Help Yourself, known to their fans as "The Helps", Allmusic biography by Keith PettinessRetrieved 18 November 2008 were an English

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

band of the early 1970s whose style developed from "American-flavoured country-rock ... to acid-drenched psych."Senza Tempo review by Phil McMullen
Retrieved 18 November 2008

History

Help Yourself formed in London in 1970, originally as a backing band for singer-songwriter Malcolm Morley, who had been signed as a solo act by Famepushers. The band was assembled by John Eichler who, as well as working for Famepushers, was production manager at Strand Cosmetics, where he hired people either for 'musical ability' or 'strangeness'. The eponymous debut album, ''Help Yourself'', was recorded from late 1970 to early 1971. Malcolm Morley (vocals, guitars, keyboards) wrote all the songs on this album, which was recorded with former Sam Apple Pie member

Dave Charles Dave Charles, also known as David Charles is a British drummer, recording engineer & record producer. He often appears under both names on the same album, e.g. Help Yourself's ''The Return of Ken Whaley'', where Dave Charles is credited with dr ...

(drums, percussion, vocals), ex member of Monday Morning Glory Band, Richard Treece (lead guitar, harmonica, vocals) and former Growth member

Ken Whaley Ken Whaley (5 November 1946 – 8 May 2013) was a rock music bass guitar player, best known as a founding member of Help Yourself and Ducks Deluxe, and as a member of Deke Leonard's Iceberg, Man and The Tyla Gang. He also played with The ...

(bass) The album was recorded before the band had played a gig, having been signed to

Liberty Records Liberty Records was a record label founded in the United States by chairman Simon Waronker in 1955 with Al Bennett as president and Theodore Keep as chief engineer. It was reactivated in 2001 in the United Kingdom and had two previous revival ...

by Andrew Lauder, head of A&R. The band toured on the ''Downhome Rhythm Kings'' package with Brinsley Schwarz & Ernie Graham (ex

Eire Apparent Eire Apparent were a band from Northern Ireland, noted for launching the careers of Henry McCullough and Ernie Graham, and for having Jimi Hendrix play on, and produce, their only album. History Tony and The Telstars The origins of the group ...

), who were all managed by Famepushers. After the tour, Ken Whaley departed but no other bass player was recruited to replace him. Help Yourself, Ernie Graham (vocals, guitar) and his guitarist Jonathan "Jojo" Glemser, moved into Headley Grange in 1971, shortly after Led Zeppelin IV had been recorded there. The line-up was amalgamated to include both Graham (who had just released his eponymous solo album backed by Help Yourself and Brinsley Schwarz) and Glemser, both of whom were guitarists, so Treece switched to bass. The band played the 1971

Glastonbury Festival Glastonbury Festival (formally Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts and known colloquially as Glasto) is a five-day festival of contemporary performing arts that takes place in Pilton, Somerset, England. In addition to contemp ...

.Sleevenotes by Nigel Cross to CD re-release of ''Ernie Graham'' his eponymous 1971 album (Hux 032) "Street Songs", from their first album, was issued on a United Artists double album sampler ''

All Good Clean Fun ''All Good Clean Fun'' was originally a promotional sampler issued by United Artists Records (UDX 201/2) in 1971. This original release was a double album containing 23 tracks by 20 different artists, with three artists (Morning, The Nitty Gritty ...

