Brian Eno is MORE DARK THAN SHARK

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Goldmine JUNE 7, 2024 - by Dave Thompson

REVISIT AYERS, CALE, NICO AND ENO WITH 'JUNE 1, 1974' - 50 YEARS ON

Kevin Ayers, John Cale, Nico and Brian Eno - on stage together - for a worthwhile platter.

Not many great albums can be said to have been released in June 1974... although Cockney Rebel's The Psychomodo is definitely one that was. So we turn our attention this month instead to one that was recorded that month, titled for the date, and may or may not have just scraped into the stores before July raised its tousled little head above the calendar.

It was called, simply, June 1, 1974, a live LP credited to Kevin Ayers, Brian Eno and ex-Velvet Undergrounders John Cale and Nico. And while there are few associated collectibles to be hunted down, beyond those in the accompanying top ten, still the album deserves celebration. Although a fiftieth anniversary box set containing the concert in its entirety might have been nice, as well.

On the face of it, the concert was a no-brainer - a cast of Island Records' most daring recent signings, each showcasing their latest album with a revolving cast of accompanying musicians. Only Eno was a long term label resident, through the contract he'd signed in 1972. Kevin Ayers was recruited to Island in fall 1973; John Cale shortly after; and Nico a little later, unsurprisingly, at John Cale's prompting.

It was Cale, too, who convinced her to join the bill for the une 1st show. "John thought the concert would be good for me," Nico mused some seven years later. "We had completed [my new] album, The End, and Island wanted to publicize us all. The concert was a way of giving us all equal publicity without having to make us play four separate concerts."

On another occasion, however, she mourned "it was not four people working together, it was four people fighting for the spotlight. I don't know who was more arrogant. I had the impression that nobody cared. It was a sign of the time. A kind of death wish."

"I think [the concert] was made to seem more important than it actually was," Eno would add to Nico's pessimism. "There wasn't much really happening and, since there are a lot of people who are professionally committed to discovering novelty, this was seized upon and blown up beyond its real significance." Or, as Cale put it, "they had all these cult people on the label. The idea was that if you put them all together, you might sell enough to justify their presence."

Hindsight is twenty-twenty. There were no hesitations when the show was in the planning stage, the brainchild of one-time Melody Maker journalist and now Island A&R man Richard Williams - who had brought both Ayers and Cale to the label. The idea of uniting four of the most disparate talents on the rock scene in general into one cohesive unit was one that so many labels have dreamed of in the past, although they seldom got far enough past the component egos to do more than stick them all on a bill together and send them out on tour.

Uniting them on one stage, with one band, was less a showcase, then, than a return to the revues of the sixties past - the days when visiting Motown and Stax packages would hit the stage, four or five headlining singers in one room, and a single tight band backing them all. That was the spirit that Williams wanted to restore. That was the spirit of the show.

Although it turns out that that was not the sole reason for the gig. It also transpired that Ayers, having collected the advance for his next album, the successor to Dr Dream, had promptly blown through the lot by taking his entire band, plus girlfriends and others, on vacation to the south of France. It was Williams who found himself needing to remedy the situation - something which a well-attended, highly publicized and, above all, successful concert and live album would do. And if Ayers was maybe not sufficient of a draw in his own right...

One expensive Kensington meal later, Cale and Eno were both on board, as Williams regaled them with his own memories of the Paris Bataclan gig that three former Velvets had played two years earlier. With Nico equally happy to play her part in the new event, there was no reason why June 1 should not become just as significant a night, for promoters and history alike.

"One reason for the concert," Eno continued, "was an artistic one, which was that we all really like each other as artists, and we all feel to some extent that we're roughly in the same area... We just had a meeting and decided it would be a nice idea, and then we rehearsed very, very hard, and that was very enjoyable. Working for just one concert is a very nice idea, 'cause you know you're going to be able to do things that wouldn't be feasible over thirty nights.

