Thank you for uploading this. My dear Dad died suddenly nearly 3 years ago, he played guitar in the 60's in the local scene in Norfolk. Johnny Kidd and the pirates was one of his favourite bands, he played Johnny's music to me and many more when I was young, It got me into music in a big way, I took up the drums thanks to Dad and I'm still playing to this day!
I was the singer with an Oxford band and we were the support band for Johnny Kidd and the Pirates at a gig in The Corn Exchange, Newbury. My only memory of the day was after the gig we were talking to them and one of the Pirates showed us the record player mounted in the dashboard of their van and a load of 45s stacked on a broom handle bolted to the front passenger floor. I believe it was just a few months before Johnny Kidd died.
Another knockout rockumentary, YP. I've always loved the orginal _Shakin’ All Over_ track by Johnny Kidd & the Pirates but never knew their whole back story until now. Thanks for filling me in.
Wow… what a fascinating video, impeccably researched as usual! I saw the ‘reborn’ Pirates a few times during the late ‘70’s & they were a phenomenal live act, with Mick Green’s simultaneous lead & rhythm guitar playing a wonder to behold. He was funny too… he’d look out at the audience & say “it’s all geezers… where are all the women?!”
@johnkoliwaske8389 So this is where Bowie got the idea for the pirate eyepatch for Diamond Dogs in 1974 is from Johnny Kid And The Pirates, not Captain Harlock The Space Pirate.
On 11 May 1960 Gene Vincent's first recording session at Abbey Road Studio in London, UK took place. So in the 60s Gene was more British rock artist than American. That'd be just fantastic if you make some film about Gene, the original Black Leather Rebel, in the 60s, till his death in 1971 at the age of 36.
Didn't Gene move back to the States in '68 or so? Great suggestion, tho'. I saw Gene backed by Alice Cooper at the Toronto R'n'R Revival on 13/09/69. Sadly he wasn't on top form.
@sMansGuitars I'll have to listen to Gene's recordings with Peel again. I don't really recall them. I was too young in the fifties, but I had a similar experience playing 'Heartbreak Hotel' on a UK HMV 78 when I was 11 in '64.
I'm a musician and can kind of relate to some of the stuff Johnny Kidd And The Pirates went through and Shakin All Over was one of the first songs I ever sang live,we were never as big as them or anything,we never got farther then bars but just the bad gigs and stuff,my manager back in the sixties got really close but his band bombed out at the Monterey Pop Festival,his band was managed by Bob Dylan's manager,they got that close to making it!,I myself am still plugging away at it today because music is what I do,I can't stop,rock to you drop! Bob
@@aquatarkus2022 We had a few weird stories as a band but my manager did date Linda McCartney when she was Linda Eastman,he sent her a tape of our band and she responded to him that Paul was between labels at the time and couldn't do anything to help us,I doubt Paul ever heard any of it. Bob
I remember The Pirates in the Punk era and everyone saying what a great guitarist Mick Green was. Some of those early records really smash hard! I'd only really heard the hits before , so , as usual, I thank you for another fine informative and inspirational piece.
Being a singer/guitarist in the 1950's I saw Johnny Kid and his band live in Aberdeen . The guitar playing of Joe Moretti was fantastic. I played the solo of Shakin All Over many times.
At the moment there is only one CD l play in the car. Johnny Kidd and the Pirates greatest hits. On the way to dropping my 11- year -old granddaughter at school , the Johnny Kidd track ‘ l Can Tell’ came on. She loves the programme ‘ Wednesday’ , l think because she looks like her😀 She said l know this song. She thought it was The Cramps track ‘Goo Goo Muck’ which Wednesday dances to in the programme . Over 60 years later Johnny Kidd is still an influential figure in Rock music!
In Australia 'Shakin' All Over' was a huge #1 hit (double A-side with a Latino version of 'Que Sera Sera') for Normie Rowe (Australia's biggest solo pop star of the day), in fact it was one of the biggest selling singles of the decade over here full stop. It's a bullet-proof song, even if you do a half-decent version it's going to kick arse. A true classic rock 'n' roll song from the pre-Beatles era. Superb video once again!
I wonder if Adam and the Ants fashioned themselves after Johnny Kidd and the Pirates? The music that Johnny Kidd was producing sounds to my ear an influence on the British New Romantics.
@@YesterdaysPapers I wasn’t aware of that. I never did a deep dive into the Ants. Only familiar with the singles that were released in the States and with the emergence of MTV, their promotional/ music videos.
