An Audience of Two
Another extract from the autobiography. Further into the story. It unfolds to explain how I came to play on this album — in a magical sequence of events that often precede the coincidences that shape our destiny…
Tracking back.
Prelude period to the Awakening. Having started out so young, even before my 17th birthday with the Dimensions, by spring 1968 I had surfed on a whirlwind of several bandwaves; as the 5Ds we had backed Sister Rosetta, Sonny Boy Williamson, Little Walter and Chuck Berry as you know. Then with The Herd, more gigs and concerts, and friendships with its members; Peter Frampton, Mick Underwood, Andy Bown, Gary Taylor and Andrew Steele. The circle turned, and my next band was a short but fun experiment with a group that seemed to change its name every other week. It was Mike Patto’s band. I had travelled with Mike on the charabanc — the Chuck Berry Tour. Mike was compere, he introduced the bands and even entertained the crowd with ‘Patto patter’, a few jokes and anecdotes etc. But he was now fronting this band, that included jazz organist, Tim Hinkley, Ivan Zagni on guitar and Viv Prince from The Pretty Things on drums, oh and two African sax players –Pete King and Mike Falana. The name that finally stuck after a brief spell as ‘The Chicago Line Blues Band’ was ‘Patto’s People’ — I remember we played somewhere in the Midlands on my 21st birthday-not much about the set, except we played a cool version of Horace Silver’s great tune ‘ Song for my Father’, then later Patto climbing on to a table and telling some jokes — ‘great fun, but just one of those things’ -no management, and a soft parting a few months later. More rich experience — friendship with Ivan, Tim and Patto, good times were rolling in waves of up and down motions, just like the sea.
After Patto’s People, and doing some sessions for lovely singer Linda Lewis, I thought about a more settled lifestyle as a session player. It wasn’t in my nature, but the idea of regular money had a short term appeal, so I made some calls but it seemed to be an exclusive club for mostly older musicians, though I knew that Jimmy Page and John Baldwin (John Paul Jones) were doing well and only a bit older, so didn’t give up on it completely. Shortly after my 22nd birthday I took another look at the ‘Musicians Wanted’ section in the ‘Melody Maker, where everyone used to find gigs. There were the usual big boxes with grand ads, but I was strangely drawn to a rather humble looking couple of lines underneath them. It just said something like –’Apple Records looking for bass player to play with new artist, please apply, Apple Corps , Baker Street, (plus a date and time)’. I knew it was the Beatles’ label, of course, but the small ad didn’t seem so important, I made up my mind nonetheless to look into it.
My old friend, Bernie (where are you now?) drove me there, dropping me off across the busy road, before dissolving into the mists of time. A vibrational shift must have separated us, as they do frequently in life when friends go one way and we go another. Where destiny takes us. Several years earlier, Bernie and I had bought electric guitars, cheap little ones. I think his was a box-kit you had to put together yourself. I was 14 or so, he a bit older, it was fun at first plinking away together, — I gave it everything, and Bernie? (sigh).
I watched him trying so hard, but his thick fingers kept missing the notes and even the strings, and every time he did, he would say ‘fuck it’– plink — fuck it! plonk — fuck it! ..When the ‘fuck its’ ran out, the box-kit was binned — there goes a vibrational shift again; the outcome? Bernie bought a Vespa, and I kept on playing, which led eventually to my first bass. It was love and second sight. Pure and simple. My third eye had not yet opened.
The Snake line.
I stood alone with my bass, peering across the road at the Apple shop, in disbelief.
I crossed the road, standing outside it in a quandary of ‘do I or don’t I?’ I will make this a dream sequence for you, as memory is just that, the past has no substance but dream substance — so hang on to your hats again!… I described it in a prose poem thus…
An Audience of TWO…
‘Arriving early — hopes dashed,
A snake line of aspirants slithering
from the Apple door, down the street
around the corner and out of sight
I turn with my bass, away from destiny?
A proud professional does not queue up…
A sudden cry from above, an Apple window
‘Louis! is that you — remember me?’
We meet at the door, recognition
‘ My band supported you when in the Herd,
I work for Apple now!’…
A surreal moment — advancing with him
up a winding staircase, past bass-laden bodies,
forlorn faces — to a first floor landing, where
my angel fades into the mist — a door opens,
a tall, thin figure shakes my hand…
‘Good to know you Louis — James Taylor’
Then we’re playing a blues –12 bar repeat
usual changes, eyes closed — in the zone
The coda notes fall, into silence - I open my eyes,
and there’s music to my ears, beholding Ringo,
smiling warmly, hear John Lennon’s gentle tones …
‘See James — I told you it would be all right!’