Johnny Kidd's musical career began as leader of the 'Nutters' skiffle group. As the 1950s drew to a close most of the Lonnie Donegan inspired groups began to migrate to rock and roll. So it was with Johnny Kidd who with former 'nutter' Alan Caddy, Tony Docherty, Johnny Gordon and Ken McKay formed his new group 'The Pirates'. Their first release 'Please Don't Touch' managed to reach the chart, but didn't get inside the top twenty. As that rare commodity, 'British Rock and Roll' it ought to have done better. After failure of its follow-up the band reverted to a cover 'You Got What It Takes' which managed #25 despite direct competition from Marv Johnson who took the song to #5.
The Pirates line up gradually changed and Brian Gregg (bass) and Clem Cattini (drums) replaced Gordon and McKay. It was the first single with the new line-up that pushed Johnny Kidd to the top. 'Shaking All Over' is arguably the most atmospheric and original rock and roll record ever to have been produced in a British studio, though much is owed to the guitar riff played by session man Joe Moretti.
Further personnel changes were made to the Pirates over the years and some change of style took place with the coming of the British 'Beat Boom', but the underlying theme remained. The band would dress in pirate regalia and Kidd would always wear his eye-patch which is often unnecessarily explained through an apocryphal story concerning a broken guitar string.
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Sadly, Johnny Kidd- possibly Britain's most original rock and roll performer- was killed in a road accident on October 7th 1966 near Bolton in Lancashire when he and his latest batch of Pirates were driving away after a performance.
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The groups' numerous recordings offer some great cuts, with many gems hidden away on the flipsides of singles. There are also many tracks that were unreleased in Kidd's lifetime, including those from a 1964 aborted album which show off how powerful the group's sound could be... A two CD set, 56 tracks, newly remastered...
Here Disc One
Here Disc Two
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16 comments:
Really looking forward to hearing this. Hope the download link gets added soon. Thanks so much for all your great postings!
This is amazing. Thank you very much. I've been looking for Johnny Kidd for a long long time.
Great rock'n'roll.Finally one of the rare "rocker"from UK with great hits.Thanks for this double cd.
A great innovator, I've always thought he was much ahead of his time, as some of his recordings from 63 or 64 already often sound like recorded in 66 or 67. Pity he died so young, like Bobby Fuller from the other side of the ocean, he still had a lot to do.
Great collection & great blog ! thanks a lot !
Very good stuff. Thanks...
beat some beat some!
love this guys
Cheers Georgie
at last this collection offers almost all the sides he ever recorded, included some really rare gems first appeared on a "See For Miles" vinyl, back in the eighties.....
thanks guys++++++++++++
Great uploads on you're blog!
Sixtie Lover
Hi from Cy
This was my first download from your excellent blog after finding your site.
So thanks now, belated for this and for all the efforts you must put in to make this blog up there with the best.
Cy from Pck.
Thanks.
I had heard of Johnny Kidd on a couple different compilations, but I was never intrigued enough to track down all his original recordings. This two-disc set seems like the best way to really appreciate Johnny Kidd.
The 1950s and 1960s were such an interesting time for music. I'll often play something from that era for a friend, who is initially unimpressed, until I say "This is from 1962!" or "This is from 1958!"
I still love rock'n'roll with a passion, but nothing has really gotten BETTER since the 1960s. Maybe slightly DIFFERENT. Definitely still GOOD.
But it's all recycling at this point.
Thank you fot this album
I have been looking for a comprehensive bet of for a long time. Thank you very much!
Thanks - Can't wait to hear this!
Everyone though Mick Green played the guitar on 'Shakin' All Over'. This is a common thing through many other 'band' hits of era. Session players did more backing tracks than bands themselves. There were very few exceptions until the mid-60s when everything changed.
What else changed? Several of the bands who'd had hits (with backing provided by session players) all faded away rather rapidly. I wonder why that was. Could it be most couldn't reproduce their huge hits afterall? Could it be that screaming covered up the bum notes? It doesn;t make me think!!
Finally, I've found a map to dig their treasures, Aarrrh!
Thank you very much, Sir!
Another year, another thank you! I'm sure there will be more to follow. Great blog!
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