Pink Fairies
Encyclopedia
Pink Fairies were an English rock
band
active in the London
(Ladbroke Grove) underground and psychedelic scene of the early 1970s. They promoted free music, drug taking and anarchy
and often performed impromptu gigs and other agitprop
stunts, such as playing for free outside the gates at the Bath and Isle of Wight
pop festivals in 1970, as well as appearing at Phun City
, the second Glastonbury
and many other free festivals including Windsor
and Trentishoe
.
, born Vancouver
, Canada, guitar and vocals; Duncan Sanderson, born 31 December 1948, Carlisle, Cumbria, bass; Russell Hunter, born Barry Russell Hunter, 26 April 1946, Woking
, Surrey, drums), having sacked their singer and leader Mick Farren
, returned from a disastrous tour of the West Coast
of the United States and hooked up with Twink
, former drummer of The Pretty Things
. Prior to the tour these musicians had collaborated on Twink's Think Pink
solo album and while on tour Twink, Farren and Steve Peregrin Took
had used the name Pink Fairies Motorcycle Club and All-Star Rock and Roll Band, taken from a story written by Jamie Mandelkau, for activities including one shambolic gig in Manchester
and the recording of Farren's solo album, Mona – The Carnivorous Circus
.
Their music was upbeat good-time rock and roll
, often jamming on The Beatles
' "Tomorrow Never Knows
", The Ventures
' "Walk Don't Run
", "Ghost Riders in the Sky" and other standards. Their sets climaxed with the lengthy "Uncle Harry's Last Freakout", essentially an amalgam of old Deviants riffs that included extended guitar and double drum solos. They were closely associated with the UK underground
, being based in the Ladbroke Grove
scene and playing festivals, benefits and free concerts. The band had strong connections with Farren's home town Worthing
, playing gigs for the Worthing Workshop. These included an appearance on a float in the Worthing Rotary Club Carnival Procession and a free open-air concert in Beach House
Park. Playing for in June 1970 free outside the Bath Festival, they encountered another Ladbroke Grove based band Hawkwind
, who shared similar interests in music and recreational activities, a friendship developed which would lead to the two bands becoming running partners and performing as Pinkwind. Sensationalist coverage in the (Mick Farren edited) International Times
solidified their rebel reputation.
Polydor Records
commissioned the group to record a single, "The Snake" / "Do It", and were happy enough with the results to offer the group an album contract. The debut album Never Never Land was released in 1971. It featured live favourites "Uncle Harry's Last Freakout" and "Do It" but curiously omitted "The Snake". An appearance at 1971's Glastonbury Festival
led to them being given one side of the Glastonbury Fayre
various artists triple album. In July 1971 Twink left to travel to Morocco
. The band continued as a three-piece occasionally augmented by former The Move
bassist Trevor Burton
on guitar. They released their second album What a Bunch of Sweeties
in 1972, which featured some contributions from Burton. On the album's release and with a promotional tour pending Rudolph departed, going on to play on albums for Robert Calvert
and Brian Eno
. He would eventually replace Lemmy in Hawkwind.
Mick Wayne (born Michael Wayne, 1945, Hull
, Yorkshire and died 26 June 1994, in the U.S.A.), was Rudolph's replacement having recorded with Sanderson Hunter and Steve Peregrine Took on sessions for Took. Took's health having forced his departure, the remaining three recorded The Pink Fairies, releasing the single "Well, Well, Well" / "Hold On", as well as doing a radio session for Radio One. However Sanderson and Hunter became unhappy with the musical direction Wayne was taking the band. They convinced Larry Wallis
, who had played with UFO
and later Steve Took's Shagrat, to join the group as a second guitarist. Shortly after they sacked Wayne, passing song writing and singing duties onto Wallis. This new three piece then recorded the 1973 album Kings of Oblivion
. Out of contract with Polydor, the band continued touring to a decreasing audience until finally calling it a day. Wallis went on to join Lemmy in the first incarnation of Motörhead, then became the in-house record producer
for Stiff Records
. Sanderson joined The Lightning Raiders. Hunter left the music business.
