Steve Thompson

Last night one of the songs we rehearsed was “Paris By Air” which was a hit single for the Tygers of Pan Tang and also on the top 20 album “The Cage”. The signature guitar intro is gone because we’re doing a new arrangement in a different key to work for Lorraine Crosby. Now not many people may know but the song was written originally for a girl – Toni Haliday (Curve). However, that’s another story and there are many stories around that song.

The one I’ll tell you today is this: About a year ago Guido Russo posted a picture on Facebook and said the following:

“I was near Hamburg, Tygers Of Pan Tang were performing their show. I took this picture while the band was playing a beautiful song called Paris By Air. The audience goes crazy but all of a sudden my mind goes to Steve Thompson, the man who wrote this song so many years ago. Many thanks, Steve!”

Now, I happened to be in Hamburg at roughly the same time so I wondered if perhaps I’d been in the same City at the time my song was being performed. I checked my diary and found that at the time the Tygers were ON stage in Germany I was actually UNDER a stage in Stockton On Tees setting up for the Fringe Festival.

I posted this video in Facebook yesterday under the heading “THE PERFECT GUITAR SOLO” – The upshot is that the conversations that followed mean that Steve Lamb with be appearing as another guest artist when the band hits the road.

Back in the ’80’s my house in Whitley Bay was like the world famous Brill Building with people dropping in and adding their talent to my tracks. Steve was in the Tygers of Pan Tang and must have called round and so I asked him to put a solo on this track. I love how he comes in after Lorraine Crosby’s vocal like another singer and then drops down into her final chorus. A consummate musician. I guess we’ll get Steve to join us on Paris by Air too.

Well as the Band has been in existence for a month or so, time for a solo album I think !

“Down To The River” is Tom Kelly’s poem which I’m set to a series of soundscapes. You can purchase the CD at  http://stmedia.org/shop/ or download it from Bandcamp or just listen to it. (cover image Kev Howard)

This body of work is centred on the North-east of England but could well be Chicago or Glasgow the impact is equally devastating and is all too soon forgotten by the powers that be. ‘Down to the River’ gives a voice to those made mute by history.

Our second rehearsal takes place tomorrow and I’ve just had these Kev Howard pictures in from rehearsal one (more to come)

It was a good rehearsal but not without mishaps. On our next rehearsal Les Watts will be joining us on keyboards but for the first rehearsal I wanted to strip it right back to drums, bass and guitar. I’ll explain the reasons for that in a moment.

The rehearsals are taking place at MyPlace in Middlesbrough. Richards satnav plonked him at the Transporter Bridge where he patiently awaited the next transfer over the Tees. Luckily it never arrived otherwise he would have been “transported” over to Haverton Hill where I’m pretty sure he would not have found a rehearsal room. I can imagine what would have happened next: He would have called me and told me he was in Haverton Hill and asked for directions. “Turn left and join the A19 and travel South until you hit Middlesbrough”. Whereupon his satnav would plonk him once again at the Transporter and he would once again make the trip to Haverton Hill. This would put him into a perpetual loop from which he would never escape. Knowing Richard, he would have settled down into this routine and quite enjoyed it. However, we would not have a bass player.

Smithy, on the other hand did end up in the wrong town. Stockton actually. He called us up and I explained where he was supposed to be. He then started describing his journey to Stockton and started analysing in great detail the post code that had took him there. Riveting stuff but I know from experience that when Smithy gets into one he could be talking for days. I recall he once called me up and talked for two hours. When he hung up I fell into a heap on the floor. Thirty seconds later the phone rang again. It was Smithy, “hello its Paul again, I forgot to tell you, I’m on Top Of The Pops Tonight. This was the late 70’s and a really big deal. He’d talked utter crap for two hours and the one momentous thing he could have told me, he’d forgotten.

Anyway eventually, as you can see from the pictures we were all there. I had my own mishap, my new amp blew up and I had to use a tiny studio thing. This threw me somewhat. I said I was rehearsing a 3 piece and the reason is this: I’d not played in 15 years and I need to get match fit. There is so much that is new about this adventure. I’ve never “gigged” the songs that I wrote for Elkie, Sheena and Celine. In our repertoire we have the top 20 ballad Hurry Home and rock songs I wrote for the likes Tygers of Pan Tang (Heavy Metal?), the Searchers and Chris Farlowe. We needed a common thread and I figured we’d get this by starting with a song from my very first band Bullfrog. (Jimmy McKenna has discovered some rare bullfrog footage Ian Penman had – more on that later) So we started with the B side from our 1973 single “In The City” and then progressed to the song Celine Dion and Sheena Easton recorded using the 1973 template. Honestly it doesn’t sound retro at all and perhaps you’ll get a chance to check this out for yourself at a venue near you.

There are several departures in this for me. I sold my trust amp three years ago never planning to gig again. Richard and Smithy have colluded to drag me nervously out of retirement. I’ve also laid down my trusty red Stratocaster that I’ve had nearly 40 years. Instead I’m using the Epiphone Sheraton I intended to use to while away my dotage. To cap it all, as we’ll be having several guest vocalist’s we have to routine many of the songs in a number of keys. It’s tough for an old rocker.

However, as you can probably see from the pictures we had a blast. I’ll get there eventually.

Complete with demo versions and rare Sarah Brightman Version

http://stmedia.org/product/hurry-home-wavelength/

Here’s one definitely going into the set even though I had a hit with it. What I’m even more proud of is that it earned us a BBC ban. My first and only. Halfway though this kicks into my demo featuring Lorraine Crosby on BV’s