Singer Pete Scott joined Beggars Opera in 1973 He was a classically trained and sang blues, having previously been with Savoy Brown on a tour of USA. He has an amazing improvisational ability. This is a rare image of the band at the time, taken at the Legendary Marquee club in London of l/ r Ricky Gardiner, Pete Scott, Raymond Wilson and Gordon Sellar. Pete Scott was to return to Beggars Opera in 1975 and sang on Beggars Opera releases Sagittary and Beggars Can’t be Choosers for Jupiter Records Germany.
More Blue Sky song is from the Beggars Opera Doris EP , featuring Ricky Gardiner on guitar.
more blue sky i felt grey i feel it now i feel it more than you gimme some more blue sky gimme some more blue sky gimme some more blue sky
i saw the stars i saw the darkening horizon i wished for you burnt with puzzle over puzzle over puzzle i finally saw the truth of it and now i’m glad your gone
gimme some more blue sky gimme some more blue sky gimme some more blue sky
Thanks to Russel Leadbetter for his write up in the Herald recently about Beggars Opera in 70’s Glasgow.
“BACK in the November of 1969, the discerning music fan in Glasgow had lots of intriguing concerts to choose from.
David Bowie, Deep Purple, and Fat Mattress – the latter featuring Noel Redding, former bassist with the Jimi Hendrix Experience – all played the Electric Garden on Sauchiehall Street. Such shows were billed as ‘Electric Garden goes Underground every Monday night’.
Jon Hiseman’s Colosseum were at the Maryland Club, in Scott Street, across the road from the Glasgow School of Art. And, down at Burns Howff on West Regent Street, a progressive rock band called Beggars Opera was about to start a residency.
The quintet took over the slot from the popular rock band Stone the Crows (who themselves included Maggie Bell, Jimmy Dewar, and Les Harvey), and were an immediate success. At one point in 1970, a city newspaper reported that there was an hour-long queue outside the venue on a Saturday morning, prior to a Beggars Opera appearance.”
For the full article click on this link: BACK in the November of 1969, the discerning music fan in Glasgow had lots of intriguing concerts to choose from.
This interesting doodle was created when Beggars Opera were working on their 2 covers of the Passenger with Virginia Scott on vocals and Andy Milner on acoustic guitar. Such a great song.
A rare photograph of Beggars Opera from 1972 which was first uploaded on Beggars Opera 1969/1972 Facebook group by Martin Griffiths, from one of the last Beggars Opera tours of Germany.
Photo: Ricky Gardiner on Tour with David Bowie and Iggy Pop.
This villa is situated behind the legendary Chateaux Marmont Hotel, Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles where Ricky Gardiner stayed during the Idiot Tour of 1976 with David Bowie on Keys.
David’s piano was set up with an electronic pick up and a Lesley cabinet which gave it that tremendous spooky sound. How about that for a prepared piano 🙂
From David Bowie News – I came across this post today about Ricky’s vintage photos of the Low Sessions at Chateau D’Herouville, Paris 1976 taken on his trusty Nikormat.
There are other great images in the film of the musicians who were there, but this one is especially rare as apparently, according to Tony Visconti, it is the only image there is of David Bowie, Tony Visconti and Brian Eno together.
Ricky Gardiner 