a point on it, there, about your involvement with Riff-Raff. Why not tell us all about it and where we can hear your tunes etc. for future publication … and there he was, gone! Gone, that is, to begin the Riff-Raff story. Here is a taster:
The mighty Riff-Raff were formed in 2002, almost by accident … and that’s all we have time for tonight, Basil …
And here, in his own words, is ...
IAN'S STORY
The mighty Riff-Raff were formed in 2002, almost by accident.
At that time, I was a coach and player for Harrow Cricket Club. Towards the end of the 2002 season, the club held a musical evening one Sunday after a match, in the clubhouse. The star of the show was the head coach’s son, who sang and played guitar. As I was sitting next to the head coach, I suggested that we should do this sort of thing on a regular basis. “We’ve tried it but we can’t get people to play for what we can afford”, was the gist of his reply. Immediately, I said that I could get a band together who would perform for beer only. “Would you? That would be great! How soon could you arrange it?”
A sharp pang of panic gripped me at this point, so I said “Give me a couple of weeks to get everyone together and I’ll let you know”.
“OK, but it would be nice to have some live music on President’s Day next month”
“No problem”, I optimistically replied. As I wasn’t actually in a band at this point, I wondered how on earth I was going to fulfil my promise.
I phoned my long-standing guitar sparring partner, John Kempton, who fancied the idea, and then persuaded Rob Kemmenoe, who I’d played with occasionally, to join. Darryl Godfrey, who I’d played with a few times in the band Last Man Standing, agreed to join, playing harmonica. The trouble is, we were guitar heavy, with no keyboards, drummer or bassist, so our early gigs were played to backing tracks until we got ourselves organised.
Our inaugural gig, at Presidents Day, went fairly smoothly, although I recall that most attendees seemed more interested in discussing their cricket averages than to paying us any attention.
Our first big gig was due to be at the Harrow Cricket Club Firework Spectacular, which, we were assured, was always very well attended. On this particular occasion, however, the heavens opened mid-morning, and remained open well into the evening, so that instead of the expected 2,000+ patrons, fewer than 100 braved the conditions to witness a subdued performance by the band. So instead of it being our Candlestick Park moment, it felt more like Candlewick Green, as we had been forced to play indoors instead of on the first team outfield.
After a couple of years, Darryl left the band, having left the country, but we now had a settled line-up, with Derek Lydiat on drums, and Pete Atkins on bass.
We played some interesting gigs; New Year’s Eve at The George, Kingsbury was particularly enjoyable, what with the crowd plying us with drinks and being generally high spirited. St Patricks Day at The Cross, Maple Cross, however, was notable for different reasons. First off, someone threw a golf club through the pub window, showering poor Pete with glass. Then later on, a group of well lubricated Irish ladies, clad in various shades of green, and looking to further their evenings entertainment, decided they didn’t like our set list, and told us so, abusively, whilst we were playing. I can still recall the gist of their argument: “Play some fuc**** Oirish music, it’s Paddy’s Day for fu** sake!” The landlord seemed not to notice our predicament, or if he did, he wasn’t prepared to step in on our behalf. The ladies, sorry, females, left before the end of our set, thankfully. The Cross closed for good soon after that gig, though I’m sure that is entirely coincidental.
Riff-Raff Part 2: The studio years
By the end of the first decade of the 21st century, which is another way of saying 2009, we were becoming disillusioned with gigging; all those screaming fans drowning out the sound of the band….would have been lovely. The problem was, we would speak to agents and managers, who would promise to get back to us with gigs, but rarely did, and too many venues were too tight-fisted to want to pay for live music, which meant that we were continually rehearsing “just in case” we got a gig. When we did get to play, we could never guarantee getting paid. If only we had had the clout of Chuck Berry who (allegedly) always insisted on being paid, in cash, before he would play a note.
One gig we did, in a Neasden pub, for which we didn’t receive payment, absolutely no one turned up to see us. We played the whole gig though, to honour our contract (such as it was), and used the second half of it to practise new songs that we were unsure of. In effect, we used the pub as a practice studio, which softened the blow slightly.
We were told to invoice the management company, which wasn’t the original agreement, but decided to bite the bullet and learn from the experience.