''. A tour was arranged to promote this album, so Help Yourself joined

Man A man is an adult male human. Prior to adulthood, a male human is referred to as a boy (a male child or adolescent). Like most other male mammals, a man's genome usually inherits an X chromosome from the mother and a Y chromo ...

and Leicester band Gypsy, on a tour of Switzerland. The second album ''Strange Affair'' was recorded at Rockfield Studios, initially with Richard Treece still on bass, and adding his guitar parts later, until Paul Burton, their then Road Manager and former Sam Apple Pie roadie, joined on bass, guitar and vocals, to complete the album.review by Valve of Beware the Shadow in Head Heritage
retrieved 20 November 2008 ''Strange Affair'' was released in early 1972, by which time both Graham and Glemser had also departed. The new line-up of Morley, Treece, Charles and Burton appeared on their first Peel Session in April 1972 The Peel Sessions BBC Radio 1
retrieved 20 November 2008 and recorded the next album ''Beware The Shadow'' almost immediately. Sean Tyla, who had been the band's

roadie The road crew (or roadies) are the technicians or support personnel who travel with a band on tour, usually in sleeper buses, and handle every part of the concert productions except actually performing the music with the musicians. This ca ...

, helped with some of the songwriting during this period, notably "American Mother," and "All Electric Fur Trapper" on "Strange Affair" which was based on a fairy tale he had written. Shortly after completing the album, the band left Headley Grange, Tyla moved in with ex member Ken Whaley, and they formed Ducks Deluxe. Just as the Helps were due to start a tour to promote ''Beware The Shadow'', Morley suffered a bout of depression ("The Shadow" referred to in the album title).Sleevenotes by John Tobler to CD re-release of ''Strange Affair'', ''The Return of Ken Whaley'' and ''Happy Days'' (BGOCD 452) Rather than cancel the tour,

Deke Leonard Roger Arnold "Deke" Leonard (18 December 1944 – 31 January 2017) was a Welsh rock musician, "serving a life sentence in the music business".B. J. Cole, played at Man's Christmas Party. The double 10" album, ''

Christmas at the Patti ''Christmas at the Patti'' is a live album, recorded at Man's Christmas party, held at the Patti Pavilion, Swansea, on 19 December 1972. The album features Man and Help Yourself with guests Deke Leonard, Dave Edmunds and B J Cole, together wit ...

'' recorded at this concert, contains far more of their performance (24’) than their hosts (11’30’’). Ducks Deluxe also played this concert, but Whaley had already left. ''Beware The Shadow'' was released in late 1972, but none of the first three albums sold well. The Helps appealed to a hippie audience such as fans of

Grateful Dead The Grateful Dead was an American rock music, rock band formed in 1965 in Palo Alto, California. The band is known for its eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, Folk music, folk, country music, country, jazz, bluegrass music, bluegrass, ...

and

Quicksilver Messenger Service Quicksilver Messenger Service is an American psychedelic rock band formed in 1965 in San Francisco. The band achieved wide popularity in the San Francisco Bay Area and, through their recordings, with psychedelic rock enthusiasts around the globe, ...

so they were moderately successful in the U.S. but never toured there. In 1973, the band proposed touring with

Roger Ruskin Spear Roger Ruskin Spear (born 29 June 1943 in Hammersmith, London) is an English sculptor, multimedia artist and multi-instrumentalist (saxophones, clarinet, piano, guitars, percussion) who was a member of the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band. Career After Sp ...

, the Flying Aces and Vivian "Spiv" Morris, in a vaudeville show called "Happy Days", which was to be held in a circus tent. They started recording material for this in January, but Burton was unhappy with the proposed theatrical tour, so he left. Whaley returned and the band started recording their new album in February, finishing the Happy Days album in March and the Helps album in April, when they also recorded their second Peel Session. After a two-month "Happy Days" tour, the fourth album, ''The Return of Ken Whaley'', was released, with the ''Happy Days'' album included free with the first 5,000 copies. The fourth album did not sell well either, and the band were not getting many gigs, so they were surprised when United Artists asked them to record another album, which they started recording in July 1973, with a line-up augmented by Sean Tyla. The album was to be called ''5'' and a cover was commissioned from

Rick Griffin Richard Alden "Rick" Griffin (June 18, 1944 – August 18, 1991) was an American artist and one of the leading designers of psychedelic posters in the 1960s. As a contributor to the underground comix movement, his work appeared regularly in ...

