The definitive history of Passion Spent – by Patrick (the parrot)
PART 11: ‘Never mind…someday, maybe…’
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It’s an inevitable consequence of life that over time and with an unfolding kaleidoscope of experience, people change. Whether that’s for the better or not, is up for debate.
But we all face the prospect of having to assess the characters of those we come into contact with during our lives. How we do that is up to us as individuals to decide. Perhaps we can look at someone’s behaviour in one situation and extrapolate to predict how they might act in a completely different situation: if we see someone exercising loyalty and honesty with others, then we might feel safe in concluding that they’ll be honest and loyal in their dealings with us. But as I say, people can change, particularly over longer periods of time.
An illustration of this might be the change witnessed in Dave, between that fateful charity gig at the Endyke Hotel in March 1983 (when he was 17), and the more mature and sensible relationship with alcohol he developed as he grew older. In my own case, I’m absolutely certain that at my very core, I’m a different creature as an adult (parrot) compared to the one I was as a fledgling. So yes, I’m sure everyone changes.
Our interactions with others will vary, depending on the nature of our relationships. Some people come into our lives when we are very young and are with us for a lifetime; but some are companions for just a few very brief years, or even less; so we have varying opportunities to witness significant changes in the characters of those we share our lives with, depending on the circumstances and depth of the connections.
In the opinion of this somewhat partisan parrot, in the 1980s Gavin Carey and Ben Lourie were by far the best young rhythm section in the city. The precision of their onstage rhythmic-lock and apparent musical telepathy were complemented by their friendship, their personal musical (and sartorial) tastes, and their existentialist zeal for life. It was a delight to see.
But there’s always a ‘but’.
As noted previously, rather than remain as part of a group of like-minded ‘young’—with the possible exception of the much older Jim—musicians he’d come to know and presumably trust, Gavin Carey left Passion Spent in April 1985—when he was just 18 years old—in search of a different, perhaps speedier, ladder to success; with a different, diversely motivated, group of individuals, China Garden. That move had the effect of destroying the then notorious Passion Spent rhythm section and was a significant creative hiccup for the band.
I’m sure both Gavin and Ben would acknowledge—even to this day—that there was a particular alchemy in the line-up when they were the backbone of the band’s sound. How they feel today about circumstances and decisions taken then, only they would be able to say.
But the general feeling as far as I could see, at least among the band’s friends, family, and fans, in those early days, was that the line-up of Gav, Ben, Ian, Dave, and Jim, was a near-perfect alignment of talents and temperaments—if only they could stay the course.
Naturally, there was quite an eclectic mix of temperaments and tastes within the band; including individual approaches to such values as integrity, commitment, and loyalty, but this generally didn’t impact the band’s performance or the group-dynamic to any great degree, as far as anyone in the band was aware.
If I can give an outlier example, during one of the band’s many gigs at the Barham, I noticed (from my unique vantage point perched on the drum kit) that a certain member of the band was spending his time between sets, socialising at three different tables. This band member, as he later revealed, was concurrently ‘entertaining’ three different ‘young ladies’, and all three had turned up to the same gig to see him play. The other members of the band were not forewarned and didn’t know anything about the three competing suitors until after the event; nor, frankly, did they really care.
This band member’s quick improvisational thinking, agility, and charm, resulted in any potential awkwardness or confrontation being successfully avoided, with none of the three young women involved discovering the truth about the presence of their rivals for the affections of the particular band member in question. Who knows, the situation may even have inspired a Passion Spent song or two.
Whatever the outcome, and whoever that band member was (I couldn’t possibly say), I have to ask you, dear reader: would you, as an observer, have taken the incident to be an indication of the commitment of the person concerned to the concept of ‘loyalty’? If you were one of the other members of the band, would you have found it to any extent troubling? Please bear in mind that at that particular time, that particular band member was—I can confirm, here and now—otherwise young, free, and single, as they say!
These were the kinds of considerations that individual members of the band had to assess and make up their own minds about, rather than to take a collective approach. The incident in question didn’t impact the band as a whole, so there was no real issue to resolve in a group, or band context. No ripples were created; no apple carts were upset.
The kind of thing that did concern the band as a whole, however—that affected everyone in the band—were things such as the selection of songs to cover and include in sets; the writing and arrangement of original material; the availability of band members for gigs; and the scheduling of studio sessions for recording original material.
When Gav left the band he was replaced on drums by Mark Johnson, who slotted in quickly and neatly. It should also be noted that whenever there was a ‘parting of ways’ between the band and any particular member (for whatever reason), the leaving member received his due equal share of band savings and a sum proportionate to his share of any joint assets held by the band, whether that be equipment, or remaining copies of cassettes or singles. In return for this, the leaving band member formally relinquished any future interest in the band.
This was the case when Gav replaced Rick Wilkinson on drums, and when Gav himself left the band, even though the band had been saving up to book more time at The Slaughterhouse recording studio in Great Driffield.
