Chas Hodges (piano/vocals)
Dave Peacock (bass/vocals)
Micky Burt (drums/ givin' it some stick)
Influences
Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard, Cheese and Onion sandwiches, Chet Baker, Derby chinaware, fiddles and jigs, Woogie my dog, Auntie Vee having a swear, taking my Dad for a pint or two, a Sunday morning stroll, licorice pipes and baggy suits, Glen Hoddle scoring a goal, catching a pike and riding my bike, old wooden wheels and a bowl of eels: that's what I like!
Pie and mash and liquor,
and walking about in the rain,
William books, comical looks,
pianos, tramps and trains.
Old films on the telly and picking the kids up from school,
Coal 'n' cockles and thunderstorms and plays on the wireless and all;
Grandfather Clocks and Coke and brandy
Fountain pens and the Beano & Dandy: that's what I like.
Little pubs out in the country,
Mother of Pearl and Barnet Fair,
the sound of a banjo, barbershop singing,
and having a kip in the chair.
Burnt toast and beer from the wood,
and old Terry Thomas's teeth.
Jerry 'n Chet, and Cannon & Ball
and banjo pickin' Bill Keith,
and ol' bank loads and wood burning stoves,
Shirley Maclaine and Petticoat Lane: that's what I like,That's what I like, yes boy
yes, that's what I like.
Bubble and squeak and jumble sales,
Little Richard and Jerry Lee,
bonfire nights, Southend lights,
and paddling in the sea;
polished brass and copper,
Salvation Army band,
violins and old coaching inns
and coloured elastic bands;
tea in the morning and winter beginning,
fishing rods, frogs and Spurs are winning:
That's what I like.
A day at the races, off in the bases,
going down hopping in Kent;
a new pair of braces, little kids faces,
sleeping out under a tent;
and waggons and chickens, and picking blackberries,
and swallows and sledges, and Devon and cherries,
and haddock and trotters, and horses and nippers,
and cider and celery, and banjo and kippers: that's what I like.
In the tradition of The Kinks and the Small Faces and around the same time as Ian Dury and Squeeze, Chas & Dave wrote and recorded exceptionally witty songs about life in London, performed with a strong affection for all things English reminiscent of many of the great Music Hall artists many years previously. In their case , however, the musical accompaniment to their sharply observant material was neither rock nor punk but solid, no-nonsense Rock’N’Roll style which had been their background and inspiration.
Pianist Chas Hodges and guitarist Dave Peacock were widely experienced around the British rock scene of the 1960s and early 70s before teaming up with drummer Mick Burt (another much-travelled musician who had gone back to his original trade as a plumber) to form the group. Chas had worked with the legendary producer Joe Meek, backed Jerry Lee Lewis, played with Mike Berry and the Outlaws, along with Ritchie Blackmore, and also the highly respected Cliff Bennett and the Rebel Rousers, which had Burt on drums. He then joined Albert Lee’s cult band Heads Hands and Feet before playing with Dave and Albert in Black Claw. Dave had been equally active, Starting out in The Rolling Stones (no, not them!) in 1960. Spells with The Tumbleweeds, Mick Greenwood, Jerry Donaghue, and the above mentioned Black Claw followed prior to the pair coming together to go out on their own as Chas & Dave.
Their debut album ‘One Fing ‘n’ Anuvver’ was released on the Retreat label in 1975 earning critical acclaim from the likes of John Peel among others. This self-produced offering was perhaps the first (definitely the strongest) example of cockney Rock ‘n’ Roll, with song titles such as ‘Ponders End Allotments Club’ giving a strong North London angle to the genre. Their proudly cockney vocals and exuberant good humour, blended with their love for genuine Rock’n’Roll, led them to title their 1978 EMI album ‘Rockney’ (later to become their label name) which featured some top quality songwriting and was championed, before their commercial success, by the influential DJ Charlie Gillett. Two years later they were spotted by an advertising exec at a pub gig playing their composition ‘Gertcha’; he signed them up to make ads for Courage beer and lucrative popularity naturally resulted as well as awards for the ads themselves. ‘Gertcha’ became their first Top Twenty chart entry. They followed up with ‘The Sideboard Song (Got my Beer in The Sideboard Here)’ from their third album ‘Don't Give A Monkey's’ , and their two most successful singles, 1980’s ‘Rabbit’ (from the same album) and the fine, more reflective ballad ‘Ain’t No Pleasing You’ two years later. In between they recorded their first live album - 'Live At Abbey Road' - for EMI. The famous Studio One being converted into an East end pub for the occasion with friends and industry invited.
