News Archive 2004


 

06 December 2004:

Tour Diary Holland 2004
by Phil Pickett

First part written on 29 November 2004 - Last updated: 01 December 2004

Special SAILOR Greetings to all the Dutch fans and everyone we've met whilst on tour here. We're having a fabulous time in a great country where all are so friendly and helpful... except perhaps a few of those who have given directions on the way to theatres! Well actually they're well-meaning, but when they say "Go right" which we've found (to our cost on the odd occasion- but now we know!) they actually mean "straight on". For instance, not having ever once been to Arnhem (A Bridge Too Far?) we found that by driving straight through it twice into the countryside beyond - we'd finally visited the town no less than 3 times in the same day! (3rd time lucky).

The tour kicked off in Egmond aan Zee north of Amsterdam on the coast (20 November) and afterwards many of our faithful fans arrived to turn it into the usual 'SAILOR- party" - Katrin and Karsten of course - Christel and a number of others had driven from Germany, Linda from England and others from all over the place.

Peter and Grant brought their cars over so we could be self-contained (we're actually quite good at looking after ourselves!) which means we can drive back to the same hotel in Leusden every night - Bliss!

Earlier in the tour, however whilst we were getting ready to leave the hotel to travel to the gig and 'belting-up' in the two cars, Phil (who usually navigates) asked Grant which town they were going to and was surprised that he too didn't appear to have a clue. The two then turned to the 'font of all knowledge' - 'Naylorman' in the back seat, who also surprisingly said: "I've got no idea - I thought you guys would know!"
Meanwhile, Peter and Rob (who on that day were following) were getting impatient in Peter's car as Phil got out of Grant's to ask them if they had any idea where we were supposed to play that night.
"No mate, we thought you guys had all the details" came the bemused reply. Therefore whilst the others waited in the cars, Peter and Phil, - too embarrassed to call the promoter over this minor mishap, went all the way back into the hotel, switched on Peter's Apple Mac and went to the trusty 'Marinero' site to find out where SAILOR were playing!

In fact it's now Monday 29 November, and Rob went back to England yesterday on our day off to see Anna and his new baby son Louis, and importantly for the band, to bring his truck out to Holland to enable us to bring the Nickelodeon back for essential repairs and for its use on the forthcoming UK tour. He therefore had to get up at the crack of dawn to be at Dover this morning in time for the ferry so as to be on time for our show tonight in Almere (which was great by the way). - So as you can see he just made it (with only 25 mins to spare).

It's heartwarming and very special for us to be back in the land of substantial bicycles, 'Top Pop', hot chocolate and street organs again after all these years - since "Traffic Jam" topped the charts in Holland - our very first hit record anywhere in the world. Judging by the reaction we've received from Dutch audiences, it looks very likely we'll be playing concerts in Holland on a much more regular basis. Most of the audiences have been singing along to everything and seem to know all the words to our songs.

The Rubettes are great guys with whom we're all having a good laugh and everyone is getting on a treat - all of which should bode incredibly well for the lengthy demanding UK tour coming up.

On Saturday (27 November) we made the long drive up to Leeuwarden, a charming and very quaint port town in the north (what more appropriate place could SAILOR possibly play?) The show was one of best for a very long time, but also made more memorable on this occasion by our meeting Lody Scheffer (supreme Dutch fan and ex-sailor himself) and his family for a get-together afterwards where we were presented with a magnificent SAILOR 30th Birthday Cake (see pic on the right) which went down very well - and quite quickly as I recall! An approach was also made by a wealthy individual that evening about possibly getting the band out to play at a brand new hotel in the Seychelles next year. Let's see - we'll have to look in the diary on that one (Not!).

Phil's mandolin was accidentally smashed on 26 November at Rijssen with the neck hanging off in bits. All very sad, but miraculously fixed by a local guitar maker and ready for action again at Almere. With Gert, Renee, Bas and Jos, we certainly have a great team on the road with us.

Uncharacteristically (probably why it was so funny!) 'Naylorman' mistook a Burger King sign for the moon one misty damp night on our way out of Vlaardingen (21 November) causing no end of mirth on the way back home to Leusden after the show. In SAILOR, these instances tend to not be forgotten that easily, and quickly made it into the band's 'folklore' - like the time for instance when Phil, on seeing the 'Soulful Dynamics' at an east German Hotel Breakfast buffet (but not at that time having yet met) cheerfully ventured his assumption that they might possibly be visiting African dignitaries "on their holidays!"

"Frock" or "Nickers?"
Rob has been designing a wonderful new "frock" for the keyboards on certain shows where the "Nick" might be too cumbersome, or expensive for certain promoters. It's beautifully elaborate and intricate in design and we're sure, if asked nicely he might eventually post it on Marinero some time in the future.

Better sign off now. Three more shows to go - Kerkrade, Etten-Leur and Roermond then back to Blighty. To everyone out there whether Dutch or not - do try and come, we'd love to see you. If not, there's always next time!

Loads more to write but as there's another show tomorrow - also have to sleep!

All the best,
SAILOR - Peter, Grant, Rob and Phil

The last part of the tour diary comes from fresh from the MARINERO headquaters...

