[Music] The 'Big Apple' - did you go?

[raymondo]

This music venue in Queen's Road was only open for about a year I think, 1970/1 ?
Anybody else old enough to remember going there?

I could only afford the money and time for a few gigs:
- East of Eden on Xmas Eve, then walking back home to Hangleton through the Snow
- YES on Boxing Day evening (can't believe my parents let me go to both these over Xmas, far more easy going than I am )
- Fairport, Curved Air, Johnny Winter (or am I imagining that one ?)
- and turned up at an Elton John concert that never was - they took our money and put someone else on instead

Come on guys and girls, any special memories of this short lived venue?!

 

[el punal]

Yes. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I had the opportunity to see the Stones (the Rolling ones!) for 50p a ticket. This was back in 1971 and we’d just gone decimal. Muggins here waited and missed out altogether. The ’consolation’ was to go and see Donovan a few weeks later. F*** me, was that boring. What I remember was that the floor was sprung so you could bounce along and we were given cushions to sit on. Somewhere along the line someone threw a cushion and that got everyone up and into a massive pillow (cushion) fight.

Shady memories I’m afraid but I think most of what was described above was true.

 

[GT49er]

This music venue in Queen's Road was only open for about a year I think, 1970/1 ?
Anybody else old enough to remember going there?

I could only afford the money and time for a few gigs:
- East of Eden on Xmas Eve, then walking back home to Hangleton through the Snow
- YES on Boxing Day evening (can't believe my parents let me go to both these over Xmas, far more easy going than I am )
- Fairport, Curved Air, Johnny Winter (or am I imagining that one ?)
- and turned up at an Elton John concert that never was - they took our money and put someone else on instead

Come on guys and girls, any special memories of this short lived venue?

East of Eden - blimey, that's a blast from the past! One of the (then) fairly rare bands with a violinist (who also got to play on the Who's Next album).

 

[Binney on acid]

I went to loads of gigs there. You didn’t imagine Johnny Winter / Rick Derringer. Was short lived, but nothing lasts forever, does it ?

 

[Triggaaar]

Suddenly I feel young

 

[raymondo]

Yes. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I had the opportunity to see the Stones (the Rolling ones!) for 50p a ticket. This was back in 1971 and we’d just gone decimal. Muggins here waited and missed out altogether. The ’consolation’ was to go and see Donovan a few weeks later. F*** me, was that boring. What I remember was that the floor was sprung so you could bounce along and we were given cushions to sit on. Somewhere along the line someone threw a cushion and that got everyone up and into a massive pillow (cushion) fight.

Shady memories I’m afraid but I think most of what was described above was true.

Yes, all true. I too missed the Stonestwat that I was (16 or 17), but I saved my money for YES .
My best memory was watching Steve Howe sit at the edge of the stage and play The Clap. Marvellous stuff.

I seem to remember some bands got annoyed with cushions smashing into them - it was a badge of honour though, the better the performance, the more cushions thrown at the stage.

 

[raymondo]

East of Eden - blimey, that's a blast from the past! one of the (then) fairly rare bands with a violinist (who also got to play on the Who's Next album).

Ah ha...I didn't know the Who's Next link
Also Curved Air with a violinist.

 

[raymondo]

I went to loads of gigs there. You didn’t imagine Johnny Winter / Rick Derringer. Was short lived, but nothing lasts forever, does it ?

Winter was fantastic - what a guitarist.
Yes, it think it was closed fairly quickly due to insufficient sound suppression, but what a stream of concerts during the short journey.

 

[GT49er]

Ah ha...I didn't know the Who's Next link

I saw The Who soon after (the last warm up gig prior to the Live at Leeds album in fact) and Roger Daltrey covered Dave Arbus' violin part in Baba O'Reilly on harmonica very well indeed.

 

[Rogero]

I saw Free there

 

[thejackal]

Suddenly I feel young

Same here. I was born in 1970 and I'm still bloody old!

 

[dolphins]

Never had the good fortune to go (was three at the time!) but would have loved to. Never seen any pictures of it, but did find this advert (I'm a big Floyd fan, BTW)

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Ah ha...I didn't know the Who's Next link
Also Curved Air with a violinist.

1. Dave Arbus. I have the Mercator Projected album (very good!). He played the violin solo on Baba O'Riley
2. Darryl Way? I saw them at the Dome. Sonia was one of the worst singers I can ever recall. Stuart Copeland (later of The Police) on Drums and Mike Wedgewood (later but only briefly with Caravan) on bass.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

What I remember was that the floor was sprung so you could bounce along and we were given cushions to sit on. Somewhere along the line someone threw a cushion and that got everyone up and into a massive pillow (cushion) fight.

Shady memories I’m afraid but I think most of what was described above was true.

The old Regent ballroom, that closed when the Top Rank Suite opened?

 

[el punal]

The old Regent ballroom, that closed when the Top Rank Suite opened?

Could be. It was roughly the same time. I do remember the old Odeon cinema being towards the bottom of West Street then moving and incorporated at the back of the Top Rank building - they had escalators to the entrance!

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

i believe my father did. When we spoke about his time in Brighton in the late 60s he certainly mentioned it. He was a bit of a scene-ster in the day, went to many gigs, and the places I remember him mentioning were The Big Apple, The Florida Rooms, Hippodrome and he hung out in the back room of The Bath Arms and a cafe called Lorelei. The was a big cafe scene back then. He also dropped me off at the Caxton one evening after a game and said that was often the starting point for their nights out.

Does anyone else remember these places?

 

[maltaseagull]

This music venue in Queen's Road was only open for about a year I think, 1970/1 ?
Anybody else old enough to remember going there?

I could only afford the money and time for a few gigs:
- East of Eden on Xmas Eve, then walking back home to Hangleton through the Snow
- YES on Boxing Day evening (can't believe my parents let me go to both these over Xmas, far more easy going than I am )
- Fairport, Curved Air, Johnny Winter (or am I imagining that one ?)
- and turned up at an Elton John concert that never was - they took our money and put someone else on instead

Come on guys and girls, any special memories of this short lived venue?!

Stones, T Rex, Johny Winter, Curved Air and I am sure there were some others too.

 

[raymondo]

1. Dave Arbus. I have the Mercator Projected album (very good!). He played the violin solo on Baba O'Riley
2. Darryl Way? I saw them at the Dome. Sonia was one of the worst singers I can ever recall. Stuart Copeland (later of The Police) on Drums and Mike Wedgewood (later but only briefly with Caravan) on bass.

Yeah, she didn't always sing well...was popular with us teenage boys though

 

[dolphins]

Could be. It was roughly the same time. I do remember the old Odeon cinema being towards the bottom of West Street then moving and incorporated at the back of the Top Rank building - they had escalators to the entrance!

Did they EVER work? Foolhardy to be open air escalators in the British climate - might work in Vegas, for example, but not Blighty! I remember walking up them as snow was starting to fall, to see the first screening of Star Wars (Episode 4: A New Hope subsequently) which came out in December that year, in the UK.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

i believe my father did. When we spoke about his time in Brighton in the late 60s he certainly mentioned it. He was a bit of a scene-ster in the day, went to many gigs, and the places I remember him mentioning were The Big Apple, The Florida Rooms, Hippodrome and he hung out in the back room of The Bath Arms and a cafe called Lorelei. The was a big cafe scene back then. He also dropped me off at the Caxton one evening after a game and said that was often the starting point for their nights out.

Does anyone else remember these places?

I went to the Florida rooms, remember people talking about the Lorelei, and the Hippodrome is being restored right now.