Thanks for sharing. I first read about Johnny Kidd & The Pirates decades ago in a rock music history book in my school library. I remember the author mentioning the band dressed up in costumes, like a forerunner to Paul Revere and The Raiders, an act that was big in the mid- to late '60s here in the States. Didn't get to hear the original version of "Shakin' All Over" until I was probably in my late 40s. Glad I did. Classic track. Shawn R., Mo-Mutt Music/Sacred & Secular
Thanks so much for this episode. I own most of those singles and know them all pretty well. I even play a few of those songs live at Open Mics from time to time. However, it's great to run through them all with such great period footage. I saw Johnny and the Pirates on TV quite a lot in '63. so it's a shame that none of that footage remains. One small point: Radio Luxembourg was totally legal and wasn't a Pirate Radio station in any sense of the word. Other great Britsh rockers for you to cover? Cliff Bennett and the Rebel Rousers and Cliff did cut some great rockers too.
Stumbled across this and I'm so glad I watched. I'd heard of them but never knew that brilliant, classic 'Shakin All Over' was even British and written by Johhny Kidd himself. He had a terrific voice and the Priates were extremely talented musicians so I can see how they influenced many of our great rockers like Townsend and Bowie. Sad to discover he died at just 30 years old.
An absolutely fabulous rockumentary...? on such an iconic band....thanks so much, and looking forward to more of your magical work in 2024...have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Thank you for another illuminating short film about yet another seminal and essential British rock band about whom I was heretofore completely ignorant. Too bad about Frederick "Johnny Kidd" Heath's untimely death in a car crash on the eve of John Lennon's 26th birthday, 8 Oct. 1966.
I was playing in a group in Belfast in those days and met the group when they played here. They were great guys and chatted away to us. I loved their music and watched them playing Shakin’ all Over and tried to copy it.
For me he was the greatest rocker in England in the generation of British rock before the arrival of the Beatles. For me, the biggest frustration was that he didn't release an album during his lifetime, he deserved this award, in addition to the fact that we don't have any images of shows of him and his band live.
What a great surprise this is, so very well done and some fantastic photos and so much information. The guys produced some good sounds that did not seem appreciated at the time, some of it ground-breaking stuff but for some reason it was just not seen as such that time. The lads are possibly appreciated now better than in the day as their history is as much a story of British rock. Thanks so much for this. RIP Johnny.
First came accross "Shakin.." on a NZ comp of 60s British hits,Shakin all over is an absolute classic as is his earlier hit "Please don't touch" --Johnny Kidd and The Pirates were true pioneers and showed that Brit artists were more than capable of writing true American-sounding Rock n Roll,Thanks for the doc about JK,much appreciated Auckland New Zealand 2023
In my opinion the Best English rock and roll band of the time, I first saw them as a part of the Bruce Channel tour and they really took off when Mick Green joined, not sure of the line up when they added an organ though, I saw this line up at Queen Mary College in London then saw them with this line up in Sidcup Kent, two weeks before he died. The funny thing is that when I saw him on the Bruce Channel tour , the thing that stuck in my mind was the guitarist's guitar, it had a silver sparkle finish and when the spotlight was on him, it sent beams of light all over the place, it was probably a Gretch sparkle Jet, funny how the mind works after all these years, that must have been about 60 years ago
They added organist Vic Cooper in 1964 and he is first heard on the "Jealous Girl" single. "Your Cheatin' Heart" on the flip was one of around a dozen songs recorded the same year for what would have been Johnny Kidd's first album. The lack of charting success for "Jealous Girl" brought to an end hope for the album. Mick Green left to be replaced by John Weider. When he left, John Morshead joined - it is this line-up seen in the few seconds of live action film that was preserved in a documentary made in Northern Ireland (exact details foggy in my mind).
So Adam and The Ants totally stole their look from them. And a bit of their music too. So did Johnny Halliday, Another fantastic edition of YP. Merci beaucoup! And RIP Wilko Johnson, happy you were Ser Ilyn Payne. RIP Johnny Kidd
Merci beaucop, Nathalie! I think Adam & The Ants even covered a couple of songs by Johnny Kidd & The Pirates so they were definitely influenced by them.
Tony and Russell Heath were 1 and 2 years respectively behind me at Roxeth Hill Primary & Junior School in South Harrow. Their dad would dutifully turn up at school sports days in the hooped shirt and eye patch and we would all get autographs on sweet wrappers, or whatever we had. It took me a few years to realise that he didn’t always dress like that….but he was clearly a good sport. Fred “ Johnnie Kidd” Heath would have died just after l started senior school, so I wasn’t in touch with his sons at that point. But it must have been incredibly hard for them. In later years I have performed and played Shakin’ All Over a great many times. A true classic…..
I live in Whitefield, in Bury MBC area. Sadly, Johnny KIdd and a 17 year old girl were killed in a head on car crash in nearby Breightmet, Bolton, right on the border with Radcliffe, now part of Bury. The collision happened in October 1966 when, in that year, a record number of people were killed in the UK in traffic accidents, nearly 8,000, which still stands as a peacetime record in the UK. Compare that to the current annual death toll, under 2,000 with around three times as many vehicles on the road as 57 years ago.
