Does anybody know Johhny G?

[mudshark]

Short for John Gotting. I discovered him in 1980 or so. Must have been by accident that I bought his album G-beat. Very eclectic. I liked in particular his 4 different takes on Blue Suede Shoes. There were also some half-decent ska-like songs on it. Believe he performed as a one-man band for many years. Thing is: at the time I thought this guy was the next best thing since sliced bread. But it seemed I was the only one! His album didn't sell at all and when I played it to others nobody seemed impressed. Songs like Night After Night, Valerie, All Aboard, Educated Monkey, Call Me Bwana, Hippies Graveyard, Suzy was a Girl From Greenford, I liked them all, and I'm sure I still do (although I haven't been able to play his albums since February last year because an ocean separates me from them). Is there any love for Johnny out there? Can anybody on this educated but aging forum even remember him?

[Walk In My Shadow]

You mean this one?

I had it on vinyl (maybe still have it in the attic). Didn't it come with an extra single? I forget.

Didn't make a lasting impression anyway.

[mudshark]

It came with an entire free album!
And yes, that's the one. A buried treasure.
June 12th I'm travelling to Rotterdam. planning on staying 2 months, pandemic-willing.
I will dig him up!

[Walk In My Shadow]

It came with an entire free album!
And yes, that's the one. A buried treasure.
June 12th I'm travelling to Rotterdam. planning on staying 2 months, pandemic-willing.
I will dig him up!

Right you are! It was an extra album.

If you're in Rotterdam why not travel to Antwerp for the day. We could have a drink.

[mudshark]

I will! we actually have a small office on the Ernest van Dijckkaai, right in the shadow of de kathedraal. It's right next to Cafe Ernst. I'll let you know when I going to be there.

[50 Shades Of Blue]

Short for John Gotting. I discovered him in 1980 or so. Must have been by accident that I bought his album G-beat. Very eclectic. I liked in particular his 4 different takes on Blue Suede Shoes. There were also some half-decent ska-like songs on it. Believe he performed as a one-man band for many years. Thing is: at the time I thought this guy was the next best thing since sliced bread. But it seemed I was the only one! His album didn't sell at all and when I played it to others nobody seemed impressed. Songs like Night After Night, Valerie, All Aboard, Educated Monkey, Call Me Bwana, Hippies Graveyard, Suzy was a Girl From Greenford, I liked them all, and I'm sure I still do (although I haven't been able to play his albums since February last year because an ocean separates me from them). Is there any love for Johnny out there? Can anybody on this educated but aging forum even remember him?

John Peel used to play Johnny G and like lots of others I used to tape the programmes each night then edit them.
Suzy Was A Girl From Greenford made the cut from one nights show and is without doubt still on one of my cassettes which my kids will no doubt chuck out when I croak. I should look these things out for a pre death spin!
All Aboard rings a bell as well.
I haven't heard the track for at least 30 years but can still hear it in my head which is a pretty good recommendation.

[mudshark]

Very good to read! Thank you Mr. Blue.

[Rorschach]

This is the only thing I can find on Spotify. The only track on it that you mentioned in your first post is Educated Monkey.

He seems to be really bloody obscure! Hard to find out anything about him on the Internet.

I shall give that track a listen and report back.

[Rorschach]

Well, I listened to it. All the way through. It makes me not entirely surprised he's obscure.

However, the next track was something called Tightrope and that was quite jolly. I've even saved it to a playlist!
And You Can't Catch Every Train was a bit interesting. I'll give it another listen.

But anyway, congratulations of being a fan of someone so splendidly obscure.

[mudshark]

I know! Not even sure if the man’s still alive. I’ll check out what you found on Spotify.

[Walk In My Shadow]

But anyway, congratulations of being a fan of someone so splendidly obscure.

You want obscure? I give you Sammy Walker and his eponymous album:







As I like to call it "the best Dylan album Bob himself never made".

Over the years the only convert I made with this is Paul The Fish.

[Rorschach]

You want obscure? I give you Sammy Walker and his eponymous album:

That's not obscure!
He's got four albums on Spotify!

There's a weird looking one called 70's Action Movies, which, surprise, surprise, consists of music from 70's film. No idea if it's the same Sammy Walker but Spotify has lumped them together.

[Walk In My Shadow]

You want obscure? I give you Sammy Walker and his eponymous album:

That's not obscure!
He's got four albums on Spotify!

There's a weird looking one called 70's Action Movies, which, surprise, surprise, consists of music from 70's film. No idea if it's the same Sammy Walker but Spotify has lumped them together.

Everything's on Spotify these days.

[yomptepi]

Johnny G was one of the local Hanwell / Greenford group of musicians which included Ivor Biggun and various pub rock related musicians from 1974 -81. They used to record at the studio which is now the Peter Cook Guitar centre in Hanwell, which was exotically named Monterey Sound.. Because they were local there was a connection to the local independent ( at the time ) record shop Beggars Banquet. So Johnny, Ivor and the studio engineer , Ted MacDowell did a lot of demo stuff and the occaisional novelty record for Stevon and Ivo. I know Ted now lives in Alderney, as his asthma would no longer tolerate the West London smog. They were a real bunch of ald farts, and we hated them ( not really).

I suspect Pete the Pick might have known them.

[C]

Oh, I thought you meant Johhny G....!




.

[Rorschach]

Everything's on Spotify these days.

The album that this thread's about isn't.

[mudshark]

I think I now know why I like(d) that album so much. Somewhere in 1980 I bought 2 albums at once: G-Beat and Dr. John''s Tango Palace, an album even Dr. John didn't like. I believe it even wasn't released on CD. I ADORE that album, every single note. Best thing Dr. John's ever did, for me. Even worse, my dear old friend Teabag, possibly the biggest Dr. John fan this side of Bourbon Street didn't rate the album at all either. So here I've got 2 of my favourite ever albums and they're universally ignored and/or disliked. Then I remembered: soon after that purchase I contracted hepatic jaundice and was pretty much in quarantine for 3 months or so. I played those albums to death and will forever have a special place in my brain. I'd just forgotten why.