JESSE HECTOR - A MESSAGE TO THE WORLD

JESSE HECTOR - A MESSAGE TO THE WORLD - Documentary Film Premier - London

A Message To The World is being shown at 9pm on December 4th at 242 Acklam Road W10 at the Westbourne Studios, London. Admission is free.

Press Release: 'A Message To The World'

Mutton-chopped Jesse Hector was a permanent fixture in the English music press of the mid-Seventies and the electrifying live performances of his band The Gorillas proved an inspiration to such faces on the burgeoning Punk scene as Paul Weller, Billy Idol, Shane McGowan and Rat Scabies.

Jesse has always believed in the revolutionary and rejuvenating power of music - the cover of The Gorillas album showed his band of space ace Mods hurtling towards earth on a meteorite to save the world with rock n' roll - and his belief in music is as strong today as it ever has been.

He now works as a cleaner at Hackney Empire and The Royal Horticultural Society and this documentary follows him as he journeys around London and retraces his fifty years in rock n' roll - skiffling at the 2 I's in Old Compton Street at the age of 12, playing guitar with Mod Freakbeat legends The Clique, fronting proto-punk bruisers Crushed Butler and The Hammersmith Gorillas - and attempts to find out, as the NME's Roy Carr wrote in 1977, Whatever Happened To Jesse Hector?'

Rarities (7)

The Fabulous Titans - Rico's Lament/Johnny Rocker
Chiswick DICE 12. Release date 23-07-1982.
Issued in Holland only as DICE 1487.

From the liner notes of The Chiswick Story: A strange American ska record by the Fabulous Titans came next. 'Rico's Lament' (DICE 11) may have come out in Holland through a one-shot license, but it only ever reached the acetate stage through Chiswick. By now Chiswick were getting cautious with their own money and it was not deemed to have the necessary chart potential for the UK"

Rarities (6)

Hal Harris - Jitterbop Baby/I Don't Know When
Ace NS 47, 1978

The disc itself is hardly rare, but of some curiosity value is the personal note from Ted Carroll to Roger (Armstrong?);

Hi Roger,
Rocky Sharpe is 55 this week! TOTP on Thursday. Thanks for your support
Ted

Rock On

Yep, that's me outside Rock On in (I think) 1990. A recent trip to London made it clear that just about everything worthwhile has disappeared from Camden Town. Even the mural mentioned recently has been painted over in some ghastly techno design. Only two things reminded me of yesteryear; the gal spinning rockabilly 45s at the Elephants Head on Saturday Night and the, uh, "ace" Sounds That Swing shop on Inverness Street.

Rarities (5)

Johnny Todd - Pink Cadillac/Al Urban - Looking For Money
Ace PROMO 6, 1981.

Cool rockabilly two-sider, that I've only recently located. The first four "PROMO" 45s (all on Chiswick) are relatively common; Count Bishops (2), Radio Stars and Johnny Moped, but this clearly indicates that the numbering system was kept in use for Ace releases. So the obvious questions are; what was PROMO 5, and was there ever anything beyond #6?