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Elite
Any Port In A Storm
Songs
- Any Port In A Storm (3:16) R. Askwith / J. Dunn
- All Thing's I'd Share (4:21) R. Askwith / J. Dunn
- Hit And Run (3:28) Piet Brinton
- Take Away (4:00) Piet Brinton
- Part Of My Life (3:45) R. Askwith / J. Dunn
- Come Clean (3:00) Piet Brinton
- Tonight (3:15) R. Askwith / J. Dunn
- Mist At Midnight (4:30) R. Askwith / J. Dunn
- City Girl (2:45) Piet Brinton
- Daughter Of The Moon (3:45) Piet Brinton
- Money Talks (5:03) R. Askwith / J. Dunn
Credits
All song published by L&S Music
Produced by Patrick Tiler
Recorded at Chapel Lane Studios, engineer Paul (Ron) Cobbold 1979
L&S Mobile, engineer Peter Dunn, and Harp Mobile, engineer John Daniels 1979
Remastered by Andy Pidcock 1997
The Musicians
Richard Askwith: vocals and guitars
Piet Brinton: vocals, guitars, occasional bass and bottle
Steve Thomas: keyboards, strings and occasional bass
Mark Vincent: percussion, occasional flute and strings
With special thanks to:
Noboru Fujisaki and Evangel Records for their support and enthusiasm for ELITE
Andrew Hawkey for being the link, and for all the hard work involved in compiling the history of ELITE
Jeff Dunn for lyrics and inspiration
Tereli Askwith for typing lyrics
This album is dedicated to the memory of Piet Brinton
Cover Design: Noboru Fujisaki
Printed by Hidenori Harada and Masaki Kogure
Made in Japan
Evangel Records, 1-3-25-103 Sakae-cho,
Kodaira city, Tokyo 187, Japan.
P 1998 Evangel Records.
C 1979 L&S Music.
All rights reserved.
Unauthorised copying, hiring, lending, public
performance and broadcasting prohibited.
Manufactured by Evangel Records, Japan.
The words, the music, the singer, the song: The Elite Story
'Wales, the land of song': so runs the old clichČ, but even the most casual examination of the principality will confirm its accuracy. The musical traditions of Wales are seemingly almost as old as the hills and valleys themselves, and these traditions are strongly reflected in popular musical genres of the latter half of the twentieth century. There's a duality here: two languages run side by side over shared territory...
The Welsh-language folk/pop/rock scene has developed from modest beginnings in the 1960s - thanks to the vital pioneering work of Meic Stevens, Mary Hopkin. Dafydd Iwan, and many, many more - into a vibrant and expanding industry, producing music which today is showing worldbeating potential: Super Furry Animals, Gorky's Zygotic Mynci, and the 60 Foot Dolls, to name but three of the current crop, are proving that the distinctive language and culture of Wales are no longer a barrier to international success. But the Welsh-language scene has traditionally always been matched by an equally lively English language one, the province of those Welsh-born musicians whose first language is English, and of English musicians who have chosen to make Wales their home. Ranging from the classic sixties and seventies rock bands of South Wales - Man, Budgie, Racing Cars, to name just three - to obscure, sometimes near-forgotten folk journeymen like Sam Parry or Dave Tipton, by way of innumerable semi-professional bands and one-off amalgamations, all playing in venues ranging from the notoriously challenging club circuit of the industrial valleys to remote backwoods village halls packed with hippies, Wales has continued to provide a self-contained arena, sometimes even a full-time living, for artists with the necessary qualities: commitment, talent and determination. No better example of this can be found than ELITE, a pop-rock outfit of the highest calibre whose six-year full-time career brought them success and acclaim throughout Wales, yet who remain virtually unknown outside their home territory.
