Re: The Who Digest Vol 3 Num 44

[Mike Westbrook <mwest@atc-1s.HAC.COM>]

}Date: Wed, 14 Feb 1996 18:03:15 +0000 (GMT)
}From: Ross Galvin <GALVINR@ee-wp.bham.ac.uk>
}
}...
}
}
}By '68 Jimmy was already famous in the states through the Yardbirds 
}and combined with his large income from touring, session work, and 
}producing for Immediate Records, he could well afford the high price 
}of American Blues & R&B imports from the states and indeed purchase 
}them in the US on tour.  It has been well documented that he ownes 
}virtually the entire Motown catalogue on 45's amongst other things. 
} Meanwhile young Robert was making ends meet by laying Tarmac so 
}could hardly have afforded to aquire large quantities of obscure 
}blues artists and was at the time infatuated with west coast 
}phychodelia ie Moby Grape, Buffaloe Springfield (infact he still 
}sings snatches from the latter to this day).
}
}So years later by '75 he's now quite an expert but that doesnt mean 
}Page hasnt heard of it, infact he probably played it to Robert in 
}the first place.
}


I wouldn't be so definite about this.  There are many, many examples of people
for whom "making ends meet" included nigh-unto-obsessive record collecting (or
other similar activities).  Musicians in particular, especially those with
enough musical talent to make it big professionally, are more than a little
prone to build their lives around music collecting, even at the cost of other
activities (like eating).  (Of course, some of them later sold their records
to buy drugs... ;-)  And aquiring "large quantities of obscure blues artists"
was certainly a favourite pastime of many English musicians of that era, some
of whom started collecting in their teens.  So, I wouldn't say anything nearly
so judgemental as, "could hardly have afforded," or, "probably played it to
Robert in the first place," without any actual evidence from the parties
involved or in the know.

Of course, posting from the UK, you're probably in a better position than I to
determine just how much money someone might have made laying Tarmac (or being
a sheet metal worker :-) in those days!  However, I wouldn't want to equate
being a labourer with being dirt poor, especially if they're not spending all
of their spare cash on automobiles...

> Mike <