SUNFLOWER CONTENTSWe have an Action Packed issue for you to browse through. The Creation kicks things off in this issue with a great bio about the band who were the closest thing to the Who at the time. Followed by a favourite band of mine The Zombies, A look at their last album. Talking of great albums, Let It Bleed is looked at which also ties into our main feature Brian Jones. We look at what his input he gave on the Stones records of the sixties. Underground band Tomorrow are looked at in a great article and also Timebox followed by Time Capsual.

CYNTHIA LENNON IN LOVING MEMORYCynthia Lennon, frst wife of The Beatles' John Lennon, has died at her home in Spain, her family has announced.A message on her son Julian's website said she died "following a short but brave battle with cancer".It said: "Her son Julian Lennon was at her bedside throughout. The family are thankful for your prayers."Julian also tweeted a picture of his mother, who was 75, inside a heart with the message "In Loving Memory".Lennon was born Cynthia Lillian Powell in Blackpool on 10 September 1939.She grew up in Hoylake with her parents and two elder brothers and started at Liverpool College of Art in 1957.Cynthia met Lennon at art school when he tapped her on the back in class and simply said "Hi, I'm John". The couple married just before Beatlemania

transformed her husband into one of the most famous men in the world.At the height of The Beatles' early success she was, at the insistence of the band's management,kept in the background so their legions of female fans were not aware of her existence.She stayed at home bringing up Julianwhile the Fab Four toured the world andtopped the charts.The couple divorced in 1968 after Cynthiadiscovered her husband's affair withJapanese artist Yoko Ono.Former Beatle Sir Paul McCartney said:"She was a lovely lady who I've known sinceour early days together in Liverpool."She was a good mother to Julian and willbe missed by us all but I will always havegreat memories of our times together."John Lennon's second wife Yoko Onoadded: "She had such a strong zest for lifeand I felt proud how we two women stoodfrm in the Beatles family."Please join me in sending love and support to Julian at this very sad time. Love, Yoko".While Ringo Starr tweeted: "Peace and love to Julian Lennon God bless Cynthia love Ringo andBarbara xx".

Life Is Just Beginning THE CREATION

They could've been contenders -- hell, they should've been contenders! That's the frst thought that passes through one's head as one hears the early singles by the Creation -- and, indeed, how they weren't contenders is astonishing. They had it all, the in-house songwriting, the production, the voices, and the sound that should've putthem right up there with the Who and ahead of the Move and Jimmy Page, among others. Their lead guitarist, Eddie Phillips, was even asked by Pete Townshend to join the Who as their second guitarist.

But thanks to an unaccountable weakness in their British sales -- as opposed to their German chart action, which was downright robust -- and some instability in their lineup, they were never to enjoy any of the recognition they deserved, and a right turn from psychedelia into soulat the wrong moment took whatever wind they had out of their sails (and sales). And the fnal few months of their history, flled out by the work of a revived band that never quite got it together in the studio, and singles derived from early outtakes, did nothing but confuse fans and admirers, who couldn't be sure "which" Creation they were dealing with on record.

The band's history began in 1963 with a group called the Blue Jacks in Cheshunt, Hertfordshire, to the north of London. The band had just gotten a new lead singer, Kenny Pickett (who'd previously driven the van for Neil Christian & the Crusaders), and with the addition of a new lead guitarist, Eddie Phillips, they changed their name to the Mark Four. Thelatter band got signed to Mercury Records' British division in 1964 but the resulting two singlesfailed to sell. Even as British audiences were fnding their work quite resistible, however, German audiences were greeting their performances at the Big Ben Club in Wilhelmshaven with rousing enthusiasm.

It was during their extended residence in Germany that the band chanced to cross paths with a local band called the Roadrunners, who had attracted amazing local club attendance with their

use of guitar feedback in their songs. Eddie Phillips made note of the effect and started working out how he might assimilate it into his playing. The Mark Four got a second crack at recording success with Decca Records, which resulted in a single of "Hurt Me (If You Will)" b/w "I'm Leaving." It also failed to sell, but it did establish the beginning of a new sound; on that record, Phillips introduced his own approach to guitar feedback. It was all a little too wild for Decca, which stuck the song on the B-side, but it was a beginning, of sorts. It also coincidedwith an ending, as the band's rhythm guitarist, Mick Thompson, and their bassist, John Dalton -- soon to join the Kinks, replacing Peter Quaife -- quit. The Mark Four fnished their history with a temporary lineup and one last single in early 1966. During the weeks that followed, Pickett and Phillips, along with drummer Jack Jones, held the group together and began rethinking their precise image and direction -- for a brief time, future superstar bassist Herbie Flowers even sat in with them.

