Blodwyn Pig & Mick Abrahams

[maddogfagin]

www.kwit.org/post/tasty-pig-musical-holiday-feast

A Tasty Pig -- A Musical Holiday Feast
By ERIC BLUMBERG & JOHNNIE BOLIN • 15 HOURS AGO

While the snow may be blowing, this episode of the B-Sides with Bolin and Blumberg has the music to warm the cockles of your heart.

We call it A Tasty Pig since it corporates the sounds of Taste and Blodwyn Pig and the guitarists who founded the bands.

First, there is Mick Abrahams who started his career with Jethro Tull before breaking off to form Blodwyn Pig and then continue with a long solo career.

We hear from Tull and Pig before launching into Mick Abrahams' stellar solo work.

Then comes Taste, which established itself as a strong power trio in the 60's and 70's before its guitarist, Rory Gallagher, set out on his own exceptional solo career. Unfortunately, Gallagher passed at an early age from the ravages of alcohol.

For all of you who dig a great axman, put your feet up by the fire and warm yourself with some delicious tunes. Only here, at the best place for rock, Siouxland Public Media.

Listen here

[steelmonkey]

I gave the deluxe 'Ahead Rings Out' a good listen last week. It sounded fresh and oozing with talent. If Mick was not afraid to fly...they would have gone a long way.

[maddogfagin]

Dec 18, 2019 1:18:58 GMT steelmonkey said:

I gave the deluxe 'Ahead Rings Out' a good listen last week. It sounded fresh and oozing with talent. If Mick was not afraid to fly...they would have gone a long way.

Yes, and I think I'll have a "pig out" today to remind me, if it was at all needed, of Mick's talent with the Gibson SG.

[Equus]

Apr 3, 2020 6:51:52 GMT maddogfagin said:

Dec 18, 2019 1:18:58 GMT steelmonkey said:

I gave the deluxe 'Ahead Rings Out' a good listen last week. It sounded fresh and oozing with talent. If Mick was not afraid to fly...they would have gone a long way.

Yes, and I think I'll have a "pig out" today to remind me, if it was at all needed, of Mick's talent with the Gibson SG.

I have tried the same... Creating an anthem... I have written a song that I believe can do the trick... It's called: "Every word felt like an execution". It's about a young girl/lady who takes her own life. The attempt is to create an anthem for those who have lost a loved one because of suicide. It is inspired partly by the death of Brittany Murphy. but it's not about her, she died the 20 December 2009.

I heard the words, "Every word feels like an execution," in a movie... And that made me think about, when does every word feels like an execution? When somebody unexpectedly tells you that someone that you love/like very much has suddenly died. There may be other situations that are horrible too, but death can be the worst... Since Brittany Murphy died at Christmas time, I turned it into a Christmas song.

It's very hard to write something like that. One of the problems are that you really have to be wiser than you are, in order to write it, and that's kinda hard to do... So you have to be very careful writing the lyrics... Here's the first verse:

"Every word felt like an execution, when they told me you were dead, and all the presents that were mend for you are, lying underneath the bed. And this Christmas feels like no Christmas at all, I would have loved to take your place, you were the one that made me smile the most, Ill never celebrate again."

I'll post the song on the Jethro Tull forum, when I have recorded it... I think that it's on of my best songs ever, maybe the best... Maybe I can use my Iphone, and record video, and sound at the same time, but how can i upload it to The Jethro Tull Forum? I'll have to figure it out... Then you will finaly see how "good looking" I am... (Don't get too excited) 

[nonrabbit]

I think the Forum can only upload Youtube videos. However you can always post a link to the song when it's finished. Look forward to hearing it.

[JTull 007]

            Mick Abrahams Interview Jethro Tull - Blodwyn Pig
             Bishops Stortford Blues Club 24th November 2003

                               Video by Secret Records Limited

[maddogfagin]

Blodwyn Pig See My Way live at the Beat Club 1970
1,591 views•Nov 27, 2018

[maddogfagin]

Elliott Randall & Mick Abrahams :: "North By NorthWest"

[JTull 007]

  All Said & Done   BLODWYN PIG (Artist)   Format:   Audio CD    LINK 

[maddogfagin]

www.loudersound.com/news/mick-abrahams-i-quit-jethro-tull-i-wasnt-fired

Mick Abrahams: "I quit Jethro Tull. I wasn't fired!"
By Malcolm Dome (Prog) 14 hours ago

Guitarist Mick Abrahams looks back over his time with prog/blues outfit Blodwyn Pig


(Image credit: Jethro Tull)

There’s a moment during this meeting when Mick Abrahams gets rather emotional and has to choke back the tears. It’s understandable, because we’re talking about his poor health.

“I had two heart attacks and a stroke almost at the same time [in November 2009]. Those have left their mark on me. I’m using a mobility scooter today because sometimes I find it hard to walk. And my speech can be a little slow. But I’m not paralysed, thank goodness. I’m still a rock’n’roller, I love a Jack Daniel’s [he even has a glass in his hand to prove the point] and I can appreciate an attractive woman. So, it could be worse.

