Christmas at the Patti | ||||
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Live album by Various Artists | ||||
Released | July 1973 | |||
Recorded | Patti Pavilion, Swansea 19 December 1972 | |||
Genre | Rock | |||
Length | 55:03 | |||
Label | United Artists – UDX/205/6 | |||
Producer | Sheer Luck | |||
Man chronology | ||||
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Christmas at the Patti is a live album, recorded at Man's Christmas party, held at the Patti Pavilion, Swansea, on 19 December 1972. The album features Man and Help Yourself with guests Deke Leonard, Dave Edmunds and B J Cole, together with appearances by Ducks Deluxe, The Jets, The Flying Aces and Plum Crazy. [1]
The concert started at 6.00 PM and was closed by the police at midnight, so Man's set was truncated and, despite being the hosts, they have only 11'30" on the album, compared to Help Yourself's 25'43". The six bands appearing on the album were all linked in some way, and several performers appeared in more than one band, some of which were old bands, reformed just for the night. Those appearing on the album were all "conveniently" UA labelmates. [2]
Originally released as a limited edition double 10" album, with a recommended retail price of £1.43, this topped the budget album chart. [3] It was subsequently released on CD, and, unusually, re-released on 10" vinyl in Italy in 2001
Martin and George Ace, a husband and wife duo, backed by members of Help Yourself. Martin Ace had previously played in Dream and Man with Deke Leonard, who had been playing with Help Yourself since he had been fired by Man earlier in the year. The song had been written earlier that day and was only performed on this one night. Although opening the album, they were the penultimate act on the night. [2]
The first recording of pub rock band Ducks Deluxe ever released. [4] The band had been formed earlier in the year by former Help Yourself roadie Sean Tyla, and bassist Ken Whaley. Whaley had already left by the time of this recording and would rejoin Help Yourself about 6 weeks later.
There have been numerous bands called The Jets. This version had been a Swansea band 1964-65, and was later known as "The Smokeless Zone" who had played the Top Ten Club in Hamburg where Tony Sheridan played with them. Having had minimal rehearsal time, they chose two standards.
Plum Crazy were a later (1968–69) reincarnation of the Jets, with Mickey Gee replacing Leonard. They were joined by Dave Edmunds. Because of the fluidity of groups in South Wales, this line up could equally have been called Love Sculpture with Plum Hollis. [3]
Help Yourself had toured with Man on the Good Clean Fun tour of Switzerland. When Man fired Leonard, earlier that year, he moved into Help Yourself's house, and they played on his first solo album Iceberg. Malcolm Morley then suffered from depression, so Leonard temporarily joined, as a replacement, but stayed when Morley returned. On this evening, they were joined by legendary pedal steel guitar player B J Cole. The two tracks are "testament to the band's own magnificent powers of improvisation, too seldom heard on its regular albums". [4]
Man's line up had recently undergone a major upheaval. After the successful Greasy Truckers Party (Recorded February 1972) and Live at the Padget Rooms, Penarth (Recorded April 1972) Martin Ace had left and Deke Leonard had been fired (although both were invited to this party). Clive John had rejoined, bringing with him Phil Ryan and Will Youatt, who had been playing together as Iorwerth Pritchard and the Neutrons. This new line up had just released Be Good to Yourself at Least Once a Day , and were joined by Dave Edmunds and Stan Phifer.
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Allmusic | [5] |
DPRP | (6/10) [6] |
Double 10" LP (1973) United Artists: UDX/205/6
CD (1997) Point PNTVP110CD
Double 10" LP (2001) Akarma (Italy) AK2020/2
CD re-mix (2007) Esoteric ECLEC 2018
There are 2 Allmusic reviews of this album:-
The first, by Dave Thompson, is of the 10" vinyl and gave it four out of five stars.
The second, by Jo-Ann Greene, is of the CD re-release and gave it four and a half stars out of five.
Head Heritage publish Valve's review
Ducks Deluxe are an English pub rock band of the 1970s, who continue to tour and record new material. Usually called "The Ducks" by their fans, they were known for up-tempo, energetic performances, and the successful careers of their members, after they disbanded.
Man are a rock band from Wales.
Greasy Truckers Party is a 1972 live album by various artists recorded at a February 1972 Greasy Truckers concert at the Roundhouse in London. The concert featured three bands, Man, Brinsley Schwarz, and Hawkwind, and musician Magic Michael. Originally a double vinyl album, in a limited edition of 20,000 and sold at just £1.50, it rapidly sold out, and became a collector's item.
In the world of British underground rock, the Greasy Truckers Party ... ... looms about as large as the Monterey International Pop Festival does in American rock lore; it wasn't the biggest gig ever played by the bands involved, but for reasons of exposure, and resulting word-of-mouth, and the excerpted live album that followed, it came to define what they were capable of.
Be Good to Yourself at Least Once a Day is the sixth album by the Welsh rock band Man.
