12 December 2006

The Greedies - A Merry Jingle

Vertigo
GREED1
1979


The Greedies - A Merry Jingle cover

Get this: Huw Lloyd-Langton, Hawkwind's original guitarist, later toured in Leo Sayer's live band.

What the hell was that like? Was there swirly coloured oil lamps and a twelve minute wigout in the middle of One Man Band? Did they at least get Leo belting out Silver Machine in rehearsals? Oh for a bootleg to confirm it.

From Hawkwind, I jump to Silver Machine's vocalist; when I saw Motorhead the other week - utterly and perfectly rock, by the way - they covered Thin Lizzy's Rosalie and dedicated it to Phil Lynott. What Lynott up to 27 years ago? Let me take you back...

It's Christmas 1979, YMCA may be at number one but there's an altogether seedier thing happening lower down the charts.

The Sex Pistols played their last gig the previous year, Lydon's already a year into Public Image Ltd, Sid's dead, but what are the other two up to?

Cook and Jones close the year with a bizarre one-off single. It's them and Thin Lizzy doing a medley of We Wish You A Merry Christmas and Jingle Bells.

What does it sound like? Exactly like Thin Lizzy and the Sex Pistols doing a Christmas medley. That dark murmur of Lynott's voice with the balls, bite and beef of Jones's guitar; the quasi Brian May squealing from Lizzy's lead guitar and the heads down fizzy power of Cook's drums.

Why? Fuck knows. But here it is.

[MP3s deleted to make room for new ones. Sorry!]

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

Ta 4 that - a blast from the past, Christmas Eve at the Floral Rock Night......Memories!

Anonymous said...

This was on TV in UK around Xmas time.

Anonymous said...

Durr , this Xmas, I mean, not 1978

Mr. Beer N. Hockey said...

Santa's bollocks!

Anonymous said...

That's fucking mad!

As a tangentially related aside, I think my favourite of Dublin's statues has to be the lifesize bronze of Phil Lynott just off Grafton Street (standing, with guitar, outside the boozer he used to drink in).

There should be more statues of people with big hair.

RA said...

I have several of Huw Lloyd-Langton's solo albums. I bet you probably guessed that......

Unknown said...

wont let me download

merrick said...

i think the problem must be at your end, Shelfish - it just let me download them no problem.

jon said...

I saw Leo Sayer supporting Daryl Way's 'Wolf' ( violin player from Curved Air. . you know, 'back Street Luv' and all that ) at Cambridge Corn exchange in the early seventies and no there weren't any oil wheels. I don't remember much about it coz after all he was the fuckin support band and nobody had heard of him and you went there in the first place coz there wasn't much else to do. Saw Hawkwind there too. . .
Jon

MIInsane??? said...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWm8hxmeWSM

The video for this. Totally brilliant!

Anonymous said...

have a copy of a merry jingle ex condition no rips on sleeve open to offers

Anonymous said...

Remember seeing Thin Lizzy perform this as an encore at Bingley Hall, Christmas 1979. Memories!