Band of Joy interview-Part 3 (long)

[Diane <RAMBLD@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

K- WHEN YOU GET INTO THAT, THAT SORT OF REALLY EARLY BAND OF JOY STUFF,
ROBERT'S VOICE-.AMAZING ISN'T IT?  YOU KNOW TO BE 19?.
P-YEA, THE VOICE WAS OUTRAGEOUS..
K-YEA, I'VE GOT AN, OR I DID HAVE SOMEWHERE ?HE MADE
A SORT OF IMPERSONATION OF JACK JONES-.DO YOU REMEMBER THAT ONE.. IT WAS
AHHH!
P-OH YEA.. (SOME LAUGHTER)
K-THEY LIKE TOOK HIM IN THE STUDIO AND SAID, "OK BOY, WE'RE GOING TO
MAKE YOU A STAR!"
D-YEA, ONE OF THE FIRST SINGLES WITH CBS?
K-YEA, AND THEN HE DID A REMARKABLE COVER WITH
LISTEN CALLED "YOU BETTER RUN"..

D-AND WHO WERE THESE "TENNESEE TEENS", ANY BAND OF
JOY FOLKS IN THAT?
P- NO, I KNOW THEM, BECAUSE I WAS PLAYING IN A DIFFIRENT BAND YEARS AGO-
I NEVER ACTUALLY SAW ROBERT PLAY WITH THEM-BUT I MET THE GUY WHO PLAYED
BASS, AND A CHAP CALLED MICK REEVES, THE SON OF THE GUY WHO DIED IN THE
ACCIDENT YEARS AND YEARS AGO-.. AND THEY WERE SORT OF A MOD BAND.  AND
THERE WAS ANOTHER BAND CALLED THE SHAKEDOWN SOUND-.WHERE KEVIN WAS
ALREADY A BIT OF A BLOOMING STAR?
K- YEA, THEY DID SORT OF JAMAICAN FLAVOURED STUFF LIKE 'THE HARDER THEY
FALL' OR..
P-WHAT WAS THAT...'GIVE A LITTLE, TAKE A LITTLE', REMEMBER THAT?
K-YEA, OUR BAND WAS REALLY SORT OF RIVAL TO ROBERT, HE HAD A GROUP
CALLED THE BANNED FROM UP THE ROAD, FROM STOURBRIDGE, AND WE WOULD PLAY
THE USUAL CIRCUIT, PAUL WAS IN A BAND CALLED THE SHOOTING STARS?  AND
THERE WAS ABOUT THREE BANDS THAT PLAYED ALL AROUND THIS CIRCUIT..PLAYING
THREE AND FOUR GIGS A NIGHT..AND ANYWAY WE WERE SORT A RIVAL BAND TO
ROBERT'S, WHO WAS MUCH MORE SORT OF BLUES BASED?

D- HOW MANY VARIATIONS ON THE BAND OF JOY WERE THERE?
P- WELL, WHEN I FIRST MET ROBERT, 	HE HAD A BAND CALLED
ROBERT PLANT AND THE BAND OF JOY, THIS WAS WITH MICK
REEVES, VERNON PRARRERA, PETER	ROBINSON, AND CHRIS
BROWN. THIS WAS JUST A LOCAL BAND, THEY DIDN'T PLAY
OUTSIDE TOWN, JUST LOCALLY,	AND ROBERT APPEARED ON
THE SCENE AND THEY SAID THIS IS OUR NEW SINGER, AND IT LASTED ABOUT 3 OR
4 MONTHS I THINK.

D- IS IT TRUE THAT ROBERT GOT FIRED FROM THAT FIRST
VERSION, BEING TOLD THAT HE COULDN'T SING?
P. YEA, THAT'S THE ONE WHERE THEY SAID WE DON'T NEED
YOU ANYMORE?.
K-WE WEREN'T INVOLVED UNTIL LATER-.

