Focal Point
(LtoR)
Back Row: Tim Wells, Dave Slater, Dave Rhodes
Front: Ted Hesketh and Paul Tennant
NEW ALBUM RELEASE!!!!!!
Focal Point -
First Bite of the Apple, The Complete
Recordings 1967-68, (Kissing Spell) KSCD 953, 20
tracks: Miss Sinclair; Sycamore Sid; Hassle castle;
Never Never; Lonely Woman; Far Away From Forever; Love
You Forever; Tales From the GPO Files; McKinley Morgan
The Deep Sea Diver; Falling Out of Friends; Girl on
the Corner; Goodbye Forever; This Time She's Leaving;
'Cept Me; Miss Sinclair (demo); Miss Sinclair
(Alternate version); Hassle Castle (Demo); Never Never
(Alternate version); Reflections (Demo); Reflections.
Until now, the story of the Focal
Point has not been too clear, rumours that Brian Epstein chose
their name is one theory, sadly the group only recorded one
single and like so many bands no more was heard, it's time for
Paul Tennant tells us the story :
In 1960 I
began playing guitar seriously, having dabbled for a year or two.
My school was very close to the old Casbah in Liverpool and my
best friend at school was a guy called Dave Aspinall brother of
Neil. We would go to the Casbah and watch the Beatles at their
birth, during the following years I followed them round Liverpool
at all the documented venues, learning how they could control an
audience. They were quite phenomenal. Since then I have seen many
bands live: The Stones, The Who, The Move, you name it I have
seen them but The Beatles were the best rock and roll band I have
ever seen. Second to none.
From 1960 to 1966 I played around Liverpool in various bands, me
going one way and the Beatles going another. I lost contact over
the years with Dave Aspinall. I then met with Dave Rhodes in a
club called the Labamba in Liverpool and we quickly became
friends. He was in a band called the Maracas and I was with
somebody else - whose name escapes me. We decided we should begin
writing songs, which we did. The first efforts were pretty
pathetic, but we kept on going and in the end we felt we had some
acceptable offerings. He left his band and I left mine and we
formed a band called Obsession, playing around Liverpool at most
of the big venues. We were like most of the bands at that time we
played all the old classics, with one or two of our original
songs. The band did not last too long as Dave and I spent most of
our time writing - and chasing women. We then formed another band
called The Big Lox Blues Band, an ambitious effort really, we had
a full brass section with keyboards, bass, two guitars &
drums and Dave and I. I spent some time at the disbanding of this
band with a band called The Almost Blues, which was formed by a
good friend of mine called Alan Peters, but I did not stay for
long. Dave and I carried on writing. It got to the point where we
needed to move on to the next stage but we did not know what the
next stage was. Where do you go with your songs? Studios and four
track machines in those days were out of our league.
It
was then in the summer of 1967 - early May to be exact that we
decided to take a holiday in Torquay with a couple of days in
London. We hired a car and set off for the big smoke. Purely by
accident in the car on the way down the conversation got around
to Paul McCartney and where he lived. There was an article in a
magazine that showed pictures of stars and their houses and there
was Pauls house with a lovely picture, saying it was round
the corner from Lords. Well as we were driving into London we saw
a sign that said Lords Cricket Ground, so off we went looking for
Pauls house. It took us about 2 minutes to find, there are
not too many houses backing on to it. We knew which house Paul
lived in due to the large amount of girls hanging about outside.
So there we sat looking and taking it all in, we had never seen
this much grandeur. Then all of a sudden the gates opened and a
mini shoots out and away. Without a second thought we were on his
tail, and there in the back of the car was a large sheepdog, but
we couldnt see who was in the front seats. Now I was
holding on to the mini, through lights, round corners I never let
it out of my sight and then before you could say Jack Robinson we
were at Hyde Park, the mini stopped and out stepped Paul, let the
dog out and waved to the driver - Jane Asher and he was away
walking the dog. Well Dave looked at me and I looked at him and
we both looked at our other friend Peter McKenna - a childhood
friend of mine and we all reached the same conclusion. Follow him
and tell him about our songs. It was just like that. We abandoned
the car and went off in hot pursuit. We Caught Paul up we shouted
to him and he turned around. We then told him our story, we were
writing songs and didnt know what to do with them, could he
help? Could he help? There is an understatement. He could have
done anything at that time, The Beatles were like gods. After
about five minutes of talking to each other he said to us "I
could get you a recording contract just like that" and
flicked his fingers. "But why should I?" It was then
that he proved to be human by planting a finger up his nostril.
