An exciting behind the scenes look at story of Grapefruit – the fabulous Beatles and wannabe Apple stars

This booklet is taken from my upcoming autoautobiography and is designed to accompany the EP Grapefruit Segments which you can enjoy alongside reading here about my life in the ‘fast lane’ of the London music scene of the late 1960s. The chapter headings are also the names of tracks from the EP and are loosely connected to the content. I hope you enjoy the adventure! – J.P. tremoloes and had the full Fender our new member, a second singer rig and a Klemt Echolette (amazing named Kenny Roe, and if we weren’t sound) and Colin Hare who went working I’d get the phone call. onto play and write with Honeybus, Kenny liked to hang out in clubs a fantastic 60s band, famous for I and was a sensible gambler, in other Can’t Let Maggie Go amongst others. words he took a set amount he In fact I think I took his place… was willing to lose and after that he stopped, so he told me anyhow. We After about a year working in regularly went to the Cromwellian Fenchurch St. London all day, then Club in Kensington, which had going off to gigs at the weekend, gambling and bars and a disco, sort (sometimes getting back at 4am of all in one setup. Kenny also had Monday morning, then getting up a mini, in which he’d pick me up – for after 3 hours sleep and going very trendy at the time. to work) Geoff rang me up saying would I come to an audition for Apart from the Crom we’d probably Tony Rivers & the Castaways with me on the right, Tony Rivers and the Castaways. Now go on to the Speakeasy, or Pete Swettenham behind me & Geoff on the other side this was THE big local professional Revelation Club. Kenny would go group. Working regularly up and off and meet friends and so would down the country with a London I. Luigi was the Chef and I always fresh agent and a charismatic lead enjoyed the food down there, singer, who loved harmonies. So strong memory of petit pois and off I went to audition, more than a rich gravy. Of course the cliental little nervous, where at one stage was a potpourri of 60’s superstars Tony said Ok John just sing along – regularly bumping into (literally) tarting with piano lessons at eight Speeding through some years saw with what we’re doing, so I did. many famous people including Syears old, by twelve I’d got to me leaving school and getting the Afterwards he asked me how I knew David Bowi, , Rod the Can-Can when Dave Brubeck only possible proper job available to sing 6th’s and 9th’s. Truth is I Stewart, Long John Baldry etc. etc. appeared with Take Five, I loved it for a 1, O-Level student… in a didn’t have a clue I just thought they and wanted to play it. So after four bank. Pretty bad I know, I probably sounded nice. Apparently it was GRAPEFRUIT years of lessons, as my classically would’ve got my Music O-Level if I’d enough and I had the opportunity Trk 3. The Best and Worst of Times orientated piano teacher didn’t ‘do’ have been interested in what Elgar and went professional in music, jazz I was off! I was also playing had for breakfast!! Passed the theory, goodbye bank! So, one night in the Speakeasy, guitar and singing in a band called failed the history... But my Mum was sitting up at the bar, I got chatting the Sugarbeats by this time, made pleased cos I was wearing a suit My life with Tony Rivers and the to a rather eccentric Liverpudlian up of school mates, Pete (Rhythm and commuting up to London every Castaways, was up and down the called Terry Doran. He said he was gtr) and Geoff Swettenham (drums), day (we lived in South Hornchurch M1 which might have been the only the director of Apple publishing Kenny Gold (Lead singer) and Bob nr Dagenham), to the Bank in motorway at the time and we relied which I’d never heard of and which Mannering (Bass). I played lead Fenchurch street. I’d also moved on heavily on the Blue Boar (Watford sounded like a fruit stall!! It’d just guitar and sang harmonies. We were to Dave and the Strollers another gap) as many did, for sustenance started and he was looking for songs. definitely a Beatles-based band local band but with some heavy (more on this in the autobiography). We had an hilarious night together although we did do other people’s hitters, such as Steve Scott who During this time I started clubbing as I was as insane as he was, and at stuff too. had been with Brian Poole and the in the west end, largely due to the end he gave me a card and said ©1968 Rex Features to call. Terry liked my idea but not my songs, so he then played me some I got on with my life with the of the songs written by one of his Castaways and in truth I’d forgotten already signed writers called George’ about the incident. But after some Alexander,(also known as Alexander time he came back to mind and Young, elder brother of George I dug out the card and made an Young founder of as appointment, just to see if I could get well as Malcolm and Angus Young, some songs published and placed. founding members of the Australian Wending my way from Elm Park up hard rock band AC/DC). George to Baker St. in London and finding was then a songwriter Terry Doran the Apple building I entered his already had on his books, who office to discover it was blinding the story goes was snapped up by white, completely white, I mean because