Monday 15 August 2011

THE IMPRESSIONS AND A YOUNG SHEPHERD’S BUSH MOD’S FORGOTTEN STORY


By chance I happened upon a record fair on Saturday at the Shepherd’s Bush Village Hall. Much of it was overpriced tat but in a green plastic crate marked “Soul/Disco”, and nestled next to Lionel Richie, War and 1980s Motown LPs with garish artwork, was The Impressions Big Sixteen. Sixteen lessons in understated lilting soul music as immaculate as the cut of Curtis, Sam and Fred’s one-button suits, released on His Master’s Voice in the UK in 1965; all of which I already own at least once, most as singles, but not on this actual album. It was on sale for the not unreasonable sum of £20, but in these austere times and with no new music on offer, expensive enough.

Its condition was only marred by the black biro of one Jeremy Pearce. I recall, many moons ago, mentioning to my mother the practice of writing names on record labels and record sleeves. I was shocked people would deface them in such a way. She explained her friends did it in the 60s when taking records to parties at friends’ houses. Jeremy had gone further than that, not only writing his name but adding “This is my most valued possession. Respect it as such please”. I liked Jeremy immediately. Being hip to The Impressions in mid 60s London marked him as a man of discerning taste and referring to their LP as his most valued possession, well, he would’ve been the one of the faces in my book. My first thought was he’d given it to a girlfriend as a dramatic romantic gesture but the testiness of the message makes the party option more likely.

I thought about buying it. Not only because it’s a marvellous record but because of Jeremy. It felt sad to see something he loved abandoned in a village hall sharing a crate that also had a section marked “Depeche Mode/Erasure/Pet Shop Boys”. But I was on my way to QPR around the corner and if you’ve ever experienced the cramped conditions at Loftus Road you’ll know they aren’t conducive to taking care of anything valuable, plus I was hoping for moments of wild celebration as QPR scored their first goal back in the top flight of English football after a 15 year absence.

Watching the game I kept thinking about that record and its history. Being born a mile away I’m biased, but I’ve always considered Shepherd’s Bush as Mod's birthplace. A short walk from the village hall, across the green, stood the Goldhawk Road Social Club (it’s still there, now renamed the Shepherd’s Bush Club), the legendary haunt where local boys The Who cut their teeth on soul and R&B covers, and where Ready Steady Go recruited 100 Faces to showcase the latest mod dances and fashions to the nation early every Friday evening. In the mid-80s on the corner of the green was Sneakers, now regarded by many as the mod club of that generation, which I went to a couple of times as a wide-eyed teenager. Jeremy would have gone to the Goldhawk and one night after seeing The Action cover “Meeting Over Yonder”, “People Get Ready” and other Impressions songs there, he nipped home on his Lambretta en route to a party down the Kitchener Road, and picked up the original versions on Big Sixteen. He liked The Action better than other groups but preferred to go directly to the source. His fellow mods duly treated the LP with sufficient reverence if its current condition is anything to go by: no scratches, no finger prints, no bends, only tiny surface marks where it has been carefully removed countless times from the inner sleeve.

By this stage, having created a whole life for Jeremy, I felt terrible for not rescuing his record. The fair ended at five o’clock and the match was due to end about five to. I’d never make it. Now, the only upside in seeing QPR get thrashed 4-0 at home by Bolton Wanderers was it meant I could slip away a few minutes early. I ran through the streets, huffing and puffing, giving myself a stitch, but got there in time and the LP is now mine. I can’t help but wonder what happened to Jeremy Pearce and how he became parted from his most treasured possession. If you’re reading this Jeremy I’d love to reunite you with Big Sixteen but if not, I promise to look after and respect it the way you wished.

14 comments:

  1. A really great story on a fantastic band and long-lost fan. The writing brings to mind a couple of albums in my mom's collection: an early Rolling Stones LP and an early Miracles LP, with graffiti on the record label and sleeve saying things like "Chicano Power" along with the names of her and her friends. Makes me think of them as young kids going crazy while getting excited to the music.

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  2. Nice post. And I keep checking the comments in the hope that there will be one here soon from Jeremy Pearce himself...