Ted Carroll, head of Chiswick Records
, organized a one-off reunion concert at The Roundhouse
on 13 July 1975 featuring all five previous major members of the group (released in 1982 as Live at the Roundhouse 1975
). Following this concert, Wallis, Sanderson and Hunter decided to give the Pink Fairies another try. This line up eventually gave numerous 'farewell tours' before disbanding. After a period of inactivity they entered the burgeoning punk scene as one of the few 'hairy' bands revered by the new guard. Recruiting former Chilli Willi and the Red Hot Peppers
guitarist Martin Stone
, they toured and released the single "Between the Lines" / "Spoiling for a Fight" on Stiff Records but with little interest being shown in them, they once again split up. Rudolph and Wallis resumed playing for Farren in 1977/78, releasing the EP Screwed Up as The Deviants again on Stiff, but Rudolph returned to his native Canada prior to the recording of 1978's Vampires Stole My Lunch Money
and follow up single "Broken Statue". In the early 1980s, Wallis and Sanderson recorded and played live, the albums Previously Unreleased
(1982) and The Deviants' Human Garbage
(live 1984) being released. The band went under many names including The Police Cars, The Police Sleighs, The Donut Dunkers Of Death and finally The Love Pirates Of Doom, the most settled line up being Wallis, Sanderson, drummer George Butler (ex-Lightning Raiders
) and second guitarist Andy Colquhoun (ex-Warsaw Pakt & Tanz Der Youth).
In 1987 Jake Riviera
, head of Demon Records, offered a recording contract
for a reformed Pink Fairies. Of the five group members, Paul Rudolph
was not involved so the second guitarist position was taken up by Andy Colquhoun, who had previously played alongside Wallis in Farren's bands. This band released the album Kill 'Em and Eat 'Em
and toured following a sell-out show and London's Town & Country Club before once again splitting up in 1988. After Twinks ignominious departure they had carried on until Wallis too left at which time the remaining members toured and recorded as Flying Colours. An archive live album Chinese Cowboys: Live 1987 was issued in Japan in 2005 on Captain Trip Records.
Following this period the magazine UHCK (Uncle Harry's City Kids) collaborated with the band to produce two tape releases (Silence Of The Hams & Son Of Ham) and two CDs (Son Of Ham extended version & Hogwatch) for subscribers, all featuring entirely unreleased music by members of the band in various side projects (The Deviants, Lightning Raiders
, etc.), radio sessions and specially written material. In common with many 'official' Pink Fairy releases the artwork was by the late underground cartoonist Edward J Barker (I.T, Nasty Tales) famed for his Largactalites cartoons and his pig and crow caricatures. Much of the magazine was actually written by ex-band members and by long time associate, road manager, 'wet nurse' and manager of Dingwalls
, Boss Goodman, who went on to become a renowned chef, once cooking for US President Bill Clinton at the Portobello Gold.
In the mid-1990s Twink collaborated with Paul Rudolph and the pair recorded 1996's Pleasure Island and 1997's No Picture, released as the Pink Fairies on Twink's own label. Twink also issued a plethora of albums featuring outtakes, alternate versions, BBC
sessions and live material including: The Golden Years 1969-1971, Do It, Live at Weeley Festival 1971 and Mandies and Mescaline Round at Uncle Harry's.
During the early 2000s Polydor remastered and released their Pink Fairies back catalogue with bonus cuts and issued the sampler albums Master Series and Up the Pinks: An Introduction.
The Kings of Oblivion line-up (Wallis, Sanderson, Hunter) were scheduled to play at one-off gig on 22 January 2007 at the Roundhouse, London and record a BBC session for Stuart Maconie
's Freakzone radio programme, but activities were cancelled at the last minute due to ill-health. In 2007 the biography Keep it Together! Cosmic Boogie with the Deviants and Pink Fairies by Rich Deakin, Mick Farren's webmaster, was published by Headpress. In September 2009, the What a Bunch of Sweeties line-up (Rudolph, Sanderson, Hunter) re-united in the studio to record a new version of "Do It" for the various artists CD Portobello Shuffle.
In 2011 Farren & Colquhoun returned to the UK from Los Angeles after nearly 20 years exile. They teamed up with the Pink Fairies (and Deviants) rhythm section of Hunter & Sanderson - along with 2nd guitarist Tim Rundall and percussionist Jaki Windmill for a number of appearances. This line up performed at the 'Spirit of 71' stage at the 2011 Glastonbury Festival
- 40 years after the Pink Fairies' previous appearance at that event - under the name 'Mick Farren & The Last Men Standing'.