“But it has affected my guitar playing. I doubt I’ll ever play live again,” he adds. “I watched a DVD recently of me onstage with Blodwyn Pig. I found myself saying, ‘Blimey, that guy can play a bit!’ Because it seemed as if I was watching a different person. These days, I can join in a bit on guitar with others, but nowhere near the level I was once able to achieve. That upsets me.”

Abrahams first got into the spotlight in 1967 as a co-founder of Jethro Tull. He was the guitarist on the band’s 1968 debut This Was before being… well, was he fired or did he quit?

“Listen, this is what happened. I got very pissed off with Ian Anderson, who saw Tull as his band, and he wasn’t prepared to let anyone else voice their opinion on what was going on,” he explains. “So I left. But what I told them at the time was that I’d stay on until they found a replacement for me, because there was no way I wanted to leave them in the $h1t. A short while later, I was called to a meeting at the office of Terry Ellis, the band’s manager. You know what he said to me? ‘Ian and the boys don’t want you in the band any more so you’ve been fired.’ I just replied to Terry, ‘How can you fire me when I quit three weeks ago? Just go f**k yourself!’”

Thankfully, relations between Abrahams and Anderson are a lot more amicable these days. “I even get on well now with Terry,” he says. “Actually, Ian’s manager, his son James, has been helping me out a lot recently. What a great bloke. I told Ian that I thought James was a credit to him, and that not only was he a very nice person, but thoroughly honest and truthful. You might have thought Ian would be happy to hear such praise for his own flesh and blood. Instead he said, ‘So what? That’s the least I would expect from him.’ Typical Ian!”

After leaving Tull, Abrahams put together his own band, featuring Jack Lancaster (saxophone/flute), Andy Pyle (bass) and Ron Berg (drums). Abrahams himself handled vocals. Taking the name Blodwyn Pig, they released debut album Ahead Rings Out in 1969, which reached No.9 in the UK chart, underlining the feeling that this band could be a force in their own right.

“From the beginning of Blodwyn Pig I had a vision for what I wanted,” Abrahams explains. “Essentially I’ve always thought of myself as a blues player, but with a little country, jazz and other styles thrown in for good measure. I never wanted us to be seen as performing one type of music or another. However, we inevitably began to get lumped in with certain other bands of the era. Some called us blues while there were those who insisted we were progressive. And when we did Top Of The Pops [playing the single Same Old Story on the episode that aired on January 29, 1970], the band were introduced as being ‘avant-garde’. It would have been closer to the point to call us ‘’aven’t a f**king clue’!”

In 1969, Blodwyn Pig featured at such major events as the Bath Festival Of Blues, the Isle Of Wight Festival and the Reading Festival. They got to play live with the likes of Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Fleetwood Mac, King Crimson, Soft Machine, The Nice and Colosseum. It’s an eclectic mix of names, but it underlines how this foursome could fit in with anyone.

“Oh, that’s totally true. We could hold our own with any company. It didn’t bother us if we were put on the bill with Crimson or Zeppelin. Nothing changed for us, and nothing phased us.”

But by the time second album Getting To This was released in 1970, making it to No.8 in the UK chart, Abrahams admits there had been a change in attitude within the band.

“I have to say that maybe I allowed my input on this album to be reduced too much when compared to what went on with the previous album. So, it wasn’t as coherent as it should have been. Jack’s influence was obvious, in that he wanted the sound to be more orchestral, and to a large extent he pulled this off. But then he was a very talented musician.

“It’s just that what I loved about Ahead Rings Out was that it sounded as if we were playing live in the studio. Yes, we added some overdubs when required, but there was a flow to the music that really caught what I felt the band were all about. That’s missing to some extent with the second one.”

Abrahams also reveals there was a certain friction between himself and Pyle, something that would surface in a more pronounced fashion later, to the serious detriment of Blodwyn Pig.

“One day Andy said to me that he felt he should have more songwriting credits on the second album. I told him he already had a couple, and that was because he’d only contributed to those songs and no others on the writing front. His response was, ‘Oh yeah, I guess so.’

“But he left the whole subject hanging in the air, and wouldn’t accept the reality that you can only get credit for what you do. So I did something insane, and I’ve never told anyone this before. I had written a great song called Worry on my own, but decided to give the full writing credit to Andy, just to keep him happy! Yes, it was a stupid thing to do, and I regret it now. But I just wanted to make sure everybody in the band was satisfied with what was going on, and if that meant giving Worry to Andy then so be it.

“Andy was someone who was only in it for the money,” he continues. “When he joined the band, one of the first things he said to me was, ‘Okay, so can I now go out and buy a flash car on what you’ll pay me?’ I had to explain it didn’t work like that. And he was seriously pissed off that I wasn’t going to be his ticket to making a fortune!”

One interesting song on Getting To This is Variations On Nainos. Not because of the music, but due to that title – was there a veiled nod to Ian Anderson in the word ‘Nainos’? Rearranged, it could read ‘Ian Son’…

Abrahams laughs. “Yes, that’s definitely supposed to make you think of Ian. Not in any nasty way, but… well, I’m not sure in what way we meant it. Jack had done a great solo for the song and I then did one that was quite good. We were both stoned in the studio and the title just came to us. I have no clue what we were thinking of, but we were certainly consciously referencing Ian.”

