The Jess Roden Anthology... Hidden Masters... CD6 (the bonus CD)

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Here is the track listing for The Subs Bench, the bonus CD (6) that will be only ever available with the 1^st edition of the Anthology. None of these tracks have ever been released before.

1. Storm And Stone (Shine On Joe). Sourced from the ¼” master and recorded during March 1972 at Basing St during the Rabbit Sessions (for Jess’ first but aborted) solo album. The track features Rabbit (keyboards), Robbie Blunt (guitar), Kellie (drums), Pat Donaldson (bass) and Jess (acoustic guitar)

2. Love Me (The Alan Bown Set). A demo recorded at Pye Studios in London on December 19^th 1966. Sourced from the original ¼” tape. 

3. On Your Life. Written by Rabbit and also recorded during the sessions from which, ultimately, only What The Hell became part of Jess’ first solo album. Kellie plays drums with Rabbit mixing Mellotron and Hammond Organ as well as playing bass pedals.  Sourced from the original ¼” master.  As a footnote, the version that Rabbit has in his own archives is different again (indeed, he never knew this version existed until very recently… and was pretty surprised that it did).

4. Desperado (The Jess Roden Band). As a track, it needs no introduction whatsoever. This was recorded live at Leicester University during November 1976 on the Island Mobile and has been sourced from the original 2” multitrack. 

5. Loving In Your Sake.  Also recorded during March ’72 at Basing St this features Gerry Conway, Rabbit and Pat Donaldson and has been sourced from the 2” multitrack. The actual take (there are two) of this demo is a good deal longer but… in the cold light of day… the coda contained way too much ambient noodling (Jess’ phrase) equals it really didn’t work so we extracted the song and… here it is.

6. Special T’anks (Jess Roden / Pete Wood). One of the short instrumental tracks that were to have formed linking passages to the (never recorded) 2^nd Rivits album that Jess and Pete were working on at Compass Point while waiting for their riddim section (the mighty Sly ‘n Robbie) to tip up. They were delayed for ‘business’ reasons in Jamaica and… this was one of the tracks recorded at that time… indeed, at the same point that Jess and Island finally parted company.  Sourced from the original 2” multitrack.

7. Surrender To Your Heart (Jess Roden & The Humans). Could be described as a Humans demo… only very recently discovered (by Bob Pridden) and recorded at Quarwood, John Entwhistle’s home studio on the day the actual writing of the tune was completed with Jim Capaldi (drums), Gary Grainger (guitar), Nick Graham (bass) and Steve Winwood (Hammond Organ). Harmonica courtesy the singer of songs.

8. Too Far Gone (The Jess Roden Band).  From the first (recorded) night at The Marquee… sourced from the 2” multitrack.

9. Love Will Grow. A vocal demo (#take 1) from the Summer ’78 Player Not The Game sessions with John Cartwright (bass), Rob Mounsey (Fender Rhodes) Cliff Morris (guitar) and Chris Parker (drums). Jaki Whitren (John’s wife) can also be heard (briefly) on backing vocals. Sourced from the 2” multitracks.  

10. Let Me Make Something In Your Life. This is Jess backed by The Muscle Shoals ‘Swampers’– essentially the main Muscle Shoals rhythm players who later formed the backbone to Traffic at the time of the Low Spark / Shoot Out and On The Road albums – together with the Muscle Shoals Horns… Sourced from the ¼” and recorded in 1974… as a possible contender for Jess’ first solo album.

11. Eight Days On The Road (The Jess Roden Band) Sourced from the 2” multitrack and recorded in September ’76 during the Pinewood Sessions… sessions that, for a number of reasons, were largely unproductive… just prior to the proper recording of the Play It Dirty album.

12. Feelin’ Easy  (The Jess Roden Band). Live at The Marquee (altho’ for those who were actually there or remember JRB perfomances of the time, not all of the band featured on this track when played live) and sourced from the 2” multitrack.  

13. Sweet One. Recorded during October ’72 this, for a while, confused us. How so? Well… it was actually one of the first tunes that we unearthed and, when we listened back (all those many months ago)… all was running along in ship-shape Bristol fashion until… up pops a Soprano Sax. Nothing weird there as you may imagine… The Sax worked perfectly within the context of the tune but… who the heck was the mysterious Sax player? We simply didn’t know. After a bit the song title assumed brackets in which it said: The Mysterious Sax Player edit. Months went by and we still couldn’t work out who it was. Undeterred, we started listing out every Sax player we could think of who might have been around Basing St at the time (some, sadly, no longer with us) and… still… we couldn’t work it out. More months went by. Until (spooky as this is) on the very same day about six months ago there was an exchange of early morning emails that crossed each others incoming path. Jess’ note said: I reckon the sax player is… while mine to him said; d’you think it might be..? And the answer..? It most certainly is John Helliwell.

14. Ain’t No Sunshine. Recorded one late night in March ’73 at Basing St… its just Jess and an acoustic guitar… We found it, unmarked, on a 2” multitrack in amongst a whole heap of ambient studio nothingness… there were two takes… and this is the best of ‘em.  

The Jess Roden Anthology | The Final Countdown

And... here we now are, the countdown has begun. Pre-ordering for the JR Anthology is set to begin at high noon (hey...which bright spark suggested that...?! Its all far too Garry Cooper)... on Monday, November 12th. 

High noon or otherwise, we're underway. Someone (no names, no pack drill) asked the other day, "Bet you're thrilled now?' And was, I think, a bit flumoxed by the response... "Not really, I think I'm more relieved than anything. The thrill bit will probably... hopefully... come a bit later" 

For why? Well... we inhabited this bizarre nether-world for so long that there were times when it felt like no matter what, this bright idea of three and a bit years ago, conceived as it was in the womb of ideas over Korma heaven, a few Popadums and a couple of Kingfisher beers would result in such a lengthy birth that the chaps from the Guinness Book of Records would be knocking at the door and queuing round the block eager to document the labour pains.  

In any event, now that the log-jams are behind us we can proceed... and proceeding in a straight-ahead fashion we jolly well are. Am I thrilled – yes, whisper it... I am (rather a bit), 'cos there really were moments when this all seemed like it was stuck in a moment we simply couldn't get out of. But, that was then...

First up... I should make mention of the fact that this edition will be limited just as we've said all along plus it will be absolutely exclusive to PledgeMusic. 

And limited means limited... which means we're absolutely not going to be quietly manufacturing another X quantity in the background and then offering those via the back door. Exclusive has the same meaning; this edition is only ever going to be made available via PledgeMusic. 

Why PledgeMusic? Well... when we initially got underway we talked to a number of 'entities' (for want of a better word); they all loved what we were setting out to do but... quite honestly, they were all so steeped in the past that, as much as they liked our ideas, they couldn't see any logical way of making them happen without so many obstructions along the road that made the whole thing not just implausible but impossible. 

But, we were sticking to our guns. And one particular Howitzer in particular. IF we were gonna do this... it had to be as special as we could make it. 

