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Derek Boltwood

Derek Boltwood

London was exploding with musical talent when I left Hornsey Art College clutching my Fine Arts degree in 1967. Most of the people I knew were either in – or trying to get into – the music business. Ray Davies had left Hornsey a couple of years earlier, and now the Kinks were beginning their legend. Pink Floyd were kick-starting theirs around the corner at Crouch End. My girlfriend Babs had just joined a dance group called Pan's People. I was trying to be a DJ in a forgettable club somewhere near Notting Hill. Painting pictures was not producing the income I needed to survive.

A weekly music paper called Record Mirror was looking for an Art Editor. So, with a little help from my friends¹, I became an art editor. A couple of months after I'd taken the job I noticed that, while I was slaving at my desk all day, the journalists were out enjoying themselves. So, with a little help from my friends², I became a journalist.

I wrote for Record Mirror for a wonderful couple of years, met some amazing people, made some terrific friends and had some unforgettable times ... most of which I've forgotten. I was in at the birth of some great bands and partied with people who were creating musical milestones. I kept writing. When a bunch of West Country hippies wanted to start a mystical rock festival at Glastonbury, they invited me to share my musical expertise with them. I, in turn, learnt to divine lay lines.

I managed one of the best rock bands in the country for a while – the Pretty Things. One night, returning from a music festival, my car was written off. I ended up in hospital. I should have been in America, tying up a band tour. But, being bedridden, it didn't happen. My appetite for the music business was on the wane. So with a little help from my friends³, I wrote a novel and had it published.

I was struggling to finish my fourth book, so moved out of London and down to Dorset for rural solitude and inspiration. I didn't finish the book, but I met the love of my life. We married. We ran a thatched inn by the sea for five years. We had – and have – three wonderful children. Glynis and I now live in the south of France.

¹ Norman Jopling, feature writer, Record Mirror
² Peter Jones, editor, Record Mirror
³ Shel Talmy, record producer and publisher (Talmy Franklin)

47 articles

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The Hollies, Paul Jones, Spencer Davis Group: Granada, Mansfield

Live Review by Derek Boltwood, Record Mirror, 18 March 1967

HOLLIES JONES DAVIS TOUR ...

1-2-3, Jimi Hendrix, Garnet Mimms: Jimi Hendrix, Garnet Mimms, 1-2-3: Saville Theatre, London

Live Review by Derek Boltwood, Record Mirror, 13 May 1967

I ALWAYS get the impression that the American Soul Singers visiting this country are graduates of the 'National Soul Factory of America'. Garnet Mimms at ...

Georgie Fame, Denny Laine, The Moody Blues: Denny Cordell: The Man...

Interview by Derek Boltwood, Record Mirror, 5 August 1967

...behind Procol Harum, the Move, Georgie Fame and Denny Laine talks about why he is a record producer ...

The Move: Show-biz & The Move

Interview by Derek Boltwood, Record Mirror, 5 August 1967

THOSE ONE-time gangsters, Carl, Trevor, Chris, Bev and Roy are MOVE-ing in on us again, with a single due for release in a week or ...

Jeff Beck: "I Don't Suppose I'll Get Married — All I Want Is My Music" Says Jeff Beck

Interview by Derek Boltwood, Record Mirror, 26 August 1967

WHAT ARE the rewards of two years as one of the top guitarists in the pop business? ...

The Flowerpot Men: Flowered, Belled and Beaded

Interview by Derek Boltwood, Record Mirror, 23 September 1967

"I WAS strolling casually through the dining-car of a British Railways choo-choo train the other day, flowered belled and beaded, as befits a Flowerpot Man, ...

Procol Harum: The Harum Troubles

Interview by Derek Boltwood, Record Mirror, 30 September 1967

WHEN FIVE individuals come together to experiment with music and ideas, and produce a collection of individual sounds blended together to create one of the ...

Traffic: Saville Theatre, London

Live Review by Derek Boltwood, Record Mirror, 30 September 1967

TRAFFIC GREAT AT SAVILLE ...

Arthur Brown, Eire Apparent, The Herd, Jimi Hendrix: Jimi Hendrix Experience, Arthur Brown, The Herd, Eire Apparent: Saville Theatre, London

Live Review by Derek Boltwood, Record Mirror, 14 October 1967

Hendrix and Brown triumph at the Saville Theatre... ...

Jefferson Airplane: The Fantasy World of Grace Slick...

Interview by Derek Boltwood, Record Mirror, 21 October 1967

THE WONDERS of modern science never fail to leave me gasping for breath. I find it absolutely incredible to think that I could, for example, ...

Pink Floyd: 'We Feel Good' Say The Pink Floyd

Interview by Derek Boltwood, Record Mirror, 21 October 1967

LITTLE DID Mike Leonard know, during the second half of the nineteen-forties, that the experiments he was making in a new art form he was ...