Creem journalist Richard Cromelin takes up the baton. Island Records, he wrote later in the year, "is now to the Esoterica wing of rock what Bearsville is to the Woodstock People, what Capricorn is to Southern boogie, what Casablanca is to desperate mutations, what Asylum is to the folkie elite. That's good because it might establish unpredictability as a workable force in the music biz (FutureFlash: Island becomes first major label to institute automatic mental-breakdown clause in all artist contracts...). Culturally, [June 1, 1974] was analogous to a major Dada exhibition back in its heyday; the Academy, in peril, will ignore or scoff, but time will inevitably mold it into an Event..."

For Eno, the opportunity to work with both Cale and Nico was one that he definitely couldn't pass up. Maybe he was or maybe he wasn't truly responsible for the claim that "not many people heard The Velvets, but everyone who did formed a band," but his admiration had not changed; nor would it once rehearsals began in late May at Island's Basing Street studios, and he learned, as he told Hit Parader, that neither Cale nor Nico was exactly an easy person with whom to get along.

"Working with them was of course interesting; both of them are very demanding people in a way - and so am I in another way." Cale's drug intake ("I was pretty incorrigible... [Eno would] throw up his arms and say 'good God' quite a lot") added to the pressures. But Eno was not discouraged. "It was a very volatile situation and those are the ones that interest me in music. We weren't sitting around patting each other on the back saying 'groovy,' 'let's blow together' - it was quite intense."

Eno was actually in a more difficult situation than his "bandmates," as it became clear that he had also being elected the logistical adviser for the entire concert. He told writer Lisa Robinson, "We decided what the format of the concert would be and then the role sort of fell on me to be the keeper of the thing.

"I generally kept it from straying off the subject - which was that somebody would come onstage, and then go off again and then somebody else would have to come on, just the mechanics of what would we do in between the two people. Just making sure that we thought about those details of the actual stage problems and the whole layout of the set. So in fact the rehearsals were the most efficient rehearsals I've ever been involved in and we only rehearsed for about twenty or twenty-five hours at the most - which isn't a lot."

Which, surprisingly, sat well with Ayers as well. As the only headliner on the stage for whom touring was a way of life, he later admitted he expected everyone to be going to him with their questions and problems. Instead Eno absorbed all the queries, leaving Ayers and his newly named Soporifics backing band to rehearse as much as they felt necessary, then watch the proceedings from the sidelines. Ayers even found time to work, with Eno and Wyatt, on an album with "Lady" June Cramer, hiking off to David Vorhaus' Kaleiphon Studios in Camden whenever he sensed the opportunity.

Guests were recruited for the concert.

Rumor, doubtless in cahoots with a boatload of wishful thinking from sources unknown, suggested that two further former Velvets, guitarist Sterling Morrison and drummer Mo Tucker had been approached to perform - and might have accepted, had there been more than a single show on offer.

Morrison said no. "If there was an offer, I don't remember it and Maureen has never mentioned it either," he said in a late 1980s interview. Which also scotches two other oddly-pervasive legends - that a full Velvets reunion was on the cards, with Eno replacing Lou Reed (!), and that the only reason it didn't happen was because the headlining Ayers put his foot down. Guest artists sharing his bill were one thing. Guest legends were something else entirely.

But Robert Wyatt would be making his first public appearance since the accident, and Mike Oldfield would turn in only his second since Tubular Bells established him as a superstar. And, in lieu of some mythical Velvets revamp, The Soporifics, Ayers' newly-formed band, were drafted into Eno and Cale's backing bands.

Lynchpin of this new line-up was guitarist Ollie Halsall. As Ayers said at the time, "it's playing with someone like Ollie Halsall which makes the whole tedious process of going out on the road worthwhile."

A former member of Timebox, the late 1960s band that evolved into early '70s perennial also-rans Patto (named for frontman Mike Patto), Halsall was working with Jon Hiseman's Tempest when he was introduced to Ayers, during the early sessions for the Dr Dream album. He would remain on board for the next year, until a tentative Patto reunion saw the old band reconstituted as Boxer - and rise to immediate fame courtesy of a debut album cover (Below The Belt) that still raises eyebrows today.

Archie Legget was involved, of course, and keyboard player John Bundrick was introduced. He recalls, "I met Archie in my local pub, on the corner in Belsize Park Gardens. I lived two houses up from the pub. They had an old upright piano in there, so I played it all the time for the pub drinkers and landlords. I was in there day and night, and so was Archie. We became drinking buddies. I am sure that at some point Archie must have put me in Kevin's direction for the gig.

