From Aces to Angels

Middle Eight (Now the Rest)

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  By the summer of 1965 Beatlemania was at its peak and it seemed as if the Fab Four were releasing a new record every other day (a slight exaggeration but you know what I mean). They had seven number ones in a row beginning with 'A Hard Day's Night' back in July the previous year, to 'Yellow Submarine' in August the following year. This was a world record at that time, but as I write these very words (Nov.2000), it has just been announced that the Irish boy band 'Westlife,' have equalled the Beatles' record with seven consecutive hits (albeit some of them covers of old songs). Well they may have equalled the Beatles in one respect but they've sure got a long way to go before they equal them in all respects.
  We decided that it was time for a change of image, one in keeping with the times. So on a trip to London we paid a visit to Carnaby Street and  bought a set of black corduroy 'Beatle Coats,' and shiny zipper upper 'Beatle Boots.'
  A few months earlier, feeling a bit of a traitor to Rock 'n' Roll, I'd already abandoned my old Elvis/Cliff Richard type hairstyle and retrained my locks to a Beatle cut. This operation took days of combing and brushing and at the beginning I thought I looked ridiculous. My mother thought I'd flipped altogether. The McMenamin brothers, because of their wiry, curly type hair found it very difficult to retrain theirs.  

 
In June I was ecstatic once again when my wife gave birth to our second child, a handsome lad.
  All over that summer and autumn we continued our quest for fame and notoriety around the dancehalls and ballrooms of Ireland. We were definitely big in some places, didn't mean a thing in others, but that didn't deter us. On the 14th. August we played at a big dance in the Guildhall. The special guests on the night were the famous clarinetist, Mr. Acker Bilk and his Paramount Jazz Band. He'd had a string of hits during the early sixties including the haunting 'Stranger on the Shore' in November '61. On that auspicious occasion there was a fair amount of Guinness and other beverages swigged in the dressing room after the dance.
  In the meantime, every night that we weren't out with the Jokers, Colm and myself were playing up in a bar at the junction of Orchard Street and Bridge Street, the cellar of which was called 'Ken's Den.' I think this area at the time was known as 'Neptune's Corner' and the bar was owned by a shrewd businessman called Ken Gallaher and his wife, Peggy, with whom we built up quite a friendly working relationship. They also owned the 'Hayloft' at the bottom of Bridge street.
  Ken heard us playing somewhere, was impressed, and asked us to take up a residency in the 'Den.' In the meantime he renovated the upstairs of the building, and when it was finished, called it 'The Casbah,' where we now transferred our musical talents.

  Most of the male clientelle were Americans from the base at Clooney and British sailors from 'H.M.S. Sea Eagle' in Ebrington barracks. The rest was made up from various navies who happened to be in town and a spattering of locals. Except for a few 'Wrens,' (sailoresses) the female patrons were mostly Derry girls.
  Well the pay wasn't great even by sixties standards. We earned thirty bob a night and the odd drink but nevertheless we enjoyed it. We were quite popular with both the British and American navies (strictly in a musical sense) and the locals too of course who thronged the pub every night. The British wanted to hear songs like 'The Leaving of Liverpool,' the 'Irish Rover' and of course Beatles songs.The Yanks wanted the 'shitkickers' (their term for country and western) and songs by American artists such as Robert Zimmerman (Bob Dylan to you and me) and the Beach Boys. Their favourite tune by the latter was 'The Sloop John B.'
  There was friendly rivalry between both bodies of men and sometimes the Yanks would ask us to play the odd 'rebel' song just to rub the Brits' noses in it. The Brits in turn would hurl abuse at the Yanks by quoting the old adage that they were 'over paid, over sexed and over here.' On occasion the rivalry wasn't so friendly and would erupt into a full blown bout of fistycuffs which necessitated the calling out of the Shore Patrol. But by and large the Yanks and the Limeys managed to tolerate one another.
  Due to the lack of space (we were squashed into a little corner at the side of the bar) we were unable to set up our own gear. Instead we plugged two guitars and two microphones into Ken's little 20 watt 'Quad' hi-fi amp. The sound emanating from the little six inch speakers on the ceiling wasn't exactly up to concert standard as they rattled and distorted on the bass notes. Nevertheless, because the atmosphere and the crack was great, Colm and I came to really look forward to playing in the Casbah.

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