Arthur Conley: The Prince Of Sweet Soul Music

Interview by Derek Boltwood, Record Mirror, 28 October 1967

THE WORLD of Pop is pretty crazy. And it's pretty crazy when a twenty-one-year-old singer is 'discovered' twice in his twenty-one-year-old life by two of ...

Vanilla Fudge, The Who: The Who, Vanilla Fudge: Saville Theatre, London

Live Review by Derek Boltwood, Record Mirror, 28 October 1967

OH MY GOODNESS yes. It was definitely an ear-splitting, mind-blowing, supersonic-sounding sensation at the Saville last Sunday. ...

The Foundations: Before This Record, We Were Just What You'd Call 'Bums' Say The Foundations

Interview by Derek Boltwood, Record Mirror, 11 November 1967

IT'S ENOUGH to make psychedelia and Flower Power turn in its grave. I mean, how dare a group like the Foundations have the effrontery to ...

Sam & Dave: Soul Explosion!

Interview by Derek Boltwood, Record Mirror, 11 November 1967

A DOUBLE Dynamite Duo with a tradition to live up to. That's Sam and Dave – and their tradition is hit records. Hits like 'Soul ...

Aretha Franklin: A History Of Soul Queen Aretha Franklin

Profile by Derek Boltwood, Record Mirror, 30 December 1967

WELL, WHAT'S going to happen in 1968? New faces? New stars? Of course. But as we step gingerly over the threshold into the new year, ...

The Herd: Paradise Lost (Fontana)

Review and Interview by Derek Boltwood, Record Mirror, 13 January 1968

HERD—A PARADISE LOST L.P. ...

Love Affair: Love Battle

Interview by Derek Boltwood, Record Mirror, 20 January 1968

'We think our version is best' say the Love Affair... ...

Edwin Starr, Brenton Wood: Edwin Starr and Brenton Wood in Britain

Interview by Derek Boltwood, Record Mirror, 10 February 1968

"AND NOW, ladies and gentlemen, back in Britain for the eighth time... Edwin Starr." ...

Denny Laine, Jeff Beck, Kiki Dee, Ten Years After: Jeff Beck, Ten Years After, Kiki Dee, Denny Laine: Has Jeff Recorded a Yuccchhh Ballad?

Report and Interview by Derek Boltwood, Record Mirror, 2 March 1968

THERE'S A great song around at the moment — a song that was number one in the U.S. charts. A song that's been recorded by ...

Ten Years After: The Fastest Guitarist Alive!

Interview by Derek Boltwood, Record Mirror, 30 March 1968

I'VE RECKONED Ten Years After since I first saw them, months ago, down at the Marquee club, where they were busy playing their own kind ...

The Bee Gees: Royal Albert Hall, London

Live Review by Derek Boltwood, Record Mirror, 6 April 1968

The BIG Bee Gees sound! ...

The Small Faces: At Last The 1948 Cockney Show...

Interview by Derek Boltwood, Record Mirror, 20 April 1968

I WAS DIGGING the sounds of this record called 'Lazy Sunday', and grooving along gently thinking I was listening to Tony Newley singing with a ...

The Move: Ace Kefford Splits With The Move

Interview by Derek Boltwood, Record Mirror, 27 April 1968

THERE WERE rumours flying thick and fast: "Ace Kefford has left the Move", "the Move have left Ace Kefford", "Bristow is Superman", and "Ace Kefford ...

The Herd: Small Audiences Bring Down Herd

Interview by Derek Boltwood, Record Mirror, 27 April 1968

WHEN YOU'RE tired, exhausted, and in the right mood for a few weeks holiday, it must be pretty depressing not to be able to see ...

Jimi Hendrix: We're Bridging the Gap Between Pop and Jazz, Says Mitch Mitchell

Interview by Derek Boltwood, Record Mirror, 27 April 1968

IT'S 4 P.M. on a cold summer afternoon at London Airport. ...

The Hollies, Paul Jones, The Scaffold: The Hollies, Paul Jones, Scaffold: Granada, Shrewsbury

Live Review by Derek Boltwood, Record Mirror, 25 May 1968

HOLLIES, PAUL, SCAFFOLD ON STAGE! ...

Traffic and the US Underground

Interview by Derek Boltwood, Record Mirror, 1 June 1968

THE "UNDERGROUND" in England is a collection of dark damp platforms and jostling crowds and miles and miles of tube trains weaving in and out ...

The Equals: Everyone Should Be Drafted Into Pop...

Interview by Derek Boltwood, Record Mirror, 15 June 1968

THE GROOVY Francis Bacon, sixteenth century writer extraordinary, once said: "There is little friendship in the world, least of all between Equals". But the groovy ...

The Moody Blues: In Search Of The Lost Chord (Deram Stereo SML 711)

Review by Derek Boltwood, Record Mirror, 3 August 1968

THERE IS somewhere a lost chord. Some people call that chord "God", some people call it "the truth", some people call it "Om". And for ...

