Live at the Black Prince - Pub Rock

1971 It was a good year. I had passed my driving test! And there were these places where bands were playing live, bands with reputations, who made LPs, but whose live gigs were affordable.

The Black Prince was big pub by the A2, the main road leading to the coast, just ten minutes from our house. It had a big separate hall for live gigs. Sunday night became an institution. Looking back it is amazing to think that some of those bands went on to the world stage. Mott the Hoople, Wishbone Ash, Uriah Heep, we saw them all at the Prince. And Status Quo, working hard as a straightforward blues and boogie band; and later on Thin Lizzy, making their mark after their first single hit. Those were most definitely the days. But my favourite band from the Black Prince days saw less commercial success than these others....

Stray built a reputation as a live band. They were Londoners, and built a strong following there. But when I moved around the country, I found few people knew them. But their third album remains one of my favourites today. I got it as a Christmas present. I put it on my parents' stereogram, there was short piece of accoustic guitar accompanying Steve Gadd's vocals, and then suddenly..boom...and I knew it was going to be a great Christmas Day. Del Bromham, the band's leader, was a genuinely talented musician, and there isn't a duff track on this album. On this track, Bromham produces a tingling slide guitar solo with Richie Cole driving it along on drums. Get the light'n' bitters in !