. They only had "half formed ideas" and although they eventually laid down 8 tracks, they gave up recording and disbanded in August 1973.Sleevenotes by Phil Mc Mullen to the 2004 release of ''5'' (Hux 054) They re-formed for "The Amazing

ZigZag A zigzag is a pattern made up of small corners at variable angles, though constant within the zigzag, tracing a path between two parallel lines; it can be described as both jagged and fairly regular. In geometry, this pattern is described as ...

Concert" on 28 April 1974 with a core line-up of Morley, Treece, Whaley and Charles with Burton and Leonard guesting. Being incomplete, ''5'' was not issued, although a few years later some fans tried, unsuccessfully, to persuade the band to complete the album. After Morley released his solo album ''Aliens'' in 2001, the suggestion re-arose, and the album was finally completed in 2002/2003 by Morley, Treece and Whaley, with Kevin Spacey on drums, as Charles had other commitments. The album was eventually released in 2004. There is rumour of a forthcoming six-CD box set covering all their existing studio recorded music with additional re-mastered BBC sessions never before released. Its title was announced as "Passing Through" and it was due to be released in late August 2021 on

Cherry Red Records Cherry Red Records is a British independent record label founded in Malvern, Worcestershire by Iain McNay in 1978. The label has released recordings by Dead Kennedys, Everything But the Girl, The Monochrome Set, and Felt, among others, as well ...

Personnel

* Malcolm Morley – keyboards, guitar, vocals (1970–1973 & 2002–2003) *Richard Treece – guitar, bass, vocals (1970–1973 & 2002–2003) *

– drums, percussion, vocals (1970–1973) *

– bass (1970–1971, 1973 & 2002–2003) *Paul Burton – bass, guitar, vocals (1971–1973) *Jonathan "Jojo" Glemser – guitar (1971) * Ernie Graham – guitar, vocals (1971) *Kevin Spacey – drums (2002–2003) * Sean Tyla – guitar, vocals (1972 & 1973)

Subsequent careers

Malcolm Morley

Malcolm Morley briefly joined Bees Make Honey, before joining Man with Leonard and Whaley, where he co-wrote and recorded Man's most successful album ''Rhinos, Winos and Lunatics'' but left after a US tour. In 1976 Morley recorded a solo album, backed by Plummet Airlines who he'd been working with, and produced by ex-Brinsley

Ian Gomm Ian Robert Gomm (born 28 March 1947 in Chiswick, West London) is a British singer-songwriter, who was the rhythm guitarist for Brinsley Schwarz from 1970 to 1974. He was named "Best Rhythm Guitarist" by ''NME'' in 1971. Early career Gomm's car ...

. The album was not issued, and the master tapes were lost for 25 years. When the tapes were found, the album was finally issued as ''Lost and Found'' in 2002 (Hux 034). He performed with Deke Leonard,

Wreckless Eric Eric Goulden (born 18 May 1954), known as Wreckless Eric, is an English rock/ new wave singer-songwriter, best known for his 1977 single " Whole Wide World" on Stiff Records. More than two decades after its release, the song was included in ''M ...

and

Kirsty MacColl Kirsty Anna MacColl (10 October 1959 – 18 December 2000) was a British singer and songwriter, daughter of folk singer Ewan MacColl. She recorded several pop hits in the 1980s and 1990s, including " There's a Guy Works Down the Chip Shop Swears ...

, including a TV appearance with McColl in 1981. He then left the music business. In 2001 he recorded another solo album, ''Aliens'', which was issued on Creo Records, and in 2008 he started appearing live again. Morley also had another solo album entitled ''Infinity Lake'', released on Starry Eyed and Laughing's record label in October 2019.

