Middle Earth (club)

Last updated

Middle Earth (formerly Electric Garden Club) was a hippie club in London, England, in the mid-to-late 1960s. It was a successor to the UFO Club, which had closed down due to police pressure and the imprisonment of its founder John Hopkins.

Contents

Middle Earth was located in a large cellar at 43 King Street, in Covent Garden. It was a competitor to the Roundhouse at Chalk Farm, and after the King Street closure in 1968 it relocated there.

Events

Nights at Middle Earth were normally hosted and arranged by the DJ and promoter Jeff Dexter. Groups that played there included Pink Floyd, [1] The Who, the Jimmy Page-era Yardbirds, [2] Roy Harper, The Crazy World of Arthur Brown, July, The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band, [1] David Bowie's folk trio Feathers, The Move, The Pretty Things, Fairport Convention [3] and Jefferson Airplane, Eric Burdon and Captain Beefheart. The Byrds also played here twice with Gram Parsons. The main groups playing on a regular basis were Soft Machine, Tomorrow, Sam Gopal's Dream, Tyrannosaurus Rex with Marc Bolan and Steve Peregrin Took (whose 23 September 1967 concert at the venue was released as the 2000 live album There Was A Time), Social Deviants, the pre-Yes Mabel Greer's Toyshop and the Graham Bond Organization who was a regular visitor and performer. Others included The Exploding Galaxy dance group, and The Tribe of the Sacred Mushroom, who, headed by Lin Darnton, had performed a play based on the Tibetan Book of the Dead. John Peel was a disc jockey at the club on Saturday nights until mid-1968.[ citation needed ]

The club saw several drug raids by the police during which underage revelers were arrested. During two raids on the club, one of which occurred during a performance of the play based on the Tibetan Book of the Dead, two girls were arrested for being underage, and a member of The Graham Bond Organization was arrested for possession. Sam Gopal's Dream was due to perform on the night of one of the raids, and were in the dressing room with Graham Bond when the police raided the club. A device called the "Trip Machine" was also dismantled and taken away by the police.[ citation needed ]

Relocation

The club was closed down in mid-1968 and after holding events at a few venues settled at the Roundhouse where it put on The Doors and Jefferson Airplane for four performances over two nights in September 1968. Led Zeppelin played their first public performance there on Saturday 9 November 1968.[ citation needed ]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Psychedelic rock</span> Genre of rock music

Psychedelic rock is a rock music genre that is inspired, influenced, or representative of psychedelic culture, which is centered on perception-altering hallucinogenic drugs. The music incorporated new electronic sound effects and recording techniques, extended instrumental solos, and improvisation. Many psychedelic groups differ in style, and the label is often applied spuriously.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jefferson Airplane</span> American rock band

Jefferson Airplane was an American rock band based in San Francisco, California, that became one of the pioneering bands of psychedelic rock. Formed in 1965, the group defined the San Francisco Sound and was the first from the Bay Area to achieve international commercial success. They headlined the Monterey Pop Festival (1967), Woodstock (1969), Altamont Free Concert (1969), and the first Isle of Wight Festival (1968) in England. Their 1967 breakout album Surrealistic Pillow was one of the most significant recordings of the Summer of Love. Two songs from that album, "Somebody to Love" and "White Rabbit", are among Rolling Stone's "500 Greatest Songs of All Time".

<i>Little Games</i> 1967 studio album by the Yardbirds

Little Games is the fourth American album by English rock band the Yardbirds. Recorded and released in 1967, it was their first album recorded after becoming a quartet with Jimmy Page as the sole guitarist and Chris Dreja switching to bass. It was also the only Yardbirds album produced by Mickie Most.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dazed and Confused (song)</span> 1967 song by Jake Holmes

"Dazed and Confused" is a song written by American singer-songwriter Jake Holmes in 1967. Performed in a folk rock-style, he recorded it for his debut album "The Above Ground Sound" of Jake Holmes. Although some concluded that it was about a bad acid trip, Holmes insists the lyrics refer to the effects of a girl's indecision on ending a relationship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Fillmore</span> Historic music venue in San Francisco, California

The Fillmore is a historic music venue in San Francisco, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roundhouse (venue)</span> Performing arts venue in London, England

The Roundhouse is a performing arts and concert venue situated at the Grade II* listed former railway engine shed in Chalk Farm, London, England. The building was erected in 1846–1847 by the London & North Western Railway as a roundhouse, a circular building containing a railway turntable, but was used for that purpose for only about a decade. After being used as a warehouse for a number of years, the building fell into disuse just before World War II. It was first made a listed building in 1954.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jack Casady</span> American bass guitarist

John William Casady is an American bass guitarist, best known as a member of Jefferson Airplane and Hot Tuna. Jefferson Airplane became the first successful exponent of the San Francisco Sound. Singles including "Somebody to Love" and "White Rabbit" charted in 1967 and 1968. Casady, along with the other members of Jefferson Airplane, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996.

