There's no doubt that my musical icon and role-model at this time, was Lemmy. His influence via Motorhead was already fully established, and this was reinforced by that year's album release; 'Iron Fist', and my attendance of two Motorhead gigs that year, including the Wrexham Rock Festival, where ex-Thin Lizzy guitarist Brian Robertson, stood in for Eddie Clarke.
Meanwhile, his previous role as bass player of Hawkwind became the major influential force in my own bass playing during 1982, by which time my own playing had become a sort of hybrid of the his respective sound and style of both Motorhead and Hawkwind, with a more of leaning towards the latter by the end of the year.
But as the year began, 'White Heat' was still very much the band I enjoyed playing in, and my bass playing had taken a slightly more important role via two cover versions which we had adopted. The first of these was a song done by Janis Joplin called 'Move Over', which had been recreated by 'Slade' in the early '70s. Slade's version was a heavier rock version which was a very bass guitar led arrangement. Andy and Gerry introduced the song, which was new to me, and asked if I fancied tackling it the way Slade did it, with the bass very much taking the lead, over and above the guitar itself. I was up for the challenge and went away to learn it, and pleased with the results, it was successfully introduced into the set.
For my own part, The Lemmy influence had led me to introduce the prospect of doing a cover version of 'Overkill' into the band. Gerry was fully supportive of us doing it as a trio, with me taking the lead vocal and singing it 'Lemmy style'. This was something new for me. Previously, I had only ever sung backing, harmony vocals in White Heat, and this was the first time I'd ever taken the spotlight as 'frontman'. It was also a slight departure from White Heat's overall style, which was a little more mid 70's heavy rock in its overall style. Although the song 'Overkill' was already over two years old, Motorhead's more 'punky' influence added an extra dimension to the set, and Andy set about learning the guitar part, whilst Gilly had to replicate the double bass drum using a low floor tom, and I muddled through some of the more undecipherable words.
'Overkill' was first performed at a gig at High Oakham School Hall in February 1982, and also pictured here being performed at our second visit to the Mason's Arms in May.
This beginning of an establishment of my own musical identity, albeit via an identification with Lemmy, would soon bring about the end of 'White Heat'. I had grown to like the guys a lot, and we had tremendous fun, but ultimately there was a divergence in styles and a musical mind-set on my part that took me in a very specific direction. I had been listening a lot more to Lemmy's period of time in Hawkwind, and I liked the very bass orientated music that he helped to shape with Hawkwind at that time.
I decided to leave White Heat early that summer after a gig at the Newark Palace Theatre. Although I felt full of the drive to do something new, in which I would take more of an artistic lead, It was a decision not without some personal sadness. Andy and I in particular had become a good friends, and I was touched when he told me how he'd grown to respect me over the last year or so, and that I'd developed into a great bass player. But we stayed friends, and musically our paths would cross again in the near future. But it was time to say goodbye to 'White Heat'.
Gradually, between 1979 and 1982, pub culture had grown to be the main aspect of my social life. The Masons rock scene continued be the main source of meeting new people, but things had also broadened out by being invited to parties, which in turn led to meeting more people. The drug connections of the rock lifestyle were greatly personified by bands like Hawkwind, and I'd been introduced to cannabis in a small way at some of the parties I went to. It seemed to go hand-in-hand with that particular cross-section of the rock scene. Hawkwind, who labelled themselves: 'Space-Rock', had a less mainstream and more underground standing that seemed to have forged a fandom that mirrored that position. It seemed that being a Hawkwind fan and being a pot-smoker was rarely mutually exclusive in Mansfield, and as my interest in Hawkwind drew me towards meeting other fans, it drew me towards the cannabis scene.
My personal image was that of a fully fledged rocker. It was long hair, leather jacket and bullet belt. And by the end of the year, I had adorned my arms with tattoos celebrating my love of Motorhead, Hawkwind, and Led Zeppelin.
Around this time I'd met a local busker who was a Hawkwind fan, and through him I learned of another big Hawkwind fan, Dewi Taylor, who was a guitarist in the midst of forming a 'Space-Rock' styled band, and he was on the lookout for a bass player to complete this band. An introduction was facilitated, and a jam followed which yielded positive potential....
As previously mentioned, Lemmy's bass playing; particularly during his time in Hawkwind had gradually become the biggest influence on my own playing over the last year. I had acquired all the relative albums, and the 'Space Ritual' double live album was an especially important influence. I loved Lemmy's playing on that material above all else. Learning the bass-lines to such tracks as 'Lord of Light' and 'Orgone Accumulator' was a very exciting goal to achieve. But even more-so was the gaining of an understanding of how use these ideas in my own way, and how to adapt and change and build on them; So that rather than merely replicating basslines, It was ultimately about learning to use musical information in a more spontaneous way.
This was an idea that I'd originally grasped through listening to Led Zeppelin; who, on songs like 'Dazed and Confused' for instance, would improvise and jam on different sections, to the point where every version that I heard would never sound quite the same. Hawkwind reinforced this idea; Even more-so by virtue of their different line-up changes. So for example, the way Dave Anderson played the bass-line on the original version of 'Master of the Universe', would be completely different to the way Lemmy played the bass-line on 'Space Ritual' live version. This reinforced the idea of being able interpret even the bass-line of a song in different ways; and thus opening the door to the idea that I could mix and match and build on ideas, and put a little bit of my own slant on things, whilst remaining in-keeping with the necessary working style.
