Your First Band

Subject: Your First Band
From: Lonesome EJ
Date: 28 Feb 02 - 03:16 PM

Little John Cameron's thread about 0ld Bands got me to thinking about my first group. Anyway, what was the name of your first group, how old were you, who was in it, what were some of the tunes you played?

My first band was Mythology, which consisted of myself on vocal, Terry Hurd on lead guitar, Bill Brady on drums, Danny Hauck on bass, and Van Carlisle on organ and vocals. I was 18 at the start. We had a song list that included Black is Black, In the Year 2525, Live for Today, Hey Joe, For Your Love, and Don't Let the Sun Catch You Cryin'.

Subject: RE: Your First Band
From: Wesley S
Date: 28 Feb 02 - 04:23 PM

The Glassless Menagerie - We were 15 and 16. I played bass, Jerry and Richard played guitar and I can't remember our drummers name right now for the life of me.

We played some Beach Boys, Lovin Spoonful, Hey Joe, Tobacco Road, Time Won't Let Me, the usual stuff. Our biggest gig was in a big hotel for a sweet 16 birthday party. Although we did get to play a parking lot or two for the local Maryland Fried Chicken outlet. Our lead guitarists father was the owner.

By the way we had matching outfits. White jeans and blue button down shirts. Beat that.

And it's a tossup who was the worst musician in the group.

Subject: RE: Your First Band
From: khandu
Date: 28 Feb 02 - 05:33 PM

Ashamed to admit it...my first band was "The Undertakers", 1970. We played only one gig, then I resigned. The band dis-banded after that. We played CCR, top 40, bubblegum and a bit of country.

The only good song we played was "All Along the Watchtower", which sounded like no other version of the song, being as how I had never heard any other version. I played it according to my drummer's memory of how it sounded.

The only good thing to come out of the band has been a life-long best-friendship with the drummer, who has become an excellent guitarist, mandolin and bouzouki player. He lives in Louisiana. We get together to record often. (But not as often as we would like!)

khandu

Subject: RE: Your First Band
From: Bobert
Date: 28 Feb 02 - 06:14 PM

"Thorn", 1969. Cover stuff like "New Day Yesterday" (Tull), "Down By the River" (N. Young), "Whiter Shade of Pale", "Hey There, Little School Girl", "Meet on the Ledge" (Fairport Convention), etc.

Subject: RE: Your First Band
From: Cap't Bob
Date: 28 Feb 02 - 06:45 PM

The first band I played in was called "Jamies Jammers". It consisted of Jim Harris on trumpet, Bob Abraham on Sax, Dale Vales on piano, Dick Alverson on trombone, Frank Reinhart on Drums, and I played guitar and clarinet. We played for proms, school dances, Knights of Columbus, and one summer at a dance pavilion. This was a while back (l948 - 1951). The Korean war broke up the band shortly after we graduated from high school. We usually made $5 to $10 apiece which wasn't bad for a high school kids back in those days.

Some of the songs were: Sweet Sue, Sentimental Journey, Walbash Blues, Missouri waltz, Bye Bye Blues, Georga Brown, Five Foot Two, Memphis Blues, 12th Street Rag, Easter Parade, etc., etc.

Cap't Bob

Subject: RE: Your First Band
From: C-flat
Date: 28 Feb 02 - 08:22 PM

My first band was called "Bedouin". We were an accoustic trio playing the working men's club circuit in Northern England. To strangers of the U.K. the Northern club circuit is a bizarre other-world populated by Neanderthals with little or no communication skills. These people are known as "commitee-men" and are regarded in great esteem by the less significant "club members". It falls to the "concert-chairman" to appoint a band (sacrifice) for the evening which will subsequently regarded as an interuption to the bingo,cheap beer,meat draw and the inevitable fist fight. It was my pleasure as a nervous 15 year old to tread these illustrious boards in a bid to find recognition for a talent that was largely ignored, save the occasional missile from the enthusiastic tormentors sensing blood. I think we made quite an impression in our matching paisley,wing-collar shirts,kipper ties, platform shoes and crimpoline flares. For the un-initiated, crimpolene was an invention of the 60's which , if one was unfortunate to have to bend at the knee, would retain the extended knee-shape long after the wearer had stood up again. After the first few bookings we realised we would need another name as "Bedouin" was a bit too difficult for the average concert chairman to pronounce and so we became "Penny-Farthing" and the rest is working-men's club folklore. We dissapeared without trace! 30 years later I still carry the mental and physical scars!

