Colin's comments and recollections
1967
January
4 - Kingfisher Country Club Kingswinford
5 - Three Men in a Boat Walsall
6 - Stourport Civic Center Stourport
7 - Ye Olde Worlde Club Wolverhampton
12 - Shenley Green Youth Centre Shenley Green B’ham
13 - Tamworth Youth Centre Tamworth
18 - Ye Olde Worlde Club Wolverhampton
20 - Woolpack Civic Restaurant Wolverhampton
26 - Little Bloxwich Youth Club Bloxwich
27 - The College of Education Edgbaston B’ham
29 - Beehive Halesowen
February
3 - Wolverhampton College of Technology Wolverhampton
4 - Queen Mary Ballroom Dudley
6 - Woolpack Civic Restaurant Wolverhampton
7 - Stewart and Lloyds Social Club Bilston
8 - Nuffield House Town unmarked
9 - Wombourn Youth Centre Wombourn
10 - Stourport Civic Centre Stourport
14 - Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Social Club Wolverhampton
15 - Early Bird Club Stafford With Pinkertons Colours (the cow has run away)
17 - Compton Boys Club Wolverhampton
19 - Civic Hall Wolverhampton
23 - Crown and Cushion Birmingham
24 - Hereford Teachers Training College Hereford
29 - Castle Vale Youth Centre Birmingham
March
1 - Little Bloxwich Youth Club Staffs
2 - Connaught Hotel Wolverhampton
5 - Shenley Green Youth Centre Birmingham
We played with the Moody Blues. They were already famous but had to clear up some old contracts and had to play here.
It was the first time we had ever heard a mellotron played live. Coming off stage hot and sweaty, we changed our shirts in the bands dressing room.
Referring to us, one of the Moody Blues girlfriends said, ‘It really stinks in here’,
Justin Haywood replied ‘well of course it does, it’s a mens dressing room’
8 - Brierley Hill Civic Hall Brierley Hill
9 - Staffordshire Voluntear Bushbury
10 - Clayton Lodge Newcastle under Lyme
15 - Brinsford Lodge Wolverhampton
16 - Norton Canes Social Club Norton Canes
17 - Queen Mary Ballroom Dudley
19 - Woolpack Civic Wolverhampton
20 - Bucknall Working Mens Club Stoke on Trent
22 - Minster Hall Youth Centre Lichfield
23 - Stourport Civic Centre Stourport
28 - Castle Vale Youth Centre Castle Bromwich
29 - College of Education Birmingham
30 - Springdale Youth Centre Wolverhampton
April
4 - Dormeston Youth Club Sedgley
5 - Shenley Green Youth Centre Birmingham
6 - The Mile Oak Tamworth
9 - Queen Mary Grammer School Staffs
13 - Plaza Handsworth
We had previously played here with Cat Stevens and on another occasion The Troggs.
Cat Stevens had walked in the band dressing room on this gig with a glass of whatever:
Gin & Tonic if you like,
dropped it on the floor smashing it and said ’ I’m the star of this show’.
Pete asked Reg Presley singer with the Trogs,
‘does it bother you all these girls screaming at you and leaping onto the stage trying to grab you’ ?
‘It’ll start worrying me when it stops’ said Reg.
15 - Civic Hall Wolverhampton
20 - The Palace Ballroom Allbrighton
We arrived slightly late for this gig as our driver Laurence Jones and Colin had traveled to Leicester University
to pick up the Tubular Bells for Apple A Day
22 - The George Hotel Walsall
27 - Connaught Hotel Wolverhampton & Oasis Club
May
3 - Wolverhampton Grammer School
4 - Gibbons Bros Dudley
6 - Civic Hall Wolverhampton
17 - Brinsford Lodge Cannock
24 - The Civic Hall Wolverhampton
25 - Hereford Teachers Training College Hereford
30 - St Giles Youth Club Willenhall
31 - Goscote Boys Club Walsall
December 1967
9- Policeman's Ball Birmingham Where Karel Pete and Colin first met
February 1968
4-10 Begin writing songs
Karel Pete and I started writing songs together at cannon hill art center in Birmingham
whenever we could manage to get hold of a small rehearsal room with piano.
Karel had this sort of conducting rod which in fact was a chrome transistor radio antenna.
He would stand behind us and draw it out while Pete and I sat at the piano composing the music,
then he would wave it round all over the place like he was conducting us.
It used to make us really mad but we never complained,
then one day he hit Pete on the back of the head by accident with it.
I don’t exactly remember what happened after but I think Pete snatched it off him
bent it in half and threw it on the floor. That was the end of that
12-13-29 March 3-18 April Recording
Recording An Apple A Day and other songs
The horn section one of them was drunk, did it for experience and a day out. (we paid their bus fare)
but couldn’t afford to pay them for the session.
I remember the trombone player walked into the studio during a take, lay on the floor and started snoring.
They were all good guys though, both of them.
3-7 May Apple selling songs to Terry Doran
June
12- Wolverhampton Technical College
28- Cannock Technical College
29- Bull's Head Yardley & Cedar Club Birmingham
Colin collapsed on stage at this gig and was flown to hospital where he had to have his liver removed.