Live at the Padget Rooms, Penarth is the fifth album by Man, released in September 1972. It was the band’s first live album although they had previously been featured on two tracks totalling 26m 46s on a "various artists" live double album, Greasy Truckers Party released earlier in 1972. Both sets were performed by this four-piece line-up, although the line up had substantially changed before this album was released, as was acknowledged on the original LP sleeve. The two Greasy Truckers Party tracks were released on their own as a Man album in 1997 on Point Records.
Help Yourself, known to their fans as "The Helps", were an English rock band of the early 1970s. Originally formed as a backing band for Malcolm Morley, they evolved into a pub rock band with psychedelic-influences. Releasing four studio albums before their break-up, and one 31 years later, they are possibly best known for the number of notable musicians that passed through their ranks.
Dave Charles, also known as David Charles is a British drummer, recording engineer & record producer. He often appears under both names on the same album, e.g. Help Yourself's The Return of Ken Whaley, where Dave Charles is credited with drums and vocals and David Charles as producer.
A discography of the Welsh rock band Man.
Plummet Airlines, was a British pub rock band of the mid-1970s, which was originally formed in Nottingham. Band members later joined The Pogues and Darts.
Do You Like It Here Now, Are You Settling In? is the fourth album by the Welsh rock band Man and was released in November 1971. The album was recorded in August at Charles and Kingsley Ward's Rockfield Studios near Monmouth in Southeastern Wales. Sessions took place soon after the renowned 'All Good Clean Fun' tour of Switzerland, although a brief break in the hectic German tour schedule during the late spring had resulted in two tracks being written at a studio in Swansea, Wales. Critical reaction to the new album was positive. The album title is apparently a Swansea saying, usually directed at pub landlords of exceptionally long standing.
Man is the third studio album by the Welsh rock band Man and was released March 1971. It was the first album by this line-up, Terry Williams having replaced Jeff Jones on drums, while Martin Ace replaced Ray Williams on bass.
Rhinos, Winos and Lunatics is the eighth album by the Welsh rock band Man and was released May 1974 on the United Artists Records label. It was produced by Roy Thomas Baker, noted for his work with Queen, and spent 4 weeks in the UK album chart, peaking at No 24. The album marked the return of Deke Leonard and the introduction of two members from Help Yourself.
Roger Arnold "Deke" Leonard was a Welsh rock musician, "serving a life sentence in the music business". Best known as a member of the progressive rock band Man, which he joined and left several times, and for fronting his own rock and roll band Iceberg, which he formed and disbanded several times, he was also an author, raconteur and television panelist.
Undrugged is a studio album by the Welsh rock band Man and was released in April 2002. The album was recorded in two separate sessions, five years apart and with different line-ups. The first recording session is from Lampeter in 1996. The album was then completed in a second session 2001 in Hendrefoilans Studios in Swansea. The Lampeter session was engineered by Al Cotton and the line-up consisted of Micky Jones, Deke Leonard, Martin Ace and Terry Williams. The line-up in 2001 consisted of Micky Jones, Deke Leonard, Martin Ace, Bob Richards and Gareth Thorrington.
Malcolm Morley is an English rock singer, guitarist and keyboard player who came to fame in the 1970s. Best known as a founder of Help Yourself and as a member of Man, he continues to perform to this day.
Sean Tyla was an English rock guitarist, keyboardist, vocalist and songwriter, sometimes known as the "Godfather of Boogie". Best known for his work with Ducks Deluxe and Tyla Gang, he also played with Help Yourself, Joan Jett, and Deke Leonard, and appeared solo.
Ken Whaley was a rock music bass guitar player, best known as a founding member of Help Yourself and Ducks Deluxe, and as a member of Deke Leonard's Iceberg, Man and The Tyla Gang. He also played with The Archers and The Green Ray.
The Amazing Zig Zag Concert was a rock concert held at The Roundhouse on April 28, 1974 to celebrate the fifth anniversary of Zig Zag Magazine. Described as "one of the gigs of the decade", the concert "has taken on legendary proportions over the years" and featured Michael Nesmith with Red Rhodes, John Stewart, Help Yourself, Chilli Willi and the Red Hot Peppers and Starry Eyed and Laughing. The concert was recorded, but was not issued until 2010, when it was released as a 5-CD boxed set.
Down Town Live is a live album of the Welsh rock band Man. The album was recorded at the Downtown Blues Club in Hamburg on 23 May 2001. According to the manband-archive, the recording was originally not intended for the general public. But after several months Hans-Werner Altrichter persuaded the band that "It was great music, and deserved its place in the pantheon of the performing arts", so the album was released on 7 November 2002. The recording does not feature the full band line-up at that time, as keyboard player, Gareth Llewelyn Thorrington, had been held up at the airport because of a bomb scare.
Quicksand were a Welsh rock band from Port Talbot who were active from 1969 until 1975.