Calling Chris experts
 

OK, this one might be solved immediately or it might be a bit of a mystery... but I figure someone here will know.

I picked up a DVD of various Mac stuff, including some rehearsals at Benifold which I've never seen before. It's the Kiln House line-up plus Christine, playing in some room at the house, and they do gentle versions of 'One Sunny Day' and 'Station Man' interspersed with film of the band letting off fireworks (suggesting early November 1970) and generally larking about, also walking through the grounds of the house. There's also a short clip of Pete Townsend of The Who saying complimentary things, and a voiceover from Mick, with strange (Japanese?) subtitles.

The puzzle I have is this: after this stuff comes a very short song by Chris, with just Danny and Jeremy for company - filmed outside in the grounds, at twilight. It looks wonderful, really atmospheric, and Chris looks great. So what's the song? There's only a couple of verses, and the words suggest the song just might possibly be called something like 'Bye Bye Baby' :rolleyes: - the lyrics go something like:

Bye bye baby, bye bye baby, bye bye
I said, bye bye baby, bye bye baby, bye bye... etc.

The first verse has something to do with 'see you when your train gets back' or something like that - can't quite make it out yet. Is it a cover, or one of her own? She plays simple keyboard with sparse accompaniment from the guitar boys. There's loads of stuff on the DVD - haven't even seen all of it yet - some stuff with Bob Weston also, and later stuff - looks like '74. Any information? I mean, it can't be that rare, or I wouldn't have it :lol:

I know exactly what you're talking about. I have that little 8 minute Kiln House video clip on videotape. The song that Chris is singing is "When The Train Comes Back". It's a Chicken Shack song written by Christine. It was on their first album, 40 Blue Fingers Freshly Packed And Ready To Serve. That video is fantastic! Lis sent it to me, but it is pretty rare. She's the first person that I know who had it. I've never heard of anyone who has it on DVD. My video ends with the Pete Townsend footage. I don't have anything about a Mick voiceover with Japanese subtitles. Lis might be able to tell you even more about it.:)

Here are some still pictures from the video. Lis put them in the Chris & John story, which is at the top of the Chris forum.

Wow :eek: that was quick!! :lol: Thanks!

Excellent, I'm glad it's her song and that it's available elsewhere, that album was on my "to buy" list anyway. It's a wonderful clip - such a shame that kind of thing isn't more widely available.

The voiceover from Mick was while the band were arriving at the house in a Jeep, they get out and walk into the house. Jeremy has his little son with him. I have the clip from Pete Townsend during 'Station Man'.

yeah, what she said! Mary anne covered it pretty well. :p

What is Mick saying on your DVD, bretonbanquet??? I don't think i have that part. I LOVE that little bit of tape, it is so precious to me. I may have to trade something for yours though, it sounds really neat. ;)

-Lis

oh wait, maybe i do have that bit and just forgot about it. but i still may want to trade something for that DVD!

-Lis

:lol: OK, I will just play it once more and get a hold of what Mick is saying - I've only played it once so far. Those pics that Mary Anne posted are the exact thing that Mick is talking over.

OK, we have an American voice saying how the band have had three No. 1 records in the UK (??) then Mick talking about the band's music being like hypnotic 'longtime overnight' rhythm - how on a bad night it can be a terrible bore, but like African drumming, the rhythm is inescapable. Ring any bells with you guys?

And we have some kind of Far Eastern text on the screen at the same time.

yes, I remember those words, but is that Mick talking?? I thought it was somebody else. ??

-Lis

That is definitely not Mick talking. It's just the announcer. I'm going to have to get my video out again.

Yup, I'm fairly sure that's Mick - I'm just waiting for him to start on with 'These Strange Times'... anyway, who else would talk about African drumming and come out with stuff like a "hypnotic longtime overnight feel"? I don't know who else it would be anyway.

Other stuff on this DVD includes tons of Green-era stuff, including what's on the commercially available video, with other bits like 'Coming Your Way' off the Hugh Hefner 'Playboy After Dark' thing - also the Beat Club 'Dragonfly' video - love that so much. Also we have 'Miles Away' and 'Believe Me' from some kind of Chuck Berry TV show, plus 'Green Manalishi', 'Spare Me A Little' and a lengthy 'Bermuda Triangle' from '74 - and who is the second keyboardist on that show?

I've got it, It was Alexis Korner. :)

John

:shocked: Well, my announcer is American, and the two voices are definitely not one and the same :confused:

Ah - that might explain it - do you know for sure? You have the video too then :lol:

I had the whole "Black, white & blues" doc & just kept the FM related clips when I tranferred my VHS to DVD. That part is said when they are getting out of the jeep & going in to the house (though AK is British, so maybe there are 2 versions floating around? It was, um, "released" in 1971 but I'm sure the Japan TV airing (undoubtedly from many years later) is the main, um, "version" that's been circulating).

