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After the breakup of
John's Children, Hewlett went to work for Apple in the publishing division. Then,
when Apple started falling apart, he went into management with Gallagher &
Lyle and later McGuiness Flint. He soon lost interest working with all these
singer songwriters and it wasn't really the sort of music he liked. So
Jook
was a conscious attempt to get back to he really wanted.
The thought was the
brainchild of Ralph "Ian" Kimmet, who at the time worked for Feldman's
publishers in London. He and Trevor White spent some months in Ian's
native Scotland, fulfilling a long cherished desire to 'write some
songs', and put a band together. Before they left Chris Townson
(John's Children drummer) had discussed the desire to be part of that
project, being of no fixed abode or gainful employment (in terms of
drummage!). After six months or so,
Chris received a call, asking him to come along and see if his
drumming was as compatible with the material. This was particularly
relevant to his relationship with Ian 'Hacker' Hampton, who Trevor
White and 'Ralf' Kimmet had picked up on the way.
Jook.... Probably the
most fun I had in the music business, but ultimately the most
disappointing...a real 'nearly' band. (Chris Townson quoted). And that's what
Jook
was about: a 70's John's Children, complete with futuristic Mod
clothes. They made five 45's in a year, powerful records with Slade-like
production, teen rebellion lyrics and Townshend-styled guitar, (one of which
Oo Oo Rudi inspired early Irish label mates of the Undertones to name
themselves Rudi) - and recorded an unreleased album called Different Class -
to little commercial success. Some of the songs were great,
from the debut "Alright With Me" to the tremendous flip side of their last
single "Crazy Kids" (later remade by Trevor White, both versions are among
the all-time classic teenage anthems).
As it was, the records were relative flops, and Trevor White left
with
lan Hampton to join the Sparks Propaganda
band (June
1974-December 1975) after
Martin Gordon (Radio Stars) was
fired.
Ian Hampton then backed Elizabeth Barraclough in 1978 (2 albums released on
Todd Rundgren's (Sparks producer) label Bearsville.
Chris
Townson joined Martin Gordon in Jet #1 (June 1974 until July 1975) along
with two former Sparks members (Peter Oxendale and Martin Gordon), the
former John's Children singer Andy Ellison and Davy O'List (the Nice guitar
player).
Trevor White joined Jet #2 from August 1975 to
August 1976 replacing the often unpredictable Davy O'List, several demos
were recorded, but the band fell apart. While Martin Gordon teamed up with Ian North (Milk
'n' Cookies leader) (October 1976 to December 1976) to form Ian North's
Radio, Andy Ellison went around the record companies with the Jet demo
tapes and secured a contract with Ted Carroll's Chiswick label. Gordon returned, following a brief daillance
with Ian North's Radio and they got hold of Ian McLeod (Jet #2 guitarist),
and Radio Stars were ready to release their first single Dirty Pictures /
Sail Away (Chiswick NS9 April 1977) produced by Trevor White.
For a while, Trevor White led a band with Adrian
Fisher (Sparks guitarist), Ian Hampton and Marc Mortimore. Then, in July
1978, Trevor White who had cut a single for Island : Crazy Kids / Moving In
The Right Direction June 1976, joined Radio Stars until January 1979. At the
beginning of September 1978 they embarked on a massive 47 date tour to
promote their HOLIDAY ALBUM (Chiswick CWK 3001), they worked hard until
Christmas, when Gordon decided to leave to form a new band "The Blue Meanies"
(Pop Sensibility - Mercury July 1980). Trevor White, Andy Ellison and Ian McLeod
decided to continue as Radio Stars until September 1979. That was the end.
In 1978, Chiswick records released in Great
Britain a 4-song EP of Jook, maybe the best material of the band, RULE O.K.
(Chiswick SW 30), originally the EP had been released in 1976 in the USA on
the "J-J" label owned by John Hewlett and Joseph Fleury. In 1981, Trevor White forms The Four squares
with John Hewlett, Dinky Diamond (former Sparks drummer) and Chuck Wagon (later
with Los Angeles band The Dickies), some demo tapes were recorded but
nothing surfaced. Finally , Trevor White reunited with Martin Gordon in 2000
for the "Nothing To Do Tour" de Jet performing his "Crazy Kids" tune.
And in 2005, maybe the world will be ready for a
Jook revival with the issue of the never released Jook album Different
Class. Today the US market for 70`s power pop has
embraced the Jook, whilst elsewhere such as the UK and Japan the market for
proto punk has equally identified the Jook for re-appraisal. Whichever way
you look at it the band had something going for them and as this unique
collection attests there was plenty of substance to their material. The
sleeve design is based on the bands look of the period as captured by noted
rock photographer Gered Mankowitz . Its is a look Mankowitz furthered with
one of his next commissions, for The Jam. Name spray painted on a wall ,
spiky mod haircuts, accusatory stares at the camera, stark black and white
with plenty of murky shadow. This collection has had the full input from the
band members, including loan of archives and leader Ian Kimmett digging up
his original album songwriter demos as a special bonus.
Track listing: Alright
with Me / Do What You Can / City And Suburban Blues / Shame Shame
Shame / Oo-Oo-Rudi / Jook`s On You / King Kapp / Rumble / Bish Bash
Bosh / Crazy Kids / Aggravation Place / Everything I Do / La La Girls
/ Watch Your Step / Hey Doll / That`s Fine / Mohair Sam / Cooch /
Different Class / Movin` In The Right Direction
Bonus tracks:
Aggravation Place (Ian Kimmett demo) / Everything I Do (Ian Kimmett
demo) / La La Girls (Ian Kimmett demo) |