More popular recordings came along with ‘Margate’ and ‘London Girls’ and a move into the sporting world, collaborating with the Matchroom Mob on ‘Snooker Loopy’ in 1986, and Tottenham Hotspur FC on their FA cup final songs. The 80s also saw Christmas releases with collections of their favourite old time songs brought back for a new audience. The boys still found time to contribute theme tunes for TV shows such as ‘Crackerjack’ and ‘In Sickness & In Health’. Regular appearances on our screens as well as their own TV specials boosted their profile to household name status. Perhaps the high point of the decade though was being presented with the ‘Red Book’ by Eamonn Andrews on the TV show ‘This Is Your Life’ during the show’s heyday in 1985.
Throughout the 90s they switched their attention to new projects. They worked with the late Johnny Speight - creator of Alf Garnett. And they recorded a collection of songs to commemorate the 50th anniversary of V.E day in 1995. This proved to be their most successful album to date hitting number two in the charts (kept off of the top spot only by Take That’s farewell album). The accompanying video was equally successful. In 1998 they had an unexpected breakthrough in America when radio stations started playing their track ‘Flying’ in heavy rotation, resulting in overwhelming public response. This lead to them being snapped up by US label Cleveland International and ‘The World Of Chas & Dave’ album was released to cash in on the buzz, which it duly did, winning them scores of fans in the states including Jack Clement, legendary engineer at Sun Studios (who is credited as having discovered Jerry Lee Lewis no less).So 25 years on, the boys found themselves touring the US for the first time.
In this new century, Chas & Dave’s appeal has never been greater or more varied. The audiences are getting younger without the boys deliberately trying to appeal to the youth, and new bands are citing them as a major influence. None more so than The Libertines, who when asked who they wanted on the bill with them on their London shows in 2003/2004, didn’t hesitate... Chas & Dave. The shows at The Brixton Academy & The Kentish Town Forum were a huge success with Pete & Carl from the band joining Chas & Dave on stage for a couple of numbers. This glowing endorsement from the band of the moment opened a lot of people’s eyes and ears to Chas & Dave.
In 2005 Chas & Dave joined forces with EMI once more resulting in two top selling CD releases. The year also saw their long overdue debut at the Glastonbury Festival as they packed out the acoustic stage with over thirty thousand fans singing along. The year ended on a high with a sold out christmas beano at the Shepherd's Bush empire which was filmed by EMI for a debut DVD release.
Hey, how are you? Just a quick one to let you know we have a new blog up here and on our official site, and that we're going to be updating the blog/twitter/facebook/myspace a whole lot more from now on as we start to announce shows and upload new songs again. So please make sure you have us added up at all those places and tell your friends too! Chat soon GA x
CAN YOU PLEASE COMMENT ABOUT THIS SONG AND LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK...
THE WORLD IS LYING TO YOU
Everything that I was told was a lie, I don’t want to live or die, I just don’t want to survive, Don’t you ever wonder what’s on the other side? I keep falling its like someone from above is calling,
Tonight I can’t sleep, I’m seeing the dead digging our graves, The governments been hiding the truth with there dirty news, I’m playing my position, Like I was told, The system is lying, How many times do we have to die? To see paradise, If this aint war, Why are we paying the price? Oil is still on the rise, Farmer’s aint getting the right money for BLACK GOLD, Starbucks is selling it for three pound fifty, Some ones getting rich and its not you and me,
If I’m not dead, Why do I feel out of breath? I feel the demons getting closer to my bed, The world is lying to you, So live for to day, Forget about tomorrow, We all gonna get buried in a empty grave, Sometimes I wish I was blind, The things I see is making me lose my mind, God gives us everything but then he takes them back, Like losing your love one, Where’s the justice in that.
Everyday I read an empty book, With empty pages, I believe what I wanna believe, I won’t let the T.V and the radio control me, I’ve got my ears to the streets, I get my news from the wind and the trees, That brings me peace.
You'd have thought a fur coat would have been the ultimate bear necessity. But not for the unfortunate Dolores who has lost all her body hair and has just been left with a few tufts around her head. Vets have been left baffled by the condition of the bespectacled bear, who lives at a zoo in Leipzig
And Dolores isn't the only one. The sudden hair loss has affected all female bears at the zoo. Some experts believe it could be due to a genetic defect though the animals do not seem to be suffering from any other affliction.
The bears, which originate from South America, normally have fluffy dark brown fur and would now be growing a thicker fur coat to keep warm during the winter.
But instead they have developed nasty rashes and inflammations on their skin. Unfortunately for the bears, their lack of hair has been pulling in the crowds who want to see want to see the wrinkly animals.
Hopefully the zoo will be turning up the heat in their enclosure.
Have a wonderful, safe, healthy and Happy Holloween Holiday weekend, many well wishes, blessings, and inspiration to you, and much continued success to you.
Online Now!