And then... we met with the chaps at PledgeMusic – Malcolm Dunbar (their major-domo) is steeped in the traditions which we all learned at the Island coal-face which begin with thinking outside the box. He got it (in other words what we were planning) in a matter of peco-seconds... not only that, but he and his compadres positively welcomed our A4 sheet of ideas with a foolscap envelope choc-full of their own. You want to do this..? Sure, we can accommodate that.  You want to do that..? Of course... not a problem. And do this in that way? Yeah, we can make that happen too but we can also do this as well. Brilliant. Suddenly, we were able to channel the past by embracing the future and, it felt really rather good. 

Running through Hidden Masters' core (a bit like when you chomp your way through a stick of Brighton rock) – the JR Anthology gave its title to the name of the label by the way – is 'the end-user deserves the best'. 

And that phrase (even tho' the wording is pretty rubbish) applies to absolutely everything we do... so, by linking to the way the PledgeMusic methodology operates, this enables HM to deliver on that promise. 

Am I giving the game away, hinting at what is to come too much? Without furthering the tease any more, ALL of the details on exactly what the singer of songs + self have been beavering away on in the background these last few many-months will be announced very very soon. Promise. Honest injun.

In the meantime... should you wish... you can join the official pre-registration list via this link : > http://www.pledgemusic.com/widgets/5108< 

Its a very simple process... click on the download link... 

And... hey presto...  another box will pop open... 

Fill in the required fields... and not only will a free download of one tune from the forthcoming Anthology immediately land, as if by magic, on your desktop but... you'll also get an email alert just upfront of when the actual pre-ordering begins.

The download we've chosen is Song 3 – virtually the first tune unearthed when all of the archive research began – many, many moons ago! Although, naturally, once it is properly re-mastered, the version included on the actual Anthology is going to sound a whole heap better than an MP3!

Hidden Masters | The Jess Roden Anthology CD 5 – Eight Days On The Road

There are some... perhaps many... who would argue that an act or artiste recorded live is when their true colours really emerge; no last-chance studio-saloon for overdubbing, re-working those vocal harmonies that went horribly off-key, re-recording a guitar solo because said guitarist was playing with maximum fretwork enthusiasm but minimal concentration by soloing all over the intricate bass-line – thus ruining an otherwise cracking rendition of song Y... and so forth.

Well, that is unless unscrupulous producer Z decides to employ all the gadgets at his or her fingertips that have, far too often over the past few years, turned real live recordings into a travesty bearing the name whereby 'recorded live' actually means it was replicated in the studio but the applause came from the night in question (and very often thats dubbed in too).

So... what do we have here..? Actually, this is as pure as it gets.

Yes, we fixed a couple of things; on one track from the JRB's (now legendary) Marquee appearances, Pete Hunt's bass-drum mic became detached and, quite literally, moved right to left across the stage. Pretty obviously, this rendered the track – as it stood – unusable... but, 'cos the performance was outstanding, how to fix it?

We (that is Jess, self and Richard Whittaker) sat there in the windowless gloom of FX – no one should be under the illusion that studios are all glamour – one Sunday afternoon, chewing on sandwiches, drinking a lot of coffee and scratching our heads. There was a soloution and it was going to take at least three hours: Richard took one, simple, bass-drum 'thud' out of the same song, recorded the previous night, and back into the track we wanted to use. This was done by replacing one note after another. Thud... thud... thud... Was that cheating... nope, we didn't think so.

On another tune we wanted to use, Bruce Roberts' guitar lead wasn't plugged in properly for the first thirty seconds or so; how did we fix that – same methodology. Thank goodness that the multitracks actually survived.

And now ladeeeez and gentlemen..., for your delectation – here is Jess... recorded live as live is...

1. Intro / The Alan Bown – Sourced from the ¼” Master and recorded September 19th 1966 live at The Marquee Club, London… segues into…

2. Reason To Change / The Jess Roden Band – Previously Unreleased, sourced from the 2” Multitrack and recorded May 20th 1976 live at The Marquee Club, London… segues into…

3. It’s Growin’ / The Alan Bown – Sourced from the ¼” Master and recorded September 19th 1966 live at The Marquee Club, London (from the only known Alan Bown club recording, originally issued on Side 2 of the seminal 1966 London Swings | Live At The Marquee LP, the A side featuring Jimmy James & The Vagabonds – although their performance was actually captured on a different night)

4. The Ballad Of Big Sally / The Jess Roden Band – Previously Unreleased, sourced from the 2” Multitrack and recorded November 30th 1976 live at Birmingham Town Hall (from one of the two shows that were recorded – the other being Leicester university – during the last JRB UK tour from which, ultimately, the Blowin’ album was released)

5. You Can Leave Your Hat On / The Jess Roden Band – Previously Unreleased, sourced from the 2” Multitrack and recorded November 30th 1976 live at Birmingham Town Hall

6. Down In The Valley / The Alan Bown – Sourced from the ¼” Master and recorded September 19th 1966 live at The Marquee Club, London

7. Can’t Get Next To You / The Jess Roden Band – Previously Unreleased, sourced from the 2” Multitrack and recorded May 20th 1976 live at The Marquee Club, London (the third and final night of the JRB’s residency at The Marquee that May and on a night when the temperature rose to such a degree that water was running down the walls; a collosal early-Summer thunderstorm broke overhead right as the final notes of that night’s performance played out).

8. Get To Steppin’ / The Jess Roden Band – Previously Unreleased, sourced from the 2” Multitrack and recorded September 18th 1974 live at The Lyceum, London (a Robert Parker tune, ‘Steppin’ was recorded at one of the earliest JRB shows – pre-Billy Livesey joining on keyboards – supporting Georgie Fame’s band at London’s legendary Lyceum)

9. In A Circle / The Jess Roden Band – Previously Unreleased, sourced from the 2” Multitrack and recorded November 20th 1976 live at Leicester University

10. Me And Crystal Eye / The Jess Roden Band – Previously Unreleased, sourced from the 2” Multitrack and recorded November 20th 1976 live at Leicester University

11. You Better Believe It / Jess Roden And The Humans – sourced from the WAV Master and recorded November 1st 1996 live at The Robin, Merry Hill, Birmingham

12. Miss US Dream / The Jess Roden Band – Previously Unreleased, sourced from the 2” Multitrack and recorded November 20th 1976 live at Leicester University

13. The Boomerang / The Alan Bown – Sourced from the ¼” Master and recorded September 19th 1966 live at The Marquee Club, London

14 & 15. All Night Long & Friend Of Mine / The Jess Roden Band – Previously Unreleased encore, sourced from the 2” Multitrack and recorded November 30th 1976 live at Birmingham Town Hall (the penultimate night of their final tour)

(All track selections subject to change and final clearances. Recording dates listed have been sourced from tape box information).

Hidden Masters | The Jess Roden Anthology CD 4 – Outside Its America

Those among you who’ve followed this tale thus far will probably have come to realise that this hasn’t been the easiest of jigsaws to piece together. For those who’ve just joined this remarkable adventure – we’ve been dancing in the dark in extremis many, many times.

Firstly, only a tiny proportion of Jess' recorded output had ever been digitised in the first place. That meant trawling through literally hundreds of analog boxes (many of which were marked up wrongly – possibly by over-reefer'd tape-ops of the time) and transferring everything we found (off of 1/4", 1" and 2" + acetates + cassettes and more). Plus, any multi-tracks had to be monitor-mixed whereby we then had a format so’s we could actually start the listening-back process.