The ELITE story begins in Pembrokeshire, an area famed for its scenic coastline and natural beauty, in the south-west of Wales. The area has always boasted a strong folk scene; two of the liveliest folk clubs in the early 1970s were at the Coach House in Pembroke, and at nearby Neyland (a variety of venues were tried, before settling at the Ferry Inn, Llanstadwell). Richard Askwith worked in a bank by day, but evenings would find him performing regularly at these clubs, refining his guitar technique and developing his songwriting skills. One night at the Coach House, Richard met a fellow performer, Piet Brinton, and, recognizing shared musical tastes and ambitions, they quickly struck up a friendship; it was not long before they were discussing the possibility of forming a band, but nothing came of it... in 1975 Piet entered the annual Melody Maker Rock Contest, and invited Richard to accompany him on the venture, but Richard's daily work commitments prevented him from taking up the offer: Piet, working with another fine local musician, Johnny Alderson, reached the finals of the contest, and failed to win by only a narrow margin. (Piet and Johnny had previously played together in a band called Last Fair Deal; an album was recorded, but not released.) As a direct result of this exposure, Piet was invited by 'Whispering' Bob Harris to join the BBC Old Grey Whistle Test tour, which took Piet from one end of the United Kingdom to the other for the greater part of a year. Meanwhile, back in Pembrokeshire, Richard invested in new equipment, including an electric piano, and joined forces with Rob Starkey to form a duo: Rob was involved in Country Folk, a band whose keyboard player, Steve Thomas, was later to occupy a key role in ELITE.
The duo gigged regularly for six months or so, then split. It was then that Richard and Piet met up once more at a folk club, and talk of forming a band resumed: the timing seemed right, and in spite of initial misgivings -- 'We were complete opposites', declares Richard -- the decision was taken to proceed, provided that a suitable keyboard player could be located (an essential element, it was agreed). Piet was a fine original musician, and Richard was by now developing multi-instrumental skills as well as prodigious songwriting abilities, in conjunction with lyricist Jeff Dunn (a partnership which survives to the present day). An unnamed keyboard player was drafted in, but six weeks' rehearsals yielded little but frustration; his playing was, at best, stylistically inappropriate. On Jubilee Day, 1977, after a particularly frustrating rehearsal, matters came to a head: Richard recalled that his old partner from the duo days, Rob Starkey, held the key. The ex-Country Folk keyboard man Steve Thomas would be ideal, if he was available... Steve was duly telephoned: he was about to leave home to attend a Jubilee Day street party, but was firmly told 'Blow the street party! Let's rehearse!' A two-hour rehearsal that very day at Steve's house proved more productive than the entire previous six weeks' struggles, so the basic ELITE line up, of two guitars plus keyboards (incorporating left-hand bass work!) was established. The ELITE sound had arrived.
ELITE worked as a trio for some months, into 1978, when it was decided that a drummer was badly needed to complete the band's line-up. A young drummer, Mike Griffiths, didn't last long, but Richard, still working at the bank by day, soon found an ideal candidate in the form of computer engineer Mark Vincent; Mark hadn't played for a while, but over the course of a few rehearsals his skills were soon regained, and the full ELITE line-up was complete.
So began the band's career proper, and with day jobs abandoned and commitment assured, ELITE embarked on six years of regular work, which would include the release on their own private L&S label of two fine albums and two singles. For the first four years of its life, the band played a hectic schedule, often gigging six nights a week, leaving the seventh for rehearsals. A policy was adopted to remain within Wales, playing the holiday resorts during the season, and the industrial areas of the south, from Cardiff up through the valleys to the Rhondda, during the autumn and winter. ELITE undertook a healthy amount of live radio and television work, and worked as the house band for the rock musical Godspell at the Torch Theatre, Milford Haven in 1982, an indication of their musical versatility. The band's first official gig (as a trio) was at the Glen Beach Hotel, Saundersfoot, and its last, appropriately enough, at the same venue, on 30 September 1983.
ELITE's first album, ANY PORT IN A STORM, the subject of this Evangel reissue, was originally released in 1979. Side One was recorded at Chapel Lane Studios in Hereford (a small independent studio just across the Welsh/English border, from which a number of intriguing privately released albums emerged, among them La La Lapla's stunning cult heavy rock album Seathrough, of the same year), while Side Two, amazingly, was created in a tiny home-built 4-track studio in Piet Brinton's flat in Saundersfoot. The first single paired album tracks 'Take Away' and 'Part Of My Life', while a second single featured the non-album 'Money Talks': the extended B-side version in included here as a bonus track.
