Listen to Early Morning Henry featuring Pink Floyd

General discussion about Pink Floyd.
Jumaris
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Re: Listen to Early Morning Henry featuring Pink Floyd

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Keith Jordan wrote: Sat Oct 03, 2020 11:04 pm An acoustic version of the full song would be much welcomed. I would be very happy to feature it here on NPF. Many thousands of people have read the article on EMH already so there would be a good audience for it. Let me know if there is anything I can do to help.
Thanks Keith, I’ll take that back to the family and will figure out which way to proceed.

I’d also like to ask the person who has the vinyl if there are any other demos that my dad might have recorded in the collection. According to my dad there were a number of demos of his music recorded through Jamarnie.

Two tracks that he remembered, one was called Decisions, and the other was called 8 o’clock Winter. Of course we have the sheet music and other recordings of those two songs in our archive.

There were other songs recorded with different engineers at different studios. At one point dad was marketed as Prock Harson, and recorded A Whiter Shade of Pale that went to number one in Germany. It was all the rage back in the day, note the play on name of Procol Harum. He also recorded some Beatles tracks.

I’d like to take a moment to shout out to ‘singing a song in the morning’ Felix Atagong Who has meticulously researched my dad and posted a wonderful webpage in his honor ( and mined my website for pictures of Billy, it’s OK LOL ) it’s such a lovely thing, and I apologize for not getting back in touch when reaching out for more info. My mum passed away a couple of years ago so we’ve been dealing with quite a bit of grief, and my dad injured his back last year, so we’ve had a lot on our plates.

Here’s a link to my YouTube channel Jumaris Music Collection, that features dad singing. Recorded at STV, it’s a professional production filmed in the late 80s.

https://youtu.be/7ooSK0z_kWU

https://youtu.be/7ooSK0z_kWU

Not sure if I’m doing the linking correctly so apologies if the link doesn’t come through properly.

Early morning Henry is our favourite of all of dad‘s songs because of the poetry and symbolism of the lyrics.
Jumaris
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Re: Listen to Early Morning Henry featuring Pink Floyd

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And for any Tom Waits fans, dad singing ‘Heart of Saturday Night’ (which Dad still performs as it’s one of his personal favourites)

https://youtu.be/ubXFUKtoi1Q

Prock Harson- Whiter Shade of Pale

https://youtu.be/Q_q2XwSYOD0

Prock Harson - I wanna Live

https://youtu.be/lXkY_T2Blx4
Last edited by Jumaris on Sun Oct 04, 2020 2:53 am, edited 1 time in total.
Jumaris
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Re: Listen to Early Morning Henry featuring Pink Floyd

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Gullivers People - recorded at EMI/ Abbey Rd., Studios 1967 - Engineered by Norman Smith

https://youtu.be/DNEL6QFMYgg

I posted this on YouTube and it has lots of really cool pictures from publicity shoots included. Some were taken by Dezo Hoffman (Beatles photog) kind of fun to see the transition between clean cut GP and the shift towards the flower power, psychedelic or baroque pop that was popular as the 60’s were winding down.

Hair got longer, skirts got shorter.

My mum designed and made their outfits.

I am aware that this up is a Pink Floyd website so I won’t bombard you with more. But since Keith seems open to more info I thought getting a sense of Billy Butler is a trivia interest.

\:D/
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Keith Jordan
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Re: Listen to Early Morning Henry featuring Pink Floyd

Post by Keith Jordan »

Keep posting. Amazing material.
Jumaris
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Re: Listen to Early Morning Henry featuring Pink Floyd

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So while Norman Smith was shopping my dad around to different bands, he was fronting Gullivers people, he auditioned for The Hollies, And there was some discussion about the Moody Blues as well. Similar circumstances with Pink Floyd, Norman already knew that there were issues with Syd Barrett. So we do know that Norman attempted to bring Billy Butler in for an unofficial go see. Of course we know how that ended up.

Gullivers people was formed initially by Brett and Wendy Collins. Originally named Les continentals. My dad join the band in 1966, and really motivated to get them the recording contract with EMI.
Brett and Wendy were not really that interested in expanding the bands profile. But went along with it for a while. Frustrated by the internal conflicts within Gullivers People, Billy eventually moved on with Eternal Triangle. The band was put together by Julia Morley.

