Nigel Weymouth, Michael English and Martin Sharp surfed in on in the late ’60s, Bubbles’ contribution to the graphics of popular music is no less significant –if anything, perhaps more diverse and enduring. Having met Californian
psychedelic artists Alton Kelly and Stanley Mouse during a trip to San Francisco in ’68, Bubbles’ designs soon transmogrified into his own brand of “cosmic Art Nouveau”. Drawing inspiration from the likes of Mucha, his artwork adorned a series of Hawkwind albums and accompanying posters during the first half of the ’70s, including two particularly elaborate affairs, X In Search of Space and Space Ritual Alive. He also regularly contributed to underground mags Friends and Oz. Bubbles was one of the few hippies
who actually earned the respect of the punk generation, and he made the transition to punk via pub rock with relative ease, providing art work for the likes of Brinsley Schwarz, Chilli Willi and The Edgar Broughton Band along the way. He then became in-house artist for Stiff Records and slightly later, Radar and F-Beat, designing covers for the likes of The Damned, The Adverts, Ian Dury and Elvis Costello. Not long before his death he had extended his talents into furniture design, but graphic art was always his raison d’être, and it’s his artwork for the record industry that he will largely be remembered for. The book itself is a real visual
treat, lavishly illustrated, nicely presented on high quality paper, and chock-full of virtually everything he never put his name to. Preferring to remain largely anonymous –Bubbles rarely signed his work – you
might be surprised to learn that he was responsible for more LP covers than you might imagine. Full marks then to Gorman for
providing this long overdue and fully deserving appraisal of Bubbles’life and works. It should go some way in elevating Bubbles’ profile in the pantheon of great British popular artists. Rich Deakin
ULTIMATE HENDRIX: AN ILLUSTRATED ENCYCLOPEDIA OF LIVE CONCERTS AND SESSIONS John McDermott with Eddie Kramer and Billy Cox
Backbeat Books
www.backbeatbooks.com
Taking Mark Lewisohn’s The Beatles Recording Sessions as a template, John McDermott, the Hendrix Estate’s chief archivist, has attempted to piece together as much as is known about
Jimi’s recording and performance history, substantially building upon 1995’s Jimi Hendrix Sessions. He admits that this remains, and forever will be, an incomplete jigsaw. What we do have, however, across
250 pages is a fascinating and absorbing day-by-day account of Jimi’s artistic activity from his ’62 army discharge to early death, concentrating on the intense four-year period that saw him change the musical
landscape irrevocably. Delving deep into the processes of
magic is not going to be everyone’s modus operandi, but I think us Shindiggers are pretty much kindred spirits; we’re going to get drawn in. Hendrix engineer Eddie Kramer’s insight is invaluable in fleshing out the bones of whatever track was being laid down, dubbed or mixed on a given date. He it was who hosted the Electric Ladyland documentary DVD reviewed in the last issue. Bassist Billy Cox is the eye-witness for Jimi’s earliest days and the latter day Band of Gypsies era.
Naturally, not all of it is riveting,
and your approach is likely to be as mine, by jumping in head first looking for fresh info on the major landmarks: Chas’s discovery, The Lulu Show, the recording of favourite tracks, the live rendition of ‘Sgt Pepper’ in the week of its release. We get an excellent idea as to the
madness of being a pop star, ’60s style. In 37 consecutive days in March and April ’67, the band played three TV and two radio sessions, 54 gigs (including 25 double shows) in 29 locations, Jimi first set his guitar alight and spent three days in the studio finishing Are You Experienced with just two days off. The balance between text and
research against photographs and illustrations is just right at around 85:15. Even I have about had my fill of “previously unseen” snaps of this most photogenic god and his two English band mates. Do we really need another Hendrix
book? Well, in this case, it’s a great big yes. Vic Templar
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