This is a great video, Johnny Kidd and the Pirates were my first ever ‘favourite’ band. I remember switching on a Friday in late 1962 to watch the repeat of Tuesday Rendezvous as JK was the headline act (pop groups only got on kid’s shows in those days) - supporting them were, if I recall, Freddy and the Dreamers and some other Liverpool group - the Beatles or something! Thanks for doing this - great memories
I didn't know one of my favourite bands, Dr Feelgood, were influenced by Johnny Kidd. Having now heard the excellent, innovative songs he made, with a superb band, I now understand.
I remember hearing that song on wsou-fm from N.J./N.Y. they play that and Round and Round from the Rolling Stones. It was a good station they played all different type of rock and soul. Don't know if they still do that. I moved to Florida
More unknown history. Great job as usual. I was surprised to know "Shakin All Over" wasn't by an old Black R&B band, or Country guys inventing Rock&Roll , like Carl Perkins etc.
Johnny Kidd & the Pirates reste une exemplaire aventure musicale à laquelle, aujourd'hui encore, nous continuons de nous référer, et Johnny Kidd avait une voix. Grand regret qu'il n'y ait pas la moindre petite vidéo de lui.
My band, The Partisans, opened for the band at The Gamp Club, Edinburgh in June 1965. Really nice friendly guys. Let us use all their terrific equipment. Fantastic live band when they came on. Being a small club got a great early heavy sound. Wonderful experience. 🙋♂️👏👏
Johnny Kidd had such a sad end to his life I would say he was the best Rock 'n' Roll singer alongside Billy Fury to come from this country Let's not forget them and their great music God Bless Billy and Johnny Rest In Peace thanks for the Legacy of great music you left us Love always Nige xx
And still no film of The Kidd and the group playing a song. I read years ago that somebody thought Dave Clark had a film of them because he owns (and restricts) access to the Ready Steady Go archive but nothing has surfaced. I'd have to take issue with the comment right at the end of this film that The Pirates enjoyed 'some success' during the punk period. Commercially perhaps but there is the story about their appearance, second on the bill, at the Reading festival in 1978, They were so good that the leader of the headliner was said to be annoyed that his group had to follow them. The headliner was The Jam.
1:54 Radio Luxembourg was *NOT* a pirate station. It was a *legitimate* commercial station operating out of the European city-state that was its namesake.
Please could we remember Helen Read, 17, of Sunnybower Street, Tottington; and, Mini driver, Peter Metcalfe, (trainee accountant), her boyfriend, of Quarlton Drive, Hawkshaw, Bury, too. Three died that night. RIP.
Loving these longer episodes. We’ve been so spoiled by you lately. I love that we’re getting into more early 60s. Are you eventually gonna do the mid to late 50s rock n roll era as well?
Johnny Kidd and the Pirates were iconic during the early 60s before merseybeat era, Kidd had a bit of Gene Vincent charisma, band sounded more "garage" and they played rock even before rock was even born. Such a sad loss in 66, they could catch a second wave, because in their heydays, they were way ahead of their time. They skipped that 60s beat part and became "rock" stars too soon. Shaking All Over is the all time classic, I love the version by The Guess Who (but it's more beat and rock and roll influence with the vibe of early psychedelia in it). I think they came out with the definitive version of this mighty song. Thank you for this episode of YP.
Radio Luxemburg was not a pirate radio station it was licenced in Luxemburg. The record playing radio station was in existence from the 1950s, took over broadcasting at 6 pm each evening from the French speaking programming until late into the night. Pirate radio started in the 1960s broadcasting from ships such as Radio Caroline out of what's then territorial waters. The pirate stations were eventually killed off when the government started BBC Radio 1,poaching DJs from the ships. I actuall saw Johnny Kid and the Pirates when they appeared at the Odeon in my home town along with Bobby Vee and others on a One Night Stand.
Thank you so much for putting this mini documentary together. I knew hardly anything about Johnny Kidd. The only problem with this video is the interview voice overs are almost unintelligible. They're mixed with music behind them at a very low volume and it's hard to make out what's being said.
Great video Yesterday's Papers about this early influencer in the British rock scene. I have heard a couple of songs by Kidd and knew about his influence but this video went in deeply in to his career and several songs I never heard before by him. Thank You for posting as I learned a lot more about this great artist who is one of the pioneers of British Rock of Roll.
Una legendaria banda de la que aquí en Zacatecas es imposible conseguir algún disco, pata lis que somos coleccionistas sus discos son verdadero oro molido. Viva el viejo Rock n Roll inglés es rl mejor del planeta, les mando un abrazote desde Zacatecas, México.