Subject: RE: Your First Band
From: michaelr
Date: 28 Feb 02 - 08:32 PM

Lonesome - I salute you! Takes a lot of guts to admit that one at one time covered "In the Year 2525". *BG*

Michael

Subject: RE: Your First Band
From: Lonesome EJ
Date: 28 Feb 02 - 08:47 PM

LOL. Well, it wasn't one of my numbers. We divided the vocals with me doing the rockers and Van doing the pop stuff like 2525 and Don't let the Sun. We played a lot of Jock Frat parties where our lives were in danger unless we let all the drunken football players come up and sing Dixie. We also played a block party for a bunch of grown-ups once, for which we learned some geezer songs like Stranger on the Shore and It's Not Unusual. Man those folks were ancient. Probably in their 40s.

Subject: RE: Your First Band
From: greg stephens
Date: 28 Feb 02 - 08:57 PM

Well, I dont think the skiffle group at school ever had a proper name. Then the next one started as H-Bomb and the Fallouts, playing straight R'n'B, a little before that became highly popular. As an actual market for blues developed, we changed the name to the Hoochie Coochie Men. Suddenly beat groups were the thing, so we changed the name to The Crawling Black Spiders and got some vague kind of uniforms together( the lead guitarist who ran the band insisted)...nobody else was mad keen. But we just played the same old blues.( I was also hanging out in a folk club with McGrath from Harlow, but that's another story)

Subject: RE: Your First Band
From: GUEST,Firecat at college
Date: 01 Mar 02 - 04:50 AM

My first proper group was called Fireboots (That's where I get the fire in my name from). There was me on bodhran, Will Owen on accordian and Tom Richardson on fiddle. We got a couple of gigs, Two at Year 11 assembly (one about March 2000 and the other at the Leaving Assemly on 16 May 2000) and one at a charity concert for Selby District Night Stop, in April 2000. The band split when myself and Will left school and I went solo.

Subject: RE: Your First Band
From: GUEST,MC Fat
Date: 01 Mar 02 - 05:23 AM

My first band was actually a duo with Ian Brodie called THANOG we had a uniform of matching powder blue kaftan tops and orange bell bottom jeans (suits you sir) and played a lot of Incredible String Band stuff. We did quite a few gigs at school concerts, church halls etc. Actually this thread reminds me of band names so I'll start a new one on that.

Subject: RE: Your First Band
From: Suffet
Date: 01 Mar 02 - 07:09 AM

My first and only band was called the Lunatic Fringe. We did very weird and usually anti-establishment numbers, often old-timey, bluegrass, or blues based. Our signature piece was called "Who's Been F---ing with My Guitar?" Another was "I'm Proud to Be a Commie from Long Island." We also did "Mr. Owsley" and "Passing Boo." That was 1968-1969.

There has been a report of late that I have been working with an "Irish girl band." In reality it is just three women who have backed me up with fiddle, flute, and vocals. But that's not a bad name for our group -- Steve Suffet and the Irish Girl Band -- even though only one of them is Irish, and that's only by ancestry on one side of her family.

--- Steve

Subject: RE: Your First Band
From: GUEST,shonagh
Date: 01 Mar 02 - 07:57 AM

my first band was called the spunkie clooties!! beat that!! hehe!!

Subject: RE: Your First Band
From: John P
Date: 01 Mar 02 - 08:09 AM

Arrgh! I can't remember the name of my first band. I played organ, Steve Gay and Craig someone played guitars, and Mike Bowman played drums. No bass! This was in 1969, and we didn't last very long -- two gigs. The only songs I can remember were Matchstick Men, Keep Me Hanging On, and If You're Going to San Francisco.