"I also knew Eno from my days at Island Records with Free, and all the extra session work I was doing there. The rest of the band I didn't know at the time, but all involved turned out to be absolutely brilliant musicians and brilliant people to hang with. Then, there was also Richard Williams, who I knew really well, I did so many sessions at Island Records, I am so proud that I got to come all the way from Texas, and wind up playing with all these fab musicians in England."

When he was drafted into the line-up, he recalls, it was essentially just another job. "It probably just popped up due to my extensive session work. I was lucky enough in those years to be the 'Pianist of Choice' at several studios. I knew John Woods very well, and did a lot of Sandy Denny stuff for him; he might well have mentioned me for the gig too."

Neither was anybody else treating it as an especially major event. "It didn't feel like such a big deal at the time, no. I was used to being very busy then, and when work came up, whatever it was, I went for it."

Later, in interviews, Ayers appeared less than enamored with the entire event, especially when journalists made the (admittedly lazy) comparison between his work and The Velvet Underground.

"I don't think I've ever been influenced artistically or musically or whatever by them. I was fascinated by Nico and in fact wrote a song about her called 'Decadence.' I don't know, it was much more to do with the record company than any particular friendship. They decided that because we were all on the same label that we'd have a sort of... concert with those artists. I did become fairly friendly with Nico but not with any of the others."

Cale, at the other extreme, was terrified. No matter that he had played some of the era's most inhospitable gigs as a member of the Velvet Underground; nor that a handful of shows with Nico had acquainted him with the less tolerant side of the gig-going public. He had never played a true solo show before, and nerves continually threatened to get the best of him. "This was the first time I had gone on stage on my own. And to me it was so important it was nerve-racking..."

Others were more at ease. Rabbit continues, "Rehearsals were as fun for me, as the gig was. All were laid back like a load of lazy Texans. No one needed to be told who was in charge. We all knew it was Kevin's gig, and what other stars were there; they knew to trust Kevin's band. It was a loose arrangement 'boss'-wise, but we all knew who it was."

There was time, too, to relax. "I did want to meet Nico up close and personal, so I did knock on her hotel room door one night when rehearsals are done, just to introduce myself to her, and let her know that I was willing to do any work with her she had. She was very pleasant in the room, very, very laid back, like Kevin and the rest of the stars were. It was the band that got totally wiped out every day and night. Wow, did those guys know how to 'tie one on'. Whew..."

And afterwards, "I love the laid back vibe of the album. As artists, on stage we never get to hear the show like the audience does."

There were, however, tensions. The evening before the concert itself, Cale discovered that his wife Cindy Wells - AKA Miss Cynderella of the GTOs groupie band - was having an affair with Ayers. As the two men sat together for the official photo shoot later that night, Cale's fury was palpable. Ayers, on the other hand, seemed to find the whole thing rather amusing.

"Kevin was a true gentleman," reflects Rabbit. "He never bullied his way around anyone. He was always calm, collected, and 'cool'. Very confident guy he was, nothing to 'prove' to anybody. Kevin was who he was... himself, without the music business bullshit. Honest, hard working Artiste. I admired him a great deal, a great deal.

"God Bless Kevin."

THE SONGS

Brian Eno: Driving Me Backwards [available on June 1, 1974] - Eno (vocals), Kevin Ayers (bass), John Cale (bass), Archie Legget (bass), Ollie Halsall (guitar), Eddie Sparrow (drums), Robert Wyatt (percussion)

Brian Eno: Baby's On Fire #1 [available on June 1, 1974] - Eno (vocals), John Cale (piano), Kevin Ayers (bass), Archie Legget (bass), Ollie Halsall (guitar), John Bundrick (organ), Robert Wyatt (percussion)

John Cale: Buffalo Ballet [unreleased] - John Cale (vocals), Eno (synth), Ollie Halsall (guitar), Archie Legget (bass), John Bundrick (organ), Eddie Sparrow (drums), Robert Wyatt (percussion), Irene Chanter, Doreen Chanter, Liza Strike (backing vocals)

