British glam rock pioneers Slade had a last hurrah in the early 1980s, having scored a string of hit singles a decade earlier and been regulars on 'Top Of The Pops', they had endured some lean years after a venture across the pond. While not really breaking through in the US in the way they'd hoped, their influence was felt when firstly KISS formed, taking cues from the way Slade connected with their crowd, and later when the LA 'hair metal' bands achieved prominence, many (including Mötley Crüe) cited Slade, Sweet and T. Rex as inspirations. In particular, this year saw LA band Quiet Riot hit big with their cover of 'Cum On Feel The Noize', which many people in the US believed to be one of that band's own compositions and were surprised to find that it was actually a decade old.
Slade themselves regrouped in the late 1970s, having ploughed on through the punk era to diminishing returns, they were almost ready to call it a day when called up at the last minute to play at Reading Festival in 1980, their set went down a storm that day and directly led to a revival in fortunes. In 1983 they scored a hit with the anthemic 'My Oh My', a hand-waving singalong that showcased singer Noddy Holder's still-powerful voice. A tour was arranged for December of 1983 and this was to call at Liverpool's Royal Court Theatre. I was a youngster still then, but by now old enough to attend gigs and having been a fan of Slade from when I was small, this was a gig I was very much looking forward to.
What nobody realised at the time was that this would be their final show in Britain with the original (some would claim 'only') line-up. Their set, lively and riotous, with many hits performed alongside a few later cuts, went down a total storm with the Liverpool crowd. (Interestingly, they did NOT play 'Cum On Feel The Noize' that night!) Ending, as you'd expect with perennial favourite 'Merry Christmas Everybody' they took their bows and I for one thought there'd be many more chances to see these classic glam rockers now that they'd re-established themselves. However, as fates would have it, that was the one and only time I would see this band in their classic form. They played further dates in Europe, but a planned visit to the US was cut short when Noddy Holder took ill. (They also scored a belated hit over there that year with 'Run Runaway') The band did make a few more albums, but although their last hit ('Radio Wall of Sound') came in 1991 they were never seen again on a stage.
Eventually Noddy Holder called time on the group, he'd wanted to try some other things for a long time and took acting roles, notably as a music teacher in 'The Grimleys', a comedy-drama about the struggles of a 1970s working class family in the Midlands. He then became an occasional radio presenter, while fellow Slade writer, bassist Jim Lea also stood down from the group. This left guitarist Dave Hill and drummer Don Powell to find new personnel, and they have continued to the present day under the Slade name. This has not pleased everyone, as the band's best-loved songs were all Holder/Lea compositions, and to say the least, Holder's voice is not easily replicated. However, Holder himself has stated that he did not want to stop the other guys from working, and so the Hill/Powell version of Slade have continued with his blessing.
2023 Update: Don Powell and Dave Hill parted company in 2020, leaving only the guitarist as sole original member of the Slade which tours still. Powell has come through some health issues and has more recently worked with Jim Lea once again for a single release in 2023.
That show on 18th December 1983 then, remains a fond memory and I consider myself fortunate to have caught them just before they exited the stage.
Some video footage exists from that show (video cameras were rather more cumbersome than the phone/cameras of today!) and so here is a clip from the Royal Court:
Wednesday, 18 December 2013
Monday, 16 December 2013
1983 in film: Battle Of The Bonds
The James Bond film franchise had become a lucrative one for producer Cubby Broccoli since the series began in 1962 with 'Dr No', and despite the fact that the actor portraying the British secret agent had changed from Sean Connery to Roger Moore (via one film starring George Lazenby in the role). Broccoli's Eon Productions released the 18th Bond film 'Octopussy' (via MGM/United Artists) in June of 1983, starring Roger Moore in his sixth film portraying Bond. That film saw Bond thwart a Soviet-backed plot to convince the West into nuclear disarmament via an 'accidental' nuclear explosion at a US base in West Germany, under the guise of smuggling priceless treasures from East to West.