John

Subject: RE: Your First Band
From: mkebenn
Date: 01 Mar 02 - 08:31 AM

Mourning After 1967 Mike

Subject: RE: Your First Band
From: GUEST,Foe
Date: 01 Mar 02 - 09:44 AM

My first and only band was in Tucson AZ in 1962. I worked at a club, Ash Alley 241, built by local Folk lovers. We had all the touring singles/groups traveling east and west at that time go through the club (Ramblin' Jack Elliot, Greenbrier Boys, Judy Collins, Travis Edmonston [Bud and Travis]) and others, best forgotten, who had jumped on the folk bandwagon. Michael Cooney, a local Tucsonian, did a week here and there. During the summer of 62, Dave Graham, part owner and local Folk DJ decided to put together a group to play at the club during the slow season (110 degrees in the shade) and the "Ash Alley Singers" was formed. Alan Fudge, Dave's brother, on guitar and one who liked the pop groups, Kingston Trio, Peter, Paul and Mary, etc. Alan went on to a career in Hollywood on TV and in the movies. Bob Kimmel, guitar and bass, who liked blues and eventually formed the Stone Ponies with Linda Rhonstadt, a local girl. Bob eventually ran the concerts at McCabes Guitar Shop in Santa Monica CA. Ellen Davidson - guitar - old Childs Ballads, she got married, and me on banjo and guitar with my list of obscure Southern Mt ground hog and piggy songs. We had a unique act where we all were on stage for an opener and then three would leave and one would solo and then one would come back on stage for a duet then another would come up, then all four, then three leave so Ellen could wail the Cherry Tree Carol or some such and so on and all on stage for the final "rouser". Lots of fun but we broke up after the summer. We did travel up to Phoenix one time for a gig but that was about it.

Subject: RE: Your First Band
From: GUEST,John Cardis
Date: 11 Jun 10 - 09:43 PM

Willie Coccio and I met at Ash Alley and played together for six years -- it was a wonderful place to be from, despite David Graham's reluctance to pay us. Ah, the burdens of management!

Hooray for Tucson! All huzzahs for Ash Alley!

Subject: RE: Your First Band
From: Bobert
Date: 11 Jun 10 - 10:25 PM

Doctor Rupert and the Wiggly Digits...

Yeah, I was Dcotor Rupert...

We were loud...

That's all I remember... Oh yeah, we did a mean version of "Bo Diddly"...

B~

Subject: RE: Your First Band
From: Phil Cooper
Date: 11 Jun 10 - 11:20 PM

My first band was with my high school friend and great guitarist, Brent Chilton. So we were usually Brent Chilton and Phil Cooper, except when we called ourselves Traditional English Disco (it was 1978) or TED. Once we billed ourselves as the Rip-off Park Pig Fuckers, but no one would call us that. We did sing songs like Sally Free and Easy and The Poor Ditching Boy. To quote Richard Thompson, "We were drinking more in those days..."

Had a good time, but a move and marital problems brought the band to an end.

Subject: RE: Your First Band
From: Stefan Wirz
Date: 12 Jun 10 - 03:55 AM

Matchbox --- Crew 66 --- Crew --- "Blues Bands" in Mönchengladbach, Germany 1967-70

Subject: RE: Your First Band
From: GUEST
Date: 09 May 12 - 09:14 PM

LOL, my oldest sister Ellen was the Ash Alley singer.

Subject: RE: Your First Band
From: GUEST,999
Date: 09 May 12 - 09:23 PM

Yeah, and your name is ???

Subject: RE: Your First Band
From: Leadfingers
Date: 09 May 12 - 10:04 PM

My first band was the RAF Locking Apprentice Pipe and Trumpet Band , and my first paid gig was the Royal Tournament in July 1958 .

Subject: RE: Your First Band
From: Beer
Date: 09 May 12 - 10:13 PM

My first band was called "The BAR Band". Yeah, I know. Real original. The fact is,our names are Bob, Adrien and Randy, so it just made sense.
If someone can't catch the meaning it is the first letter of our names.
Adrien

Subject: RE: Your First Band
From: Mark Ross
Date: 09 May 12 - 10:15 PM

We had a jug band in High School, "Prendergast Farganswaller And His Merry Marching Society For The Preservation Of Insignificant Causes." Wasn't an MC in the world who could introduce us correctly.

Mark Ross

Subject: RE: Your First Band
From: Leadfingers
Date: 09 May 12 - 10:21 PM

Mark - And there I was thinking MY First band had an 'Interesting name !!

Subject: RE: Your First Band
From: Fidjit
Date: 10 May 12 - 04:19 AM

As I was from London and Davy was from Belfast When Mike who was from Edinborough joined us. It just had to be
"An Englishman, An Irishman, and a Scotchman"

We walked into a bar once and the barman said, "What is this. A joke?"