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
active in the London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
(Ladbroke Grove) underground and psychedelic scene of the early 1970s. They promoted free music, drug taking and anarchy
Anarchism
Anarchism is generally defined as the political philosophy which holds the state to be undesirable, unnecessary, and harmful, or alternatively as opposing authority in the conduct of human relations...
and often performed impromptu gigs and other agitprop
Agitprop
Agitprop is derived from agitation and propaganda, and describes stage plays, pamphlets, motion pictures and other art forms with an explicitly political message....
stunts, such as playing for free outside the gates at the Bath and Isle of Wight
Isle of Wight Festival 1970
The 1970 Isle of Wight Festival was held between 26 and 31 August 1970 at East Afton Farm an area on the western side of the Isle of Wight. It was the last of three consecutive music festivals to take place on the island between 1968 and 1970 and widely acknowledged as the largest musical event of...
pop festivals in 1970, as well as appearing at Phun City
Phun City
Phun City was a rock festival held at Ecclesden Common near Worthing, England from July 24 to July 26, 1970. Excluding the one-day free concerts in London's Hyde Park, Phun City became the first large-scale free festival in the UK....
, the second Glastonbury
Glastonbury Festival
The Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts, commonly abbreviated to Glastonbury or even Glasto, is a performing arts festival that takes place near Pilton, Somerset, England, best known for its contemporary music, but also for dance, comedy, theatre, circus, cabaret and other arts.The...
and many other free festivals including Windsor
Windsor Free Festival
The Windsor Free Festival was a British Free Festival held in Windsor Great Park from 1972 to 1974. Organised by some London commune dwellers, notably Ubi Dwyer and Sid Rawle, it was in many ways the forerunner of the Stonehenge Free Festival, particularly in the brutality of its final suppression...
and Trentishoe
Trentishoe
thumb|220px|The Trentishoe area on Donn's one inch to the mile survey of 1765.Trentishoe is a village in North Devon, England. It is in the Shirwell deanery of the Church of England...
.
History
The group was formed when the three musicians from The Deviants (Paul RudolphPaul Rudolph (musician)
Paul Fraser Rudolph is a guitarist,bassist, singer, and cyclist. He made his mark in the UK underground music scene, and then as a session musician, before returning to Canada to indulge his passion for cycling...
, born Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, Canada, guitar and vocals; Duncan Sanderson, born 31 December 1948, Carlisle, Cumbria, bass; Russell Hunter, born Barry Russell Hunter, 26 April 1946, Woking
Woking
Woking is a large town and civil parish that shares its name with the surrounding local government district, located in the west of Surrey, UK. It is part of the Greater London Urban Area and the London commuter belt, with frequent trains and a journey time of 24 minutes to Waterloo station....
, Surrey, drums), having sacked their singer and leader Mick Farren
Mick Farren
Michael Anthony 'Mick' Farren is an English journalist, author and singer associated with counterculture and the UK Underground.-Music:...
, returned from a disastrous tour of the West Coast
West Coast of the United States
West Coast or Pacific Coast are terms for the westernmost coastal states of the United States. The term most often refers to the states of California, Oregon, and Washington. Although not part of the contiguous United States, Alaska and Hawaii do border the Pacific Ocean but can't be included in...
of the United States and hooked up with Twink
Twink (musician)
John Charles Alder , better known as Twink, is an English drummer, singer and songwriter who was a central figure in the English psychedelic movement, and an actor.-Early life and career:...
, former drummer of The Pretty Things
The Pretty Things
The Pretty Things are an English rock and roll band from London, who originally formed in 1963. They took their name from Bo Diddley's 1955 song "Pretty Thing" and, in their early days, were dubbed by the British press the "uglier cousins of the Rolling Stones". Their most commercially successful...