What a GREAT post, YP. I knew nothing about this group, even that they had the original Shakin' All Over. What a wealth of knowledge you have about British music. I always look forward to learning from you. All the best, mate.
6:56 I Want That is my personal favourite of his disc. It has the menace of the early discs, with the wonderful loud and boisterous female backing vocalists, which is unusual for a British disc. I'll Never Get Over You is also an essential Beat era classic.
Shame on me I didn’t know who wrote Shakin All Over. The first time I heard it was by the Guess Who, the second time by The Who.The reharmonization of the song at the end of this YP issue perfectly fit the story.
Now this was fascinating. I really liked it. On the funny side, I hope those hairdos never come back in style. I saw the date of Johnny's passing was October 8, 1966, which was my sixth birthday. You know how I reacted when I saw that. Can't wait for the next episode.
![Joe Meek | The Freakbeat Singles (1964-67) [Mini-documentary]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/YCIb31y5wfU/mqdefault.jpg)
The guitar in shaking all over is absolute perfection!
Agreed!
Wholeheartedly agree. It could, and never has been bettered.
I've read that a cigarette lighter was used, for the pick.
"Shakin' All Over" is an all-time jam.
I first heard FLAMIN' GROOVIES version, nobody can ruin that classic
Can you say that again in English?
@@theelvisguru9490 can you stop shitting in English?
Look at Vince Taylor
version ⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️
@@club_rock What a fantastic band.
Shakin' all over, the greatest all time UK rock n roll record. Never be topped, caught the era to perfection.
Second that !
I always liked Johnny Kidd and the Pirates.Great times.and I am now 76.
What a sad story, He struggled for everything he had and it folded up so fast. One of the lost rockers. RIP Johnny Kidd.
Thank you for uploading this. My dear Dad died suddenly nearly 3 years ago, he played guitar in the 60's in the local scene in Norfolk. Johnny Kidd and the pirates was one of his favourite bands, he played Johnny's music to me and many more when I was young, It got me into music in a big way, I took up the drums thanks to Dad and I'm still playing to this day!
I was posted to RAF Coltishal in 1967 until demob in 1971 often going to listen to local bands. You never know I might have actually seen your dad.
Brilliant Let's Not forget Johnny Kidd and The Pirates Please God Bless Johnny Kidd and Mick Green RIP Love Nige xx
This is a great mini documentary of Johnny Kidd & The Pirates. Thanks for all the work you must have done to put this together
Cheers!
I was the singer with an Oxford band and we were the support band for Johnny Kidd and the Pirates at a gig in The Corn Exchange, Newbury. My only memory of the day was after the gig we were talking to them and one of the Pirates showed us the record player mounted in the dashboard of their van and a load of 45s stacked on a broom handle bolted to the front passenger floor. I believe it was just a few months before Johnny Kidd died.
I had the great pleasure to meet the Pirates in 1966 when they opened for Tom Jones and Jerry Lee, at Bradford, just a week after Johnny Kidd death.
Another knockout rockumentary, YP. I've always loved the orginal _Shakin’ All Over_ track by Johnny Kidd & the Pirates but never knew their whole back story until now. Thanks for filling me in.
Cheers!
Wow… what a fascinating video, impeccably researched as usual! I saw the ‘reborn’ Pirates a few times during the late ‘70’s & they were a phenomenal live act, with Mick Green’s simultaneous lead & rhythm guitar playing a wonder to behold. He was funny too… he’d look out at the audience & say “it’s all geezers… where are all the women?!”
@johnkoliwaske8389 So this is where Bowie got the idea for the pirate eyepatch for Diamond Dogs in 1974 is from Johnny Kid And The Pirates, not Captain Harlock The Space Pirate.
@@johnpolitis7929 Bowie never hesitated steeling others ideas, he did it with style.
@@anfrankogezamartincic1161 So why not Captain Harlock as well?
@@johnpolitis7929 who the fuck was cpt. Harlock?
On 11 May 1960 Gene Vincent's first recording session at Abbey Road Studio in London, UK took place. So in the 60s Gene was more British rock artist than American. That'd be just fantastic if you make some film about Gene, the original Black Leather Rebel, in the 60s, till his death in 1971 at the age of 36.
Didn't Gene move back to the States in '68 or so? Great suggestion, tho'. I saw Gene backed by Alice Cooper at the Toronto R'n'R Revival on 13/09/69. Sadly he wasn't on top form.
@sMansGuitars I'll have to listen to Gene's recordings with Peel again. I don't really recall them. I was too young in the fifties, but I had a similar experience playing 'Heartbreak Hotel' on a UK HMV 78 when I was 11 in '64.