Also that year a 'rival' Bond film, starring original actor Sean Connery, was to be released via a different production company. Connery had last played Bond in 1971's 'Diamonds Are Forever' and at the time of this production was 52 years of age (Moore was 56 by this time). How that situation came about is somewhat complex, but dates back to when author Ian Fleming (who created James Bond for a series of novels) began working with Kevin McClory, an Irish screenwriter with a view to bringing his creation to the screen. They had been working on several drafts of a script when Broccoli and Harry Saltzman purchased the film rights to the character. 'Dr No' became a success, launching the franchise, and it wasn't until Fleming used the aborted script as basis for his novel 'Thunderball' that McClory took legal action, claiming he had created many of the elements of the story, most notably the use of the name 'SPECTRE' for the organised crime syndicate. The High Court in London agreed, and when Eon Productions wanted to adapt the 'Thunderball' novel into a Bond film, they were obliged to give McClory a producer's credit in the completed movie (1965). Furthermore, the court also stipulated that McClory, as owner of the concepts, would (after a period of ten years) be able to produce a film of his own using that concept.
By the time the ten years had elapsed, McClory was indeed attempting to get a rival Bond film off the ground, but as the 'official' franchise had by that time become firmly established, he was embroiled in further legal tussles with Eon Productions. However he convinced original actor Sean Connery to reprise his role (offering the actor input into the script and the casting), and once Connery was on board, funding was soon made available and he secured director Irvin Kershner (who had recently helmed 'The Empire Strikes Back', the second 'Star Wars' film). The film, a reworking of 'Thunderball' using many elements originally created by McClory, and humorously titled 'Never Say Never Again', was released in the US by Warner Brothers in October 1983 (December 1983 in the UK).
The two films performed similarly at the box office, with 'Octopussy' doing a little better, taking $187m as opposed to the $160m that 'Never Say Never Again' grossed. Critically, the reviews for the 'official' film were mixed at best, while the Connery outing (also starring a younger Kim Basinger) got a better reception. McClory had plans to make further films after this, but these never came to fruition and he died in 2006, just after the Bond film series had been rebooted now with Daniel Craig in the role, making his debut with 'Casino Royale'.
Trailers for both films are shown below (2023 edit: replaced dead link for Octopussy trailer) :
Also that year a 'rival' Bond film, starring original actor Sean Connery, was to be released via a different production company. Connery had last played Bond in 1971's 'Diamonds Are Forever' and at the time of this production was 52 years of age (Moore was 56 by this time). How that situation came about is somewhat complex, but dates back to when author Ian Fleming (who created James Bond for a series of novels) began working with Kevin McClory, an Irish screenwriter with a view to bringing his creation to the screen. They had been working on several drafts of a script when Broccoli and Harry Saltzman purchased the film rights to the character. 'Dr No' became a success, launching the franchise, and it wasn't until Fleming used the aborted script as basis for his novel 'Thunderball' that McClory took legal action, claiming he had created many of the elements of the story, most notably the use of the name 'SPECTRE' for the organised crime syndicate. The High Court in London agreed, and when Eon Productions wanted to adapt the 'Thunderball' novel into a Bond film, they were obliged to give McClory a producer's credit in the completed movie (1965). Furthermore, the court also stipulated that McClory, as owner of the concepts, would (after a period of ten years) be able to produce a film of his own using that concept.
By the time the ten years had elapsed, McClory was indeed attempting to get a rival Bond film off the ground, but as the 'official' franchise had by that time become firmly established, he was embroiled in further legal tussles with Eon Productions. However he convinced original actor Sean Connery to reprise his role (offering the actor input into the script and the casting), and once Connery was on board, funding was soon made available and he secured director Irvin Kershner (who had recently helmed 'The Empire Strikes Back', the second 'Star Wars' film). The film, a reworking of 'Thunderball' using many elements originally created by McClory, and humorously titled 'Never Say Never Again', was released in the US by Warner Brothers in October 1983 (December 1983 in the UK).
