When The British Invasion hit American shores there were not only The Beatles,The Rolling Stones,The Animals,The Kinks,Manfred Mann,The Hollies,The Searchers,Dave Clark Five,Gerry and The Pacemakers,etc.,there were also female singers like Sandie Shaw,Marianne Faithful,Lulu,Dusty Springfield,Petula Clark. Some of these female singers had a genuine mystique about them like Greta Garbo and Marlene Dietrich. Sandie Shaw for example. Sandie is presently almost 70 years old and she is as lovely as ever. They say she is about 5'10 and photos don't capture her amazing in person beauty. About 2 years ago Sandie changed hairstyles from the Vidal Sassoon cut that went with her earliest records to an equally stunning short shag with spikes. She's been in the U.K. music business for a long time and in the past couple of years has finally begun to talk about retiring.
Recently Sandie did several videos and one of these which in an honestly,middle aged conservative but not entirely unsympathetic sort of way,look at drugs and gang-ism among kids in London who are about 15 years old. Anyhow,that's the overall impression I get watching them. Before you say "sellout" I'll be 60 in a few days. The world looks different at that age and Sandie is nearly 70. Most folks are "kids" to her! And there's nothing Nancy Reagan in nature about these videos! Sandie Shaw was born Sandra Goodrich,1947,and grew up in Dagenham about 40 miles from London. She was finished with her school studies at 17 and she had started work at Dagenham's Ford plant. If I'm not mistaken she worked on analog computers in the plant's main office,data punch cards,etc. With the coming of the Beatles Sandie had a transistor radio so she could catch the Top 40 off of the UK's various pirate stations. And her bedroom wall was covered with posters.
When beat music broke out big in 1962,there were package tours who would do a run of the entire British Isles. These would do 50 dates or something like that in 2 months. A tour might include The Fourmost, The Rockin' Berrys,The Nashville Teens, Lulu, The Hollies, The Swinging Blue Jeans, Cilla Black, Freddie and The Dreamers,The Remo Four,Paul and Barry Ryan. These tours would come to Cheltenham,Portsmouth or Bornemouth and play at a Civic Center or a movie theatre. They also played The Holiday Camps. These shows must've been an exciting break in suburban monotony for a lot of kids. So one evening Sandie went to go see Adam Faith and various packaged acts. The evening started with a talent show. Sandie was somehow persuaded to participate and she won first place! Lady Luck stepped in, in the form of Adam Faith who was in the stage wings and he watched and listened to Sandie's performance. He was impressed.
A couple of the guys in The Hollies strongly urged her to go backstage and meet Adam Faith. Adam was one of her heroes. She couldn't resist. She went backstage and Adam was impressed that she wasn't cowed or intimidated by any of The British Invasion big shots who were hanging around. Instead she made folksy,friendly conversation with them. Sandra Goodrich got a pleasant surprise when Adam Faith told her a few minutes later that he was putting her in contact with Manager Eve Taylor and Producer Chris Andrews. This was 1964 and she met with the legendary chain smoking Eve Taylor one week later. Eve told her certain changes would have to be made. Her show business name would be "Sandie Shaw". The black plastic glasses would have to go. Sandie's 1958 looking hair in a bun was transformed in a few minutes into the "Swinging London" Vidal Sassoon job which she wore for years. Sandie was soon wearing mini-skirts and pop art clothes.
So Sandie was signed with Pye Records and she went into the studio with Chris Andrews as producer and out came her first record which was "As Long As Your Happy Baby". It was released in the U.K. and Europe. It was a great girl singer record. It sold a handful of copies and it charted but not highly. At least it was a start. Sandie,Chris and Eve weren't about to give up. Eve Taylor went to New York and made the rounds to many song publishers looking for the perfect 2 or 3 minute song that would be a blockbuster smash breakthrough for Sandie. Eve finally came up with "There's Always Something There To Remind Me". Sandie went into the studio and Chris produced a beautiful and somber arrangement for the song with strings and horns. The song was released in September 1964 and many fans still think of it as Sandie Shaw's signature tune. The song was released in The USA and it was a major hit on Top 40 radio. Sandie appeared on Shindig in The USA and Ready Steady Go in The U.K. She followed it up with the somber and spooky "Girl Don't Come" then later came "Long Live Love".
