The end of Home Service?

Subject: The end of Home Service?
From: Bonzo3legs
Date: 13 Jun 18 - 08:20 AM

Graeme Taylor announced on facebook that they have no more gigs lined up and little prospect of any more, following the final gig at Martlets Hall in Burgess Hill. Great shame, but actually a very different band now - more a John Kirkpatrick Band to my ears.

Subject: RE: The end of Home Service?
From: GUEST,Guest
Date: 13 Jun 18 - 07:33 PM

Didn't realise they were still gigging!

Subject: RE: The end of Home Service?
From: Bonzo3legs
Date: 14 Jun 18 - 03:13 AM

They started up again in 2012 (I think) after a superb live tape from mid 80s , John Tams left a couple of years ago to be replaced by John Kirkpatrick, and there have been other changes in the band. I think the only original members now are Graeme Taylor on guitar and Michael Gregory in drums.

Subject: RE: The end of Home Service?
From: GUEST,Mark Bluemel
Date: 14 Jun 18 - 03:42 AM

So not much different to Fairport Confusion or the Albion Band, eh?
Actually 2 original members is a higher than usual concentration.

Subject: RE: The end of Home Service?
From: GUEST
Date: 14 Jun 18 - 06:40 AM

Didn't realise they were still gigging!
They seemed to turn up at non folk venues like the Half Moon at Putney with little or no publicity into the general folk scene.

Subject: RE: The end of Home Service?
From: GUEST,henryp
Date: 14 Jun 18 - 07:49 AM

The Half Moon at Putney was their spiritual home.

Thank you for all the majestic performances over the years.

Subject: RE: The end of Home Service?
From: GUEST,guest
Date: 14 Jun 18 - 10:12 AM

(I think) I saw Home Service at Plymouth Theatre Royal in the early 1980s. The theatre hadn't been open long and they were trialing late night performances. Plymouth wasn't quite ready for such avant garde notions as starting shows after the pubs shut and there were barely twenty people in the audience. A couple of friends and I were sat in the second row (no one in the first) and part of the band climbed over the seats to play because the audience was bigger behind us.

A short while before, John Tams (and I think Maddy Prior?) had been in Don Quixote with Paul Scofield and Tony Haygarth at the theatre. Playing to a full house, I guess they got the wrong impression of Plymouth's hunger for culture.

Did John Tams write the music for that production of Don Quixote?

Whatever, both shows were bloody marvellous!

Plymouth is very different city now.

Subject: RE: The end of Home Service?
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 14 Jun 18 - 10:35 AM

Saw Home Service at Sidmouth a few years back: great concert. Got the impression then that they were only doing very occasional reunion-type gigs rather than anything regular.

Subject: RE: The end of Home Service?
From: GUEST,henryp
Date: 14 Jun 18 - 02:36 PM

Don Quixote by Keith Dewhurst started on 10th June 1982 at the Olivier Theatre, National Theatre, London.

Don Quixote de la Mancha Paul Scofield
Sancho Panza Tony Haygarth
Leading galley slave John Tams

Director Bill Bryden
Music Associate        Graeme Taylor
Music Director John Tams

Old Man's Song (Don Quixote) was written for the play by Bill Caddick and John Tams. As the production was far too long, the song was among the material that had to be cut from the show. But it is still in John Tams' repertoire.

Subject: RE: The end of Home Service?
From: Bonzo3legs
Date: 14 Jun 18 - 04:04 PM

Linda Thompson was singing with Home Service when I took my son to see Don Quixote. The band played in what I remember to be a box area high up on the left side of the theatre.

I have a BBC "Round Midnight" (I think) introduced by Brian Matthew with interviews/music from the Don Quixote which I'm currently uploading to my dropbox!!!

Subject: RE: The end of Home Service?
From: Bonzo3legs
Date: 14 Jun 18 - 04:31 PM

Home Service in Don Quixote!

Subject: RE: The end of Home Service?
From: rich-joy
Date: 14 Jun 18 - 07:30 PM

Thanks Bonzo!
R-J

Subject: RE: The end of Home Service?
From: GUEST,guest
Date: 15 Jun 18 - 04:22 AM

As I recall, for the performance in Plymouth, Don Quixote and Sancho Panza's horses were tricycles.

At one point, sitting near the edge of the stage, Sancho Panza whistled to his "horse", the brand-new hydraulic stage titlted slightly, and his "horse" rolled towards him . . . . a lovely piece of theatre.

Tony Haygarth was a revelation. Prior to this performance I'd only known him as PC Wilmott in 'Rosie'.

1982? Where did the time go????

Subject: RE: The end of Home Service?
From: Bonzo3legs
Date: 15 Jun 18 - 08:40 AM

I think they were penny-farthings at the National!