By the spring of that year, the group had evolved into the Creation, with ex-Merseybeats bassist Bob Garner flling out the lineup, and they had also signed with an ambitious young Australian-born manager -- then closely associated with Brian Epstein -- named Robert Stigwood. The Creation burst on the British pop/rock scene that June with "Making Time," a single that seemed to have everything going for it -- a killer beat after a brief (but catchy) stop-and-go intro, a great chorus, and a fashy, slashy, crunchy lead guitar part by Eddie Phillips thatintersected very neatly with and expanded on the kind of sound that the Who were carrying high onto the charts at the time.

The parallel was no accident, as that single was produced by Shel Talmy, who'd also worked onall of those early Who sides. In an eerie and inexplicable portent of their future, however, "Making Time" soared to number fve in Germany but peaked at an anemic number 49 in England, this at a time when they were getting amazing press for their stage performances, which included paintings being lit afre and, in anticipation of what Jimmy Page would one day be doing with the Yardbirds, among others, Phillips began playing his electric guitar with a violin bow. The group fnally saw some slightly signifcant chart action at home in the fall of 1966 with "Painter Man," a cheerfully trippy pop anthem -- with a feedback-oozing guitar break -- that made the Top 40; predictably (and one can see where this story is going), the same record hit number one in Germany. The B-side, "Biff Bang Boom," opened with a "My Generation" guitar riff and jumped into a pop/rock idiom with a psychedelic edge that could have earned it airplay on its own.

By the start of 1967, however, the Creation had hit a crisis point, as Kenny Pickett quit over creative differences and frustration at the need to continue touring in Europe, where their audience was seemingly rooted. He was eventually replaced by Kim Gardner, late of the group the Birds. Their sound at that point was still intact -- Phillips was still there on guitar, which was a huge part of what they were about musically and sonically. At this point, with whatever momentum they'd built up in jeopardy, the group took a totally unexpected turn into blue-eyed soul with "If I Stay Too Long," which was a good enough showcase for Gardner (supported by some reverb-soaked backing vocals and an

organ) but offered little from Phillips except some emphatically played chords; it was as though the Who, having established themselves on the charts and the radio with "My Generation" and "Anyway Anyhow Anywhere," had suddenly issued their version of "Please, Please, Please" as a45 rpm -- it confused people who knew the Creation, and was mostly ignored by established

fans. Much more like their established sound were "Can I Join Your Band," which somehow only got issued in France, and the U.K. single's B-side, "Nightmares." They were still strugglingfor a commercial foothold in England, despite being one of the most widely touted live acts of the time, when the group's German label decided it was time to release a Creation LP. The latter, entitled We Are Paintermen, ended up being better than anyone could have anticipated, highlighted by the previous hit plus a surprisingly good, crunchy, at times almost Byrds-like rendition of "Like a Rolling Stone," and a version of "Hey Joe" that had the temerity to take Jimi Hendrix's slow tempo and treat its jagged guitar line even more harshly.

There was also a rousing rendition of "Cool Jerk" foranyone who cared, though a lot else of what was therewas either off-point or represented the earlier lineup.One more single, "Life Is Just Beginning" b/w"Through My Eyes," showed up in the fall of 1967 --the A-side was a rousing psychedelic showcase, withelements of Indian raga and a catchy, chant-like mainbody, plus jagged guitar and a string orchestra withthe cellos sawing away in the best "King Midas inReverse" manner; "Through My Eyes" was nothrowaway, either, with a lean, crunchy guitar,beautiful choruses, and a great central tune, withthree-minutes-and-change of spacy sensibilitiesending in a feedback crescendo. Evidently, EddiePhillips felt that the single was as good a showcase as he would ever get, and in October of 1967he quit.

His departure was followed by Kim Gardner's decision to exit the group for a team-up with Ron Wood, Jon Lord, and Twink, in what became known as Santa Barbara Machinehead. The Creation was kept "alive" into the spring of 1968 when their U.K. label, Polydor, released a single of "How Does It Feel" b/w "Tom Tom" on both sides of the Atlantic, with the U.S. version tarted up in all sorts of dubbed-on psychedelic effects.