Richard Treece

Richard Treece briefly joined Deke Leonard's Iceberg and later re-joined George and Martin Ace in The Flying Aces. He briefly joined The Splendid Humans, before joining former Man members Phil Ryan and Will Youatt in The Neutrons. In 2000, he issued a solo album, ''Dream Arena East'' (Treece 1), and then joined Ken Whaley in 'The Archers', which evolved into his current band 'The Green Ray'. The Green Ray comprises Richard Treece (guitar and vocals), Ken Whaley (bass and Vocals), his brother Simon Whaley (drums) and Simon Haspeck (guitar and vocals). They have issued three albums: ''Soft Cloud'' (2002) SC001/FYPC15, ''Back from the Edge'' (2006) Gray 11 with Aaron Liddard, and the live ''Classic Rock Club, Cheshunt, 5 January 2008'' with Nick Saloman of

The Bevis Frond The Bevis Frond is an English rock band formed in 1986 in Walthamstow, London, England. The band is fronted by Nick Saloman and has recorded many singles and albums on various independent labels. Information Saloman was originally in a band kno ...

(Effigy 2008), and a DVD with Barry "The Fish" Melton guesting. They played at the

(Green Stage) in 2007. Treece died on 26 May 2015.

Dave Charles

Dave Charles was an engineer whilst he was in Help Yourself (recording the infamous Brinsley Schwarz "hype" concerts at the Filmore East), and subsequently became the resident engineer and producer at

Rockfield Studios Rockfield Studios is a residential recording studio located in the Wye Valley just outside the village of Rockfield, Monmouthshire, Wales. It was originally founded in 1963 by brothers Kingsley and Charles Ward. Facilities Rockfield is a two- ...

where he produced and/or engineered albums by

Hawkwind Hawkwind are an English rock band known as one of the earliest space rock groups. Since their formation in November 1969, Hawkwind have gone through many incarnations and have incorporated many different styles into their music, including hard ...

, Dr. Feelgood, The Charlatans,

The La's The La's were an English rock band from Liverpool, originally active from 1983 until 1992. Fronted by singer, songwriter and guitarist Lee Mavers, the group are best known for their hit single " There She Goes". The band was formed by Mike Bad ...

The Fabulous Thunderbirds The Fabulous Thunderbirds are an American blues band formed in 1974. Career After performing for several years in the Austin, Texas blues scene, the band won a recording contract with Takoma/Chrysalis Records and later signed with Epic Recor ...

and others. He still plays drums, and has played for Dave Edmunds as well as

Carl Perkins Carl Lee Perkins (April 9, 1932 – January 19, 1998)#nytimesobit, Pareles. was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. A rockabilly great and pioneer of rock and roll, he began his recording career at the Sun Studio, in Memphis, Tennes ...

George Harrison George Harrison (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001) was an English musician and singer-songwriter who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. Sometimes called "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Indian c ...

Dion DiMucci Dion Francis DiMucci (born July 18, 1939), better known simply as Dion, is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. His music has incorporated elements of doo-wop, pop, rock, R&B, folk and blues. Initially as the lead singer of Dion and t ...

, Steve Cropper,

Jeff Beck Geoffrey Arnold Beck (born 24 June 1944) is an English rock guitarist. He rose to prominence with the Yardbirds and after fronted the Jeff Beck Group and Beck, Bogert & Appice. In 1975, he switched to a mainly instrumental style, with a focus ...

and

Kid Creole and the Coconuts Kid Creole and the Coconuts is an American musical group created by August Darnell with Andy Hernandez and Adriana Kaegi. Its music incorporates a variety of styles and influences, in particular a mix of disco and Latin American, Caribbean ...

Ken Whaley

Ken Whaley briefly joined Deke Leonard's Iceberg, until joining Man with Leonard and Morley. He recorded Man's two most successful albums ''Rhinos, Winos and Lunatics'' and ''Slow Motion'' and also left after a US tour. He worked for John Eichler at The Three Kings. He played with Richard Treece in 'The Archers' and later in 'The Green Ray' (see above) before his death in 2013.

