Pete Watkins - Lead Guitar,Vocs and songwriter: 1977 to the end!

Peter was the main man - not to much to say here as the songs and playing speak for themselves, hit it Peter !!

Through all the haze the magic period represented in these recordings still shines through for me. Sometimes a unique combination of musicians get together and create something that's bigger and more amazing than the sum of it's parts, many times we would believe that there had to be more people on stage than just the three of us.

My first musical recollection is of an old upright piano that my Dad had bought cheap from someone, not all the keys worked and it was seriously in need of tuning. I remember experimenting with the keys that worked and came up with a melody which later became a song called 'Falling', it's not on this compilation but it was a set regular for The Reactions.

I'd had my first acoustic nylon strung guitar when I was around 11 and for a few years attempted the get some sounds out of it, then it went uder the bed and collected a lot of dust. Once it got some strings and I had learned some chords it became the tool on which most of material from this period was written.

Things really started to happen at around the late 70‘s, I knew that one of the guys in my class had an electric guitar, my curiosity got the better of me and so asked if there was any chance I could have a go! From then on I was hooked and Paul and I began a special musical partnership together. He helped me through the basics and we went on to inspire each other to write a whole raft of songs. Not many of the really early ones survived from this period apart from Times Old And New. It was a combination of mutual appreciation, critical input, support and friendship.

We had plenty of dreams and energy and were not short of ambitious plans, we formed a band called GPI in 1979, a four piece line-up who recorded one album, great songs but we were lacking in experience. The band continued with it’s evolution, the original drummer left in 1981 and we auditioned for a replacement and Mike Morales came into the band, not an easy partnership at first and we fought and argued for much of the time. The bass player left and Paul moved from guitar onto the bass, The Reactions were formed. A pretty tempestuous relationship but there was some mutual respect, more amazingly a special musical telepathy. We worked hard but for some reason the Reactions didn’t get the recognition that was deserved, we had a loyal following who believed in us and followed through the next line up changes. In 1986 Paul decided it was time to leave the band and pursue other options. So it was audition a bass-player time, we got lucky. Some of the last gig appears on the album.

Colin Baker had been following the band for several years and had much respect for Paul’s bass playing, he was pretty green to start but we worked together until a new sound began to emerge. Although initially influenced by Paul, Colin had his own style and a great talent for thinking about the songs and creating interesting counter-melodies to compliment the arrangements. The band took a new direction and we renamed the band The Steps, originally The 39 Steps. I wrote some new songs just for this band, I Need You, Sweet Success, The Dangerous Part , Only Music Matters are included on the anthology. This band found a new audience. The Steps gigged furiously over the first year and the sound settled in, we owe thanks to Dave Richards who had considerable faith and unofficially managed the band. The Steps were able to get some of the success which had evaded The Reactions, it was none the less deserved, this line up noticeably improved in musical ability and honed an exciting live performance. We really bonded as people, the arguments were less frequent and we got on with enjoying ourselves, building a loyal and dedicated following and making several recordings and radio appearances. Through Russell Smith I became acquainted with Larry Page (ex Kinks and Troggs manager) who took some interest in the band and provided invaluable advice and support, we built up our fan base and took them on tour with us adding more people with every gig. The trips to the Fleece and Firkin in Bristol were legendary.

Still however the band didn’t get the success it deserved and by the end of 1989 Colin decided it was his turn to move on. By now the Steps had established something which needed to be continued, this ‘train was moving on again’. A new bass player was enlisted, Mike Andrews, an awesome talent but the relationships were just too volatile, the sound took yet another turn and some very interesting demo’s survive from this period. The live shows were even more unpredictable. By 1993 this band had split up, Paul Needs returned briefly to cover the gigs in the Pipeline. Mike Morales had decided to pursue a new life in New Zealand, before he went in 1995-1996 Colin returned for some reunion gigs and The Steps went back to the studio to record 5 tracks which appear on The Madness in My Method compilation.

From the beginning I wanted to write songs, not just any songs, great songs. It feels like they’ve always been with me just waiting to break out. Although the songs were descrete and essentially complete, it was the fine musicians who helped craft the songs into the live experiences they became, we were a band.

I have an insatiable appetite for live performances and the audience and what a fantastic time it was performing with these bands.

“we reached out and shared the same idea,I think we may have shared a perfect time It ended all to soon, I miss the party Time consumed the magic in the rhyme”

I continue to write songs and perform acoustically interspersed with some band ventures. There is just so much unrecorded material and more being written so there are some projects in the pipeline.