of a song everything, The desk, the carpet, the called Lullaby for a Lazy Day – a lampshades and curtains, all white. very Beatlesque tune – and to be honest I could see that these songs So we sat in his totally (did I say were crafted pieces and very good. white) office, got chatting and I Terry asked if I had any musician eventually played him my tunes. mates who might be interested, so Sadly the tunes died a death, but we of course I suggested that I could got talking and I found myself telling ask my old friends Geoff and him about what I perceived as a gap Pete from TR and C’s if they’d be in the market now had interested. They were cautious at ‘gone Heavy’. I strongly felt that a first, it probably all sounded a bit far new group of young clean shaven, fetched to be honest, but they agreed enthusiastic lads doing new music to a meeting. but with a distinct Beatles style could pick up what the Beatles had Before this happened George and I dropped. I was still a fan of the four had a meeting. George apart from mop-tops and their music of that being a writer was an ex Saxophone time, (still am) and like many I loved player with Bobby Patrick’s Big their harmonies, their melodies, their Six, playing, in Hamburg when the heart and their fun, and strongly Beatles were there. I thought he believed others did too. looked very old, (through the eyes of youth) but he wrote the songs and In retrospect it was indeed a could play bass and Terry wanted great idea, proven out by The him in. The Idea for the band was Monkees who with shrewd business becoming a reality. management and fantastic songs, were able to achieve huge success We all met up at the Apple later on, but we were first. building in Baker St.in the now famous white office and after some Taken at the Hanover Grand launch party. Me having banter with Paul! discussion and question fielding, what a nice, gentle chap he drunk the room was spinning out of everyone confirmed they were in. was, this became unintentionally control and it was so hot, trying to We obviously had to call the band advantageous later on. sleep that night!!! … Nightmare … something, and in fact the name came later on. Terry was previously It’s worth saying that George, We did several BBC Radio recording involved with running and Geoff, Pete and I had sessions, up at Delaware road, a car company, (the man from the come from different musical London. These were made famous motor trade?) “Bridor Cars” and backgrounds. Whereas George because all the bands used to do turns out to be big buddy’s with was an accomplished musician, them and the recordings were John Lennon and in conversation used to the ‘what key’s it in?… pretty good, we did some with the asked him for a name for the band after 4…’ approach, we although Castaways. I’ve heard Geoff say he so John in usual pragmatic style said good, worked best by working out thinks these Grapefruit recordings “Grapefruit” not least because his between us what we were gonna do are better than the records we did wife Yoko was releasing a book by before hand. So for me there was as they didn’t have all the “Nuts” the same name! always going to be a problem… squeezed out of them (technical Term). The archives for these Before we knew it, we were in the PROMOTION sessions were found and turned studio. Early sessions down at IBC Trk 1. The Cover of the Daily News into an album called Grapefruit, studios, Portland place, were at once Yesterday Sunshine and released by fantastic and terrifying. Our producer So Grapefruit started to tour and do RPM RECORDS, (www.rpmrecords. was the American Terry Melcher radio interviews, record together co.uk). And I gotta say, they do (Doris Day’s Son) and producer of and did various mad, looney videos, sound great! the Byrds and others. On our first some in Germany, some in Italy, session John and Paul were there which you can probably find on We had a major tour with the with various luminaries all puffing youtube. and we traveled the world BeeGees, compered by my now various jazz woodbines and hanging gigging at various places. friend Mike Quinn, which went well out while we were setup in the (they tell me) and I remember their middle of the studio floor, with We had a massive launch party being a lot of rivalry in the BeeGee’s little rehearsal still getting to know at the Hanover Grand Hotel (off camp, over who’s songs would last headlines if we’d have left the club George Alexander and his songs and Regent Street) where all the Beatles into posterity theirs or the Beatles. together! how best to work together! except George turned up, plus Brian Seems they both did. Jones, Donovan & Cilla Black. It I was invited by Dee Meehan (our On the IBC website: was rumoured Jimmy Hendrix was Speaking of Cover of the Daily Fan Club secretary) for a meal at her http://www.ibcstudio.co.uk/ there. I have an abiding memory of News type scandal. On one of my flat – and I was quite surprised on historyindex.html it’s noted that, my Mum shaking hands with John Speakeasy nights I found myself arrival to meet David Bowie dressed John and Paul later turned up at the Lennon, him saying “hello Mrs Perry sitting at a table with a beautiful normally at that time sitting on the studios on 24th November 1967 when how are you?” and she frozen to young singer