The ARMS Charity Concerts were a series of
charitable rock concerts in support of Action into Research for Multiple Sclerosis in 1983. The first (and initially planned to be the only) event took place at the
Royal Albert Hall on September 20, 1983, with subsequent dates occurring in the United States, with slightly different lineups of musicians.
Royal Albert Hall ARMS Concert
The idea for hosting the concert was envisaged by
Ronnie Lane
Ronald Frederick Lane (1 April 1946 – 4 June 1997) was an English musician and songwriter who is best known as the bass guitarist and founding member of Small Faces (1965–69) and subsequently Faces (1969–73).
Lane formed Small Faces ...
, ex-bassist for
Small Faces
Small Faces were an English rock band from London, founded in 1965. The group originally consisted of Steve Marriott, Ronnie Lane, Kenney Jones and Jimmy Winston, with Ian McLagan replacing Winston as the band's keyboardist in 1966. The ...
and
Faces
The face is the front of an animal's head that features the eyes, nose and mouth, and through which animals express many of their emotions. The face is crucial for human identity, and damage such as scarring or developmental deformities may affe ...
, himself a casualty of
multiple sclerosis. The concert was billed as The Ronnie Lane Appeal for ARMS and featured a star-studded line-up of British musicians, including
Jimmy Page,
Eric Clapton,
Jeff Beck,
Steve Winwood,
Andy Fairweather Low
Andrew Fairweather Low (born 2 August 1948) is a Welsh guitarist and singer. He was a founding member and lead singer of 1960s pop band Amen Corner, and in recent years has toured extensively with Roger Waters, Eric Clapton and Bill Wyman's R ...
,
Bill Wyman,
Kenney Jones
Kenneth Thomas "Kenney" Jones (born 16 September 1948) is an English drummer best known for his work in the groups Small Faces, Faces, and the Who. Jones was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012 as a member of Small Faces/Faces ...
,
Charlie Watts and
Ray Cooper. The concert was notable for being the first occasion on which Clapton, Beck and Page, each a former lead guitarist for
The Yardbirds
The Yardbirds are an English rock band, formed in London in 1963. The band's core lineup featured vocalist and harmonica player Keith Relf, drummer Jim McCarty, rhythm guitarist and later bassist Chris Dreja and bassist/producer Paul Samwell ...
, had performed together on stage.
The set list for the ARMS Charity Concert Video was as follows:
Eric Clapton
* Everybody Oughta Make A Change
*
Rita May
* "
Lay Down Sally
"Lay Down Sally" is a song performed by Eric Clapton, and written by Clapton, Marcy Levy, and George Terry. It appeared on his November 1977 album '' Slowhand'', and reached No. 3 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart.
Background
"Lay Down Sally" ...
"
* "
Ramblin' On My Mind"/"
Have You Ever Loved a Woman
"Have You Ever Loved a Woman" is a blues song written by Billy Myles and first recorded by American blues artist Freddie King in 1960. The song is performed as a slow 12-bar blues with King's vocal and guitar accompanied by a small combo of pia ...
"
* "
Cocaine
Cocaine (from , from , ultimately from Quechua: ''kúka'') is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant mainly used recreationally for its euphoric effects. It is primarily obtained from the leaves of two Coca species native to South Ameri ...
"
Andy Fairweather Low
* "
Man Smart (Woman Smarter) "Man Smart (Woman Smarter)" is a calypso song variously credited as being composed by Norman Span (King Radio), D. L. Miller, F. Kuhn, and Charles Harris. Span's authorship seems most likely since, as a popular calypso musician and songwriter, he ...
"
Steve Winwood with Eric Clapton
* "
Roadrunner
The roadrunners (genus ''Geococcyx''), also known as chaparral birds or chaparral cocks, are two species of fast-running ground cuckoos with long tails and crests. They are found in the southwestern and south-central United States and Mexico, us ...
"
* "
Take Me To The River"
* "
Slowdown Sundown"
* "
Gimme Some Lovin'
"Gimme Some Lovin" is a song first recorded by the Spencer Davis Group. Released as a single in 1966, it reached the Top 10 of the record charts in several countries. Later, ''Rolling Stone'' included the song on its list of the 500 Greatest So ...
"
Intermission
Jeff Beck
* Star Cycle
* The Pump
* "
Goodbye Pork Pie Hat
"Goodbye Pork Pie Hat" is a jazz instrumental composed by Charles Mingus, originally recorded by his sextet in 1959 and released on his album '' Mingus Ah Um''. It was subsequently released on his 1963 album, '' Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus Ming ...
"/"
Led Boots"
* "
Hi Ho Silver Lining
"Hi Ho Silver Lining" is a rock song, written by American songwriters Scott English and Larry Weiss and first released as a single in March 1967 by English band The Attack, then a few days later by Jeff Beck. The Attack's version failed to cha ...
