The Edinburgh Rock quartet The Gaping Invectives set at the Isle of Wight concert is now being called one of the most explosive performances in the history of Rock n’ Roll.
The muscular ultra-long-haired Þħę Botendaddy, from Paisley upon Avon in Ulster, then a 19 year-old British Army reservist (who was later killed whilst serving in the 433rd Para in the Falklands at the age of 32 by the bloody Argentines), was attired in buckskins, long-hair wig, sandals dashiki and purple round sunglasses was a crowd favorite.
The Botendaddy, M.O.B.E., Ltd., the erstwhile bass player, songwriter and band leader, wannabe classical bassist, created a driving rhythm whilst the lead singer Sir Plimpton Braithwaite of Dunfermline, formerly of The Droogz delivered crystal clear vocals with Llewelyn Clywd of Cardiff whilst riveting on drums and the lead guitarist, formerly of Orifices, the one and only Willie McDougall St. MacTaggarty of Glasgow wailed on his 1959 Pes Laul vintage guitar.
The recently recovered film from the vaults of ‘Werenottoojewish’ Productions in Glendale, California which were thought lost in the studio move of 1975 from West Hollywood, reveal this amazingly energetic classic 62 minute set. The film was painstakingly retired by restorations of Crystal Cove, Inc.
Their energetic stage show was captivating. The Botendaddy would toss engraved individually numbered guitar 🎸 picks to the adoring throng.
‘Ello England!🏴 Do you cheeky blokes and She-lerz fancy a lil’ bit of Rock n’ Roll?’
Shroake the Botendaddy as was his wont, to open the set as seen in the grainy 1970’s color film.
The first song was the 1968 Smash hit: ‘Don’t Mollycoddle a Shroakester’ about a man and woman who fall in love in wartime Coventry was incendiary.
The heavily English crowd sang along to the moving No. 1 Charting 1969 rock ballad ‘Shroake me out the Blee’ about a boy who falls in love with a girl.
Then the ground breaking 1970 progressive rock-blues metal pounding hit: ‘Malankey bit of Mollokko Plus’ about a girl who falls in love with a boy at a pub, with Iain Eowyn on Rock n’ Roll Clarinet.
This was followed with the bluesy acid rock hit: ‘Roak me out the Schmiee’ about two star-crossed lovers who smoke a lot of weed. Cork’s own Seamus O’ Flaugherty provided an angelic keyboard 🎹 performance.
The band closed with the atmospheric British take on the Robert Johnson 1926 blues standard ‘What up, Blee?’
We all know the Mississippi Hill Country lyrics:
“Hey, hey hey hey!”
“Yow yow yow yow!”
“You spit in my face as the train door close.
You thought you was safe, you be gone like Boaz.
Whassup? Whassup? Yeah, I open that door.
You thought you was smart, you be whupped to the floor.
I knock you out, you a flunk azz Blee.
“Now I say whassupp you know what I be!”
“Yow yow yow yow”
John Entwhistle Shroake: ‘Botendaddy was a brilliant bass virtuoso with a tremendous mystical driving beat. ‘Ee was a good chap, we’ was.’
Bootsy Collins said: ‘I loved The Botendaddy, man he was a good funky dude. We jammed all the time. I cried all day when he died.’
McCartney: ‘He, that is to say, The Botendaddy was such a righteous good bloke. He gave me his left-handed bass at Budokan when mine shorted out. He was a kind soul. I still have the bass at my estate in Devonshire. I tried to return it to the gent a dozen times but he wanted me to keep it. Delightful chap.’
Rock n’ Roll enthusiasts from around the world, particularly Japan, come to The Botendaddy’s grave site in the North Ulster seaside Veterans cemetery where they decorate his grave with Japanese flowers and origami.
Konichi Waki-San of Kyoto shroake: ‘The music of the most esteemed Botendaddy and his message of peace and love echoes with young Japanese people.’
Jean-Claude Sevigny of Dordogne shroake: ‘Zur Botenpapa was to have be consider like a poetic genius an artiste 👨🎨 in France 🇫🇷 whilst in America how do you say he is to have be consider zur moron. Stupid fat sexy American play video game whilst receiving fast food by drone. Ze American zey cannot stop with ze ‘boofing’. I leave zese fleurs at ze grave, n’est-ce pas?’
John Bonham shroake in a 1973 interview: ‘He was a good bloke he was. I played with the mate at Altamont and the Filmore. He would give you the shirt off his bleeding back he would.’
George Clinton: ‘he was a hip dude. Jammed with us several times, baby. Lost track of him, man, you dig? We were playing the Civic Arena in Pittsburgh on May 29th, 1982 when I heard that the cat was killed. It was a dark moment for P-Funk. We dedicated our last set to him.’
Tina Turner: ‘There are a few good people in the music industry and he was one of them. A genuinely kind person.’
Chaïm ben Schloimo Tennboim music producer from Buffalo, New York shroake in a 2014 interview: ‘He was a good guy this The Botendaddy. Listen, boychik. Never difficult like those other azz-holes. He would be available anywhere anytime. I needed band to fill in like the 1976 Chicago ‘Rock a Palooza’ by Hymie Schoenstein Productions. Hymie was meshuginuh in zeinen Leyden! The Botendaddy and I would drink stout together and eat Bagel, Lox and Cream Cheese 🥯 . He gave my son David Boimschtein Tennboim an autographed bass guitar for his Bar Mitzvah. Did you know The Botendaddy played classical bass with the Royal British string society academy when he was 17? Oy vey is mir! Immensely talented. Very sad what happened to him. Very sad.’
A spokesman for the British Royal Family, Lord Perceval Cholmondeley Braithwaite, IV Leftenant Colonel. Ret. M.O.B.E. of Devonshire shroake: ‘Well old chappie. He was essentially British. Queen and Country, eh what? Right then. Can’t dwell on it too much. Makes me quite sad. Died for the Empire. Very talented fellow. I knew him, you know? We served together in The Troubles in the 93rd Para Regiment despite him being a devout Roman Catholic bloke. A lot of Tommyrot and Balderdash in Ulster. He was never able to return home because of all that. But as it were, my good fellow, The Botendaddy was in the end, my dear friend.’
The Botendaddy 