surrounded by her all couch and we had as I recall an they sat in on the Grapefruit session the spot! I remember TV work in American entourage by the name unusually normal evening together. on their first hit, Dear Delilah. Brazil and time spent on Copacabana of Cher… I tried talking to her and beach where my bag was stolen, and possibly run a couple of cheesy I think it was around this time where I think it was at this studio session, I getting drunk in a German bierkeller chatup lines past her, but all she did my lack of control and self abuse first met big (the Beatles where George swore he was seeing was flash her knickers at me and caught up with me. It was possibly Road manager) and discovered Nazis all over the place… I got so then totally ignore me. Imagine the with the upcoming Tour I suddenly realised I was shot. I mean (possibly the first time he’d heard HEY JUDE lines, they were almost songs in totally exhausted and running on it) on a piano behind a curtain; a Best and Worst of Times themselves having a melody and a fumes. So I told Terry about this and memory of Lennon, screaming at groove that really fit whatever song he recommended me to go and see me trying to get me to play a certain One notable evening, 30th July 1968 he was working on. After this the “the Doctor”. He (the Doctor) looked way on a Grapefruit track: “I want was spent in the studio in one of Boys came around the Neumann mic me over and said he was going to it to sound like a f**king airplane their sessions for a change. To begin setup in the middle of the floor of give me something to get through coming into land” Bearing in mind at the beginning, we had some free the big downstairs room and started the next weekend tour start, and it we didn’t even use overdrive guitar time and I was out carousing (as you adding the 3 part (drifters type) would last a few days. An injection in the Castaways this was pretty do) in Wardour St. visiting the Ship harmonies. All’s great and I’m very was administered. Now I don’t terrifying. Also George came in a few pub, and later Jack Barry’s bar, which happy watching all this,’til they came know what it was but my Lord I felt times and played around with the everybody did in those days. I hadn’t to the part of the song that goes, fantastic and felt I could cope with drum sounds and stuff. got to Jack’s Bar yet and I was sitting ‘better, better, better, AAAAH’. I was anything. After asking I was told it in the pub nursing a beer feeling by this time sitting on the floor just was vitamin B12. Not like any B12 Interaction with “the boys” was pretty flat, with nothing going on, watching this film-like event unfold I’ve tried since… I can’t remember always fascinating and frightening at when suddenly I remembered that before me with the 4 Beatles around the guys name but I wouldn’t be the same time. You gotta remember somebody had mentioned that ‘the the mike singing various bits when surprised if it wasn’t Dr Roberts! I was a huge fan before I met Boys’ were going to be recording at the track got to the middle of the them, and I have to this day got a Trident Studios in St Anne’s Court, verse prior to the Better, better, bit. THE BEATLES IN THE STUDIO collection of Beatles magazines, a just around the corner from the pub. Paul, suddenly looks over in my Trk 4 Better Daze monthly mag about the fab four that direction and ushers me over to join I devoured in younger days from This seemed infinitely more them. Moving on, It was in the studio cover to cover. Now I was hanging interesting than what I was doing, where we got our first taste of out with them and expected to be so I went along and knocked on I look around to see who he’s interaction with the Beatles. ‘normal’ in their presence, it was the door. It was opened by BIG Mal talking to, and seeing only a wall After our initial session at IBC we pretty weird. The thing is they were Evans The lovely Beatles roadie I’d concluded quite brightly that he must knuckled down to making our very normal together, the problem met at IBC studios, who obviously be talking to me. I get up and start first album, and for the most part was they were THE BEATLES!!! knew me and said, “Hi John, the to walk towards the mic (which J, P, it would be just us. Memories of Boys are in here tonight d’ you G and R are standing around) – the standing around the piano probably Here’s an example. We met up for wanna come in?” I was through that track is still recording. Paul once at Trident studios with the Grapefruit a drink in a pub in Wigmore St. and door before he could even blink. again gestures at some headphones guys and Terry Melcher playing were sitting round with the lads. I’m lying on the floor. I reach down and Round Going Round. Unfortunately sitting between Paul and George It was here I watched the boys in put them on, they are SO LOUD he had taken one of his little tablets and they start to talk to each other action. It seemed that the piano that I shout out ‘f**king hell’ (to my which made everything half tempo with me in the middle. The thing and drums had been previously eternal shame or glory depending on and although he was “feelin’ it”, it was that because at that time their recorded as had the lead vocal, I’m your standpoint!). I then (nervously) turned a bright happy song into a every