They were both good sides but never charted, and that might've been the end of the group, butfor the sudden re-emergence of Kenny Pickett, who got Gardner and Jones back together to form the core of a new "Creation." That band went through a couple of lineup changes, played around Europe for a bit with Ron Wood as a member, and then dissolved, and somewhere in the midst of all of those lineup changes a new album was started and abandoned (and forgottenfor 36 years). Oddly enough, the new group at its best didn't sound bad, or all that much different from the classic lineup, although they lacked Phillips' knack for brushing up right against the edge of chaos with his guitar breaks.

That might've been the end, once and for all, of the group's history, but for four excellent (and very early) sides, probably demos by the Pickett/Phillips lineup, with Herbie Flowers sitting in on bass -- including a fne soul side, "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy," and a killer rendition of "Bonie Maronie," kitted out in a manner not that different from "Hey Joe" or "Biff Bam Boom" -- that turned up in Germany in 1968. This time, however, the group was really gone, the members going their separate ways -- Phillips into soul singer P.P. Arnold's band, among other activities;Gardner became part of Ashton, Gardner & Dyke ("Resurrection Shuffe") and Tony Kaye's group Badger; Dalton and Thompson tried reuniting under the name Passtime, and Kenny Pickett, after enjoying some success as a songwriter and performing in a variety of contexts, returned to being a roadie, this time for Led Zeppelin and other bands; and he eventually re-

formed the Creation in the frst half of the '90s.

His reactivation of the Creation was a response to a long series of events belatedly recognizing the band. In the early '80s, Eva Records of France released an LP that combined the singles by the Mark Four and some of the key sides of the Creation, while England's Edsel Records released How Does It Feel to Feel?, the defnitive LP collection of the Creation. The group gained a reputation as one of the great lost missing links of '60s rock, sort of England's answer to Moby Grape in terms of massive talent unaccountably caught in a dead-end. The latter day group enjoyed three years of success before Pickett's death from a heart attack in 1996 ended their history.

THE ZOMBIES - "Odessey and Oracle"The British 1960's band the Zombies seemed to have all what it took to be a success. Two unusually gifted songwriters in Rod Argent and Chris White and two outstanding singers, Colin Blunstone and Rod Argent (again). What they may have lacked was a little more "edge" to balance their melodic music and "nice school-boys" image.

They actually did have early success with their 1964 single "She's Not There". But in spite of several strong singles were recorded and released during 1965-66, they somehow were not able to follow-up their early success.

So in early 1967 the band had not had a hit-record for more than two years, and it seemed that their time was over. They decided to record a fnal "real" album before they'd split up. The result was the highly acclaimed "Odessey and Oracle" which they recorded during the second half of 1967.

Of course they had hoped that one ofthe two frst singles taken from theserecordings "Friends of Mine" and"Care of Cell 44" would bring themback into the charts. And since thisdid not happen they assumed theirtime was over, so they disbandedbefore the album was actually releasedin April 1968.

Another single was chosen to promotethe album, and the succeeding bigsuccess of "Time of the Season" in America came as a complete surprise. The album itself also reached the lower parts of the charts in the States.

Their music has proving its viability over the years, and this album contains some of their fnestmoments, with great tunes from both Argent and White.

After their unexpected 1968 "comeback" effort were made to secure a Zombies re-union.But Rod Argent and Chris White were already deeply involved in gathering a new band, which eventually would become "Argent".

In this transition period Argent and White were persuaded to do a fnal "Zombies" album which was giventhe title "R.I.P."The album was supposed to consist of earlier out-takes and demos, ( with new over dubbings ) combined with new recordings.

This 12-songs "new" album was for release some time in 1969 but the album which had been given the title "R.I.P." was never released.This was a big shame, as it would have been a great album.

In recent years this album has actually been released in Japan and all songs have been released released on

various compilations. Here among the bonus-tracks you'll 11 of these songs of which most equals on the actual album. The box-set "Zombie Heaven" contains all 12 songs.

6 of these "R.I.P." songs are original Zombies recordings from 1964-66, featuring Colin Blunstone on vocals. He was called in to record new vocals to "Walking in the Sun" which is the earliest track, from late 1964, but he is not involved in any of the "new" 1968 recordings. Rod Argent, who is also an incredibly fne singer, takes over the vocals on these tracks. All these 1968 songs / recordings are great. "Imagine the Swan", "Smokey Day", "Girl Help Me", "I Could Spend the Day" are outstanding songs. "Imagine the Swan" was released as a single and was a minor hit in America.