Dave laughed and he laughed. Dave then said to him in answer to
his question "Because we are good, our songs are good."
It was just like that, Paul then wrote down on a piece of paper a
phone number and gave it to us. "Phone this guy and tell him
I sent you," said Paul and he was then gone, carrying on
walking the dog.
The
phone number was the number for Terry Doran. To cut a long story
short, we then drove to Torquay and spent a week in the sun, met
some girls, had a ball but did not have the bottle to make the
phone call. Eventually when we got back to Liverpool, Dave and I
phoned Terry. Terry listened and told us Paul had told him we
were going to ring and when could we go down to London. We
arranged to meet him in a couple of days. The address was Curzon
Street. Dave, Peter and I then went down on the overnight bus
from Liverpool and went to the address. Our first meeting with
Terry Doran was amazing really. The office of Apple was tiny, one
room and on the door there was a cardboard notice just with the
words Apple. They were in the same building as Radio Luxembourg.
Dratleaf and Abigail Publishing occupied their next-door offices.
They both handled The Bee Gees and The Cream. Terry was the
original hippy, a haircut like Bob Dylan (akin of Blonde on
Blonde) and he had on a lime green suit. We were quickly put at
ease and surprised to learn he was a Liverpudlian just like us.
We told him the story and he said lets hear what you have
written. Out came the guitars and we sang four of our best songs
to him, just like that. He asked us to play them again, and we
did. He said he liked our songs and would like to get acetate
done of them. He picked up the phone and phoned a small studio in
Denmark Street called Central Sound. We then went for some lunch
and then jumped into a taxi and went along to the studio. Dave
and I put down four songs all in one take, just two guitars and
both of us singing. The results were excellent and we were really
surprised, Terry was over moon saying how he liked our stuff. We
went out for dinner to Flanagans, a restaurant in Baker
Street (no longer there) and then back to Terrys house in
Esher. This was quite amazing really, on our drive back he told
us about Apple, how the Beatles were forming this company and it
was going to change the world, and Terry was in charge. We were
the first artistes he had and he was very excited. Back at
Terrys house - which was owned by John Lennon - we sat and
had some drinks, and then Terry started smoking a joint. This was
all new to us, but we took to it like a duck to water. Terry then
got on the phone and started raving on about our songs to whoever
was on the other end of the line, he was really going over the
top. After he hung up he said he was going out and taking the
songs around to Johns house for his opinion. "Make
yourself at home, Ill be back later, do what ever you want,
drinks are over there". Well we got as high as a kite and
sat back listening to Bob Dylans Blonde on Blonde album,
and before you knew it Terry was back. "John loves your
songs, he is absolutely going mad over them" said Terry. We
were again gob smacked. Here was the greatest songwriter in the
world saying he liked our songs, was raving over them. "He
wants me to play them to Brian". It was now about midnight
and Terry then got on the phone to Brian Epstein. We could hear
him telling the story to Brian, about the songs and what John had
said. "Brian wants to hear them now" Said Terry. With
that he was gone, at that late hour. Well we all crashed and were
awoken in the morning with Terry Doran making tea. He was in a
pillar-box red suite, and again was going on about Brians
reaction. "Brian agrees with John, your songs are fantastic,
he loves the one called Miss Sinclairs Courtship, John
likes the one called Except Me." Again to cut a long story
short we were then driven to Euston Station, this time Terry was
driving a black mini - we later found out it belonged to George
Harrison. Blacked out windows, really the ultimate poseurs car.