word if heard could make the pretty sure including the screaming sang along with the Beatles, the first dirge! Fortunately it had worn off front page, they put their heads very ad libs on the end. So I witnessed layer of na-na-na’s (after the better by the time we got to recording. close together so their conversation John and George tracking on those better part) going right to the end of So we kicked off recording where couldn’t be overheard. Can you lead guitar bits in the control room, the song. occasionally out of the blue, one or a imagine when your idol’s face is watched Paul add his bass line, in You know I can hardly believe I was couple of the Beatles would just turn about 6 inches from yours asking the large downstairs room, which there myself but I guess the proof up and hang out there. Memories “what do you think” – pretty scary! was phenomenal. I had always that I was, unless Paul or Ringo of Paul playing Hey Jude to John, been a great admirer of Paul’s bass can confirm, is that my expletive being replayed again as soon as it afterwards and sitting in a room on finished. Added to this I had found a my own seemingly in a cloud. Some blue tab in our managers case, which kind person came in and gave me I thought might be the famous acid a well meaning Dutch uncle talk The Beatles used. So we decided to about being careful with drugs … try it. The three of us took it, but we Lennon had a reputation for being weren’t sure what it was. One of the ferocious and maybe sometimes he guys suggested we go to the offie was but he had a kind side too. For (remember them?...) to buy some instance at the Memories of Fashion lemonade and baccy and sweets etc. show on the Kings Road with the because the bubbles in the lemonade Beatles, and talking about how I’d apparently can bring you down if it like to write more and better songs. gets too crazy. As we were walking John’s encouragement was to ‘keep towards the offie the pavement writing John’… he coulda just said started to get spongy and I think we ‘give up’!!! all agreed we were off! A long night ensued where I remember trying I was at this time living with Paula to talk to my Yes friends German Boyd (the youngest of the Boyd girlfriends and not understanding sisters) The other two were Patti and why I couldn’t understand a word Jenny, Patti being ’s they were saying (it was German!). then wife. We had a flat in Sheen Park, near Richmond. One day Paula I remember going to my room and said, ‘I want to see my sister, lets phoning John Lennon because I’d go down to Esher’ so off we go. We obviously forgotten the lemonade went by train and got out at Esher and the trip was getting crazy and station into an idyllic Christmas asking him what to do. He said postcard. It’d been snowing and ‘Meditate man, meditate’ possibly it was a veritable winter wonder not the most helpful advice! Also I land. We walked through the snow remember lying on my bed staring to George and Pattie’s house in Early promo shot, Happy Daze at the skylight trying to concentrate Clarenden Estate a tucked away, on it to get control. Occasionally I high walled bungalow down a small (undeleted) can still be heard on into taking home a stereo master did but then I relaxed and it started track. Of course it had occurred to the record at about 2.59 where the tape of the session. Lord knows all over again. Went on for hours… me that George might be there and line ‘Remember to let her under how, you could get shot for letting The thing is you can’t control it and indeed he was. That was the first of your skin, Then you begin, to make that go out of the studio. So later, I the upside was that I “saw” vivid many visits, and I have memories of it better, better better, AAAH!’ under found myself hanging out with some colour rectangles and shapes getting lovely summer days round the pool the word ‘BEGIN’. It’s clearly not a friends from the group Yes around smaller and bigger a bit like these in the back garden. Patti laying next Liverpudlian accent – and as I was at Montague Mews North (our flat) Apple computer visualization scene’s to me reading poetry together, trying the only cockney in there… telling them what I’d got. They in iTunes. to give me some song inspiration I jumped at the chance to hear it and guess. The bop don’t stop folks and it soon we had a party underway, with Pretty crazy! I remember going into appears I managed to talk my way Hey Jude blaring out of the speakers the Apple Saville row offices just George took the time one day to come down to his practice room in Los Angeles, with lots of drugs LA for the first time we had some probably driven mad, had a and pick up a guitar to jam with me. going on, especially weed possibly promotional radio interviews to do continued career for many years We messed around a bit but nothing Maui Wowie. Melcher liked to pop a and as a kind of cheeky payback after. much came of it, my bad I guess. pill the size of a lighter refill, which for this we found ourselves saying The Beatles at the time were going was a downer. Unlike Terry Doran, it back to them on air. Problem was So as old habits die hard, It was in through the breakup and George Terry Melcher could not cope with that one day as we were lounging the Speakeasy, where I bumped into was commuting up to the studio