Steve Edge - The Room
The band came together in August of 1968 when two Blandford lads, Chris Williams and Roy Putt, thought it was a good idea to have some fun playing THEIR kind of music. Chris was already an accomplished guitarist and had recently moved to Dorset from up North and Roy took up the bass guitar. The drummer was another local chap called Pete Redfearn. In the early days, a lad called Roger took lead vocals and odd dancing during Chris’s longish guitar solos. The band was called Room and they released one record on Deram in 1970 and the rest is well, history. This is the story of the band life of guitarist Steve Edge.
When and where were born? Are you originally from Blandford Forum? What was your childhood like? When were you first introduced to music and what initially fascinated you about it? Do you have any siblings? What would you and your friends do for fun back in the day? Who were among some of your favorite groups that left a heavy impression on you?
I'm a 'baby boomer'. Born in Singapore. My Dad was stationed there during his national service in the British Army. On return to UK, we settled in a tiny Dorset village, with Dad working at the local railway stations. Music was always in my life. Mostly provided by the radio – Elizabeth Cotten's 'Freight Train' being a favourite, although it was the Nancy Whiskey version I was hearing rather than the composer's. By the way, Elizabeth Cotten was a remarkable musician and songwriter - well worth exploring. Other notable early musical influences were Lonnie Donegan, Spike Jones and the initial Elvis stuff. By the time Don and Phil arrived I had a guitar. Of sorts.
Steve with his mother.
Edge’s father, Derek Edge, second from right, at Blandford Forum railway station circa: 1960. This picture is from a magazine called Sanddrt.
Tell me about attending Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School in Wimborne. What were those days like and what are your fondest memories of being a student there? I understand you played locally in the village of Shapwick in the early 60s. What was the name group you participated with and how did that all come to be? It was a skiffle type group, correct? What were those early gigs like for you?
The village boys, all older than me, even formed a skiffle band (who didn't back then!) just for our own amusement. But I enjoyed being a member of a band and making music. A second, proper guitar, a cutaway acoustic Rosetti, was a Christmas present and led to a serious hobby, copying (poorly) the Springfields, the Shadows and the Everlys themselves. Then came the Beatles and it all moved up a few gears. Somehow my parents found the cash to buy me a Rosetti 3 electric and a Watkins two-speaker amp. Nothing startling happened at school. Unless you count being threatened with expulsion for having 'long' hair...
Edge is located in the top row 8th from the right.
As rock n’ roll, both in England and the states progressed, you started a cover band called The Krabs. Can you tell me about that outfit and how groups like The Byrds and The Beatles influenced you guys? How did you initially meet your bandmates Terry Lowe, Kenny Parratt and Terry Dickerson? What were your first impressions of them?
The Fab Four instantly impressed me. I still reckon there are none better. They inspired me and a few chums of around my age from the same village to get together as a three-guitar-and drums band. Named the Krabs after a locally-embarrassing old country tale about a crab which became known as a monster. I don't think the term 'cover band' existed back then. Like thousands of others, the group played copies of popular songs and tunes of the day. And of course we thought we sounded just like The Beatles, or Hank Marvin, or The Byrds, or The Kinks.
Tell me about some of the gigs you guys would play? What were those experiences like for you channeling this sort of music that was truly changing the climate and ecosystem of the world and its youth? It was soon after around ‘67 that you moved on and became a student at Bournemouth and Poole College of Art. Can you tell me about the transition and what inspired you to do such?
The remoteness of the village meant gigs were far and few, leaving little or no opportunities to mix with other musicians and to learn by watching. By 1967 The Krabs were no more. My family had moved elsewhere in Dorset and in any case I was about to start at Bournemouth and Poole College of Art. With other local musicians, the other three formed a competent band called the Push, and later Terry Lowe moved up a gear as bassist for the progressive-leaning Team Dokus who later released one LP. As for me, I just seemed to stumble from one band to another, not settling, but at least learning 'on the hoof' and improving the gear with a Rickenbacker 325 and a VOX AC30 amp.
Edge playing his small-necked Rickenbacker with Room circa: 1968.