The earlier recordings featuring Colin Blunstone are equally strong. "If It Don't Work Out" was written for Dusty Springfeld in 1965. The song was also released as the Zombies' fnal single in July 1969.

So apart from the one missing song ( "I'll Keep Trying" ) this highly recommend CD contains two great Zombies albums.

ALBUM CONFIDENTIAL Jethro Tull – Stand Up (1969)Stand Up is the frst JT album I bought and remains till now the most classical JT contribution to rock! Martin Lancelot Barre has repalced the guitarist Mick Abrahams developing his beautiful guitar stile to complement the varied musical notions which JT recorded during their long career. Stand Up is also a live favorite providing many great live performance songs and tunes in their concerts set today. The last time I saw them (Mantua 16th July 2005) they played also For A Thosand Mothers. In the Chrysalis 2001 remastered edition Stand Up is enriched with the frst successful singles from JT: the perennial Living In The Past (recorded between New York and L.A.) and Driving Song; the great and strong Sweet Dream accompanied with 17.This is a great album to start with if you are a JT novice. If you are not, you have to admit that Stand Up merits all the fve stars I've rated.Angel Pavement – Maybe Tomorrow (2003)Angel Pavement never got to release those fabulous songs during their short lifespan. They were

eventually compiled on two records, one released on vinyl in 2003, the other one on CD two years later (including bonus tracks). This is the vinyl version and it is plentiful (15 tracks) and luxurious seeing that the music is 'pop harmony at its best', as said in a liner note. Indeed, Angel Pavement calls to mind The Left Banke on such baroque, grandiose moments as 'Baby You've Gotta Stay' or 'Man in the Shop on the Corner' but also The Zombies, The Kinks or Badfnger. Strangely enough, the title of either compilation is 'Maybe Tomorrow', after The Iveys' song which was magnifcently covered

by Angel Pavement and is of course featured on both compilations. It may be argued that their version of Tom Evans' song is better than the original, which speaks volume about the talent of this long-forgotten band.The Thirteenth Floor Elevators– (1968)The Thirteenth Floor Elevators are one of the great cult bands; shared around by generations of

knowing music fans without ever taking a place in the limelight. If you've reached this page you probably already know that, so what more is there to say? Well, after years of having their (admittedly slim) musical archive asset-stripped by poor quality reissues, this is the proper, and properly remastered, edition of the album we have been waiting for. As far as I can tell this is the restored version of thealbum from last year's wilfully exclusive 'Sign of the 3 eyed men' box-set, now made available at a reasonable price for us regular punters who couldn't afford that luxury. For the frst time, we can hear the dynamics of the band through the gloom and reverb of the original production. That was always part of their sound, to be sure,but now it sounds like a deliberate quality of shade and menace to

the album rather than the mere murk of poor recording. The guitar lines are spikier, the bass runs are much clearer and Tommy Hall's jug still sounds like nothing else in rock. When all the psychedelic philosophy of the sleeve-notes was said and done, the Elevators were a strange meeting of pretty, Buddy Holly-style song structures with urgent modal riffng and, above it all, Roky Erickson's spectral vocals. Completists will appreciate the original stereo mix and some early, sharper studio mixes on the bonus disc ('Roller Coaster' being especially interesting) but it's the chance to hear the original album afresh that will make this most desirable for listeners.

LET IT BLEED A Sixties MilestoneLet It Bleed is the second of four extraordinary studio albums released by the Rolling Stones between 1968 and 1972. It marks the end of Brian Jones’ involvement with theband and the beginning of Mick Taylor’s. With the exception of Live With Me and, Country Honk, Keith Richards plays all the guitar parts on this 1969 masterpiece. And how.

Let It Bleed also represents a high-water mark in the song-writing partnership of Mick Jagger andKeith Richards: Gimme Shelter, Let It Bleed, Midnight Rambler, Monkey Man and You Can’t Always Get What You Want are all certifable classics. Blistering, awesome, elemental, spine tingling: you can take your pick from the superlatives.