. Prior to the tour these musicians had collaborated on Twink's Think Pink
Think Pink
Think Pink is the 1970 debut album by English psychedelic musician Twink.It was produced by Mick Farren and featured members of The Pretty Things, The Deviants, plus Steve Peregrin Took of Tyrannosaurus Rex...
solo album and while on tour Twink, Farren and Steve Peregrin Took
Steve Peregrin Took
Steve Peregrin Took was an English musician. He is best known for his membership of the duo Tyrannosaurus Rex with Marc Bolan...
had used the name Pink Fairies Motorcycle Club and All-Star Rock and Roll Band, taken from a story written by Jamie Mandelkau, for activities including one shambolic gig in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
and the recording of Farren's solo album, Mona – The Carnivorous Circus
Mona – The Carnivorous Circus
Mona—The Carnivorous Circus is a 1970 album by the UK underground artist Mick Farren.The album was recorded to fulfill contractual obligations. Farren had recently returned from a tour of the west coast of North America with his band The Deviants, who had relieved the singer of his duties.Farren...
.
Their music was upbeat good-time rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
, often jamming on The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
' "Tomorrow Never Knows
Tomorrow Never Knows
"Tomorrow Never Knows" is the final track of The Beatles' 1966 studio album Revolver but the first to be recorded. Credited as a Lennon–McCartney song, it was written primarily by John Lennon...
", The Ventures
The Ventures
The Ventures is an American instrumental rock band formed in 1958 in Tacoma, Washington. Founded by Don Wilson and Bob Bogle, the group in its various incarnations has had an enduring impact on the development of music worldwide. With over 100 million records sold, the group is the best-selling...
' "Walk Don't Run
Walk Don't Run
Walk, Don't Run is a 1966 comedy film set in Tokyo during the Olympic Games in 1964. The movie marked the last appearance by Cary Grant in a feature film, and is a remake of the 1943 film The More the Merrier.-Plot:...
", "Ghost Riders in the Sky" and other standards. Their sets climaxed with the lengthy "Uncle Harry's Last Freakout", essentially an amalgam of old Deviants riffs that included extended guitar and double drum solos. They were closely associated with the UK underground
UK underground
The Underground was a countercultural movement in the United Kingdom linked to the underground culture in the United States and associated with the hippie phenomenon. Its primary focus was around Ladbroke Grove and Notting Hill in London...
, being based in the Ladbroke Grove
Ladbroke Grove
Ladbroke Grove is a road in west London, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. It is also sometimes the name given informally to the immediate area surrounding the road. Running from Notting Hill in the south to Kensal Green in the north, it is located in North Kensington and straddles...
scene and playing festivals, benefits and free concerts. The band had strong connections with Farren's home town Worthing
Worthing
Worthing is a large seaside town with borough status in West Sussex, within the historic County of Sussex, forming part of the Brighton/Worthing/Littlehampton conurbation. It is situated at the foot of the South Downs, west of Brighton, and east of the county town of Chichester...
, playing gigs for the Worthing Workshop. These included an appearance on a float in the Worthing Rotary Club Carnival Procession and a free open-air concert in Beach House
Beach House, Worthing
Beach House in Worthing, England is a Regency beach-side villa, built in 1820 to designs by John Rebecca. It was originally known as Marino Mansion.-History:...
Park. Playing for in June 1970 free outside the Bath Festival, they encountered another Ladbroke Grove based band Hawkwind
Hawkwind
Hawkwind are an English rock band, one of the earliest space rock groups. Their lyrics favour urban and science fiction themes. They are also a noted precursor to punk rock and now are considered a link between the hippie and punk cultures....
, who shared similar interests in music and recreational activities, a friendship developed which would lead to the two bands becoming running partners and performing as Pinkwind. Sensationalist coverage in the (Mick Farren edited) International Times
International Times
International Times was an underground newspaper founded in London in 1966. Editors included Hoppy, David Mairowitz, Pete Stansill, Barry Miles, Jim Haynes and playwright Tom McGrath...
solidified their rebel reputation.
Polydor Records
Polydor Records
Polydor is a record label owned by Universal Music Group, headquartered in the United Kingdom.-Beginnings:Polydor was originally an independent branch of the Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft. Its name was first used as an export label in 1924, the British and German branches of the Gramophone...
commissioned the group to record a single, "The Snake" / "Do It", and were happy enough with the results to offer the group an album contract. The debut album Never Never Land was released in 1971. It featured live favourites "Uncle Harry's Last Freakout" and "Do It" but curiously omitted "The Snake". An appearance at 1971's Glastonbury Festival
Glastonbury Festival
The Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts, commonly abbreviated to Glastonbury or even Glasto, is a performing arts festival that takes place near Pilton, Somerset, England, best known for its contemporary music, but also for dance, comedy, theatre, circus, cabaret and other arts.The...
