Pirates Pics

Pirates photos / Johnny Kidd & The Pirates photos. 

  

A rare early pic with that trademark high-kick but before the full pirate-garb !  This photo is very meaningful for me, as in my teens i was near enough to the front of the stage to need to duck and weave to avoid a good kick on the head - what a showman Kidd was.  As i recall, they used to do the kicks right on the big chords in 'Shakin All Over'.  Note the modest combo amplifier at the back - probably hard for post-1965 fans to believe, but there was a short period when the then 'older generation' actually ran with hands over their ears when a group ( 'band' came in later ) played through 30-Watt amps, such as the superb and now sought-after Vox AC30.  Of course, valve or 'tube'-amps projected a much punchier sound then an equivalent solid-state amp of the same peak-power.  I love this pic, and if anyone has more from the early J.Kidd & Pirates days i'd be extremely pleased to see them ! It's unlikely, but i would also be highly delighted to see pics of the 'Five Nutters' skiffle-group or of 'Fred Heath and The Nutters', Johnny Kidd's early groups which included Alan Caddy, later to join the Tornados.  Can't help smiling at the distance between 'Fred Heath & The Nutters' and 'Johnny Kidd & The Pirates' - definitely a move in the right direction!!  

A great posed photo of what many regard as the classic line-up, with the full 'pirate-outfit' : Left to Right, Johnny Spence (bass), Frank Farley (drums), Mick Green (guitar), and of course, Johnny Kidd in front.

The cover-pic of the important E.P. ( extended play for the post-vinyl generations! ) with the huge hit 'Shakin All Over' leading a list of tracks that are more from previous styles than 'Shakin' . This shift from shuffle or 'rockabilly' rhythms to straight and hard 4/4 rock is massive throughout the evolution of pop-music - every drummer knew about this in their bones - especially in the bones of their bass-drum foot ! My own MyLastTrack  'My Babe' epitomizes this hardening of the beat - from memory i'd say that The Pirates version is the only one of the dozens of covers of the song with that 'power-rock' tightness of beats. This was a very big part of why it hit TheStorms right between the ears and never went away. ( Note: confused about the fifth member - is it Johnny Patto ? - don't remember The Pirates ever using a 2-lead guitar line-up...)

This is a video rather than a single pic, because it contains some good pics along the way - it is the wonderful follow-up to 'Shakin All Over', 'RESTLESS', 1960, with an innovative guitar-riff that swings in and out of the beat to great effect.   The line-up was nothing to do with the guys shown in the video, who are the so-called 'classic' Pirates line-up responsible for my MyLastTrack 'My Babe'...on Restless the line-up was : Clem Cattini (drums); Alan Caddy (guitar); and Brian Gregg (bass), and i believe the terrific lead-guitarist Joe Moretti, who played the lead on 'Shakin All Over', joined in on the recording of Restless, presumably playing that beautiful slow, eerie riff. 
  

Cover pic of the 'RARITIES' album with Kidd wearing the sword which carved up many a stage - how wild a stage-prop in those transitional days between the crooners and do-woppers and matinee-idols behind, and coming over the horizon, Alice Cooper, Black Sabbath, and Adam Ant.  Instruments on show :  Fender Precision Bass ; (probably) a Ludwig Supraphonic 400, 14"x5.5" ; and (probably) a Gibson Les Paul Junior.  Any solid info appreciated.

A 20-track album with the following 'numbers' ->

				Title	Composer	Time
		1		I Know		2:28
		2		Oh, Boy!	Petty, Tilghman, West	1:38
		3		Where Are You		2:17
		4		A Little Bit of Soap	Russell	2:09
		5		Steady Date		2:38
		6		More of the Same		1:51
		7		I Just Want to Make Love to You	Dixon	3:00
		8		This Golden Ring	Cook, Greenaway	2:44
		9		Right String But the Wrong Yo Yo	Perryman	2:45
		10		Can't Turn You Loose	Redding	2:18
		11		Shakin' All Over '65	Heath	2:24
		12		I Hate Getting Up in the Morning	Murray	2:04
		13		Send for That Girl	Barter, Rowland, Victor	2:44
		14		Hurry on Back to Love	Westlake	2:29
		15		You Got What It Takes	Carlo, Davis, Fuqua, Gordy, Johnson	2:02
		16		The Fool	Ford, Hazlewood	4:10
		17		Ecstasy	Pomus, Spector	2:31
		18		Shop Around	Gordy, Robinson	3:05
		19		Weep No More, My Baby	Arnette, Murphy, O'Dell, Paterno	3:13
		20		Whole Lotta Woman	Rainwater	3:12

The credit for 'Shakin', Heath, was of course Kidd's real surname.

Album

'Rarities'

Release Date

1987

Recording Dates

Nov 3, 1959 - Sep 10, 1965

Label

See For Miles Records

Type

Compilation

Genre

• Pop/Rock

Style

• Rock & Roll