Aside from their originality and the musicianship withwhich they are performed, what makes these songsspecial for me is their ability to invoke the darker side ofmy soul. This is rock’s answer to voodoo. WhileChristianity conceives of God and the Devil as separateentities, of dark as a mere absence of light, the orgasmicenergy of a song like Midnight Rambler suggests a morecomplex but less neurotic universe

At 6:52, Midnight Rambler is the second-longest track onLet It Bleed, behind You Can’t Always Get What YouWant. It’s a great example of the band’s ability to buildand sustain mood and atmosphere, to draw the listener into an experience beyond his understanding. The stars of the show in this instance are the slide guitar of Keith Richards and the harmonica of Mick Jagger: the two instruments duet with demonic grace throughout the changing pace of the song, against a solid backdrop of bass, drums and rhythm guitar.

Lyrically, Midnight Rambler is about the joys of breaking into people’s houses in the middle of the night and murdering them in their beds. It begins as jaunty, seductive rhythm and blues; Mick Jagger sounds like the most playful and teasing homicidal maniac in history. As the song progresses, the harmonica comes to the fore, becoming more frenzied and unpredictable; it whirls madly around the hypnotic throb of bass and drums. Then the song slows down, grinding to a halt. A wicked cackle sounds on the track before the most explosive build up of pace and energy in recording history. Words cannot do justice to this shuddering, coital climax; it must be experienced.

Midnight Rambler ends with the line, I’llstick my knife right down your throat baby,and it hurts! Whenever I hear this defance,the idea of mass murder seems strangelyappealing, and I wonder why the careersguidance teacher at school didn’t bring thisto my attention all those years ago. Itcertainly would’ve been more fun than thesoppy arts degree I ended up doing.

I am a quiet man with an uneventful life,but the spirit of this song connects withsomething primal in me. Whatever thatsomething is, it has sweltered under ablanket of repression and guilt; given theopportunity by this music, it dances for joyin the light of day. I am left feeling wholeand exhilarated.

Let It Bleed contains spiritually upliftingmusic, yet it is unlikely to be adopted by church choirs anywhere. It embraces violent, ‘fallen’ parts of us, at least those as defned by Christian theology. Yet, these are real, vital aspects of our personalities, not mere ‘absences’ of good. If man was created in God’s image, it follows that there must be some darkness in the divine also. Attributing all our savagery to original sin (or worse, some cloven-hoofed rascal with a tail and horns) doesn’t really wash with me.

Fans of this album all have their particular favorites. A couple of years ago, Gimme Shelter was voted the Stones’ best ever song by readers of the British music magazine, Q. It’s certainly a plausible contender. An apocalyptic vision of war, Richards’ guitars and (best of all) Mary Clayton’s backing vocals conjure up doom and menace by the bucket load. Then there is the title-track, Let It Bleed, a celebration of earthly pleasures and the company of fallen angels. Ian Stewart’s honky-tonk piano and again, Richards’ slide guitar, give it the most delicious reek of sinand abandon.

For me, however, the most obvious rival to Midnight Rambler as the album’s fnest track is You Can’t Always Get What You Want. This song’s potential is transformed by the presence of the London Bach Choir, turning an otherwise mournful country lament into something approaching a religious vision. It’s as inspired collaboration between the worlds of rock and classical as on the Beatles’ A Day In The Life two years previously.

You can’t always get what you want, sings Jagger of his relationship disappointment, but if you try some time you might just get what you need. This is a world of bruised, angry souls, damaged characters like Mr Jimmy (Man, did he look pretty ill), who persist and survive in spite of their hardships. It seems the best we can do is accept ourselves as we are, with all our weaknesses, and be ready to catch life’s gifts where they fall. You might just get what you need is therefore a statement of faith amid adversity. As the choir spirals its way up through the scales near the end of the song, there is the impression of a higher meaning shining through our struggles in this world. There’s something divine in the darkness.

TOMORROWTomorrow (previously known as TheIn Crowd and before that as Four Plus One) were a 1960s psychedelic rock band. Despite critical acclaim and support from DJ John Peel who featured them on his "Perfumed Garden" radio show, the band was not a great success in commercial terms. They were among the frst psychedelic bands in England along with Pink Floyd and Soft Machine. Tomorrow recorded the frst ever John Peel show session on BBC Radio 1 on 21 September 1967.

Film director Michelangelo Antonioni intended to feature the band in his 1966 flm Blowup, butinstead used The Yardbirds. However Tomorrow did appear in the '' flm Smashing Time underthe name of The Snarks. John "Junior" Wood was ill and was replaced by John Pearce, a clothes dealer. Again their music was not used in the flm. The rock group sounds used in the flm are by Skip Bifferty.