And, the deeper we delved, the more the unexpected and absolutely unanticipated came to light. Many, many instances of that occurred but two of the most remarkable are represented on this particular track-listing.

One late pm, Richard (Whittaker, the chief analog renovation expert / uber-studio-boffin @FX) and I are sitting in the studio. He’s got a 2” multitrack fresh back from the FX oven – some of the tapes were deteriorating so badly that they had to be baked for a few days so as to preserve them before we could run them through the equally ancient analog machines; Heston Blumenthal would have been proud of us.

The tape rolls, dials are twisted, nobs are twiddled with, faders moved into position and a monitor mix of this particular 24-track tape is begun but, within a couple of minutes, both of us are scratching our respective heads. There are weird ghosting sounds coming from the deep background – as if someone has recorded over something else… We complete the monitor mix and, while it sounds great, there’s something weird going on. An MP3 is run off and, later the same night, I tip up at JR HQ for a glass of the well-chilled and our (by now usual) recap of the day’s musical archaeology. He presses play on his machine and… starts to scratch his head too.

“Hmmm… Is this the only multi with that track title?” asks the singer of songs.
“Yes… why..?” I query
“No ¼” then?”
“Nope, none at all… this is all there is... or, rather all I've been able to unearth”
“Ahhh… OK… Then... What I reckon is" He says carefully "what you’ve found is one of two 24-track tapes...” His head-scratching continues, mine multiplies.

“As I recall" He goes on "we recorded this tune once with Joel (Dorn) – it’s one of Mags, John Cartwright’s songs… and that version had pretty much all of the instruments played by him. But, we dumped that because… I dunno… it all got a bit mad, everyone kept hearing different things that they thought should go in to it so we started again and so this must be from that second session. “

“Anyhow… what happened was… eventually, we had so many tracks going that we slaved two 24-track tapes together so as to create a 48-track master. There were whole horn sections flown in… we recorded them… then they got erased… I’m pretty sure that Lee (Goodall) came in with a bag of flutes and overdubbed one after another… There may have been a choir at one point too. Real studio lunacy. But, the more we did, the more we lost sight of it...”

“The strange thing is, tho’… listening to it now, what is it – thirty-something years later… it’s as near as dammit to how I heard it in my mind.”

A few days later, one late Saturday afternoon and JR and Richard have been slaving over a hot console, fuelled by more cups of coffee than any self-respecting doctor would prescribe along with brought in sandwiches. After three hours of dextrous nob-twiddling, the tape-ghosting has gone, the track’s been cleaned up… and To Enter Heart And Soul (Peace Within Me Now) has been completed as a final mix for the first time in over three decades.

A week later into the process and the crates of analog boxes are starting to dwindle; we’re coming to the end of the digitisation process. We’ve one of the few remaining multitracks spooling… in the near-darkness of the studio… we're listening to silence.

"Why are we listening to nothing... shouldn't we just fast-forward the spool and be done with it?" I admit it now, I'm absolutely exhausted at this point in the proceedings.
"We could" replies Richard, "but... you never know..."

Off I go to grab us both more coffee and five minutes later am back in Richard's lair and he's as good as dancing on the console.

"Just wait 'til you hear this... I've cued it up. You thought it was just gonna run out... Well, they must've just left the tape running at Basing St... 'cos... just listen... this is really special!"

Richard rarely displays excitement – possibly 'cos he's seen / heard it all before – this pm, more super-strength coffee now firmly attached to bear-like paw, he's grinning ear to ear. He hits play and... within seconds, its obvious we've found another diamond in the rough.

That same evening, I've a USB drive in hand and tip up chez JR for dinner and another recap 'n playback on the day's events. We get to Track X... there are two takes... "Crikey, where the heck did you find that?" asks the singer of songs. "You know... I honestly can't remember doing that at all... but obviously I did! That's some very late-night strumming, that is...Diga must've just left a tape running or something... and... you know what, it's not half-bad actually, is it? Bit annoying I got the words ever so slightly wrong but, I'd say that take #1 is certainly one for the consideration list."

Quite a few months later, we're starting to pull the track-listings together... Although sequentially, it’s slightly out of place, there is really only one candidate to close CD4; the 1' 30" of 'late-night-strumming' found that late afternoon while listening to playback silence.

1. Old Broadway / The Rivits – Sourced from the ¼” Safety Master, recorded January 14th 1979

2. Light Brown Colour / Seven Windows – Sourced from the WAV File Master and recorded during 1982. Featuring Jack Waldman, Gary T Amos, Lee Goodall, Mark Egan and with strings arranged by Paul Buckmaster, this is from the incredibly hard to find and long-since deleted Seven Windows album recorded variously at Skyline Studios & Classic Sound Studio, New York; Rock City, Shepperton & The Garden Studio, London that has been especially remastered for The Anthology by A. T. Michael MacDonald at AlgoRhythms Mastering, Brooklyn, New York

3. One World, One People / Jess Roden – Sourced from the Sterling Sound ¼” Cutting Master, recorded July 11th 1979

4. If Ever You Should Change Your Mind / Jess Roden – Sourced from the Sterling Sound ¼” Cutting Master, recorded July 11th 1979

5. Misty Roses / Jess Roden – Sourced from ¼” Master, recorded February 5th 1977

6. Vital Sign / Jess Roden & Pete Wood – Previously Unreleased, sourced from the 2” Multitrack and recorded on February 18th 1981. One of three short pieces recorded at Compass Point as mini-track-breaks for the planned second Rivits album that never really got off the ground.

7. Some Vision / The Rivits – Sourced from the ¼” Safety Master, recorded January 14th 1979

8. Bird Of Harlem / Jess Roden – Sourced from the ¼” Master, recorded on July 11th 1979

9. Easy Way / Seven Windows – Sourced from the WAV File Master and recorded during 1982. Featuring Jack Waldman, Lee Goodall, Mark Egan and Steve Dwire, this was recorded in New York and London and has been remastered especially for The Anthology by A. T. Michael MacDonald at AlgoRhythms Mastering, Brooklyn, New York

10. In Me Tonight / Jess Roden – Sourced from the ¼” Master and recorded on February 5th 1977

11. Believe In Me / Jess Roden – Sourced from the Sterling Sound ¼” Album Master and recorded July 11th 1979

12. Oo She Do / The Rivits – Sourced from the ¼” Album Safety Master and recorded January 4th 1980

13. Parachutes / Seven Windows – Sourced from the WAV File Master and recorded during 1982. Featuring Jack Waldman, Rob Mounsey, Robbie Kondor and Michael Dawe (among others) this, too is from the long-since deleted Seven Windows album recorded variously in New York and London that has been especially remastered for The Anthology by A. T. Michael MacDonald at AlgoRhythms Mastering, Brooklyn, New York

14. The Hardest Blow / Jess Roden – Sourced from the ¼” Album Master and recorded on February 4th 1973

15. To Enter Heart And Soul (Peace Within Me Now )/ Jess Roden – Previously Unreleased, sourced from the 2” Multitrack and recorded on June 8th 1978

16. The Quiet Sound Of You And I / Jess Roden – Sourced from the ¼” Album Safety Master, recorded on February 4th 1973

17. What’s Going On / Jess Roden – Previously Unreleased Take #1 of 2, sourced from the 2” Multitrack and recorded on March 23rd 1973

(All track selections subject to change and final clearances. Recording dates listed have been sourced from tape box information – obviously, some relate to initial sessions while some are final-mix dates. Since some of the original multitracks haven't survived, this is the closest possible dating available).