The two films performed similarly at the box office, with 'Octopussy' doing a little better, taking $187m as opposed to the $160m that 'Never Say Never Again' grossed. Critically, the reviews for the 'official' film were mixed at best, while the Connery outing (also starring a younger Kim Basinger) got a better reception. McClory had plans to make further films after this, but these never came to fruition and he died in 2006, just after the Bond film series had been rebooted now with Daniel Craig in the role, making his debut with 'Casino Royale'.
Trailers for both films are shown below (2023 edit: replaced dead link for Octopussy trailer) :
Tuesday, 10 December 2013
1983 in rock: Ozzy returns with Bark At The Moon
Former Black Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne emerged from a difficult period in late 1983 with the release of his third solo album, 'Bark At The Moon'. Following the death of guitarist Randy Rhoads the previous year in a plane crash, the vocalist had lost his main creative partner, who had played on the previous two albums and co-written most of the material. Ozzy fulfilled touring commitments that year with stand-in guitarists including former Gillan axeman Bernie Torme, then Brad Gillis who would go on to success with his band Night Ranger.
For 1983, he recruited young hotshot guitar hero Jake E. Lee; Ozzy had also restored bassist Bob Daisley to his band (after a brief and disastrous period with Don Costa, reportedly too wild even for Ozzy!) and had drafted in veteran drummer Carmine Appice (older brother of Vinnie, by then a member of Dio). Previous bass player Rudy Sarzo had returned to former band Quiet Riot by this stage, and although Tommy Aldridge played drums on the album, he was replaced - briefly - by veteran Carmine Appice in the touring band, before a hasty reshuffle saw Aldridge return to the drum stool.
The album was recorded at Ridge Farm Studios in the UK, and was released on 15th November 1983 on Epic Records. The title track was the opener, a pacy hard rocker which introduced Lee with a blistering array of riffs and flashy soloing. The video for the song featured Ozzy as a sort of Dr Jekyll character who transforms into a werewolf upon taking a potion of his own creation. The track proved to be a success, just missing the UK top 20 and the album also reached number 24 on the UK albums chart. Lee, an American guitarist of Japanese and Welsh ancestry, was praised for his performance and also for successfully stepping into the huge void left by Rhoads. A UK tour took place in late 1983 (sadly for this blogger, a planned show at Liverpool Royal Court was pulled) before Ozzy took to the road in the States, supported by Mötley Crüe .
A further single ('So Tired') also reached the UK charts in 1984, and Ozzy was slated to perform on the bill at the 1984 Monsters of Rock festival at Donington, performing a well-received set on a strong bill also featuring AC/DC, Van Halen, Gary Moore, Y&T and opened by Mötley Crüe.
Some years later, suspicions that the writing credits were not accurate were confirmed when bassist Bob Daisley revealed in his autobiography that he had been paid a lump sum to write the material. Jake E Lee had co-written the songs with Daisley but was forced to sign away all rights by manager Sharon Osbourne, on threat of being replaced in the touring band. The writing credits on record (credited solely to Osbourne), defied all credibility since he was not known for his musical prowess, and at that time was in the firm grip of substance addictions. Osbourne himself belatedly acknowledged Lee's input into the writing (in the sleevenotes to compilation album 'The Ozzman Cometh', admitting that Lee 'co-wrote' the title track. To the best of my knowledge however, no recompense has ever been made to Lee for his writing.
By 1986, Lee was not prepared to write anything for Ozzy without a contract in place, and secured a deal to write the material for next album 'The Ultimate Sin'. Once again teaming up with Daisley, the two wrote the bulk of the material although when that album was released, it initially credited the writing to 'Osbourne/Lee'. Daisley had to push to get his credit acknowledged, which was corrected on later pressings. However lead-off single 'Shot In The Dark' was credited to newly-recruited bassist Phil Soussan; that song has itself become the subject of controversy as an early version from Soussan's previous band Wildlife later emerged, suggesting it was actually co-written with then Wildlife colleagues Steve and Chris Overland (later of the AOR band FM). Although 'The Ultimate Sin' was a success at the time, the album has since been deleted and was left out of subsequent reissues of the Ozzy catalogue.