The band released two singles, one of which, "My White Bicycle" was later covered by heavy rock act Nazareth, and as a novelty record by 'Neil the Hippy' (Nigel Planer) of The Young Ones TV series. According to drummer John 'Twink' Alder, the song was actually inspired by the Dutch Provos, an anarchist group in Amsterdam: they had white bicycles in Amsterdam and they used to leave them around the town. And if you were going somewhere and you needed to use a bike, you'd just take the bike and you'd go somewhere and just leave it. Whoever needed the bikes would take them and leave them when they were done

Tomorrow's September 1967 single "Revolution" waslikely the primary inspiration for the John Lennonsong Revolution which was released a year later.[citation needed] Tomorrow's lyric "Have your ownlittle revolution, NOW!" sounds like it promptedLennon's response "You say you want a revolution."[citation needed] Though Tomorrow's song was not ahit the group was well known to insiders of theLondon music scene. Frank Zappa met the group onhis frst trip to England in 1967 and praised SteveHowe's guitar solo on Claramount Lake. Zappa evenplayed the record during a radio interview many yearslater.

Tomorrow singer Keith West is perhaps better known as a participant in Mark Wirtz's Teenage Opera project that gave him a solo hit single "Excerpt from a Teenage Opera (Grocer Jack)" and brief commercial success. Guitarist Steve Howe later joined progressive rock band Yes, whilst Twink joined The Pretty Things on their concept album "S.F. Sorrow" before forming The Pink Fairies .

Time Capsule“Looking at M usicical events from M arch 1969”

• March 1 – Jim Morrison gets himself arrested During a performance at Miami's Dinner Key Auditorium.allegedly exposing himself during the show. Morrison is offcially charged with lewd and lascivious behaviour, indecent behaviour, open profanity and public drunkenness.

• March 7 – The Who release” Pinball Wizard' from Tommy

• March 12 – Linda Eastman Marries Paul McCartney in London. With Linda's Daughter Heather attending. At the same time George Harrison get's busted, George later said I told Pattie to let them know where the pot was, I didn't want them smashing the place up”.

• March 20 – Not to be out done by his musical partner John Lennon marries Yoko Ono in Gibraltar. In April John would change his name to John Ono Lennon.

• March 25 -31 – John and Yoko hold a statement for peace and hold an event called a Bed In forpeace in their room at the Amsterdam Hilton, turning their honeymoon into an antiwar event. It is here that john Records 'Give Peace A Chance'

JOHN & YOKO – THE BED IN

a week after their marriage in Gibraltar, near Spain (Lennon’s “Ballad of John and Yoko” gives a pretty concise rundown). Instead of indulging in a private getaway, the couple embarked on two highly publicized week-long “bed-in‘s” for peace, where they stayed in bed and talked about world peace to reporters and various visitors (remember, the Vietnam War was in full swing at this time).

Ono made footage of the May 1969 bed-in in Montréal public in2011.

.Knowing their March 20, 1969 marriage would be a huge press event, John and Yoko decided to use the publicity to promote world peace. They spent their honeymoon in the presidential suite (Room 902) at the Amsterdam Hilton Hotel for a week between March 25 and 31, inviting the world’s press into their hotel room every day between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m.

After their other stunts, such as the nude cover of the Two Virgins album, the press were expecting them to be having sex, but instead the couple were sitting in bed—in John’s words “like angels”—talking about peace with signs over their bed reading “Hair Peace” and “Bed Peace”. After seven days, they few toVienna, Austria, where they held a Bagism press conference.

'BAKED JAM ROLL IN YOUR EYE' “BRITISH PSYCH BAND 'TIMEBOX”

The roots of Timebox lay in local band Take 5 in 1965 in Southport, a small northern English coastal town (situated near Liverpool). After a succession of interpersonal incidents, which ledto the vocalist quitting, the band was left in disorder. Fellow local act the Music Students (who featured 15-year-old drummer Peter Halsall, a great drummer who was also proving himself on a majesty of other instruments) were facing similar problems. Halsall, Chris Holmes (piano), and Kevan Foggerty (vocals) teamed up with Clive Griffths as Take 5 and, very soon after, turned professional and headed towards London. Taken under the wing of the George Cooper agency, they were soon working on package tours with the Kinks, the Small Faces, Tommy Quickly, and Lou Christie, as well as