Hidden Masters | The Jess Roden Anthology CD 3 – Get Ta Steppin’

1. Raise Your Hand / The Jess Roden Band – Previously Unreleased, sourced from the ¼” Master, recorded July 2nd 1975 (produced by Steve Smith and from the original sessions for the first never-released JRB album)

2. Rat Race / The Jess Roden Band – Previously Unreleased sourced from the ¼” Master, recorded July 1st 1975 (produced by Steve Smith and from the original sessions for the first never-released JRB album)

3. In A Circle / The Jess Roden Band – Previously Unreleased Version, sourced from the ¼” Master, recorded August 9th 1975 (later recorded by Producer Geoff Haslam, this is the original version with Steve Winwood on Hammond Organ and produced by Steve Smith – taken from the original sessions for the first never-released JRB album)

4. Celebrate / The Jess Roden Band – Previously Unreleased, sourced from the ¼” Master, recorded July 1st 1975 (produced by Steve Smith and from the original sessions for the first never-released JRB album)

5. Send It To You / The Jess Roden Band – Previously Unreleased Mix, Source tape ¼” Master, recorded January 16th 1975 (later recorded by Geoff Haslam, this is the original version produced by Steve Smith)

6. Every Time A Man Gets Lonely / The Jess Roden Band – Previously Unreleased , sourced from the ¼” Master, recorded December 20th 1975 (produced by Geoff Haslam and originally recorded for the Keep You Hat On album)

7. Can’t Get By Without You / The Jess Roden Band – Previously Unreleased, sourced from the Acetate transfer to ¼”, recorded July 2nd 1975 (produced by Steve Smith and from the original sessions for the first never-released JRB album)

8. If You Don’t Get What You Want / The Jess Roden Band – Previously Unreleased, sourced from the ¼” Master, recorded August 9th 1975 (with Steve Winwood on Hammond Organ, produced by Steve Smith and from the original sessions for the first never-released JRB album)

9. Work Out / The Jess Roden Band – Previously Unreleased sourced from the ¼” Master, recorded July 1st 1975 (produced by Steve Smith and from the original sessions for the first never-released JRB album)

10. What Took Me So Long? / The Jess Roden Band – Previously Unreleased sourced from the ¼” Master, recorded April 17th 1975 (produced by Chris Blackwell, recorded at Basing St)

11. Yes Indeed / The Jess Roden Band – Previously Unreleased, sourced from the Acetate transfer to ¼”, recorded October 2nd 1975 (with strings arranged by Harry Robinson – who’d similarly arranged the strings for Jess’ version of On Broadway and produced by Steve Smith)

12. Me And Crystal Eye / The Jess Roden Band – Sourced from the ¼” Cutting Master, recorded October 17th 1976

13. Honey Don’t Worry / The Jess Roden Band – Previously Unreleased Version, sourced from the ¼” Master, recorded April 11th 1975 (later recorded by Producer Geoff Haslam, this is one of the earliest takes produced by Steve Smith)

14. Stonechaser / The Jess Roden Band – Sourced from the ¼” Cutting Master, recorded October 17th 1976

15. Black Jack / The Jess Roden Band – Previously Unreleased, sourced from the ¼” Master, recorded December 20th 1975 (produced by Geoff Haslam and recorded originally for the Keep Your Hat On album)

16. Blowin’ (Gospel Version) / Jess Roden & Billy Livesey – Previously Unreleased take, sourced from the 2” Multitrack, recorded January 21st 1977 (recorded during the mixing sessions for Blowin’ – the final, Live, JRB album)

(All track selections subject to change and final clearances. Recording dates listed have been sourced from tape box information – obviously, some relate to initial sessions while some are final-mix dates. Since some of the original multitracks haven't survived, this is the closest possible dating available).

Hidden Masters | The Jess Roden Anthology – CD 2 – Basing St To Beyond

Song 3 / Jess Roden – Previously Unreleased, sourced from the ¼” Master, recorded April 13th 1972 (originally recorded as part of the 'Rabbit sessions' for the proposed 1st solo album)

The Farm / Jess Roden – Previously Unreleased, sourced from the ¼” Master, recorded March 28th 1972 (originally recorded as part of the 'Rabbit sessions' for the proposed 1st solo album)

I Won’t Be Alone Anymore / The Butts Band – sourced from the ¼” Safety Master, recorded, May 1973

Strength & Guidance / Jess Roden - Previously Unreleased Demo (later titled Sweet Danger), sourced from the ¼” Master, recorded March 23rd 1973 (originally demo'd at Basing St and later recorded by The Butts Band)

New Ways / The Butts Band – sourced from the ¼” Safety Master, recorded, May 1973

Sweet Danger / The Butts Band – sourced from the ¼” Safety Master, recorded, May 1973

What The Hell / Jess Roden – sourced from the ¼” Master / Sterling Sound Cutting Copy, recorded May 25th 1972

I’m Ready / Paul Kossof – sourced from the ¼” Master, recorded August 27th 1973

Toe The Line / Jess Roden – Previously Unreleased, sourced from the ¼” Master, recorded January 18th 1974 (originally recorded during the same Olympic sessions that included On Broadway)

For Granted (I’m On Your Side) / Jess Roden – Previously Unreleased Mix, sourced from the ¼” Master, recorded January 18th 1974

Trouble In The Mind / Jess Roden – Previously Unreleased Mix, sourced from the ¼” Master, recorded March 26th 1974

You’ve Got What I Need / Jess Roden – Previously Unreleased, sourced from the ¼” Master, recorded January 17th 1974 (recorded during the same Olympic sessions that included On Broadway)

On Broadway / Jess Roden – Sourced from the ¼” Master / Sterling Sound Cutting Copy, recorded between November 11th 1973 / January & May 30th 1974

Reason To Change / Jess Roden – Sourced from the ¼” Master / Sterling Sound Cutting Copy, recorded March 26th 1974

Sad Story / Jess Roden – Sourced from the ¼” Master / Sterling Sound Cutting Copy and recorded March 26th & May 1974

Feelin’ Easy / Jess Roden – Previously Unreleased Mix, sourced from the ¼” Master, recorded March 26th 1974

Under Suspicion / The Jess Roden Band – Previously Unreleased Mix, sourced from the ¼” Master, recorded February 3rd 1975 (planned as the US single mix)


(All track selections subject to change and final clearances. Recording dates listed have been sourced from tape box information – obviously, some relate to initial sessions while some are final-mix dates. Since some of the original multitracks haven't survived, this is the closest possible dating available). Further Anthology track listings to be announced shortly.

