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WHEN THE AVENGERS WERE MIGHTY
Imagine you were a struggling beat band from Rugby in the early part of the sixties, then imagine being fortunate enough to become part of The legendary Rolling Stones “inner sanctum”. A future secured I hear you say: well read on…
Rugby’s Mighty Avengers were indeed riding high on the crest of beat boom in 1964. Their brand of ‘twang’ pop saw them become the first local band to make an impact on the charts with the Decca single So Much In Love. A song written by the scene leaders Mick Jagger and Keith Richard of the Rolling Stones! Our story however begins some two years earlier.
In 1962 Tony Campbell (lead guitar, vocals) Dave ‘Biffo’ Beech (drums and vocals), Mike Linnell (bass and lead vocal) and Kevin ‘Bep’ Mahon (guitar and harmonica) came together from various Warwickshire bands to form The Avengers. Playing the likes of The Pilot and The Parkstone Club, they built up a class act and indeed a class reputation. This would see them become part of the “Friars Agency” playing alongside acts from the legendary Reg Calvert Clifton Hall stable like Danny Storm and The Strollers and Buddy Britten and the Regents.
Early 1963 saw them become Dean Law and The Avengers for a short stint, Dean was soon to leave and they eventually settled for the name The Mighty Avengers (mainly because a band in Birmingham was also called The Avengers). They continued to support the likes of Joe Brown and even playing with The Beatles at Nuneaton’s Co-op Hall the night Love Me Do was released. Their strong reputation as part of the Coventry “Twang scene” enabled them to sign a deal with Manchester based’ Kennedy Street Artistes Agency’. With stable-mates like Herman’s Hermits, Freddie and the Dreamers and Wayne Fontana, things were positively looking up for them. Manager Danny Betesh negotiated a deal with the famous Decca record label and in early part of 1964 they released their first single “Hide Your Pride”. Despite their popularity with sell-out concerts at the Coventry Theatre and The Matrix Ballroom on Fletchamstead Highway (where the Coventry sound took on the might of Merseybeat in the form of Sonny Webb and the Cascades and Johnny Wells and the Classics), their debut single however proved to be a non-starter and it was back to the musical drawing board.
Their luck was about to change though, when the enigmatic Rolling Stones manager Andrew Loog Oldham took the band under his wing and became their recording manager. Their second single “So Much In love” was written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richard (it’s so easy to imagine Jagger singing this, even though they never commercially released it themselves), produced by Loog Oldham with musical direction by John Paul Johns (who would eventually be part of Led Zeppelin). Although contrary to popular belief I can confirm Mick Jagger did not provide backing vocals on any of the Avengers songs I’m sorry to say. This time the Rugby quartet made the charts, albeit at the lowly number 46 position. Never the less they had made history to be the first ‘local’ band to chart (Frank Ifield had already clocked up 13 hits in the hit parade, but he was of course classed as a solo artist as apposed to a group). The song also found itself at number 79 as The Single of the Year for 1964. Being in the same camp as The Stones meant they had the pick of any song the Glimmer twins decided they didn’t want to use themselves. As was the case for their next 2 singles, the great “Blue Turns To Grey”, though sadly not to be a hit for The Mighty Avengers, but a certain Cliff Richard would chart with it a year later.
Another country that was going crazy for our local lads was Australia. When Loog Oldham was visiting the country with the Stones, he was constantly being asked questions from the press about The Mighty Avengers rather than Jagger & Co, mainly because the Stones had not had an antipodean hit at that point. Even the late lamented John Peel was actively playing their records during his early days on “Kat’s Karavan” on WRR in Dallas.
Their last UK offering in 1965 was the quite magnificent “(Walkin’ Thru The) Sleepy City”. If we lived in a fair and just world this catchy slice of Phil Spector sounding pop would have took residence at the number one spot for several weeks. As former Avengers guitarist Tony Campbell puts it, “We recorded it in one take with at least forty session musos and everything but the kitchen sink”! As it happens it didn’t chart for the guys and this Jagger/Richards gem lies mainly unheard. By 1966 the band were looking at pastures (or at least careers) new. Campbell recalls the many happy memories of the Mighty Avengers time, “Not least the great early days around Coventry, the midnight band bowling league, late night meals at Gregs on Ball Hill. The good friends we made in other bands like the Hinckley Matadors, Tony Martin, Pip Witcher, Don Fardon and a lot more. Happy times in Manchester with Jimmy Saville, Gerry & The Pacemakers, The Hollies, Fourmost, Blue Jeans, Freddie & Herman (affectionately referred to as Gap Gob)”. Tony, Kevin and Dave would eventually form the nucleus of a band who would be called Jigsaw, but that as they say, is another story.
As an end note I recently managed to track down the legendary and very elusive Andrew Loog Oldham, and asked him if he remembered the Mighty Avengers?, he replied, “Of course, often and fondly”. I asked him if he felt they could have been bigger than they actually were? He replied in his usual Delphian way,” We had good songs, and as I recall , had a nice time getting them done, and you can still hear it, it doesn’t get much better than that”.
The Mighty Avengers Trivia
The Mighty Avengers
Formed in 1962, The Mighty Avengers had four claims to fame. Claim to fame number One, saw them link up with loose Cannon manager Andrew Loog Oldham (after their initial release Hide Your Pride failed to do the business). Who just so happened to be managing the Rolling Stones at the time. So the Mighty Avengers got to use the songs that the Glimmers Twins (Mick n Keef) deemed less that worthy for Rolling Stone use.
Claim to fame number Two, one of those songs So Much In Love, was a record that became a record (if you see what I mean). Although only charting at a humble 46, it never the less made history by being the first ‘local’ band to dent the UK singles chart. (Frank Ifield had already clocked up 13 hits in the hit parade by this time, but he was of course classed as a solo artist as apposed to a group). The Mighty Avengers went on to release the singles Blue Turns To Grey (later a hit for Cliff Richard) and the sublime tour de force (Walkin’ Thru The) Sleepy City. Sadly Tony Campbell (lead guitar, vocals) Dave ‘Biffo’ Beech (drums and vocals), Mike Linnell (bass and lead vocal) and Kevin ‘Bep’ Mahon (guitar and harmonica) failed to dent the charts again as The Mighty Avengers, but……
Claim to fame number three, the band would later re-emerge as Jigsaw and take the music world by storm with the ever popular sky High.
Claim to Fame number four, When the late great John Peel died, he left a box of 142 – 7”vinyl singles, believed to be his favourites, amongst them was the single So Much In love. When you look at the company it was keeping, (I refer to the likes of Elmore James, MC5, the Beatles and of course The Undertones), it’s easy to see what an impressive legacy the band left behind them. I recently managed to track down the legendary and very elusive Andrew Loog Oldham, and asked him if he remembered the Mighty Avengers?, he replied, “Of course, often and fondly”. I asked him if he felt they could have been bigger than they actually were? He replied in his usual Delphian way,” We had good songs, and as I recall , had a nice time getting them done, and you can still hear it, it doesn’t get much better than that”.
Drummer Dave “Biffo” Beech will be joining Pete and Bob Brolly on Friday 21st April to chat about the old times.
Trivia
PETE CHAMBERS