Here is A Part Of
An Interview
From
Geoff Sharkey
Of
GINHOUSE
Read The
WHOLE INTERVIEW
The band
Ginhouse
formed in
Newcastle from the ashes
of local band
Household,
with
Stewart Burlison
on bass,
David Whitaker
on drums
and yourself
on lead guitar
(sharing vocal duties with Stewart).
Could you tell our readers a bit
about how you three ended up
playing together under the name
“Ginhouse”?
What bands were you involved in
prior to the
formation of
Ginhouse?
There were many good bands in
Newcastle around that time.
We would meet up after gigs at
The Wimpy place opposite
Central station or
The Quay Club down
by the Tyne.
I had played in
lots of local bands,
The Hipsters
(aged 12)
who appeared on telly
with Marianne Faithful,
big deal back then,
got loads of
Working Mens Club gigs
of the back of that
TV stars!
Then came
The Antics,
The Heard,
The Lusika State Group,
a very successful local band
with a couple of guys
who went on to be part of
“Geordie”
with
Brian Johnson of
AC/DC
who lived down the
road from me,
by now I was ready
to play more
interesting material,
I was really into jazz,
chords, scales,
and technique,
ready to take on the world
(well I was sixteen!).
Stu & Dave
had played together
and when they approached me
at the Quay club
to join with them
it seemed right and straight off
there was good chemistry.
We jammed a lot
and gigged strongly
doing covers,
we all liked the
same material,
Cream,
Hendrix,
Fleetwood Mac,
BB King.
We had all gig intensively
and wanted to do
something different
and use lots of chords,
time changes,
melodys and harmonies,
the unexpected so people
were always taken on
a helter skelter ride.
I always loved chords
and liked to play
different styles
so Ginhouse was
the perfect vehicle
with no boundaries.
Who came up with the name
“Ginhouse”
and what was the
thought-process
behind choosing it?
Stu & Dave
(Bass and Drums)
were in a band called
“Household”
and we were aware
of a track called
“Ginhouse Blues”,
so we nicked Ginhouse
for a name as
we were all into
blues and jazz
at the time.
You were signed to the
B&C label in the UK,
with a release in
Germany under the
Philips label.
Am in right in thinking
that this was your
first time in a studio?
Could you tell us
about how you got
signed by B&C
and how the recording process
panned out?
Did you already have all
the songs worked out
before heading into the studio?
We had worked in
Focus Studio a
demo studio in
Wallesend
and done some recording
with
Alan Price
who I worked with later
on in a solo capacity.
We won
The Melody Maker
Battle of the Band competition
at The Lyceum
(London)
in 1970 sponsored by
Newcastle University.
David Bowie played
Major Tom solo,
what a support!
As a prize we were offered
a deal with Decca
but decided to go with
Air London,
record the album
and then sell it,
B&C came into the frame.
Abbey Road
was a dream
and the album was what
the band did live
but not as ballsy or raw.
All the arrangements
were as we performed live
and were what made it fun
and challenging to play
as a three piece.
Anders Hendrikson
added any keyboards needed
and had just finished the
“Quatermass”
album
(Brilliant)
so was soaked in
keyboard inspiration!
No comments:
Post a Comment