Saw the later group at the famous Middlesbrough Rock Garden late 70s "Shook All Over" 😂 brilliant
@@dancingdavethomas3866 I loved that line-up's records, but I never saw them live.
his style was 100% American
I'm a musician and can kind of relate to some of the stuff Johnny Kidd And The Pirates went through and Shakin All Over was one of the first songs I ever sang live,we were never as big as them or anything,we never got farther then bars but just the bad gigs and stuff,my manager back in the sixties got really close but his band bombed out at the Monterey Pop Festival,his band was managed by Bob Dylan's manager,they got that close to making it!,I myself am still plugging away at it today because music is what I do,I can't stop,rock to you drop! Bob
You must have some great stories.
@@aquatarkus2022 We had a few weird stories as a band but my manager did date Linda McCartney when she was Linda Eastman,he sent her a tape of our band and she responded to him that Paul was between labels at the time and couldn't do anything to help us,I doubt Paul ever heard any of it. Bob
Met him in '64 when a group I was in supported him at Holbeach. He was a lovely quietly spoken guy.
I remember The Pirates in the Punk era and everyone saying what a great guitarist Mick Green was. Some of those early records really smash hard! I'd only really heard the hits before , so , as usual, I thank you for another fine informative and inspirational piece.
Cheers!
I saw The Pirates at Stirling Uni in the late 70's and Mick Green was absolutely standout brilliant.
Being a singer/guitarist in the 1950's I saw Johnny Kid and his band live in Aberdeen . The guitar playing of Joe Moretti was fantastic. I played the solo of Shakin All Over many times.
At the moment there is only one CD l play in the car. Johnny Kidd and the Pirates greatest hits. On the way to dropping my 11- year -old granddaughter at school , the Johnny Kidd track ‘ l Can Tell’ came on. She loves the programme ‘ Wednesday’ , l think because she looks like her😀 She said l know this song. She thought it was The Cramps track ‘Goo Goo Muck’ which Wednesday dances to in the programme . Over 60 years later Johnny Kidd is still an influential figure in Rock music!
Shakin All Over is a classic
In Australia 'Shakin' All Over' was a huge #1 hit (double A-side with a Latino version of 'Que Sera Sera') for Normie Rowe (Australia's biggest solo pop star of the day), in fact it was one of the biggest selling singles of the decade over here full stop. It's a bullet-proof song, even if you do a half-decent version it's going to kick arse. A true classic rock 'n' roll song from the pre-Beatles era. Superb video once again!
Thanks! I agree, it's such a great song that even mediocre covers are still pretty good.
Other than Johnny Kidd, Normie Rowe was the only one I thought was really good on this song
@@barbaraburgoyne8359 The Who on 'Live at Leeds' is the only other definitive version for me.
I've never heard of 2 different artists on the same disc!
I wonder if Adam and the Ants fashioned themselves after Johnny Kidd and the Pirates? The music that Johnny Kidd was producing sounds to my ear an influence on the British New Romantics.
For sure, Why waste time being original when you can copy someone else's ideas. 🙂
I was thinking the same thing. They definitely looked like they had an influence on Adam & the Ants. Especially fashion wise
I think Adam & The Ants even covered a couple of Johnny Kidd & The Pirates songs so they were definitely influenced by them.
@@YesterdaysPapers I wasn’t aware of that. I never did a deep dive into the Ants. Only familiar with the singles that were released in the States and with the emergence of MTV, their promotional/ music videos.
Their look perhaps however, they sound more like The Strangeloves with the two drummers and Bow Wow Wow aka The Ants covered I Want Candy.
Thanks for sharing. I first read about Johnny Kidd & The Pirates decades ago in a rock music history book in my school library. I remember the author mentioning the band dressed up in costumes, like a forerunner to Paul Revere and The Raiders, an act that was big in the mid- to late '60s here in the States. Didn't get to hear the original version of "Shakin' All Over" until I was probably in my late 40s. Glad I did. Classic track. Shawn R., Mo-Mutt Music/Sacred & Secular
Thanks so much for this episode. I own most of those singles and know them all pretty well. I even play a few of those songs live at Open Mics from time to time. However, it's great to run through them all with such great period footage. I saw Johnny and the Pirates on TV quite a lot in '63. so it's a shame that none of that footage remains. One small point: Radio Luxembourg was totally legal and wasn't a Pirate Radio station in any sense of the word. Other great Britsh rockers for you to cover? Cliff Bennett and the Rebel Rousers and Cliff did cut some great rockers too.
Cheers, Graham! I love Cliff Bennett and the Rebel Rousers so maybe I'll make a video about them in the future.
“You got what it takes” became the last big hit for the Dave Clark five in the United States in 1967
Funny they got big hits again in the uk after the USA hits .
Dave Clark - Good businessman - Song thief - Average drummer.
