Change to the East - Change to the East (Ep 1986/89)

Life before Chang(ing) to the East was far from boring: a web of musical influences, experiences and connections all of which would eventually play a key role in bringing about the Chesworth-Wood- Baker- Benson line-up.

Wood recalls:

‘The Ponderosa Glee boys connection is an interesting one […]

I was invited by a friend to go and watch the Glee Boys rehearse at their place on Prescot Road bordering Newsham Park in Fairfield (A run down area of Liverpool). I befriended the band and their entourage and roadied for them at their final gig! This was during their "Post Tommo" phase and would have been late 1981 or early 1982. I remember it was bitterly cold and snowing anyway!

Bob Davies remained at the rehearsal place and formed a new band. I was not involved in that and it was only in 1984 that Bob joined Change to the East. A Russian woman owned the rehearsal place and she started renting it out for lots of other bands to rehearse in. This is where I met "Candy Opera" and joined them for a few months.

We parted company and not long after (In October 1982) I joined Liverpool Youth Music Project which was a Youth training scheme (Also known as YTS). This was a means of the government getting you off the jobless figures while you were really still unemployed!

[…] The career path for anyone in Liverpool who wanted to join a band was to leave school, get on the dole and meet other like minded people in the same position! As a result, there was a tremendous amount of talent and creativity in the city and, of course, we all had the time to apply to our musical endevours. I actually look back on that time with great fondness. Life was very simple!!’


With Woody’s help it is possible to synthesize the various line-ups, from 1982 to 1987:

1982
Les Boyd - bass
Dave Newbold - drums
Stuart Wood - guitar

1983a
Gareth Davies - vocals
Jason Cunliffe - bass
Stuart Wood - guitar
Dave Nobay - drums

1983b
Colm Jackson - vocals
Jason Cunliffe - bass
Stuart Wood - guitar
Gary Cooke - drums

1983c
Alan Konstantine - vocals
Andy Thompson – bass
Stuart Wood - guitar
Gary Cooke - drums

1983d
Gareth Davies (Rejoined) - vocals
Andy Thompson - bass
Stuart Wood - guitar
Gary Cooke - drums

1983e
Dave Ball - vocals
Bob Davies - bass
Stuart wood - guitar
Sean Butler - drums

1984a
Dave Ball - vocals
Bob Davies - bass
Stuart Wood - guitar
Sean Butler - drums

1984b
Dave Inelli - vocals
Bob Davies - bass
Stuart wood - guitar
Colin Morris - drums

1984c
Dave Inelli - vocals
Dave Stinson - backing Vocals
Bob Davies - bass
Stuart wood - guitar
Colin Morris - drums

1984d
Dave Inelli - vocals
Bob Davies - bass
Stuart wood - guitar
Steve ? - drums

1985-March 1987:
Mark Chesworth - vocals
Ian Baker - bass
Stuart Wood - guitar
Paul Benson - drums

As to the various line-ups Wood recalls:
'Every single person made a positive contribution at the time and I felt it was a bit like a continuation of the YTS (Youth Training Scheme - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Youth_Training_Scheme) that I had been on when I was 17. People came and people went. That rehearsal place was such a really insane environment though and it took its toll in many ways!

With reference to the last line-up Wood adds:
'Reading through [the] notes it does remind me of how big an influence Paul was on the band at that time. He was a lot older than us and had lived through the 60's and spent some time as the editor of "Hi fi answers" which was a UK HiFi magazine. He was quite a maverick in that field. If you google "Paul Benson Hi Fi answers" you can still find references to him. He was quite a maverick in that field and did make us think differently.'

Besides playing quite extensively this final line-up recorded the band’s only EP (released in 1989):

Change to the East (1986)
Victoria Street
Wide Awake
Never Again
White Gates

Wood remembers:
'Another thing i'd actually forgotten about the EP is that we were asked to change some of the words to "Wide Awake" by the American record company. They felt that we wouldn't get any airplay using the words "Come to my bed." Mark changed the line to "Come to, she said." I really regret that as it was against what we all stood for really, but when you are young, inexperienced and very naieve, you do tend to do these things. I think they (The company) wanted to portray a clean image whereas the reality was we all took drugs, of one kind or another, like a lot of bands!'

As to the songs on the Ep Baker recalls:

Victoria Street: This was one of Mark's songs and one he used go busking with, and as a result his vocals are very accomplished. He voice always did record very well and I think it is very well 'placed' in the mix of this track.

White Gates was an audience favourite at gigs and with it's distinctive intro always went down well, it was a band fave too often with the set list being built around it. ... I can't forgive Girls Aloud for nicking my bassline for 'Love Machine' though.


ctte - ep

(For all the information and audio files in this post I am indebted to Ian Baker and Stuart Wood, without whom…)

(see also: http://www.youtube.com/user/ChangetotheEast#p/u/8/qN062LwPyVk )