John Cale: Gun [unreleased] - John Cale (vocals), Eno (synth), Ollie Halsall (guitar), Archie Legget (bass), John Bundrick (organ), Eddie Sparrow (drums), Robert Wyatt (percussion). Irene Chanter, Doreen Chanter, Liza Strike (backing vocals)

John Cale: Heartbreak Hotel [available on June 1, 1974] - John Cale (vocals), Eno (synth), Ollie Halsall (guitar), John Bundrick (organ), Eddie Sparrow (drums), Robert Wyatt (percussion) , Irene Chanter, Doreen Chanter, Liza Strike (backing vocals)

Eno: "[John Cale] did a really interesting version of Heartbreak Hotel, in a minor key. It's incredibly suicidal. I mean you could never believe that that song could turn out to be such a downer as that... "

Nico: Das Lied Der Deutschen [available on The End (Deluxe Edition)] - Nico (harmonium), Eno (synth)

The most provocative and controversial song in Nico's entire repertoire, Das Lied Der Deutschen was the historical German national anthem, adopted during the post-World War I Weimar regime in 1922, but better known for its associations with the subsequent National Socialist government. By 1974, the first two verses of the song had been outlawed in Germany for almost thirty years, and Nico knew, long before she recorded it, the effect it would have on listeners.

It had also not escaped her notice that June 1 was not only twelve months to the day since Robert Wyatt's accident. It also marked the second anniversary of the capture of Andreas Baader. She would dedicate the song to him.

Nico: The End [available on June 1, 1974] - Nico (vocals, harmonium), Eno (synth)

Eno: "Nico doing The End was so chilling, it really was. It was incredible. She invests it with so many levels of meaning I didn't hear in The Doors' one. She underplays it... there's just the harmonium, me playing synthesizer - almost doubling the harmonium part - and her singing... which is just like a rich, kind of non-specific miasma of sound."

Kevin Ayers: May I? [available on June 1, 1974] - Kevin Ayers (guitar, vocals), John Bundrick (keyboards), Ollie Halsall (guitar), Archie Legget (bass), Eddie Sparrow (drums), Robert Wyatt (percussion)

Kevin Ayers: Shouting In A Bucket Blues [available on June 1, 1974] - Kevin Ayers (guitar, vocals), John Bundrick (keyboards), Ollie Halsall (guitar), Archie Legget (bass), Eddie Sparrow (drums), Robert Wyatt (percussion)

"As chief headliner, Kevin Ayers dominates the [live] album with a segment which is fantastic. A talented musician, he sings interesting songs of romance and misanthropy with suave continental charm that masks the similarity of his remarkable voice to that of Lou Reed. Between verses, Ollie gets off some extraordinarily fine guitar licks which blend easily into the relaxed tone of the songs. The highlight is Shouting In A Bucket Blues, a mellifluous piece taken from Kevin's latest album, The Confessions Of Dr Dream." - Ira Robbins, Zoo World

Kevin Ayers: Stranger In Blue Suede Shoe [available on June 1, 1974] - Kevin Ayers (guitar, vocals), John Bundrick (keyboards), Ollie Halsall (guitar), Archie Legget (bass), Eddie Sparrow (drums), Robert Wyatt (percussion)

Kevin Ayers: Didn't Feel Lonely Till I Thought Of You [unreleased] - Kevin Ayers (guitar, vocals), John Bundrick (keyboards), Ollie Halsall (guitar), Archie Legget (bass), Eddie Sparrow (drums)

Kevin Ayers: Whatevershebringswesing [unreleased] - Kevin Ayers (guitar, vocals), John Bundrick (keyboards), Ollie Halsall (guitar), Archie Legget (bass), Eddie Sparrow (drums)

Kevin Ayers: Everybody's Sometime And Some People's All The Time Blues [available on June 1, 1974] - Kevin Ayers (bass, vocals), John Bundrick (keyboards), Mike Oldfield (guitar), Archie Legget (bass), Eddie Sparrow (drums)

Can I just say this is my all-time favorite Mike Oldfield solo?