striking up a residency at the legendary the Whiskey a Go Go. With two singers leaving (Liggett quit, then Frank Dixon unfortunately contracted tuberculosis) U.S. singer John Henry was drafted in and the band changed their name to Timebox -- an American term for a prison cell. Signed to Piccadilly in February 1967, their debut single, "I'll Always Love You" b/w "Save Your Soul," produced by John Schroeder, was released and displayed an early jazz-tinged,soulful talent.Following this, more turns of fate occurred, with ex-G.I. Henrybeing whipped back off to the U.S.A by offcials and Deangoing down with tuberculosis (a spooky repeat). That April, thestrictly instrumental 45 "Soul Sauce"/"I Wish I Could Jerk LikeMy Uncle Cyril" showed the band walking similar lines toManfred Mann: airing competence but little imagination. MikePatto, who had played with the Bo Street Runners and theChicago Line (along with ex-Pretty Thing Viv Prince), joinedTimebox after a few illustrious jams and took on a prominentrole as vocalist and songwriter. When yet another drummer (Foggerty) quit, things once again went astray; luckily, however, the stool was soon flled by ex-Felder's Orioles' drummer John Halsey. Peter Halsall (now commonly known as "Ollie") was displaying a high degree of aptitude on guitar, as well as regular diversions into the vibes. His trademark sound of both searing guitar and mellow vibes was to the fore in the ensuing records.

Timebox soon became a hot live act. Many who saw them claimed Timebox to be one of the frst rock bands in London to really explore jazz in a rock context. A wonderful performance at the Windsor Jazz Festival on August 12, 1967, caught the eye of Decca producer Gus Dudgeon, who immediately signed them to the label's subsidiary Deram. The frst 45, a fantastic version of Tim Hardin's "Don't Make Promises," was backed by the even better Ollie original "Walking Throughthe Streets of My Mind," which combined sharp blue-eyed soul harmonies with a psychedelic

arrangement. The follow-up -- again a classic example of British soul -- was a cover of the Four Seasons' "Beggin" and reached number 38 in the charts. At the sessions that produced the hit, a slew of unreleased material -- some of the band's best -- was also recorded and airs the beginningof the Patto/Halsall songwriting partnership. All of these unreleased songs are compiled on The Deram Anthology and are essential listening for anyone with the slightest interest in quality late-'60s rock. The problem was that even Deram viewed Timebox as a pop band, and so the more experimental songs were left in the can while the silly sing-a-long tune "Baked Jam Roll in Your Eye," written for fun when the band members were drunk, was the next release in March 1969. It's styling was a little too late for the era of novelty psychedelia, and of no interest to the more rock-oriented record buyer; the fip-side, the tough "Poor Little Heartbreaker," would have been a far better choice.

By the summer of 1969, things were turning sour. The fnal release, "Yellow Taxi," was a great record and polite enough for airplay, but was banned due to the nature of the lyrics. This really was the end of the road for Timebox who had had a hard time at the best of times. The nucleus ofthe band merged into Patto, who released three albums in the 1970s. ~ Jon "Mojo" Mills, Rovi

BRIAN JONES “DANCING IN THE SHADOWS”

One of the saddest story's from the sixties was the disintegration of the rolling stones founder and creator Brian Lones. Always a bluesman at heart Brian it seemed lost interest in the band as stardom went along. Instead of walking away which he would have never done as he wasn't strong enough.

George Harrison had mentioned Jones would come to his house often and they would chat together and exchange ideas."He would come to my house and shout 'George! George!' I would let him in.He was a good mate.He would pick up my sitar and play it and

then the next thing I knew he did 'Paint It Black'".This was mentioned during the time the Beatles had just fnished recording Norwegian Wood featuring George Harrison on sitar.So the infuences between the two biggest groups in the planet were constantly moving.Not to mention their friendships and respects with each other.

George also describes Brian on the Beatles Anthology as a good friend and how he was delighted with the common things they both share."We share similar positions in the most prominent bands in the universe,me with John and Paul and him with Mick and Keith.We even share the same birthdays:me on the February 25th and him on February 28th",adds Harrison who also mentioned of seeing his good friend Brian Jones not long before he died and how he was saddened to hear of his death.

But we are looking at what he left us with and the touches he gave the Stones records. The Stones were the frst band to add a slide guitar in the UK to their second single released on November 1st 1963 (I wanna be your man) and of course Little Red rooster released In November1964.

The Last Time released in 1965 and the frst song penned asa single written by Jagger & Richards was also a showcase forJones, who plays the song's distinctive opening guitar riff.