Our only regular gig for the last few years has been “Robfest”, a kind of mini (very mini) Glastonbury, held in Rob’s back garden, at the end of July/early August each year. Like Glasto, there are guest appearances and solo spots, where anyone with a bit of cojones can get up and strut their stuff. As it were.
If you close your eyes, you can almost feel the Somerset mud cloying at your boots as the warm smell of grass drifts up your nostrils. It’s funny what a couple of bottles of London Pride can do to the senses.
A Seedy Idea
In early 2010, someone in the band suggested recording a CD of original music, now that we weren’t spending all that time on the road (I was actually spending at least 2 hours a day on the road driving Enfield and back on behalf of the local authority, but I digress). And so it was that in May 2010 we began work on what was to become “Hands On”, our first CD release.
At the time, Pete Atkins and Derek Lydiatt were still very much a part of the band, and both played a part in the album’s recording.
The album was unleashed onto an unsuspecting world in 2012, to great critical acclaim. At least, it was by the the few people who acclaimed it.
However, by the time we reconvened to begin recording our second album, “Stranger Here, Than Over There”, Derek had left the band, while Peter’s contribution was limited to providing backing vocals on some of the tracks.
A stronger effort than the first one, we thought, so why not do another?
And Then There Were Three
By 2016 we were getting the hang of this recording lark, and we were itching to put another one down on the hard drive. As with the previous albums, the songs were all written by Andrews, Kemmenoe and Kempton. Sadly though, Peter was unable to make the commute from Marlborough for recording sessions, due to other (non-musical) commitments.
The album, “To All Intents” was released in the summer of 2019, but like its predecessors, has yet to trouble the top 100. We love it though, which may count for something as we scroll through the back catalogue in our twilight years.
We have had a couple of
guest musicians record with us over the years: Alan Cutler has played bass on a couple of numbers, while Saxophonist Kevin Tuck played on our recent album. Joel Ogden has also added the odd bits of keyboard here and there, but his main (and invaluable) contribution has been in ‘putting the albums together’; he is responsible for mastering the tracks, and then designing the album covers after we have given him the ideas for them. A talented lad, is Joel.
Our albums are all available on iTunes and Spotify, so why not have a listen? What’s that you say? What kind of music is it? I’m tempted to say it’s great music, but then I would do, wouldn’t I?
We take our inspiration from listening to (among other things) The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Moody Blues, Pink Floyd, Santana, 10cc, Jethro Tull, Lindisfarne and the acid tabs we all take from time to time.
I was only joking about the acid. Though I do like acid drops.
As we speak (well not exactly as we speak, because I’m writing this nonsense as we speak), Riff-Raff are recording a fourth CD. Or we were before Covid 19 struck. We had a meeting recently, where we decided to record at 2 studios (mine and Rob’s), and then stitch the bits together when we are able. You don’t want to be singing in someone’s face and spreading nasty viral bits all over the shop if you can help it.
Having recently moved, my new studio, tentatively called ‘Chilview’, overlooks the beautiful Wendover Woods, which happen to be in the Chilterns. Snappy name, huh? We intend to release Riff-Raff 4 early in 2022, but that all depends on Boris’s road map. If his map is anything like the average satnav, it could be released in Bognor Regis.
Riff-Raff members:
Rob Kemmenoe: Guitar, keyboards, vocals, production.
John Kempton: Guitar, keyboards, vocals.
Ian Andrews: Keyboards, guitar, vocals, sticking his nose into production occasionally.
Joel Ogden: The fifth Beatle, who pulls it all together.
If you’re wondering what happened to the bass and drums, that’s done mainly on keyboards these days, although John prefers the authentic sound of real bass strings.
In the meantime, I hope someone out there feels encouraged to give Riff-Raff a listen. For more information, please visit Rob’s website: rkmusic.co.uk/riff-raff.
... and this is me ... in case anyone is curious about the sound of Riff-Raff and try searching Spotify (not sure about iTunes) may I, in order to reduce the chance of confusion, suggest searching for 'riff-raff' (with or without the hyphen) plus 'stranger' or 'to all' or ' hands'. You see, there are at least three other artists and several podcasts with Riff and Raff in their name. The above searches should each get you one of the albums.
If any other subscribers have a story, probably a music-related one but not necessarily so, tell us it here! In the meantime, have a listen to RR's (2 arse?) albums and tell us which your favourite one is and which are your fave tracks on each.