I’ve been listening to the magnificent Chris Wood box set Evening Blue, which covers Chris’s career including, naturally, Traffic, unreleased solo work and sessions he did for various bands and artists, some well known (Free, John Martyn and Nick Drake) and others not so well known.
One of the lesser known artists is someone called Gordon Jackson.
Not the actor from Upstairs Downstairs, The Professionals and The Great Escape (the dumb ass, falling for “the oldest trick in the book”) but a guy who was apparently well regarded in the Midlands’ music scene at the end of the 60s. Until listening to this collection I’d never heard of him before (or if I had, I’d totally forgotten about him).
He seems to have produced one album only Thinking Back, and then disappeared.
There are three tracks on Evening Blue which feature all of Traffic. Other musicians involved were Jim King and Pole Palmer of Family and Julie Driscoll.
It’s all very much of its time, but I rather like the tracks I’ve heard. I’ve posted a link to Song For Freedom.
He was still living a couple of years ago, because there is a YouTube film of hm talking about Chris Wood as he heads to a memorial event for him.
So do any of the older Afterworders remember him, or even better recall seeing him live and care to share their opinions?
I’ve looked, but can’t find anything about him to explain why he disappeared from view, so any information about that is welcome.
Gordon Jackson – psychedelic musician
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The mester will hear of this!
Jim King is on it??? Sold!
Here, look. It means Induction of Psycho-neuroses by Conditioned Reflex under Stress.
Poli Palmer currently (often) plays for this local band, actually chums of mine, if out of recent contact. Have been meaning to see them with the new added mallets, so, if I do, I will ask Mr Palmer himself.
http://www.kategeeband.com
His album was re-issued a few years back on a small label that chose its titles very carefully – they were pretty much all rather excellent. I have this one at home, but can’t recall any details of the sleeve notes. I’ll see if I can dig it out later and provide an update.
A quick search on Discogs.org shows him as a member of Brum beat group The Hellions (Dave Mason, Dave Meredith, Gordon Jackson, Jim Capaldi and Poli Palmer) producing 3 singles for Pye in ’64 and ’65, then proto-psychedelic band Deep Feeling (Jackson, Jim Capaldi, Poli Palmer, Luther Grosvenor and Dave Meredith). Then Jim Capaldi left to join Traffic and they broke up. Recordings that were intended to be an album before they split were released as “Pretty Colours” in 2008 on Sunbeam Records, with the addition of some duo tracks by Jackson and Palmer from ’67 and ’68, one of the tracks backed by Blossom Toes. Nothing else there about Gordon Jackson but the sleeve notes for the CD reissue of his album (also on Sunbeam Records) seem to give a bit more information, though nothing recent.
Sunbeam, that’s the label. I bought their first 25 or so titles – they hit a good vein of interesting stuff to reissue, and the production was high quality.
IIRC that’s his little girl on the cover of the album.
Worth looking for Jaki Whitren’s “Raw But Tender” that they put out.
Thanks, that helps fill out the background.
I also own and listened to recently Chris Wood’s ‘Evening Blue’ release and also quite enjoyed the Gordon Jackson tracks. Your post @Carl got me interested in looking for the ‘Thinking Back’ album, I’ve just managed to get a used copy for £7 but the Dodgers have it new for twice that price. The Deep Feeling album is also easy to get hold of.
It was also re-issued this year for RSD on 180g vinyl with a bonus 7″ thrown in.
Just to a big thank you to everyone for this – top form Afterwording! I had no idea, and I speak as a huge Traffic fan.
As an aside, I saw Jim Creggan’s band at Croppers this year and I think someone shouted for a Blossom Toes song!
I saw Blossom Toes once on a weird Saturday lunchtime double-bill with Family. 1968 I think. Can’t remember what Blossom Toes were like. They can’t have been atrocious because I’d have remembered that. Family were very good, of course.
It was intended to be the first in a series of Saturday lunchtime gigs at the Top Rank Suite (normally strictly cabaret or disco-only) in Watford.
There were no more gigs of that kind there. It was quite poorly-attended and I think the staff were a bit perturbed by the long hair and scruffiness of those that came.
The wailing’n’flailing antics of Chappo would hardly have endeared them to the straights (maan)