Although their music wasn't
punk, per se, The Hammersmith Gorillas (later simply The Gorillas)
deserve to be ranked along with the finest of the class of 1977. The
band's association with independent labels--most notably Chiswick--their
raw sound, frenetic live performances and overall back to basics
attitude make them as punk in spirit as many of their more heralded
contemporaries.
Jesse Hector was the prime chimp behind the band, a man with by all
accounts a larger than life personality. A native of Kilburn, Hector had
been playing rock and roll with a number of different combos since the
time of Elvis Presley, starting with the aptly named Jesse Hector and
the Rock & Roll Trio (at the tender age of 13) and continuing to sharpen
his skills with groups like The Clique, Crushed Butler and Helter
Skelter through the 1960's. It was in 1971 that he formed the
Hammersmith Gorillas, a band whose notoriety lasts to this day. |
Al Butler, Jesse Hector,
matt McIntyre |
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The Gorillas 1974
single on Penny Farthing, a manic cover of The Kinks' "You Really
Got Me", backed with the equally wonderful "Leavin' "ome" caught the
ear of Chiswick luminaries Roger Armstrong and Ted Carroll. Hector
was already a known quantity to Armstrong and Carroll, being a
regular face at their Rock On record stall. The Gorillas recorded a
session for them above the Hope & Anchor pub in Islington. For
various reasons, the recordings didn't see release and The Count
Bishops beat out The Gorillas as Chiswick's first release. However,
The Gorillas kept the faith and the single "She's My Gal" b/w "Why
Wait Until
Tomorrow" became Chiswick S4.
By this time the
Gorillas were a fixture on the London pub circuit. Roger Armstrong
recalled their unforgettable live act: "This was rock and roll as
she is spoken, yelled, ranted, torn apart and not quite put back
together again." Another single, "Gatecrasher" b/w "Gorilla Stomp"
and a show stealing set at the 1976 European punk festival in Mont
DeMarsan, France, put the Gorillas squarely on the map. |
1977
saw front page Gorillas features in the likes of
"Sounds" and 1978 saw the release of the album
"Message To The World" (originally released by Raw, and in currently
being pressed by Damaged Goods). Nothing on the LP matches the
energy of the early
45's, suggesting that perhaps the Gorillas were best
heard on singles. Nonetheless, there are some bona
fide rockers on the album and the eye-catching cover
alone makes it worth tracking down the re-issue.
Like so many other deserving acts, time passed The
Gorillas by. To an extent, they were upstaged by the
more lyrically outrageous and colorful punk bands.
(Although the outlandish facial hair and glam clobber
the band sported is now as memorable as anything the
safety pin brigade was wearing at the time). Another
factor was Hector's apparent reluctance to submit to
the slog of making it. According to Armstrong "He
hated the whole idea of playing every shit hole in the
UK in order to build an audience. In his mind he was
already a star... thinking about it, it was probably
the fear of failure that really stopped him from being
successful". The 1981 death of stalwart bass player
Alan Butler was also a set back from which the band
never recovered. With nary an ape like roar, The
Gorillas faded from the scene. |
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While big time "success" has
eluded Hector in the conventional sense, he's become a beloved cult figure in
the international music scene, seemingly growing in stature with each passing
year. Certainly any current garage band owes a spiritual debt to Hector, Butler
and their assorted drummers for keeping the flame of raw and raucous rock and
roll alive during that period.
The discography of The Gorillas is small but vital. In addition to the
aforementioned album, there is also the absolutely mandatory "Gorilla Got Me", a
grab bag of singles, unissued tracks, and an adequately recorded version of the
Mont De Marsan gig.
For more information, check out the "Mohairsweets" website for many things
Gorilla and Hector related, including an lengthy interview with Roger Armstrong
from which the above quotes come from. |
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The article above was written by
Alex Gottschalk, #1 Gorilla Fan. |