30- Dudley
August
16- Coach and Horses Warheath
19- Oldhill Plaza
23- St Luke's Dudley
25- Sportsman's Arms Coventry
31- Cannon Hill Park & Cedar Club Birmingham
September
1- Sportsman's Arms Coventry
14- Henley in Arden Memorial Hall
20- Great Barr
21- Wellingborough St Andrews Parish Hall
22- Sportsman's Arms Coventry
27- Castle Vale
28- Walpack
30- BBC B'ham Recording session
October
5- Walsall Wagon & Horses
11- Stone Cross Churchfield School
12- Copsall Village Hall
18- Plaza Oldhill
19- Jewish Social Club Moseley
23- University Aston
25- Cardiff
26- Westhill College Birmingham
30- Mackadown
November
2- Opposite Lock - Factory
3- RAF Gaydon
7- RAF Abingdon
8- Arts Lab Benefit
9- Wagon & Horses
15- Westbourne Road College
16- Hereford
18- The Belfrey Suttton Coldfield
21- Lyndon Hall B'ham
23- Elbow Room B'ham
24- Cedar Club B'ham
the atmosphere in the club while we played You’ve Given Me Rain was electric.
We knew now if we could do this all the time we could make it.
Two members of new band shortly to be Led Zeppelin came to see us in the dressing room
and asked to borrow our equipment so they could jam.
We said no.
25- Oldhill Plaza
27- University Aston
29- Westbourne College
30- Water Orton Parish Church
December
6- Harborne Church Hall
23- Factory
With Gun
‘You’re a geezer, this man's a gentleman’
24- Abergavenny
We wrote The Slightest Distance here just before all our teeth dropped out.
31- Cannon Hill Center
February
9- Connors Quay
and at some point there was a gig in All Saint's Notting Hill London
otherwise the rest of the story would never have happened
March
Thursday 6 - Maison Franco- Brittanique Cité Universitaire Paris
Monday 10 > 14 - Romeo Club Paris
Saturday 15 - Condé
Sunday 16 - Terniers
Tuesday 18 - Romeo Club Paris
Friday 21 - Birdland Club Grenoble
Saturday 22 Birdland + Residence Berlioz Grenoble Université
Friday 28 > 29 - Birdland Club
April
Friday 4 - Romeo Club Paris
Saturday 5 > 6 - Farnier
Monday 7- Lens Eden Ranch
Saturday 12 > 20 Tabou Club St Auban
Friday 21 & 25 Bibelos Paris
26 Xenon Paris
27 Oasis Sarcelles
30 - Tabou Club
May
Thursday 1 > 3 - GoIf Drout Paris
Tuesday 6 - Pavillon d'Armenonville Paris
Thursday 8 > 10 - Translation Ballet with Graziela Martinez Orsay
Sunday 18 - Oasis Sarcelles
Sunday 25 - Penny Pub
Friday 30 & 31 American Center Paris
June
Friday 6 & 7 - American Center
Th 12 > 15 - Translation Ballet American Center
July
Thursday 3 - Country Club Hampstead London
29 - Leave England for 2nd French trip
August
Friday 1 & 7 - Translation Ballet Cassis
Monday 11 - Big Ben Club Cassis
Sunday 17 - Eglise Villars
Thursday 21 - Rustrel
Saturday 23 - MJC Apt + La Boheme Club
Saturday 30 - Night Club Vaucluse
September
Saturday 13 & 14 - Cerisae Club Reims
Wednesday 17 - CBE Studio Recording
(Through the Eyes of a Child & Appointment with the Master)
Friday 1- > 21 - Drac Ouest Grenoble
22 - CBE Studio Recording
Friday 26 & 27 - Rock 'n Roll Circus Paris
October
Wednesday 1 - ORTF Pop Club
Colin got electrocuted on this one so the band didnt play .
Thursday 2 & 4 - Grand Palais Paris
Bernard’s first ever light show - but it wasn’t the first time he’d ever worn a cat suit.
Monday 6 - Vogue Studio recording for film Philosophie dans la Boudoir
Saturday 11 - American Center
November
Friday 7 - leave England for 3rd French trip
Saturday 8 - Penny Pub
Sunday 9 - Chameleon Conde
Saturday 15 & 16 - Oasis Sarcelles
Friday 21 - Southampton University
Saturday 22 - Birmingham Arts Lab benefit
Wednesday 26 & 27 - Rock 'n Roll Circus Paris
Saturday 29 - American Center Paris
Sunday 30 - Gibus Club Paris
December
Saturday 6 - Piston 70 Chatenay Malabray (with Led Zeppelin)
Tuesday 9 - Grenoble Drac Ouest
13 & 14 - Residence Berlioz Grenoble
Thursday 18 - MJC Vichy
Friday 19 - Residence Est Grenoble
Tuesday 23 - Commisariat du V arrondissement Paris
This was two days before Christmas and here we were in the nick.
Sitting with our backs to the prisoner cage, Pete held in his lap a potted plant
to take back to England, it looked strangely like marijuana.
’taking that home for your mom’? said a copper.
Wednesday 24 - Return to England
1970