Billy Nichols and High Numbers

[JOEL <jody@cgia.state.nc.us>]

Someone posted a question recently about 'the guy with the puffy eyes'
that was playing with Roger Daltrey on The Tonight Show recently,
and, of course, he was identified as Billy Nichols. I just got a copy
of 'Jai Baba, For Pete's Sake', which, for those of you who aren't 
familiar with it, is a collection of songs which were recorded for
Meher Baba, and available through the Meher Baba Center. Anyway, the 
Pete songs on the album are more or less available on the "who came first"
album - except for a couple - which are really good songs. But, Billy Nichols
plays on a few songs. As does Ronnie Lane, Ron Wood, and Peter Hope Evans.
Peter Hope Evans is the Harmonica player on a lot of Pete's recent stuff,
like 'Deep End Live'. So, as far as I can tell, Pete and Billy Nichols go
back a long way. Billy Nichols also sings on 'Forever's No Time At All'
on 'Who Came First'. I also believe that he has done some work with TOMMY
- the movie and/or the musical, as well as singing background vocals on
The Who's 1989 tour, and Pete's Deep End Live.

On another topic - I was talking with a friend yesterday who has read the 
Goldmine Roger Daltrey interview (I haven't). Anyway, it lead to this 
strange discusion about  the possibilities of there being some more
High Numbers studio tape that we have possibly been denied. Here's the catch -
In the interview, Roger states that the producer of those songs (I can't 
remember his name - it's not Pete Meaden - and could possibly have been the
engineer for those tracks) was disgusted with Doug Sandom's drumming, 
stating that the label would only sign the band IF they replaced Sandom.
If that is the case, then that *must*(?) be Doug Sandom playing on those High
Numbers tracks that we've all heard. If it wasn't why would the (producer)
have had anything to say about Doug Sandom? If it was Keith on those tracks - 
which is what I've always thought - does that mean that there are recordings
of The High Numbers with Doug Sandom sitting in a box somewhere, collecting
dust? I realize that there are a couple of explanations. One being that that
was a very topsy-turvy time in Roger's life, with a lot of things happening
*very* fast with their career, as was happening with a lot of bands at that
time. He may just be foggy about that time period and got his facts mixed
up. At any rate, it does present possibilities....  Any thoughts?...

Oh, by the way, there were only 3 songs recorded at the session that we've
heard - Zoot Suit, I'm The Face, and Here 'Tis. I don't know why 'Leaving
Here' was included on the box set as being a HN song, because I was told that 
that was recorded in a different session - and that was a Who session.

cheers 
-the mayor