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Listen to Framed (well, some of it)

Alex Harvey
Born 5th. February 1935 - Glasgow, Scotland.
Died 4th. February 1982 - Zeebrugge, Belgium.

Wikipedia page for Alex

It was early 1964 at Eel Pie Island, Twickenham. Blues night was (if my memory serves me right) Sunday and the main attraction was (usually) Long John Baldry. My mate (Jim Rush) and I went most weeks. This night (when exactly?) it was Alex Harvey and his Soul Band. We had never heard anything as exciting before! I loved Long John and since then I've seen the Beatles and The Stones (see below) but I cannot believe that anything beat that Sunday(?) at Eel Pie.

Later in '64 Jim and I went to see the Stones at Windsor Ex-Servicemen's Club. The entrance price was 10/6d (52 1/2p). That was way over what we were used to! The Stones had recently hit the top twenty with "Not fade away" and the price zoomed. Then we saw who the support band were, Alex Harvey and his Soul Band! Worth 10/6!

When Alex was on, the crowd shouted for the Stones (we didn't!). We only paid to watch the Rolling Stones because Alex Harvey and his Soul Band were the supporting group! Can there be a greater compliment than that?

Bought the Polydor LPs, "Alex Harvey and his Soul Band" (although this was recorded with the Liverpool group King Size Taylor and the Dominoes and was not the Soul Band) and "The Blues" and loved them.

Saw Alex on 'Top of the Pops' some years later, prancing about and "singing" Delilah. That wasn't the Alex I wanted. Switched off and never bothered with SAHB. Perhaps I should have? They weren't that bad.

Anyway, needless to say I did replace the records with CDs, buying several others (including SAHB).

In 2015 I was contacted, through the site, by a Tim Barr who was doing an essay / project on Alex and he wished to include the above story about the Rolling Stones. Permission given but didn't have a clue what it was all about.

2016, and a 14 CD box set (The last of the teenage idols) was released. Had to have it! Not cheap but what the heck.


Hardback book included with Alex's box set

Loved the set and read the book. There I am, pages 23-24 - fame at last!

 

 

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Alex Harvey
(1935 - 1982)