Hidden Masters | The Jess Roden Anthology CD 1 – Town & Country

1. Baby Don’t Push Me / The Alan Bown Set – Previously unreleased mix; sourced from the 1” multitrack, recorded February 28th 1966

2. Headline News / The Alan Bown Set – Previously unreleased mix, sourced from the 1” multitrack, recorded September 14th 1966

3. Gonna Fix You Good / The Alan Bown Set – Previously unreleased mix, sourced from the 1” multitrack, recorded December 19th 1966

4. I Really, Really Care / The Alan Bown Set – Previously unreleased mix, sourced from the 1” multitrack, recorded March 1st 1967

5. All Along The Watchtower / The Alan Bown – Sourced from the ¼” Master, recorded June 3rd 1968

6. My Girl The Month Of May / The Alan Bown – Sourced from the ¼” Production Master, recorded June 3rd 1968

7. Amber Moon / Bronco – Sourced from the ¼” Cutting Master and recorded April 9th 1971

8. Lazy Now / Bronco – Previously unreleased mix, sourced from the 2” multitrack that was recorded August 21st 1970

9. All The Love I Sing (Love) / Bronco – Previously Unreleased mix, sourced from the ¼” Master, recorded April 19th 1970

10. Time Slips Away / Bronco – Sourced from the ¼” Cutting Master, recorded April 9th 1971

11. New Day Avenue / Bronco – Previously Unreleased Mix, sourced from the ¼” Master, recorded April 9th 1971

12. Bumpers West / Bronco – Previously Unreleased Mix, sourced from the ¼” Master, recorded September 2nd 1970

13. Sudden Street / Bronco – Previously unreleased mix, sourced from the 2” multitrack that was recorded March 19th 1971

14. Joys & Fears / Bronco – Sourced from the ¼” Cutting Master recorded March 15th 1971

15. Life / Jess Roden – Previously Unreleased Demo, sourced from the ¼” Master, recorded August 27th 1972

16. Song 3 / Jess Roden – Previously Unreleased Instrumental Demo with guide vocal, sourced from the 2” Multitrack recorded on February 10th 1972
(Take #2 of 2...)

(All track selections subject to change and final clearances. Recording dates listed have been sourced from tape box information – obviously, some relate to initial sessions while some are final-mix dates. Since some of the original multitracks haven't survived, this is the closest possible dating available). Further Anthology track listings to be announced shortly.

Aspirin And Aftershave

The route from Frithville Gardens – the last appointment of this particular #IBoR day – to the collecting of Tiggles Bearwood from meetings in the backwaters of Chelsea is fraught with rush-hour traffic. Our metropolis-exit, bypassing the Great West Road, finds the #HiddenMasters-mobile halted at one set of traffic lights after another.

We’re stuck beside white-van man whose vehicle is belching a pungent cocktail of diesel fumes, stale nicotine and van-interior air-freshener. In the general 2 o’clock direction as the crow might fly is a building above who’s front door is emblazoned a large semi-circular, globe-like logo.

It’s one of the London homes of Universal – an entrance through which I’ve trudged more than a few times of late in quest of cementing our template masters’ rights agreement. This late afternoon, however, the building looks quieter than usual; the lights on the top floor (where the senior executives prowl and growl over dissemination of percentages of net or gross earnings) are dimmed. The usual ebb and flow of hot and cold running secretaries and personal assistants stemmed by the mass-exodus across-town… Because…

It’s the late afternoon before the evening of... that precedes the morning after… of The Brits.

Britain’s prime-time televised, annual be-dinner-jacketed man-hugging / scooped into little-black-number air-kissing ladies pop-awards event… The dress-codes alone should tell you everything you need to know.

Its our very own Grammys… And, lest we imagine otherwise, an ab-fab joyous celebration of all that’s super-duper in Popular Music emanating (more or less) from our wonderfully green and pleasant. Smashing.

Now… I speak (write) with a degree of previous with regard to this annual back-slapping fest. Among the many highlights of previous years would be when Sam Fox and her improbable-sized Page 3 chest stood alongside Mick Fleetwood's waist at the height of his substance addiction, jointly (sic) reading the wrong cue-cards at the Royal Albert Hall.

When Jarvis Cocker invaded the stage and pulled down his trousers as Michael Jackson ‘entertained’ children on stage while posing in a scene reminiscent of the crucifixion.

Another at The Grosvenor Hotel when the aforementioned Jacko tipped up with Giant Haystacks as his minder for the evening; an event during which the Storey bladder became over-full with the non-chilled and I found myself at the next again urinal, standing right beside the aforementioned member (sic) of the Jackson Five.

The night when John Prescott had a bucket of warm-Champagne emptied over his head by Chumbawamba – proof positive that politics and anarchist punk ‘n roll really shouldn’t mix.

Debacles every one of ‘em… and, last night was no different – the only difference was the music but, true to form, the Brits (yet again) proved itself long past its sell-by date.

That’s not to say (and similar to most years) that some aspects worked. Remember Robbie Williams embracing all the best bits of Norman Wisdom and totally up-staging Tom Jones before the latter turned entirely orange? Or Liam Gallagher’s ‘if you think you’re ‘ard enough’ gong-acceptance speech? The Pet Shop Boys and a bunch of Welsh Miners singing Go West – if never seen, worth the YouTube visit for that alone.

And last night there was Adele; simplicity itself… a great tune… fabulously understated band… and that soaring vocal. (Unfortunate camera angles that dwelled over-long upon the rippling posteriors of her amply-proportioned backing singers but… hey... that’s ITV for you).

Yet, while that simplicity exuded sheer quality, the show, as a whole, did not.

I can’t claim to have any insider knowledge on something called Bruno Marrrrs and his preposterous quiff (I believe his second name has more than one R). But, c’mon laddie… ease up on the spray-tan… and… it’d be not a bad idea to be able to actually sing.

Honestly… was his a voice to be celebrated? Having been lucky enough to have worked with more than a few of the greatest interpretative singers of all-time and then seeing / listening to that… Hello… music industry… is there anyone out there? In another year, all those iTunes downloads and hastily-bought CDs will be swamping computer trash-bins and Charity shops alike.

As for One Direction… kinda says it all that their records are doing well in what can most kindly be termed Lady-boy countries. Another couple of years and those band-members not in rehab will be appearing way down the bill in provincial pantomime.

We were treated to Lana Del Ray poured into her Jessica Rabbit gravity defying dress on the edge of tv-blubbing as she collected her skittle (the re-design of the actual Brit award was a complete nonsense); there was the (rather sad) sight of Noel Gallagher clearly missing Liam’s vocal on what was otherwise a semi-decent slab of rock ‘n roll that included Chris Martin hunched over his piano deftly adding the twiddly bits in an attempt to transform the ordinary to the almost quite good.

And then came Rhianna – with a costume as ill-fitting as the Euro-bail out of the Greek National debt – I still can’t figure out just who her auto-tuned vocal actually says anything to? In chalk and cheese comparisons Etta James passed away (sadly) not too long back – and yes, I know she’s not British but then neither is Rhianna – but the latter would be well-advised to invest in the former’s entire catalogue and secrete herself away… To listen and learn that great singing does not involve three-dozen scantily clad dancers nor does it involve crotch-moves that would look out of place in a pornographic B-movie.