The last three concerts in Kerkrade, Etten-Leur and Roermond were a big success - in spite of the usual problems in finding the venues etc. that Phil has already mentioned above.

Special thanks for all the great photos, reviews and everything from us to
Christel Müller, Linda Welch, Heiner Imdahl, Olaf Prause, Markus and Barbara Sauer, Lody Scheffer, Heinz Karp, Roland and Tina Muylkens from
Rubettes.info, Lucienne from www.rubettes-dutch.com, Peppo Woudenberg, Ralf Willemsen,
also special thanks to Michelle, Anna and Steve,
and (VERY IMPORTANT:) to SAILOR for the fantastic tour and from me personally for the wonderful surprise during the Roermond show on 02 December during which I was asked to join the band on stage for an early birthday celebration and got a nice bunch of flowers, a bottle of champagne and a card, as well the shock of my life ;-) THANK YOU SAILOR!

Go to the Concert photos-section for more photos, reviews and other information about the tour!

Best wishes and SAILOR-greetings,
~ Katrin
your webmaster


 


 

Update 04 December 2004:

The Golden Classics 30th anniversary Holland tour with SAILOR and The Rubettes featuring Alan Williams is over... and we will soon give you lots of updates including the exclusive SAILOR tour diary right here.
Go to the
Concert photos-section for more photos, reviews and other information about the tour!
We also have a few external links for
you where you can see reviews, photos and (in one case) even sound clips and a short video piece of the most recent shows:

Many thanks to Roland and Tina Muylkens from Rubettes.info for their photos from Arnhem and to Peppo Woudenberg for his review of the Vlaardingen concert, as well as Ralf Willemsen for his Rijssen review and photos!

If anybody of you out there has also been to one of the concerts of the tour please send us your reviews and/or photos, as we would like to know what you think of the tour and the concerts!

Best wishes and SAILOR-greetings,
~ Katrin
your webmaster

 


 

15 November 2004:

Radio dates - Holland and UK:

 


 

31 October 2004:

We are proud to anounce the launch of the new homepage of Henry Marsh:

www.henrymarsh.co.uk

 


 

19 October 2004:

, The Rubettes featuring Alan Williams and Andy Scott's Sweet on a special "Glitz Blitz and 70's Hitz Tour" in the UK
www.flyingmusic.com

Three legendary bands will be on a special "Glitz Blitz and 70's Hitz" Tour in the UK from February to May 2005:
- SAILOR
- Andy Scott's The Sweet
- The Rubettes featuring Alan Williams
30 years after hits like "A Glass Of Champagne", "Girls Girls Girls", "Ballroom Blitz", "Fox On The Run", "Sugar Baby Love", "I Can Do It" and many others the three bands and their fans are going to celebrate with a very special show at 40 concerts in the UK.

Here's a press info about the tour:
"A spectacular celebration of the best of British glam rock with three classic bands of the era. On one amazing bill, Sweet, The Rubettes and very special guest SAILOR will be putting on a sensational show and transporting you back to the very best of seventies glam rock.
Sweet are the quintessential 70's glam rock band, who brought androgynous looks and crunching guitar pop to the masses. Including their smash no.1 "Blockbuster", they had 17 charting hits and spent over three years in the UK charts alone.
Joining them on this classic bill, The Rubettes. The Rubettes first made No.1 in 1974 with their very first single 'Sugar Baby Love' and after five weeks at the coveted No.1 spot in the UK they repeated their success throughout the world. The Rubettes went on to have a further 15 international hits establishing themselves, with their flamboyant Gatsby appearance, as one of the Icons of the 70's Glam Rock era.
And finally, special guests SAILOR complete this fantastic line up. They reached the top of the charts in the UK, South Africa, Australia and all over Europe with their distinctive records including 'A Glass Of Champagne', 'Girls Girls Girls', 'Stiletto Heels' , 'Traffic Jam' and 'One Drink Too Many'."

And this is what Phil Pickett says about the tour:
"SAILOR are hugely excited about taking part in this event in commemoration of our 30th Anniversary since the band's very first No 1 Record, and will be delighted to get out there across the UK to meet many fans from the 1970s. This will be the first opportunity for many UK fans to finally get hold of 'Buried Treasure' - 30 years' - worth of a Classic Archive CD Anthology of SAILOR's greatest hits, highlights unreleased and experimental work - and also James McCarraher's excellent and highly entertaining new book, 'A Glass Of Champagne - The Official SAILOR Story'."

Further details about the concerts can be found above!

 


 

02 October 2004:

Update: - The Musical Journey
03 July until 09 July 2006 at the Carnegie Hall Dunfermline (near Edinburgh), UK

Bill Blenman, the producer of the show, writes:
"Just to give you an update, the formulation of a cast for "SAILOR - The Musical Journey", is now taking place, auditions are now being scheduled and more support has been coming forward to help in the production. There is a change to the date that the show will now be performed, the new date is 03 July until 09 July 2006. The reason for this is that the theatre is to have some improvements done, and these have take place after their seasonal pantomime. It is actually good news for us in that this means we have a little longer to prepare and rehearse and that it is in the summer months, rather than in the cold month of January.
Please be assured that this now a DEFINITE date.