Lee eventually quit Ozzy's band in 1987, or was fired depending on whom you believe, and formed Badlands who released two albums in the late 1980s to acclaim. He was not heard from for many years, before finally resurfacing in 2013 with a new band, Red Dragon Cartel.
Daisley issued a book ('For Fact's Sake') in 2012 which chronicled his entire career in music, but it was the period spent with Ozzy which grabbed the attention of many fans as the bassist sought to put the record straight on who did what in the early days of Ozzy's post-Sabbath career, including writing and recording. He also pointed out that Ozzy's first 'solo' album was actually recorded under the band name Blizzard of Ozz, proving that with the use of publicity photos from the time. This caused controversy as he was at this time pushing for royalties that he and original drummer Lee Kerslake felt they were due, after their parts were re-recorded for a reissue of the first two albums.
Ozzy would go on to further success, recruiting then unknown guitarist Zakk Wylde for later albums, a collaboration which lasted for many years and launched Wylde into his own solo career. He then reunited with Black Sabbath for on/off periods, and was last heard of working with guitarist Gus G of the band Firewind.
2023 Update: Ozzy Osbourne, after a prolonged period of ill-health forcing a planned tour with Judas Priest to be rescheduled several times and ultimately being cancelled altogether, announced his retirement from live performances in February 2023. He has since hinted at the possibility of one-off shows but will no longer tour.
From 1983, the video for 'Bark At The Moon':
For 1983, he recruited young hotshot guitar hero Jake E. Lee; Ozzy had also restored bassist Bob Daisley to his band (after a brief and disastrous period with Don Costa, reportedly too wild even for Ozzy!) and had drafted in veteran drummer Carmine Appice (older brother of Vinnie, by then a member of Dio). Previous bass player Rudy Sarzo had returned to former band Quiet Riot by this stage, and although Tommy Aldridge played drums on the album, he was replaced - briefly - by veteran Carmine Appice in the touring band, before a hasty reshuffle saw Aldridge return to the drum stool.
The album was recorded at Ridge Farm Studios in the UK, and was released on 15th November 1983 on Epic Records. The title track was the opener, a pacy hard rocker which introduced Lee with a blistering array of riffs and flashy soloing. The video for the song featured Ozzy as a sort of Dr Jekyll character who transforms into a werewolf upon taking a potion of his own creation. The track proved to be a success, just missing the UK top 20 and the album also reached number 24 on the UK albums chart. Lee, an American guitarist of Japanese and Welsh ancestry, was praised for his performance and also for successfully stepping into the huge void left by Rhoads. A UK tour took place in late 1983 (sadly for this blogger, a planned show at Liverpool Royal Court was pulled) before Ozzy took to the road in the States, supported by Mötley Crüe .
A further single ('So Tired') also reached the UK charts in 1984, and Ozzy was slated to perform on the bill at the 1984 Monsters of Rock festival at Donington, performing a well-received set on a strong bill also featuring AC/DC, Van Halen, Gary Moore, Y&T and opened by Mötley Crüe.
Some years later, suspicions that the writing credits were not accurate were confirmed when bassist Bob Daisley revealed in his autobiography that he had been paid a lump sum to write the material. Jake E Lee had co-written the songs with Daisley but was forced to sign away all rights by manager Sharon Osbourne, on threat of being replaced in the touring band. The writing credits on record (credited solely to Osbourne), defied all credibility since he was not known for his musical prowess, and at that time was in the firm grip of substance addictions. Osbourne himself belatedly acknowledged Lee's input into the writing (in the sleevenotes to compilation album 'The Ozzman Cometh', admitting that Lee 'co-wrote' the title track. To the best of my knowledge however, no recompense has ever been made to Lee for his writing.