led to them being given one side of the Glastonbury Fayre
Glastonbury Fayre (album)
Glastonbury Fayre is a triple album released in 1972, comprising performances by acts who had appeared at the Glastonbury Festival in 1971...
various artists triple album. In July 1971 Twink left to travel to Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
. The band continued as a three-piece occasionally augmented by former The Move
The Move
The Move, from Birmingham, England, were one of the leading British rock bands of the 1960s. They scored nine Top 20 UK singles in five years, but were among the most popular British bands not to find any success in the United States....
bassist Trevor Burton
Trevor Burton
Trevor Burton is a British guitarist and was one of the original members of The Move.-Danny King & The Mayfair Set:...
on guitar. They released their second album What a Bunch of Sweeties
What a Bunch of Sweeties
What a Bunch of Sweeties is a 1972 album by the UK underground group Pink Fairies.Twink had left the band before the recording of this album...
in 1972, which featured some contributions from Burton. On the album's release and with a promotional tour pending Rudolph departed, going on to play on albums for Robert Calvert
Robert Calvert
Robert Calvert was a writer, poet, and musician.-Biography:Born Robert Newton Calvert in Pretoria, South Africa, Calvert's parents moved to England when he was two years of age and later attended school in London and Margate. He began his career by writing poetry and in 1967 formed a Street...
and Brian Eno
Brian Eno
Brian Peter George St. John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno , commonly known as Brian Eno or simply as Eno , is an English musician, composer, record producer, singer and visual artist, known as one of the principal innovators of ambient music.Eno studied at Colchester Institute art school in Essex,...
. He would eventually replace Lemmy in Hawkwind.
Mick Wayne (born Michael Wayne, 1945, Hull
Kingston upon Hull
Kingston upon Hull , usually referred to as Hull, is a city and unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It stands on the River Hull at its junction with the Humber estuary, 25 miles inland from the North Sea. Hull has a resident population of...
, Yorkshire and died 26 June 1994, in the U.S.A.), was Rudolph's replacement having recorded with Sanderson Hunter and Steve Peregrine Took on sessions for Took. Took's health having forced his departure, the remaining three recorded The Pink Fairies, releasing the single "Well, Well, Well" / "Hold On", as well as doing a radio session for Radio One. However Sanderson and Hunter became unhappy with the musical direction Wayne was taking the band. They convinced Larry Wallis
Larry Wallis
Larry Wallis is a guitarist, songwriter and producer. He is best known as a member of the Pink Fairies and an early member of Motörhead.-Early bands:...
, who had played with UFO
UFO (band)
UFO are an English heavy metal and hard rock band, who were formed in 1969. UFO became a transitional group between early hard rock and heavy metal and the New Wave of British Heavy Metal...
and later Steve Took's Shagrat, to join the group as a second guitarist. Shortly after they sacked Wayne, passing song writing and singing duties onto Wallis. This new three piece then recorded the 1973 album Kings of Oblivion
Kings of Oblivion
Kings Of Oblivion is a 1973 album by the UK underground group Pink Fairies.Paul Rudolph had quit the group on the release of What a Bunch of Sweeties, his replacement being Mick Wayne. This new three piece recorded one single, "Well, Well, Well"/"Hold On", but Sanderson and Hunter were unhappy with...
. Out of contract with Polydor, the band continued touring to a decreasing audience until finally calling it a day. Wallis went on to join Lemmy in the first incarnation of Motörhead, then became the in-house record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
for Stiff Records
Stiff Records
Stiff Records is a record label created in London in 1976, by entrepreneurs Dave Robinson and Andrew Jakeman , and active until 1985. It was reactivated in 2007....
. Sanderson joined The Lightning Raiders. Hunter left the music business.
Ted Carroll, head of Chiswick Records
Chiswick Records
Chiswick Records was a British record company. Chiswick was the "first true 'indie' label" to be established in Britain for nearly a decade". The label has been described as "significant" in the "punk era"...
