Alan - Bass and Vocals
- 1981-86
- Silent Atmosphere. 1st proper band - formed with two mates from school. Name taken in 81 from the atmosphere in Boothferry Park (the then home of the Hull City AFC) during some very lean years. Played tons of Jam covers learnt from early Jam songbooks. Cut a single "There's this girl", reached no. 1034 in the charts mainly due to sales to family and friends.
- 1985
- George Michaels - " Turn a different corner"
- 1986 - 1988
- Semi retired - 1st mortgage, plenty of night clubbing, back to my place etc.
- 1989
- Needed to pay mortgage arrears - SOLD OUT
- 1989
- Go Buddy Go. A Buddy Holly tribute band playing the northern club circuit, it understood that this band is still playing today under the name of the Seatbelts.
- 1990 - 1992
- The classics. Another club band formed with Go Buddy Go guitarist Karl Wilcock plus a singing postman who dumped us after appearing on Stars in their eyes as Gene Pitney.
- 1992 - 1995
- Joined an already existing band called Rumour's who's lead vocalist actually survived and was praised by - and on, the ITV talent show New Faces with the one and only Mr Tony (the hatchet man) Hatch. As pub cover bands go this was a pretty good one.
- 1995 - 1998
- Stood in on bass for a local band called Saavik. Career (If you can call it that) took a bit of a nose-dive from here. Fronted by a girl singer, covered songs in local pubs doing songs by Blondie, Pretenders, Republica, Bangles, Go Go's etc. Stayed with this band five years, although was never actually offered the job on a permanent basis.
- George Michaels - "Turn a different corner"
- 1998
- All Mod Cons. I always maintained that Silent Atmosphere was the original AMC as basically "There's this girl" apart the rest of the set were Jam covers. This was mainly due to the fact that we had the Jam songbooks only, and wasn't clever enough to be able to work out any other songs for ourselves. However one day Pete (The drummer with me from the Saavik days and who later would be affectionately known as Baldyman) said to mw whilst watching a duo called the Scene. "Haven't you ever fancied doing some stuff like this?" I replied "I always wanted to form a Jam tribute band doing some album tracks and B-sides too As long as there was 14 singles (or 15 if you included A Bomb)." "Why don't you then?" "I'll give it one more go." Bearing in mind that I'd had a couple of attempts and failed earlier in 1981 & 1992.
- April/May 1998
- Placed an advert in Antones Music Shop, Beverley rd, Hull.
"Wanted - Singer to front newly forming Jam tribute band. Wankers with big hair playing Queen need not apply"
Only a couple of days passed when I received a call from an ex borstal graduate who called himself Jace (the ace face) Brown, together with old buddy Karl on guitar, baldyman and me ALL MOD CONS was born. . We initially went for a four piece (stupid now, when I look back) cos - a) we wanted to create as close as possible the studio versions of the songs with all the guitar overlays. And b) Jason was pretty limited on guitar.
Our first gig was at the Humber Pilot for £80 (Must have been "time and a half " eh Ted) after a massive self financed advertising campaign (which would later be known as the bomb run) We peeped out the dressing room. The place was rammed - we shit ourselves, but I think we got away with it though.
The next 18 months proved although we were very limited in the obvious as well as with transport and equipment, bundles of fun. I knew the band as it was then was coming to an end especially when Jace proceeded to boot Baldyman up and down lowgate August bank holiday Monday 1999. The top and bottom of it was the band had gone as far as it could go. I thought too much of the project to be covering the same old ground year after year and had to tell the lads we would be calling it a day at the end of the year. - 2000
- All Modern Classics. I still wanted to play some of my favourite Jam
songs coupled with some of Wellers new solo stuff (obviously not much
style council though) so it was back to the drawing board for baldyman
and me. Placing advertisements in our local press for a guitarist first
of all. (our aim behind this was that if we got a tight as a band we would
attract a half decent frontman). The same rules applied in the advert.
Had to be a massive fan first and foremost plus No Wankers with big hair
playing Queen need apply. The successful candidate on guitar was Chris
(hit and miss) Lister of whom I still play with today in the Influential
Factor (More influenced than influential I say). What swung it for Chris
when asked if he was genuinely into this, was "I'll have you know, I've
got everything from 'In the city' to 'Heavy Soul' and I've got a Fred
Perry!" Well, that’s it mate - The jobs yours.
Now the problems began. Auditioning a singer.
I knew it wasn’t going too well when we were auditioning an ex doorman who would you believe (and I do remember him) was on the doors at a jam gig in the early eighties at the Bridlington spa. He had the look of jimmy Nail and the voice of Jimmie Crankie. The unsuccessful candidate shall remain nameless although we've since warmed to him, as he's a lovely fellow and has on occasions got up and sung with us at some very low key hush hush gigs. - Feb 2000
- Thankfully I had still remained mates with Jason and one cold February night a few of us had decided to go see Bruce Foxton play with SLF in Cleathorpes. (Great night by the way). It was to my horror that at this particular venue there were posters advertising The Selecter playing there with chief support ALL MOD CONS. I suppose the one fortunate thing was a) we hadn't actually got fixed up with a new singer as yet, Oh and b) I was actually out with Jay at the time so I could ask him there and then. "look jay, we cant just not turn up, and its obviously too late to cancel as all the posters are printed" "Would you fancy just doing one more gig?" Thankfully Jay said yes.
- May 2000
- Approx. 3 weeks before the Selecter gig. Telephone call from Jay "Hi Al, Listen I'm not going to be able to do that Selecter gig, got too much on with studying for my exams! Etc." George Michael eh!?
- May 2000
- Raggy Omah! We'd still been searching for a singer and had kind of earmarked our number one choice. He played in a local band called SPANKY. We'd seen them at the King Billy and also punching their way to success at the Humber Pilot. Although he had an uncanny resemblance to Raggety out of the 1960's/70's children's TV programme Rupert the bear and Gina Martin a gyppo girl in our year at school we still felt we had our man. His name was Guy although it has to be said he's still known as Raggy today in the west Riding of Yorkshire particularly in the Bradford area.
The rest as they say is HISTORY!
If I may add a couple more points. We managed to learn 9 songs in the remaining weeks and support the Selecter later that month with a Billy Brag tribute guy called Andy Turrell too. The George Michaels "Turn a different corner" reference refers to a set of guitar strings would you believe. I mean don’t get me wrong, I think George Michael is a big a wanker as probably the rest of you, and I'm quite proud to say that I don't and never have ever owned a George Michael or Wham record. But I will say one thing, if you listen to the words of "turn a different corner" which I believe was the double a side of careless whisper. It's quite true how your life's course can change with one really insignificant act. I still maintain to this day, that if Jay, for all his faults, had been in town on that fateful, and bought his guitar strings from Gough & Davy instead of being up Beverley Rd and popping into Antones and seeing our advert. I may not be writing this article today and wouldn't have met all the people we have met up and down the country.
I mean, If you didn’t play in a band. Where else would you meet someone like Clive.