Chris Farlowe Tribute

[Kenny Andrew]

Our old pal Chris Farlowe,

Chris Farlowe was a Rock Musician and Militaria dealer. He had a shop in London in the late 70's called "Call To Arms" When ever he was touring in Scotland he would pop in to see us. It's a shame he recorded all these tracks and many more but like most groups in the sixties suffered from bad management and never made the money he should have done.

Here he is on the Ottis Reading Special

with Ottis Reading and Eric Burden

 

 

[Graeme]

Britain really had some storming singers with superb voices in the 60's, 70's and to a certain extent the 80's. Why don't we produce them now?

 

[Kenny Andrew]

This is my favourite period of his the mid sixties when he was on Andrew Loog Oldhams Immediate label.

 

 

 

 

[Kenny Andrew]

Some more mid to late sixties recordings.

 

 

 

 

 

[Kenny Andrew]

And some more......

 

 

 

 

 

[Graeme]

Great voice.

 

[jager 152]

And he is still doing the circuit, appeared at Margate Winter Gardens recently, in one of those sixties packages. (Brian Poole, Tremeloes painlessly removed, plus P.J.Proby and a loner Searcher). I've known Chris personally for about thirty years, never changes, (And is this a good thing ?)

[Kenny Andrew]

Hi Newlyn, although I really like Chris , He is a bit of a character. Last time I saw him he told me he was at a London Show and this guy came running up to him and said Chris I've been looking for you for years ,I bought a Diplomatic dagger from you and I've been told it's fake. Chris said that was a long time ago do you still have it ? the guy said yes I got it with me. How much did you pay for it says Chris? The guy said £60 in 1974 , Chris said hey it's not fake but if you want I'll give you your £60 back , OK says the guy. Chris then went round to another dealer and sold it for £2000! not a bad days work says Chris  

[jager 152]

Yes, Kenny, I've known him since the days of Call To Arms, in Upper Street. In those days Pete Dredge was just across the road in the Angel Armoury, Dave Humphries and Mike Ross in Quartermasters At The Angel, Bob Tredwen in the Angel Arcade. All long gone.

Chris is still dealing between warbling, but more general antiques, and teller of tall tales !

[Kenny Andrew]

Chris Evans always speaks highly of him , I think he used to have a stall next to him at Camden  Market. Last time I saw Chris which was a while ago he was selling Americaner Kitchen items , here's some more from the mid sixties 

 

With Grannys intentions Gary Moores first band in the sixties

 

 

He's wearing a Prussian Shako

 

 

 

[jager 152]

Hmmmmm.....I really don't think I should say anymore ! ! !

[Kenny Andrew]

Here he is the 70's the soundtrack to Death wish II featuring Chris Farlowe and Jimmy Page

 

and the theme tune to the TV show "Gangsters"

 

 

Atomic Rooster

 

And a track from his live 1975 album

 

[Kenny Andrew]

Bringing things up to date the 1994 Colossseum reunion

 

[Kenny Andrew]

Although this thread is called a Chris Farlowe tribute I'm pleased to say Chris is still going strong , in fact if you read this Chris , 10% would be nice for the Greatest hits video I was going to discuss this with you the next time we met, but you tube has beaten us to it, would still make a great D.V.D.

 

[Fritz]

I saw him many years ago during a visit to London, he was directly on his way into Camden Passage, so obviously he must have been still interested in something. That was sometime in the mid to late 1990s. He didn't see me though as I was too far off. He has maybe a sight similarity with Udo Lindenberg, except that Chris mever met Erich Honnecker (you remember?). Lindenberg gave Honnecker his leather jacket, as a gesture of goodwill and maybe to embarass him. Can't remember what Honnecker gave Lindenberger - but he was receptive in his own socialistic way - "Vorwärts immer! Rückwärts nimmer!