A special thank-you to all those people who have had so much faith in the music and the band, special mention to Pat Lyons, Dave Richards and of course Russell Smith who has made this anthology possible. This anthology is dedicated to all the people who followed us and can recall the great gigs.

Mike Morales - Drums and Percussion: 1981 thro' 1994

If Peter was the Lead guitarist and Col the bassman - in the words our'Lord' David Brent, Mike was the Comedy and probably one of the finest drummers of his generation

My first encounter with the combined forces of Peter Watkins and Paul Needs was during a rehearsal with a band I had recently formed with some mates. We were in the process of murdering the Lynard Skynard classic Freebird when the two of them ambled into the rehearsal hall.

I had known Paul from primary school and we had reacquainted ourselves via the local music shop he used to run but I have no recollection of ever meeting Pete prior to this point. One thing is for sure once you've met Pete he's not easily forgotten. Anyway after a brief introduction they asked if they could have a knock. The boy's reluctantly handed over their guitars, next thing I know we are thrashing our way through Paranoid or something similar at pace and a volume we knew was totally unacceptable to the committee man making his way up the stairs.

Sometime between then and actually joining GPI I was invited to an audition, which I failed. Gary the original drummer was heading off to London in pursuit of a career in acting leaving a gap in the rhythm section. For some reason they chose a mate of mine Steve Tooze, I suspect it may have had something to do with the shiny Ludwig Classic drum kit he was bashing, whilst I possessed a multicoloured mishmash of various bits and pieces that could loosely be described as a drum kit. Anyhow after one gig Steve vacated the throne and in August 1980 I was invited to join GPI. When Gareth Thomas departed in 1982 Paul took up the bass and 2 years later The Reactions were born.

My fondest memories of The Reactions are thundering through mammoth sets of impossibly extended versions of everything. One particularly memorable gig in this fashion was at the Trewern Arms. I think we started at 9.30pm and finished at 3.00am only stopping to replenish our supply of liquid refreshment and dispose of the byproduct. By the time Paul decided to pull the pin we were playing regular gigs in Bristol and Cardiff and auditioned for a television show. When I joined the band my burning desire was to play at the Taibach Rugby Club.

Colin was almost like a member of the band before he joined, a regular fixture at gigs to full blown member was suprisingly smooth. With a new name and a bunch of newly penned songs by Pete we were off again. For me the crowning glory for this era had to at the show case in Liecester Square.

Paul Needs - Bass guitar: 1979 thro' 1987 and 1991

Paul was the band's original bass guitarist and stayed with the band up to August 1987 - Paul was a intergral and influential part of the bands development and unfortunatley although there are all to few contributions from Mr.Needs on the live anthology his part in the story is not to be underestimated one iota - over to you Paul:

From the moment I first heard ELO’s “Roll Over Beethoven” on a juke box, I knew I wanted to play rock music. I’d played mostly classical music until then, but a guitar became a priority on the Christmas list, and Mam and Dad duly obliged. Then, at 16 or so, a loony in my school by the name of Peter Watkins discovered I played electric guitar, and we started to make music together. We roped in some friends, Gary Richards on drums, and Gareth Thomas on bass. We all learned together - as much how NOT to do it as anything. This band, “GPI”, made some recordings before Gary left – replaced by the incomparable Mike Morales.

Gary went off to drama college – and I moved onto bass rather than try to find a replacement. This then, was when the Reactions were truly born. In all modesty, I have to say Mike and I were a good rhythm section – I don’t know if it was psychic or intuitive, but we played together as one. I adored the ‘lead’ bass playing of the Who’s John Entwistle – a perfect style for a three-piece band and strove to develop my own style in this vein.

People still complement me on performances of over 15 years ago, so perhaps it worked! On top of this, was Pete. His aggressive guitar floating on top of the fusillade laid down by Mike and myself, all playing his wonderful songs. Some nights it was merely great. Other nights were almost like a religious experience. Now, so long ago, it seems like a previous lifetime. The Reactions were, and are, one of the biggest musical influences of my life, along with the Beatles and the Who. Good company to be in – thanks guys!

Paul Needs solo release, “Songs from the Long Land” (UPC Bar Code 634479733925) is available from his website www.paulneeds.com

Colin Baker - Bass guitar: 1987 thro' 1990

The new live Anthology has Colins adventurous bass playing stamped all over the two CD's. So what better opportunity to catch up with Colin, and reflect on his tenure with Steps and see what he is doing now.