Stumbled across this and I'm so glad I watched. I'd heard of them but never knew that brilliant, classic 'Shakin All Over' was even British and written by Johhny Kidd himself. He had a terrific voice and the Priates were extremely talented musicians so I can see how they influenced many of our great rockers like Townsend and Bowie. Sad to discover he died at just 30 years old.
SHAKIN' ALL OVER is UKs "Louie Louie", the song you can't forget. And that Morretti guitarist (Green too) was something else
anfranko. Johnny Kidd Shaking all over is 1000 times better than simple and répétitive louie louie that could have been done by ans amateur group !
An absolutely fabulous rockumentary...? on such an iconic band....thanks so much, and looking forward to more of your magical work in 2024...have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Thank you for another illuminating short film about yet another seminal and essential British rock band about whom I was heretofore completely ignorant. Too bad about Frederick "Johnny Kidd" Heath's untimely death in a car crash on the eve of John Lennon's 26th birthday, 8 Oct. 1966.
Wonderful band. It's hard to believe that the Pirates we know from the '70s were such a late and short-lived line up with Kidd.
Kudos to you for managing to do such a good piece without a single second of footage.
Tragic how their legacy has been lost/wiped.
I've still got "I'll Never Get Ove You" on my PC playlist...
I was playing in a group in Belfast in those days and met the group when they played here. They were great guys and chatted away to us. I loved their music and watched them playing Shakin’ all Over and tried to copy it.
For me he was the greatest rocker in England in the generation of British rock before the arrival of the Beatles.
For me, the biggest frustration was that he didn't release an album during his lifetime, he deserved this award, in addition to the fact that we don't have any images of shows of him and his band live.
Vince Taylor, Johnny Kidd.. GREAT! Love it! Keep it comin'!
What a great surprise this is, so very well done and some fantastic photos and so much information.
The guys produced some good sounds that did not seem appreciated at the time, some of it ground-breaking stuff but for some reason it was just not seen as such that time.
The lads are possibly appreciated now better than in the day as their history is as much a story of British rock. Thanks so much for this. RIP Johnny.
Wow! there's some 45s I've never seen before! Excellent film about a singer that influenced so many future stars.
First came accross "Shakin.." on a NZ comp of 60s British hits,Shakin all over is an absolute classic as is his earlier hit "Please don't touch" --Johnny Kidd and The Pirates were true pioneers and showed that Brit artists were more than capable of writing true American-sounding Rock n Roll,Thanks for the doc about JK,much appreciated Auckland New Zealand 2023
In my opinion the Best English rock and roll band of the time, I first saw them as a part of the Bruce Channel tour and they really took off when Mick Green joined, not sure of the line up when they added an organ though, I saw this line up at Queen Mary College in London then saw them with this line up in Sidcup Kent, two weeks before he died.
The funny thing is that when I saw him on the Bruce Channel tour , the thing that stuck in my mind was the guitarist's guitar, it had a silver sparkle finish and when the spotlight was on him, it sent beams of light all over the place, it was probably a Gretch sparkle Jet, funny how the mind works after all these years, that must have been about 60 years ago
They added organist Vic Cooper in 1964 and he is first heard on the "Jealous Girl" single. "Your Cheatin' Heart" on the flip was one of around a dozen songs recorded the same year for what would have been Johnny Kidd's first album. The lack of charting success for "Jealous Girl" brought to an end hope for the album. Mick Green left to be replaced by John Weider. When he left, John Morshead joined - it is this line-up seen in the few seconds of live action film that was preserved in a documentary made in Northern Ireland (exact details foggy in my mind).
Just catching up with this - great research and a fitting tribute to Johnny Kidd,
So Adam and The Ants totally stole their look from them. And a bit of their music too. So did Johnny Halliday, Another fantastic edition of YP. Merci beaucoup! And RIP Wilko Johnson, happy you were Ser Ilyn Payne. RIP Johnny Kidd
Such sad news didn't know wilko died still remember those songs along with dr feelgood the great ones are leaving us
Merci beaucop, Nathalie! I think Adam & The Ants even covered a couple of songs by Johnny Kidd & The Pirates so they were definitely influenced by them.
Shaken all Over was my first 45rpm I bought❤
Terrific research and presentation. Love the channel.
Tony and Russell Heath were 1 and 2 years respectively behind me at Roxeth Hill Primary & Junior School in South Harrow. Their dad would dutifully turn up at school sports days in the hooped shirt and eye patch and we would all get autographs on sweet wrappers, or whatever we had. It took me a few years to realise that he didn’t always dress like that….but he was clearly a good sport.
Fred “ Johnnie Kidd” Heath would have died just after l started senior school, so I wasn’t in touch with his sons at that point. But it must have been incredibly hard for them.
In later years I have performed and played Shakin’ All Over a great many times. A true classic…..