SAILOR THE MUSICAL IS DEFIANTLY NOW ON TRACK.
Yours
Bill Blenman - Producer"

"SAILOR, The Musical Journey" has taken over three years to write and has been read and enhance by Georg Kajanus, who has also given two unrecorded tracks to the musical that he originally wrote for his very own SAILOR musical in the 70s.
The musical contains 21 songs mainly from the first four albums, "Sailor", "Trouble", "The Third Step", and "Checkpoint".
Dream Maker Productions is a charitable company, where all proceeds that are remaining after production expenses have been paid, gets distributed to named charitable organisations.

Further details here...!

 


 

Update 25 September 2004:

We are proud to announce the birth of Louis George - son of SAILOR-member Rob Alderton and Anna Lishman - on 19 September 2004!!!!!!!!
Best wishes to Louis George and his parents from the whole SAILOR-crew and welcome aboard! ;-)

Any messages to the three of them can be sent to marinero@t-online.de and will be forwarded to them.
Thanks to everyone who have forwarded messages already for all the kind wishes!

Special thanks to Rob and Anna for the photos:

 


 

19 September 2004:

and The Rubettes featuring Alan Williams celebrate 30th Anniversary in Holland
- official press info from www.goldenclassics.nl -

Special tour through Holland starts in November!

Between the 20th of November and the 3rd of December 2004 two legendary groups from the 70’s will embark on a unique theatertour that takes them through eleven Dutch cities. The Rubettes en SAILOR are celebrating their 30th anniversary and will treat their fans to all their famous hits and favorites in a two and a half hour show.
The Rubettes, famous for their white caps and high voices, became household names in 1974 with a song that’s become one of the most famous and recognizable hits of the 70’s, "Sugar Baby Love". Other hits were, amongst others, "Tonight", "Jukebox Jive" and "I Can Do It".
In the same year another band with an unusual sound and appearance showed up in the charts. They were SAILOR and enjoyed huge European success with hits like "A Glass Of Champagne", "Girls Girls Girls" and also "La Cumbia" and "The Secretary" which were surprise hits for them in the 90s.
A unique tour it surely will be especially since this is the first time both bands appear in a theatertour in almost 30 years.
According to the website of the tour , www.goldenclassics.nl , several shows are also taking place in towns near the German border. Amongst these are Kerkrade, Roermond (both in the Limburg province) and Rijssen in Overijssel.

For international customers most tickets can be purchased via www.ticketmaster.nl or at the theatres directly.
Check also
www.goldenclassics.nl for more info.

 


 

15 September 2004:

"Buried Treasure"
SAILOR's new anthology CD boxed set

"Buried Treasure" - SAILOR's new anthology CD boxed set of greatest hits, private scrapbook, and latest recordings from the present line up of Peter, Phil, Rob and Grant plus some extremely precious archive material from the original line up of Georg, Henry, Phil and Grant as well as material from the "Dressed For Drowning" / Caribou era etc. - never before heard, will be released soon!
As many of you know the time to get all the necessary permissions etc. has taken very long, but now SAILOR have everything in place and can go ahead. It will surely be worth the waiting time!
"Buried Treasure" will be released on SAILOR's own label and is expected to be ready for late 2004 / early 2005.
Watch this space for further information on the SAILOR anthology CD boxed set "Buried Treasure" soon!

 


 

15 September 2004:

in the list of the 50 most successful pop bands of the last 40 years in Germany...

On 31 August 2004 SAILOR were in Cologne, Germany, for the recording of the TV show "Die ultimative Chart Show - Die erfolgreichsten Popgruppen" for German RTL television. The show was broadcast on 03 September 2004. The show included a countdown of the 50 most famous pop bands of the last 40 years (according to the chart positions of all their singles) and SAILOR reached place number 45, surrounded by Genesis on 46 and Culture Club on 44.
SAILOR performed a medley of "A Glass Of Champagne" and "Girls Girls Girls", played an unplugged piece of "Karma Chameleon" and also had a clip showing Grant and Phil in England and Grant with his collection of Gold records.

  • Here's the video of SAILOR's complete performance at the show, plus the video clip about the band's history that was shown before.
    Check out Peter, Phil, Rob and Grant at the
    TV show "Die ultimative Chart Show - Die erfolgreichsten Popgruppen":

RTL "Die ultimative Chart Show - Die erfolgreichsten Popgruppen" 03.09.2004

Here's the list of the 50 most successful pop bands of the last 40 years in Germany from RTL:

1 The Beatles   26 Die Fantastischen Vier
2 ABBA   27 Manfred Mann
3 The Sweet   28 Goombay Dance Band
4 Boney M.   29 Scorpions
5 Bee Gees   30 Loona
6 Rolling Stones   31 Blondie
7 Smokie   32 Pussycat
8 Snap   33 Kinks
9 Middle Of The Road   34 Queen
10 Depeche Mode   35 Black Eyed Peas
11 Backstreet Boys   36 The Kelly Family
12 Rednex   37 Tommy James and The Shondells
13 Creedence Clearwater Revival   38 Die Ärzte
14 Scooter   39 Spider Murphy Gang
15 Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich   40 Trio
16 T. Rex   41 Village People
17 Ace Of Base   42 Bon Jovi
18 The Rubettes   43 Dschinghis Khan
19 No Angels   44 Culture Club
20 Les Humpries Singers   45 SAILOR
21 George Baker Selection   46 Genesis
22 Frankie Goes To Hollywood   47 East 17
23 Culture Beat   48 The Troggs
24 The Beach Boys   49 Slade
25 Tic Tac Toe   50 The Monkees