When did you initially meet the others? What were your first impressions of everyone and aside from music what other interests and similarities did you share with your bandmates? What led to the decision to form the band, at the time called The Room? The band started playing Hendrix, Cream and the sorts out on the road in such areas as Ringwood, Dorchester and Wimborne as well as various local villages. What were those early gigs like for you guys?
During my time at art college I became chums with a couple of guitar-playing art students, Phil Whitty and Roy Putt, from Blandford, keen on blues who broadened my musical experience. They had get-togethers under the name 'One Way' with other blues fans playing just for the fun of it. I had already discovered blues greats like Mississippi John Hurt, so we had much to share, discuss and learn. And more than one impromptu blues lunchtime sessions at college. A guitarist vacancy in Roy's band – by then called The Room and playing at local venues - led to an invitation for me to come along and so it was that I joined the Room in October 1968. For me it was a very good move – the Room were an established band, with bookings, and an opportunity to further develop my guitar skills, by watching and working with founding member Chris Williams who was already a very competent rock guitarist.
Steve and Chris at Wimborne circa: 1968.
When did the band, after dropping “The” and simply becoming Room, begin writing their own material? What was the process and papercha to the group harnessing their own power and vision to play originals from that point on?
We'd always been keen to write and perform our own material; however in the early days, the audiences demanded the lion's share on the playlist went to the dance 'standards'. Over time it seemed folks became more interested in listening and so we were able to increase the number of self-penned ditties at gigs. Being the support act to other 'progressive leaning' bands was also a great help.
Room at Wimborne circa: November of 1968. From left, Steve, Chris, Roger, Pete, Roy (Jane not in this pic).
Tell me about sharing the same bill with bands such as Pink Floyd and Status Quo. What were those experiences like for you guys? When did you begin to see a shift in the band’s progress with playing as well as the attention on the group? Early ‘69 you guys had a new member, Jane Kevern, join the band adding a very special element and atmosphere to the group. Having a female in the band, how did she influence and change the ecosystem of the group at the time?
Ha! Hard to believe we played on the same bill as the 'big boys' at such an early stage and being backstage was an eye-opener as we discovered some band members could be aloof whilst others really friendly and keen to chat music. When I joined the band, Jane had been already been singing a few set numbers. There's no doubt things changed when Jane joined the band proper. A female singer in a progressive band was not a new thing but not common either. We were determined to build on this new structure especially after singer Roger Hope moved on (he later joined Team Dokus). To be honest I don't think Room were ever quite sure what they were - in a musical sense. Always was a guitar band. We seem to manage to do what we did with two (sometimes loud) electric guitars with no pedals, a melodic bass and, whilst drummer Pete Redfearn was still there, a wonderful mixture of sometimes delicate, sometimes driving beat, topped with vocal lines from a female range and, perhaps unusually for the time, some close harmony (in the style of my early influences). No keyboards, save the fun use of an ex-chapel harmonium for a few weeks only.
Room at an Evening Echo "photoshoot" at Horseshoe Common, Bournemouth. From left, Roy, Steve, Bob, Chris, Jane circa: late 1969.
Room at Weymouth Pavilion in circa: early 1969. From left, Roy, Jane, Pete, Steve, Chris. The annual Beat Contest.
In the summer of 1969 we decided to go professional. I think Chris and Jane were ready to leave their day jobs whilst Roy had just finished his graphic design course at Bournemouth. We had just signed with a manager – much of what followed with the manager has been documented elsewhere – so things at that time looked good, especially as the band was busy with gigs, and not just locally. However, I had to decide whether to leave my own college course a year early. I did but Pete, a successful record store manager, chose to stay put. That left the band without a drummer. After a few false starts, along came Bob Jenkins, already a pro drummer, and very creative with the sticks too. Pete and Bob were highly individual drummers, and so the overall sound of the band changed. Folks will have their own views on that. A very lucky break led to a series of regular gigs on Friday nights at Bournemouth's The Ritz venue, supporting a wide range of more established bands. This was valuable to us - as developing musicians if not in monetary terms. And the residency led in an unplanned way to the final of the national Melody Maker band contest and recording contracts.
The telegram from Van der Graaf Generator received by Room at the Ritz on the evening of the Melody Maker Regional Heats. Room had supported VDGG at the Ritz some weeks earlier.
A few press cuttings from the Bournemouth Evening Echo circa: 1969.