Cool story.
Steven. I met the Pirates in Bradford in 1966, just à week after Johnny Kidd death.
N.B. Van Morrison recently covered "Shakin' All Over." CLASSIC !!!!!
I live in Whitefield, in Bury MBC area. Sadly, Johnny KIdd and a 17 year old girl were killed in a head on car crash in nearby Breightmet, Bolton, right on the border with Radcliffe, now part of Bury.
The collision happened in October 1966 when, in that year, a record number of people were killed in the UK in traffic accidents, nearly 8,000, which still stands as a peacetime record in the UK. Compare that to the current annual death toll, under 2,000 with around three times as many vehicles on the road as 57 years ago.
This is a great video, Johnny Kidd and the Pirates were my first ever ‘favourite’ band. I remember switching on a Friday in late 1962 to watch the repeat of Tuesday Rendezvous as JK was the headline act (pop groups only got on kid’s shows in those days) - supporting them were, if I recall, Freddy and the Dreamers and some other Liverpool group - the Beatles or something! Thanks for doing this - great memories
Cheers, David!
I didn't know one of my favourite bands, Dr Feelgood, were influenced by Johnny Kidd.
Having now heard the excellent, innovative songs he made, with a superb band, I
now understand.
Who knew? So important to uncover the roots of this great song. спасибо.
Yesterday's Papers became one of my favorite channels here on RUclips!
Cheers!
I remember hearing that song on wsou-fm from N.J./N.Y. they play that and Round and Round from the Rolling Stones. It was a good station they played all different type of rock and soul. Don't know if they still do that. I moved to Florida
A great story very well told. Thank you.
More unknown history. Great job as usual. I was surprised to know "Shakin All Over" wasn't by an old Black R&B band, or Country guys inventing Rock&Roll , like Carl Perkins etc.
Yeah it's cool hearing hearing songs that pioneered guitar-driven Rock that isn't American
Only thing missing is fuzz! Lol
@@eternallife9786 Nooooooooooooooooooooooooo ....... 🙂
@@eternallife9786 You'll have to wait for Satisfaction or Think for Yourself.
@@terryenglish7132?? 🤨
Wow, NEVER heard of them and i thought i knew a lot of stuff about rock ;n roll...
Great video on a true britsh rock n roll legend along with a nice self composed piano instrumental outro with a nod to the Pirates😊
Thank you so much for this wonderful tribute. Freddie Heath was my cousin
Really liking these videos on 50s rock n roll. Impeccably researched as always!
Thanks!
Really GREAT to come across this really useful video here just now !! Thanks a lot for making and posting it.
I never thought any band matched the stage energy and coolness of the Ramones until I saw the Pirates late 70s version.
Very thoughtful video, RIP Johnny
Fantastique johnny Kidd !
Great video ... thanks for posting.
No mention of the Motorhead/Girlschool cover of "Please Don't Touch"? It charted in 1980.
Terrific documentary ! Thank you
Johnny Kidd & the Pirates reste une exemplaire aventure musicale à laquelle, aujourd'hui encore, nous continuons de nous référer, et Johnny Kidd avait une voix. Grand regret qu'il n'y ait pas la moindre petite vidéo de lui.
My band, The Partisans, opened for the band at The Gamp Club, Edinburgh in June 1965. Really nice friendly guys. Let us use all their terrific equipment. Fantastic live band when they came on. Being a small club got a great early heavy sound. Wonderful experience. 🙋♂️👏👏
Very cool!
Johnny Kidd had such a sad end to his life I would say he was the best Rock 'n' Roll singer alongside Billy Fury to come from this country Let's not forget them and their great music God Bless Billy and Johnny Rest In Peace thanks for the Legacy of great music you left us Love always Nige xx
And still no film of The Kidd and the group playing a song. I read years ago that somebody thought Dave Clark had a film of them because he owns (and restricts) access to the Ready Steady Go archive but nothing has surfaced.
I'd have to take issue with the comment right at the end of this film that The Pirates enjoyed 'some success' during the punk period. Commercially perhaps but there is the story about their appearance, second on the bill, at the Reading festival in 1978, They were so good that the leader of the headliner was said to be annoyed that his group had to follow them. The headliner was The Jam.
Yeah, it's pretty sad that none of their TV appearances have survived.
1:54 Radio Luxembourg was *NOT* a pirate station. It was a *legitimate* commercial station operating out of the European city-state that was its namesake.
Please could we remember Helen Read, 17, of Sunnybower Street, Tottington; and, Mini driver, Peter Metcalfe, (trainee accountant), her boyfriend, of Quarlton Drive, Hawkshaw, Bury, too.
Three died that night.
RIP.
Loving these longer episodes. We’ve been so spoiled by you lately. I love that we’re getting into more early 60s. Are you eventually gonna do the mid to late 50s rock n roll era as well?
