Mickey Jupp - It's one of those names that for me, is lost in a muddy musical mind-map of the Southend scene (Feelgoods, Hot Rods, Kursaal Flyers), Stiff Records, pub rock/post punk/new wave and Joy Sarney. However thanks to the lend of an under the counter DVD 'Southend Rocks' from John the Barber. Light has finally been let in upon the Jupp mystery and I've mentally settled, placed and positioned him as a local Nick Lowe meets early Elton
You can grab a five minute extract of Southend Rocks below. Should you track down the full 30 minute transmission - grab it, play it and copy it for a friend. It is the prequel to Oil City Confidential with Lee Brilleaux reminiscing on Canvey's shanties and the Southend R 'n' B scene (in fact these talking heads are the source of the same interviews seen in Oil City) Throw in Wilko Johnson and Norman Watt Roy riffing away- and it's a certified keeper. Keep 'em peeled another local ledge Peter Eden (clocking in previously here and here ), who pops up at the 2 minute mark inside his record shop that was
One tune immediately reeling me in from the opening notes was a Mickey Jupp number - Lorraine pt 2, taken from Legend, the red boot album...
Legend - Lorraine part 2
It's something that seems ripe and ready for a refit from current local songstrels The Seasiders, who featured on the last Radio Podrophenia with an exclusive rework (with added Beach Boys harmonies) of a track from their Souvenirs album pitched this way by Piley...
(You Only) Love Me When You're Drunk - The Seasiders
3 comments:
I thought you were turning Juppanese! The Doctor Feelgood vibe runs deep: Jupp wrote Down To The Doctors and Lowe wrote Milk and Alcohol. Also, check out Basher's version of Switchboard Susan.
Clocked it on Facebook J, it's almost Black Crowse-ish.. Check out The Seasiders, vox-man Paul Hills even looks like a young Juppy
http://www.myspace.com/theseasiders
Jupp's a sorely neglected figure. The Legend albums are all pretty brilliant, but it's a shame that the stuff he came back with in the late '70s was often swamped in bad production and instrumentation. The first (Rockpile) side of Juppanese kicks arse, the second (Gary Brooker) side was pretty snoozeworthy. As for 'Nature's Radio', I can't listen to it.
You'll also (hopefully) note that the little bit of music on the end credits of the 'Witty Title' video is 'Groovette', from the first Legend album (on Bell Records, the one that a local hippy type lent to me when I was about 14, saying "you might like this"... how very right he was.)
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