Tell me about writing and recording the band’s legendary lone debut LP. When and where did recording begin in ‘70. What were those sessions like in the studio for you and how long did it take to record that album from start to finish? What was the overall vision you guys had in mind when you went to lay those tracks down? Would you mind giving a brief background on some of the songs that are featured on the record?
We had moved on with the kit, too. Chris had his beloved Les Paul, Roy growled away on a Fender Precision Bass, and I'd settled on a Telecaster. So no good blaming the kit any more. All the tracks appearing on 'Preflight' formed, at the time, a core part of the band's gig setlist. So it was fairly easy for us to waddle into Decca's Broadhurst Gardens studios at West Hampstead and start playing. I've always thought it was all done in a day but other band members say two days. I'm sure they must be right. We were still novices of course, relying much on the patient guidance of producer Mickey Clarke. We were permitted the luxury of a little double-tracking on some of Chris's guitar solo work and on some vocals, the latter resulting in an eight part harmony piece on the opening track. Although I had previously visited the Deram offices to go through each track with the musical director Richard Hartley, not one member of the band had the slightest idea what orchestration Richard and Mickey would come up with. Of those numbers on the LP:
1. 'Preflight' – musically I suppose it was a chance to weld different styles and tempo. I hate the overly-long da-da bit on the LP version but I really like the link piece written by Richard Hartley. It wasn't written as a 'two part' piece.
2. 'Where Did I Go Wrong' – Goodness knows why this is on the album as it was a gig setlist filler really and something to warm up with.
3. 'No warmth In My Life' – clearly Chris wasn't too happy when he wrote that. We were starving at the time...
4. 'Big John Blues' – Again, not sure why this was chosen. Big John was a pal of Room. He played guitar in a local group called Goodrat.
5. 'Andromeda' – My guitar solo is sadly 'classic Room' in the sense that, at the time, I had no idea what style it was based on. Goes all over the place.
6. 'War' – I remember Chris writing this. Impressive guitar work by Chris, methinks. And a chance for Chris to play his 12-string.
7. 'Cemetery Junction' – Just a blast for the boys with the opportunity to develop a few guitar styles. As with the opener, it wasn't written as a 'two part' piece.
And please note the band had no say in the choice of tracks. There were a couple other tunes recorded which were discarded for some reason.
London Lyceum circa: March 8th of 1970.
How did the deal with Deram come about? Who did the illustration for the cover? Like so many groups before and after you guys, it just wasn't in the cards and it didn't seem like management, etc. was on your side. What exactly happened after the record was released? You guys had created such an enormous storm and with untenable momentum up until the album. What do you think happened exactly?
Around the time the band played at the finals of the Melody Maker band contest, they'd laid down a couple of tracks at the Orange studios in, I think, Soho. The first time we'd had the chance to listen to ourselves at volume during playbacks. Those demo tapes went off to EMI, and a reject. However the band contest somehow led to the Deram contract so we weren't too bothered about EMI's disinterest. The cover illustrations were the handiwork of bassist Roy Putt who is still a prolific, and sought-after, artist specializing in transport subjects. As for the fortunes of the album, well, I suspect the lack of sales was down to lack of promotion by all those involved. By the time of its initial release, I had left the band as I now had a family to help support and sadly continuing with Room was not going to provide that support.
A clipping of the band signing their infamous contract in Music Now circa: June 20th of 1970.
How long did the band go on after the release of the record? Did you continue to play music after Room? When you reflect about those days with The Room, what are you most fond of? What makes you the happiest and most proud of the band's legacy? Is there anything else you would like to further share with the readers?
Even before I left the band, things were still unclear about its musical direction. I recall spending one afternoon's band practice session trying to master electric folk (!) style as played by Fairport. I believe Room continued as a band for another year or so, before throwing in the towel. They were not helped by poor management. Bob has continued, to this day, to bang the drums on many a glittery stage; Chris has long settled as a key member of the excellent Average Blues Band (ABB); Jane gave up singing, I believe; whilst Roy enjoyed playing in several local bands and he still makes music today. I left the business, just playing guitar as and when it suits, trying still to emulate Mississippi John Hurt or Richard Thompson or Peter Green...
