Marquee: The Story of the World’s Greatest Music Venue–Book Review
Marquee: The Story of the World’s Greatest Music Venue–Book Review
Robert Sellers & Nick Pendleton – Marquee: The Story of the World’s Greatest Music Venue (paradise Road pbk 2024)
Reading a book about the glory days of London’s Marquee Club is a bit like catching up with an old friend. I cut my teeth there in my teens when live music turned from an occasional treat to a full-time fixation. I saw people like Ten Years After and Jethro Tull start out there before disappearing to US fame and fortune. A year earlier, I’d have been able to see the real ground-breaking psychedelic warriors like Pink Floyd, Soft Machine, the Nice, and many more.
Naturally, the book concentrates on the club’s glory days in Soho’s Wardour Street, although there are also mentions of the original Oxford Street venue and the present-day tourist version in the West End. It’s also fascinating to read about the club’s role in putting on the ever-migrating Jazz and Blues festival, and how the club was able to operate as an amalgam of talent spotting and finishing school for new groups and solo artists. A Monday night (New Acts) residency at the Marquee was a big plus on any group’s CV. Being active seven nights a week meant the club had to be open to new acts. Owner Harold Pendleton – whose son is co-author here – was in many ways an old-school jazz head. Along with manager John Gee he had little liking for scruffy long-haired groups but could be won around by those prepared to put in the hard yards. There’s an amusing anecdote from the Floyd’s Nick Mason about the management’s disdain for the group’s musical limitations and inconvenient light show setup.
One of the most fascinating parts of the book is the list of gigs played there – 30 times each for David Bowie and the Who! 29 times for Ten Years After … some many more. Equally, there were legendary one-offs like Jimi Hendrix or the early sets played by the then Pink Floyd Sound, still transitioning from R&B covers to the Syd Barrett era. Psych road warriors like Family, the Crazy World of Arthur Brown, and East of Eden played many shows there.
It was one of those one-offs that provided one of the most powerful gigs I’ve ever seen, then or since, when Country Joe and the Fish played in March ’69. The UK scene had become dominated by the hard rock sounds of Zeppelin, Sabbath, and Purple – all great on their day but followed by armies of wannabe copyists. Equally, the musical variety was shrinking fast – so it was a treat to hear songs like “Section 43” and “Martha Lorraine” from the long cherished Electric Music unfold in its stately splendour. And there was always the chance of the odd surprise, like seeing Steve Miller (in town to record Brave New World) jamming with Ten Years After.
As far as the psychedelic scene was concerned, the Marquee never went for a total underground identity like the UFO Club, Middle Earth, and the Roundhouse. It’s interesting in that context to find out about the Sunday afternoon Spontaneous Underground sessions, beginning in 1966, started by US expat Steve Stollman. The whole thing sounds now almost like a parody of the 60s – no artists were booked, the idea being that the crowd and whatever they brought were the gig (man!) But contrary to expectation it turned out to be a huge success, with impromptu appearances from the likes of Donovan. The energy and connections made at those shows were a big step in the early days of the London psychedelic scene – and also an indication that this wasn’t to be a flash in the pan craze.
Generation X onstage at the Marquee in 1977. Photograph (c) Adrian Boot
Another very nice touch in the book is the reproduction of the original Marquee flyers and adverts. The full monthly lists for February and March ’66 are fascinating – and not just for how cheap the shows were! The music on offer was still divided between jazz and rock, with the occasional US big name like Charlie and Inez Foxx. I’m always intrigued, too, by the also-rans, vying to be up there with the Yardbirds and Small Faces – who were the Frugals, the Summer Set, the Loose Ends, or the Objects– and what became of them? The book has other well-chosen illustrations. The map of the Soho area is a nice touch. There are plenty of shots from gigs plus the iconic Who Maximum R&B poster.
It’s interesting to see how the Marquee was generally able to adapt and absorb as various music movements came and went or put down roots, from Punk to various “new” formats of heavy rock and progressive. If I have any criticism, it’s the absence of fan’s voices, with everything being recounted from the musicians’ point of view. But that’s a minor quibble set against the rest of a well-researched and compiled book which should be read by anyone interested in the early days of London’s psychedelic music scene and the story of a unique music venue.
Related: Pepperland: the Untold Story of the Infamous Rock Venue
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