By 1986, Lee was not prepared to write anything for Ozzy without a contract in place, and secured a deal to write the material for next album 'The Ultimate Sin'. Once again teaming up with Daisley, the two wrote the bulk of the material although when that album was released, it initially credited the writing to 'Osbourne/Lee'. Daisley had to push to get his credit acknowledged, which was corrected on later pressings. However lead-off single 'Shot In The Dark' was credited to newly-recruited bassist Phil Soussan; that song has itself become the subject of controversy as an early version from Soussan's previous band Wildlife later emerged, suggesting it was actually co-written with then Wildlife colleagues Steve and Chris Overland (later of the AOR band FM). Although 'The Ultimate Sin' was a success at the time, the album has since been deleted and was left out of subsequent reissues of the Ozzy catalogue.
Lee eventually quit Ozzy's band in 1987, or was fired depending on whom you believe, and formed Badlands who released two albums in the late 1980s to acclaim. He was not heard from for many years, before finally resurfacing in 2013 with a new band, Red Dragon Cartel.
Daisley issued a book ('For Fact's Sake') in 2012 which chronicled his entire career in music, but it was the period spent with Ozzy which grabbed the attention of many fans as the bassist sought to put the record straight on who did what in the early days of Ozzy's post-Sabbath career, including writing and recording. He also pointed out that Ozzy's first 'solo' album was actually recorded under the band name Blizzard of Ozz, proving that with the use of publicity photos from the time. This caused controversy as he was at this time pushing for royalties that he and original drummer Lee Kerslake felt they were due, after their parts were re-recorded for a reissue of the first two albums.
Ozzy would go on to further success, recruiting then unknown guitarist Zakk Wylde for later albums, a collaboration which lasted for many years and launched Wylde into his own solo career. He then reunited with Black Sabbath for on/off periods, and was last heard of working with guitarist Gus G of the band Firewind.
2023 Update: Ozzy Osbourne, after a prolonged period of ill-health forcing a planned tour with Judas Priest to be rescheduled several times and ultimately being cancelled altogether, announced his retirement from live performances in February 2023. He has since hinted at the possibility of one-off shows but will no longer tour.
From 1983, the video for 'Bark At The Moon':
Thursday, 28 November 2013
Music of 1983: Now! That's What I Call Music launches
It was 30 years ago that a partnership between major record labels came up with an idea so simple, it was amazing it hadn't been done before. Compilation albums of hits by various artists were nothing new, but they tended to consist of hits from years gone by, in a specific genre (for example 20 Golden Country Greats, or Hits of the Sixties, or other such titles I just made up!). The 'Now! That's What I Call Music' (often shortened to just 'Now!') series of compilation records was different. These records, selling for a reasonable price, were issued originally on double vinyl LP or cassette (CD came later) and contained a bumper selection of hit singles by current acts, and the songs themselves were all still fresh in the mind, having been in the charts only weeks earlier.
The fact that the records were on double LP was also important, the limitations of the format meant that to obtain optimum sound quality, a vinyl LP could not go for much longer than 20 minutes a side. Earlier compilation albums released by budget labels always tried to cram at least an hour's worth of music onto a single LP, at the expense of volume and clarity.
The format was an immediate success, as a buyer could have a whole album full of recent hits at a fraction of the price it would have cost to buy them all as singles. Follow-up compilations were soon released, settling at the rate of three per year and always including the chart hits from the intervening period.
Other record labels soon got in on the act, and similar compilations featuring hits from acts on their rosters began to appear in the shops. For a time in the 1980s, the album charts were almost completely dominated by these compilation albums as they sold in large numbers. That all changed at the end of the 1980s when the same record labels began to complain that their marquee acts were being kept off the top of the album charts by these compilations. The chart compilers sympathised, and a separate chart was established to contain only these multi-artist compilation albums. Where that left the credibility of the album charts, based as it was on sales, was questionable. However, the Now! series has continued to this day, at the time of writing the 84th 'Now!' album has just been released, although these days it is issued on CD and also as a digital download. Even this is better value, since it works out cheaper to buy a download of the Now! compilations than it would be to buy the same tracks separately.