 


 

11 September 2004:

Henry Marsh - photo by Michael Wilken ©News from Henry Marsh

Finally we have got some great news from one of the former SAILOR members again:
Henry Marsh has been nominated TWICE for 'Best Composer' at this years Jefferson Awards. The Jefferson Awards are the second most important / prestigious awards in American theatre, and are the 'Oscars' of Chicago theatreland (see
www.jeffawards.org)!!
This is the first time in the long history of the Jefferson Awards that a composer has been nominated twice in the same year! Henry scored the music to two productions, 'The Taming of the Shrew' and 'Midsummer Nights Dream'. He won his first Jefferson in 1999.

So, dear Henry: CONGRATULATIONS from the Marinero-crew!!! ;-)

Thanks for forwarding those good news to James McCarraher!!

 


 

11 September 2004:

books...
"A Glass Of Champagne - The Official SAILOR Story" and "The SAILOR Scrapbook Volume One"

"A Glass Of Champagne - The Official SAILOR Story":
Less than 200 copies remaining. The book has now been reviewed in Record Collector (circulation approximately 100,000). Record Collector Magazine for October 2004 has given the book a *** review ('fans will like it') commenting, "Full marks for the wealth of research".

...And now for some more good news for SAILOR devotees: The first of the SAILOR Scrapbook Series is due to be ready for Christmas 2004! For further details, watch this space and check out http://jamesmccarraher.mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk or feel free to e mail James at james@mccarraher.fsnet.co.uk.
See below!

 


 

31 July 2004:

In the pipeline...
The
Scrapbook Volume One
by James McCarraher

The release of "A Glass of Champagne - The Official SAILOR Story" has been very well received by fans and will shortly be unleashed on the music press.
The book contains over 120 photographs and it was to the author's disappointment that many hundreds of worthy photographs had to be excluded due to practicalities surrounding the size of the book. Weighing in at 352 pages and 121,000 words, had additional images been added, it would have become unmanageable.
SAILOR fans will therefore no doubt be delighted to hear that plans are afoot to shape those remaining, useable images into a collectable series of picture books for future release. It is hoped the first volume will be ready by October/November 2004.
Each volume is planned to be a short run, collectable edition that can build up into a set.
For further details, watch this space and check out
http://jamesmccarraher.mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk or feel free to e mail James at james@mccarraher.fsnet.co.uk.
A taster is pictured below...

 


 

17 July 2004:

On 15 July 2004 German ARD television had a show called "Deutschlands größte Hits" (=Germany's greatest hits). Here is their result of the most famous songs in 1976:

  • 6: A Glass Of Champagne
  • 7: Girls Girls Girls

 


 

04 July 2004:

Book: A Glass Of Champagne - The Official Story
The first and only SAILOR book is released!

We herewith proudly announce that the book "A Glass Of Champagne - The Official SAILOR Story" by James McCarraher has been released.
"A Glass Of Champagne - The Official SAILOR Story" is lavishly illustrated with over 120 photographs (mostly unpublished!), bound in hard back, running to 352 pages and limited to just 500 copies worldwide, this sought after gem is selling out quickly.

It includes contributions from Georg Kajanus, Phil Pickett, Henry Marsh, Grant Serpell, Peter Lincoln, Rob Alderton, Gavin and Virginia David, Jeffrey Lesser, Bruce Johnston, Dee Dee Wilde, Steve Levine, Robert Wace, Tim Dry, Ron Altenbach, Sir Cliff Richard and Jeremy Irons.

For all of you who haven't ordered the book yet, here are the details:

'"A Glass Of Champagne - The Official Sailor Story" can be ordered by sending a cheque or postal order to James McCarraher (payable to 'Sailor Limited') for £25 plus £2.99 postage and packing (or 35 Euros plus 10 Euros postage and packing). For orders outside U.K and Europe, please add a further £2.00 to cover postage costs which are horrendous for a book this size! Please contact James at james@mccarraher.fsnet.co.uk and he will furnish you with a contact address.
Or:
You can also send the same amout (£ or Euros) cash!!
Or:
You can simply order via the new "Paypal" account for Sailor Ltd which will now enable everyone around the world in practically any currency to buy SAILOR merchandise with their credit cards. At
www.paypal.com or www.paypal.de you can order the book and other items simply via the sailormusic@hotmail.com-address. Go to the Merchandise-page for further details.

Please remember to quote your address and eMail address in all correspondence. Your signed book will be sent to you fresh off the presses in June!

A message from the author: Pre-ordered signed copies will be despatched in the first two weeks of July. Please bear with us, there are a lot of orders to process! To everyone who pre-ordered a copy, thank you for your patience and support.

Click here for further details, photos etc...

