Chip Hawkes' Class of '64

In May 2004, I treated myself to a ticket to see The Animals at Nottingham Concert Hall and not only was I knocked backwards by their performance but also by their support act The Class of 64. This started three interesting years of watching a band in its infancy up to the present day for me. Not only musically superb, The Class Of 64 offered the chance of seeing the development of a new 60's band in the 21st Century, something at that point that made them unique.
In a market, holding at present at least five generations of musicians, all fighting for that elusive success, with it revivalism, reunions and in the case of a few of the Classic artists, a renewed interest in the experimentalism, that we saw in the 60's once again, rather than being retro looking, The Class Of 64 had undertaken a hard road. It was thrilling to see them take-up the challenge step-by- step and knowing the deck was stacked against them. This became especially true with the added fetter of the over-zealous and unacceptable competition that I have witnessed via false idealism that belongs not to music but with commercialism, ego and the pathetic hang-overs from the 60's, a decade now gone. The resulting effect being, 64 having to run in complex changes of personnel for the first part of 2007 and as we all now know, leading to the division of its original members into two bands, not one.
My review though is about the 5 musicians I saw in Morecambe a few weeks ago under the collective name of The Class Of 64 and their performance on the night. This is the only true way of judging music by looking constructively at what you have in front of you, in the moment, in a gig or a CD. We are far too happy today, to allow artists to get away with bad recordings or gigs on their past reputations and living off past laurels or harping back for an era that can never return, rather than judging them on the present and the real.
What I saw at Morecambe was five musicians walk on a stage give their hearts and souls for their music and rise above all that surrounded them, to produce an excellent evening's entertainment of one thing and one thing alone, music and in the present! This is the thing that we the punter actually pay for, we have governments to play politics with!
64 set off an with an up-tempo opening, which set the pace for the rest of the evening with 'Here Comes My Baby' and you instinctively got the feel that they were out to raise The Dome roof and they did. Good guitar riffs, especially the solo on this and pulled together and held tight by Mick on drums and Jeff on bass imprinted a vision of what was to follow. It was the vocal harmonies on this number that had me sitting up and listening most intensely than anything else on this occasion. The harmonies throughout much of the evening were four part, rather than the three, I've got used to 64 doing and even though these were always first class, this was a different take on the sound and songs for me.
Hardly surprising, Chip's probably one of best of 60's lead vocalists of this genre left on the circuit, which I have said from the start and I will stand by this observation. Jeff Brown has been a lead singer in his own right and is still to me far too underrated as a bass guitarist and lead vocalist. Alan, not only lead guitarist and harmony with 'The Swinging Blue Jeans' but also takes part in lead vocals with 'The Jeans' and Ted as well a mean lead guitarist in own right has a great lower vocal harmony to set off the rest. Put together in this format at Morecambe, the result was a unique and top class combination.
This vocal combination showed itself in a more refined way on the next song, 'Just One Look', with not only some exquisite harmonies but all so some good cross vocals. This was a good version by this combination and did it feel fresh and lively, despite its 40+ years as a song and not as rusty as some are beginning to sound with this stubborn determination to hold them in their original 60's format, rather than allow them to be experimented with and thus continuing to grow as a piece of music into the 21st Century.
'Waterloo Sunset', too is celebrating its 40th year as song out there in the musical ether. The drumming on this was classic and Mick Avory always drums to maximum potential but did I hear just a little something of pride and satisfaction in his drumming at Morecambe, that this song had not only lasted the test of time but others have held it in such high respect, that they wanted to play it still in 21st Century and continue it on well beyond its inception.
'Long Cool Woman' and the guitar work on this by Ted and Alan had me scribbling rapid notes. I know Ted's a top guitarist in this genre but my exposure to Alan's play has been slightly more limited. These two between them gave this song the real 'hard edge rock' sound that it truly deserves, it had instrumental grit and teeth. There was some good heavy bass on this by Jeff underlining the work being done by the others, bit of that 'Sweet' clout drifting through and lifting the song just another notch and of course master drummer Mick, cracking it up with rest. Chip's vocal on this is had the macho drive and grit that the song demands and with the harmonies, take or leave with this observation folks, that was one hell of rendition boys!
Alan treated us to lead vocal on 64's offering of 'The Hippy Hippy Shake' and this was a very driven version that had the audience clapping and singing. Again, I was picking up this Power Rock undertones from bass and drums. Which comes from combining the drummer who instrumentally is credited with producing one of the first Rock songs as opposed to R'n'R and from a bass guitarist used to playing Glam Rock and it's fusion of Metal and Pop. It rocked!
'Air' and 'Silence' could have been exclusively written for the vocal range of Chip Hawkes but again that combined harmony at Morecambe, lifted both songs to a new dimensions for me and there were some great instrumental coming through from all musicians on that stage. I have also enjoyed the recent addition of the two Creedence songs into 64 set. They showcase the extended range of musicianship in the band and Chips' vocal again, is well suited to these song and we had some good Country style finger picking by Alan on these. Showing another side of his guitar skills, rather than his standard R'n'R playing.
What more can I say, the audience enjoyed it, the band put a hole in The Dome roof, and it was great value for money and a damn good night out! That's what the punter pays for at the end of day! My best wishes to all I have seen play under the old mantel of The Class Of 64. It was three good years of music boys and that's what it's all about. To the New Class Of 64 and The Legends of the 60's, go knock'em dead boys and I won't be far away from either of you, so Let's Rock, live!