Chou Pahrot
Encyclopedia
Chou Pahrot was one of Scotland
's most unusual rock music
bands of the 1970s. Originally appearing as a four piece consisting of guitar, bass, drums and saxophone, the departure of the guitar player led to his replacement by violin and a change of name to Chou Pahrot. The band's debut was on Nov 8th 1974 at Stirling University as a support to Chapman Whitney Streetwalkers.
Their homebase was the Paisley
/Glasgow
area, where posters on abandoned buildings advertising their next gig were a familiar sight - invariably with the band's mascot, Freddie Horse (a demented looking grinning horse, sometimes with a monocle) either announcing in a giant speech bubble the next gig or simply saying that month's piece of soundbite lunacy.
The influence of Captain Beefheart
was notable in their angular music, wild stage show and in their penchant for strange stage names. Other influences included Ornette Coleman
's electric music with Prime Time, Frank Zappa, Wild Man Fischer
, and The Broons
.
Through the late 1970s, Chou Pahrot appeared at music festival
s and toured Germany. They were favourites of The Rezillos
, and frequently opened for them. The band eventually split up, unable to gain a permanent recording contract
.
In recent years the band have enjoyed a quiet renaissance thanks to YouTube
, where their songs and unique humor have become popular again.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
's most unusual rock music
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
bands of the 1970s. Originally appearing as a four piece consisting of guitar, bass, drums and saxophone, the departure of the guitar player led to his replacement by violin and a change of name to Chou Pahrot. The band's debut was on Nov 8th 1974 at Stirling University as a support to Chapman Whitney Streetwalkers.
Their homebase was the Paisley
Paisley
Paisley is the largest town in the historic county of Renfrewshire in the west central Lowlands of Scotland and serves as the administrative centre for the Renfrewshire council area...
/Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
area, where posters on abandoned buildings advertising their next gig were a familiar sight - invariably with the band's mascot, Freddie Horse (a demented looking grinning horse, sometimes with a monocle) either announcing in a giant speech bubble the next gig or simply saying that month's piece of soundbite lunacy.
The influence of Captain Beefheart
Captain Beefheart
Don Van Vliet January 15, 1941 December 17, 2010) was an American musician, singer-songwriter and artist best known by the stage name Captain Beefheart. His musical work was conducted with a rotating ensemble of musicians called The Magic Band, active between 1965 and 1982, with whom he recorded 12...
was notable in their angular music, wild stage show and in their penchant for strange stage names. Other influences included Ornette Coleman
Ornette Coleman
Ornette Coleman is an American saxophonist, violinist, trumpeter and composer. He was one of the major innovators of the free jazz movement of the 1960s....
's electric music with Prime Time, Frank Zappa, Wild Man Fischer
Wild Man Fischer
Larry Wayne Fischer , better known as Wild Man Fischer, was an American songwriter in the outsider genre. He was notable for being responsible for Rhino Records' first release, Go To Rhino Records...
, and The Broons
The Broons
The Broons is a comic strip in Scots published in the weekly Scottish newspaper, The Sunday Post. It features the Broon family, who live in a tenement flat at 10 Glebe Street, in the fictional Scottish town of Auchentogle or Auchenshoogle . They are also shown as living on Glebe Street...
.
Through the late 1970s, Chou Pahrot appeared at music festival
Music festival
A music festival is a festival oriented towards music that is sometimes presented with a theme such as musical genre, nationality or locality of musicians, or holiday. They are commonly held outdoors, and are often inclusive of other attractions such as food and merchandise vending machines,...
s and toured Germany. They were favourites of The Rezillos
The Rezillos
The Rezillos are a punk/new wave band, who formed in Edinburgh in 1976 and still play gigs around the world in a re-formed line-up. Although frequently aligned with the punk movement, the Rezillos' irreverent glam rock image and affection for campy girl-group iconography, set them distinctly apart...
, and frequently opened for them. The band eventually split up, unable to gain a permanent recording contract
Recording contract
A recording contract is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording artist , where the artist makes a record for the label to sell and promote...
.
In recent years the band have enjoyed a quiet renaissance thanks to YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
, where their songs and unique humor have become popular again.
Discography
- Buzgo Tram Chorus (1979 EPExtended playAn EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
- Klub K.E.P.101) - Chou Pahrot Live (1979 Klub LPAlbumAn album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
, produced by Pete Shipton)
Musicians
- Eggy Beard (Martin McKenna) - violinViolinThe violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
- Monica Zarb (Robert Donaldson) - bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, vocals - Mama Voot (Tony O'Neill) - guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, saxophoneSaxophoneThe saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
, vocals - Fish Feathers McTeeth (Dave Lewis) - drumDrumThe drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
s on EP - The Amphibian (John O'Neil, no relation) - drums on LP