On Under My Thumb Released off The Aftermath Album in1966 In addition to supplying the acoustic rhythm guitar, heplays the snaking marimba that winds through 'Under MyThumb,' giving the song its slightly menacing nature. Alongwith the rest of 'Aftermath,' the track marks the start of theband's most musically adventurous period, most of itcourtesy of the creatively restless Jones.The frst single to be released in 1966 from the band was 19th

Nervous Breakdown. It features a relatively straightforwardlineup of instruments. But that shuffing riff is all Jones.

The Aftermath album all was indeed where the band startedto spread their wing s and move away from the blues. Jones's touches was unmistakeable on Mothers Little Helper which incorporated him adding a a special 12-string guitar with a slide. Jones also played the tambura, the Indian instrument that gives the song the droning hum that rings throughout.

The song Lady Jane had Brian playing a dulcimer and many songs had him record many instruments onto the songs on the aftermath album including 12 string guitar and electric piano.

Paint it black with the sitar really gave a new sound a new feel and Brian picked that up very quickly.

On January 13 1967 the Stones released Let's Spend The Night Together with Brian on Piano. The B side was Ruby Tuesday, written by Richards help from Brian Jones on the musical composition. The song was said to be written about a groupie Richards knew and about his then girlfriend Linda Keith who he had parted from.

As 1967 went along it is my personnel view that Brian seemed like a burning comet and around 1967 he really came into his own as he climbed adding many touches to songs. He really came into his own during this year adding Mellotron to the track We love you and to the B side "Dandelion" adding Oboe.

The recording of Their Satanic Majesties Request released 1967 was long and sporadic, broken up by court appearances. Jagger said that it was “too much time on our hands and too much drugs” but Brain flled the whole album out with instruments including: Mellotron,

keyboards, guitars, fute, brass, soprano saxophone, electric dulcimer, recorder, percussion it seems he could get a tune out of any instrument.

The next album Beggars Banquet was more back to basic's album with Jones playing sitar and tanbur on "Street Fighting Man", slide guitar on "No Expectations" harmonica on "Parachute

Woman", "Dear Doctor" and "Prodigal Son" and Mellotron on "Jig-Saw Puzzle" and "Stray Cat Blues". Jagger stated that his slide guitar on No Expectations was the last time Brian contributed anything to song as a musician.

With the comet of Brian reachingit's heights by May of 1968 he wason the way down. On Jumpin JackFlash single he played playedguitars saying the song was "gettingback to ... the funky, essentialessence" On the b side of the singleChild of moon Saxophone and evenhad time to had his Saxophone tothe Beatles track You know myname (Look up my number)

But as the year rolled on Jonesstarted not to turn up for recordingsession and the band carried onwithout him, Jagger saying “ If he did turn up, you had to fnd him things to do” He was present for the start of the recording of the song Country Honk in may of 1969 he might have played on early demos of the song but was never on the released version and this would be the last time Jones would record with the band the last session. His last recorded with the stones in Recorded on 18 February 1969 on the Richards song You got the silver playing autoharp and Percussion onMidnight Rambler but as the months marched on his health started to suffer and his contribution to the band was over. Having moved to Cotchford Farm in East Sussex, the residence formerly owned by Winnie-the-Pooh author A. A. Milne[ he was asked to left the band on June 9 1969.

After a short time Musician friend Alexis Korner who visited in late June 1969 noted that Jones seemed "happier than he had ever been". Jones is known to have contacted Korner, Ian Stewart, John Lennon, Mitch Mitchell, and Jimmy Miller about intentions to put together another band. Jones had apparently demoed a few of his own songs in the weeks before his death, including 'Has Anybody Seen My Baby?' and 'Chow Time.

But on July 3 1969 it was all over for Brian. The world in shock as the dead rolling stone hit the headlines once again. Drowned in swimming pool at the age of 27.

Brian's left behind a what if, what would he be doing today if he had lived. He always seemed a troubled soul who started a little band to express his love for the blues only to fnd the train he's started on with blues being the main stable was now taking another route which he didn't feel right. But already on this fast moving train he couldn't get off. As he said “ I love being a pop

star with reservation”.I would like to think that he would of come through the sacking from the stones and done something more back to his roots. Creedence Clearwater Revival which he was a great fan of, (he would play proud Mary at volume at crotchford farm with the windows open that summer)

Brian the world still misses you and without your input in the stones songs wouldn't have had the certain magic. God Bless you.