Upon my excited declaration of going to photograph Terry Reid playing live at Molly Malone's viewing-friendly The Snug venue on 9.24.14, online friend Stephen Schmidt queried, "Do you mean THE Terry Reid?!" (filmmaker Stephen proudly boasts of Reid's autograph on his beer bottle circa 1992.)
Yes, T H E Terry Reid of legendary superlungs, songwriting prowess and guitar heroism from the mid-1960s and up. He is always on everyone's favorite singers' lists, and his "Terry Reid- Terry Reid" lp remains on your humble photojournalist's top ten ever of anything list for songwriting, feel, and rowdy delivery of all seeming instant classics--his compositions Mayfly, Rich Kid Blues, Speak Now Or Forever Hold Your Peace, Silver White Light and covers Superlungs My Supergirl, Highway 61 and Stay With Me Baby.
One should note the world at large prefers and deifies his later work "River" for its sublime, quiet and pensive sweep a la Nick Drake, whom we no longer have. And the world should cower in awe that we indeed still have Reid. His rollercoaster travails have been much documented, but with no degree of separation I can vouch for one of them. Reid once had a now long gone manager so career-toxic that the latter was suspended from his law profession with the judge noting on public record that aforementioned manager was much vilified for constantly writing bad checks. Even I had sued him about same (and am not nor was not naive about business. His first check for my creative services cleared and the second one bounced sky-high, the manager's modus operandi. I had him arrested when he stood up our court date. He now flips houses on reality television.)
Naturally for any creative artist with such gifts, Terry Reid prefers to experiment throughout the assorted decades' march. In a graciously granted mini-interview, he expounded on his current choices,"I always like challenges and thought the direction of Latin music underpinning my songwriting was a good match now. Later I realized the complexity of Latin rhythms probably always had been there in my music, which has had a lot of range to match the vocals." *
Hence this gig featured the combo of Reid on predictably sublime vocals and some rather interesting acoustic guitars, alongside renowned bassist Chico Rey and drummer Jorge Corona. The set featured much from the "River" release, and quite a bit of Reid's amusing onstage banter. Reid's warm rapport with the crowd prompted it to answer with joking, faux-teenage squeals of "Terry! Terry!" a la his teenage popstar daze, and to launch the novelty of participatory slow dancing to a major act (see pic below.)
Yes, T H E Terry Reid of legendary superlungs, songwriting prowess and guitar heroism from the mid-1960s and up. He is always on everyone's favorite singers' lists, and his "Terry Reid- Terry Reid" lp remains on your humble photojournalist's top ten ever of anything list for songwriting, feel, and rowdy delivery of all seeming instant classics--his compositions Mayfly, Rich Kid Blues, Speak Now Or Forever Hold Your Peace, Silver White Light and covers Superlungs My Supergirl, Highway 61 and Stay With Me Baby.
One should note the world at large prefers and deifies his later work "River" for its sublime, quiet and pensive sweep a la Nick Drake, whom we no longer have. And the world should cower in awe that we indeed still have Reid. His rollercoaster travails have been much documented, but with no degree of separation I can vouch for one of them. Reid once had a now long gone manager so career-toxic that the latter was suspended from his law profession with the judge noting on public record that aforementioned manager was much vilified for constantly writing bad checks. Even I had sued him about same (and am not nor was not naive about business. His first check for my creative services cleared and the second one bounced sky-high, the manager's modus operandi. I had him arrested when he stood up our court date. He now flips houses on reality television.)
Naturally for any creative artist with such gifts, Terry Reid prefers to experiment throughout the assorted decades' march. In a graciously granted mini-interview, he expounded on his current choices,"I always like challenges and thought the direction of Latin music underpinning my songwriting was a good match now. Later I realized the complexity of Latin rhythms probably always had been there in my music, which has had a lot of range to match the vocals." *
Hence this gig featured the combo of Reid on predictably sublime vocals and some rather interesting acoustic guitars, alongside renowned bassist Chico Rey and drummer Jorge Corona. The set featured much from the "River" release, and quite a bit of Reid's amusing onstage banter. Reid's warm rapport with the crowd prompted it to answer with joking, faux-teenage squeals of "Terry! Terry!" a la his teenage popstar daze, and to launch the novelty of participatory slow dancing to a major act (see pic below.)
Rogue British "truebadour" (one of his band names) Brandy Row sang a solo set of his edgy modern ballads and observations. He struck me as a quite talented mashup of both of Oasis' Gallagher brothers (snarky but indisputably top tier) without the concomitant problems. We didn't see much of his fabled full-sleeves ink onstage except an ascot of neck decoration and his hands. He remains one to watch.
I'd be remiss if I didn't quote the most touching assertion to acts by a promoter I've ever read. Chico Rey not only played bass for Terry but produced this show and offered the following on his social media before the gig, "To my dear friend Terry who has served as an inspiration to a young
boy, who never compromised and stood for his ground for himself and a
testament to integrity, I thank you. To young Brandy I hope you enjoy this
night, because it's the small shows and the beginning of one's journey that
you remember, not all the craziness that follows. I thank you."
PHOTO OPS:
longtime chums from Evita's days booking On The Rox at
the Roxy Club in Hollywood CA.
*It was a mini-interview because I was blurting out how Godhead his 1969 self-titled album was to all my punk rock friends and me. I think at least half of the major bands I've known immediately covered something from that self-titled Terry Reid album as soon as it came out...
you caught Terry bang-on, top man, humble, generous. and Chico, brother, family. great write up, thank you kindly pete innes
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