After the band's break-up, the individual members followed separate paths: Piet Brinton developed a successful radio career, with no less than four regular programmes on regional networks; Steve Thomas went off 'to do his own thing', while Mark Vincent returned to England to pursue his career in computing. Richard Askwith developed his own recording studio, producing numerous artists in a multitude of styles, and is active to this day both as a music teacher, recording engineer, and producer, and, most importantly, as a solo artist in his own right, having a number of distinctive projects to his credit, including a solo CD, 'The Day War Broke Out' (1995; co-written with ELITE lyricist Jeff Dunn). Richard's forthcoming solo CD, 'After The Storm', is due for release in Summer 1997.
Tragically, ELITE's original co-founder Piet Brinton was killed in a car crash in March 1984. This CD reissue of ANY PORT IN A STORM, of which he would have been enormously proud, is dedicated to his memory.
Andrew Hawkey
Lyrics
Any Port In A Storm
(3.16, R. Askwith / J. Dunn)
Burned your bridges, eased your mind
Rolled away your rolling stones
Saved you from the burning sunlight
But left you all alone
Any port in a storm, hanging around until dawn
You spend all your time watcing the telephone
Lights, bright city lights
Trying so hard to take you
Sighs everyone lies
Trying so hard to break you
Any port in a storm, hanging around until dawn
You spend all your time watcing the telephone
So youžve grown away from the rolling stones
City people ainžt got no home
Telling lies, it donžt break no bones
Any port in a storm
Now youžve grown accustomed to
The finer thing you never had before
He made you a wife
You gave up your life
Any port in a storm, hanging around until dawn
You spend all your time watcing the telephone
So youžve grown away from the rolling stones
City people ainžt got no home
Telling lies, it donžt break no bones
Any port in a storm
Any port in a storm, hanging around until dawn
You spend all your time watcing the telephone
So youžve grown away from the rolling stones
City people ainžt got no home
Telling lies, it donžt break no bones
Any port in a storm
So youžve grown away from the rolling stones
City people ainžt got no home
Telling lies, it donžt break no bones
Any port in a storm
All Thing's I'd Share
(4.21, R. Askwith / J. Dunn)
The sound of the wind and the touch of your hand
The line of my song that you couldn't stand
All things I can share just as long as I share them with you
The words, the music, the singer, the song
The times when it seems I can do no wrong
All these I will share just as long as I share them with you
Oh no, to win or to lose
They're only words that you can lose, but they're an easy kind
But not for me, I mean what I say, I say what I mean
And you know, they're not the words, oh no
They're not the words that I choose
Ižve heard the wind and Ižve sung my song
I've written the words and the meaning is strong
They're all I can share
And I know I'm going to share them with you
Oh no, to win or to lose
They're only words that you can lose, but they're an easy kind
But not for me, I mean what I say, I say what I mean
And you know, they're not the words, oh no
They're not the words that I choose
Oh no, to win or to lose
They're only words that you can lose, but they're an easy kind
But not for me, I mean what I say, I say what I mean
And you know, they're not the words, oh no
They're not the words that I choose
Hit And Run
(3.28, Piet Brinton)
If it never rained since creation
It would surely make it up that night
If I had left in the morning
I'd have been alright
I was driving cold and feeling hungry
While the wipers mesmerised my mind
A million tears across the windscreen
Made me blind
Isn't it the way with premonition
Captured in a moment's dČja-vu
If you could believe it when you feel it
Would it come true?
Would I carry on the way I did
Or would you simply wipe it from my mind
Would I disregard the early morning
And drive on blind?
Wasn't any blood on the tyres
Not a single scratch on the door
If I could have seen the headlight broken
I could be sure
Should I carry on the way I did
Or should I simply wipe it from my mind
Should I disregard the truth that's dawning
And drive on blind?
If I never read the paper
If I never read between the lines
How could cruel death desert her
And leave her blind?
Takeaway
(4.00, Piet Brinton)
Take my time, waiting for my takeaway
Takes a while for my lice to fly
I don't mind, I'll wait forever and a day
I'm in love with my lady takeaway
"You like me" I want to say
I like you, my takeaway
I love you, I love my lady takeaway
I wish you would kimono-ver here to me
I can see you're Peking my way
I know now Confucious Wong in all he say
Too in love, add up not take away
"You like me" I want to say
I like you, my takeaway
I love you, I love my lady takeaway
"You like me" I want to say
I like you, my takeaway
I love you, I love my lady takeaway
Take her away
You love her little water chestnuts
Take her away
She knows exactly what chow mein
Take her away
You know her crackers drive you noodles
Take her away
She is your oriental chinese queen
People say my lady is foo yung for me
But I know my father wed ma jong
Take your time, my little Jasmine bonsai tree
Sweet or sour, I love you anyway
"You like me" I want to say
I like you, my takeaway
I love you, I love my lady takeaway
"You like me" I want to say
I like you, my takeaway
I love you, I love my lady takeaway
Take her away
You love her little water chestnuts
Take her away
She knows exactly what chow mein
Take her away
You know her crackers drive you noodles
Take her away
She is your oriental chinese queen
Part Of My Life
(3.45, R. Askwith / J. Dunn)
There was a place, a part of my life
Where I'd always go when I needed to be alone
Not in a style, more an old friend
And it rolled away the many hours that I had to spend.
