The Shakin' Fellows

This autumn, in the music shops across the country we'll find a very valuable record – the anthology of the long forgotten band, once on top of the charts, the band that marked the entire generation – The Shakin' Fellows. Like The Beatles, David Bowie or Mr Lipton from Worcester, the group came out of nowhere and rapidly conquered the music industry, only to disappear and never play or record again.

Tony Pocket (one of few specialist in the band's field) likes to say, the history of The Shakin' Fellows is fascinating and surprisingly eye-opening, especially if one was sleeping. It all started in Birmingham – he told me in the interview we had last month – the simplest story you can get – friendship and growing up in the working class families during the economical crisis, sort of classical thing that you can find in so many biographies of the rock and roll musicians or the 18^th century Italian operetta. 

Bobby Dixon and Richard Cod, the future founding members of the band met in school in their neighbourhood, Selly Oak. Very soon they became close friends, inseparable, up to the point of being mistaken for Siamese brothers. Tim Knuckle, the author of ''Untold, unwritten and forbidden truth about The Shakin' Fellows'' points out that both Bobby and Richie had problems with their parents, which enhanced their friendship. Bobby for the first 7 years of his life was taking his nanny and the favourite teddy bear as his mother and father, only to find out during the national census that his actual parents were either at work or in the toilet. Richie's situation was different. He had a happy family, his parents were a good and loving couple, giving their kids warmth and comprehension. Richie hated it.

Their talents were noticed early. Like Bobby's drawings. His art teacher at school, Ms Trout, recalled later: Bobby was amazing. Completely over his age. His technique was very mature, you should see the way he used to draw a house, a square with two windows and doors, pointed roof top and smoke coming out of a chimney... I'll never forget his sun, a yellow circle with smiling face... Great talent. Richie had a musical background. His father had a radio, and two of them were sometimes listening to different programmes, including musical shows. This enabled little Richie to discover sounds of various instruments and even differ some of them. Soon he thought about forming his own band.

The first practices took place in Bobby's father pawn shop where boys made their own instruments like sardine box guitars or a “younger brother bass”, made from Richie's younger brother bound by ropes and a broomstick with a string attached to him. Usually Bobby was playing simultaneously drums, foot pedal, banjo, harmonica and a triangle, while Richie was playing two guitars, each with different hand, an empty jug played with his mouth and a washboard played with his feet. After couple of weeks Bobby caught arthritis and boys decided to find more players.

They thought about their friend James. The first jamming together took place in a church, since James was a bell ringer. Unfortunately he couldn't find the right notes, and the people gathered in a wedding ceremony which was taking place there that day didn't appreciate their music so the vicar kicked them out of the church with excommunication. This failure didn't bring them down, and since James was completely dumb, they all agreed that he's going to play drums.

Shocking with their style and behaviour, tweed jackets, vests and ties, usage of words such as “good bye” or “sticky”, the boys were noticed and slowly gaining popularity. More and more people were showing up at their concerts. But the revolution was yet to come, the moment when Tim “Chichi” Bloke joined the band. One day we're sitting in the Cock's Head pub – as Richie Cod was recalling years after – one shithole where we used to play karaoke. Suddenly one guy pops in. He momentarily drags attention of everyone, and shouts that he's going to be in our band. Then he joined the karaoke competition and knocked everyone out, even during the korean hits part. He was amazing. He had an unusual technique, he called it “singing” - it was something like talking out loud, but with the rhythm of the songs and backed by prolonging the vowels. He was in the band the same night.

After Tim “Chichi” joined the band, their popularity exploded. They started a tour through England, changing the band's name from The Insects, The We Won't Give You The Money Back, “Chichi” Bloke and The Gentle Coños, The Fluffy Fellows to the final The Shakin' Fellows. Record companies were fighting to sign a contract with the boys. Bobby, Richie, James and Chichi became the idols of the generation.

Their albums were having record – braking sales and their songs were on top of the charts. Such albums as My Mother's Sexual Life, Heigh Ho It's Only Rock and Roll or the orchestral arrangement of Thomas Mann's Buddenbrooks are one of the greatest albums of all times. And the song Hey Hey Hey! should have become the rock anthem, if it wasn't forgotten because of the petrol crisis. The Shakin' Fellows were also innovative, for example as the first band to record their previous album backwards, release it again and make more money or to release the entire album with no music in it, just the empty album packages.

But after the period of success, the first problems appeared. Like addictions... The biggest addict was Richie. He was trying many things – Chichi Bloke recalled it years after – collecting post stamps, aircraft models, taking chocolate... But then it was normal, you see, we all tried this or that... I remember the moment I discovered Czech Kofola... This shit blows your mind. But with Richie was different, he was slowly crossing the line. He started reading Agatha Christie's crime novels, and the day he finished one and found the mystery he had to start another. For him there was just no day without “Poirot” as it was called back then. But soon it was not enough, so now he moved on to heavier stuff, like Proust. At that point the rehearsals were almost impossible. During the gigs he could suddenly stop playing to read a few pages, and sometimes he was so dazed by the plot that he played off the key or just couldn't move. When he started with Joyce I thought he's lost.

Bobby's catholic upbringing decided on his attitude to women. Bobby loved girls... – Richie recalls – After each concert dozens of them tried to ask him for an autograph, he used to invite them to our van. I'm sure some of them tried to kiss him, and I'm afraid some could have been married. And Bobby didn't mind, that's the way he was, giving these bloody autographs and even pointing his cheek to be kissed. Disgusting. When we were on tour there were always some ladies, at gigs or in front of the hotels, waiting to see him... I used to shout "Go away, it's a respected band, can't you see?”.

Girls were not the only problem on their tours. Their concerts were so crowded that very often there was no more space for them inside the concert hall, and for the whole gig they were trying to enter the building and plug the instruments.

Their career was slowly going down. After years of playing together the boys were tired of themselves. When one said “hi”, the others replied “oh will you stop it, will you?” or “very funny”. Once Bobby came by Richie's place to give him back a car tire, which Richie forgot at one of the rehearsals. He set dogs on Bobby, who had to run and climb on the nearest tree and stay there for 4 months, until Richie moved out, annoyed by the constant presence of the band mate on a tree close to his house. Another time James called Chichi to wish him a happy birthday, only to hear Chichi over the phone shouting “Fuck you and your fucking bitch. And by the way, the jam session is tomorrow, 3pm”. The boys were showing up for rehearsals equipped with knives and apple pies.

In terms of music they were ahead of their times, underrated and difficult to classify. This is how Bobby explained their decision to break up: For punks we were skinheads, for skinheads we were punks and for Spaniards tortilla de patata. One even bit Richie once. We couldn't stand it any longer.

The Anthology of The Shakin' Fellows will hopefully bring back this amazing band to the place where it should be. Or somewhere around.