 


 

Update 10 June 2004:

Book: A Glass Of Champagne - The Official Story
Update

The Official SAILOR Story is an independent assessment of SAILOR's history which has been exhaustively and lovingly researched and written by James McCarraher, with the full, frank and unbridled co-operation of the four founder members Georg Kajanus, Henry Marsh, Phil Pickett and Grant Serpell, current torch-bearers Peter Lincoln and Rob Alderton as well as past members, Gavin and Virginia David.
With contributions from ex-Beach Boy Ron Altbach, Bruce Johnston, BA Robertson, Robert Wace, Tim Dry, Cliff Richard and a foreword by Jeffrey Lesser, ‘A Glass Of Champagne – The Official SAILOR Story’ is a fitting tribute to one of the most energetic, entertaining and best loved bands to emerge during the latter half of the Twentieth Century.
The first edition is being limited to just 500 copies - worldwide!!

For all of you who haven't ordered the book yet, go to the Merchandise-page or the page about the Book for further details.

Please remember to quote your address and eMail address in all correspondence. Your signed book will be sent to you fresh off the presses in June!

The delivery date for "A Glass Of Champagne - The Official Sailor Story" is end of June as promised, with orders being sent in the first two weeks of July!

 


 

Update: 16 May 2004:

30th anniversary radio special
at the "Freies Radio Kassel" in Cap K's show "Handmade" - 12 May 2004

On 12 May 2004 we hosted a 2 hour SAILOR 30th anniversary special at Cap K's show "Handmade" at the "Freies Radio Kassel". (The "Freies Radio Kassel" is available in and around Kassel, Germany. Frequencies: 105,8 MHz via antenna and  97,8 MHz via cable. Cap K's show "Handmade" is each Wednesday at 6 pm.)
The show included the greatest and latest SAILOR songs from 1974 until today,
some extracs of the telephone-interview with Georg Kajanus from October 2003 and also a very interesting live telephone-interview with Rob Alderton.
Special thanks to Rob Alderton!!!

You can now listen to some parts of the interview with Georg from 2003 as well as the new interview with Rob, right here: Listen To SAILOR Interviews.

 


 

26 April 2004:

Here's a message we received from SAILOR fan Hans Hassink from Holland:

"Ahoy fellow stowaways,
This to let you know that SAILOR's first album is 'Standard album of the week' on Radio 2 in Holland. This means that, on regular intervals, tracks of the album will be played throughout this week. Radio 2 is the most popular public radiostation in the Netherlands.
Bye, Hans"

On 28 April 2004 there will also be an interview with Georg Kajanus at Radio 2.

Thanks for the information to Hans Hassink!!

 


 

24 April 2004:

Update: - The Musical Journey...

Here are the latest updates about the new musical play called "SAILOR, The Musical Journey":
This musical has taken over three years to write and has been read and enhance by Georg Kajanus, who has also given two unrecorded tracks to the musical that he originally wrote for his very own SAILOR musical in the 70s.
The musical contains 21 songs mainly from the first four albums, "Sailor", "Trouble", "The Third Step", and "Checkpoint".
Dream Maker Productions is a charitable company, where all proceeds that are remaining after production expenses have been paid, gets distributed to named charitable organisations.

Bill Blenman, the producer of the show, writes:
"Just to keep you up to date with what's going on, we have got a provisional date to stage the musical on the 15 January 2006, at the Carnegie Hall Dunfermline (near Edinburgh). We are confident are confident that the Carnegie Hall will be a better venue than the one we were trying for in Edinburgh. We will initially run it for 6 nights, but if there is a large advanced interest it may be extended."

Further details here...!


Story Synopsis of "SAILOR - The Musical Journey":

The story is essentially a romance. We meet Robert Leon, a former sailor living near the docks of a French fishing port. Now a lonely inebriate, he spends his life reflecting on the adventures of his past and dwelling on the hopelessness of the present. The chance meeting with a young orphan boy who befriends Robert is the vehicle which allows Robert’s story to unfold. We travel back with Robert to the colourful world of his travelling Matelot days and meet Josephine, the love of his life at a brothel in Copenhagen. We learn of the destruction of the relationship when Josephine travels to East Germany and becomes trapped behind the Iron Curtain and Robert’s vain attempts to rescue her and ultimately Robert’s descent into the oblivion of shore life and alcohol. Life however still has a few surprises for Robert and it is just possible that happiness will not elude him forever……

 


 

06 April 2004:

at the "Marvellous 2004" Festival at Wellington County Park, UK

25 -27 June 2004

Here's a text from the website promoting the festival: www.marvellousfestivals.com

Marvellous Festivals Limited is delighted to present the second summer music festival at Wellington Country Park. This year’s concerts are once again set against the wonderful backdrop of the Waterloo Meadow.

Friday 25 June 2004:
The Counterfeit Stones
Pete & Hugh
*
Marvellous '04 gets underway with a lively set from local favourites Pete & Hugh. Then - lock up your daughters – it’s The Counterfeit Stones, with their superb tribute to "the greatest Rock 'n Roll band in the world".

