Greasy Truckers Party

Greasy Truckers Party
Live album by Various artists
Released 28 April 1972
Recorded Roundhouse, London,
13 February 1972
Genre Rock
Length 1:27:30
Label United Artists – UDX 203/4
Greasy Truckers chronology

Greasy Truckers Party
(1972)		 Greasy Truckers Live at Dingwalls Dance Hall
(1974)
Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic [1]

Greasy Truckers Party is a 1972 live album by various artists recorded at a February 1972 Greasy Truckers concert at the Roundhouse in London. The concert featured three bands, Man, Brinsley Schwarz and Hawkwind, and musician Magic Michael. Originally a double vinyl album, in a limited edition of 20,000 and sold at just £1.50, it rapidly sold out, and became a collector's item.[2]

In the world of British underground rock, the Greasy Truckers Party ... ... looms about as large as the Monterey International Pop Festival does in American rock lore; it wasn't the biggest gig ever played by the bands involved, but for reasons of exposure, and resulting word-of-mouth, and the excerpted live album that followed, it came to define what they were capable of.
—Bruce Eder, Allmusic [1]

Greasy Truckers were "a loose organisation of individuals whose ideals were based on those of the Diggers in San Francisco, recycling money into worthwhile causes." [3] This album was the first of two albums recorded at concerts in London organised by Greasy Truckers, the second being Greasy Truckers Live at Dingwalls Dance Hall (1974). All proceeds from the concert and LP sales went to Greasy Truckers' project to build a hostel in Notting Hill Gate.[4]

The concert was due to run from 3PM until midnight and include performances by Byzantium and others, but wage disputes between the unions and the government had led to frequent power cuts, one of which occurred in the early evening, giving an unusual album track "Power cut".
The fire brigade asked the audience to leave, but when power was resumed, and the audience re-admitted, hundreds more people came in. In defiance of the Fire Brigade, many people stayed inside, temporary lighting was set up and the audience was entertained by eccentric folk band Skinner's Rats who did not require amplification. They started with the opening of Richard Strauss's "Also Sprach Zarathustra" before breaking into a medley of reels and being joined on stage by a troop of Morris dancers - the Blackheath Foot and Death Men.

The power cut had affected Hawkwind's synthesisers, which were very temperamental, leading to their apologies, and having to restart their act after a breakdown.[2]

Track listing

Side one (22:00)

  1. Man – "Spunk Rock" (Ace/Jones/Leonard/Williams)

Side two (22:00)

  1. Man – "Angel Easy" (Ace/John/Jones/Leonard/Williams)
  2. DJ Andy Dunkley – Speech
  3. DJ Andy Dunkley – Power cut
  4. Brinsley Schwarz – "Wonder Woman" (Toussaint)
  5. Brinsley Schwarz – "Its Just My Way of Saying Thank You" (Lowe)
  6. Brinsley Schwarz – "I'm Ahead If I Can Quit While I'm Behind" (Ford)

Side three (22:00)

  1. Brinsley Schwarz – "Midnight Train" (trad. arranged Brinsley Schwarz)
  2. Brinsley Schwarz – "Surrender to the Rhythm" (Lowe)
  3. Magic Michael – "Music Belongs to the People" (Michael)

Side four (21:30)

  1. Hawkwind – "Master of the Universe" (Turner/Brock)
  2. Hawkwind – "Born to Go" (Calvert/Brock)

Releases and re-issues

2007 box set release

This box set includes the original take of Hawkwind's "Silver Machine" single, although this was remixed in the studio, with Robert Calvert's original lead vocal being replaced by one sung by Lemmy.

Disc one
  1. Man – "Spunk Rock" (Jones/Williams/Ryan) – 22.22
  2. Man – "Many Are Called But Few Get Up" (Ace/Jones/Leonard/Williams/John) - 10.13
  3. Man – "Angel Easy" (Ace/Jones/Leonard/Williams/John) – 5.50
  4. Man – "Bananas - Early Instrumental Version" (Jones/Ryan/Williams/John) – 14.46
  5. Man – "Romain" (Ace/Jones/Leonard/Williams/John) – 11.29
Disc two
  1. Brinsley Schwarz – "Intro" – 1.05
  2. Brinsley Schwarz – "Country Girl" (Lowe) – 3.12
  3. Brinsley Schwarz – "One More Day" (Gomm) – 3.02
  4. Brinsley Schwarz – "Unknown Number" (Lowe) – 2.46
  5. Brinsley Schwarz – "She's Got to Be Real" (Robinson/White)– 3.34
  6. Brinsley Schwarz – "Home Work" (Clark/Perkins) – 2.54
  7. Brinsley Schwarz – "Nervous on the Road (But Can't Stay at Home)" (Lowe) – 5.11
  8. Brinsley Schwarz – "Range War" (Gomm) – 2.25
  9. Brinsley Schwarz – "Silver Pistol" (Lowe) – 3.38
  10. Brinsley Schwarz – "Going Down the Road" (Trad Arranged Brinsley Schwarz) – 6.02
  11. Brinsley Schwarz – "Midnight Train" (Trad Arranged Brinsley Schwarz) – 4.22
  12. Brinsley Schwarz – "Private Number" (Jones/Bell) – 3.52
  13. Brinsley Schwarz – "It's Just My Way of Saying Thank You" (Lowe) – 6.34
  14. Brinsley Schwarz – "Wonder Woman" (Toussaint) – 4.22
  15. Brinsley Schwarz – "I'm Ahead If I Can Quit While I'm Behind" (Ford) – 4.25
  16. Brinsley Schwarz – "Surrender to the Rhythm" (Lowe) – 4.03
  17. Magic Michael – "Music Belongs to the People" (Magic Michael) – 9.44
Disc three
  1. Hawkwind – "Announcement/Apology" – 1.57
  2. Hawkwind – "This is Your Captain Speaking (Breakdown)" (Robert Calvert) – 1.37
  3. Hawkwind – "This is Your Captain Speaking" (Robert Calvert) – 2.42
  4. Hawkwind – "You Shouldn't Do That" (Nik Turner/Dave Brock) – 10.12
  5. Hawkwind – "The Awakening" (Robert Calvert) – 6.07
  6. Hawkwind – "Master of the Universe" (Nik Turner/Dave Brock) – 8.35
  7. Hawkwind – "Paranoia" (Hawkwind/Dave Brock) – 5.01
  8. Hawkwind – "Earth Calling" (Robert Calvert) – 3.23
  9. Hawkwind – "Silver Machine" (Dave Brock/Robert Calvert)– 4.26
  10. Hawkwind – "Welcome to the Future" (Robert Calvert) – 3.35
  11. Hawkwind – "Born to Go" (Dave Brock/Robert Calvert) – 9.07
  12. Hawkwind – "Brainstorm (Jam)" (Nik Turner) – 9.51
  13. DJ Andy Dunkley – "End Announcement" – 1:49

The songwriting credits on the re-release sleeve notes have several anomalies e.g. different credits to the vinyl album, and listing full names for Hawkwind tracks, whilst two of Man's track credits include Ryan, although he did not join the band until several months later.

Personnel

Man

Brinsley Schwarz

Magic Michael

Hawkwind

Production

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Allmusic review by Bruce Eder Retrieved 12 November 2008
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Sleeve notes to 2007 CD re-release
  3. ↑ Lauder, Andrew. "The Greasy Truckers Party (1972)". The Man Home Page. Retrieved 2007-09-17.
  4. ↑ According to a plug for the album, on Man's "Live at the Padget Rooms, Penarth" 2007 remix album.

External links