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  3. i've got a george harrison, with some dudes name address, phone #, and it says not to play, tape or look at without his permission, and it was scribbled all over all 3 records, in childrens writing, point is i thought he was the biggest harrison fan, until i found another record with the same stuff scribbled all over it, this guys musta put it on everything!! too funny!

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  4. "Do not look at"! That's brilliant.

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  5. I guess it could also be described as The Forgotten Old Mod's Story"

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  6. Great stuff Mark! Near brought a tear to my eye, that did.

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  7. It's the Impressions - they have a habit of doing that!

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  8. I randomly came across a wonderful piece of writing posted on Monkey-Picks on 15 August 2011 : THE IMPRESSIONS AND A YOUNG SHEPHERD’S BUSH MOD’S FORGOTTEN STORY.

    The photograph of the record sleeve came like a bolt from the blue. I had myself bought the Big Sixteen album when it came out in 1965 and it was certainly my best (at that time and possibly ever) album purchase.

    I was a Beatles, and all things Liverpool, obsessive and had come across the Impressions in a small ad in the NME (which I read cover-to-cover every week).

    I had lost my copy of the album a very long time ago and seeing this beloved friend felt like finding a wonderful message in an old discoloured bottle.

    A few seconds later I realised that, even better, this was my actual album. I was thrilled that the writer of the article had mysteriously understood the depth of my feeling for the album and how much pain its loss had cause me, although I didn’t fit the “young Shepherd’s Bush Mod” profile he had dreamed up for me.

    One of the comments posted said that the writer (“C”) kept checking comments in the hope that there would be one from me. I don’t know if C still reads the blog, but he/she inspired me to tell my story and my enduring affection for this great album and the majestic Curtis Mayfield.

    I have never before or since bought a record solely on the basis of a review. I’d never heard of the Impressions or Curtis Mayfield and at the time was only starting to become acquainted with Motown through the Beatles superb covers, but the review was so compelling that I made the decision I’ve never regretted.

    Anyone who doesn’t know the early (and in my opinion greatest) of Mayfield’s work has a treat awaiting them. Every one of the great value 16 tracks was an absolute gem - the songs and the beautiful falsetto vocals at least the equal of America’s poet, William “Smokey” Robinson.

    My least favourite was the infectious religious anthem “Amen” and even that is an evergreen classic.

    Primus inter Pares was “People Get Ready”, arguably the greatest-ever religion-inspired song, covered by Marley, Aretha Franklin, Rod Stewart/Jeff Beck among many, but none matches the Impressions’ original.

    How did I lose this cherished possession, you may wonder. A few years ago my house was overwhelmed by vinyl albums and I had to dig myself out, so I gave 6,000 of them to the Shepherds Bush Village Hall record fair (and received not a brass farthing for them incidentally).

    I had separated out one box to retain - albums like my very early “Please Please Me” with ultra-rare McCartney-Lennon writer credits; the Hair soundtrack album given to me by my then-girlfriend now wife; my first album purchase ”Out of the Shadows”; my early first Dylan album etc etc. Somehow it got mixed up with the other boxes and abandoned in Shebu,

    I rushed back later that afternoon but the generous chaps running the fair said they couldn’t help me.

    Coming across monkey’s post felt like getting the album back and erased the lingering pain - thanks from the bottom of my heart, monkey!



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    1. This is fantastic! Oh, I'm so delighted you've stumbled across this. After hearing your story, needless to say, I'd love to reunite you with this gem to complete the circle! Thank you Jeremy.

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  9. A heart warming anecdote, I have a feeling this record will outlive mankind !!!

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    1. This is what I’m always going on about, create art - records, books, paintings etc - and they are there to be enjoyed forever! Immortal.

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  10. That would be amazing Monkey - I live in Barnes, not too far from Shepherds Bush; (actually my son lives in Shebu). If you are prepared to let me buy it back from you, I will happily come and collect it if you're anywhere within reach of SW London.

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  11. Ace! Maybe next time you're visiting your son we could meet in the Bush - seems appropriate and will close the circle neatly! Drop me a line at markfayre@hotmail.com and we'll sort. Cheers.

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