The original vinyl LP track listing for the first 'Now! That's What I Call Music' album was as follows:
Side one
Phil Collins : "You Can't Hurry Love"
Duran Duran : "Is There Something I Should Know"
UB40 : "Red Red Wine"
Limahl : "Only for Love"
Heaven 17 : "Temptation"
KC & The Sunshine Band : "Give It Up"
Malcolm McClaren : "Double Dutch"
Bonnie Tyler : "Total Eclipse of the Heart"
Side two
Culture Club : "Karma Chameleon"
Men Without Hats : "The Safety Dance"
Kajagoogoo : "Too Shy"
Mike Oldfield : "Moonlight Shadow"
Men at Work : "Down Under"
Rock Steady Crew : "Hey You (Rock Steady Crew)"
Rod Stewart : "Baby Jane"
Paul Young : "Wherever I Lay My Hat"
Side three
New Edition : "Candy Girl"
Kajagoogoo : "Big Apple"
Tina Turner : "Let's Stay Together"
The Human League : "(Keep Feeling) Fascination"
Howard Jones : "New Song"
UB40 : "Please Don't Make Me Cry"
Peabo Bryson & Roberta Flack : "Tonight I Celebrate My Love"
Side four
Tracey Ullman : "They Don't Know"
Will Powers : "Kissing with Confidence"
Genesis : "That's All"
The Cure : "The Love Cats"
Simple Minds : "Waterfront"
Madness : "The Sun and the Rain"
Culture Club : "Victims"
Looking through these compilations, they are a time capsule of the years in which they were released. To close this look back, here is an advert from 1983 advertising that very first Now! album (2023 edit: dead link replaced):
The fact that the records were on double LP was also important, the limitations of the format meant that to obtain optimum sound quality, a vinyl LP could not go for much longer than 20 minutes a side. Earlier compilation albums released by budget labels always tried to cram at least an hour's worth of music onto a single LP, at the expense of volume and clarity.
The format was an immediate success, as a buyer could have a whole album full of recent hits at a fraction of the price it would have cost to buy them all as singles. Follow-up compilations were soon released, settling at the rate of three per year and always including the chart hits from the intervening period.
Other record labels soon got in on the act, and similar compilations featuring hits from acts on their rosters began to appear in the shops. For a time in the 1980s, the album charts were almost completely dominated by these compilation albums as they sold in large numbers. That all changed at the end of the 1980s when the same record labels began to complain that their marquee acts were being kept off the top of the album charts by these compilations. The chart compilers sympathised, and a separate chart was established to contain only these multi-artist compilation albums. Where that left the credibility of the album charts, based as it was on sales, was questionable. However, the Now! series has continued to this day, at the time of writing the 84th 'Now!' album has just been released, although these days it is issued on CD and also as a digital download. Even this is better value, since it works out cheaper to buy a download of the Now! compilations than it would be to buy the same tracks separately.