, organized a one-off reunion concert at The Roundhouse
The Roundhouse
The Roundhouse is a Grade II* listed former railway engine shed in Chalk Farm, London, England, which has been converted into a performing arts and concert venue. It was originally built in 1847 as a roundhouse , a circular building containing a railway turntable, but was only used for railway...
on 13 July 1975 featuring all five previous major members of the group (released in 1982 as Live at the Roundhouse 1975
Live at the Roundhouse 1975
Live at the Roundhouse 1975 is a 1982 album of a 1975 concert by the UK underground group Pink Fairies.A one-off reunion concert featuring all five previous members of the group was organised by Ted Carroll, head of Chiswick Records. At the time of this gig, Rudolph was also playing bass for...
). Following this concert, Wallis, Sanderson and Hunter decided to give the Pink Fairies another try. This line up eventually gave numerous 'farewell tours' before disbanding. After a period of inactivity they entered the burgeoning punk scene as one of the few 'hairy' bands revered by the new guard. Recruiting former Chilli Willi and the Red Hot Peppers
Chilli Willi and the Red Hot Peppers
Chilli Willi and the Red Hot Peppers were one of the main British pub rock groups of the early 1970s. Later managed by Jake Riviera, who first worked for the band as a roadie, they reached their peak as part of the "Naughty Rhythms Tour" of 1975, along with other stalwarts of the same scene, Dr...
guitarist Martin Stone
Martin Stone
Martin Stone may refer to:*Martin Stone , British professional wrestler*Martin Stone , actor in British TV serial The Chronicles of Narnia*Martin Stone , guitarist and literary expert...
, they toured and released the single "Between the Lines" / "Spoiling for a Fight" on Stiff Records but with little interest being shown in them, they once again split up. Rudolph and Wallis resumed playing for Farren in 1977/78, releasing the EP Screwed Up as The Deviants again on Stiff, but Rudolph returned to his native Canada prior to the recording of 1978's Vampires Stole My Lunch Money
Vampires Stole My Lunch Money
Vampires Stole My Lunch Money is a 1978 album by the UK underground artist Mick Farren.Farren had left music performance after his 1970 album Mona – The Carnivorous Circus to concentrate on journalism and writing. However, in 1976 he had the opportunity whilst in New York to record the single "Play...
and follow up single "Broken Statue". In the early 1980s, Wallis and Sanderson recorded and played live, the albums Previously Unreleased
Previously Unreleased
Previously Unreleased is a 1982 album by the English guitarist Larry Wallis, released under the name Pink Fairies.The decision to release the album as a Pink Fairies album rather than a Larry Wallis album was made by label boss Ted Carroll in the belief it would sell more copies...
(1982) and The Deviants' Human Garbage
Human Garbage
Human Garbage is a 1984 live album by the UK underground artist Mick Farren and friends, released under the name The Deviants.Farren had relocated to New York but a return visit to London gave him the opportunity for this one-off performance with Larry Wallis' Previously Unreleased group at...
(live 1984) being released. The band went under many names including The Police Cars, The Police Sleighs, The Donut Dunkers Of Death and finally The Love Pirates Of Doom, the most settled line up being Wallis, Sanderson, drummer George Butler (ex-Lightning Raiders
Lightning Raiders
-History:The Lightning Raiders formed in August 1977 with an original lineup featuring John Hodge on guitar, Andy Allan on guitar/vocals, ex-Pink Fairies Duncan Sanderson on bass/vocals, Jorge Panchito on drums and Michael Wilding on sax.In February 1978 ex-Pink Fairies drummer/singer Twink...
) and second guitarist Andy Colquhoun (ex-Warsaw Pakt & Tanz Der Youth).
In 1987 Jake Riviera
Jake Riviera
Jake Riviera is a music business entrepreneur best known for his management of such performers as Elvis Costello and Nick Lowe and as co-founder of pioneering British indie label Stiff Records.Riviera was in school bands and local groups in north-west London in the 60s, and became road manager of...
, head of Demon Records, offered a recording contract
Recording contract
A recording contract is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording artist , where the artist makes a record for the label to sell and promote...
for a reformed Pink Fairies. Of the five group members, Paul Rudolph
Paul Rudolph (musician)
Paul Fraser Rudolph is a guitarist,bassist, singer, and cyclist. He made his mark in the UK underground music scene, and then as a session musician, before returning to Canada to indulge his passion for cycling...
was not involved so the second guitarist position was taken up by Andy Colquhoun, who had previously played alongside Wallis in Farren's bands. This band released the album Kill 'Em and Eat 'Em
Kill 'Em and Eat 'Em
Kill 'Em and Eat 'Em is a 1987 album by the UK underground group Pink Fairies.This is a reformed Pink Fairies, prompted by an offer from Jake Riviera, head of Demon Records. Of the five original group members, Paul Rudolph wasn't involved...
and toured following a sell-out show and London's Town & Country Club before once again splitting up in 1988. After Twinks ignominious departure they had carried on until Wallis too left at which time the remaining members toured and recorded as Flying Colours. An archive live album Chinese Cowboys: Live 1987 was issued in Japan in 2005 on Captain Trip Records.