[Kenny Andrew]

I'm sure Chris would have known Lindenberg he was always very popular in Germany. When I met the Rolling Stones Manager Andrew Loog Oldham, I asked him if he'd seen Chris recently, he asked how I knew him and told him it was through the militaria business. He told me when he used to manage Chris and the Rolling Stones in the sixties when they went to Germany Chris would disappear for hours and then reappear with all sorts of German medals and helmets he'd acquired from the locals. In these clips from the 1966 Ed Sullivan show Keith Richards is wearing a panzer waffenrock, I'm sure Chris told me he gave this to Keith, although I can't quite remember as I was very very drunk that night. 

 

[Fritz]

Unfortuantely I can't view the pictures on my screen, they are just completely black (just like "Paint it Black" - Farlowe). But next opportunity. Nobody here nowadays seems to remember Farlowe any more, but they are mostly a Younger Publikum. Maybe some of the "oldies" might remember him. I don't know what he does nowadays. I think it is a shame wearing historical uniforms, it doesn't improve them over the years. When I first started collecting, almost everything those days was near to immaculate condition, no moth, not like nowadays. I am for the preservation of historical items. People in the past were of the opinion theey should be "aired" regularly, as one colleague of Chris (Alan Seymour) said. He used to play war games etc., he even got a good pair of jackboots entirely re-soled in thick rubber, just to wear them in a re-enactment group with Vikings and Saxons. No wonder things have become so rare nowadays they just get worn out.
One of the granddaughters of Liesel and Walter N. was in a rockgroup for many years, called ELBROCK. This went quite well till recently, when two longyear members left, 2 new ones came and started criticising the lead singer, and she decided also to quit. At the moment, she hasn't found a new group, as she has too many other committments.

[Kenny Andrew]

That's a pity Paul yes I think it's time you got a new computer You are correct about people not knowing Chris , I mention him and no one knows who he is until you play them Out of time then they recognise him, it's a shame really but unless you make it in America the music business is very tough.

[Fritz]

And Udo Lindenberg just recently reached his 70th birthday, which is much of a surprise to him. He still lives in the Atlantic Hotel on the Alster, which costs a fortune for one night, and that is his permanent residence. He just doesn't want a home of his own. Everone knows him here, he doesn't seem to have any problems surviving, just a bit lonely I hear.

[Kenny Andrew]

Here is a picture I found of Chris's shop Call to Arms from the 1970's. 

[Fritz]

I remember the shop from the early 70s. Just before that he had a (larger) stall in the underground basement of the Antiques Centre in Camden Passage just across the road. He used to have a good stock in the old days and I got quite a few items from him. The last time I remember being there was around late August 1977, I think he must have closed some time after that, I was in London the following Summer, but don't recollect visiting, I think the shop was gone by then. The photo looks very ancient, where did you find that? No, in fact I was there around 1980, that must have been the last time.

[Kenny Andrew]

I found the picture on the website of Georg Grimm who was the bassist in the band of Tony Sheridan who were in competition with the Beatles when they played the Hamburg Reeperbahn during the early sixties. He was a good friend of Chris and also found this picture of him and his family inside the shop. When Chris first visited my first shop in the Virginia Galleries he said it reminded him of his shop, looking at the pictures now I can see the similarities.  

There is also a picture of him with Chris from 1965 at the Colston Hall Concert in Bristol,  You can see he is wearing some of Chris's booty. 

It's a good website   http://www.lisa-und-georg.de/20560.html

There is also a picture of your pal Udo Lindenberg from 1963 so I think it's safe to say Chris probably knew him well. 

[Fritz]

Hard to say whether that photo was taken in the new shop or the old basement in the Camden Passage. Must have been an early photo. In the uniform photo the field cap did not match the dress tunic.

[Fritz]

Some of the views look familiar. Correction, I was definitely there in Autumn 1980 or 1981, as I remember getting a Pickelhaube from him, the one in this photo, one cockade was missing, which I was able to replace with an original, otherwise all other parts orginal, with damage, but otherwise unmessed with. Stamp marked with K.B.A.G. 1915
Helmets of this type are now rarely found.

[Fritz]

http://www.chrisfarlowe.co.uk/cfmain.html

I see Chris Farlowe has a website. His last tour was in 2016, in the past years, most of his tours have been to German cities. I'm sure he's still in to Militaria, one way or the other. In the more recent photos, I would hardly recognise him nowadays.