Terry Reid at Cluny 2, Newcastle

Last night I made what has become in recent years, something of an annual outing, to see the legend that is Terry Reid. The venue was the intimate Cluny 2 on the outskirts of Newcastle upon Tyne.

The audience were enthusiastic and Terry seemed genuinely pleased and even visibly moved to be back, supported as always in these parts by some of his County Durham family members.

In my view, the thing about Terry Reid has always been his incredible voice but I have to confess that in the past two years, I have witnessed a deterioration in his vocal range which somewhat limited my own personal enjoyment of this year's event. Nevertheless he is never anything but entertaining as in between songs, he regales us with stories of his many and varied experiences since embarking on the journey as a rock musician when he was a mere 15 years old.

I referred in a previous post of his tendency to name-drop yet to Terry himself it is no such thing. The names he drops into his stories are (or in some cases were) genuine friends. So among those who got a mention last night were Robert Plant, Graham Nash, Richie Havens, Don Henley, Joe Walsh, Jack Nicholson and even Tommy Cooper. All of his tales appear to be ad-libbed and are delivered in the eccentric way that only Terry Reid can. The guy certainly has a way of connecting with his audience and consequently those around me lapped it up. I noticed also that there were a fair number of shall I say younger people scattered among the crowd possibly a consequence of Reid's recent collaborations with Rumer, Michael Grimm and DJ Shadow. Bringing the back catalogue of Terry Reid's work to a younger audience surely cannot be a bad thing.

Perhaps there has been a shift in the raison d'etre for seeing Terry Reid live these days and people are attending as much for the storytelling anecdotes as they are for the music. If so, maybe I need to make that adjustment if I intend to see him live again next year. 

Regarding the music, Reid played a mixture of covers by Brian Wilson, Marty Robbins, The Louvin Brothers, interspersed with his own 'To Be Treated Rite', 'Without Expression',  'Brave Awakwening', 'Seed Of Memory' and a rare outing for 'Rogue Waves'.

Something that should appeal to those who relish hearing his tales of life in the rock'n'roll fast lane, was the news that a documentary on his career is currently being filmed. I must confess that I will be looking forward to that being broadcast.

So in my view last night was a bit of a mixed bag, which you could say sums up the life and career of Mr Reid. Nevertheless I have since found myself humming strains of 'Seed of Memory'. And there's nothing wrong with that!

Terry Reid - Gateshead Old Town Hall

He was introduced onto stage as the man who has a TV programme named after him. The Voice - Mr Terry Reid!

And so the hundred or so people who had managed to obtain tickets, welcomed him to the stage, resplendent in pale blue jacket over blue shirt, white jeans and black deck shoes. His dress as eccentric as the man himself. There was a brief reference to the last time he performed in Gateshead when by his own admission he was "really unwell". Now thankfully he seems in far better spirits.

Reid is currently at the beginning of a tour which will culminate at the Isle of Wight Festival on 23rd June. That got him talking about his first visit to the festival site back in 1970. He shared a tale of how Keith Moon of The Who burned his hands larking about with arc lamps prior to going on stage. That is very much part of Reid's stage show these days. It's almost as much about the stories of encounters with other well known rock names as it is about the music. Call it name dropping if you will but I think it is just Terry Reid enjoying himself.

During the two hours he was on stage, the audience were treated to several such stories. Then of course there was the music we had all come to hear. Kicking off with 'Bend in the River' a song by Marty Robbins, he then launched into his own material. 'Faith to Arise', followed by a more recent song 'Night of the Raging Storm' about the effects of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Then one of my personal favourites 'To Be Treated Rite' which was in turn followed by 'The River'. Between songs Reid kept up his patter. Delivering stories in his own eccentric way utilising strange hand movements and expressions. This is all very much part of the Terry Reid persona.

A new song still in the development stages came next and then Reid did his own take on The Beach Boys' 'Don't Worry Baby'. Stories about his time living in Hong Kong led to a song written during that period and he then delivered a wonderful version of 'Brave Awakening' his acknowledgement to the coal mining roots of his family. This is a song which has been recently covered by Rumer (Sarah Joyce) on her album 'Boys Don't Cry' in which she gives her interpretation of songs by people like Townes Van Zandt, Ronnie Lane and Todd Rundgren. It demonstrates that there is a younger audience who will appreciate these songs. A conversation between Rumer and Terry Reid has subsequently led to them agreeing to perform together at The Jazz Cafe in a couple of weeks time.

By this time, the curfew hour had arrived and Reid was getting signals to wind up his set. He seemed in no mood to stop but after 'Seed of Memory' he said his thanks and ambled off stage to rapturous applause.

The voice is now a little rougher round the edges than it once was but then that can be said about a number of his contemporaries. Nevertheless he can still belt out a song and with his repertoire of songs and stories, a night in his presence is never less than entertaining.

Terry Reid

The man who almost fronted Led Zeppelin is how many people have now come to view Terry Reid.

After The Yardbirds had disbanded in 1968, guitarist Jimmy Page began assembling musicians for a new band that he intended calling The New Yardbirds. His choice for lead singer was 18 year old Terry Reid but Reid declined the offer preferring to focus on his own career. He did however suggest a midlands based singer by the name of Robert Plant for the role. The band name changed to Led Zeppelin and the rest, as they say, is history.

Terry Reid was born in Huntingdon in 1949 and by the time he was 15 years old, he was playing as a professional musician in Peter Jay’s Jaywalkers. When they broke up in 1967, Reid signed with renowned producer Mickie Most and recorded his first album ‘Bang Bang, You’re Terry Reid’. The album was not a commercial success but Reid had secured live work supporting Fleetwood Mac, Jethro Tull and ultimately in 1969, The Rolling Stones. Fronting a powerhouse trio along the lines of Cream, Reid played lead guitar and sang in his inimitable style. It was in fact his voice that caught the attention of most, leading to no less a figure than Aretha Franklin to declare that ‘...there are only three things happening in England; The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and Terry Reid’. Dubbed ‘Superlungs’ after a Donovan song recorded for his second album, Reid has been described as ‘the most soulful British vocalist ever’.

Blighted throughout his career by poor management decisions and atrocious luck, Terry Reid has never reached the commercial heights of some of his contemporaries. Nevertheless he has released a string of fine albums and his songs have featured in films and been covered by others who recognise his talents. Most recently Jack White’s band The Raconteurs included Reid’s song ‘Rich Kid Blues’ on their album ‘Consolers of the Lonely’ and this year Rumer included 'Brave Awakening' on her album 'Boys Don't Cry'.

I first became acquainted with the music of Terry Reid in (I think) 1969 when he supported Jethro Tull at Newcastle City Hall. I was so impressed I went out the following day and bought his latest album. I have followed his progress ever since but never got to see him live again until 2009 when he played at The Sage in Gateshead. Sadly he was not in good form (he was unwell on the night) and I left after half a dozen numbers. I returned to see him at The Cluny in Newcastle last year and like the rest of the audience I was blown away. Performing solo with acoustic guitar he demonstrated that those superlungs are still in fine shape. Tonight (Friday 1st June) he plays as part of the Evolution Festival at Gateshead Old Town Hall. Getting a ticket has been a nightmare (that's another story) but I will be there and hope to report on that in due course.

Wishing all you UK readers a great holiday weekend.