While things were looking good for Blodwyn Pig, in September 1970, something astonishing happened – Abrahams left his own band. What on earth was going on?

“We were preparing for an American tour and I called Andy to ask what was going on with rehearsals. He said, ‘Well, Ron, me and Jack are going to rehearse, but without you. We don’t want you involved because you hate flying, and to tour over there properly you have to fly.’ That was it.

“I’m convinced this all came from Andy. He was a real $h1t-stirrer and would have talked the others into following his lead on this. So they got in two guitarists [former Yes man Peter Banks, plus Barry Reynolds] to take over from me, went out and toured. However, it didn’t work at all without me and the band soon split up.”

What’s amazing is that Abrahams had not only started Blodwyn Pig and was the leader, but he also owned the name. So why on earth did he allow his bandmates not just to sack him but also carry on playing live as Blodwyn Pig? He simply shrugs his shoulders.

“I couldn’t be bothered to get into a legal fight with them over it. I thought it was easier to allow it to happen. And it soon fell apart anyway.”

But the guitarist does think that this unexpected twist in the Pig tail so soon after the release of the second album left things unfulfilled.

“I do feel that had we stayed together, this band would have been huge. There was a lot of potential we never got to explore, and we had a unique magic, which you can hear on our albums. I did try to revive the band a few times with different line-ups, but they all failed, and that’s because they never had the creative connection the four of us had in the original era.”

The impact of Blodwyn Pig has been enormous, especially in America where bands such as Aerosmith cite them as a huge inspiration. Punk icon Joey Ramone even covered See My Way, a track from Ahead Rings Out. And the band have infiltrated the silver screen too. Dear Jill, also from their first album, can be heard in the celebrated 2000 Cameron Crowe movie Almost Famous.

“That took me by surprise, but it’s meant there’s been some money coming in, which helps. We also get a namecheck in the British film Still Crazy [1998]. That’s about a fictitious band called Strange Fruit. And one member of that band does have a line that Strange Fruit will not go onstage following Blodwyn Pig! I loved that.”

One question is left to be answered: is the original Blodwyn Pig male or female? It’s something that has never been fully stated. Time for Abrahams to clear up the confusion… or not!

“I’ve no idea!” he says. “It was Graham Waller, a maniac friend of mine, who came up with the name. He was off his head at the time and just came out with it. People have always assumed the name was inspired by the Dylan Thomas play Under Milk Wood, but that’s not at all true. I can tell you for a fact that Graham wasn’t thinking of anything literary when he blurted this out – he was too stoned for that.

“The word ‘blodwyn’ is Welsh and loosely translates as ‘love’, which is a nice thought. But we have never seen our pig as being male or female. Maybe that fits in nicely with the current climate, because Blodwyn Pig could be seen as a pioneer for the LGBT movement. That would be a cool way to see the creature.

“One thing I can tell you,” Abrahams adds, “is that unlike Pink Floyd, who were once asked which one was Pink, nobody in the band was ever asked what happened to our female singer Blodwyn!”

So, what would Abrahams like the band to be remembered for?

“Making good, honest music,” he says, “without any prejudice.”

This article originally appeared in issue 90 of Prog Magazine.

[JTull 007]

                          I LOVE Mick Abrahams

[maddogfagin]

Apr 8, 2021 6:37:23 GMT maddogfagin said:

www.loudersound.com/news/mick-abrahams-i-quit-jethro-tull-i-wasnt-fired

Mick Abrahams: "I quit Jethro Tull. I wasn't fired!"
By Malcolm Dome (Prog) 14 hours ago

Guitarist Mick Abrahams looks back over his time with prog/blues outfit Blodwyn Pig


(Image credit: Jethro Tull)

The impact of Blodwyn Pig has been enormous, especially in America where bands such as Aerosmith cite them as a huge inspiration. Punk icon Joey Ramone even covered See My Way, a track from Ahead Rings Out. And the band have infiltrated the silver screen too. Dear Jill, also from their first album, can be heard in the celebrated 2000 Cameron Crowe movie Almost Famous.

Micky Leigh ft. Joey Ramone - See My Way
61,868 views•February 20, 2008
NLG720
1.94K subscribers

[maddogfagin]

pastdaily.com/2014/10/23/blodwyn-pig-in-session-1970-nights-at-the-roundtable-session-edition/

Blodwyn Pig In Session – 1970 – Nights At The Roundtable: Session Edition
By gordonskene


Blodwyn Pig – underrated but highly memorable.

The name may not ring too many bells, unless you were a longtime follower of Jethro Tull, and then it would all make sense. Blodwyn Pig was founded by Guitarist Mick Abrahams who, if fans remember, was a founding member of Jethro Tull. Abrahams would leave shortly after This Was came out and went on to a solo career. One of those stop-offs was by way of Blodwyn Pig, who had two albums out and were, during their tenure, a staple of many Underground FM stations here in the States. Their big hit was Dear Jill, a ballad that just hit the right chords with listeners and was their most memorable hit.