There is perhaps one track I discovered in 1982, which best symbolises where my musical consciousness was at this time. And there perhaps couldn't a better track that encapsulates the point at which Motorhead meets Hawkwind from the point of view of Lemmy's bass playing; And that is the original version of Lemmy's song entitled 'Motorhead'. Not played by the band Motorhead themselves; but the original recording recorded by Hawkwind in 1975, with Lemmy on bass. This re-mix with a strong vocal by Hawkwind's Dave Brock seemed to embody the very essence of the kind of music that I wanted to make.
In the midst of everything, On August 21st 1982, just a couple of months after leaving 'White Heat', I saw Hawkwind live for the first time, at the Donnington 'Monster's of Rock' Festival. Finally seeing this enigmatic band who had been moving slowly but surely, from the peripheral to the centre of my musical consciousness since first hearing them on the Friday Rock Show in 1978, was a tremendously thrilling experience. Whilst there I met up with my new musical partner Dewi Taylor, with whom I was on the cusp of forming a new a new 'Space-Rock' oriented band. And there was a taste of future things to come, when we both briefly met someone who, although I didn't know it yet, was to become the biggest personal influence and musical hero of my years playing rock music; Hawkwind guitarist: Huw Lloyd-Langton.
When Dewi and I got together later for a meeting and a jam, with Dewi on rhythm guitar, Glen Annable on drums and Simon 'Ched' Tilston on lead guitar, there was no clear idea of exactly what we were going to do or play, beyond the fact that we were all great enthusiasts of Hawkwind. It was a 'see what comes of it' type situation. We simply jammed through a lot of Hawkwind songs. It was very loose, but very enjoyable, and we resolved to get together and do it again on a more regular basis. At that time, we were playing in a small 8 track recording studio called 'Everbimes', which hired out their room and equipment for rehearsal purposes when the studio wasn't in use.
Along the way, It became clear that I was the most experienced musician of the four of us. I'd been in playing for over 2 years; almost 18 months of which had been in a gigging band. To be fair, Dewi and Glen were fine in their respective roles on rhythm guitar and drums, but it has to be said that 'Ched' stood out as the weak link.
However, we stuck together for a while out of newly forged friendships and to give Ched time to practice. Meanwhile, the problem of a singer had to be addressed. As we'd found no-one suitable, we'd all had a go, and it was decided that I had the best singing voice of the four of us, so I took it onboard. Luckily, we all recognised that that one of Hawkwind's strengths was in the harmony vocal department, and Dewi, who also had a reasonably good voice took on that secondary role, supporting me with harmony vocals where it was required. To emphasise the 'Space-Rock' connection, Dewi came up with the name: 'Dancing Shiva', which we felt reflected our musical and 'underground' leanings.
In the meantime, practising at 'Everbimes', we had the opportunity to record a demo tape very cheaply. So although we weren't at the gigging stage yet; In those days, the chance to record didn't come around all that often, so we did it for the fun and the learning experience.
We recorded four songs. Three of which were Hawkwind cover versions; 'Master of the Universe', 'Motorway City', and a version 'Motorhead', based on the Dave Brock re-mix version mentioned above. The fourth song was something of mine which was my first attempt at writing a song of my own, called 'Vision of You'. I was quite proud of this little song at the time. It was another mini-milestone for me.
By now, 1982 would soon be drawing to a close, and it was decided mutually between Dewi, and Glen and myself that Ched on lead guitar was not coming up to scratch, and as 1982 segued into 1983, We decided to let him go, and recruit someone else on lead guitar. This would lead to me working again with my old band-mate Andy Ashley from 'White Heat'.
Whilst all this was going on, Dewi and I gradually formed a strong friendship. He was the first of my musical collaborators who became one of my best friends. A friendship which far out-lasted our musical collaborations. But in the latter part of the year, 'Dancing Shiva' would be forged from our mutual love of all things Hawkwind; albeit coming from different angles, as the Motorhead influence would remain strong for me over the next year or so.
Seeing Hawkwind live had brought my fascination with them into the present day, and on the record collecting front, Dewi also introduced me to a few gaps in my collection.
Late in the autumn came the chance to see Hawkwind again, on the 'Choose Your Masques' tour. Both Dewi and I were there of course, and this second live experience, with the added bonus of the famed Hawkwind light show, had even more impact than the Donnington gig. Almost immediately afterwards, I went straight out and bought the newly released 'Choose Your Masques' album, and by the end of the year had acquired their two most recent, previous releases; 'Sonic Attack', and 'Church of Hawkwind'.
'Choose your Masques' would prove to be a landmark album for me personally, Because of a particular track called 'Arrival In Utopia'. It was the guitar solo by Huw Lloyd-Langton that left its mark.... There was something about Huw Lloyd-Langton's uniquely soaring style that really hit me on this track most especially;
And it planted a little seed that would take another two years before it really began to flower....
I wanted to play lead guitar....
But as 1983 beckoned, I wasn't finished with the bass quite just yet....
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