my uptempo lunacy so he gave one about in our Los Angeles hotel the ‘glammed up’ David Bowie, for daily. to me, which did indeed slow me suite at the Hollywood Hawaiian the second time. If you recall I’d down. I had to play bass that night Hotel, somewhere near Yukka St, met him before at a small gathering AMERICA on a track called Come Down to the and when I say lounging about, the at Dee Meehans (of ), Trk 5 Back to LA Station – a very fast song – and I air was like a London pea souper, place dressed normally. In the club remember being hardly able to keep there was a tap on the door. Totally he asked me what was I doing Meanwhile Grapefruit got to the up with the tempo! unannounced two members of LAPD since Grapefruit and I told him I’d place where we decided we wanted (Los Angeles Police Department) got a job as backing singer for Cliff to expand musically and so we We had Sneaky Pete from the Flying have turned up at our hotel room Richard. He said, ‘You can do better reached out to a guy named Mick Burrito Brothers playing pedal door to thank us in person for than that...’ but as he didn’t offer me Fowler to come in on keyboards. steel on Blues in Your Head which saying nice things about them on the anything I took the Cliff Richard job. He was a good all round musician involved Maui and a lot of notes. I radio. They were very smiley and (More on that in the Autobiography). having a great voice, great keyboard wandered off looking for some fresh seemingly grateful for the positive Finally with the wrapping up of technique, and a capable guitarist air and found a small garden with an plug but, sadly they caught us at Grapefruit and the fact that Paula to boot. But we still felt we needed orange tree in it. Now to be fair I’m a bad time and there was a lot of and I had also split up meant I had more so we invited Bob Ware to from Dagenham where there’s not flushing and straightening out before to move out of the flat, and I was come in as (proper) lead guitarist many orange trees and I was stupid we opened the door, plus a glazed pretty depressed and I don’t “do” and singer. stoned so I imagined that someone eyed ‘that’s ok’ from me!!! depressed normally. This is the had stuck these oranges on the tree only time I ever thought of suicide, They were both great additions to (might as well have been Welly On a different note, I do remember because for the life of me (literally) the band and although we went boots) just to freak me out… Hey seeing a guy on a skate board going I couldn’t see where I could go back to the West Coast and cut what can you do… down Hollywood Boulevard from from here. We’d been involved another album entitled Deep Water my bedroom window, long before with the biggest in the business, so which has a video on YouTube, We went to Terry Melcher’s beach they hit England and hit big…. what could top that? Added to this This was sadly the death knell for house in Malibu, where we met the I was listening to Leonard Cohen Grapefruit as we knew it. We had fabulous creature that is Candice THE END at the time who was a miserable lost sight of the original vision and Bergen and spent a pleasant time Trk 6. I Will Run beggar back then and that for sure tried to grow up musically. It’s chatting and admiring the beach didn’t help. And although it was interesting that our biggest selling house!!. And so Grapefruit broke up after pretty heavy it occurred to me that, album to this day is the first one, only 2 years, went the same way as I could get in the car and drive over Around Grapefruit. There was a time in the UK the Beatles aspiring to be respected to France and in a few hours be on when almost every American act musicians, (ie get stoned, grow the Cote D’azure and this gave me Never the less the new band was that came to the UK made some a beard, go heavy) and lost the renewed hope that things could get invited by Terry Melcher to go over comment about our policemen. original vision. The Monkees who better – and in fact that’s exactly to America to record our second Usually something to the effect of came along after us, with shrewd what happened. (More on that in the album Deep Water. This we began ‘Gee we think your policemen are management and great songs – not autoautobiography). in Jon Philips studio somewhere wonderful!!!’. So after arriving in to mention a TV series – although ©Patrick Knowles

Paula & John ... lovebirds!!

But there was one redemptive proceeded to do, and we all kinda feature in this sad tale of woe, and huffed and puffed together getting this was that as me and my (lovely) my shizzle out and loaded. Dad were dragging shelves etc. I don’t know why he came but down the stairs a large Mercedes Its possible that my friend Patty, pulls up and out steps George knowing about me and Paula and Harrison. I say to him ‘what are having a soft spot for me had a word A BIG thank you to my sister Sue Hurrell, and Geoff & Pete Swettenham you doing here’ to which he replies in his ear. I guess we’ll never know. for their memories and corrections of the story. ‘I’ve come to help you move…’ You Did I mention, there’s more in the could have knocked me down with autobiography? See you there! Thanks to Patrick Knowles: Author Photo and booklet design a feather! But that’s exactly what he Copyright ©John Perry 2018