"
Jimmy Page
* Prelude (with
James Hooker)
* City Sirens (with Steve Winwood )
* Who's To Blame (with Steve Winwood )
* "
Stairway to Heaven" (
Instrumental
An instrumental is a recording normally without any vocals, although it might include some inarticulate vocals, such as shouted backup vocals in a big band setting. Through semantic widening, a broader sense of the word song may refer to inst ...
)
All
* "
Tulsa Time
"Tulsa Time" is a song written by Danny Flowers, and recorded by American country music artist Don Williams. It was released in October 1978 as the first single from the album ''Expressions''. It was Williams' eighth number one on the country chart ...
"
* "
Layla
"Layla" is a song written by Eric Clapton and Jim Gordon, originally recorded by Derek and the Dominos, as the thirteenth track from their only studio album, ''Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs'' (1970). Its contrasting movements were compos ...
"
* "
Goodnight, Irene
"Goodnight, Irene" or "Irene, Goodnight," is a 20th-century American folk standard, written in time, first recorded by American blues musician Huddie 'Lead Belly' Ledbetter in 1933. A version recorded by the Weavers was a #1 hit in 1950.
The ...
" (with Ronnie Lane)
The complete show lasted just under three hours and included Wonderful Tonight, Hound Dog, Best That I Can, Wee Wee Baby and Bombers Moon.
Clapton, Winwood, Beck and Page each performed sets, with Andy Fairweather Low and Steve Winwood also performing songs. Clapton, with Fairweather Low, Bill Wyman,
Chris Stainton
Christopher Robert "Chris" Stainton (born 22 March 1944) is an English session musician, keyboard player, bassist and songwriter, who first gained recognition with Joe Cocker in the late 1960s. In addition to his collaboration with Cocker, St ...
, percussionist
Ray Cooper, Kenney Jones,
James Hooker, Steve Winwood and
Fernando Saunders performed a selection of blues and rock numbers. Jeff Beck's set consisted largely of instrumental rock
jazz-fusion
Jazz fusion (also known as fusion and progressive jazz) is a music genre that developed in the late 1960s when musicians combined jazz harmony and improvisation with rock music, funk, and rhythm and blues. Electric guitars, amplifiers, and ke ...
numbers, though he did (to both the surprise of his fellow musicians, the audience, and indeed, himself!) perform his 1960s hit "Hi Ho Silver Lining". Jimmy Page's set was made up, first, of three numbers taken from the ''
Death Wish II
''Death Wish II'' is a 1982 American vigilante action film directed and co-edited by Michael Winner. It is the first of four sequels to the 1974 film '' Death Wish''. It is the second installment in the ''Death Wish'' film series. In the story ...
'' music he had put together for director
Michael Winner
Robert Michael Winner (30 October 1935 – 21 January 2013) was a British filmmaker, writer, and media personality. He is known for directing numerous action, thriller, and black comedy films in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, including several c ...
earlier that year. The set ended with an instrumental version of "
Stairway to Heaven", which evoked a great cheer from the audience. Prince Charles and Lady Diana were in attendance seated in the Royal box in the upper level.
After Page's set, the entire cast of musicians gathered on stage to perform "
Tulsa Time
"Tulsa Time" is a song written by Danny Flowers, and recorded by American country music artist Don Williams. It was released in October 1978 as the first single from the album ''Expressions''. It was Williams' eighth number one on the country chart ...
", a blues rock/country number from Clapton's album ''
Backless
''Backless'' is the sixth full-length studio album by Eric Clapton. Produced by Glyn Johns, and released by RSO Records, ''Backless'' reached No. 8 on the pop charts. While the single "Promises" only reached No. 37 in the UK, it was a much bi ...
'', and then "
Layla
"Layla" is a song written by Eric Clapton and Jim Gordon, originally recorded by Derek and the Dominos, as the thirteenth track from their only studio album, ''Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs'' (1970). Its contrasting movements were compos ...
". In each number, Clapton, Beck and Page each shared lead guitar duties, and, notably in "Layla", each performed a different, and unique
guitar solo.
At the concert's end, Ronnie Lane appeared on stage. Expressing thanks not only to the audience, saying that what had been achieved was 'terrific', he also thanked 'all the boys on the stage too', and then led the musicians in a rendition of "
Goodnight Irene
"Goodnight, Irene" or "Irene, Goodnight," is a 20th-century American folk standard, written in time, first recorded by American blues musician Huddie 'Lead Belly' Ledbetter in 1933. A version recorded by the Weavers was a #1 hit in 1950.
The ...
".