The original vinyl LP track listing for the first 'Now! That's What I Call Music' album was as follows:
Side one
Phil Collins : "You Can't Hurry Love"
Duran Duran : "Is There Something I Should Know"
UB40 : "Red Red Wine"
Limahl : "Only for Love"
Heaven 17 : "Temptation"
KC & The Sunshine Band : "Give It Up"
Malcolm McClaren : "Double Dutch"
Bonnie Tyler : "Total Eclipse of the Heart"
Side two
Culture Club : "Karma Chameleon"
Men Without Hats : "The Safety Dance"
Kajagoogoo : "Too Shy"
Mike Oldfield : "Moonlight Shadow"
Men at Work : "Down Under"
Rock Steady Crew : "Hey You (Rock Steady Crew)"
Rod Stewart : "Baby Jane"
Paul Young : "Wherever I Lay My Hat"
Side three
New Edition : "Candy Girl"
Kajagoogoo : "Big Apple"
Tina Turner : "Let's Stay Together"
The Human League : "(Keep Feeling) Fascination"
Howard Jones : "New Song"
UB40 : "Please Don't Make Me Cry"
Peabo Bryson & Roberta Flack : "Tonight I Celebrate My Love"
Side four
Tracey Ullman : "They Don't Know"
Will Powers : "Kissing with Confidence"
Genesis : "That's All"
The Cure : "The Love Cats"
Simple Minds : "Waterfront"
Madness : "The Sun and the Rain"
Culture Club : "Victims"
Looking through these compilations, they are a time capsule of the years in which they were released. To close this look back, here is an advert from 1983 advertising that very first Now! album (2023 edit: dead link replaced):
Wednesday, 27 November 2013
The Cabbage Patch Kids craze
The 'must-have' toy of 1983 was the Cabbage Patch Kids doll. Created by Xavier Roberts, these were hand-stitched, soft-sculptured dolls resembling small children, which were sold complete with an 'adoption' certificate, and each doll was unique. Launched nationwide by US toy firm Coleco, the dolls soon became popular among collectors and rapidly became the latest must-have toy. The scarcity of the dolls led directly to riots at stores, as demand far outstripped supply and angry consumers fought amongst themselves for the much-prized dolls. The scenes were forerunners to the now-annual Black Friday sales in the US and elsewhere, when customers looking for bargains frequently fought one another for the few heavily discounted items on offer.
As with most fads, the Cabbage Patch Kids demand ebbed away in later years as new 'must-have' toys emerged; the dolls are still produced to this day however and still have a cult following, even a dedicated website.
A period commercial for Cabbage Patch Kids is shown here:
As with most fads, the Cabbage Patch Kids demand ebbed away in later years as new 'must-have' toys emerged; the dolls are still produced to this day however and still have a cult following, even a dedicated website.
A period commercial for Cabbage Patch Kids is shown here:
Monday, 25 November 2013
The Brinks-Mat Robbery: the crime of the century
The media called it 'the crime of the century' when in November 1983, a gang of six thieves broke into the Brinks-Mat warehouse sited close to London Heathrow Airport. Having forced their way past the security guard, the gang once inside poured petrol over staff inside, threatening to ignite it if the combination to the vaults was not surrendered. Expecting to find £3.2 million in cash, the gang instead discovered that the vault contained three tonnes of gold bullion. Ultimately the haul was £26million in gold, diamonds and cash (worth around £500 million in today's money). The bullion was owned by Johnson Matthey bankers, who subsequently collapsed and came under police investigation themselves when it was discovered that they had made large loans to fraudsters and insolvent firms.
It later emerged that the security guard was a brother-in-law to one of the robbers, and had been in on the plot. Both were arrested in December 1983. Members of the gang were tracked down and arrested, most notably Kenneth Noye who was convicted of handling the stolen gold in 1986 and imprisoned. He served seven years before he became involved in a 'road rage' murder of another motorist in 1996. Having fled to Spain, he was extradited and tried, receiving a life sentence. One of the thieves, Micky McAvoy was given a 25-year prison sentence for his part in the robbery. An associate (George Francis) was later murdered, but none of the other robbers were ever caught.
Most of the three tonnes of stolen gold was never recovered, and it is believed at least half of it made its way back onto the market by 1996. Many of those involved directly or indirectly have met with early deaths, leading to the so-called 'curse of Brinks-Mat'.
The robbery has become almost as notorious as the Great Train Robbery of the 1960s and has been the basis for several documentaries and a film ('Fools Gold', 1992) starring Sean Bean as one of the thieves.
It later emerged that the security guard was a brother-in-law to one of the robbers, and had been in on the plot. Both were arrested in December 1983. Members of the gang were tracked down and arrested, most notably Kenneth Noye who was convicted of handling the stolen gold in 1986 and imprisoned. He served seven years before he became involved in a 'road rage' murder of another motorist in 1996. Having fled to Spain, he was extradited and tried, receiving a life sentence. One of the thieves, Micky McAvoy was given a 25-year prison sentence for his part in the robbery. An associate (George Francis) was later murdered, but none of the other robbers were ever caught.