And Blur… yes, probably was more or less appropriate that they got a gong for their ‘outstanding contribution’. But… it strikes me that the very word appears to be misrepresented here and I find it entirely incongruous that while they (deservedly) received recognition, that someone like Bob Marley was overlooked. After all, it can hardly be down to nationality when the likes of U2 and Van Morrison have both collected ‘outstanding contribution’ gongs.

And Damon – for pity’s sake, learn to do your belt up… ‘cos, the exposure of the Albarn, M&S styled horizontally-striped underpant that revealed way too much Allbran is, really, not an attractive sight. Nearing your middle years, you really should know better. And, if you really do need to bare your arse, then show a bit of dignified cheek by studying the Jarvis Cocker methodology. Please.

The lights are out and, at the 2012 Brits no one’s home. It’s a just a TV show that tries to please everyone and fails miserably due to that very fact.

Its no wonder then that lower key events such as the Mojo Awards or The Mercury Music Prize exist… and continue to thrive. Why? They know what they are and don’t pretend otherwise and neither do they try so hard.

Jess Roden / The Rivits / Old Broadway / Hidden Masters

Y’know… there really is a sense of magic – albeit an indefinable one – the moment one’s brogues touch down on Broadway.

I can recall the first time like it was yesterday; and, while the last time was just a few months ago, it’s still etch-a-sketched down memory lane just as vividly as if it was yesterday.

Those were the days when Pan Am flew from Heathrow; in fact this was to be my very first Transatlantic crossing and all of it was spent squished into a middle seat in between La Faithfull and her (then) husband, Ben E Ficial – more properly christened Ben Brierly.

Those were the days when food at 36,000 feet up was served on proper plates with real cutlery – not the abominable plastic, bendy-breaky-bollox knives and forks one is forced to employ today. You also got more than one bread roll.

Days too, when one’s pre-luncheon snifter (make mine a pretty sizeable Bloody Mary with extra Worcestershire Sauce please) was accompanied by a gasper or twain. We all smoked – heck, half the flight did in those days; walking back down the aisle from the lavatory was like strolling through an early 60’s London smog. No wonder they banned it – the air conditioning system that could have coped with that amount of fumes hadn’t been invented.

La F was off to do a week of promo for the Broken Biscuits (English) record… that’d later nail her a Grammy nomination; Ben was there ‘cos he was her fella… and me? Well, I was the bloke from Island and it was my job to ensure that everything ran tickety-boo.

Pretty obviously, it didn’t – and much of that was down to entirely unexpectedly bumping in to La Pallenberg in a hotel lift. This little reunion of kindred spirits and shared pasts distracted my charge somewhat.

Employing her deep dulcet Germanic tones that reverberated upward from her not inconsiderable bosom, La P beckoned toward the lift (elevator), saying (well, more commanding actually)… Ahhh, Marianne… so good to see you…come up to my room, I have a little something for you…’ Now, I reckoned I was relatively wise to the ways of… but… this was on an entirely different scale altogether; a small mountain of Peruvian marching powder was upended on the table and… basically… they weren’t going to stop until…

A lot of other mad stuff happened on that trip… but… trooper that MF is, the work did all get done.

Years later, she toured the 20th Century Blues record… taking in such exotic locales as Tel Aviv and Jerusalem as well as more conventional gigs in the more obvious places. And, for sizeable chunks, I was on hand too – more or less in the same capacity. About three-quarters of the way through the show each night, there’d be a bit of a break in proceedings (Paul the pianist would nip off to have a wee) which gave La Faithfull – who is a raconteur of astonishing prowess – the opportunity to regale the audience with tales of derring-do.

Most usually, this involved a lengthy narrative that involved serious narcotics shared with the late, great Harry Nillson, his untimely death, the manner in which it occurred, an earthquake and a strange burial. And always, but always, she prefaced the whole with the opening lines of… ‘Now, you… lovely audience that you are… need to understand that those were the days when we did proper drugs – not this nimby-pamby stuff you get handed nowadays’.

Anyway… I digress. So, after what seems an eternity mid-air, we land and my first encounter with US Customs and Immigration – I’m travelling with a former drug addict who just happens to be the head Rolling Stones’ ex and a punk who also goes by the name of Ben Dover. Needless to say, our time in Immigration was somewhat extended before, ultimately, passports were stamped and we were allowed outside… and squashed into a cab – no one thought to come and meet us – and hi-tailing it into central Manhattan.

It was like entering a picture postcard or… even better, a film-set. For some reason lost to the mists of time, we were in different hotels… so, after being deposited at the gates of the Essex House (on the 20-something’th floor of which CB kept an apartment at the time), I shuffled out, onto Central Park South and walked over to… Broadway.

At that junction and looking south toward the bottom end of Manhattan, the street sort of curves slightly right-handed down toward Times Square. It’s only a few blocks… and yet, as you trudge down toward all that the neon flashing in the distance, its like walking into the set of (say) Blade Runner. OK, so that film was still a couple years away but, you get the idea.

The next again morning, I woke unfeasibly early… one’s body-clock is absolutely fucked by this international travel malarkey and so, at about 4am I’m wide awake. What to do? There’s only one person in Manhattan I know and, I can’t call him just yet… Oh, I know… I’ll switch on the tv. Whatever the programme was, it goes straight in to an ad break. And, the very first bit of American TV I saw was… an ad for… Preparation H… hemorrhoid cream. Smashing.

Since MF hasn't got anything to do ‘til the afternoon, that means I’ve a free morning and, by now fed up with watching adverts for intimate ailments, I head off for a walk in the general direction of the Upper East Side 'cos that's the locale of the only person I know in this strange metrop I've tipped up in.

I’m not entirely sure where his lair is, of course, but guided by the sun I figure it has to be... that-a-way.

Skyscrapers… concrete canyons… hustle… bustle… the bums on the sidewalks… the drunks with their brown paper-bag covered liquor bottles… and the bag-ladies pushing their trollies… the air bisected by the billowing steam rising from the pavement grills like so much fog… the suits and briefcases scurrying, coffee in hand... the punks... the tourists like me (pretending to be anything other). Everyone talking loudly. I’m lost but at home.

Intent on calling the only person I know in New York, I find a pay ‘phone – don’t forget, this was aeons before everyone walked around with a cell ‘phone clamped to his or her ear… and long before the side-stepping of people texting while walking became an Olympic sport.

I push my coins in… and, after a few moments, the Singer of Songs answers. He sounds perplexed; ‘Crikey… what on earth are you doing here..? I explain. ‘Splendid’ says he, ‘Are you nearby? Can you come over for coffee? He gives me directions but, basically, that’s pretty hopeless ‘cos, within minutes, I’m lost… I’m a stranger in a strange land and a cab further uptown has to be the best solution.

We spend the morning together, drinking a lot of coffee… and he plays me a few tunes he’s working on with another chap called Pete. His deal with Island is over but, even so, he’s been writing… looks fitter than fit and slimmer than slim from daily runs around Central Park – and the songs sound really good. They’re thinking of maybe making a record… perhaps shopping it round a bit.

