Episode 61 of my London Studio-blog is about Apple Studio.
https://willyoumeetmeonclareisland.wordpress.com/2022/11/04/the-studios-of-london-apple-studio/
Musings on the byways of popular culture
Episode 61 of my London Studio-blog is about Apple Studio.
https://willyoumeetmeonclareisland.wordpress.com/2022/11/04/the-studios-of-london-apple-studio/
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niallb says
niallb says
Lodestone of Wrongness says
A brilliant read! Chapeau duly doffed..
dwightstrut says
@niallb
Great read, but I just found out I managed to miss your posting on the Church, Crouch End.
Now, having read it I was puzzled by your research on the Bob Dylan story. I could have sworn it originated with a Q interview with Dave Stewart himself. A quick rummage in a dusty cupboard later and here we go…
The issue is February 1987, the interviewer is Adam Sweeting and the story is all there but has nothing to do with Crouch End. The piece describes Stewart and Dylan working together at the Church and how Dylan, visiting London to work with Stewart, takes a taxi from his hotel to Stewart’s home in Maida Vale and, in Stewart’s own words:
“There’s Randolph Avenue, Randolph Square and Randolph Street, and mine is the Avenue. I was thinking, god, he’s been a long time, ‘cos it was like an hour later, but I didn’t think much of it ‘cos you never expect people like that to be on time. Dylan eventually arrived and he was all flustered, and I said: ‘What happened?’ He started laughing and said: ‘Well, I rang the doorbell to number 7 and this woman comes to the door and I said, Is Dave here? She said, No, he’s at work’ — ‘cos her husband must be called Dave.
“Dylan was going: ‘That’s really strange, he asked me to come round’, and the woman’s thinking ‘This is weird, he looks just like Bob Dylan.’ She said: ‘You’d better come in’, he sat down and she made him a cup of tea. Then she rang her husband at work and asked: ‘Did you ask Bob Dylan to come round to the house?’. She was really confused, but Dylan still thought I must have gone out and would be back soon. It was about half an hour before they both realised it was the wrong house.”
So there you have it — right story, wrong location. How and when it got shifted to Crouch End Hill/Crouch Hill will probably never be known, but I suspect a self-aggrandising N8 resident of stealing and re-locating the story. Hope it wasn’t me.
niallb says
Yes. I’ve seen him deny that too. There are several different versions of the story out there. I was careful not to state it as fact.
Barry Blue says
Excellent as ever, niall. The Badfinger story never ceases to hit home.
niallb says
Thanks, me too. It haunts me because of my knowledge of the area where Pete and Tom lived.
hubert rawlinson says
Another excellent read Niall, thanks for this.
niallb says
Thank you.
fentonsteve says
Marvellous, as per.
A typo, I think in a quoted section, so not yours – flairs – I think he meant flares (as in trousers).
niallb says
Ta.
paulwright says
..pour encourage les autres!
Great as usual, and a lovely piece of London history as well as musical history.
niallb says
Thanks @paulwright. I loved the history of the street.
Twang says
Excellent blog as ever! Loved it. Oddly that’s the second time Admiral Byng came up today – they told his story in the Battle of Trafalgar on The Rest is History pod. Oddly enough the Spoons in Potter’s Bar is named after him where I used to take my mum for lunch.
You do have to roll your eyes at the naivety going on hubris of the Beatles in that period. It was obviously a brilliant idea because they had it. The rooftop concert is great though, mind you I’ve only seen “Get back”.
The Badfinger story always breaks my heart. What a shitty business it can be. You hope karma remembers these bastards and they are getting their just desserts somewhere uncomfortable.
niallb says
Thanks @Twang, great comments. Ref Badfinger; I feel that one personally, not just because of my love of their music and the geographical closeness to them, but because it could have been my brother.
He had co-written hit albums, had 6 number one singles, a Top 10 hit in the U.S, (and played nearly everything on all of them,) an Ivor Novello nomination, written with Bryan Adams, I mean, he was brilliant at what he did. Then, after six amazing years, he went to Universal to sign his next publishing contract. His writing partner had got him his first and the royalty rate this time was significantly better – reflecting their success. In the office, Universal’s lawyer asked Martin if the deal with Ray, (his partner,) was to be the same for this next contract. Martin said he didn’t understand. The lawyer explained that the deal Ray had done for Martin was that Ray would get 10% of Martin’s gross before any other calculations were applied.
It ripped the heart out of him.
Martin is a quiet, shy, talented musician. Like Peter, he is too good for this world, sometimes. He was lucky that Mum and his brothers were able to pick him up, protect him, hold him. Otherwise I might have one brother less than I do.
He had some small success in Ireland afterwards but, eventually, he sold every bit of equipment and turned his back on music completely.
Fifteen years on he has recently bought an electronic drum kit and is playing Steve Gadd and Neil Peart grooves.
I could not be happier for him.
Twang says
Karma coming round again Niall. Hope he’s in a good place.
niallb says
Thanks @Twang. Yes, he runs the shop at Tangmere Aerodrome and loves it.
dai says
Brilliant. Went to 3 Savile Row in Sept and took a few photos. Badfinger could be the saddest story in rock
niallb says
Thanks @dai.
NigelT says
Excellent piece! Thanks!!
niallb says
Thanks 🙏