Bernie Tormé – ‘Lightning Strikes – Volume One (1982-1983)’ (HNE Recordings/Cherry Red Records)

<a>Bernie Tormé </a>– <a>‘Lightning Strikes – Volume One (1982-1983)’ </a>(HNE Recordings/Cherry Red Records)

Bernie Tormé was one of my first ever guitar heroes. He in some way took the genres of punk and hard rock and made the songs he played on sound like something altogether different, then when it came to his image Bernie looked like no one else on the rock scene back in in the early eighties, in fact he looked more like a cast member of The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy than a bullet belted jeans and t shirt rocker. And in my teenage mind this meant everything. Bernie Tormé (as some singer would later declare on live TV) really was a STAR.

When I caught up with Bernie for a chat at the very first Hard Rock Hell festival all the way back in 2007 that tired old adage of “never meet your heroes” never entered into my head, being introduced to the man by his then fellow GMT band mate John McCoy (yup THE John McCoy) with strict prior instructions to tell Bernie just how much his music and playing had meant to me growing up. I soon found that the cocksure Wild Irish six stringer I’d only ever previously seen flaunting his insane talent on stage was anything but that off it. Bernie was initially shy and oh so humble in my presence, but once he’d relaxed into our conversation he opened up about his time being the hippy on the punk scene and playing the Vortex, then becoming the punk in the hard rock band Gillan, before then regaling me with tales of his brief time with Ozzy, his (in my eyes at least) perhaps finest hour in Tormé (with Phil Lewis) and then his time with Dee Snider and Clive Burr in metal supergroup Desperado.

I’m, getting ahead of myself here though, because this four CD box set released via HNE Recordings/Cherry Red Records (the first in a series of such Bernie boxes I’m lead to believe) covers the years 1982 to 1983 and includes the two studio albums Bernie released during this time, initially solo whilst he was still a member of Gillan and then following his departure from that band alongside his bandmates as the Electric Gypsies. Together with these discs we also get two live albums from 1983. It was around that time I also saw Bernie live for the very first time and his ferocious playing that night saw him not only cut his hand but also bleed all over my Wrangler jacket, something that in 2007 Bernie not only apologised for but also offered to pay to get cleaned. A sincere gesture that still makes me smile to this very day.

Something that also makes me smile (a hell of a lot) is the album that kick starts this box set, 1982’s ‘Turn Out The Lights’. It’s a record that at the time confused quite a few of us hard rockers, not least because after the initial Gillan-esque bluster of the opening title track and the album’s only single, up next was a tune most of us had grown up knowing as being by Boney M. All these years on of course I now know ‘Painter Man’ was originally a ‘60s hit for The Creation, but there’s nothing quite like hearing your guitar hero in an all-new context to shake up the senses. Looking back now I can see it was really no different to what Gillan had been doing with their series of cover versions something that had provided them with UK chart hits and saw the band making several appearances on Top Of The Pops. Elsewhere, ‘Turn Out The Lights’ is an interesting mix of up-tempo hard rockers like ‘America’ and ‘Lies’ mixed up with the more elaborate songwriting of ‘Possession’ (which is still my favourite song on the record) and then there’s the brooding instrumental ‘Inda’. I do wonder what Gillan (the band) might have done with some of these songs and what Ian himself might have made of covering the Velvet Underground/Nico’s ‘Chelsea Girls’.

The version of ‘Turn Out The Lights’ included here not only contains the three bonus ‘Back With The Boys’ tracks that were included on Bernie’s very own Retrowrek Records’ version of the album but also adds a live rehearsal of ‘Chelsea Girls’ from 1982 alongside an also previously unreleased version of ‘Boney Maroney’ from 1979?, which I’m actually quite happy to turn a blind eye to timeline wise as it’s a top notch version.

Moving on to the box set’s second disc and 1983’s ‘Electric Gypsies’ album, and where ‘Turn Out The Lights’ had been an album recorded during Gillan downtime with the help of friends like Phil Spalding and Nigel Glockler, the nine tracks that make up this record were songs that the band had fully road tested before entering the studio. The Electric Gypsies at this point featuring one time Def Leppard and soon to be Waysted drummer Frank Noon alongside ex-Bethnal bassist Everton Williams, along with Bernie once again mashing up the musical genres to deliver his music vision. So, from the dive-bombing guitar histrionics of ‘Wild West’ through to pounding album closer ‘Go Go’ (which reminds me of something Gene Simmons would have written for KISS around the same time) ‘Electric Gypsies’ is much more a straight up hard rock record than its predecessor. With just the cover of The Troggs ‘I Can’t Control Myself’ and the acoustic ‘Presences’ proving to be the albums only musical curveballs this time around.

