COVENTRY Music Museum Curator Pete Chambers writes for the Observer.
Show them some respect
SO, with the sad demise of Terry Hall, there are calls for 2-Tone and the Specials to be taken seriously in the Coventry, for some kind of permanent monument to be put up in the city (probably a depiction of Walt Jabsco the 2-Tone man), something that I have personally been banging on about for years.
This goes out to all the councilors and all the movers and shakers in the city Coventry University, Coventry Council, CCFC, Warwick University are you reading this?
These musicians have done so much for the city, they put Coventry on the international map.
Without 2-Tone we would never have got the City of Culture, now is the time to have a focal point in the city dedicated to this unique genre and I’m happy to join any group that will look into the funding of such a statue.
I have launched a Facebook page – search for ‘A statue for 2-Tone’ on Facebook to find it.
Warning I won’t let this one lie – we will make it happen.
Where would you put such a tribute?
The Canal Basin, University Square or maybe the Precinct or even at the 2-Tone Village? Please tell us your thoughts.
Trapeze
Trapeze were a heavy rock band that hailed from Cannock in Staffordshire and included the superb bassman and vocalist Glenn Hughes who would later join Deep Purple Mk III (and later Sabbath).
However, if you’re wondering where the ‘real’ local connection come in then hang on – Trapeze’s drummer was a guy called Dave Holland though born in Northampton, he had his break as a drummer with Rugby Beat band Pinkerton’s Assorted Colour, which scored a top ten hit with Mirror, Mirror in 1966.
He left in 1968 when he joined Finders Keepers – the band that included Glenn Hughes and would eventually morph into Trapeze.
The band appeared on the TV show Colour Me Pop and due to this exposure were courted by various ‘labels’ including Apple Records, but the eventually signed for The Moody Blues own label Threshold.
They released five great albums (plus a ‘Best Of’), including the outstanding Medusa album in 1970 produced by Moody Blues’ own John Lodge that included ‘Your Love is Alright’ co-written by Holland.
The album saw the band hit their heavy side, punctuated with melodic acoustic passages with Hughes screaming vocals and Mel Galley’s searing guitar, over a long hard beat from Holland. It became something of a forgotten classic.
Dave Holland was also a member of Lodges’ band The Bluejays at this point.
Holland left Trapeze in 1979 and joined Judas Priest in 1979.
He died on January 16 in 2018.
Well now we get a chance to hear the three albums the band recorded for Threshold plus three previously unheard live albums.
Because those fine people at Cherry Red are to release in February ‘Trapeze: Don’t Stop The Music – Complete Recordings Vol. 1 – 1970-1992’, a six-CD box set.
