Nine Below Zero in action. From left to right: Peter ‘Pete’ Clark (Bass), Kenny Bradley (Drums), Dennis Greaves (lead vocals & guitar) and Mark Feltham (vocals & harmonica).
IN THE PAST I’ve provided a few random reviews for Counter Culture. However, it’s always been my intention (and ambition) to review as many of my own books, CDs & DVDs as is possible. Now that I’ve got a bit of time on my hands – and I’m still looking down at the daisies as opposed to looking up at them! – I thought that now’s a good as time as any to start. So, in the words of the Ramones, Hey Ho, Let’s Go!
With the above in mind, I thought that I’d kick off with Nine Below Zero’s brilliant CD Live At The Marquee.
I first heard about Nine Below Zero from a friend from East London many, many years ago, probably in the early to mid 80s. He highly recommended both the band and their live CD. I’ve listened to it lots of times over the years and have always thought that it was probably one of the best live albums I’ve ever heard; not only does it convey the music but also seems to capture the shear energy of a live gig.
I must admit that (at the time) I’d never heard of the band. However, my friend had been over to South London a couple of times to see them. He’d described how frenetic they were – effectively a Blues band that performed with the speed & energy of a Punk band. Therefore, I’d a rough idea of what to expect on the live album. But having an idea of what to expect & listening to the real deal are two different things. Suffice to say that I was blown away by the CD itself.
I’ll leave the actual review of Live At The Marquee until another time. However, I thought that it might be helpful to provide a little background information about the band themselves.
Nine Below Zero started off life as Stan’s Blues Band in 1977 and consisted of four South London lads who found inspiration in the Rhythm and Blues. Led by Dennis Greaves (lead vocals & guitar) the band included his schoolmates Mark Feltham (vocals & harmonica), Peter ‘Pete’ Clark (Bass) and Kenny Bradley (Drums).
Graves was obsessed by the Blues. But to form a R&B band in the late 70s was a bold, almost reckless, move. This was the time when Punk was exploding, and had literally blown other music genres – like R&B and Progessive Rock – out of the water. (I think I’m right in saying that Dr. Feelgood were probably the only well-known British R&B band at the time. They’d formed in 1971 and hailed from Canvey Island in Essex and were known for their driving R&B which had made them one of the most popular bands on the growing London pub rock circuit.)
Despite the seemingly unstoppable rise of Punk, the sharply dressed Stan’s Blues Band played in local South London pubs like the Apples and Pears, the Clockhouse, the Green Man and the Thomas ‘A’ Becket. Playing six to seven nights a week they built up a loyal following. Like Dr. Feelgood they went hell for leather and played at a frenetic pace. Mixing original songs with covers at their gigs, they were soon playing all over London.
Stan’s Blues Band changed their name to Nine Below Zero (they were named after a song by Sonny Boy Williamson II) on the advice of former musician Mickey Modern. He’d seen them play at the Thomas ‘A’ Becket (in the Old Kent Road, Southwark, South London) in 1979 and was so impressed that he offered to manage them.
In a bold – but completely justifiable – move, Modern decided that Nine Below Zero’s first album would be a live one. And so with just one change of personal (Micky Burkey for Kenny Bradley on Drums) Live At The Marquee was released in 1980.
The album was recorded at the well-known music venue, the Marquee Club (in Wardour Street, West London) on Wednesday 16th & Thursday 17th July and was billed as a live recording. The admission fee was £2 with a reduced rate available for students & Marquee Club members.
Apparently, it’d been an ambition of Dennis Greaves and the rest of the band to play at the Marquee – even in the capacity of a support band Therefore, to appear as the headline act & record your first (live) album must have been out of this world. Prior to this gig, Nine Below Zero were well known as an brilliant high energy act. However, I’m wondering if their desire to play at the Marquee spurred them on to go the extra mile and produce such an electric album?
I feel that the CDs sleeve notes excellently conveys something of gig itself:
‘Fourteen high octane R&B monsters – including three Greaves originals Straighten Her Out, Stop Your Nagging and Watch Yourself – merged Chicago chops and cockney charm in a ferocious homebrew of adrenalin which never once seemed out of step alongside the ten regular live favourites: the aforementioned Freddie King’s Tore Down, Otis Rush’s Home Work and J Geil’s version of Pack Fair and Square line up with the John Mayall and Paul Butterfield collaboration, Ridin’ On The L&N, Lloyd Price’s Hootchie Cootchie Coo, Sam the Sham’s Wooly Bully, Muddy Waters’ Mojo Working, and Rush’s I Can’t Quit You Baby, plus Motown stalwart’s The Four Tops’, Can’t Help Myself and Marvin Gaye’s Can I Get A Witness, are all nailed down before the band signs off with their instrumental wig-out, Swing Job.’
(With the sleeve notes in mind, they were printed on thick glossy card which served as part CD sleeve cover, part poster & part information sheet about the band.)
To celebrate their 40th anniversary, Nine Below Zero released a new album in October 2019. Unlike a lot of anniversary releases which tend to be ‘The Best Of’ albums, Avalanche refreshingly featured 12 brand new original songs.
In addition to their anniversary CD, they’d kicked off a new tour in Belfast, with many further dates set. However, as we all now know, the world effectively stopped spinning when Covid-19 reared its ugly head. Therefore, they had to cancel all of their gigs from mid-March onwards. According to the band’s web-site – https://www.ninebelowzero.com – their next scheduled gig is early September in Fleet, Hampshire. Here’s hoping!
Hopefully this brief potted history of Nine Below Zero has provided readers with some insight into the band. Now the only thing to do is to review the album itself. However, as mentioned earlier (and to absolutely cement my Counter Culture reputation as the slowest reviewer in the world!) this’ll appear in the next thrilling instalment.
Reviewed by John Field
Counter Culture 