After Blodwyn Pig’s demise, Mick Abrahams continued his solo career with various lineups of bands. But this short-lived band was remembered fondly by a lot of people.

As a reminder, here is a session the band did in 1970 for John Peel which features mostly material from their Ahead Rings Out album.

Crank it up and enjoy.

Click here for audioplayer link

[maddogfagin]

With the great man himself in 1989 at The Standard, Walthamstow 

[maddogfagin]

pastdaily.com/2019/09/09/mick-abrahams-wommett-in-concert-1970-past-daily-soundbooth/


Mick Abrahams - Maybe unsung hero, but not to those who know. (photo: Getty Images)

Mick Abrahams’ Wommett – In Concert – 1970 – Past Daily Soundbooth
By gordonskene 2 years ago

Mick Abrahams’ Wommett, in a rare almost unknown concert from John Peel’s Sunday Program on November 15, 1970 from BBC Radio 1.

The thing about Rock History, especially those coming to it somewhat late, is that aside from the big broad strokes; those bands and artists that created an indelible impression in music history, there were many, countless bands and artists who provided missing links, early influences and lasting impressions on those audiences at the time, but have perhaps faded from memory as years go on. Mick Abrahams was one of the key and founding members of Jethro Tull, back when they were billed as a Blues band. As lead guitarist, Abrahams provided contributions to the pivotal debut album This Was, but left the band short after the release to form other bands and carry on leaving lasting impressions with audiences and critics alike, most notably Blodwyn Pig, who released two landmark albums before splitting up. After the demise of Blodwyn Pig, Abrahams formed the even shorter-lived band Wommett, which never had any commercial releases, and for a long time collectors were only aware of their Top Of The Pops (Mike Raven BBC Session) appearance from 1970. But just around that time was another appearance, this one for John Peel’s Sunday Concert from November 15, 1970. Sadly, it’s not complete – but a good half-hour of some memorable music by one of the criminally overlooked artists of the late 60s/early 70s.

You always find yourself scratching your head, baffled why one artist makes it as a household name and another stays on the sidelines, largely relegated to the position of backbone for a genre. Mick Abrahams went through several lineups before settling on The Mick Abrahams Band. During the time-span of 1968-2009, the time of the first of several health issues for Abrahams which has forced him temporarily into retirement while he makes a full recovery, Abrahams has officially released, been involved in or had bootlegs of some 41 albums during his career so far. He is far from obscure, but his popularity is primarily with those in the know, or have followed his career since the legendary This Was for Tull.

If you haven’t heard this concert before, even a half-hour snippet is worth the price of admission alone and gives further evidence the History of Rock is massive and overflowing with uncredited and overlooked (by the mainstream) contributions.

Crank it up and check it out.

[maddogfagin]

thebookofbands2.blogspot.com/2008/10/mick-abrahams-mick-abrahams-founder.html

Screaming Lord Sutch and the Savages

MICK ABRAHAMS

Mick Abrahams, founder member of Jethro Tull and Blodwyn Pig, played a few gigs with Screaming Lord Sutch & The Savages when he was lead guitarist of Neil Christian & The Crusaders.

At the time, Mick, drummer Carlo Little and bass player Alex Dmchowski were just filling in until Dave Sutch, who had just lost Ritchie Blackmore (of Deep Purple) to Jerry Lee Lewis, got a few new guys in his regular band.

Some months earlier, Christian had lost his previous band (including drummer Tornado Evans, bass player Andy Anderson and on guitar… Blackmore)… to Lord Sutch & The Savages!

The gigs were at Walthamstow Baths (London), The California Ballroom in Dunstable (Bedfordshire) and somewhere in Leeds (Yorkshire), in mid 1965.

Screaming Lord Sutch & The Savages took part in the “Big Beat Night”, at Dunstable California Ballroom on June 18th 1965 , supported by The Prowlers and The Knight Errants.

Mick Abrahams:
“It was with the Crusaders which was Neil Christian’s Band at the time. I don’t think we did more than around three gigs with him . I seem to remember that at the time, we were just filling in until he got a few new guys in his regular band. The gigs were at Walthamstow Baths ,The California Ballroom Dunstable and the other one was somewhere in Leeds in some dance hall which I believe is now a shopping mall”.

"We had to dress up in orange shirts, tight black trousers and white boots and wiggle our asses. If you saw how fat I was then you'd know why I didn't fancy it"

“David Sutch did exactly the same set as Neil Christian hence it was easy to do it without extensive reheardsal ! Incidentally, he still owes me £15.00 for the last gig!”

After this three-day stint with Screaming Lord Sutch, Mick went on to join a band called the Goodtimers with, amongst others, bass player Dave Cakebread, keyboardist Graham Waller and saxophonist Bernie Etherington who then became the new set of Neil Christian's Crusaders for five months before joining The Toggery Five from Manchester in late 1965.