Fast forward a good few months and a new record pops up on the release schedule. It’s by The Rivits – the Singer of Songs did make the record he said he was planning to.

And, the final track on side one is something I’d heard months back as a rough sketch; it tells the tale of Connie and Clem The Clean and extols the dreams of the ghosts whose own shoes… some frayed, some torn, some perfectly polished… trod those self-same sidewalks that I’d walked.

Jess Roden / Sudden St / Hidden Masters

Ok, Ok... I know, its been a long time but, honest injun, busy as busy is in the background... with masses going on down in the über-shed otherwise known as #HiddenMasters HQ.

So... here's a little something that's only just been finished off. Its a short clip of Bronco's Sudden St from the forthcoming Anthology.

It features ultra-rare footage of the band recording at Basing St during the Summer of 1971 (and a massive hat-tip to DJ Demitri who found this gathering acres of dust in the back of a darkened cupboard).

The original sound-bed was, to all intents and purposes pretty much fucked as was some of the grainy black 'n white imagery too, so I've married the surviving video to one or two stills and under-laid it all with this never-heard-before version of Sudden St.

Ok, so what news on the Boxed Set... the Anthology?

Right – annoyingly, we are a teensy-weensy bit behind where we’d hoped to be right now but this is purely due to the fact that the Anthology involves a number of masters’ owners – meaning that preparation of the documentation (which has to be completed before we move to the final steps) is a bit more complex for all concerned.

Nonetheless, the legal eagles and business affairs bods on all sides of the fence(s) have locked horns in the last two or three weeks and are now at it like rutting stags because there are innumerable Is to be dotted and just about as many Ts to be crossed.

And so, once all parties have signed off (doubtless employing judicious usage of their lucky pens), we’ll be pushing the final three buttons.

The first bit being the re-mastering of all the UK-based analog masters that we’re including. These'll be worked on by Richard Whittaker @ FX who's just become a dad for the first time to lil' Ed (so, thats caused a bit of a natural break as it is). The 7Windows tracks being included have already been re-mastered by Michael MacDonald in New York – so, we're somewhat ahead of the game there.

And, at that point, we can finally reveal the full track-listing!

So, after all the knob-twiddling, its the fine-tuning of all the artwork and then straight to manufacture.

In the meantime… what can be confirmed is: The Anthology will be issued as an initial limited edition of 950 copies – all of which will be hand-numbered.

And... within this run, there will be a number of really special (and very limited) editions.

We’re working out all the details right now (see, I said its been busy as... down in the über-shed) but, just as soon as these particular Ts have been crossed and Is dotted, we’ll be announcing what we have planned – here... on the JR FaceBook page as well as on the main JR website.

Further to all of that, the singer of songs and self are formulating something else that we reckon to be a bit special and as a way of saying thanks to everyone who’s shown so much patience while we’ve been putting all this together.

So... here's the vid – and if anyone's wondering why it appears out of sync... it is..! 'cos the original sound-bed was a different toon.

IF, by any chance, your browser starts to buffer and the vid goes a bit wonky - try it on YouTube - link is: http://youtu.be/vVO2y2rU90s

Jess Roden | For Granted #3 (I’m On Your Side)

The blossom is on the trees, luminescent Cherry-Vanilla at its best.

Yet the studio in which we’re ensconced during this period of self-imposed confinement hides behind a couple of struggling trees of uncertain genesis. Neither of which appear to have known blossom once.

They stand like a pair of forlorn, Kevin-The-Teenager saplings; their leggy, Eyeball Paul, branches windswept by the diesel-breeze-rush of a speeding bus every twenty minutes of so.

It’s a surreal yet short walk from the bus-stop; past where Reginald Iolanthe Perrin hastened the demise of CJ and Sunshine Deserts, along the crumbling pavement to the studio door – tucked away in this downtrodden backwater of a demoralised north-west London trading estate

While the setting may be unlikely – neither does this place much look like what one’d imagine a studio to appear as.

The facade is about as far removed from the Fab-Four graffiti-scrawl of Abbey Road or the Edwardian splendour of Olympic in Barnes where Procul Harum recorded A Whiter Shade Of Pale; in which Jimi Hendrix reconstructed All Along The Watchtower to turn a Dylan masterpiece into his own magnum opus or where The Rolling Stones laid down six consecutive albums between 1968 and ’72 as is possible to get.

This space – our space for the duration – is decidedly more warehouse-veneer and on the utilitarian side of functional. It is what it is and does not pretend otherwise.

Inside is what counts and progress is such that we’re heading toward the sharp end. Upstairs is where we completed all the digital work on the ¼” tapes… now we’re downstairs and starting to delve in to all the crates that contain the 2” multi-tracks.

These, unlike their country-cousins, the ¼” tapes, come in a variety of configurations – many are 24 track but we’re also encountering their step-brothers – the 16 and 8 track variants.

And, in the middle of that lot, we’ll be returning to those tapes that are currently sitting in a temperature-controlled oven a little way down the corridor… baking away ever so contentedly in a Julia Childs’ styleee.

Baking..? Yes indeed – because they’re elderly (in tape-terms that’s 30+years old) and, frankly, they’re in pretty dodgy shape.

And, the only way to remedy this level of tape-degradation and all round dodginess is to bake the blighters for between 24 and 72 hours.

Crikey – am I starting to sound like a bit too Gordon Ramsay here..? I sincerely hope not, because, trust me, I’m no expert – but I do have a very good teacher.

Ladies and Gentlemen… may I introduce my newest best friend; a raven-haired Goth, who sits in front of rows of blinking lights, manipulating computers, software and ten dozen other gadgets all of which require an advanced degree in pure Einstein before they’ll even spark into life.

He can tell a tape’s age just by looking at it and can hear things coming through the mix that are inaudible to mere mortals – hmmm, that sounds about 2db out to me…

It does? I look over his shoulder at a bank of intermittently blinking lights, our very own studio aurora borealis. The lights appear – to me – to be lined up in a pretty satisfactory line but equally I’ve learned to trust the set of ears beside me. If he says its out, chances are that it is – and very probably by exactly 2db, whatever that actually means in plain English.

Yeah, I’ll just check via this gadget. He peers shortsightedly at yet another set of entirely mystifying flickering lights (obviously I’d been looking at totally the wrong set)… and, flicking his pony-tail out of the way, he leans over and makes a microscopic adjustment with an equally minute screw-driver and… sure as eggs are eggs, the lights (that he’s been studying) all line-up as they should… he’s correct.

Me – I heard nothing wrong at all. Matron – the earwax candles, please.

I stand and stare in constant admiration as one would at anyone at the top of their game. Occasionally, I am allowed to make the coffee… but only after having to be shown how that machine worked three times.

The advanced being-Delia stage in this entire process has been critical.

Because, without this tape-baking exercise, what’d happen is this: when the tapes roll through long-out-of-date (tho’ state of the art in the sixties and seventies) Studer machines, the tape would start to shed a very fine layer of oxide… meaning the play-back-heads would (in layman’s terms) eventually clog up. And eventually there would be a tragic outcome – what was recorded long ago would be lost forever.