A guerrilla gig is a type of concert performed in a non-traditional setting or arranged in an unusual fashion. It became associated with punk rock, and noise rock bands in UK and the United States during the early to mid-2000s. Bands who perform at such events are sometimes referred to as "guerrilla rockers".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fillmore West</span> Historic live music venue in San Francisco

The Fillmore West was a historic rock and roll music venue in San Francisco, California, US which became famous under the direction of concert promoter Bill Graham from 1968 to 1971. Named after The Fillmore at the intersection of Fillmore Street and Geary Boulevard, it stood at the southwest corner of Market Street and South Van Ness Avenue in the Civic Center district. In June 2018, the top two floors of the building reopened as SVN West, a new concert and corporate event venue.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shapes of Things</span> Song first recorded by the Yardbirds in 1966

"Shapes of Things" is a song by the English rock group the Yardbirds. With its Eastern-sounding, feedback-laden guitar solo and anti-war/pro-environmental lyrics, several music writers have identified it as the first popular psychedelic rock song. It is built on musical elements contributed by several group members in three different recording studios in the US and was the first Yardbirds' composition to become a record chart hit. When it was released as a single on 25 February 1966, the song reached number three in the UK and number eleven in the US.

<i>Live Yardbirds: Featuring Jimmy Page</i> 1971 live album by the Yardbirds

Live Yardbirds: Featuring Jimmy Page is a live album by English rock group the Yardbirds. It was recorded at the Anderson Theatre in New York City on 30 March 1968. At the time, the Yardbirds had been performing as a quartet with Jimmy Page on lead guitar since October 1966.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zakary Thaks</span> American garage rock band

The Zakary Thaks were an American garage rock band from Corpus Christi, Texas, United States, which formed in the mid-1960s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Train Kept A-Rollin'</span> Song first recorded by Tiny Bradshaw in 1951

"Train Kept A-Rollin'" is a song first recorded by American jazz and rhythm and blues musician Tiny Bradshaw in 1951. Originally performed in the style of a jump blues, Bradshaw borrowed lyrics from an earlier song and set them to an upbeat shuffle arrangement that inspired other musicians to perform and record it. Johnny Burnette and the Rock and Roll Trio made an important contribution in 1956 – they reworked it as a guitar riff-driven song, which features an early use of intentionally distorted guitar in rock music.

Sam Gopal were an underground British psychedelic rock band who formed in 1966 and released their first album, Escalator, in 1969.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joey Covington</span> American drummer

Joseph Edward Covington was an American drummer, best known for his involvements with Jefferson Airplane, Hot Tuna and Jefferson Starship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mythology (band)</span> English blues rock band

Mythology were an English blues rock band based in Carlisle that formed in early 1967, out of The Square Chex. The band featured future Black Sabbath founding members Tony Iommi and Bill Ward.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Klooks Kleek</span> London music venue of the 1960s

Klooks Kleek was a jazz and rhythm 'n’ blues club on the first floor of the Railway Hotel, West Hampstead, north-west London. Named after "Klook's Clique", a 1956 album by jazz drummer Kenny Clarke, the club opened on 11 January 1961 with special guest Don Rendell and closed nine years later on 28 January 1970 after a session by drummer Keef Hartley’s group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Yardbirds</span> English blues and psychedelic rock band

The Yardbirds are an English rock band, formed in London in 1963. The band started the careers of three of rock's most famous guitarists: Eric Clapton (1963–1965), Jeff Beck (1965–1966) and Jimmy Page (1966–1968), all of whom ranked in the top five of Rolling Stone magazine's list of 100 greatest guitarists. The band's other members during 1963–1968 were vocalist/harmonica player Keith Relf, drummer Jim McCarty, rhythm guitarist Chris Dreja, and bassist Paul Samwell-Smith, with Dreja switching to bass when Samwell-Smith departed in 1966. The band had a string of hits throughout the mid-1960s, including "For Your Love", "Heart Full of Soul", "Shapes of Things", and "Over Under Sideways Down".

The Doors Are Open is a 1968 black-and-white documentary about the American rock group the Doors. It was produced by Jo Durden-Smith for Granada TV and directed by John Sheppard and first aired in the United Kingdom on 4 October 1968. The programme combines footage of the Doors playing live at London's Roundhouse venue, interviews with the band members and contemporary news snippets of world current affairs - protests at the 1968 Democratic Convention, French riots, statements from politicians and footage of the Vietnam War etc.

The Fun Lounge police raid was a 1964 police raid that targeted Louie's Fun Lounge, a gay bar near Chicago, Illinois, United States. The raid led to the arrest of over 100 individuals and is considered a notable moment in the LGBT history of the area.

References

  1. 1 2 OZ Magazine, OZ 13 (June 1968). "Middle Earth schedule". Yardbirds 1968.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  2. "Middle Earth Club, 19 1 1968 | JimmyPage.com". JimmyPage.com. Retrieved 9 July 2017.
  3. Organ, Michael (12 April 2015). "January to July .... and everything in between". Yardbirds 1968 - The Final Days. Retrieved 9 July 2017.

51°30′44″N0°07′26″W / 51.5121°N 0.1239°W / 51.5121; -0.1239