While I'm trying to re-find the peace that means so much to me
Again I find the need to be alone
Alone to work out for myself, alone to be just me
But I know deep inside the feeling's gone
One time, I know it was sometime
When the days were long and the nights like jasmine
I'd go down, helping me slow down
And it seemed to know that I'd always be back again
When I'm thinking how to find the peace, another year is born
Still I find the need to be alone
Alone to work out for myself
But I know deep down inside the feeling's gone
One time, I know it was sometime
When the days were long and the nights like jasmine
I'd go down, helping me slow down
And it seemed to know that I'd always be back again
While I'm trying to re-find the peace that means so much to me
Again I find the need to be alone
Alone to work out for myself, alone to be just me
But I know deep down inside me, somewhere down inside
I know deep down inside the feeling's gone
I know deep down inside the feeling's gone
Come Clean
(3.00, Piet Brinton)
You never liked to lie to anyone, that's your way of living
You'll never give in with the giving
You're getting too good to be true
You never dried an eye for anyone, if I'm not mistaken
You're only here for the making, the taking, the heart-breaking
Why don't you just come clean?
Why don't you say just what you mean?
Why don't you just come clean
You're living in some teenage dream
You never dress your best for anyone, so sure and easy
So chic with the quick lick
And the pout to please me
You never hide your pride from anyone, you're wearing it outside
You never denied that you're hard and so self-satisfied
Why don't you just come clean?
Why don't you say just what you mean?
Why don't you just come clean
You're living in some teenage dream
Why don't you just come clean?
Why don't you say just what you mean?
Why don't you just come clean
Well thatžs a stage-struck movie queen
You'd better make the break, you're on your own, there's no taking fakers
All around are the bleached bones
Of the heart-breakers
You're coming face-to-face with number one, a head-on collision
You've got to give in to the good living, stop kidding
Why don't you just come clean?
Why don't you say just what you mean?
Why don't you just come clean
Well thatžs a stage-struck movie queen
Tonight
(3.15, R. Askwith / J. Dunn)
I've played so many towns, oh so many
I guess I've played around
The one night stands, the one man band
It all came easy for a while
I've known lonely nights, oh so many
But a dollar and a dime
Can buy a friend that always ends
When the morning makes them blind
The freeway leads to every town
Where the neon lights will slow me down tonight
And the shadows fall from the coloured flame
And every face seems to be the same alright
Tonight, tonight
I've sung many songs, on so many
They're written on my mind
My band of gold, my rock and roll
But believe me, towns are blind
Tonight, tonight
The freeway leads to every town
Where the neon lights will slow me down tonight
And the shadows fall from the coloured flame
And every face seems to be the same alright
Tonight, tonight
The freeway leads to every town
Where the neon lights will slow me down tonight
And the shadows fall from the coloured flame
And every face seems to be the same alright
Tonight, tonight
Tonight, tonight
Tonight, tonight
Raidnight
(4.30, R. Askwith / J. Dunn
So the morning got so bad
And now you need an inspiration
It's just another day, only another day
Did he mean to put you down
Sending back your invitation?