How did you get into the band?

Well it seems I've known Paul Needs forever - us only living a few streets apart as kids. Later we were also in school play together and this was the first time I saw Paul playing guitar - I still remember his song from that day with the lines "I pick flowers for mummy - Coz I wanna be nice". We also thought I fun to 'pogo' in the Headmasters office. When I bought a bass Paul was the obvious person to ask for a few tips - I think the line was "can you tune this for me?"

Around that time I was getting aware of the Reactions through people like Chris Walters who I was jamming with - he loved the band and still sings old GPI songs. I first went to see them with Alex Johnson, a drummer I played with then and with bands after the Steps. He became big mates with Mike Morales and later played with Pete after Mike had moved to New Zealand.

I loved the excitement of the band and their music - Pete's enthusiasm, Mike's power and of course Paul's fluent bass playing. For the next few years I followed the band around, often going in the van on distant gigs. My band at the time was called 'Nothing' and when Alex was moving to London we played our last gig with him supporting the Reactions at the Duke in Neath. After this Mike joined us as a side project to the Reactions which lead to many drunken nights.

By the time Paul said he was leaving the Reactions 'Nothing' had also broken up and I was really excited to be asked to join the Reactions by Pete and Mike. It was big space for me to fill musically and a steep learning curve but we gigged after only about three practices with no break in the schedule of bookings. I was told that I gave the songs a different edge by Paul and that was good enough for me!

What are your lasting memories of your time with the band?

The fun - the gigs were a great laugh - not only the show itself but the ride up in the van and the inevitable beer after. There was one midweek night where we were double booked at the Bristol Bridge Inn. We decided that both bands would play and we went on first - typically Pete wanted to cram as many songs as possible into our allotted time and we just went for it. The other band said they had never heard Pinball Wizard played so fast! We were so would up after the gig that on the way home Dave Richards, who was driving the van, and his girlfriend became the butt of our constant jokes - one of us taking off where the other had left off - this went on all the way home. I don't think he ever saw the girl again - Sorry Dave.

The people - not only the boys in the band but we met many people back then who became lasting friends. There were also the characters we met - like Dave "it made I laugh" from Bristol and the glass collector in Llanelli who had a guitar that gave him electric shocks but "I'm used to it now" for example. Amazingly I still meet people who I don't know telling they me they remember the band and the gigs.

The food - curries of course and the kebabs - on the way back from Bristol gigs we would even make a diversion off the motorway to call into Caroline Street in Cardiff to get a kebab at Andy's. Mike and Pete would have loads of pickled chilli peppers and mine would be leaking garlic sauce all over the van.

Highlights? Many - playing support gigs in London with the 100 Men - the bassist Bruce Foxton ex- The Jam - one of my favourite bands when I started to play bass it was nice to be told by him that he could see his influence on my playing.

Wining the Musician Style '89 completion - we were picked out from over a thousand tapes to be selected for the Wales and West region of the competition. I think we won because we were so tight playing together - all those gigs paid off. This lead to recording a BBC session and showcase gig at the Leicester Square Empire - I remember Pete getting a kiss off Carol Decker of T'Pau backstage before we went on.

What have you done musically since the Steps?

Apart from getting back with Pete periodically for various gigs I've mostly played with bands writing their own material - with names like the Daves, Mo, Aardvark and Ausgeflipt. We managed to get Nothing back together to record our original songs before Alex also went to New Zealand - what are these drummers trying to tell us? There were also a couple of cover bands which failed to get off the ground but now I'm playing with Paul and a drummer called Kevin Williams who was playing with 'If it Fits' around the time I was with the Steps. We are called Big Fat Geezers and doing quite a rocky set which includes some originals.

Any regrets?

I had joined an existing band with an existing set of songs - I'd liked to have been playing more songs we had written together as this new band. I suppose it was that we were constantly gigging we didn't have the time. There were a few new songs that didn't get into the set - perhaps I should have tried to write a few eh?

Looking back perhaps I could have carried on with the band for longer but there was so much going on in my life at the time - like promotion in work and getting married that I couldn't give it the time that it deserved anymore.

Final word?

Overall I must say that I've been lucky to play with so many good musicians in many bands but I will always think that playing with the Steps gave me the springboard to lift my playing style and confidence. Keeping up with Pete on stage keeps you on your toes - but that's what live music is all about!