Subject: RE: The end of Home Service?
From: GUEST,henryp
Date: 15 Jun 18 - 01:38 PM

Don Quixote From the Theatre Royal, Plymouth programme 1982

The band:
John Tams (melodeon, singer)
Graeme Taylor (guitar)
Bill Caddick (singer)
Jonathan Davie (bass guitar)
Howard Evans (trumpet)
Michael Gregory (percussion)
Steven King (synthesiser)
Phil Pickett (wind instruments)
Maddy Prior (singer)
Linda Thompson (singer)
Roger Williams (trombone)

Music Director John Tams Music Associate Graeme Taylor
Additional music & lyrics: Bill Caddick, Martin Carthy, Howard Evans, Michael Gregory, Steven King, Nick Pickett, Jack Shepherd, Roger Williams

Subject: RE: The end of Home Service?
From: Bob TB
Date: 16 Jun 18 - 06:53 AM

Sorry to see them go but it is a different band now. There was a lot of cross-over with Albion and the National back at the start. I was sound engineer for the Albion River Hymn which included Phil (now disgraced) Pickett, Maddy Prior, Greg and 3 actors from the National. Also did a couple of Albion things with Bill Caddick. Everything seemed to be different combinations of the same people back then. Excellent music.

Micheal Gregory is the sound man's dream drummer: "You're a bit loud, Greg", "OK, I'll play quieter". And he does!

Interesting to see the late Jack Shepherd in the "additional" list. He was superb as the devil in the Passion Trilogy

Subject: RE: The end of Home Service?
From: Bonzo3legs
Date: 16 Jun 18 - 07:11 AM

I saw the Albion River Hymn at the Bloomsbury Theatre in London. I can't remember who was on female singer duties - probably June Tabor. Oddly enough, my wife also saw it at the Ashcroft Theatre in Croydon 7 years before we met! I always remember Simon Nicol licking over his music stand perhaps part of the show!

Subject: RE: The end of Home Service?
From: Bonzo3legs
Date: 16 Jun 18 - 09:14 AM

No, "kicking over his music stand" - damned iphone!!

Subject: RE: The end of Home Service?
From: Bob TB
Date: 16 Jun 18 - 12:35 PM

A performance 7 years later. The show toured in the early 1980s, I wasn't aware of any performance after that. June took over from Maddy Prior for the later shows. Simon used to do a superb Ian Paisley impression during the show.

Two main actors were co-author Mary Miller (Laura's mother in Lark Rise) and the great Howard Goorney.

Subject: RE: The end of Home Service?
From: Bonzo3legs
Date: 16 Jun 18 - 01:33 PM

Talking of Albion/Home Service cross-over, I once saw Simon Nicol deputising for Graeme Taylor during the 1985 Mysteries run!

Subject: RE: The end of Home Service?
From: Bob TB
Date: 16 Jun 18 - 01:51 PM

We were lucky when we went to see Lark Rise at the Cottesloe - Martin Carthy was standing in.

Subject: RE: The end of Home Service?
From: GUEST,henryp
Date: 16 Jun 18 - 06:22 PM

Jack Shepherd was in Don Quixote too, playing Gines de Pasamonte.

Subject: RE: The end of Home Service?
From: Herga Kitty
Date: 17 Jun 18 - 03:43 AM

I don't think Jack Shepherd is 'late' yet - neither does Wikipedia...

Kitty

Subject: RE: The end of Home Service?
From: Bonzo3legs
Date: 17 Jun 18 - 03:54 AM

"How hot it is here" !! (Jack Shepherd as Lucifer in The Nativity)

Subject: RE: The end of Home Service?
From: Bonzo3legs
Date: 17 Jun 18 - 05:22 AM

Jack Shepherd co-wrote an excellent book with Keith Dewhurst called "Impossible Plays" - Adventures with the Cottesloe Company!

Subject: RE: The end of Home Service?
From: Bob TB
Date: 18 Jun 18 - 05:24 PM

Well spotted Kitty. My apologies to Jack Shepherd. I was confusing him with God, who is dead.

Subject: RE: The end of Home Service?
From: Bonzo3legs
Date: 18 Jun 18 - 05:41 PM

But not David Bradley who played god on the 1999/2000 Mysteries production!

Subject: RE: The end of Home Service?
From: GUEST,viennesewaltz
Date: 21 Nov 18 - 03:33 AM

Came across this thread while reading about Bill Caddick (RIP). I was a big fan of the reunited Home Service at first but once Tams left I kind of lost interest to be honest. For me Home Service was Tams and it's not the same without him. Their album with Kirkpatrick, A New Ground, was a pale imitation of former glories.

Subject: RE: The end of Home Service?
From: FreddyHeadey
Date: 26 Nov 18 - 04:16 AM

Wiki page
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Home_Service#Members