Little Free Rock
Encyclopedia
Little Free Rock was an English
late 1960s heavy rock
trio
from Preston in Lancashire
, England. It featured Peter Illingworth (lead guitar and vocals) (formerly with David John and the Mood who recorded with Joe Meek
), Paul Varley
(drums) (later with Arrows) and Frank Newbold (bass and vocals). They began performing covers
of The Who
, The Creation
("Makin' Time" appeared on their album) and Tomorrow
, but were soon doing mainly their own compositions.
The band performed regularly at the Roundhouse
Sunday Night Implosion events and had numerous residencies at the Marquee Club
. As well as performing all over Belgium, continental trips included the Star-Club
in Hamburg
, the Essen Jazz and Blues Festival, and festivals
in Frankfurt, San Tropez and Santa Margarita de la Costa in Italy.
They changed their name from Purple Haze to avoid confusion with the Jimi Hendrix
single.
Peter Green
(Fleetwood Mac
) joined the band for a short period, but the recordings were never released.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
late 1960s heavy rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
trio
Trio (music)
Trio is generally used in any of the following ways:* A group of three musicians playing the same or different musical instrument.* The performance of a piece of music by three people.* The contrasting section of a piece in ternary form...
from Preston in Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
, England. It featured Peter Illingworth (lead guitar and vocals) (formerly with David John and the Mood who recorded with Joe Meek
Joe Meek
Robert George "Joe" Meek was a pioneering English record producer and songwriter....
), Paul Varley
Paul Varley
Paul Varley was an English musician best known as the drummer in the band Arrows.Born in Preston, he played on several top 30 hit records, including "Touch Too Much," "My Last Night With You" and "I Love Rock 'N' Roll"....
(drums) (later with Arrows) and Frank Newbold (bass and vocals). They began performing covers
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of The Who
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
, The Creation
The Creation (band)
The Creation were an English rock band, formed in 1966. The most popular Creation song was "Painter Man", which made the Top 40 in the UK Singles Chart in late 1966, and reached #8 in the German chart in April 1967. It was later covered by Boney M in 1979, and reached the #10 position in the UK...
("Makin' Time" appeared on their album) and Tomorrow
Tomorrow (band)
Tomorrow were a 1960s psychedelic rock band. Despite critical acclaim and support from DJ John Peel who featured them on his "Perfumed Garden" radio show, the band was not a great success in commercial terms. They were among the first psychedelic bands in England along with Pink Floyd and Soft...
, but were soon doing mainly their own compositions.
The band performed regularly at the Roundhouse
The Roundhouse
The Roundhouse is a Grade II* listed former railway engine shed in Chalk Farm, London, England, which has been converted into a performing arts and concert venue. It was originally built in 1847 as a roundhouse , a circular building containing a railway turntable, but was only used for railway...
Sunday Night Implosion events and had numerous residencies at the Marquee Club
Marquee Club
The Marquee was a music club first located at 165 Oxford Street, London, England when it opened in 1958 with a range of jazz and skiffle acts.It was also the location of the first ever live performance by The Rolling Stones on 12 July 1962....
. As well as performing all over Belgium, continental trips included the Star-Club
Star-Club
The Star-Club was a music club in Hamburg, Germany that opened Friday 13 April 1962 and was initially operated by Manfred Weissleder and Horst Fascher. In the sixties, many of the giants of rock music played at the club. The club closed on 31 December 1969 and the building it occupied was...
in Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
, the Essen Jazz and Blues Festival, and festivals
Music festival
A music festival is a festival oriented towards music that is sometimes presented with a theme such as musical genre, nationality or locality of musicians, or holiday. They are commonly held outdoors, and are often inclusive of other attractions such as food and merchandise vending machines,...
in Frankfurt, San Tropez and Santa Margarita de la Costa in Italy.
They changed their name from Purple Haze to avoid confusion with the Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
single.
Peter Green
Peter Green (musician)
Peter Green is a British blues-rock guitarist and the founder of the band Fleetwood Mac...
(Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac are a British–American rock band formed in 1967 in London.The only original member present in the band is its eponymous drummer, Mick Fleetwood...
) joined the band for a short period, but the recordings were never released.
Discography
- Little Free Rock LP, Transatlantic RecordsTransatlantic RecordsTransatlantic Records was a British independent record label. It was established in 1961. It started began primarily as an importer of American folk, blues and jazz records - by many of the artists who influenced the burgeoning British folk and blues boom. Within a couple of years, the company had...
November 1969; Recorded by Mike Bobak in the Morgan StudiosMorgan StudiosMorgan Studios, also known as Morgan Sound Studios, were recording studios in Willesden, North London. The studios were notable for many recordings of the 1960s and 1970s by many British bands and artists such as Ten Years After, Yes, The Kinks, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Joan Armatrading, Cat...
in WillesdenWillesdenWillesden is an area in North West London which forms part of the London Borough of Brent. It is situated 5 miles north west of Charing Cross...
, LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. - Time is of No Consequence CD, World Wide Records, a division of SPM (Berlin) SPM-WWR-CD-0020