Chas

Subject: RE: Your First Band
From: banjoman
Date: 10 May 12 - 06:45 AM

The British Standard Brown Ale and Black Pudding Band - we had to change it because the name didn't fit any club posters or leaflets. Later evolved to The Old Trout Band which is still about (Occasionally)

Subject: RE: Your First Band
From: GUEST,Spidercake
Date: 10 May 12 - 09:33 AM

My first band was called Bug-eyed Apathy back in 1970 in Manchester, Maine. We were in high school, of course! Six girls with acoustic guitars, tie-dyed purple shirts, singing Simon & Garfunkel, PP&M, Joni Mitchell, Tom Rush, etc. On our way to Augusta to get capos, an older sibling asked where we were off to. We: Going to buy equipment for our guitars. He (in hopeful mood): Mufflers?

Subject: RE: Your First Band
From: GUEST,Don Wise
Date: 10 May 12 - 09:56 AM

"The Garden Gnome Ceilidh Band".....Johnny Adams (Acc.), Tufty Swift (Button Acc., Melodeon), John Gill (Fiddle), yours truly on guitar, operating out of Derby. Somewhere along the way we lost Tufty and acquired Pete & Chris Coe for occasional 'bigger' gigs.

Subject: RE: Your First Band
From: GUEST
Date: 10 May 12 - 11:28 AM

My first band was known as "the band," until we landed our first gig and needed to tell the organizer who to put on the poster. Seems that name was already taken by some guys with a bit more talent.
So then we became Crowhaven Farm, which was an emergency moniker, but it stuck. (The lead guitarist had just watched the movie when we were having this discussion; to this day I have not seen it.)
We had me on rhythm guitar and vocals, Pete DeMarco on lead guitar and vocals, Tom Stukane on bass, and a succession of unreliable drummers until we landed a good one, Ray M (still can't spell his last name, seems it's all consonants).
We played the prom and school dance scene in northern New Jersey, mostly covering current hits. I enjoyed the Eagles, Wishbone Ash and Alice Cooper covers. But our audiences preferred the retro R&R tunes that we at first threw in for variety (Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly, early Beatles), and we evolved into a R&R revival band. Not the most musically rewarding stuff but it was fun and paid for the gas and guitar strings.
Eventually we all went to different universities, which broke us up as an act but not as friends. I have since played with better musicians but never a group of mates with more commitment to a project.
Thanks for the memories... (almost all good)
-Glenn

Subject: RE: Your First Band
From: GUEST,highlandman at work
Date: 10 May 12 - 11:31 AM

That was me in Crowhaven Farm above. I suppose I should add that it was 1970-74. -Glenn

Subject: RE: Your First Band
From: GUEST,Baz Parkes
Date: 10 May 12 - 11:34 AM

The White Bird Miracle Orchestra and Chorus...there were two of us...

btw Mr Wise...wasn't Mel Dean a Garden Gnome at one stage?

Baz

Subject: RE: Your First Band
From: Peter C
Date: 10 May 12 - 11:35 AM

The Severn Valley Stompers - about 1955/7
Myself on banjo (with regulation three chords) Tat Meager on drums, Colin Partridge on clarinet, George Powell (and sometimes Sheila Pullen) on piano, Bill Paterson on trombone, cant remember the names of the bass and trumpet players.
We played Bad Penny Blues, Isle of Capri, Dippermouth Blues, King Porter Stomp and lots of others

Subject: RE: Your First Band
From: fat B****rd
Date: 10 May 12 - 02:36 PM

Aged 14, The Rangers ! which morphed into Oscar and the Wildcats and several other names with a nucleus of lead, bass, drums and inaudible piano. We played the Cleethorpes Youth Club Friday Night Social Circuit. My first song was a monotone 'C'mon Everybody' which set the pattern for my teenage local musical future. Red guitars were mainly the order of the day with red ties, white shirts and grey (school) trousers. Our big moment was playing 'Please,Please Me' five times in one night in early 1964. Well it was top of the 'Hit Parade'.
(Fairly) Happy Days.
PS We had various mates get up and peform. For any UK Folkpersons, one of them was the late Dave Williams, of pipe making fame. He sang Gene Vincent's 'Say Mama' and as I recall, rolled around the stage.

Subject: RE: Your First Band
From: John P
Date: 10 May 12 - 07:02 PM

Aargh, I don't remember the name of the band! I was 15. We only played three gigs. Late sixties pop -- I can remember 'Pictures of Matchstick Men' and 'Keep Me Hanging On'.