Here is the version of a Nilsson song covered by Eternal Triangle

https://youtu.be/l2BzOZ9WeiA

And a Billy Butler composition called perfumed candle (apologies for sound quality)
Song was written about his relationship with my mum.

https://youtu.be/r7gk_T4YLmo
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Felix Atagong
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Re: Listen to Early Morning Henry featuring Pink Floyd

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Jumaris wrote: Sat Oct 03, 2020 11:42 pm I’d like to take a moment to shout out to ‘singing a song in the morning’ Felix Atagong Who has meticulously researched my dad and posted a wonderful webpage in his honor ( and mined my website for pictures of Billy, it’s OK LOL )
Thanks for the kind words.

Meanwhile I have published a second article about Early Morning Henry... and a third is (perhaps) in the making because it needs to be said.

I do hope that the truth will get out one day and that it can be published, preferably on vinyl, without mentioning Pink Floyd obviously if you want to avoid finding a dead pig's head in your bed. Pink Floyd wasn't nicknamed the Cambridge Mafia for nothing, you know.

Singing a song in the morning
Singing it again at night...

PS: A Whiter Shade Of Pale did make it to number one in Germany, but not in the Prock Harson version, as far as I know.
Last edited by twcc on Wed Oct 07, 2020 9:53 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Listen to Early Morning Henry featuring Pink Floyd

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This has turned into a killer thread. Juliet thanks for the post of your dad's music. Felix thanks for all the info you have put up as well.
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Re: Listen to Early Morning Henry featuring Pink Floyd

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Felix Atagong wrote: Sun Oct 04, 2020 11:56 am without mentioning Pink Floyd obviously if you want to avoid finding a dead pig's head in your bed.
A live pig's head would be more effective. If it was 1977. Today they'd just destroy your credibility. Or tie you up in court until you went broke.
Keith Jordan wrote: Sun Oct 04, 2020 12:42 am Keep posting. Amazing material.
What's amazing about it?
Jumaris
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Re: Listen to Early Morning Henry featuring Pink Floyd

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Growing up, we heard the stories about dad ‘auditioning’ for Pink Floyd. I often wonder what life would’ve been like had the reality been different. I’m a massive Pink Floyd fan myself, and Darkside of the moon is still one of my favourite albums of all time.

Here in Vancouver I used to go to see Pink Floyd skylights at our planetarium as a teenager. There is something pretty spectacular about A planetarium laser show with Pink Floyd‘s music as the backdrop. Went many times, whilst also having imbibed on some local weed. :D

So many fascinating stories about dad‘s career that started in 1956 playing for various bands while he was still in the Royal Navy. They would often play the big venues alongside other ‘well-known today’ artists who at the time were playing the circuit just like Billy. Skiffle music was all the rage, and according to news sources they were over 10,000 bands in the UK who had taken up skiffle. Including the Beatles.

That some bands achieved fame and fortune, and so many others did not, does not negate some of the talent that was the UK music scene through the 50s 60s 70s and onward. Dad‘s career wasn’t just a brush with fame, he was actively pursuing a music career. By 1967 Dad was married with 2 kids, he was 27 and a little older than PF, and pretty clean cut. Wasn’t into drugs at all. So it wasn’t a good fit for them.

Dad’s memories are hazy about October 23, 1967. He just doesn’t remember the actual session. But he remembers conversations with Norman about his career, and he remembers that he had been floated to PF. I think he’s as surprised about the vinyl find as we all are.

He was often in the studio/EMI rehearsing, song writing and sitting in on other recording sessions to learn more about music production overall. And he would often be called on to perform uncredited instrumentals for overdubbing. This is why we’re not 100% sure about EMH.

After Eternal Triangle, dad went on to perform with the Ray McVay Band. One of my favourite stories about that was that my Mum who was an amateur seamstress and who had made dads stage costumes for years, was asked to put together a tear-away Elvis costume. She put Velcro on the sleeves, and the bit was that the two back up singers would run on stage and rip Elvis‘s costume from his body in a frenzy.
All very tongue-in-cheek, and a lot of fun.

After touring with Ray McVay, dad had an opportunity to work as an apprentice sound mixer at Studio G. This was the beginning of his professional sound engineer career. Then in 1973 he was offered a position teaching at the newly opened Capilano College in North Vancouver British Columbia. With mentors such as Norman Smith, and others at EMI/Abbey Road he had a rich learning environment.

Billy Butler has never stopped performing professionally. And he’s gone on to other success as a recording engineer. Including winning a Primetime Emmy Award, a Juno Award, and 2 Leo awards.

I’ve seen some of the conversations on not just this chat room, but a few of the others, and I’m a little dismayed by some of the negative comments about ‘who is this Billy Butler guy’ and why should we care that Pink Floyd just happen to be the backing band. Thankfully many of you don’t subscribe to music snobbery, and have thoroughly enjoyed delving into this mystery. I appreciate all of you who have said kind things about Billy Butler. Thank you.