I'll probably make a video focusing on that era sooner or later. Glad you enjoyed the video, cheers!
Johnny Kidd and the Pirates were iconic during the early 60s before merseybeat era, Kidd had a bit of Gene Vincent charisma, band sounded more "garage" and they played rock even before rock was even born. Such a sad loss in 66, they could catch a second wave, because in their heydays, they were way ahead of their time. They skipped that 60s beat part and became "rock" stars too soon. Shaking All Over is the all time classic, I love the version by The Guess Who (but it's more beat and rock and roll influence with the vibe of early psychedelia in it). I think they came out with the definitive version of this mighty song. Thank you for this episode of YP.
I like this channel so much.
Given all the amazing British talent, Johnny Kidd, Billy Fury etc it’s amazing that people rate Cliff Richard
Thanks for this one. I can't believe I had never heard of Johnny Kid and The Pirates but what a great story.
Who plays that piano version of Shakin' All Over at the end? Very haunting.
I recorded that myself. It's "Shakin' All Over" in C minor!
Excellent! New to me. Now I wonder if Kidd was the inspiration for Bowie's eye patch phase.
Bowie was a Johnny Kidd fan so he probably was.
Love this video. Great work
Radio Luxemburg was not a pirate radio station it was licenced in Luxemburg. The record playing radio station was in existence from the 1950s, took over broadcasting at 6 pm each evening from the French speaking programming until late into the night. Pirate radio started in the 1960s broadcasting from ships such as Radio Caroline out of what's then territorial waters. The pirate stations were eventually killed off when the government started BBC Radio 1,poaching DJs from the ships. I actuall saw Johnny Kid and the Pirates when they appeared at the Odeon in my home town along with Bobby Vee and others on a One Night Stand.
The man who gave them a new name did them a HUGE favor.
Very well presented and I never knew about the tragic end. Looking forward to seeing more of your films, thankyou.
Danny Kelly always says You Really Got Me was first British rock’n’roll record but for me it’s always been Shakin’ All Over, classic!!
Move it Cliff Richard 1958
You’ve a point there that’s a great song before Cliff went all Eurovision!!
Thanks l great documentary 👍
Loved the first single from the first listen years ago. Thanks for more of the background story and samples of other worthy tracks. Excellent job !
Absolutely loving the "YP" mini-doc videos! Great work guys.
Thank you so much for putting this mini documentary together. I knew hardly anything about Johnny Kidd.
The only problem with this video is the interview voice overs are almost unintelligible. They're mixed with music behind them at a very low volume and it's hard to make out what's being said.
Nice on video, thank you so much!
if you hear the opening of shakin all over it will send shivers down your spine its pure hard British rock
Amazing story and one of your best vids to date man. Love this channel and all the work you put into it. ✌️❤️👏
Thanks!
This channel gets better with every episode!🤙
OMG YP is doing this presentation too?!! Lol- we must have the same record collection.
Great video Yesterday's Papers about this early influencer in the British rock scene. I have heard a couple of songs by Kidd and knew about his influence but this video went in deeply in to his career and several songs I never heard before by him. Thank You for posting as I learned a lot more about this great artist who is one of the pioneers of British Rock of Roll.
Una legendaria banda de la que aquí en Zacatecas es imposible conseguir algún disco, pata lis que somos coleccionistas sus discos son verdadero oro molido.
Viva el viejo Rock n Roll inglés es rl mejor del planeta, les mando un abrazote desde Zacatecas, México.
Abrazo.
I am always knocked out on the quality of YP videos. Footage, Graphics, like it happened yesterday.
What a GREAT post, YP. I knew nothing about this group, even that they had the original Shakin' All Over. What a wealth of knowledge you have about British music. I always look forward to learning from you.
All the best, mate.
Cheers, Willie! Glad you enjoyed the video
I love the striped pirate shirts
6:56 I Want That is my personal favourite of his disc. It has the menace of the early discs, with the wonderful loud and boisterous female backing vocalists, which is unusual for a British disc. I'll Never Get Over You is also an essential Beat era classic.
Shame on me I didn’t know who wrote Shakin All Over. The first time I heard it was by the Guess Who, the second time by The Who.The reharmonization of the song at the end of this YP issue perfectly fit the story.
Cheers, Jean-Marc!
An excellent video about a really cool group. Well done! Rock on!
Cheers!
Great to hear the history, thanks, really enjoy the channel. Rock on 🙏🎶🎵❗👀
Now this was fascinating. I really liked it. On the funny side, I hope those hairdos never come back in style. I saw the date of Johnny's passing was October 8, 1966, which was my sixth birthday. You know how I reacted when I saw that. Can't wait for the next episode.
Cheers, Chris!