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Pop at the pictures
The old Odeon cinema on The Headrow closed in October 2001 after nearly 70 years bringing blockbuster movies to the city – but its use as a venue for some of the wildest pop nights of the 1960s is the subject of a new book, as Neil Hudson found out...
When Martin Creasy came across old photographs of the Beatles and Jimmy Hendrix performing at the Odeon cinema in Leeds in the 1960s he was so surprised he decided to find out more.
The fact that such iconic names would appear in a small venue in a northern town prompted him to look at the whole pop scene back then – and the result is his new book – Legends On Tour – The Pop Package Tours Of The 1960s.
He said: "I came across this bank of pictures. It seemed to show a long forgotten time when pop stars of the day performed for not very much money and people could go and see them for a few shillings.
"They went round all the cinemas. It was great fun to research. Some of the venues are still there. This was a time before MTV and video, so it was a great way for bands to get their music to the masses.
"The people in the crowds were mostly 16 year olds. It was exciting and incredibly innocent that these big stars just came in. Today, it would be like Kylie and Madonna just turning up and playing because they enjoyed it. It was a long hard slog for the bands but a good way to get their material out there."
The Beatles performed three times at the Odeon in Leeds between 1963 and 1964 as first Britain, and then America, was gripped by Beatlemania. It was a time when the British music scene was exploding and major bands toured the country playing in small venues.
Martin, 53, a sub-editor for the Aldershot News, said: "This was a time when British and American stars graced the stages of cinemas and small concert halls in gruelling UK tours. The tours were pretty crazy. Cinema staff weren't trained to look after pop stars turning up in their high streets and far less prepared to protect them from the hordes of baying girls, some armed with scissors, ready to lop a prized piece of hair from their heads."
Wind the clock back to the night of Wednesday 5 June 1963, and Roy Orbison topped the bill. Most of the screams, though, were saved for two of the support acts – and what support acts: The Beatles and Gerry and the Pacemakers.
Martin Creasy added: "If they could hear anything over the screams, the Leeds teens would have witnessed some very interesting Beatles songs. The Fabs threw Cavern favourite Some Other Guy into the mix along with their first three singles, Love Me Do, Please Please Me and From Me To You, plus three tracks from their debut album, namely Do You Want To Know A Secret, I Saw Her Standing There and the Isley brothers classic Twist And Shout.
"By the time the Beatles returned to the Leeds Odeon, on Sunday November 3, 1963, Britain was well and truly in their grip."
It was a full year before they undertook another UK tour, but the Leeds Odeon was again on the schedule and The Beatles appeared there on Thursday October 22, 1964, with Mary Wells as a supporting act.
Legends On Tour - The Pop Package Tours Of The 1960s, is published by the History Press at 16.99, and is available now from all good bookshops and on the internet.
"Hendrix asked if anyone had a pen and quick as a flash I whipped one out of my pocket"
Martin Creasy interviewed pop stars from the period and dozens of fans, among them Phil Marsden, 58, originally from Ossett but who now lives in Leicestershire.
Marsden recalls the night in 1967 that he and his pal, Michael Hubbard, were at the Odeon to witness pop's wackiest tour line-up and how they ended up coming to the rescue of one of rock's greatest legends.
The headliners were The Walker Brothers, Cat Stevens, Engelbert Humperdinck and The Jimi Hendrix Experience.
Speaking to the Yorkshire Evening Post, Phil said: "We were 17 at the time and unlike today, we didn't have cars, so we got the bus into Leeds. We were going to see the Walker Brothers but Hendrix was in the line-up, as was Englebert Humperdinck and Cat Stevens.
"I've told people that I've seen them all play but when I tell them it was on the same bill, they can't believe it.
"I had never heard anything like Hendrix before. The first note he played almost took the roof off the place. It was Purple Haze. He had a big shock of hair and wore strange clothes. It was something else."
Phil and his friend left the club after the first show (the bands were to perform again later the same night) to go for a drink in a pub across the road, where he had a strange encounter.
He said: "We went in for a pint and were feeling a bit guilty because we weren't supposed to be drinking . When we got in there, Hendrix was sitting there with some of his entourage signing autographs. So, we joined the queue.
"However, before we got there, his people said he wasn't signing any more, so we thought, fair enough and sat back down. Not long after, a group of girls came in screaming and wanting his autograph. Hendrix asked if anyone had a pen and quick as a flash I whipped one out of my pocket. He signed for them and then he signed for me. After that he went back to chain smoking, biting his nails and drinking.
"It's probably worth something now but don't ask me where it is, I haven't got a clue."
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Thursday 24 May 2012
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