a musical history – by Terence Ruffle

(This is the final part of a two-part story. Part one is here.)

We, that is the Accidents, did get to meet the Flamin Groovies, in 1977, at Essex University.

Radio Birdman supported them, though we didn’t know alot about them then.. They sounded a bit “country” to our ears at the time (????!!!???) so we really didn’t give them a chance. I love Radio Birdman now of course, “Aloha Steve and Danno” being an all time classic single, amongst the other classics I first heard via the New Race album. That album, “The First and the Last” being one of my all time favourites, which I got on cd for the first time recently, an expanded version. [Read more →]

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(This is the final part of a two-part story. Part one is here.)

Another major influence on Powerpop has to be the Byrds. Certainly their gorgeous three part harmonies have been emulated many times. The Groovies, the Raspberries, Big Star, and the Posies, have all used the Byrds style harmonies as standard, as have many others.

Also Roger Mcguinn’s twelve string Rickenbacker sound, a la “Mr Tambourine Man”. George Harrison said he’d started playing the Ricky as a direct result of hearing “Tambourine Man”, massive praise indeed! [Read more →]

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I first met Wade at a Rock bar in Pompano beach, South Florida, in the summer of ‘89. He had a kind of cowpunk look about him, very modern post punk, post Hanoi Rocks – cowboy style but definitely punk rock.

For the most part his guitar sound sucked, but his playing was real good. He had a strange old Fender combo. It was cream coloured, just like Jed’s Band Master amp that I used with the Accidents.

Wade had two guitars, a Gibson Les Paul and a cranky old Fender Jaguar – which he’d drag out to play this whacked-out surf instrumental. [Read more →]

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