He gave us a £10 note - a lot of money then and told us to phone
him. We got back to Liverpool and told the story to everybody,
ultimately we were now in with the biggest clan and clique since
Frank Sinatras Rat Pack. Terry phoned and told us had
spoken to Brian and John and they wanted to sign us to a five
year publishing deal with Apple Publishing. Brian also suggested
that we should form a band and he wanted to call us Focal Point.
At that point Focal Point was born, named by Brian Epstein and
Terry Doran suggested he manage us. More importantly when were we
going back down with more songs? Terry said not to bring any
guitars, as he would sort something out for us. Terry booked some
more studio time and we went down. Again the same scene, into a
studio, back to Terrys house, more conversations with the
Beatles and Brian. We borrowed guitars from the Beatles for the
session, quite amazing. This time we stayed about a week, meeting
loads of people who dropped into Terrys house. These
included Graham Nash, Mick Jagger, Jenny Boyd (Patties sister)
George Harrison, Mal Evans, Pete Shotton and John Lennon himself.
It was pretty amazing really, I told John and George how I used
to follow them round Liverpool. We now firmly had our feet under
the table.
Then out of the blue Brian Epstein
dies, we thought things would change, but nothing did. It was
pretty bad really because Brian was beginning to take an interest
in us in a big way and he said he wanted to get us moving just
like he did with the Beatles. We were just like "the
boys" as he called the Beatles.
Apple moved to Baker Street and the company really started to
move. Dave and I signed long-term contracts and continued to look
for musicians for our band. We continued going back and forth.
from Liverpool to London, the same each time stay with Terry, get
stoned, go out to dinner, out to the Speakeasy, meet people like
Jonathan King, The Hollies, Marty Feldman, The Animals, Alan
Price, Stevie Winwood, Keith Moon, The Walker Brothers. Apple
sent us to Vidal Sassoon for hair styling and then down the Kings
Road to a shop called Dandy Fashion - where the Beatles bought
all their clothes. We were now like two little pop stars and when
we got back to Liverpool it showed. We found the guys we wanted
in our band. Dave Slater - bass player with a band called The
Top, Tim Wells keyboard - from the same band and Ted Hesketh,
drums - from Daves old band The Maracas. After they heard
our story they were all in, and quickly we were off to London.
The other guys all signed deals with Apple. Terry was working on
getting us a recording contract.
We were then introduced to Lionel Morton, who was with The Four
Pennies. He had been employed by Terry as a producer at Apple.
Focal Point then spent several months recording at the studios in
Apple with Lionel Morton recording us. Terry agreed that he and
Lionel would manage us jointly as he was getting involved with
another band that had arrived on the scene, Grapefruit.
We would spend hours into the night putting down all our songs
and sometimes late at night Terry would come back with John
Lennon. Well we would give him some stick, some real Liverpool
banter. John would love this. He also always showed a liking for
our music, he loved some of the songs Dave and I had written. The
band moved to London and Apple got us a house in Highbury, we
were recording every day. Whenever we needed equipment we would
take a taxi over to Abbey Road and borrow anything from the
Beatles. They had a room in Abbey Road where they would keep
everything, and guess who was given the key? We would help
ourselves - there are some stories here which I will leave for
another time. Terry secured us contracts with MGM, Liberty, EMI
and Deram; we had the choice as to whom we would sign with. In
the end we decided on Deram, mainly because Wayne Bickerton - the
chosen producer - was a Liverpudlian. A stupid decision really,
we could have had Terry Melcher or Glyn John producing. No
disrespect to Wayne, whom I see for lunch about once or twice a
year. We were also at this time working with Jackie Lomax, as a
backing band for him, rehearsing at Apple for an album Jackie was
making. We became good friends and did the album at - though the
memory is a bit smoky - either Trident or Olympic Studios. We had
Klaus Voorman on bass, with me and Jackie on guitar, Tim on
keyboards and Ted on bass. Glyn John was producing. We got to
meet with so many people.
We could however see at this time
the beginning of the end of Apple - in the format it had become.