Sandie had several dozen 45rpm releases in the UK/Europe and many of these made number 1. "Message Understood" "Nothing Comes Easy" "Tell The Boys" and many other hit records. As an interesting touch Sandie always performed barefoot and she surely still would. As a performer and as a celebrity persona Sandie Shaw had a genuine mystique about her. Not many people in music or entertainment can lay claim to something like that! She seemed a bit superhuman to the kids who came to her shows and bought her records. Fortunately this never got out of hand. Marianne Faithfull had a similar kind of romantic image. 1965 went by and the records and shows continued. 1966 was a good year but Sandie was breifly hounded by The British tabloids about being seen going out on several dates with a man who's divorce wasn't final yet! I think this was illegal in England. This was the cold war era and there were plenty of laws and ordinances like this all over The USA,Canada,The U.K. , Europe. The truth is these laws were seldom enforced yet they could creep up on you where you would least expect them to.
Oh well,the matter passed over and Sandie went about her business. Yet it makes you thankful that many of those old regulate the bedroom laws have been struck down over the years. Sandie played several British and European TV shows circa' 1966-1967. Shows like "Whole Scene Going On"-1966 "Beat Club"-1966 "Beat Aus London"-1967 and an extravagant "Beat Beat Beat"-1967 which included The Jimi Hendrix Experience,Ernestine Anderson,Dave Dee,Dozy,Beaky,Mick and Tich,Simon Dupree and The Big Sound. Sandie had sung in The Eurovision competition just a few days earlier and she won the award for the UK! Not to be outdone,Beat Beat Beat's producers presented Sandie with a "Madame of Beat" award. Sandie Shaw had a whole slew of hit records down through the 70s and the 80s. Sandie was married for awhile to a guy who spent all of her money. Her career faltered briefly in about 1978.
Coincidentally,Patti Smith was in London and she stopped off at one of those Asiago Cheese and Latte places and was amazed to find out Sandie Shaw was one of the waitresses. Patti alerted Chrissie Hynde right away. Chrissie and friends in the London Punk Rock Scene more or less bailed Sandie out you could say. A further boon to Sandie at this general time window was Steve Morrisey's cover of "There's Always Something There To Remind Me" which drew attention to both Sandie and Steve Morrisey. Sandie collaborated often with The Smiths throughout The 80s. In all that time She hadn't forgotten about her American fans and I have a Killer VHS tape of a 1988 NYC Bottpm Line concert by Sandie Shaw. Much of the concert consists of haunting and spellbinding new songs along with many of her old sixties hits. Sandie is in great form in the show and her in between song banter and rapport is disarming and very humorous. She seems extremely relaxed and in her element. If you can find it it's in New York City at The Bottom Line and it's a two hour 1988 set. Sandie is slowing down a little bit but you can expect her to be a grand Madame to the scene in general for many years to come. Sandie was a childhood hero of mine and I saw her on Shindig more than once that I can remember. She did a 50 concert tour of The British Isles and Australia in 2012 with The Jools Holland Orchestra.
The 1967 Beat Beat Beat show featuring Sandie and assorted guests is glorious and magnificent. Beat Beat Beat was The Hessischen Rundfunk corporation of Frankfurt's incredible teen hop TV show in conjunction with The Armed Forces Network. People like The Yardbirds and The Creation played absolutely live on Beat Beat Beat. 26 very good quality shows have survived. It is known that there are lost Beat Beat Beat shows. Maybe 15 or 20. The lost shows were probably radio only for AFN broadcasts. This May 1967 show with Sandie was broadcast and videotaped at The Stadhalle in Offenbach. The sound quality is excellent and the black and white video tape is likewise,excellent. The show stars Sandie Shaw,Ernestine Andersen,The Jimi Hendrix Experience,Simon Dupree and The Big Sound,Dave Dee,Dozy,Beaky,Mick and Tich. It's emceed by Charlie Hickman who speaks fluent German and had been an American Top 40 deejay who became famous in Germany. The house band is Cheri Waner and Don Storer. Cheri plays a huge skating rink Organ while Don plays rimshot drums. Cheri and Don are German. They contributed lively versions of tunes like "Cast My Fate To The Wind" and "The Girl From Ipanema".