D-WHAT ABOUT THE VERSION THAT PAINTED THEIR FACES?
K- YEA, THAT WAS BEFORE US....
P-THEY WERE CALLED 'THE PAINT' AND ROBERT WAS WITH THEM FOR ABOUT
ANOTHER SIX MONTHS MAYBE, NOT EVEN THAT, AND THEY PAINTED THEIR FACES
AND WORE ALL THESE HIPPY CLOTHES AND STUFF...

D-AND THEN THE NEXT BAND INCLUDED YOU?
P-YES-THAT'S WHEN I MET YOU KEVIN-
K-YES, I WAS IN WITH THE JIMMY CLIFF BAND, PAUL WAS WITH THE SHOOTING
STARS BAND, JOHN BONHAM WAS IN 'WAY OF LIFE '- AND ROBERT CAME OUT OF
THAT GROUP AND SAID, OK I'M GOING TO FORM SOMETHING NOW.  WHICH IS WHEN
DAVE PEGG WAS AROUND, I THINK DAVE PEGG AND JOHN BONHAM WERE TOGETHER IN
THE SAME GROUP, AND JOHN SAID YEA I'M GONNA JOIN, AND THEN HE RECOMENDED
PAUL OR KNEW PAUL?
P-YEA, I'D NEVER MET KEVIN, I'D SEEN HIM ON STAGE WITH JIMMY CLIFF AND
THOUGHT HE WAS GREAT, AND THEN SUDDENLY HE WAS STANDING AT THE FRONT
DOOR WITH ROBERT!  I KNEW ROBERT, BUT I DIDN'T KNOW KEVIN?
K-SO WE DECIDED TO FORM A GROUP.  AND WE ALL HAD OUR INFLUENCES, WE ALL
WANTED TO PLAY SORT OF -I HAD MY FIRST VELVET UNDERGROUND, ROBERT HAD
HIS MOBY GRAPE, WE ALL SORT OF LOVED THIS HARD SORT OF WEST COAST STUFF-
P-YEA-WE LOVED IT!
K-AND WE ALSO DID STUFF LIKE THE LEMON SONG AND
BLUES BASED STUFF?
P-BUT WE DIDN'T HAVE JOHN BONHAM AS THE FIRST DRUMMER, THERE WAS ANOTHER
GUY?
K-YEA, OF COURSE-
P-AND ROBERT WANTED JOHNNY BONHAM SO WE USED TO END UP GOING AROUND AT
ALL HOURS TO SEE HIM AT GIGS AND SAY, YEA, COME ON, JOIN THE BAND?
K-AND THEN WE PLAYED GIGS AT LIKE MIDDLE EARTH, THE SPEAKEASY.  AND AT
THAT TIME EVERYBODY WAS GOING DOWN, LIKE CLAPTON, HENDRIX.  I'LL ALWAYS
REMEMBER THIS GUY WHO WAS RUNNING A PLACE SAYING "MY GOD THIS IS THE
BEST BAND WE'VE SEEN IN THE LAST THREE MONTHS!" PLAYING A LONDON VENUE
AND THEY'RE SAYING WE'RE THE BEST BAND.. YOU REMEMBER?
P-YEA-WE WERE SORT OF POP STARS WITH NO AUDIENCE--PLAYING FOR VIRTUALLY
NOBODY BUT ENJOYING IT. PLAYED WITH FAIRPORT CONVENTION, BEFORE	DAVE
PEGG JOINED THEM-
K- SANDY DENNY WAS IN THE BAND	AT THAT TIME, TREVOR
LUCAS.-
P-TIM ROSE-..WE PLAYED WITH HIM SEVERAL TIMES WHEN
HE'D COME OVER FROM THE STATES AND WE WERE SORT OF THE WARM UP BAND-.
K-YEA, AND WE BLEW HIM OFF STAGE! (LAUGHTER)
P-YEA, BUT HE WAS GREAT-
K-I REMEMBER WHEN HE DID MORNING DEW, AND THERE WAS SOME QUESTION?
P-DIDN'T HE WRITE IT..
K-I DON'T THINK HE DID, NO-
P-AND HE ALSO DID HEY JOE-
K-WELL WE WERE DOING THAT IN OUR SET BEFORE TIM ROSE-

(part 4-final part-to follow)
- -- 
Diane Lovett
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