[adospencer]

No disrespect to Mick, he always comes over as a nice guy and a good guitarist, but am I the only one who finds the Tull link a bit tiresome? He was in the band for a relatively short time, and had Tull carried on as a blues band , I would never have got in to them in the first place. He interviews well, always willing to talk at length about those far off days, but I think this only serves to exaggerate his part in the Tull story. For me, Jethro Tull began after Mick left/was pushed.

[maddogfagin]

Jul 8, 2021 7:11:47 GMT adospencer said:

No disrespect to Mick, he always comes over as a nice guy and a good guitarist, but am I the only one who finds the Tull link a bit tiresome? He was in the band for a relatively short time, and had Tull carried on as a blues band , I would never have got in to them in the first place. He interviews well, always willing to talk at length about those far off days, but I think this only serves to exaggerate his part in the Tull story. For me, Jethro Tull began after Mick left/was pushed.

It's almost forgotten and airbrushed from musical history, that Mick was at one time regarded alongside Eric Clapton, Peter Green etal by the UK music press and the focal point of the embryonic Jethro Tull.

As for his departure, this is from www.loudersound.com

“Listen, this is what happened. I got very pissed off with Ian Anderson, who saw Tull as his band, and he wasn’t prepared to let anyone else voice their opinion on what was going on,” he explains. “So I left. But what I told them at the time was that I’d stay on until they found a replacement for me, because there was no way I wanted to leave them in the $h1t. A short while later, I was called to a meeting at the office of Terry Ellis, the band’s manager. You know what he said to me? ‘Ian and the boys don’t want you in the band any more so you’ve been fired.’ I just replied to Terry, ‘How can you fire me when I quit three weeks ago? Just go f**k yourself!’”

[itullian]

Jul 8, 2021 14:28:06 GMT maddogfagin said:

Jul 8, 2021 7:11:47 GMT adospencer said:

No disrespect to Mick, he always comes over as a nice guy and a good guitarist, but am I the only one who finds the Tull link a bit tiresome? He was in the band for a relatively short time, and had Tull carried on as a blues band , I would never have got in to them in the first place. He interviews well, always willing to talk at length about those far off days, but I think this only serves to exaggerate his part in the Tull story. For me, Jethro Tull began after Mick left/was pushed.

It's almost forgotten and airbrushed from musical history, that Mick was at one time regarded alongside Eric Clapton, Peter Green etal by the UK music press and the focal point of the embryonic Jethro Tull.

As for his departure, this is from www.loudersound.com

“Listen, this is what happened. I got very pissed off with Ian Anderson, who saw Tull as his band, and he wasn’t prepared to let anyone else voice their opinion on what was going on,” he explains. “So I left. But what I told them at the time was that I’d stay on until they found a replacement for me, because there was no way I wanted to leave them in the $h1t. A short while later, I was called to a meeting at the office of Terry Ellis, the band’s manager. You know what he said to me? ‘Ian and the boys don’t want you in the band any more so you’ve been fired.’ I just replied to Terry, ‘How can you fire me when I quit three weeks ago? Just go f**k yourself!’”

[maddogfagin]

Blodwyn Pig without Mick Abrahams, September 'til December 1970

[maddogfagin]

progarchy.com/2013/03/04/this-was-blodwyn-pig/

This Was Blodwyn Pig
ON MARCH 4, 2013 BY CRAIG BREADENIN UNCATEGORIZED

There are gateway albums, records that lead to others, elaborations that must be followed until time or economics interrupts. I could name dozens of them that functioned like this for me over the years. Aided and abetted in the Web-less years by the Rolling Stone Record Guides (mainstream rock/punk/singer-songwriter), the Trouser Press Record Guides (alternative and indie), and Pete Frame’s monumental Rock Family Trees,

I would often spare no effort in tracking down an LP or CD I was interested in, IF the gateway record that connected me to it spoke to me in tongues, the way such records should. So Syd Barrett’s Madcap Laughs would eventually lead me to the Television Personalities’ Chocolat Art and the Soft Boys’ Underwater Moonlight, Julian Cope’s Peggy Suicide and his contribution to a Roky Erickson tribute would lead me to the Thirteen Floor Elevators and on to Thin White Rope, and Rainbow led me back to Deep Purple and forward to Dio. If I were to name one album, though, that really blew the doors off, it would be a greatest hits compilation, and not a great one at that: M.U., The Best of Jethro Tull. While Jethro Tull is often lauded for its prog side, which is substantial, M.U.was my introduction to Tull’s sympathy for folk music, opening for me the British folk revival by making me care to know about the use of traditional folk song forms in modern music. By leading me to Steeleye Span and Fairport Convention, with whom Tull had some connection, particularly later in the 1970s, Jethro Tull created trails for me to follow that are seemingly endless and that I’m still following thirty years later. That’s not the end of it. Jethro Tull also took me on the short, worthwhile journey to Blodwyn Pig.

But first there was “Aqualung.”