* You wonder if this is "our" Pete? Yes, it's captain Lincoln himself! ;-)

Saturday 26 June 2004
Björn Again
SAILOR
Time to dust off those platform shoes and revisit the glam era of the 70s with a fabulous feast of entertainment. First up is SAILOR with a storming set and one or two surprises. Next you get to sing along with Björn Again. All the Abba hits from the tribute band that started it all!
Currently enjoying their 30th anniversary year, SAILOR continue to wow audiences all over the world with their quirky and somewhat eccentric brand of entertainment. The hits are all served up with an infectious humour in a show that includes some wonderful theatrical moments. So raise a Glass Of Champagne with the band, and revel in that old Nickelodeon sound.
Björn Again have become one of the most popular acts in the universe and are currently in their 15th year, having performed over 3000 live shows in over 50 countries world-wide. They are without doubt the most successful Abba tribute in the world and an internationally acclaimed entertainment phenomenon.

Gates open at 5:00pm with the first concert to start at 7:00 pm. The evenings are expected to end at approximately 10:30pm.

For further details check out www.marvellousfestivals.com.

Click on the picture to enlarge (opens in a new window):

 


 

Update 01 April 2004:

Tring, UK - 20+21 March 2004

We're heading for a great, big, worlwide power cut...

Anyway the wind blows...

Power to all our friends...

Two days? Well, this is a little difficult to explain...
The SAILOR fans and friends were all seated in the Court Theatre in Tring, UK on the evening of the 20 March 2004, ready for SAILOR's 30th anniversary headline concert. The show was sold out, the stage set looked marvellous, the fans were dressed up and ready for the best and most special show in years. SAILOR started their performance at 8 pm with their trademark-song "Sailor", receiving a more than fantastic applause from the audience. When they were just about to start the second song "Blame It On The Soft Spot" there suddenly was a power cut because of the terrible storm outside - not only at the theatre but at the whole town. There had already been problems with the electricity in the afternoon, but now SAILOR had to leave the stage in order to try to solve the problems together with NaylorMan.
The fans started their own little party in the dark theatre, in spite of the worrying events, waiting for NaylorMan who gave them regular updates on the power cut. Everyone hoped the problem would be solved in the next few minutes, so the show could go on. But at 9.45 pm there was still no electricity and it was rather unlikely that it would come back soon, so SAILOR decided to play the concert on the next morning at 10 am ("Sunday service with Rob Alderton"...). For quite a few fans this unfortunately meant that they could not come back to see the concert because they had to drive a long way, flights to catch etc., but it was the only way for SAILOR to rescue the concert at all.
On Sunday morning approximately 100 tired but yet expectant SAILOR fans found their way to the Court Theatre in Tring once again and then enjoyed the most special and unique concert in years, including not only SAILOR's greatest and latest hits but also some rare songs like "Jacaranda" or some songs that were never before played at any live concert: "Nickelodeon Nights" and the brand new song "The Harbour Bar Bell", written by Rob (see below!).
Photos from both days will be online soon (we suggest that we just turn the first night into the official Tring fan-meeting or something like that).
If you have any photos, reviews or anything else about the "Tring Thing " that you would like to see here too, please e-mail them to us at
marinero@t-online.de!!
Further information soon.
Oh what a story to tell...
Best wishes and SAILOR-greetings,
~ The MARINERO crew

  • Your one and only chance to see and hear SAILOR play their unreleased song "The Harbour Bar Bell" live at the famous concert in Tring (UK) on 21 March 2004!!
    The song was only played once -!- and (unfortunately) never released.
    Song © by Rob Alderton - used with with kind permission ;-)

    filmed by Karsten Wagner © www.SAILOR-music.com

Here's a special message from Phil Pickett that he left in the guestbook on 01 April 2004:

Hi everyone!
I just wanted to thank all of our very special fans for their stoicism, dedication and enthusiasm in the face of adversity and the devastating power cut at Tring a couple of weeks ago and our first show in England for many moons (the only light we ended up seeing that night!)
Hearing the whole audience singing songs & having fun in the dark however (by the way, what else were you all doing out there?) was a very moving experience from an even darker dressing room & helped greatly to lighten the mood and sense of frustration we all felt when it finally dawned that the Concert would have to be postponed, electricity permitting, until Sunday morning at 10am. As Peter said in the dark "it feels like the best show we've never done!"
One or two of the fans have commented on the respect they felt was shown by the band for their audience in returning next day to play so early - but in my book all medals, awards and Gold Statuettes must surely go to the fans themselves for having the tenacity, love & dedication to drag themselves out of their warm Sunday beds to come back and see us! In many cases travel, accomodation and flights etc all had to be changed at the last minute, so please tell me what band out there ever had such a fantastic and loyal (& growing again!) collection of fans?
(Rob Alderton also deserves pats on back & 'drinks all round' for putting the show on in his own local theatre at Tring - as well as building and designing such a great stage set - well done shipmate!)
Anyway it all turned out great & memorable as these things often do in SAILOR, and although a bizarre experience to say the least, we all eventually enjoyed a fantastic time together.
Do hope to see many of you again very soon, and especially next year up and down the country on our first major UK Tour, so tell all of your friends and bring them along - It promises to be a very special 30th Anniversary year for us kicked off in fine style by "the show that nearly never happened!"
So thanks again everyone -"SAILOR Salutes You!"
Love,
Phil Pickett


Go to the
Concert photos-section for more photos, reviews and other information about the Tring concert(s)!!