There’s a few nice surprises contained within this CD’s bonus tracks though, with this release adding two previously unreleased live cuts (a cover of the Stooges ‘Search & Destroy’ along with Bernie’s original version of the amazing ‘Star’) recorded in Paris back in 1982 to the already expanded Retrowrek Records’ version of the album that added five additional studio cuts to the running order, the pick of these for me being the much more poppy ‘New World’ which underlines the real depth of Bernie’s songwriting talents when he wasn’t just penning bluesy hard rockin’ anthems.

Just when things were really looking up for the Electric Gypsies a little thing called record company politics would soon rear its ugly head to put a stop to the band ultimately taking the next step up, something that would not only see the record delayed by a year before finally being released on a different label, but also see the band’s line up slowly disintegrate, something that saw the record also move from being promoted as a band record to being a Bernie Tormé solo album.    

With a series of live dates already booked Bernie urgently needed to find a new rhythm section to tour his new record so calling upon the talents of Stampede bassist Colin Bond and one time Iron Maiden drummer Ronnie Rebel this stop gap line up set off on a two week whirlwind trip around the UK and here on discs three and four we get to experience them in all their ragged glory.

CD three in this box set was originally released as ‘Bernie Tormé Live’ via Zebra Records back in 1984, but here it has its track listing expanded from seven to eleven tracks whilst CD four captures the same line up live at Sheffield Octagon, and this boasts the same thirteen song track listing as the version previously released digitally via Bernie’s Bandcamp page.

Both CDs are solid live accounts of the Bernie Tormé band back in 1983, and the bonus tracks tagged to the end of CD three are of particular interest to me, having never previously heard these versions before.

‘Lightning Strikes – Volume One (1982-1983)’ comes complete with the usual high-quality booklet/sleeve notes that you expect from HNE Recordings/Cherry Red Records releases, this one containing some stunning archive photography too.

This box set really set the bar high for any subsequent releases in this reappraisal of Bernie Tormé’s solo career go grab yourselves a copy when it hits the shelves on October 27th.      