U.S. ARMS Concerts
The ARMS charity concert proved so popular with both the audience and the musicians that the decision was taken to perform a further nine concerts in the USA. The US dates included
Joe Cocker, who notably sang lead vocals on "
With a Little Help from My Friends
"With a Little Help from My Friends" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles, from their 1967 album ''Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band''. It was written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney and sung by drummer Ringo Starr (as Sgt. Pep ...
", and Clapton, Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page each shared lead guitar duties on the "Stairway to Heaven" instrumental. While Ronnie Lane appeared in New York, he did not appear at all of the US dates. The first US dates were in Dallas, TX at
Reunion Arena
Reunion Arena was an indoor arena located in the Reunion district of downtown Dallas, Texas. The arena served as the primary home of the National Hockey League's Dallas Stars and the National Basketball Association's Dallas Mavericks. The ...
on November 28 and 29, 1983. They played in San Francisco at the
Cow Palace
The Cow Palace (originally the California State Livestock Pavilion) is an indoor arena located in Daly City, California, situated on the city's northern border with neighboring San Francisco. Because the border passes through the property, a por ...
from December 1 through 3, 1983, for three sold-out shows. They played in Inglewood, CA at
the Forum on December 5 and 6, and finished in New York City at
Madison Square Garden on December 8 and 9. Also, Steve Winwood was unable to do the American shows and
Paul Rodgers was now playing in Page's set. (They later formed
The Firm together.)
Recordings
A VHS video and a laserdisc (no longer on sale or in circulation) exists of the Albert Hall concert. A DVD is now on general release. On "Rita Mae" and "Cocaine", Clapton can be seen playing a
Gibson Explorer
The Gibson Explorer is a type of electric guitar model by Gibson guitars, released in 1958. The Explorer offered a radical, "futuristic" body design, much like its siblings: the Flying V, which was released the same year, and the Moderne, whi ...
rather than his famed Stratocaster
Blackie that he used on all other numbers apart from "Everybody Oughta Make a Change", "Goodnight Irene" (an acoustic number) and "Tulsa Time" on which he used
Brownie - the 1956 sunburst finish Stratocaster most famously used on "Layla", and later best known as the world's most expensive guitar when sold for $450,000 on June 24, 1999. (But a source says it was another brown sunburst stratocaster Eric used for slide play around that era.
)
Musicians
These musicians performed at the London concert:
* Bass –
Bill Wyman,
Fernando Saunders
* Drums –
Charlie Watts,
Kenney Jones
Kenneth Thomas "Kenney" Jones (born 16 September 1948) is an English drummer best known for his work in the groups Small Faces, Faces, and the Who. Jones was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012 as a member of Small Faces/Faces ...
,
Simon Phillips
* Drums, percussion –
Ray Cooper
* Guitar –
Jimmy Page
* Guitar, keyboards, vocals –
Andy Fairweather Low
Andrew Fairweather Low (born 2 August 1948) is a Welsh guitarist and singer. He was a founding member and lead singer of 1960s pop band Amen Corner, and in recent years has toured extensively with Roger Waters, Eric Clapton and Bill Wyman's R ...
* Guitar, vocals –
Eric Clapton,
Jeff Beck
* Keyboards –
Chris Stainton
Christopher Robert "Chris" Stainton (born 22 March 1944) is an English session musician, keyboard player, bassist and songwriter, who first gained recognition with Joe Cocker in the late 1960s. In addition to his collaboration with Cocker, St ...
,
James Hooker,
Tony Hymas
Anthony James Keith "Tony" Hymas (born 23 September 1943) is an English keyboard player, pianist, and composer.
Career
Hymas started as a chorister at Exeter Cathedral School, where his contemporaries included composer and cathedral organist ...
* Vocals –
Ronnie Lane
Ronald Frederick Lane (1 April 1946 – 4 June 1997) was an English musician and songwriter who is best known as the bass guitarist and founding member of Small Faces (1965–69) and subsequently Faces (1969–73).
Lane formed Small Faces ...
* Vocals, keyboards, mandolin –
Steve Winwood
On the U.S. tour, Winwood and Hymas did not appear. These musicians joined the lineup:
* Guitar –
Ronnie Wood
Ronald David Wood (born 1 June 1947) is an English rock musician, best known as an official member of the Rolling Stones since 1975, as well as a member of Faces and the Jeff Beck Group.
Wood began his career in 1964, playing guitar with a ...
(Madison Square Garden only)
* Keyboards –
Jan Hammer
* Vocals –
Joe Cocker
* Vocals –
Paul Rodgers
References
Further reading
*Roberty Marc, ''Slowhand: The Life & Music Of Eric Clapton'', {{ISBN, 0-517-58351-8
1983 in music
Benefit concerts