John's Children
John's Children were an English rock band that existed from 1966 to 1968. They are classified as the precursors of both glam rock and punk rock . Since the mid-1990s, they have occasionally reappeared.
Band history
In 1965 Chris Townson (born July 24, 1947 in Battersea , London ; † February 10, 2008 ibid; drums) and Andy Ellison (born July 5, 1946 in Finchley , London; vocals) founded the band Clockwork Onions in Leatherhead , England who later called themselves The Few and finally The Silence. The Silence consisted of Townson, Ellison, Geoff McClelland (guitar) and John Hewlett (bass).
In mid-1966, Townson met Simon Napier-Bell , the manager of the Yardbirds, in the south of France . Townson persuaded Napier-Bell to watch The Silence. Napier-Bell signed the band, although he was rather negative about them. He gave them the new name John's Children, after the bassist of the band, whom he wanted to bind to the group despite his rather moderate skills on the instrument. Napier-Bell put the boys in white, innocent-looking outfits that were in stark contrast to their stage show: they imitated fights with fake blood and destroyed their instruments. Townson later referred to her show as "theater", "anarchy" and "destruction".
John's Children got a record deal with Columbia Records , the Yardbirds record company. Her first single, The Love I Thought I'd Found , was released in Great Britain in October 1966 and in December under the name Smashed Blocked in the United States . The recording was made with studio musicians, as Napier-Bell had no confidence in the musical talent of his band. The single is one of the first recordings of psychedelic rock and made it into the lower regions of the American Billboard Hot 100 , and even in the top 10 in regional charts in Florida and California .
The second single Just What You Want - Just What You'll Get , recorded again with studio musicians ( Jeff Beck played guitar on the B-side), was released in February 1967 and reached the UK Top 40. The recording for the third single Not the Sort of Girl (You'd Like to Take to Bed) was rejected by Columbia, after which John's Children switched to Track Records , which also signed The Jimi Hendrix Experience and The Who .
At the request of their American record company White Whale Records , John's Children recorded the album Orgasm in the studio , which was spiced up with applause from the Beatles film A Hard Day's Night and should appear like a live album; In addition, the applause should simulate a great success for the band in Europe. However, under pressure from the Daughters of the American Revolution , the album remained unreleased until 1970 because of its title.
In March 1967 Marc Bolan replaced the guitarist McClelland. Bolan wrote several songs for John's Children, including the next single Desdemona , which was not broadcast on the BBC because of the chorus "Lift up your skirt and fly" . Bolan only stayed with John's Children for a few months, but he made a significant contribution to their "bad boy" image by lashing out with a chain during live performances.
In April 1967, John's Children went on tour through Germany as the opening act for The Who . Their show caused a stir and threatened to steal the show from The Who. After a chaotic appearance in Ludwigshafen am Rhein , they were sent home. Despite these tensions, drummer Townson was called in in June to replace Keith Moon , who was injured. Revenge for Ludwigshafen came during his last assignment for The Who: at the end of the concert, fireworks flew around his ears and literally blew him off the stage.
After Bolan left the band in June 1967, two more singles were released, Come and Play with Me in the Garden (a re-recording of Desdemona's B-side with new lyrics) and Go Go Girl (written by Marc Bolan, who wrote the piece later with Tyrannosaurus Rex as Mustang Ford brought out). One final recording appeared as the b-side of It's Been a Long Time , a solo single by Andy Ellison. After a last tour in Germany, John's Children disbanded in 1968.
Ellison attempted a solo career before founding the group Jet in 1974, which later appeared under the name Radio Stars . Townson first formed the band Jook before joining Ellison on Jet and Radio Stars. In the late 1970s he left the music business and worked as an illustrator and social worker. From the 1990s, there were again occasional appearances by John's children and radio stars. Townson died on February 10, 2008.
Discography
Singles
- "The Love I Thought I'd Found" / "Strange Affair" (October 1966)
- "Just What You Want - Just What You'll Get" / "But She's Mine" (February 1967)
- "Desdemona" / "Remember Thomas à Becket" (May 1967)
- "Midsummer Night's Scene" / "Sara Crazy Child" (June 1967, unreleased)
- "Come and Play with Me in the Garden" / "Sara Crazy Child" (July 1967)
- "Go Go Girl" / "Jagged Time Lapse" (October 1967)
- "It's Been A Long Time" / "Arthur Green" (December 1967, solo single from Andy Ellison, John's Children on the B-side)
Albums
- Orgasm (recorded 1967, published September 1970)
- Music For the Herd of Herring (John's Children / Jet / Radio Stars - live 2001)
- Black & White (June 2011)
Compilations
- A Midsummer Night's Scene (1988)
- Smashed Blocked! (1997)
- Jagged Time Lapse (1997)
- John's Children (EP, 1999)
- The Complete John's Children (2002)
Other publications
- "Incredible Sound Show Stories Vol.5 - Yellow Street Boutique" (sampler with recordings from "The Silence")
literature
- Simon Napier-Bell: You Don't Have to Say You Love Me (1998). ISBN 0-09-186573-5
Web links
- John's Children at Allmusic (English)
- Official Website of John's Children
- Children of the Revolution - A History of John's Children
- Obituary for Chris Townson, The Independent, February 27, 2008