In July 1985, the band returned to the studio, with the intention of recording and mixing a number of tracks, including a new version of ‘Someone To Talk To’, with a view to releasing it as a single. The other tracks were, ‘Wildlife’, ‘Cupid’s Tangle’, ‘The Heart of Love’, and another new song, ‘Pride or Ego?’ (named after the band’s first four-track cassette). The sessions, as was usual practice for Passion Spent, had been scheduled over two consecutive weekends, beginning Saturday 6 July.
At some point during those four days and nights (there’s no record in the Passion Spent archives of the precise date, or who raised the subject) someone mentioned to the rest of the band that they’d discovered Ben had plans to go to a party that night, which he hadn’t mentioned when the recording sessions were being scheduled. Everyone thought that once he realised the recording and mixing was taking much longer than expected, he would forego the party and stay in the studio until the work was complete. But to cover all eventualities, it was agreed among the rest of the band that if Ben decided to leave, and couldn’t be persuaded to stay, he would no longer be deserving of a place in the band and a new bass player would need to be found.
I think we also need to bear in mind that it hadn’t even been three months since Mark replaced Gav on drums (on 12 April 1985), and rehearsals in preparation for the current recording sessions had been going on since then.
When Ben made his move and said he was leaving (I think it must have been getting on for midnight?), and it was established that he was leaving to go to a party, Jim had to inform him that in such circumstances, if he left the rest of the band to complete the session without him—for what was intended to be the first Passion Spent single release—he could no longer remain a member of the band. Nonetheless, Ben left the studio; and the band had to continue and complete the sessions without him.
Only Ben really knows what he was thinking; but if he thought Jim was issuing a vague and empty threat, he was wrong. Although no-one thought Ben would in fact leave (everyone was hoping he’d choose the band over some random party) the decision was unanimous, as everyone else felt the band should come first, especially since the recording sessions had been booked well in advance.
After Ben left, obviously, there were discussions about the situation: Colin Richardson the studio’s resident recording engineer and the band’s preferred producer, asked the others if they were seriously throwing Ben (who Colin greatly respected as a bass player) out of the band. As far as I’m aware, even Russell Webster, the owner of The Slaughterhouse studios, went so far as to try to get the band to change their mind. But everyone in the band said they were deadly serious.
I’m not particularly prone to speculating about superstition, spooky coincidences, or so-called ‘synchronicity’; but Ben was at that time the same age Gav was when he left the band—18 (with an 18-year-old’s verve and earnestness). So perhaps Ben had been influenced by Gav’s aspiration to become more of a ‘professional’ musician and had become disheartened by the band’s progress (or lack thereof). Maybe there was some deeper emotional or psychic connection between the two? But as I say, I’m not one to speculate on such matters.
In the end, the band had to hire the services of session bass player Bernie ‘the bass’ Dalton to finish the tracks; and I believe it’s Bernie playing bass on both the ‘Someone To Talk To’ track released as a single in 1987, and on ‘Wildlife’, the B side of the record.
Two or three days after Ben left the recording studio to go to the party, Jim saw him in the Hull (Prospect Centre) branch of Boots, where Ben worked. As their conversation was ending. Ben said to Jim, “I’ll see you at rehearsals on Tuesday”; but Jim’s response (as he later told the rest of the band) was: “What do you mean? There is no rehearsal; It’s been cancelled. It would have been pointless since you’re out of the band.”
And in such miserably petty circumstances, the ambitions of five young musicians were crushed. The prospect of ‘someday, maybe…’ disappeared into an impatient black hole, resulting in the ending of an era. (‘Never mind…’)
As I’ve pointed out previously, the fickalities of musicians!
Ben was honourable enough to fulfil his remaining gig obligations, playing his final gig for the band at the Ferry Boat Inn on 19 July 1985. After a long search for a new bass player, Steve Sanderson—who had been recommended by local music teacher, Tim Keech—joined on 11 September 1985, and played his first gig on 29 October (almost seven weeks later) at the Barham. Ben was paid his dues and on 5 November 1985 signed an agreement relinquishing ‘any and all’ interests he might have held in Passion Spent.
Steve Sanderson, Passion Spent‘s new bass player, went on to play 138 gigs with the band, compared to Ben’s total of 126 gigs.
As was the case with Gav leaving the band, none of the above could ever sour the rest of the band’s admiration for Ben as a musician, even as an 18 year old, as he was in July 1985, he was an outstanding musician—the perfect bass player for Passion Spent during that period.
One of the heartening and admirable aspects about RIO/ Passion Spent was that genuine friendships, created during the lifespan of the band, continued even after departing musicians had left or (as in Ben’s case) had been thrown out. This is probably the only positive aspect any member of the band at that time can take from this wholly regrettable experience; but the essential nature of such friendships can never be overlooked, nor over appreciated.
Ben returned to the band line-up (and also recruited his saxophonist brother Dominic to join the band temporarily) over ten years later for the MND charity gig and a subsequent private party, in November 2006.
In the next episode (perhaps) I’ll tell any tales I can remember—or that I can invent—about Passion Spent’s series of gigs at Jacksons Club, which took place between July 1984 and November 1987.
…there will be more in Part 12
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