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Author: Johnny Hayward

Bernie Torme Memories & A Fitting Tribute

Bernie Torme Memories & A Fitting Tribute
I began writing this a couple of weeks ago but didn’t post it immediately.
Where to begin really, on what began as a short writeup as a tribute on a sad day, that we lost guitarist, Bernie Torme. Lost to us after he’d been hospitalised for the previous four weeks., after his battle with pneumonia. I was shocked, saddened and gutted to learn that this man who has been an influence on me, was no longer with us.
So this tribute became more of a tour through Bernie’s musical path and in some ways my own musical path. The paths crossed over throughout the years in different ways.
Anyway, wind back the clock, to my school days which is where I discovered this great guitarist. There are not many guitarist’s that have impressed me over the years, but Bernie definitely did. Bernie had been on the circuit before I discovered him, but probably the 1st time I showed an interest was when Ian Gillan put together a new solo band. The band didn’t really seem to fit the mould of the rock bands that were around at the time, late 70’s. Gillan came from your typical long-haired rock band of the time, Deep Purple. Then, probably via Sounds music paper, I was introduced to this new Gillan band with this Punky looking guitarist, Bernie, Bald, Bearded and a rather large Bass player, John McCoy, whom we had gotten to know via his playing on the 1st Samson album. Not forgetting the Mr Nic.e guy keyboardist of the band Colin Towns. And completed with Mick Underwood on drums.
Their 1st album, Mr Universe was played non stop during the year of its release in 1979, and is still one I’ve returned to even to this day. The band seemed to be on a constant tour of all the Odeon style venues during 1979/80. They played some venues twice at different times on the 1st tour. I got to catch them at Birmingham Oden on two occasions at both ends of the tour. The tour was memorable for John McCoy swinging out on a wire over the stage and audience, while playing the bass solo. This was around the time that bands included a solo for most of the members of the bands, including Bernie with Gillan. This is where Bernie came into his own with his own distinct guitar sound. It would then lead into the classic Smoke on the Water song being played. Great for those of us that actually were not old enough to get to see Gillan perform it with Deep Purple. Always a moment of chills going down the spine while hearing Bernie play his solo and then go into it.
They played Reading Rock Festival around the same time. Also around that time, they became a regular band, playing on the then ‘in fashion’, musical highlight and programme of the week, Top of the Pops, on a Thursday night. It was great to see our rock hero’s playing side by side with the pop stars of the era. Bernie got to play on a couple more Gillan albums before eventually leaving in 1981, due to , and I think this is right, not coming back from Germany to do a Top of the Pops show. He was then either asked or left on his own.
By this time in 1982, he had gone back to his solo band career and released a new solo album, Turn Out The Lights. And so back out onto the road to promote it with his new 3 -piece format band, which was the style /format of a band, he later was said to enjoy more., with no frontman ego’s and in more control of things. And at this point is where I got to meet Bernie for the 1st time, although I may very well have briefly met him at one of the Birmingham Odeon gigs , where we queued to meet Gillan, the band.
I was singing in what was the 3rd band of my musical career, Firefly. I’m not sure quite how it came about but possibly, me, being cheeky and approaching the Manager of the General Wolfe pub in Coventry and asking for the support slot with Bernie Torme. We had only played a few local pub gigs although we were fairly well known with the rock crowd in Coventry at the time. We didn’t have any demo tape so the manager took us for our word that we were going to deliver on the music front.
The night of the gig was one of my 1st experiences of playing a big gig, well in my eyes at least. Most up and coming bands at the time on the circuit would play the General Wolfe in Coventry. We thought we had made it as we got to use the dressing room area upstairs. We got to socialise with Bernie and his band , chat, and take photos. I don’t recall there being a lot of alcohol being drunk before the gig though or possibly even after.
There was the soundcheck behind closed doors and the nerves kicking in as the venue filled up. By the time we got to go on the General Wolfe venue was packed. I recall we struggled to get through the crowd to reach the stage. We’d never experienced anything quite like this at the time after playing in backroom pubs around Coventry previously to half filled rooms. But surprisingly we did a great show opening for Bernie with a mix of your own original songs and covers and we went down well with the audience.
The standout moment from this night though, I can recall at the end of the night chatting with Bernie and his then-girlfriend , Lisa, in the car park, where he was loading his estate car up with his equipment. Even back then after doing all those big gigs with Gillan and Ozzy Osbourne, he was still so down to earth, friendly and a gentleman.
So on into the 80’s and Bernie teamed up with Phil Lewis of Girl and later LA Guns fame. 1st time we got to hear and see them was on a Friday evening Rock programme called ECT. There was a real buzz around them and one of the highlights from the programme over the few weeks it was aired for. I was fortunate at the time to have one of the 1st video recorders and over the months the two songs that the band Torme, as they were now called, were watched constantly. The two songs were Hardcore and Star that came from the album that was to follow and became the blueprint for a lot of the new Sleaze bands that were emerging. My own band, Fridayz Angelz, at this point were influenced heavily too, with our guitarist a big Torme fan who partly molded himself on him. We had also introduced the song ‘Star ‘into our set. Because of this in later years, I’d also suggested while chatting with Bernie on line, before his 1st Pledge album, that I’d love to sing Star with him one day. I think from this suggestion it may have become one of his Pledge idea’s. So the opportunity did come along for his 1st album Pledge but I wasn’t in a position to put the money up for it. A real shame as I’m sure it would of been fun.