Following this period the magazine UHCK (Uncle Harry's City Kids) collaborated with the band to produce two tape releases (Silence Of The Hams & Son Of Ham) and two CDs (Son Of Ham extended version & Hogwatch) for subscribers, all featuring entirely unreleased music by members of the band in various side projects (The Deviants, Lightning Raiders
Lightning Raiders
-History:The Lightning Raiders formed in August 1977 with an original lineup featuring John Hodge on guitar, Andy Allan on guitar/vocals, ex-Pink Fairies Duncan Sanderson on bass/vocals, Jorge Panchito on drums and Michael Wilding on sax.In February 1978 ex-Pink Fairies drummer/singer Twink...
, etc.), radio sessions and specially written material. In common with many 'official' Pink Fairy releases the artwork was by the late underground cartoonist Edward J Barker (I.T, Nasty Tales) famed for his Largactalites cartoons and his pig and crow caricatures. Much of the magazine was actually written by ex-band members and by long time associate, road manager, 'wet nurse' and manager of Dingwalls
Dingwalls
Dingwalls is a venue adjacent to Camden Lock in London, England. It houses bars, cafes, clubs . The building itself is one of many industrial Victorian buildings that were put to new use in the 20th century. The original owner of the building, T.E...
, Boss Goodman, who went on to become a renowned chef, once cooking for US President Bill Clinton at the Portobello Gold.
In the mid-1990s Twink collaborated with Paul Rudolph and the pair recorded 1996's Pleasure Island and 1997's No Picture, released as the Pink Fairies on Twink's own label. Twink also issued a plethora of albums featuring outtakes, alternate versions, BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
sessions and live material including: The Golden Years 1969-1971, Do It, Live at Weeley Festival 1971 and Mandies and Mescaline Round at Uncle Harry's.
During the early 2000s Polydor remastered and released their Pink Fairies back catalogue with bonus cuts and issued the sampler albums Master Series and Up the Pinks: An Introduction.
The Kings of Oblivion line-up (Wallis, Sanderson, Hunter) were scheduled to play at one-off gig on 22 January 2007 at the Roundhouse, London and record a BBC session for Stuart Maconie
Stuart Maconie
Stuart Maconie is an English radio DJ and television presenter, writer, journalist, and critic working in the field of of pop music and popular culture. He is currently a presenter on BBC 6 Music, where he hosts an afternoon show five times a week , alongside Mark Radcliffe, called the Radcliffe...
's Freakzone radio programme, but activities were cancelled at the last minute due to ill-health. In 2007 the biography Keep it Together! Cosmic Boogie with the Deviants and Pink Fairies by Rich Deakin, Mick Farren's webmaster, was published by Headpress. In September 2009, the What a Bunch of Sweeties line-up (Rudolph, Sanderson, Hunter) re-united in the studio to record a new version of "Do It" for the various artists CD Portobello Shuffle.
In 2011 Farren & Colquhoun returned to the UK from Los Angeles after nearly 20 years exile. They teamed up with the Pink Fairies (and Deviants) rhythm section of Hunter & Sanderson - along with 2nd guitarist Tim Rundall and percussionist Jaki Windmill for a number of appearances. This line up performed at the 'Spirit of 71' stage at the 2011 Glastonbury Festival
Glastonbury Festival 2011
The 2011 Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts was held from 22–26 June 2011. Tickets for the festival went on sale from 9 am on Sunday 3 October 2010, over 37 weeks before the festival was set to begin, with a deposit of £50 being paid, while the whole cost of a ticket is £195...
- 40 years after the Pink Fairies' previous appearance at that event - under the name 'Mick Farren & The Last Men Standing'.