This, therefore, is last-chance saloon for these tapes… fuck it up and… that’s it, gone for all time. Which is why, when the mane of hair in front of me nods sagely and says, off to the oven with you my boy… there’s no argument brokered.

These are precious commodities found in amongst a myriad of other jewels hidden away in dusty boxes in a dirty warehouse presided over by youngsters who simply have no idea what they’re custodians of.

There is no real criticism implied there, it’s simply that they don’t – by and large – have a clue about The Hidden Masters that they’re looking after.

Jess Roden | Song 3

The room to the back of the anonymous back-street building in which I’ve been placed is, at best, serviceable; it is approximately fifteen feet square with walls painted a uniform, hint of a tint (but now-fading), Magnolia. Truth to tell, the colour scheme is actually more off-white with no tinted hint at all.

There is just the one, metal-framed window. It is set annoyingly high on the far wall – presumably so as to preclude any view other than that of the gun-metal grey, rain-bearing clouds, scudding past on this dreary, mid-February, afternoon.

Beneath the window is an oversized, malt-brown melamine-topped desk – more junior accountant than office manager. The right-hand border is scored with blackened cigarette burns that spread along its edge like so many decaying woodlice; I’ve seen fag-end burns like this many times before – most often on old B3 Hammond Organs played by the likes of Steve Winwood.

On the desk and in a mug that’s known better days, there’s a half-drunk cup of coffee. It has been poured from a machine down-along the frayed-brown-carpeted hallway. Even behind the now-closed door, the percolator gives off its own signature odour of stale dregs at twenty paces.

The entire place reeks of early-Seventies, Habitat-inspired, office functionality.

My Moleskin notebook lays bare and untroubled (yet) by note-taking on the desk; my coat is hanging on a hanger that, itself, is suspended from the single hook on the back of the plywood door. My brown-leather briefcase is huddled against one of the desk-legs; much like a cat, hungry for its master’s affection.

Spread across the stone-carpeted floor are plastic crates – some are green, others are Air Force grey while a few began life as shout-out-loud iridescent orange.

Some are stacked, one upon another while others have been spaced apart in random order; all are heavily pock-marked – as if suffering from crate-acne – and scratched from being thrown into and around the back of Transit vans; their heavy contents man-handled with ease by burly men with muscles to match.

Functional boxes which, in their own simple way, are simply that – since there is no other requirement… strong but serviceable; sturdy and utilitarian.

And each of these containers that are approximately three foot long by eighteen inches by another eighteen or so in depth hold innumerable smaller boxes.

Most of these are twelve-inches square; some are over two inches deep, some are slimmer volumes. All are stacked vertically and… sprinkled amongst them are a handful of smaller boxes – a mere seven inches square and slender in width too.

All of them have been labeled at some long-past time or other; the labels themselves have been stuck on the actual box fronts – some have been scrawled on, some have a good deal of writing that’s been crossed out and replaced by other, almost-as-old, scribbles; some have a doodles and drawings while some of the labels have been neatly typed out.

Like ancient hieroglyphics high on a wall on the inside of a Pharaoh’s tomb, they offer their own clues… hints that these boxes contain the treasure which, Indiana Jones-like I’ve been hoping to find for many months.

Fast backwards: a restaurant from the Indian sub-continent on the main drag that connect Chiswick to Hammersmith; Popadum frenzy, Chapatti heaven and Korma bliss. Two Kingfisher beers have been part-supped yet we’re not quite ready for the next infill; the singer and writer of songs and I sit opposite one another.

“Sometimes,” he muses, “I do wonder what still exists… Me and my bands, y’know… over the years… we recorded a lot; over at Basing Street and just down the road at the back of St Peters Square… And… now that I come to think about it, I do wonder what… might have survived.”

“There was a lot that never got released… but… I suppose all that stuff probably got wiped… or, maybe recorded over… or, perhaps those tapes just got chucked out. I dunno… but… yes, absolutely, if you wanted to do your Sherlock Holmes thing and… see what really is there… then… yeah, I’d be up for that…”

He sits quietly for a moment or two; a sliver of Naan bread held lightly in his fingers, hovering just above his side-plate. “Y’know… there was some really good stuff that we did… so yes… it’d be interesting to see what they have… but, honestly, I don’t suppose there’s very much. Another beer..?”

Fast forwards a few months… the singer and writer of songs wanders back into his sitting room with two large glasses, each having been re-charged from the bottle of well-chilled in the fridge; a couple of reserves are laying in wait in the garage that's attached to the house... just in case.

A real-fire hisses and pops in the grate… the gentle scent of top-notch Welsh lamb being oven-roasted in the kitchen across the hall mixes with the wood-smoke to permeate the air. A cat trails in after him and struts past the small, elderly dog curled up on the hearth.

The singer of songs settles into the depths of the sofa as I sit on the floor, just in front of the drawn curtains in the bay window. There’s a MacBook attached to the stereo-system; speakers placed either side of the fireplace.

A portrait of him, his young son and his wife taken at the time of the photosession for his first solo-album hangs, ever so slightly off kilter, above and to the side of the left-hand speaker. Books of eclectic persuasion stand to attention like so many soldiers line abreast on their parade-ground shelves. The lights are low with music in the air.

“Y’know… I’m amazed at what you’ve found…already… and you say there’s lots more?” His trademark eyes are lined by no regrets as he leafs through the box-front scans from today’s work-in-progress for project-X.

“This… y’know what it is..? It’s pretty much the whole album I did with Rabbit who nowadays plays keyboards with The Who… the one that CB (Chris Blackwell – owner / founder of Island) kinda rejected… I mean, we kept one track… but… really, it’s quite incredible that you’ve found this.”

“I mean, some of it is a bit… y’know… but… this one still stands up, don’t you think..? I have to be perfectly honest, though… I can’t really remember writing this let alone recording it… Let’s have a bit of a memory-jog.” He presses play on the MacBook and the unedited song is counted in by an unknown voice and then sparks into life.

Three minutes or so later, the tune gradually fades into the distance… the singer and writer assumes a far-away stare. Abruptly he says, “Heaven's, what kind of compression did we use on that piano..! That’s Mike Kellie from Spooky Tooth on drums… Pat Donaldson who played with The Fairports as well as lots of others is playing bass… that’s Rabbit on keyboards… and me strumming away on an acoustic guitar…”

“Why is it listed like that on the box? Well… I never came up with a title for the song. I think… maybe… I was planning to call it Hallelujah or something like that… but… ‘cos it was the third song on the tape and had no proper title, the engineer or the tape-op would have written it up as that.”

“I think we can stick this on the list as a definite for inclusion… don’t you..?”

Ladies and gentlemen… this… really is… the very first Hidden Master we found… Song 3… by Jess Roden.



(nb, this is an edited clip – there being very real reasons why the full track isn’t being posted… a) this song has yet to be re-mastered (this is a lo-res MP3 audio) and b) to make it less attractive to the pirates - copyright must be respected. In time, however, this track – as well as the original non-vocal demo – will be part of the Hidden Masters : The Jess Roden Anthology set that is in preparation currently).