Two significant things happened to me in 1982. My family moved back to Texas, after a 10-year absence. I was 15 and completely lost, having spent the decade and my impressionable childhood growing increasingly fond of my Rocky Mountain home of Salt Lake City. As important, I also discovered Jethro Tull, via the now (less so then) classic rock perennial “Aqualung.” To my young ears it sounded like nothing else on the radio — it still doesn’t, come to think of it — and I spent probably a couple of months trying to figure out who the band was that could conjure such riffs, dynamics, and lyrical weirdness. At that time the song was a little over a decade old, which is not much more than one rock generation (consider that we’re over two decades removed from Nirvana’s Nevermind, and that lends some perspective). And it was well-known enough, of course, that FM djs didn’t feel compelled to announce it. So who was this band, and how could I find out? Pre-internet this was a challenge, you know? Particularly in a new town, with no friends, no car, and a sister whose idea of rock was the Flying Lizards’ remake of “Money.” I may have finally resorted to going into one of Ft. Worth’s vast record stores — Peaches or Sound Warehouse — and singing the first line to one of the clerks. I can’t remember how, but I got ahold of M.U. The Best of Jethro Tull, and spun it endlessly (although it still sits on my record shelf and is quite playable — viva La Vinyl!). In fairly short order I bought Tull’s first four LPs, and to this day I think them the single strongest, consistently interesting run of albums produced by any of the “classic rock” bands (I’m arguing this in my head — maybe Zeppelin matched it — also, while I like their fifth album, Thick as a Brick, it saw Tull make a major departure into its second phase). The fourth record, Aqualung, is the capstone of the band’s first phase, an unintentional concept album that hangs together because of the wholeness of its sound and approach. For my taste, this is the perfectly produced rock record, big but not slick. Its feel is its concept, there is a rustic electricity to it, a Hendrixian Elizabethanism, with the down-and-out character of Aqualung rattling his last locomotive breath.

The same could be said, to a lesser degree, of each of the previous three albums, which were bluesier, jazzier, and indebted as much to the initial influence of guitarist and singer Mick Abrahams as to flautist/guitarist and singer Ian Anderson. While Anderson became Tull’s guiding spirit and remains so to this day, Abrahams only hung around for This Was, an engagingly odd, loose take on the British blues boom defined in large part by Abrahams’ “Move on Alone” and his take on “Cat’s Squirrel.” That his replacement, the wonderful Martin Barre, took the next two records to shrug off Abrahams’ influence on the band and find his sound, while still producing great music, is a testament to both Abrahams and the strength of Tull as a band during its 1968-1971 period.

Why Abrahams left has always been chalked up to a disagreement with Anderson over the direction of the band, but this direction didn’t change significantly on Tull’s Stand Up or Benefit, at least to my ears (as others point out, folk themes and progressive structures were increasingly adopted, but slowly). Abrahams, I think, saw his chance to be sole band leader following the success of This Was, and took it. He formed Blodwyn Pig, and produced 1969’s Ahead Rings Out and 1970’s Getting To This, both minor classics that are the equal of Tull’s first two albums. In the catalog of sadly overlooked records, they are also prime examples of what happens to albums by musicians who leave their hugely successful bands after one record, thinking they were the prime movers. Whatever was in Ian Anderson’s tea, he gave Tull the hits that eluded a solo Abrahams, despite Blodwyn Pig’s moderate success in England and America. But Blodwyn Pig and Abrahams cannot be denied what they achieved apart from Tull.

Ahead Rings Out begins with the jump’n’jive of “It’s Only Love,” a horn-inflected piece of dance blues straight out of B.B. King. Right away it is apparent that, while he stamped Jethro Tull’s first record with his playing and singing, in Blodwyn Pig Abrahams is going for a fuller sound, and up against the other comparable British blues rock guitarists/vocalists/bandleaders of the period — Eric Clapton, Peter Green, et al. — Abrahams holds his own. Reed man Jack Lancaster, meanwhile, creates his own horn section (he’s pictured on the inside cover playing soprano and tenor simultaneously), which he elaborates on more elegantly in the slow blues “Dear Jill,” again featuring thoughtful, tasteful soloing by Abrahams and a heavy bottom from bassist Andy Pyle. “Walk on the Water” could be off of Tull’s Stand Up, and continues the rock and brass. Jack Lancaster’s work gives Ahead Rings Out its signature, and to my ears creates, in some fashion, the template for Gong’s admirable Radio Gnome trilogy, minus the ambient stoner bits (“What’s left after the ambient stoner bits?” you could justifiably ask). That Abrahams could create Blodwyn Pig and open up space for Lancaster, where Ian Anderson’s flute would have played this role in Tull, is a testament to Abrahams’ care for the sanctity of the song — whatever ego drove him from Tull is not driving this record. It isn’t just the Mick Abrahams’ show.

“See My Way” is the album’s center, its Bolero break a nod to other blues rock albums of the period, for what self-respecting band didn’t riff on that chestnut at the time? The balance of the record is a sampler of British country blues and jazz of the period, strongly reminiscent of Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac, with pastoral acoustic slide pieces like “Change Song” paired with riff rockers like “Summer Day.” Again, though, Lancaster’s layered sax work sets the album apart, driving, charging, soloing. It’s a voice that was often lost in rock bands evolving out of the British jazz/blues scene, and it’s agile use here is in welcome contrast to strictly guitar-centric albums of the period.

