This week’s request came in from Andy Woollard, a Wednesday night regular in the Hot Nuts team, he wrote, “Hi Jon, going through my vinyl singles I came across one from the very early 70s called Sarabande by Beggars Opera. Apart from the fact I love it, can you shed any more light on it. Regards Andy.” Not impressed with my offer to take my torch one night to shed some light, I said I would see what I could find out. With plenty of research and an interview with one member of the band, let’s reveal all.
The band was formed in 1969 by Edinburgh-born guitarist Ricky Gardiner, Newcastle upon Tyne-born singer Martin Griffiths and bass player Marshall Erskine formerly of the The System, a school band which Martin Griffiths, Marshall Erskine and others originated. They had asked Ricky Gardiner to join after his time with the Glasgow band King Bees.
To earn some money to buy equipment, in the summer of 1969, the trio worked in construction helping to build the second section of the M40 motorway around Beaconsfield. Also, using a loan of £1000 from Gardiner’s uncle, they bought their first proper equipment. After heading back to Glasgow, they brought in keyboard player Alan Park, who had been the resident organist at the Locarno Ballroom and, after posting an ad in a local newspaper, drummer Raymond Wilson, formally of The Beings, was recruited too. They invited Virginia Scott, who had studied piano in Italy, to join the band and she became their composer as well as mellotron player and additional vocalist. Bass-player Gordon Sellar replaced Marshall Erksine after their debut album, Act One, in 1970 when he decided to leave.
Extensive rehearsing paid off and they got a regular gig on Saturday mornings at the Howff pub in Glasgow playing Beggars Opera original material and some prog rock covers. In 1970, they signed a four-album deal with Vertigo records. Beggars Opera toured the UK and Germany and even secured an appearance on the legendary Beat Club TV show which was often hosted by Dave Lee Travis.
Sarabande was Beggars Opera first single. “It was written by myself and arranged by the band,” Virginia told me in an exclusive interview. “The inspiration for the title came from baroque music, and the song just appeared from there. Ricky Gardiner learnt it and took it to the band who arranged and recorded it in the studio. The chunky guitar bit is especially cool.” She added.
Vertigo was a subsidiary of Phillips records and promoted a lot or progressive rock music, so the label was keen to promote Beggars Opera and offered them an album deal. Act One was the first of four albums with Waters Of Change following in 1971, Pathfinder in 1972 and Get Your Dog Off Me in 1973. They continued to tour around the UK and Europe and secured a live performance at the Great British Rock Meeting at Speyer in West Germany in August 1971. The song Time Machine was released from their second album and was a big hit in Germany. Check out their epic, yet faithful, version of Jimmy Webb’s MacArthur Park on Pathfinder. It’s also a minute longer than the Richard Harris version.
Their first two albums were produced by Bill Martin and Phil Coulter who had penned songs for the Troggs and Cilla Black as well as writing and producing a number of UK hits including Back Home by the England World Cup Squad and Forever and Ever by Slik. The New Seekers, both acts called Kenny and the Bay City Rollers also benefitted from their song writing skills. Additionally they wrote the UK’s 1967 Eurovision winner Puppet On A String for Sandie Shaw and our 1968 entry, Congratulations, the longest single worded title of a UK number one, for Cliff Richard. Alan Park later became Cliff’s musical director for many years.
Martin Griffiths left the band in 1972 and was replaced by ex of Savoy Brown member Pete Scott, but following a dispute during the Get Your Dog Off Me sessions at Phonogram Studios in London. Luckily, Linnie Paterson, the vocalist of the Scottish Prog Rock band, Writing on the Wall, took over. He later sang on Beggars Opera Lifeline a late Vertigo Germany release but sadly has since passed away.
Their music was still popular in Germany and in 1974, Gardiner was asked by Jupiter records to produce a couple more Beggars Opera albums, so he brought back Pete Scott on vocals, Gardiner on guitar and bass, Virginia Scott on keyboards and two session drummers Mike Travis on the first and the legendary Clem Cattini on the second and those albums were Sagittary (1974) and Beggars Can’t be Choosers (1976) respectively.
Soon after, various key members were involved in a prog rock opera project and Beggars Opera minus Ricky Gardiner released Lifeline for Vertigo Germany with Linnie Paterson, Alan Park, Gordon Sellar and others. Ricky Gardiner went on to play for David Bowie on the Low album in 1977 and with Iggy Pop on the Lust for Life album as well as his Idiot tour of 1976. He co-wrote one of Iggy’s best-known songs The Passenger. Martin Griffiths toured with, among others, Brian Auger and Osibisa.
I asked Virginia what she is doing at the moment, “I compose and write and am still active with Beggars Opera and Ricky Gardiner Songs publishing. I curate Beggars Opera RGS recordings Beggars Can’t be Choosers and Sagittary and the new avant garde progressive rock Beggars Opera releases Close to my Heart, Touching the Edge, All Tomorrows Thinking, Suddenly Ahead Ahead, Lose a Life, Promise in Motion and Mrs Caligari’s Lighter, If we Couldn’t Speak and Doris which includes the Ricky Gardiner solo guitar archive: The Flood, Kumara, Auschwitz. The Passenger and Songs for the Electric, downloadable at www.beggarsopera.co.uk.”
As for the rest of the band, Virginia brought me up to date advising, “Alan Park lives in Australia and is still active as a keyboard player. I believe he is returning to the UK this year, Marshall Erksine lives in Amsterdam and still plays bass, Ray Wilson lives in Dorset with his family and Martin Griffiths lives in Germany and is still performing and he runs the https://www.facebook.com/p/Beggars-Opera-1969-1972-100055314857530/. Sadly, Gordon Sellar anda Ricky Gardiner both passed away in 2022. “