Saturday, June 21, 2008

Spunky Spider –You Won’t Come


Spunky Spider –You Won’t Come/Perchance –Phoenix S-NIX 143 (1973 UK)

Spunky Spider’s only single is a strange and sticky beast indeed. It Comes across like Robert Calvert posing as a Sex Pest with a pre-pubescent Status Quo on this no-holes-barred performance. You Won’t Come certainly doesn’t spurt an attractive melody, but the snotty nosed Punky/sleazy approach is quite startling. Remember, this is god-knows-where in 1973 and not a dingy Squat basement in 1977.
Perchance is more 1967, and sounds like a band rehearsing for their set at the Avalon Ballroom and is more of an "open-minded" concept. There is zilch in the way of information in the liner notes of RPM’s Glitterbest Comp where I first heard it, but the cavernous lo-fi production values means that there probably was a real local band behind this release. Both tracks are written by Millman/Moran and it’s produced by Allen Henry. If that’s any clue…

Click on title for edits of You Won’t Come and Perchance

7 comments:

45 Revolutions said...

Great! Sounds like it must've been made by a drop-out, in Leicester, in the springtime.

Unknown said...

Spunky Spider

In 1963 we formed our first band PEYTON BOND in North London. The line up as well as the group’s name has changed over the years.

PEYTON BOND, the first band, had a line up of Pat Moran (Vocals), Nick Robinson (Bass), John Wilmot (Lead Guitar), Chrissie Knight (Rhythm Guitar) and Mick Mc Brain (Percussion). We played 60’s Pop Music copying tribute bands.

The second band was called STEAM MACHINE, this band consisted of: Nick Robinson (Bass), Pat Moran (Vocals), Rob Eggleton (Lead Guitar), Dave (Percussion). Rhythm Guitar & Organ were filled in by various other musicians. We played 60’s-70’s music which we called Bread & Butter music, as well as some of our own numbers which our large following of fans in Whetstone and North London liked. It brought in the money to live on.

Then came SPUNKY SPIDER with the line up of Pat Moran (Vocals), Nick Robinson on ((Bass), Jim Green known as “The Earl of Ashwood”, (Percussion), Dave Millman know as “Molly Millman”, on (Lead Guitar), Rowey on (Rhythm Guitar & Flute), Tuttleberry on (Organ). We played Progressive Jazz Rock and our own numbers as well as the good old Bread & Butter music in our own special style.

We played The Greyhound, Fulham Palace Road: Bumpers, Leicester Square: Southgate College: The Old Field Tavern and many others venues. We played as a support band for some of the top and up and coming bands of the day. Osabessa, The Hollies, The Who, The Swinging Blue Jeans, The Searchers, Warm Dust and many more.

We only recorded one record with Phoenix Records, which received a lot of plays on the radio we ended up meeting to write music & songs and around 1980 we disbanded.

The drummer Jim Green “The Early of Ashwood” is still playing around the Hertfordshire area with his own band.

Robin Wills said...

Dear "Sales" Thank you so much for providing this fantastic information. It may be a long shot but Pat Moran wouldn't be the engineer/producer who later worked at Rockfield by any?
All the best
Robin

Anonymous said...

The organist, Keith Tuttlebury, also played in a band - Total Eclipse in 1973. He's got something on youtube ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FbFjxo_3drs ), under the name of Keith Redford.

Anonymous said...

Hi,

Pat Moran is actually my father and he definately wasn't a drop out from Leicester. If anyone would like to know more about my fathers band please let me know!

Thanks
Louise Moran

Robin Wills said...

Hi Louise
Thanks for leaving the comment and say "hi" to your dad. I guess I am really interested to find out if Spunky Spider recorded anything else around that time.
Best
Robin

Woody said...

This track brings back such happy memories. Merv, Shim and the boys rocking out in the vaults (74 - 75). It's fair to say, they don’t make 'em like they used to. I'm still on the look out for a copy after all these years!