I soon joined Stone Free (I didn't choose the name . .) and played with them through high school and college. We did Santana, Yes, Jethro Tull, Beatles, Cream, Hendrix, Chicago, music we used to call album rock, as opposed to radio rock. It was a six person band, fairly large for that time and place -- 2 guitars, keyboards (me), bass, drums, and four-part vocals.

The biggest improvement in my life I can remember from those days is when keyboards became portable. I played a Hammond organ and an electric piano that was trying to look like a real upright piano by being made of wood. I got so tired of moving massive furniture a couple of times before and after every gig.

Subject: RE: Your First Band
From: Bee-dubya-ell
Date: 10 May 12 - 07:30 PM

My first band was named "Bittercreek", name taken from a song on The Eagles "Desperado" album. Two acoustic guitars and two female singers, one of whom I was married to at the time. We did a lot of Emmylou Harris type stuff. The band broke up when the other singer (the one to whom I was not married and who had about 80% of the band's talent) got an offer to sing with a real band.

Subject: RE: Your First Band
From: GUEST,Don Wise
Date: 11 May 12 - 04:49 AM

@ Baz Parkes: Mel Dean! Hell, I'd quite forgotten him! However things used to get quite mixed up when it came to doing festivals etc. so that the difference between "sitting in" and (fairly) regular member tended to be somewhat blurred. It also depended upon where we were playing, how big the gig was, who could or couldn't make it and whose date book/tour plan tied in with our gigs. Over and above the basic 3/5 person line-up things tended to be somewhat ad-hoc.

Don

Subject: RE: Your First Band
From: bubblyrat
Date: 11 May 12 - 05:00 AM

My first band was all at sea (literally ) and was called "The Guinness Grenadiers " . I played a "Windsor" banjo ; the rest of the line-up consisted of Ned Starkey (mandolin) from Liverpool , Paddy Lewis (vocals) from Belfast , Bill Graham (guitar) from Dublin ,Hughie Thompson (guitar)from Liverpool , and Chief Petty Officer (Engine Room Artificer) Pete Wimpenny ( banjo,whistles) from Suffolk .
    In our two years together, we played at all the folk venues in Singapore , the Jardine & Matheson building in Hong Kong ,and the Supreme Court Gardens in Perth, Western Australia .And God knows how many concerts and "Sods'Operas" at sea in order to raise money for the Master -at-Arms ( Paddy Calnan )'s favourite charity, Nazareth House childrens' home in Plymouth.

Subject: RE: Your First Band
From: GUEST,Roger Knowles
Date: 11 May 12 - 02:14 PM

The Wayfarers duo, with Robin Dransfield.

Subject: RE: Your First Band
From: GUEST,Ian 'Gilly' Gill
Date: 14 Jan 17 - 12:09 PM

"Agincourt Mote" 1969,I played bass, Andy Grazier lead guitar, Bob Ward drums. Played Abbey Road era Beatles covers, Simon and Garfunkel covers and our own stuff - which was astonishingly crap.

Subject: RE: Your First Band
From: punkfolkrocker
Date: 14 Jan 17 - 11:53 PM

Age 15 - circa 1974 - can't remember which name.. it changed every week or so...

We were school mates, playing covers - mostly The Shadows instrumentals..

First gig was probably my cousin's birthday party in a local community hut,
or my Grandmother's Co-op Women's Guild on a real stage in a magnificent Victorian Chapel.

That would have been me on rhythm guitar with a 40 quid catalogue Shaftesbury acoustic I had for my 15th birthday - fitted with a Schaller pickup.
The drummer, and his brand new drum kit.
My best mate, the lead guitarist with a cheap Japanese copy semi acoustic with Bigsby style tremolo,
and possibly a Bass guitarist.. or more likely not at that stage..

The set would have been Shadows tunes, Fleetwood Mac's Albatross
and probably The Beatles Help and I Wanna be Your Man.

Though I can't remember who'd have sung them and if we had any mics.

Amplification was my 50 quid second hand 1960s Vox AC30 with enough inputs for us all to plug in...

The amp didn't last much longer before components dramatically expired,
and was replaced soon after as part exchange for an HH 2x12" transistor combo...

I so regret losing that AC30, I've never again let any music gear go..
which accounts for my OCD collecting and hoarding which has filled our house to the point of hazardous living conditions...

Anyway, within a year our band started getting good and expanded our repertoire with Marc Bolan / T.Rex, Animals, Yardbirds songs..
and [same as John P's band] Status Quo's Pictures of Matchstick Men
until we became obsessed with DR Feelgood and started writing our own speeded up R&B proto punk songs..

