Re: Beachcombers

[Rich Bogovich <bogie@itis.com>]

I wrote:

>>Last autumn there was a brief discussion on this list (involving three or
>>four of us--I believe Beau M. was one) about Keith's first band, the
>>Beachcombers.  A fan from Germany said he had two of their 45s, and he and
>>his Who-fan friends agreed that it sure sounded like Keith's drumming on the
>>"Mad Goose" 45 but not on the other single.
>>
>>I thought I saved this discussion, but can't track it down.  If you're that
>>German fan (i.e., you're still subscribed), please contact me!
>>
>>Thanks,
>>
>>Bogie

And Brian replied from Atlanta:

>Sorry to burst anyone's bubble, 

That's okay, several Who fans have already tried on this front before.   : )

>...but according to the Beachcombers themselves 
>(interviewed in the new Tony Fletcher book), Keith does not
>play on any of the Beachcombers recordings.

I haven't seen the book yet but was told it was silent on the matter, with
the implication being that if such an important fact was omitted, then it
must not have happened.  However, a different source (one that had contact
with the author) insisted that the Beachcombers NEVER made a record--and
that presumably there was a second band by that name which did.

I'll remain open-minded for awhile longer, perhaps until I can talk to Mr.
Fletcher and maybe even some Beachcombers at WhoCon.  I've always been
surprised at how "spotty" early Who history is, including as reported by The
Who themselves.  One prominent example is the whole Jimmy Page
controversy--did he play on "I Can't Explain" or only the UK B-side?  If he
played on the A-side, was it on lead guitar or rhythm?  An earlier example
is the matter of "It Was You"--was it the first song Pete ever wrote or
instead the first he managed to get published?  Even after The Who achieved
bigtime success, thus making their history more important and more likely to
be recalled accurately, there are instances such as what Pete said about
"Melancholia" in his Scoop liner notes:  "I'm pretty sure The Who didn't
even hear this song."

In my mind, there's simply too much unsubstantiated and even contradictory
info about The Who that has seen print.  Regarding Keith's pre-Who
activities, a couple sources (e.g., Richard Barnes) state fairly clearly
that the Beachcombers were Keith's only previous band.  Yet on page 18 in
the July 1997 issue of Record Collector, an old reprint says he was in a
band called the Altones before joining the Beachcombers.  Brian, do you know
if Fletcher's book mentions this other band?  I know it's supposed to be an
enormous book, but I'll be curious to see how much of it covers Keith's
pre-Who days.

What I intend to do before WhoCon is make a list of known Beachcombers
recordings--one record collecting guide lists two 45s, a friend of mine
knows of at least two other songs, and I saw a compilation CD which included
a Beachcombers song.  At least one of these songs was recorded in 1963,
which I think is when Keith would've been in the band.  In any case, I will
then attempt to verify that Keith's mates were indeed the guys who recorded
them.

Ideally, the next step would be to listen and compare the various recordings
(and ask several experts on Keith's drumming to do likewise).  It's
conceivable that, 35 years after the fact, the Beachcombers might not have
accurate memories of who drummed on each of their recordings.

--Bogie