Most of the three tonnes of stolen gold was never recovered, and it is believed at least half of it made its way back onto the market by 1996. Many of those involved directly or indirectly have met with early deaths, leading to the so-called 'curse of Brinks-Mat'.
The robbery has become almost as notorious as the Great Train Robbery of the 1960s and has been the basis for several documentaries and a film ('Fools Gold', 1992) starring Sean Bean as one of the thieves.
Thursday, 21 November 2013
Vandalism of The Blue Peter Garden
Vandalism was nothing new even in 1983 but the news that the Blue Peter garden had been destroyed in a senseless act made national headlines. Blue Peter was a long-running magazine show broadcast twice weekly on BBC television, aimed at children its variety of features appealed to all ages. The garden was a regular feature on the programme, created in 1974 by Percy Thrower (the original celebrity TV gardener) it featured a greenhouse, a vegetable patch and a sunken garden with a pond.
The vandalism was reported on the programme itself by then presenter Janet Ellis, damage reported included a broken urn, trampled-upon vegetation and oil deposited into the pond, poisoning the goldfish within. She appealed on-air for information which would lead to the arrest of the vandals, but the identity of the culprits remained a mystery until, in an apparent confession in the year 2000, former QPR, Newcastle and Tottenham football player Les Ferdinand said he 'might have' helped others over the wall including fellow former player Dennis Wise (a schoolfriend of his at the time). Although Ferdinand claimed this was said in jest, the press published it as a confession and the story made national headlines once again.
A more amusing reference to this incident came in the 2006 TV cop/time travel series 'Ashes To Ashes'; in the story, a suspect is being chased by DCI Gene Hunt (played by Philip Glenister) when he suddenly climbs over a wall. Hunt climbs after him while, closely behind, DC Chris Skelton (Marshall Lancaster) launches a missile over the wall and (incredibly) hits the suspect with it. The missile was an oil can, and Hunt is seen coming back over to demand assistance in apprehending the suspect, still unaware of where he is. When the camera zooms out, the famous 'Blue Peter' logo is revealed.
As for the garden itself, it was eventually restored and many years later, was relocated when the BBC moved the children's section north to Salford. 'Blue Peter' is still shown but is nowadays broadcast on the specialist CBBC channel, a far cry from the days when it commanded millions of viewers of all ages.
The vandalism was reported on the programme itself by then presenter Janet Ellis, damage reported included a broken urn, trampled-upon vegetation and oil deposited into the pond, poisoning the goldfish within. She appealed on-air for information which would lead to the arrest of the vandals, but the identity of the culprits remained a mystery until, in an apparent confession in the year 2000, former QPR, Newcastle and Tottenham football player Les Ferdinand said he 'might have' helped others over the wall including fellow former player Dennis Wise (a schoolfriend of his at the time). Although Ferdinand claimed this was said in jest, the press published it as a confession and the story made national headlines once again.
A more amusing reference to this incident came in the 2006 TV cop/time travel series 'Ashes To Ashes'; in the story, a suspect is being chased by DCI Gene Hunt (played by Philip Glenister) when he suddenly climbs over a wall. Hunt climbs after him while, closely behind, DC Chris Skelton (Marshall Lancaster) launches a missile over the wall and (incredibly) hits the suspect with it. The missile was an oil can, and Hunt is seen coming back over to demand assistance in apprehending the suspect, still unaware of where he is. When the camera zooms out, the famous 'Blue Peter' logo is revealed.
As for the garden itself, it was eventually restored and many years later, was relocated when the BBC moved the children's section north to Salford. 'Blue Peter' is still shown but is nowadays broadcast on the specialist CBBC channel, a far cry from the days when it commanded millions of viewers of all ages.
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