Hookfoot: "Way of the Musician". Page One, 1969. Demo - with orig. promo sheet

	£		38
	$		50

Hookfoot:

The Way of the Musician b/w Hookfoot

Page One; P0F 144, 1969.

DEMO copy with original promo sheet!

Hookfoot released six albums and five singles between 1969 and 1974. Often the records were well received by reviewers but chart success eluded the band and all their recorded output is difficult to find on vinyl now.

Hookfoot’s style was blues-influenced and fitted neatly into the drift towards progressive rock that happened during the period they were in existence. Perhaps the band’s greatest claim to a place in rock history however, is the long-standing connection between Hookfoot and Elton John.

Hookfoot’s bass player, Fred Gandy, was a member of Bluesology, Elton’s first professional band. Guitarist Caleb Quaye was also a member of Bluesology but may have only joined the band after Elton left. Eventually both Quaye and Gandy ended up as permanent session players with DJM Records, where they decided to form Hookfoot with fellow DJM sessioners, Ian Duck and Roger Pope. Also at DJM at that time, as staff songwriters, were Elton John and Bernie Taupin.

Naturally enough, once Elton began to record his own songs, the members of Hookfoot, were used as the basis of his studio band. In various combinations, all the members of Hookfoot appeared regularly on Elton’s earliest albums. As the years went by, Elton began to use a wider group of musicians but he continued also to employ his old DJM mates off and on for years to come. Caleb Quaye had a particularly strong connection with Elton John. He produced Elton’s first solo single, I’ve Been Loving You, in 1968 and played with Elton John’s live band on several tours.

This is a very scarce demo copy of Hookfoot’s debut single, The Way Of The Musician, released in 1969 on Page One Records (Page One was closely connected to DJM, having been set up by Larry Page in partnership with DJM owner, Dick James).  As you can see this demo copy even comes with its original promotional sheet. Promo sheets were often included with demos to supply DJs and reviewers with background information about the band. Promo sheets almost never survive because they would have been useful for only a short period. After that they would be thrown away.

I think most people would regards The Way Of The Musician as a prog rock track. It has both quiet and loud passages, and the lyrics are thoughtful and sensitive in the manner of sing-songwriters of the period. the track closes with a full on psychedelic guitar solo with a second or two of eastern music thrown into the mix at the very end. The eponymously titled B-side, is a raucous, jazz-influenced instrumental.

As you would expect, the playing surface of the record is in almost perfect condition. I should say though, that some light crackling is audible in the two quiet passages of the A-side. In the absence of any marks on the record itself, I think this must be caused by static. The labels on both sides are clean, and the sleeve is also very good although it has some slight creasing. The promotional sheet, as you can see, is as like as bright and clean as if it had been printed last week not fifty years ago!

This single came from a small collection of records from this period, including a number of other demos, that I bought fairly recently. The majority of the singles in the collection seem to have been rarely only played and some, like this one, look never been played at all. Because of this and because there are other demos among them, I think it is possible that the singles were originally owned by a radio station, DJ or music reviewer. I will be listing the others over the next few weeks. Please click on See Other Items above, if you would like to see the others that I have listed at the moment.

UK Postage and packing:  £2.50

International postage and packing:  Postage charges to international destinations are given below.

All postage prices quoted (UK and international) are maximum charges.  If postage and packing costs less than these estimates, I will refund the difference after posting (subject to the difference being £1.00 or more. Unless otherwise indicated, the postage prices I give in the listing are for a tracked and signed-for service, as required by eBay. If however, winning buyers would prefer cheaper options, I am always happy to help with that if I can. Please contact me for a quote.

I hope this description has given you enough to go on but should you require any further information, or more images, please do e-mail.  Please also look carefully at the hi-res photos – they are part of the description.  Thanks for your interest in this auction and good luck if you decide to bid.

Please note:  I will not respond to requests to close the auction early regardless of the value of the offer made.  Ending early is contrary to both the principle and spirit of an auction. It is also unfair to other eBayers who may be watching the auction intending to bid at a later time.

british blues boom british invasion merseybeat british beat rare record vintage record rarity garage band psych freakbeat ian duck roger pope david glover