His daughters are incredibly proud of him, and we will continue to ensure his legacy of songwriting gets at least a little bit of recognition. No expectations, but it would be nice to leave something for our children. We’ve been working on a music project in the last couple of years, but this recent find has re-invigorated our efforts.

I’ll leave you with two more links.

Cheers

https://youtu.be/XZFkgpjUaGw

https://youtu.be/GUlt1GTRg7Q

https://youtu.be/YkBno7czhUk
Last edited by twcc on Wed Oct 07, 2020 9:55 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Jumaris
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Re: Listen to Early Morning Henry featuring Pink Floyd

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Chatting more with Dad tonight. First we determined that October 23, 1967 was in fact a Monday night. My dad would have been off from performing at Tiffany’s, on Sundays and Mondays. So it adds another piece to the puzzle.

I also discovered that Norman Smith used to come to our apartment in Chelsea and there’s a very good chance we have some recordings of him in our archive. He lived out of town so he would often come over and work through song ideas of his own with dad, he also helped Norman arrange on a few of his songs.

The origins of the EMI contract were due to Norman and Eileen his wife seeing the band at Tiffany’s in 1965. Norman sent over a round of drinks to the band and asked for a meet and greet at their table.

All of Gullivers people did session work as well. They were all very good musicians because they had a fairly large repertoire of music they were required to perform as the inhouse band at Tiffany’s.

They would perform 5th Dimension songs, and met the band when they toured uk. They had heard about Gullivers people and came into the club to hear them perform. Apparently Gullivers people were really good at a six part harmonies.

The guitar that John Lennon wanted to trade with Dad was a Fender Stratocaster. Dad no longer owns the guitar because he sold it in 73 for our plane tickets to Canada apparently. But it would’ve been the guitar he was playing at the time.

Felix, The Prock Harson single ‘I wanna live’ was indeed Billy Butler. And we have a copy of the German Charts for AWSOP I’ll confirm the chart position, dad thinks it was in the top 20. Not 1.

Dad is really enjoying talking about all of this history. I’m hoping that we can get more gems out of him and maybe he’ll remember something about the session??

Is this at all interesting?

I hope so anyway 😊
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Re: Listen to Early Morning Henry featuring Pink Floyd

Post by space triangle »

This whole ‘Dad’ story inspired me to wipe the dust off 'The Final Cut' album after a long time, and see Roger’s story about his dad in a whole new light. :?
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Felix Atagong
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Re: Listen to Early Morning Henry featuring Pink Floyd

Post by Felix Atagong »

Jumaris wrote: Mon Oct 05, 2020 9:49 am Felix, The Prock Harson single ‘I wanna live’ was indeed Billy Butler. And we have a copy of the German Charts for AWSOP I’ll confirm the chart position, dad thinks it was in the top 20. Not 1.
(...)
Is this at all interesting?
I hope so anyway 😊
Thanks, I'll change that in my first article. Different people have written it was not Bill Butler singing on the B-side, so I simply copied that.
And this is very interesting indeed...
I couldn't find the Prock Harson single in the top 20 of Germany, but probably it landed on 21... :lol:
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Re: Listen to Early Morning Henry featuring Pink Floyd

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Meanwhile the seller of the acetate threatens me for my article at the Holy Church, although that is pretty positive towards him, which makes me think he might be related to Paul Loasby.
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Keith Jordan
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Re: Listen to Early Morning Henry featuring Pink Floyd

Post by Keith Jordan »

Lets keep NPF a positive place and keep a positive relationship between us and others, like Paul or the seller.
Jumaris
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Re: Listen to Early Morning Henry featuring Pink Floyd

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I have a question that I’m struggling to find the answer to.

Who owns the Jamarnie Music catalogue now?

It has been nearly impossible to track down the many iterations of the music business publishing companies that exist. I’ve looked at the EMI webpage but there is nothing that relates to Jamarnie.

We are trying to register dad to receive royalties should early morning Henry be released into the wild. And for other compositions that may be eligible for him.

I was hoping that the ‘seller’ would be willing to at least part with a little bit of information to assist us?

If not maybe somebody else on this thread might know more and would be willing to send us in the right direction. Keith?

Many thanks folks..

I’m In the process of trying to get dad’s website updated, and we’re contemplating doing an online concert so people can hear early morning Henry in its entirety live. This won’t happen in the next few weeks. But, I’m working on organizing a benefit show 😎 and dad has been inspired to write some new songs. He’s really stoked by all this attention.

\:D/