It becomes clear on Getting to This, which is a respectable second effort, that while the sound has gotten heavier, Abrahams has perhaps run out of ideas. The album opens strong, with “Drive Me,” and throughout offers the same guitar-and-horn driven rock that made Ahead Rings Out so satisfying. But…the soaring, Tull-ish “Variations on Nainos” is spoiled in its final moments by a joke-ishly gargled vocal — I appreciate a sense of humor, but why bring it to such a gem of a song — “See My Way” is inexplicably included again, and Abrahams revisits his signature take on “Cat’s Squirrel” with “The Squirreling Must Go On,” which is expertly wrought and totally unnecessary. Nonetheless, I think Getting to This can be considered of a piece with Ahead Rings Out, and even if Abrahams betrays an over-fondness for the template he hammered out with Tull on This Was, there is no denying the strength of the blueprint.

Abrahams has soldiered on through the years, recording off and on, reviving Blodwyn Pig here and there, and even re-recording the entirety of Tull’s This Was. Living in the Past indeed. Yet it’s hard to argue with such spirit, and, having the opportunity to see Abrahams play in a London pub in 1991, I can say that it appeared the man was having a good time. He also enjoys what seems to be an amiable relationship with his old bandmates in Jethro Tull, a group he defined before moving on alone.

On the band’s website, he is profiled with a warm, respectful humor: “Mick was born in Luton, England, on the 7th April, 1943, which was a very long time ago. There was a war still going on at the time, which may explain why Mick can be a cantankerous old git and a right, proper and loyal gent at one and the same time…. Mick is now very, very old — even older than Martin Barre — and likely to out-live all of them.”

[maddogfagin]

www.swindonadvertiser.co.uk/news/4734794.review-of-what-is-a-wommett-the-autobiography-of-mick-abrahams/

12th November 2009
Review of What Is A Wommett: The Autobiography of Mick Abrahams
By Flicky Harrison



What Is A Wommett: The Autobiography of Mick Abrahams Out now with Apex Publishing Ltd.

The swinging sixties kicked up a musical dust that has never settled, and guitarist Mick Abrahams, one of the founder members of Jethro Tull, was caught up in the maelstrom of the time, and has continued to make music in various guises from jazz to blues to rock through the decades.

The guitarist has written his autobiography of those heady days of rock ‘n’ roll right from his school days through to his rise to fame with Jethro Tull and such bands as Blodwyn Pig and beyond.

His style is simple, straightforward English with no fancy swirls. He recounts an anecdote with humour and panache. He conjures up colourful pictures of a time when Britain led the world in popular music. The stories will bring back memories for those who were around in the 1960s and intrigue those born later. There have been many rumours and counter rumours over the years about why the guitarist left Jethro Tull and his relationship with the lead singer Ian Anderson. In his book Mick sets the record straight and pulls no punches about his feelings on every event through his life.

The book has a foreword by radio presenter Bob Harris and is an easy read. - Flicky Harrison

[maddogfagin]

ninebattles.com/tag/mick-abraham/



Mick Abraham and Ray Fenwick -Yamaha Guitar Evening – Leisure Music and Drum clinic with Jimmy Kilpatrick – June 1979
June 5, 2021 by Alan Esdaile


   

Andy Qunta… I remember this somewhat! I was excited to see Mick Abrahams, first of all, and also I was part of the “backing band” for the event. I don’t think the band had a name at the time, but later we became Jim Jim & The Jims. We had started in weekly jam sessions at Ray Fenwick’s house. Anyway, that’s how I remember it. Good times!

Pete Prescott… I remember the times at Rays house.great nights !Ray was responsible for some really good times when I look back. Dermot Murphy Pete Shaw you me and Ray. it grew after that. I think Dermot hadn’t played for a while. There was rust on his bass when he opened the case. We all said”mind the carpet Ray will go nuts! (I must ask Derm if he remembers that). We were outside talking about getting into a serious band and doing gigs in London. I said I couldn’t until the present series of Dallas had ended. I needed my weekly fix of Victoria Principles magnificent breasts. We all went “Yeeeeeees ! Then went home. It was 1979. After the Yamaha gig (the first) we did the Queens hotel supporting Tich. Then a few weird ones (Scallywags). we started the Chatsworth gigs Jan 9th 1980.Tuesday’s. We played every week till (I think) July. Andy Caine gave us the name.when he spoke to the Hastings observer they needed one. We used to say we were “Fred and the Freds” or “Jim and the Jims” he chose that one. One night the band had Pete Shaw Derm Terry Pack you me Andy Ray your brother Tony Wes and Tich sang a couple. One blues jam lasted (according to Andy Knight) 27 minutes. That’s when I started bringing a book. Do you remember reading it while Ray was doing the three week intro to smoke in the water ? Fun times !

