Guide to British Music of the 1960s
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The Spectres were formed by school friends Mike Rossi and Alan Lancaster in 1962. John Coghlan joined as drummer from another local band The Cadets. They had previously been known as the Scorpions and changed their name to the Spectres when Coghlan joined.
They primarily played rock 'n' roll standards in South London clubs, the first date being at the Samuel Jones sports club. Their first composition was Lancaster's You Are My Girl.
Roy Lynes replaced the original organ player as the Spectres started to build up a strong following, playing a four-month contract at Butlins holiday camp and backing a number of visiting American artists. The manager Pat Barlow arranged a weekly residency at Earls Court's Caf?des Artistes where they played on Mondays. It was at Butlins that they met Rick Parfitt (then going by the name of Ricky Harrison) who was in a band called The Highlights. Both the Spectres and the Highlights were playing a summer season at Butlins. In July 1966, the Spectres were signed to Piccadilly, a subsidiary label of Pye.
The group released three singles including the Ben E King song that had recently been recorded by Shirley Bassey I (Who Have Nothing), Hurdy Gurdy Man - not the Donovan song but co-written by Lancaster, and We Ain't Got Nothin' Yet. The latter had been a hit for the Blue Magoos. In 1967, the band changed its name to Traffic Jam. Three tracks from a session recorded for the BBC's Saturday Club and broadcast in September 1966 are available on the CD release of Status Quo's Picturesque Matchstickable Message from the Status Quo. They also played the Everley Brothers' Birddog and The Downliners Sect's Bloodhound.
Making Time recommendation
- Picturesque Matchstickable Messages from the Status Quo