Took a rain-check after all
There's a magic mist at midnight
Only lasts until the dawn
When you fall in love by starlight, oh you know
There's a magic mist at midnight
In the morning love has gone
If you intend to get it all
And go as far as you can go
Never take your time, don't take your time
Because the night-time leads you on
Flies you high on love and moonshine
And I believe you're going to see it through
There's a magic mist at midnight
Only lasts until the dawn
When you fall in love by starlight, oh you know
There's a magic mist at midnight
In the morning love has gone
There's a magic mist at midnight
Only lasts until the dawn
When you fall in love by starlight, oh you know
There's a magic mist at midnight
In the morning love has gone
So when your days don't seem to end
You can be sure of one more thing
There's nothing you can do, don't let it get to you
Because the night-time leads you on
Flies you high on love and moonshine
And I believe you're going to see it through
There's a magic mist at midnight
Only lasts until the dawn
When you fall in love by starlight, oh you know
There's a magic mist at midnight
In the morning love has gone
City Girl
(2.45, Piet Brinton )
City girl, won't you come down
You're playing high and mighty with meū
You paint my picture of a clown
And when you talk, you talk me down
City girl, sleeping around
You're saynig thatžs the life for meū
You say you'll teach me how to laugh
You say you'll teach me to be free
Oh baby don't waste my time
Telling me I'm not your kind
Loving me ain't no crime
City talk, It doesn't pay - I wasn't born the other day
You think the world is at your feet
Girl, it's high above your head
City girl, listen to me
And maybe learn a thing or two
You've taken apples off the trees
But they're rotten through and through
City girl, telling me lies
You talk of high society
Well if itžs high the way they reek
Yes you're friends are as high as they can be
Oh baby don't waste my time
Telling me I'm not your kind
Loving me ain't no crime
City talk, It doesn't pay - I wasn't born the other day
You think the world is at your feet
Girl, it's high above your head
Lady don't waste my time
Telling me I'm not your kind
Loving me ain't no crime
City talk, It doesn't pay - I wasn't born the other day
You think the world is at your feet
Girl, it's high above your head
City girl, shake off your dust
You know it only cramps your style
You've got to learn to love and trust
And maybe give yourself a smile
Oh lady don't waste my time
Daughter Of The Moon
(3.45, Piet Brinton)
Face to face, the dark side of the moon on the water
Dance the dance, the moondog dance, you know little daughter
Yours the world of twilight faces
Arms and legs have lost their graces
Daughter of the moon I love you so
Born to us, anonymous, you came and love was waiting
On my knees, you look to me and all sorrow flees you
Were you so convinced in pain
To never feel the summer rain
Oh daughter of the moon I love you so
Daughter of the moon I love you
Through your misty eyes I know you
Never want the world to show you
Life is cruel, but you're the last to know
Strange to say, that's the way that nature gets around it
Children born to play the pawn will never know about it
Yes to them the world is hollow
Yesterday is still tomorrow
Daughter of the moon I love you so
Daughter of the moon I love you
Mystery of mankind surrounds you
In your eyes I know I've found
There's the beast that we shall never know
Strange to say, that's the way that nature gets around it
Children born to play the pawn will never know about it
Yes to them the world is hollow
Yesterday is still tomorrow
Daughter of the moon I love you so
Daughter of the moon I love you
Mystery of mankind surrounds you
In your eyes I know I've found
There's the beast that we shall never know
Money Talks
(5.03, R. Askwith / J. Dunn
Money, money, money, money, money
Money, money, money, money, money
The note he wrote demanded money
The bank man said now this ain't funny
Now listen man, try and keep it cool
Don't lose your head, don't act the foolū
Money, money, money, money, money
Money, money, money, money, money
A downtown loan put me out on the street
A long time lover left me incomplete
I left my car in a parking zone
The credit man saw it and took it home
But nobody cares, nobody cares a damn
Donžt want no advice
You could be rights, but it donžt matter
Oh money talks, money talks
Give me your money
Oh money talks, money talks
I want your
Money, money, money, money, money
Money, money, money, money, money
I sold my soul to the credit cards
They marked me down åcause I owed the money
To shoot somebody ainžt like shooting pool
To shoot somebody, just a crazy fool
But nobody cares nobody cares a damn
Don't want no advice
You could be rights, but it donžt matter
Oh money talks, money talks
Give me your money
Oh money talks, money talks
I want your
Money, money, money, money, money
Money, money, money, money, money
But nobody cares, nobody cares a damn
Donžt want no advice
You could be rights, but it don't matter
Oh money talks, money talks
Give me your money
Oh money talks, money talks
Give me your money
Oh money talks, money talks
Give me your money
Oh money talks, money talks
Give me your money
Oh money talks, money talks
I want your
Money, money, money, money, money
Money, money, money, money, money
