MAY
31

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1977
Back on this day 25 years ago............TUESDAY MAY 31st 1977
BACK TO MAY 31st
1977
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Warren Cann drummer with Ultravox! gives us his views on the single.
(YOUNG SAVAGE) While not specifically about us personally, 'Young Savage' was quite autobiographical; it was our take on the maelstrom we were in the centre of. It was one of my favourite songs and, though I usually always have various criticisms and reservations about any of our recorded works, both the 'studio' and 'live' versions of that song are just about spot on. Play it loud! Then turn it up some more...I dont recall much about the recording of'Young Savage' but I remember us having a lot of fun playing it... that song was like a big Harley, you'd get on it and kick it and rev it up until you were going like hell. There were times during playing 'YS' -especially during some of the Marquee gigs where we had the place crammed to where the Fire Marshals would have fits - that due to all the people, heat, and smoke, that I wished I'd had an oxygen mask to take hits off of... Those gigs were so intense and we were so wound up that when we came off, the backstage dressing room looked like the boiler room of a torpedoed ship. Even the metal fittings on all our equipment became pitted and rusting.
(SLIP AWAY) The Rainbow Theatre in North London had been a long established rock venue, lots of very famous bands played there and when we were told we'd be playing the Rainbow (albeit as support for Island's Eddie & The Hot Rods') we felt like we'd really arrived. This would be the biggest gig we'd ever played.
Someone, somewhere, had ordained that the gig would be recorded. It was still a time when mobile recording technology was the purview of heavy-duty money and influence, I was very impressed to hear that the Rolling Stone's 'mobile' studio was to be used. We'd never even seen one before, let alone been recorded by one.
We were at the gig early in the afternoon, we were keen to look around and take all of this grand experience in! It was also vital to be available to jump in at a moment's notice to take our soundcheck... we wanted to be at our very best. We ended up sitting around all day for hours and hours as the mobile's engineers fiddled and flaffed about setting everything up. 1 lived only a relatively short distance from the Rainbow and had been constantly assured that we'd have several hours to kill after our soundcheck, before the gig, so I hadn't brought rny stage clothes.
Time dragged on... and on... and on... but still no soundcheck. Finally, it was obvious we weren't going to get one. Typical. At this point, I still had plenty of time to drive home and get my things so I said I would be 'back in an hour.' I picked up my clothes but - guess what?? Halfway back to the Rainbow, the petrol pump on my old banger of a car died and I was stranded! Desperate to get back to Hie theatre, I tried hitching a ride as I walked but no one would pick me up. And there were no taxis to be seen... Not good. Not good at all!
By the time I got back to the gig I was frantic and well late... we'd been due to go on about half an hour earlier and when I tore into the backstage area I could hear the audience was very restless. The rest of the band were standing by their gear going crazy as I literally ran up to my kit and ripped off my jacket as the curtain began to rise. The stamping and chanting crowd was READY!!! But they were ready for Eddie, not us! It's the fate of every support band.
Between my mad dash to try and get back to the theatre in time, and the rest of the band's worry, anxiety, and anger, we were so vibed up and full of adrenaline when the curtain opened that we hit the first song like a downhill ninaway train.
It was quite a show and probably one of our best gigs till then.
The whole of our set was recorded; while it's remotely feasible that some of the first numbers may have been unusable due to the engineers still getting the balances together (a common occurrence), I'm fairly certain it was alright from the very start. I recall us only bothering to do a 'rough mix' of the songs for listening purposes which somehow, ultimately, ended up being the mix(s) which were used... I think we never did any 'proper' mixes of the Rainbow gig. It's probably better that way.
(WARREN CANN quotes from an interview with Jonas Warstad)
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