Ernestine Anderson is a great American singer who sings a mixture of straight blues,jazz and pop. She sings 2 songs with backing from Cheri and Don. She was very famous in the 50s and the 60s. Beat Beat Beat had exceptional coverage of the R&B and Soul music that was very predominant in the mid-sixties era. Simon Dupree and The Big Sound were an earlier incarnation of Gentle Giant. The nucleus of the group was lead singer Simon Dupree(not his real name)and a sidekick somewhat like Mark Volman in the Turtles. The sidekick sang backup and played a whole slew of extra instruments so as to round out the sound in the background. There was also a guitarist,bass player,drummer and an organist. Simon Dupree and The Big Sound were interesting to watch. They played great versions of "I See The Light" and "Each and Every Day". Cheri and Don come back in the show later with The Swing Classic "Canadian Sunset".
Okay,you know what i'm gonna say. It's Dave Dee,Dozy,Beaky,Mick and Tich time again. They were an electric Banana-bubble gum music band in England circa 1966-1967. They wrote great silly songs and their singing and harmonies were very,very good. They were fops in stuff like outlandish neckties and striped bell bottoms and scarves,Unicycles,bananas and Umbrellas. They played four songs in the show and it was one of their songs that was the best thing in the show! The song was called "Bend It". The lead guitar player played a Balaliaka. The Jimi Hendrix Experience played "Stone Free" "Purple Haze" "Hey Joe". Musically and visually they are very much the incredible Jimi Hendrix Experience in this Beat Beat Beat show. And if a bonus DVD had come with copies of "Are You Experienced" or "Axis Bold as Love",these exciting TV appearances would've been ideal! Jimi played his stratocaster with his teeth and behind his back. Jimi.Mitch and Noel had long afros and fantastic weird clothes. Regent street went all out! This is one of the few films or video tapes that captures the guys in the full context of "The Jimi Hendrix Experience". They released "Are You Experienced" and played The Monterrey Pop Festival a couple of weeks after this TV broadcast.
So now we come to Sandie. She won the Eurovision competition only a few days before this Beat Beat Beat broadcast. Sandie looks very sultry in almost too much makeup,her typical Vidal Sassoon hairstyle,a pop art mini-dress and she's barefoot. Sandie's portion of the show is lip-synched but it's still very exciting. She mimes to "Tell The Boys" "Puppet On A String" "Had A Dream Last Night". Before "Puppet On A String" Charlie Hickman presents Sandie with a "Madame of Beat" award.probably thought up by the show's producers. Sandie is a good sport about it and doesn't come across as terribly taken aback or embarrassed. She looks great. The kids can't take their eyes off of her. "Tell The Boys" is a classic female vocals song but "Had A Dream Last Night" is her best song in the whole show!
Everybody knows there are managers,producers,and all kinds of people working in the music industry who make their young girlfreinds into big stars. Sandie Shaw ain't one of those. And there are numerous bands and record labels who are boys clubs for overgrown 12 year old's and in these things "chicks" give and they also sing backup. So it's harder for a young woman if she writes good songs and wants to play bass or guitar or electric piano or drums. When artists like Patti Smith,Joan Jett and Chrissie Hynde came out in the 70s it was a breakthrough for women in Rock. Of all of Rock's sub genres I think you'll find the best talent and imagination in Punk Rock
In the mid-sixties there weren't many rock and roll groups with women featured heavily handling such instruments as a Hammond B-3 organ,Les Pauls and Stratocasters or a drumset. Honey Langtree fronted The Honeycomb and there were female groups such as The Pleasure Seekers,The Liverbirds,The GTOs and Merilee and The Turnabouts. There were many female garage bands as you go throughout the country but most of these weren't marketed widely. Unfortunately,even though this was beginning to change at that time,the mid-sixties was a time when people assessed you according to presupposition and stereotype. People in the industry may have thought women had a lack of stamina needed to tour and play long sets. There were performers like The Ronettes,The Shangri Las,Martha and The Vandellas,and I don't know if I should use the word "ballsy" in connection with women. They were really quite intense! There were several TV shows in 1964 and 1965 like Hullabaloo,Shindig,Shivaree,Lloyd Thaxton. There were others,too. I grew up in southern Illinois about a half hour or 45 minutes away from St.Louis,Mo. My Dad and Mom were nice people who gave me my space. Even when I was 7 or 8. I was lucky to have them as my parents,an awful lot of Moms and Dads won't do that! But my town and my school expected me to be interested in hunting,fishing and baseball. It's just an opinion but I thought it all sounded like a five star pain in the ass. Sandie is on Facebook and she has a website. Google
Sandie Shaw Suggested Videos
Always Something There To Remind Me: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFOM33aA 1964
Girl Don't Come: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PadwVCI2I 1964
Tell The Boys,Had a Dream Last Night: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3N9PxnWj 1967