 


 

22 March 2004:

The Harbour Bar Bell...

"It all began in an old harbour bar, where sailors would gather from near and from far"... Follow this link for the lyrics of the new SAILOR song written by Rob Alderton: The Harbour Bar Bell.

 


 

08 March 2004:

Book: A Glass Of Champagne - The Official Story

The Official Sailor Story is an independent assessment of SAILOR's history which has been exhaustively and lovingly researched and written by James McCarraher, with the full, frank and unbridled co-operation of the four founder members Georg Kajanus, Henry Marsh, Phil Pickett and Grant Serpell, current torch-bearers Peter Lincoln and Rob Alderton as well as past members, Gavin and Virginia David.

Newsletter from the SAILOR HQ:
Dear SAILOR Afficionados!
As recently mentioned here on the MARINERO website, James McCarraher's epic biography of SAILOR, written with the full co-operation of all the member's of the band past and present... is now almost ready for publication.
The book has been written with a great deal of love and care, dedication and humour, and which furthermore has not ducked some of the more controversial aspects of SAILOR's rise and fall...and heroic lift-off to prominence yet again in a whole new era for the band in the 21st Century.
Without further ado, Sailor Ltd are therfore proud to enclose the attached promotional material (see below) for James's fine book containing details of how to order etc. Due to the huge interest already received, we would strongly advise you to get your order in early for a signed 'limited edition' copy of the first ever and only 'Authorised' biography of one of the most entertaining, innovative and original groups of all time... SAILOR
With best wishes,
Sailor Ltd

Click here for further details...

 


 

03 March 2004:

Newsletter March 2004
UK tour 2005, SAILOR book and news on the personal front from "Captain Phil's Cabin"...

Firstly, "SAILOR Briefing"
The band are very pleased and proud to announce, that: (almost as a direct result of the increase in SAILOR's UK profile lately due to several Radio 2 song plays and mentions, a recent "Top Of The Pops 2" feature, and an appearance on one of the most highly-rated UK TV shows: "Never Mind The Buzzcocks")
SAILOR will be taking part in a 50-date Marathon UK 'Flying Music' Tour from February 2005 performing with The SWEET and The RUBETTES.
Mark Lamarr was correct in telling the 8 million TV audience that the guys would be out touring extensively in their "30th Anniversary Year" - but in truth at that time no arrangements had even been put in place!
Thankfully however, as one of the promoters was watching the show, it has now been made a reality, finally giving SAILOR the opportunity to get out there and meet each and every one of their UK fans all over the country... ( which due to the number of daily eMails received at
sailormusic@hotmail.com HQ - we know there are still thousands of you out there!).
So therefore, instead of being 30 years since SAILOR's foundation,  the UK Tour will commemorate the 30th Anniversary of SAILOR's first UK Hit Record - "A Glass Of Champagne".

Other News: James McCarraher has all but completed his epic book, the authorised biography of SAILOR, its title also taken from the group's first UK hit back in 1975, and written with full co-operation and active help from all of the past and present members of the band.
It is a stunning, and at times controversial work, and much painstaking effort and collation has been carried out with love, dedication and objectivety by James over many many months. It also contains many photographs from Sony's vast archive - as well as band members' personal archives which have never before been published.
James has also been invited to the forthcoming Tring SAILOR Concert on 20th March to talk about the book, its launch date, price and other details etc. - but we can let everyone know that prior to general publication, there will be an initial 'limited edition' hardback printing run personally signed by the author, and exclusively available by ordering through
sailormusic@hotmail.com.
Sailor Ltd will shortly be sending out via eMail some promotional material for the book.

That's it for SAILOR - now a little news on the personal front! - Captain Phil's Cabin!!
As a double Ivor Novello Award winner, Phil Pickett has been asked by the 'British Academy of Songwriters Composers and Authors' to judge the winning entry for "Best Original Film Score" for this year's 'Ivors' ceremony, with among others, Damon Albarn, the lead singer from Blur. This takes place at the Dorchester Hotel in London on 12 March.
He has also co-written and produced the first single from Sony's platinum-selling R&B solo Artist, 'Selwyn' with a song called "Satisfactual" - shortly to be released in UK, USA and Australia.
Rob and Peter are also helping out with their expertise on Phil's newest project, namely producing a very gifted 12- year old chorister by the name of Dominic Byrne in whom there is already considerable interest from several major record labels. BA Robertson, Mike Rutherford and Brian May are also backing Phil in his endeavours and belief in Dominic, with whom he is hoping to go into the studio very soon.

See you in Tring...
Best wishes
,
Phil
SAILOR

 


 

17 February 2004:

were featured on "Top Of The Pops 2" tonight on BBC2. It was the Christmas 1976 clip of "A Glass Of Champagne" (see photo on the right!). They also promoted the "Tring Thing" and the upcoming musical.
Thanks for those details to all the fans who have seen the show tonight and e-mailed us!
Best wishes and SAILOR-greetings,

~ The MARINERO crew

 


 

19 January 2004:

Special "In Concert" UK show...


The "Tring Thing" - 20 March 2004

"A SAILOR's Night On The Town" 2004

Don't miss SAILOR's special 30th anniversary headline concert in Tring, UK!!