Terry was becoming more distant, spending more time with
Grapefruit. We recorded our single for Deram. Four tracks were
recorded. "Never Never", "Girl on the
Corner", "Love You Forever" and "Sycamore
Sid". The one we all wanted out as a single was "Never
Never", but the really tacky Decca committee decided on the
safe bet. "Never Never" was a really psychedelic piece
of music, with a Boeing 747 taking off at the beginning and end,
with this fantastic song. Brian Epstein always wanted us to
record Miss Sinclairs Courtship, but we never did. I do
know Alan Price recorded it and at the last minute decided to do
Simon Smith and His Amazing Dancing Bear at the last minute.
Apple and Decca put on a fantastic launch party in the West End;
it was attended by hundreds of people, with us playing the four
songs. Apple kitted the band out with all new clothes and new
equipment - courtesy of Vox. We were bitterly disappointed that
Terry Doran - who was there right at the beginning - never made
the reception. Lionel attended with his wife Julie Foster - who
was making quite a name for herself in the movies. Half a
Sixpence with Tommy Steele and Alfie with Michael Caine. We felt
like stars that night, with a million cameras pointed at us. We
then signed a management deal with Nems, moved to another house
in East Dulwich and carried on recording at Apple. We then could
see the bubble definitely beginning to burst. Mike Berry had been
brought into Apple and Jack Oliver was making himself seen and
Terry was spending less and less time with us. We would see John
Lennon and George from time to time at the Baker Street offices,
also Paul and Ringo, but things were different.
Focal Point then went on a tour up north playing with such people
as Stevie Winwood, Peter Frampton, and The New Yardbirds - to
become Led Zepplin, Alan Price, and Chris Farlowe.
The band then decided they had had enough of London, the record
was not a success, it sold reasonably well but not what we
expected. On June 29th 1968 - I remember the date because it is
my birthday - we decided we would not go back to London until
they spent more time with us. Our road manager a guy called Brian
Rooney phoned Paul McCartney up and was told it best to stay away
for a time, as there were problems. This we did, we took Paul at
his word and the rest as they say............
The band split up in the summer of 1969, we had been there and
done it, seen it, bought the t-shirt and more.
I am in business with Tim, Dave Slater and myself with Focal
Point Music Publishing, we have an extensive catalogue, with
several other writers signed and we hope to go on from here. Dave
Rhodes is a lecturer in mental nursing up North in Morpeth. Ted
Hesketh, disappeared after a spell with the Merseybeats he has
never been seen since. Our road manager Brian Rooney, went with
Ringo for a while and then with Tina Turner and then Donna
Summer, but to now I have not seen him for a long time.
You will appreciate there are lots of things that I have had to
leave out, due to time and space and I feel our story could be a
small book in its own right.
I have seen Terry Doran on several occasions - just to have a
pint with him and talk about old times.
In the 80s when he was working as George Harrisons PA
I did go and stay at Friar Park for a few days with Terry and met
George once again. I have not seen Lionel Morton since 1987.
That is the true - condensed version - of Focal Point.
NEW ALBUM RELEASE!!!!!!
Focal Point -
First Bite of the Apple, The Complete
Recordings 1967-68, (Kissing Spell) KSCD 953, 20
tracks: Miss Sinclair; Sycamore Sid; Hassle castle;
Never Never; Lonely Woman; Far Away From Forever; Love
You Forever; Tales From the GPO Files; McKinley Morgan
The Deep Sea Diver; Falling Out of Friends; Girl on
the Corner; Goodbye Forever; This Time She's Leaving;
'Cept Me; Miss Sinclair (demo); Miss Sinclair
(Alternate version); Hassle Castle (Demo); Never Never
(Alternate version); Reflections (Demo); Reflections.
Email Paul Tennant HERE
Special
thanks to Paul Tennant for his time in telling the story of the
Focal Point, much appreciated
Thanks also to Andrew Linsell for the picture of Macca's London
home and Andy Morten for the picture of Terry Doran