Sounds like '60s alive & resonant

MANILA, Philippines - It was a dream come true for any incurable British Invasion ‘60s pop music fan. Imagine paying the equivalent of P1,800 for a third row seat to watch not one but three bands of the ages on stage at Tunbridge Wells, a one-hour train ride from London.

Unable to resist a bargain, I dragged my wife Menchu to witness the recent three-in-one show billed as The Sensational ‘60s Experience. In the program were the Dreamers without Freddie, Marmalade and the Tremeloes.

We took the train out of Charing Cross and after about six stops, arrived at Tunbridge Wells, a quiet town that’s the final destination of the railway line. We got in at about 5:30 p.m. and walked for about 10 minutes over to the Assembly Hall where the concert was scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m. We cased the joint and a block away, found a Japanese restaurant where we ate dinner and passed the time.

At 7:15 p.m., we were at the venue, looking over the merchandise for sale at the lobby with a group of geriatrics driven in by coach from an old folks’ home and baby boomers of all sizes and shapes. Judging from the looks of the ticket-holders, we were probably on the low side of the age range or so we hoped.

Of course, we bought the special limited edition CDs on the table — one by each band for the equivalent of P800 apiece. The CDs aren’t available in music stores and may be bought only during shows so they’re virtual collectors’ items. The tracks are mainly re-recordings of the bands’ greatest hits with a few fresh additions.

There were only about 250 people at the Assembly Hall but the sparse crowd was very much alive. Disappointingly, the place was only half-filled.

The show began right on the dot. Stand-up comedian and actor Steve Walls acted as the master of ceremonies. He cracked several jokes, mostly of the “green” variety, that had the audience in stitches. Walls even sang a song to warm up the crowd for the first act.

Then came the Dreamers led by front-man Alan Mosca, a silver-haired human dynamo who sang, picked on an electric blue bass guitar and swung a mean tambourine. He was joined by drummer Ray Martin and guitarists Bryan Byng and Rob Isles.

Mosca and Byng used to back up Freddie Garrity in the ‘90s. Garrity was the star of Freddie and the Dreamers who registered four Top 10 UK hits with If You Gotta Make A Fool of Somebody (No. 3), I’m Telling You Now (No. 2), You Were Made For Me (No. 3) and I Understand (No. 5) in 1963-64. None of the original Dreamers still performs. Freddie used different backup musicians, including Mosca and Byng, when he toured in several British Invasion revivals.

In 2006, Freddie died of complications from pulmonary hypertension at the age of 69 and was wheelchair-bound in his last few months. Mosca and Byng continued with the band, now a variety act that does covers and medleys of the old Freddie and the Dreamers hits.

In the show, the Dreamers sang Roy Orbison’s Pretty Woman, the Beatles’ Can’t Buy Me Love, Donovan’s Sunshine Superman, the four Freddie Top 10 UK hits and closed with the Rolling Stones’ It’s All Over Now. Somewhere in between, Martin did a rousing drum solo on Wipe Out and to display his versatility, even did a fire-eating routine. What a way to make a living.

The Dreamers looked like they could go on for a few more years, still earning a small fortune while rocking and rolling.

Marmalade was next in the program and lead vocalist Sandy Newman, nearly bald, managed to hit the high notes — though barely — of the Scottish band’s best-known hits Ob La Di Ob La Da, Lovin’ Things, Mr. Tambourine Man (with a 12-string guitar), Wait For Me Marianne, Cousin Norman, Rainbow, Roy Orbison’s Crying, Talking In My Sleep, Reflections of My Life, Back on the Road and Radancer.

The band started performing in 1961 but it wasn’t until seven years later that Marmalade began to roll out hits with a cover of the Beatles’ Ob La Di Ob La Da topping the UK charts. But Reflections of My Life is Marmalade’s undisputed anthem, reaching No. 3 in the UK charts in 1969 and selling over two million copies.

Four of the five pioneers in the Marmalade cast are now retired but Newman, who came on board in 1975, persevered in piloting the band into the new millennium. Today, Newman performs on stage with original guitarist Graham Knight, drummer Glenn Taylor and guitarist Alan Holmes.

Although the Marmalade members are in the “elderly” bracket, they’re far from over the hill. The band recently released a new CD titled Get Back There, its first album in 15 years, and Newman just came out with a solo CD Golden Years.

Marmalade wasn’t as entertaining as the Dreamers and seemed a lot more serious on stage. As a front-man, Newman lacked the charisma of a Mosca but could hold a tune despite his grandfather looks.

The final act featured the Tremeloes who, of course, enjoyed top billing. Original drummer and vocalist Dave Munden, sporting a full crop of silver hair, was outstanding. Munden had no difficulty reaching high notes and sang like he just had a voice box tune-up. Another original member Rick West, known for his lead guitar strumming, was in the lineup. The new additions were keyboard player Joe Gillingham and bassist Jeff Brown.

The Tremeloes used to back up vocalist Brian Poole and in the ‘60s, they had a string of UK hits including Someone, Someone and Candyman. In 1966, the Tremeloes parted ways with Poole and as a foursome, did their own thing, registering 14 UK and two US Top 20 hits including the immortal No. 1 Silence Is Golden.

Wearing black leather pants and black shirts, the Tremeloes came on stage with a bang, singing Suddenly You Love Me. They followed with Here Comes My Baby which Cat Stevens wrote for the band, then Call Me No. 1, Helule Lule, Me and My Life, Do You Love Me (their No. 1 hit with Poole), Twist and Shout and of course, the moving Silence Is Golden which Munden sang without musical accompaniment.

The show lasted until 11 p.m. and everyone in the audience thoroughly enjoyed the ‘60s experience. Stageright Promotions, Ltd., the show organizer, has announced a 2010 tour with the Tremeloes, Herman’s Hermits and Union Gap in the bill. That’s a show ‘60s diehards can’t afford to miss.