By age 17 and line up changes, we added a real music qualified keyboard synthesiser player,
and were established as a pretty good college punk hippy band
playing mostly our own original songs
to our own druggy west country student audience...

The after gig parties were brilliant... !!! 😎

Subject: RE: Your First Band
From: punkfolkrocker
Date: 14 Jan 17 - 11:58 PM

bugger.. how could I forget, we played loads of Chuck Berry songs as well,
right from the very start up until punk and Gong / Steve Hillage influences took over..

Subject: RE: Your First Band
From: punkfolkrocker
Date: 15 Jan 17 - 12:50 AM

.. and a serious devotion for Eddie Cochran... so 2 or 3 of his greatest hits would also have been played at our first ever gig

As I get closer to 60 my memory is shite..

Ok.. so this should be my last word on this..

The only reason my mate started to learn guitar and persuaded me to as well
was a direct result of the early 70s British Rock n Roll revival..
At 14 he was a plastic Ted.. buying his Teddy Boy gear mail order and wearing a bucket of Brylcream in his quiff to school.
I as was fashion had hippy hair half way down my back and wore very wide flares and glam rock platform shoes...

... and after all the frustration of trying to play rock music on a cheap acoustic & pickup,
I got my first real good quality solid body electric guitar when I was 17 in 1976..
A shergold Masquerader....

My first FX box was in 1978 - an electro Harmonix Big Muff Pi fuzz box !!! 😎

Subject: RE: Your First Band
From: Will Fly
Date: 15 Jan 17 - 04:01 AM

I had an H&H VS Combo - swapped it for a clapped Marshall valve amp. The H&H was crap - heavy and with no warmth - but the Marshall always decided to take a holiday on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve gigs. (Dry joints are the worst sort of fault to diagnose).

PFR - did you ever have a Watkins CopyCat? Great gear at the time. Sold mine for £30 to a guy in the car park at the back of the Black Lion pub in Brighton...

My first proper band was an eccentric jug-band style outfit called The Egbert Sousé All Stars, with a hard core of personnel from the BBC, where I worked at the time. We had guitar/tenor banjo, mandolin, double bass, washboard, tenor sax, alto sax/clarinet, jug, kazoo/vocal, harmonica/vocal, bass sax/tenor banjo - supplemented now and then by other musicians. Our residency was in the early '70s at the Redan pub on the corner of Queensway and Westbourne Grove (London W2). The landlord was an ex-cabaret guitarist and singer, and the tenant of the upstairs flat was Diz Disley, who occasionally came down for a pint and joined us. We had a great time and,for me, it was a hugely informative period in my musical life, where I learned stuff I'd never dreamed of playing, with some good musicians to learn from.

I remember Diz sitting in with us one evening. We played "Doctor Jazz" - the first time I'd ever done it. After we finished, Diz turned to me with a big smile on his face and said, Well done, dear boy - now go and learn the fucking chords."

Good advice.

Subject: RE: Your First Band
From: punkfolkrocker
Date: 15 Jan 17 - 08:34 AM

Hi Will - I desired a copycat more than anything else.. but simply couldn't afford one in my teens / early 20s..
Then the Roland Space echo was released and adopted by Dub reggae sound systems..
But that was even more expensive..

I've made do with echo / delay FX pedals ever since.

I did find 2 Watkins side by side on the floor of a 2nd hand shop in Taunton about 16 years ago..
I think they were both the later solid state versions, but the wife was with me, and even if she could be persuaded,
there was no guarantee if or for how long they would work.

From 1977, our keyboard player performed the synth cosmic space echos with a big box early ananlog bucket brigade chip delay..
dunno what it was though..

Back in the 70s us provincial guitarists were self taught and clueless about gear technology.
None of today's tutorial industry and college music tech courses existed for us back then..

My dad got me that AC30 for fifty quid off 'a bloke' he knew
and impressed me and my mates by saying it was a Beatles Amp..

When it suddenly died he also got suckered in by the HH amps futuristic green glowing control panel
and signed up for the HP...

Plus Wilko Johnson used one..

I persevered with that amp from 16 to mid 20s, but could never get a decent sound from it.
It was certainly impressively loud, but the tone was too hi fi sterile
when I wanted the sound of The Who's early records..

In the mid 80s I donated mine to a west country music co op..

These days they are apparently very collectable legendary vintage amps...?????? 🙄