Pete Fisher… Saw Blodwyn Pig supporting Ten Years After at the Albert Hall in December 1969..

Tony Qunta… Mick Abrahams! One of my heroes! Loved the album ‘Ahead Rings Out’. Blodwyn Pig were superb at The Toby Jug, Tolworth 1969. Jim Jim and The Jims was a lot of fun!

[maddogfagin]

news.bbc.co.uk/local/norfolk/hi/tv_and_radio/newsid_8305000/8305344.stm

Musician Rick Wakeman weighs in for diet
Tuesday, 22 December 2009

"Mick Abrahams, who used to be with Jethro Tull and Blodwyn Pig, we're great great friends, he also is going on a weight loss thing," said Rick.

"He's only just started losing his weight and… yesterday he had a heart attack, quite a serious heart attack, and it's things like that that bring it home what the additional weight can do."

[maddogfagin]

www.namm.org/library/oral-history/mick-abrahams


Mick Abrahams

Mick Abrahams was given his first music lessons by his mother who was a piano teacher. When he transitioned to guitar he formed a band with some schoolmates and began writing songs. When he met Ian Anderson the two had their eyes on forming a band with original songs and so they collaborated on a few songs for the 1968 album This Was, the first studio recording for the now famous British rock band Jethro Tull. Mick and Ian wrote “Beggar’s Farm” together and the album also includes “Move On Alone” which Mick wrote on his own. Soon after leaving the band Mick formed Blodwyn Pig, which released several now classic rock albums such as Ahead Rings Out (1969) and Getting to This (1970). The band reunited some years later to tour and record. They released the album Lies in 1994. Mick was surprised that after all those years the band still had a strong fan base who would often shout out to hear Mick’s tunes such as “Drive Me,” “See My Way” and “It’s Only Love.”

Interview Date: June 30, 2021
Job Title: Musician, Songwriter
Company:
Tags: Guitars Songwriter Jethro Tull Rock and Roll Virtual Interview

---

[maddogfagin]

www.vintageguitar.com/26280/mick-abrahams/

Mick Abrahams
This Was (And Still Is…)
By Willie G. Moseley3969



link

[mikelangelo]

Still no sign of Jethro Tull's appearance on "Colour Me Pop", from 1968? That, along with longer version of Hydepark 1968 (with sound, maybe) would be great to see!!!

[maddogfagin]

Dec 23, 2021 18:09:10 GMT mikelangelo said:

Still no sign of Jethro Tull's appearance on "Colour Me Pop", from 1968? That, along with longer version of Hydepark 1968 (with sound, maybe) would be great to see!!!

At least a few editions of Colour Me Pop have emerged from Germany, the one with Tull was not among them. The Hyde Park concert was filmed as you can see a couple of people filming from the side of the stage but this footage has either been wiped or held in private hands.

jethrotull.proboards.com/post/79983

[maddogfagin]

pastdaily.com/2014/10/23/blodwyn-pig-in-session-1970-nights-at-the-roundtable-session-edition/



Blodwyn Pig - underrated but highly memorable.
Blodwyn Pig In Session – 1970 – Nights At The Roundtable: Session Edition
By gordonskene

Click on the link here for Audio Player link

The name may not ring too many bells, unless you were a longtime follower of Jethro Tull, and then it would all make sense. Blodwyn Pig was founded by Guitarist Mick Abrahams who, if fans remember, was a founding member of Jethro Tull. Abrahams would leave shortly after This Was came out and went on to a solo career. One of those stop-offs was by way of Blodwyn Pig, who had two albums out and were, during their tenure, a staple of many Underground FM stations here in the States. Their big hit was Dear Jill, a ballad that just hit the right chords with listeners and was their most memorable hit.

After Blodwyn Pig’s demise, Mick Abrahams continued his solo career with various lineups of bands. But this short-lived band was remembered fondly by a lot of people.

As a reminder, here is a session the band did in 1970 for John Peel which features mostly material from their Ahead Rings Out album.

Crank it up and enjoy.

[maddogfagin]

pastdaily.com/2014/10/23/blodwyn-pig-in-session-1970-nights-at-the-roundtable-session-edition/



Blodwyn Pig In Session – 1970 – Nights At The Roundtable: Session Edition
By gordonskene

Click on the link here for Audio Player – link

The name may not ring too many bells, unless you were a longtime follower of Jethro Tull, and then it would all make sense. Blodwyn Pig was founded by Guitarist Mick Abrahams who, if fans remember, was a founding member of Jethro Tull. Abrahams would leave shortly after This Was came out and went on to a solo career. One of those stop-offs was by way of Blodwyn Pig, who had two albums out and were, during their tenure, a staple of many Underground FM stations here in the States. Their big hit was Dear Jill, a ballad that just hit the right chords with listeners and was their most memorable hit.

After Blodwyn Pig’s demise, Mick Abrahams continued his solo career with various lineups of bands. But this short-lived band was remembered fondly by a lot of people.

As a reminder, here is a session the band did in 1970 for John Peel which features mostly material from their Ahead Rings Out album.

Crank it up and enjoy.