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Out of the Ladbroke Grove UK Underground Community, a number of bands would emerge. Perhaps the most anarchistic band of the Underground was the Deviants founded and fronted by singer/writer Mick Farren, the Social Deviants, later just the Deviants, made three bizarre albums in two years. Mick Farren states that The Deviants were a community band which "did things every now and then - it was a total assault thing with a great deal of inter-relation and interdependence". Musically, Farren described the Deviants as "teeth-grinding, psychedelic rock" somewhere between the Stooges and The Mothers of Invention.
After the Deviants folded in 1969, Farren recorded a solo album, Mona, with a short-lived Pink Fairies line-up that featured ex-Pretty Things drummer/singer Twink and Steve Peregrin Took. When this first Pink Fairies fell apart and Twink ran off with the name to form Pink Fairies mark 2, Farren initially considered continuing to work with Steve Took using the band name Steve Took's Shagrat with Larry Wallis. Took and Farren fell out so it didn't happen.
Many of the band members for the Deviants and the Pink Fairies were interchangeable and both names have been used for various one-offs over the years. In February 1984, Farren was joined by ex-Pink Fairies member Larry Wallis and original Deviant (as well as Pink Fairies member) Duncan Sanderson. They were billed as the Deviants and played a London gig at Dingwalls which was released as the album Human Garbage. Mick Farren's latest incarnation of the Deviants, Dr Crow, in 2002 which opens up with the title track "When Dr Crow Turns On His Radio".
Polydor Records commissioned the group to record a single, "The Snake"/"Do It", and were happy enough with the results to offer the group an album contract. The debut album Never Never Land was released in 1971, but omitted the single A-side. Twink then left to travel to Morocco. The band continued as a three piece occasionally augmented by former The Move guitarist Trevor Burton. They released their second album What A Bunch Of Sweeties in 1972, which featured some contributions from Burton. On the album's release, and with a promotional tour pending, Rudolph departed going on to play for Brian Eno, Robert Calvert and Hawkwind.
Mick Wayne was Rudolph's replacement and this new three piece recorded one single, "Well, Well, Well"/"Hold On", but Sanderson and Hunter were unhappy with the musical direction Wayne was taking the band. Convincing Larry Wallis to join the group as a second guitarist, they then sacked Wayne passing song writing and singing duties onto the inexperienced Wallis. [2] This new three piece then recorded the 1973 album Kings Of Oblivion. Out of contract with Polydor, the band continued touring to a decreasing audience until finally calling it a day. Wallis went on to join Lemmy in the first incarnation of Motörhead, then became the in-house producer for Stiff Records. Sanderson joined The Lightning Raiders.
What A Bunch Of Sweeties is a 1972 album by the UK underground group Pink Fairies.
Twink had left the band beore the recording of this album. Former The Move guitarist Trevor Burton occasionally joined the band for gigs and contributes to a couple of tracks.
The sleeve came in a gatefold cover by Edward Barker, the front showing a box full of goodies, the inner gatefold a cartoon strip.
The lyrics for "Pigs Of Uranus" are taken from a Gilbert Shelton comic strip Wonder Warthog versus the Pigs from Uranus. "Walk Don't Run" is a cover of The Ventures song, and there's a cover version of The Beatles' "I Saw Her Standing There". "Marilyn" featues a drum solo.
The Pink Fairies, one of two “Peoples’ Bands” along with Hawkwind, flew the flag for free music and Anarchy in the early ‘70s underground. Based around the thundering blues guitar of Paul Rudolph and the double drumming of Twink and Russ Hunter, they were less a band, more a musical terrorist organisation, turning up to play anywhere for free, even unwanted. They were, in short, the ultimate ongoing rock 'n roll agitprop stunt.
They evolved out of the drinking club formed by Steve, the Pretty Things, the Deviants etc in 1969. Later that year after Steve left Tyrannosaurus Rex, he along with Mick Farren and Twink, used the Pink Fairies as the name for their underground supergroup, only to see Twink run off with the bandname for his new project with three ex-Deviants members.
After the original band broke up in 1972, Steve’s backing band broke away and formed a new version of the group, which went hideously awry until ex Shagrat guitarist Larry Wallis took over and transformed the band, leading them on the classic Kings Of Oblivion LP. Between times, Steve played support slots for the Fairies as well as jamming as third drummer, even once deputising on bass guitar.
LARRY WALLIS
Larry Wallis and Tim Taylor, guitarist and bassist with 60s underground band the Entire Sioux Nation, were headhunted by Mick Farren and Steve Took in February 1970. A month later, Farren dropped out leaving Tookie as outright bandleader for the first time in his career.
Took, Wallis and Taylor added drummer Phil Lenoir and became Shagrat. Together they recorded three tracks at Strawberry Studios and played live at Phun City. After the rhythm section dropped out, Steve and Lazza continued with drummer Dave Bidwell. The three rehearsed with various bass players and later formed an acoustic three-piece (as well as a six-piece social gang with their three girlfriends, of whom Lazza is sole survivor.)
Larry visited Took at his flat below Tony Secunda’s offices and played some guitar for what later became the Missing Link CD. Later in 1975 and again 1976, he worked with Steve on recordings of Took’s songs. He was present at the Horns recording session at Pathway studios in Nov ’77, but left just as Steve began recording his vocals.
Twink (John Alder) came to prominence as drummer of top underground band Tomorrow, before later replacing Viv Prince as drummer in the Pretty Things. They regularly played double bills with the Deviants, both ending their sets in chaotic community jams in which Took joined.
After Twink left the Pretties, he recorded the much-celebrated solo LP “Think Pink”. Took played on and donated two songs to the LP and this proved to be the final straw that broke the Tyrannosaurus Rex camel’s back. Furthermore, it was the album wrap party – largely consisting of trashing a showcase King Crimson gig at the Speakeasy – that caused Steve to oversleep and miss his flight to the US for the final American tour the very next day.
When Took returned to the UK in October, Twink formed a Pink Fairies supergroup with him and Mick Farren, but behind their backs he was setting up another Pink Fairies with Farren’s ex-Deviants bandmates. Twink stayed with this underground behemoth until departing to live in Morocco in ’71. (He would later return to the band towards the end, as well as numerous reunions in the late 70s and 80s.)
When he came back to the UK the next year, Twink drummed for Syd Barrett’s Stars and played on Steve’s tapes for the future Missing Link CD. Twink also formed a backing band for his solo career, which would last on-and-off for five years (eventually recording indie singles in ’77 as The Rings and Twink & The Fairies) and with which Steve Took occasionally jammed.