John

Cool! That's that sorted out then - it sounded like Mick to me, but then it just shows you what I know :o I thought that documentary must be old - I guess we're lucky it's still around at all. Right so, that's why mine has Japanese subtitles then - maybe some of the voiceovers were switched as well.

Oops, sorry, I was adding further detail to my last post when you replied, so see above. :)

John

I just watched my video again. My tape ends with Chris doing "When The Train Comes Back". You must have extra footage. I have that Dragonfly video as well, also thanks to Lis.;)

The "Miles Away" & "Believe Me" footage is from the 1973 Midnight Special Television show. It sounds like the 1974 footage you have is the Don Kirshner show, another TV show. I have that also, again thanks to Lis.:D

bretonbanquet, it sounds like you got some real good stuff on that DVD.:)

Yeah, I spotted that - edited my post to make sense :lol:

I have a few seconds after "When The Train Comes Back", which is the British voice I now know to be Alexis Korner saying a little more on the subject. He sounds a lot less like Mick there too :p

Thanks for pinning down the other songs I have - I thought Bob Weston played really well on that '73 footage. I'm really pleased with this DVD - it's just about 2 hours of solid Mac :thumbsup:

That would be their appearance on Midnight Special in 1973.
That would be from the Don Kirshner's Rock Concert TV show (and, ahem...I was in the audience, thank you! :) )...they also aired a lengthy version of "Black Magic Woman", as well. The second keyboardist is (the late) Doug Graves. Bob Welch mentions him in his first Q&A here at the Penguin.

Another great Kirshner show highlight was "Rattlsnake Shake." Bob was pretty funny ("just like the Russians are starting to prove with their experimentations with ESP...")

Thanks! Doug Graves - now I know who we're talking about. You were there! I am suitably impressed and suitably jealous :nod: The more I watch this DVD, the more I like it :p

Does anyone have any idea when this footage was shot? Was it before Chris officially joined Fleetwood Mac? Was it shot during that little rehearsal period after she joined & before the first tour? Or was it shot after that first tour & before the early 1971 tour when Jeremy left? Anyone have any idea?

Hard to tell, isn't it? I'm guessing that the footage with the fireworks / bonfire etc was shot around November 5th - hard to see how it could be any other time. But was all the footage shot around the same time? :shrug:

If we're assuming it was all shot at Benifold, then it has to be after Kiln House was recorded, and that was in June-July 1970. Didn't Christine officially join in August? My guess is that this stuff was filmed a bit after that, around October-November 1970, after the first tour and before the Jan-Feb 1971 tour when Jeremy left.

That's a good question. i would guess maybe it was in that period after she joined but before the tour. I don't think they would have focused on her as much if she hadn't been a 'real member' of the band by then...?

-Lis

Do we know exactly when Chris joined? After Kiln House but before the first tour, I guess - does that make it July 1970? I think that US tour started on the first day of August, so ... :shrug: Not sure there was much time between finishing Kiln House and starting that tour, and isn't that when they moved to Benifold as well? Or did they move in to that house after the first tour? God, it's complicated :shocked:

I think C joined before they moved to Benifold; she joined when they were still at Kiln House. So maybe that helps answer our question? I think she'd been in the band for awhile when that footage was shot.

-Lis

Ok, this makes sense to me now. At first I thought this might have been filmed at Kiln House. If it's Benifold, then it's got to be from fall 1970.

By the way, I just checked an interview that I have from early 1971 (it's in the Blue Letter Archives). Chris said she "joined on July 21st, then left for America for the first tour on July 26th, after 5 solid days of rehearsal".

bretonbanquet, you said the fireworks footage is probably from around Nov. 5th. Is that some sort of a British holiday?

November 5th is Guy Fawkes Day. He was arrested & hanged for treason when his plot to burn down Parliament was uncovered. (back in the early 1600's) Guy Fawkes Day info

John Lennon made reference to it at the end of his song "Remember" on his Plastic Ono Band album

("...remember...the FIFTH of November!" {explosion} )

Oo, for some reason I thought you guys did it too. Yeah, ChiliD is spot on - in 1605 Guy Fawkes tried to blow up the Houses of Parliament and since then we've had a tradition of letting off fireworks and having bonfires etc on November 5th, or maybe the nearest weekend.

It's changed a little recently I think. Back in the 60s and 70s I think it was very common for people to have individual private parties with fireworks etc much as Mac seemed to have done in 1970 at Benifold. These days you're more likely to go to a big public display with hundreds of other people. I remember when you could only buy fireworks around late October-early November, but now you can get them at any time, for all the other festivals, especially religious festivals like Diwali, and New Year etc.

It's hard to imagine how Mac could have been having a little firework session like that on any other occasion than Guy Fawkes'. Very British :lol:

I never heard of Guy Fawkes until today.:D It does look like it may have been a bit chilly when they were setting off those fireworks, so it probably was in November. By the way, we do our fireworks here mostly around the 4th of July.:)

I remember Billy Connolly saying that the last person to enter the Houses of Parliament with a good idea was Guy Fawkes :lol: :lol: Probably quite true

Gail