© Words - Simon Wells - 2014

Turn the clock back forty years, and one would probably find 26-year-old singer-songwriter Nick Drake alone in his bedroom in the leafy, chocolate-box environs of Tanworth-in-Arden, Warwickshire. Deflated, defeated, dented and depressed – Nick’s energy for life had evaporated in a fog of sadness and unfulfilled ambition – the prevailing morbidity dulled only by strong tranquillisers.

There are ONLY two words, other than the words themselves, which mean House Music … and those two words are … FRANKIE KNUCKLES.

I first read those two words in a New York Record store in 1987, when I was attending the New Music Seminar, looking for tracks to sign to my 'Urban' label. An up and coming DJ by the name of Paul Oakenfold and myself, were in Vinyl Mania on a midweek early afternoon, listening to

Bebop was a term used to describe the nonsense syllables used in scat singing which was a popular vocalising style around the late 20s in the US. It had originated in Ragtime music and was taken into mainstream jazz by Louis Armstrong. Many artists recorded scat music including Ella Fitzgerald and Cab Calloway. Released from the constraints of formal words, nonsense words and meaningless syllables allowed the human voice to be used as an effective instrument for vocal improvisation. Some of the nonsense words like "doo-wop”, “razzamatazz,” “skoobie-doobie-do,” “hi-de-ho” and bee-bop-a-lula,” survived to enter the common lexicon.

The Spectres were a London-based beat group which formed in 1967 with Francis “Mike” Rossi (vocals, lead guitar) and Alan Lancaster (bass) their core members. John Coughlan (drummer) joined the line-up which was complete with Roy Lynes (organ). After a trio of unsuccessful singles the band changed its name to Traffic Jam and concentrated on mod psychedelia but their early efforts were no better.

© Words Barry Cain
I stopped listening to ‘pop’ music in the mid ’80s. I simply heard it. It had become a means to an end, a way to make good, quick money. The musical notes had turned into £ signs as I cashed in on any new kid in pop town by publishing one shot poster magazines.