full-time roadies, had accumulated. Thatwas all I really ever wanted to do â go to America. To go with a rock band would be a dream come true â with bells on. Liberty Bells.
Vast jet heaters, powered by Dalek-sized gas cylinders did little to warm the rehearsal space, so band and crew all wore heavy jackets, coats and even scarves. Mott were big at this point, probably at the peak of their career and ready to embark on an intense UK tour. After a few days in Manticore, Queen, the support act for the tour, showed up at the rehearsals. It seemed a little strange that Queen, who were signed to EMI records, should tour with a band on CBS, as support acts were usually from the same management or record company stable. However, these four guys were very keen and being pushed â hard. We may have all been shivering with cold that November in Manticore, but Queen rehearsed wearing their full stage costumes of lightweight silk, lace and flowing satin. Even John Harris, Queenâs original sound engineer, wore a black velvet suit and fancy gloves to do the mixing! And just who was the strutting poseur in make-up, prancing about the stage with a chopped-off microphone stand and sporting a single chainmail glove?
Queen only had a short rehearsal time and, to be honest, I took little notice of them, as I was busy making the tea, painting things black, running errands and doing all the tasks that a young ârookieâ of 18 years old was expected to do. Brian May was the first to be congenial to Mottâs crew, and he let me try out his weird homemade guitar. I was surprised he didnât have a proper guitar: a Gibson, a Fender or even a Guild, like the guys in Mott The Hoople did. May alsoplayed using old sixpenny pieces rather than plectrums, so I put it down to the fact that, as Queen were a new struggling band, he probably couldnât afford good equipment. Even his battered old Vox AC 30 amplifier stood on a rickety chair. It appeared heâd sacrificed his equipment for the Zandra Rhodes âdressâ that Queen were into wearing at the time. However, I soon stopped feeling sorry for him when I heard him play! I had never heard sounds from a guitar quite like the high-pitched and rich-toned material Brian produced. Heâs pretty good, I thought. Queen had some of the feel of Led Zeppelin â but different.
I donât remember speaking to Freddie Mercury then. Daft name for a rock singer I thought. âFredsâ were farmers, builders or the bloke playing darts in the pub. Little did I know the profound effect he would have on my life in the future. During that â73 tour the Mott crew got on nodding terms with Queen, speaking to them occasionally, but not really mixing. Roger showed some offers of acknowledgement; John was John, quiet and kept to himself. And Fred was simply Fred: even in those early days he was quite unique. He always acted like a star.
A big star.
Support acts on major tours were expected to stay rightfully in their place, but, despite not having had any success, Queen were aloof, arrogant even, and demanded a lot on that tour, upsetting several people along the way. That didnât change, incidentally. It was generally thought among the crew that Queen were a bunch of poseurs, and, though I personally liked a few of their songs, their super-confident , strutting singer irritated me. The consensus among the Mott entourage was Queen would never makeit! However, I was impressed by Queenâs girlfriends: four attractive, cool-looking and funkily dressed ladies who came to some of the shows. The band wore the more expensive and impressive dresses and blouses, however.
The following year, Queen supported Mott for a short time in America, but I was spared the prancing one-gloved poseur as I was back working for David Bowie guitarist Mick Ronson on his solo UK tour. I had still not made it to America. A year later, there was a fleeting offer to work for Queen as
Vast jet heaters, powered by Dalek-sized gas cylinders did little to warm the rehearsal space, so band and crew all wore heavy jackets, coats and even scarves. Mott were big at this point, probably at the peak of their career and ready to embark on an intense UK tour. After a few days in Manticore, Queen, the support act for the tour, showed up at the rehearsals. It seemed a little strange that Queen, who were signed to EMI records, should tour with a band on CBS, as support acts were usually from the same management or record company stable. However, these four guys were very keen and being pushed â hard. We may have all been shivering with cold that November in Manticore, but Queen rehearsed wearing their full stage costumes of lightweight silk, lace and flowing satin. Even John Harris, Queenâs original sound engineer, wore a black velvet suit and fancy gloves to do the mixing! And just who was the strutting poseur in make-up, prancing about the stage with a chopped-off microphone stand and sporting a single chainmail glove?
Queen only had a short rehearsal time and, to be honest, I took little notice of them, as I was busy making the tea, painting things black, running errands and doing all the tasks that a young ârookieâ of 18 years old was expected to do. Brian May was the first to be congenial to Mottâs crew, and he let me try out his weird homemade guitar. I was surprised he didnât have a proper guitar: a Gibson, a Fender or even a Guild, like the guys in Mott The Hoople did. May alsoplayed using old sixpenny pieces rather than plectrums, so I put it down to the fact that, as Queen were a new struggling band, he probably couldnât afford good equipment. Even his battered old Vox AC 30 amplifier stood on a rickety chair. It appeared heâd sacrificed his equipment for the Zandra Rhodes âdressâ that Queen were into wearing at the time. However, I soon stopped feeling sorry for him when I heard him play! I had never heard sounds from a guitar quite like the high-pitched and rich-toned material Brian produced. Heâs pretty good, I thought. Queen had some of the feel of Led Zeppelin â but different.
I donât remember speaking to Freddie Mercury then. Daft name for a rock singer I thought. âFredsâ were farmers, builders or the bloke playing darts in the pub. Little did I know the profound effect he would have on my life in the future. During that â73 tour the Mott crew got on nodding terms with Queen, speaking to them occasionally, but not really mixing. Roger showed some offers of acknowledgement; John was John, quiet and kept to himself. And Fred was simply Fred: even in those early days he was quite unique. He always acted like a star.
A big star.
Support acts on major tours were expected to stay rightfully in their place, but, despite not having had any success, Queen were aloof, arrogant even, and demanded a lot on that tour, upsetting several people along the way. That didnât change, incidentally. It was generally thought among the crew that Queen were a bunch of poseurs, and, though I personally liked a few of their songs, their super-confident , strutting singer irritated me. The consensus among the Mott entourage was Queen would never makeit! However, I was impressed by Queenâs girlfriends: four attractive, cool-looking and funkily dressed ladies who came to some of the shows. The band wore the more expensive and impressive dresses and blouses, however.
The following year, Queen supported Mott for a short time in America, but I was spared the prancing one-gloved poseur as I was back working for David Bowie guitarist Mick Ronson on his solo UK tour. I had still not made it to America. A year later, there was a fleeting offer to work for Queen as
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