I was fortunate enough to catch the band Torme live at JB’s also in a venue rammed to the hilt. Never got to meet Bernie that night though as there were far too many people who had the same idea.
A few years later when I struck up a friendship and was chatting online to Bernie, he had this to say about the Torme/Lewis Glam connection of the ’80s:
“yes, I suppose the lewis Torme thing was pretty glammy. but then when I was with Gillan earlier on I had the lightning thingy on my face a la Bowie, and makeup and all that. I was but the band wasn’t! That was 79 and 80. A lot of young kids liked that at the time. first electric gypsies gigs in the marquee at least 10% of the audience looked exactly like I did, lightning flash/makeup/pirate clothes. Girls and boys. it was weird.”
Then Bernie, for me at least, seemed to go off the radar after that band split and all was pretty quiet, apart from forming a new band called Desperado with Dee Snider. Unfortunately the album they made never got an official release at the time, and as far as I’m aware no gigs were played.
For me, my own personal life began moving in a different direction also. These appeared to be the wilderness years and I can only guess that Bernie took a backseat a little too with raising his family. He wanted his kids to steer clear of the musical path. As in the words from Bernie in a conversation we had:
“I tried to get my kids to be bankers or lawyers, they all want to be rock n rollers, the two older boys already are……who is going to pay the bills in my old age? buggers!!!”
And so the next time that I got to hear Bernie back doing stuff was with the formation of another 3piece band, GMT with John McCoy and Robin Guy around 2006, although there had been a few low key solo albums through the years leading up. This was the next time that I got to see Bernie play in a gig fairly local, in a small pub called The Crew in Nuneaton. The gig wasn’t packed as in previous times but they were professional and played a full-on gig complete with Bernie’s solo section. A great night though as I got to hang out with Bernie and the band and have a few Guinness’s together and a good chat. It was at this point that Bernie encouraged me to get back to singing and put a band together again. So in the months that followed, I took his advice and did exactly that and put back together the Guttercats, who went on for the next 7 years in different lineups.
But your asking is there a point to mentioning my band? Where’s the connection?
Well, towards the end of the Guttercats we recorded our Whisky Avenue EP that was getting great reviews, and we were handing out free to anyone who wanted it., Bernie included. So read on.
Bernie had released his album Flowers and Dirt via Pledge in 2014 and went out on tour to support it. I’d actually got en quite chatty on Facebook with Bernie by this time and was even helping out setting up events pages on FB for his tour.
At one point I did get told off by Bernie, although in the ended it turned out I’d done him a favour and saved him some money and he was really appreciative of me. Somehow during the 1st Pledge, he had uploaded all his albums and they had become a free download. I’d posted a thank you for all the albums, and Bernie said I needed to take my post down as there had been a blunder on Pledge, fortunately, my post had highlighted it and he was able to change it., as the albums had to be paid for and were not a free download. He would of had to refund people had the problem not been highlighted by me. He thanked me and said he owed me a free T-shirt, that I never took up the offer of.
I caught up with Bernie in Leamington Spa for what was the 1st gig of the tour. A great set although the 1st part of the set the band had been told that they had to keep the volume down as there was a show going on with a comedian in the venue above. Anyway, It was another night of chat with Bernie, that could of gone on all night as Bernie was up for a few Guinness but unfortunately I had to decline as I was driving and had work the next day. Oh well wasn’t meant to be.. Anyway, he signed a couple of vinyl single covers I’d bought along. I also gave him one of the Whisky Avenue EP’s to have a listen to. Wasn’t sure he would listen to it but after being in contact via FB a few weeks later, this is what he had to say.
“Hey Andy, finally got the chance to sit down and listen to your EP, good stuff man! I really like that! all good tracks too! bangin! thank you for that! the band sounds kicking too! Good songs. I wish I was going down whiskey avenue right now! that’s a really good ep, its rock n roll andy, it’s not about perfection it’s about the vibe and attitude and that has it 200%. I really liked it. I get given stuff all the time and I rarely hear anything I like, I really like that.”
I felt very proud and honored to think that Bernie had taken time out to listen to some of my musical work. The fact he enjoyed it so much and the music had made an impression on him was such a great feeling and boost, as it was probably my final musical output and probably my best ever work with a band.
As for Bernie, looking back at 2018 unbeknown at the time, he released his final album, unless there are any unreleased stuff in the vaults? He did his last tour of the UK. Met up with Ozzy, after thirty odd years and Zak Wylde and reunited with Phil Lewis on stage with LA Guns.
Unfortunately, I never got to see Bernie play for last time as, the usual story these days, money is tight for getting out, to see every band, unlike when I was younger, when money seemed no object.
Bernie Torme RIP I thank you and will miss you x
Author: Andy Guttercat-Rothwell