Albums
- 1971 – Never Never Land (Polydor) – Rudolph; Sanderson; Hunter; Twink
- 1972 – What a Bunch of SweetiesWhat a Bunch of SweetiesWhat a Bunch of Sweeties is a 1972 album by the UK underground group Pink Fairies.Twink had left the band before the recording of this album...
(Polydor) – Rudolph; Sanderson; Hunter - UKUK Albums ChartThe UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
#48 - 1973 – Kings of OblivionKings of OblivionKings Of Oblivion is a 1973 album by the UK underground group Pink Fairies.Paul Rudolph had quit the group on the release of What a Bunch of Sweeties, his replacement being Mick Wayne. This new three piece recorded one single, "Well, Well, Well"/"Hold On", but Sanderson and Hunter were unhappy with...
(Polydor) – Wallis; Sanderson; Hunter - 1982 – Previously UnreleasedPreviously UnreleasedPreviously Unreleased is a 1982 album by the English guitarist Larry Wallis, released under the name Pink Fairies.The decision to release the album as a Pink Fairies album rather than a Larry Wallis album was made by label boss Ted Carroll in the belief it would sell more copies...
(Big Beat) – Wallis; Sanderson; Butler - 1987 – Kill 'Em and Eat 'EmKill 'Em and Eat 'EmKill 'Em and Eat 'Em is a 1987 album by the UK underground group Pink Fairies.This is a reformed Pink Fairies, prompted by an offer from Jake Riviera, head of Demon Records. Of the five original group members, Paul Rudolph wasn't involved...
(Demon) – Wallis; Colquhoun; Sanderson; Hunter; Twink - 1996 – Pleasure Island (Twink Records) – Twink; Rudolph
- 1997 – No Picture (Twink Records) – Twink; Rudolph
Compilation albums
- 1975 - Flashback (Polydor)
- 1999 - Live at the Roundhouse / Previously Unreleased / Do It '77 (Big Beat)
- 1999 – Master Series (Universal)
- 2002 – Up the Pinks – An Introduction to Pink Fairies (Polydor)
Singles
- 1971 - "The Snake"/"Do It" (Polydor) – Rudolph; Sanderson; Hunter; Twink
- 1972 - " Pigs Of Uranus"/ "I Saw Her Standing There" German polydor release
- 1973 - "Well, Well, Well"/"Hold On" (Polydor) – Wayne; Sanderson; Hunter
- 1976 - "Between the Lines"/"Spoiling for a Fight" (Stiff) – Wallis; Stone; Sanderson; Hunter
- 1978 - "Do It '77"/"Psychedelic Punkeroo"/"Enter The Diamonds" (as Twink and the Fairies) (Chiswick) – Twink; Sanderson
Live albums
- 1982 – Live at the Roundhouse 1975Live at the Roundhouse 1975Live at the Roundhouse 1975 is a 1982 album of a 1975 concert by the UK underground group Pink Fairies.A one-off reunion concert featuring all five previous members of the group was organised by Ted Carroll, head of Chiswick Records. At the time of this gig, Rudolph was also playing bass for...
(Big Beat) – Wallis; Rudolph; Sanderson; Hunter; Twink - 1998 - The Golden Years: 1969–1971 (Cleopatra Records) – Rudolph; Sanderson; Hunter; Twink (live, BBC sessions, Twink solo material)
- 1998 - Mescaline and Mandies Round at Uncle Harry's (NMC) – Rudolph; Sanderson; Hunter; Twink; Burton (BBC sessions, live)
- 1999 - Do It! (Total Energy) – Rudolph; Sanderson; Hunter; Twink (live, Twink solo material)
- 1999 - Live at Weeley 1971Weeley FestivalWeeley Festival was a British rock festival that took place in August 1971 near the small village of Weeley outside Clacton in Essex.-Details:...
(Get Back) – Rudolph; Sanderson; Hunter (live) - 2005 - Chinese Cowboys (Captain Trip) – Wallis; Colquhoun; Sanderson; Hunter; Twink (live 1987)
- 2008 - Finland Freakout 1971 (MLP) - Rudolph; Sanderson; Hunter (live)
External links
- Larry Wallis’s Pink Fairies site
- Twink’s Pink Fairies pages
- Phil Franks Digital Archive The Pink Fairies
- UHCK History of the World Part Two story of the Pink Fairies.