Date and Location:
Saturday
20th March 2004 at 8.00 pm, at
The Courth Theatre, Tring, Hertfordshire, UK

A text from the theatre programme promoting the concert:
One of most fun and eccentric bands of the 70s at the start of their 30th anniversary tour. The hitmakers of songs like "Girls Girls Girls" and "A Glass Of Champagne", SAILOR have spent many active years performing to crowds of tens of thousands in Europe and are now touring the UK with a more intimate show, complete with harbour set and the famous Nickelodeon.
For many years SAILOR’s unique and quirky mix of latin and trad jazz, euro-pop, glam rock and barrel organ (!) has been denied to UK audiences. This year sees that put right, and all starting here in Tring! With many hits not released in the UK and some well known songs given the SAILOR treatment, like "Karma Chameleon, written by SAILOR’s Phil Pickett. SAILOR also features Tring’s very own Rob Alderton (Musical Director at this very theatre) on Nickelodeon, Accordion and Vocals.
Book early as fans from all over Europe will be joining us for this special event.
Put on your SAILOR costume (optional) and come to the party!

Concert
The concert will feature all your favourite SAILOR live songs as well as some rare album tracks that you don't usually get to hear at their shows. There will also be a complete harbour set and a couple of other nautical surprises.

After-Show Party
After the show, there will be a chance to meet the band and buy SAILOR merchandise like their new DVD, Pirate Copy!

Tickets
...can be ordered at the address below. But there are only 200 seats available at the theatre, SO ORDER NOW!
The ticket price is £15.00 or 25,00 Euros.
(The tickets say 'standing' - this is incorrect - it's all seated!)

HOW TO BOOK:

  • For UK fans:
    Box office (UK only) 01442 824673/4

    or
    £15 per ticket, plus £1 postage and handling per order to:
    Crescendo, 4 Posting House, Tring Station, Hertfordshire, HP23 5QS, UK.
    Cheques made to TFC

  • For European fans (NON-UK):
    25 Euros
    (cash
    only!) to: Crescendo, 4 Posting House, Tring Station, Hertfordshire, HP23 5QS, UK.
    (The box office will not send tickets outside the UK so Non-UK fans please send cash to the "Crescendo"-address only!!!!!)

Tring is 35 minutes from London (Euston station), the theatre is 0.5 km from Tring station. Further details (map and accomodation etc.) will follow soon.

Tell all your friends and see you at the "Tring Thing"!! ;-)

Very best wishes from
SAILOR - Rob, Grant, Peter and Phil
& ~ The MARINERO crew

 


 

19 January 2004:

Newsletter January 2004
30th anniversary, Tring concert etc.

SAILOR kick off their 30th Anniversary Year with a very special intimate Concert at The Court Theatre in Tring, Hertfordshire, UK on 20th March 2004.
Yes, it's 30 years since the unique band's first ever record release in 1974 - way back during miner's strikes, Edward Heath v. Arthur Scargill, Callaghan, telly going off at 10 pm, fuel shortages... But what was soon to come along to relieve all the grey gloom? You guessed it! SAILOR!

Grant Phil, Peter and Rob (playing "At Home") are looking forward to playing in the UK for the first time since High Wycombe in 2002 and will be on hand to sign "Pirate Copy" DVDs and "Live In Berlin" CDs whilst chatting to all their fans and friends.
Also you will be able to order signed hardback copies of James McCarraher's forthcoming (published in May 2004) beautifully written book on SAILOR. It will be the group's first ever official biography and the result of many months of interviews and painstaking research by James, who will also be in attendance at the show and available to talk to.
It's a small theatre so order your tickets without delay!
See you in Tring...
Best wishes
,
SAILOR
Phil, Rob, Grant and Peter

 


 

07 January 2004:

Book on the history of ...

The SAILOR biography is now complete, a foreword has been written by Jeffrey Lesser and a publisher has been secured. Band members are liaising with the author regarding final amendments and additions. This book will prove to be a treat for all SAILOR fans, with first hand accounts from all band members and dozens of never-before-seen photographs from the Sony Archive and private collections. Details of how to secure your copy of a signed, strictly limited, first edition hard back, will follow in due course. Watch this space for further details.
Planned release date: May/June 2004.
Best wishes and SAILOR-greetings,

~ The MARINERO crew
& James McCarraher

 


 

07 January 2004:

On 05 January 2004 Phil Pickett could be seen on British BBC2 television in the show "Never Mind The Buzzcocks". As a part of the quiz the candidates (also musicians) had to "guess the original musician" from a line-up of five persons. The question was: who is the real Phil Pickett? The other four guys were also dressed as sailors, and a 70s videoclip of SAILOR was shown.
Here's what Phil says about his appearance on the show: "Fortunately Terry Hall of The Specials was a huge SAILOR fan having seen the band in the 70's (and who had recently bought a SAILOR album!) telling the audience we were one of the best live bands he had ever seen... (a shame however the producers cut that bit out - probably too reverential in tone for what is usually a pretty cynical - but very funny programme). It was also a great 'plug' for our (hopefully!) 30th anniversary tour later in the year as host Mark Lamarr gave us a fantastic mention."

 


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