That was the week that was…

That was the week that was…

Well, we certainly didn’t stand still in the last seven days as we brought you reviews from a range of artist old and new with The Lemonheads starting things off with the second studio album of cover versions entitled ‘Varshons 2‘.  As Evan Dando and Co, head out on a UK tour this week to promote the record RPM gave it the thumbs up as Dando led the band through some pretty diverse waters.  Westerberg, Cave and the Eagles all made it onto the record which as an aside came out in a scented banana yellow version as well.

 

 

It was also a week that saw two live albums hit the death decks at RPM with Metallica lending a ‘Helping Hand’ Where they released a double album with proceeds going to a most admirable cause and helping the most vulnerable in society a real genuine act of kindness that doesn’t get the exposure it truly deserves as the rock stars are often castigated for their excesses but seldom praised when they do reach out with a simple yet effective act of kindness.  So a huge well done from us at RPM as Johnny H gets stuck into the double slice of vinyl trouble.

 

 

The second of our live reviews came when Martin gave The Godfather a good seeing to with their fantastic ‘This Is War’ the once over. describing it as, “Loud Sharp and Beautiful”, is about as close a summery as you can get.  It’s fair to say that it damn near captures the current line up right at the top of their game.  It’s certainly raw it’s certainly loud and no question it has the Godfathers roaring on all cylinders and has you wondering why all live albums can’t sound this good.  Essential listening no doubt about it.

We also brought you a summary of this years Gathering from North Wales as Mike Peters and the Alarm romped through a huge chunk of their back catalogue over two nights with plenty of special guests that included original Alarm Guitar player Dave Sharp, from Texas Ryan Hamilton and 80’s pop rockers Mark Shaws then Jerico. This year’s festivities weren’t without incident as the PA went down twice but it didn’t deter PEters who climbed into the audience with his acoustic guitar and un mic’d got the audience singing along and making the most out of a potentially bad situation and making it a memorable evening no doubt about it.  Gathering twenty-Seven was again a privilege to attend and I can’t wait for 2020 and number twenty Eight.

We also brought you The Spangles album launch show from way up North otherwise known as Harrogate as Ben Hughes had an equally splendid evening with an immensely talented band playing one hell of a debut album.  I for one hope there is a lot more to come from these three guys because their album was easily one of 2018 best releases.

As far as news goes we joined the rock world in wishing Bernie Torme a speedy recovery from his hospitalization from double Pneumonia and hope he’s back to full health as soon as possible. The same for our Australian friend Hayden McGoogan from The Black Heart Breakers who also found himself in Hospital this past week – Get yourselves fit and health please gents and I’m sure I speak for all the writers at RPM in wishing you both speedy full recoveries.

There was also some superb festival news as The Dead Boys were announced as headliners for this year’s Rebellion Festival in Blackpool along with Walter Lure who will be playing L.A.M.F. at the festival and across the channel in Belgium Sjock Festival announced a raft of superb bands added to this years festival including RPM favourites The Hip Priests and Barstool Preachers who play alongside The Hives, Hellacopters, Electric Frankenstein, the Briefs  and Gluecifer. To be fair news wise last week was a bumper week for great rock n roll news.

 

Anyway, that was last week on RPM and as we are always looking forward here’s what you can expect this coming week on the website. We’ve got a couple of bumper interviews with the likes of Slyder from Last Great Dreamers as they announce a lot of dates for 2019 in what appears to be a hugely busy year for the band.  Also, we have a monster interview with “Demons” Matheus Carlsson which should see your Friday seem a lot more enjoyable as we spoke about the past present and future of the band in what also looks like a great year for the band.

As for album reviews we’re once again scouring the globe for great bands and we’ve certainly got those coming at you with the debut long player from ‘Wet Dreams’ reviewed today by Johnny H and there is also the long-awaited long player from Jim Jones & the Righteous Mind’ coming later this week as ‘CollectiV’ has certainly been entertaining RPM HQ and what will be one of the years top albums no question about that. We also look back on some significant happenings this coming week in punk, rock and pop music history so keep it RPM folks for all your turbocharged Rock n Roll!

Stay Sick,

L-U-V RPM

 

Get well soon Bernie Tormé 

Get well soon Bernie Tormé 

Former GILLAN and OZZY OSBOURNE guitar legend Bernie Tormé has been hospitalised with double pneumonia.  RPM would like every reader to send prayers (if your that way inclined) and positive thoughts his way that he makes a speedy and full recovery.

The news of the Irish musician’s health issues was broken via his Facebook page earlier yesterday. The post: “Bernie Tormé is extremely ill in intensive care with virulent double pneumonia. We ask for your prayers.” So we’re only happy to oblige. Get well Bernie.

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Buy his latest LP: Here