Kevin Ayers: Interview [unreleased] - Kevin Ayers (guitar, vocals), John Bundrick (keyboards), Ollie Halsall (guitar), Archie Legget (bass), Eddie Sparrow (drums)

Kevin Ayers: See You Later [unreleased] - Kevin Ayers (guitar, vocals), John Bundrick (keyboards), Ollie Halsall (guitar), Archie Legget (bass), Eddie Sparrow (drums)

Kevin Ayers: It Begins With A Blessing / Once I Awakened / But It Ends With A Curse [unreleased] - Kevin Ayers (guitar, vocals), John Bundrick (keyboards), Ollie Halsall (guitar), Archie Legget (bass), Eddie Sparrow (drums)

Kevin Ayers: Confessions Of Dr Dream (Part 4 - Dr Dream Theme) [unreleased] - Kevin Ayers (guitar, vocals), John Bundrick (keyboards), Ollie Halsall (guitar), Archie Legget (bass), Eddie Sparrow (drums)

Kevin Ayers: Two Goes Into Four [available on June 1, 1974] - Kevin Ayers (vocals), guitar, Ollie Halsall (guitar), Mike Oldfield (guitar), Eddie Sparrow (tympani), Eno (synth)

Kevin Ayers: I've Got A Hard-On For You Baby [unreleased] - Kevin Ayers (vocals), guitar, Ollie Halsall (guitar), Mike Oldfield (guitar), Eddie Sparrow (tympani), John Cale (viola)

Brian Eno: Baby's On Fire #2

Eno: "I did [it again] as an encore and the instruments were incredibly out of tune, so out of tune you wouldn't believe it. But it sounds fantastic. There's one little bit in it where there's a riff between the guitar and one of the bassists, and they're so out of tune it sounds like cellos. Amazing! I mean if you tried to make that sound in the studio it would have taken you ages. You wouldn't have thought of making it, in fact, it's such a bizarre sound. And the piano and guitar are quite well out of tune as well. Ha!"

"The papers said we were the new Velvet Underground," Nico recalled with only partial accuracy; there was talk around that time of the quartet remaining together as the frontline of a new band, and the presence of two former Velvets in the ranks could have been construed as a reunion of sorts.

But the four never truly played together. At the Rainbow, Cale and Eno performed alongside one another, and then both sat in behind Nico, but the only time the full line-up took the stage together was for the encore knees-up I've Got A Hard-On For You Baby which all agreed was a difficult number for Nico to truly get behind. "She tried to join in the chorus," Ayers smirked, "but suddenly realized that it wasn't her, somehow."

Even once the revisionism began (and Ayers once remarked that "the only reason the others didn't like the show was because it didn't make them all superstars"), however, Eno remained an enthusiastic spokesman.

"The nice thing about that concert was that it wasn't a fixed focus, everyone there had their time and everyone was equally important. And this didn't only extend to the star names on the record, Robert Wyatt was involved and he was very important to the concept. All the other people on stage - there was no feeling of some people doing the interesting things and the others doing the hard work. It wasn't like that.

"It was a great concert, the best concert I've ever played - easily. I've never enjoyed anything so much. And secondly it produced an album which I really love and thirdly it proved a point which I thought was possible and which had never been proven in England successfully before - and that was the idea of the superstar get together. It's been such a disaster because what happens usually is that you get the lowest common denominator of every person. You don't bring out the best points in them, you bring out the points where they all agree, which is way down here."

Would there be a repeat performance, however? Advertising indicated that shows were scheduled for Birmingham and Manchester at the end of the month, but they didn't happen. The following January, Cale suggested that the same team had booked Carnegie Hall for a repeat performance, although nothing ever came of that. As Eno put it, "we really couldn't take it on the road, because we'd fight after a few gigs." "Also because we're all basically into doing things on our own. And nobody in that set of people is prepared to commit themselves to be part of just one unit."

Cale in particular made it clear that he had no intention of a reunion, even backing out when Island Records suggested they repeat the performance at the upcoming free concert in Hyde Park. Eno was more amenable, but when he came down with a cold, it was clear that the planned event would at best go ahead at just half strength.