Ginger Baker, Jeff Beck, Arthur Brown, Eclection, Fairport Convention, The Incredible String Band, Jethro Tull, Jerry Lee Lewis, John Mayall, The Nice, Savoy Brown, Al Stewart, Ten Years After, Traffic: 8th National Jazz & Blues Festival: Lazy Sunbury Afternoon...

Live Review by Derek Boltwood, Record Mirror, 17 August 1968

PLAGUED BY DISASTER AND COUNTLESS SETBACKS, THE SUNBURY FESTIVAL PRESENTED SOME OF THE BEST MUSICAL ENTERTAINMENT EVER SEEN. RM WAS THERE. ...

Timebox: Keep One Eye On The Charts Say The Timebox

Interview by Derek Boltwood, Record Mirror, 17 August 1968

JUST ABOUT one year ago a group was born. Christened Timebox. One of their first appearances together was at last year's Windsor Jazz Festival — ...

Fleetwood Mac: Mr. Wonderful (Blue Horizon 7-63205)

Review by Derek Boltwood, Record Mirror, 31 August 1968

WONDERFUL FLEETWOOD MAC ...

Harry Nilsson: Computers to Composer

Interview by Derek Boltwood, Record Mirror, 28 September 1968

SOMETIMES – not very often – but sometimes. What? Sometimes exciting things happen in pop music. Talents emerge that are new, refreshing. A shot in ...

Cat Stevens: Cat's Back

Interview by Derek Boltwood, Record Mirror, 12 October 1968

Cat's back. Dogs and Matthew and his offspring and guns and things and now his wife. Not that he has a wife – but here ...

Bonzo Dog Band, Joe Cocker, Peter Sarstedt, Tiny Tim: Tiny Tim, Joe Cocker et al: Royal Albert Hall, London

Live Review by Derek Boltwood, Record Mirror, 9 November 1968

ONCE UPON a time in the land of the Charity, a concert was given in aid of all the boys' clubs all over the country. ...

Tyrannosaurus Rex: Tyrannosaurus: Poetry And Music

Interview by Derek Boltwood, Record Mirror, 9 November 1968

POLYGONAMOUS pop. Let me explain — pop has many sides to it, thus polygonamous. All this stuff that comprises the majority of the charts and ...

The Nice: Ars Longa Vita Brevis (Immediate)

Review by Derek Boltwood, Record Mirror, 16 November 1968

"THAT'S NICE". "That's Nice". That is the new LP from the Nice, Ars Longa Vita Brevis, and whichever way you say it, it's very good. ...

The Deviants: From the Underground: The Deviants

Profile and Interview by Derek Boltwood, Record Mirror, 23 November 1968

IT'S BEEN SAID of the Deviants that they are the only real underground group. Like roots of the underground perhaps – because Mick Farren, first ...

Aphrodite's Child: 'Rain & Tears' 300 Yrs Old!

Profile and Interview by Derek Boltwood, Record Mirror, 30 November 1968

ONCE UPON a time, about three hundred years ago as the crow flies, a German organist with nothing better to do sat down at his ...

Crosby Stills and Nash, John Sebastian: Sebastian's Workshop... Combining John, Donovan, Dave, Steve, Graham, Al, Mike and Mama Cass...!

Interview by Derek Boltwood, Record Mirror, 7 December 1968

RECIPE FOR nice sounds: take John Sebastian, Dave Crosby, Steve Stills, and Graham Nash. Add the occasional Mama Cass or Al Kooper or Mike Bloomfield, ...

John Peel: "It's Very Scary This Whole Personality Cult" — Number One Disc Jockey John Peel

Interview by Derek Boltwood, Record Mirror, 21 December 1968

IT'S IRONIC that the top number one ace disc-jockey of the year in our poll is one of the few people in the business who ...

Deep Purple: From The Underground: Deep Purple

Profile and Interview by Derek Boltwood, Record Mirror, 25 January 1969

AND WHILE the rain falls in Britain, Deep Purple look out of their windows in America and the sun is shining a spotlight upon them ...

"Mama" Cass Elliot, The Mamas and The Papas: After The Split With The Mamas & Papas, Mama Cass' Broke, But Happy!

Interview by Derek Boltwood, Record Mirror, 1 March 1969

A ROARING log fire and its reflection in the pine-panelled walls gave the whole room a cosy reddish glow all ankle-deep in carpet and large ...

Jimmy Webb, Richard Harris: Richard Harris: 'He Still Wants To Be A Pop Star..!'

Interview by Derek Boltwood, Record Mirror, 15 March 1969

Richard Harris Talking Of His Boy Jim Webb ...

Joe South: Joe Tells Of The Games People Play...

Interview by Derek Boltwood, Record Mirror, 5 April 1969

GET UP, GO over to the window and look out. Up and down that pavement outside every day walk people, some for pleasure, some going ...

Joe South: Joe Tells of the Games People Play...

Interview by Derek Boltwood, Record Mirror, 5 April 1969

GET UP, GO over to the window and look out. Up and down that pavement outside every day walk People, some for pleasure, some going ...

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