Paul Burton

Paul Burton joined Deke Leonard's

Iceberg An iceberg is a piece of freshwater ice more than 15 m long that has broken off a glacier or an ice shelf and is floating freely in open (salt) water. Smaller chunks of floating glacially-derived ice are called "growlers" or "bergy bits". The ...

after playing on the first album. He toured Republic of Ireland with them. He left after that tour and worked for

Manticore Records Manticore Records is a record label launched by the Manticore production company in 1973. These companies were owned by the members of the progressive rock group Emerson, Lake & Palmer (commonly known as ELP.) and their manager, Stewart Young. ...

(

Emerson, Lake & Palmer Emerson, Lake & Palmer (informally known as ELP) were an English progressive rock supergroup formed in London in 1970. The band consisted of Keith Emerson (keyboards), Greg Lake (vocals, bass, guitar, producer) and Carl Palmer (drums, percus ...

), running their rehearsal studio in Fulham Broadway. He worked as a tour manager for

Baker Gurvitz Army Baker Gurvitz Army were an English rock group. Their self-titled debut album featured a blend of hard rock laced with Ginger Baker's jazz- and Afrobeat-influenced drumming. The lengthy "Mad Jack" was that album's outstanding track, and the a ...

(

Ginger Baker Peter Edward "Ginger" Baker (19 August 1939 – 6 October 2019) was an English drummer. His work in the 1960s and 1970s earned him the reputation of "rock's first superstar drummer", for a style that melded jazz and Music of Africa, Africa ...

, Burton and

Adrian Gurvitz Adrian Curtis Gurvitz (; born 26 June 1949) is an English singer, songwriter, musician and record producer. His prolific songwriting ability has gained him hits with Eddie Money's No. 1 ''Billboard'' Mainstream Rock hit " The Love in Your Eyes" a ...

) until January 1975. Having been newly married, he took a job as a chauffeur and ended up running a UK subsidiary of a Swiss electronics company as managing director for more than 25 years. He retired in 2007 and now living in Devon with his second wife.

Sean Tyla

After Ducks Deluxe, Sean Tyla formed the Tyla Gang, which made three albums and which both Treece and Whaley played with at various times. In 1981 he worked with

Joan Jett Joan Jett (born Joan Marie Larkin, September 22, 1958) is an American singer, guitarist, record producer, and actress. Jett is best known for her work as the frontwoman of her band Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, and for earlier founding and per ...

and then formed The Force, with Deke Leonard, who recorded one album, ''Forces First'', but Tyla left after suddenly suffering stage fright. He re-formed Ducks Deluxe. Tyla died on 17 May 2020.

Ernie Graham

Ernie Graham formed pub rock group Clancy in 1971, which recorded two albums before they split in 1976. He gave up being a professional musician. Graham worked on the railways, including as a guard on the Venice-Simplon Orient Express, and was training to become a counsellor when he died in April 2001.

Discography

Albums

*''Help Yourself'' (1971) Liberty ((UK Cat No) LBS 83484)) ((US Cat No) LBS 5583)

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

*''Strange Affair'' (1972) United Artists ((UK Cat No) UAS 29287) ((US Cat No) UAS 5591)

*''Beware The Shadow'' (1972) United Artists (UAS 29413) *''The Return of Ken Whaley'' (1973) United Artists (UAS 29487) *''Happy Days'' (with the Flying Aces and Spiv) (1973) United Artists (UA Free 1) free with the first 5,000 copies of ''The Return of Ken Whaley'' as a box set (UDG4001) *''5'' (8 unreleased 1973 recordings & 3 recorded in 2002/2003) (2004) Hux Records (HUX054)

Live albums

*''

'' (with Man, Ducks Deluxe, Flying Aces and others) (1973) United Artists (UDX 203/4): CD Re-release (1997) Point (PNTVP110CD): CD Re-master (2007) Esoteric (ECLEC 2018)

*''

The Amazing ZigZag Concert The Amazing Zig Zag Concert was a rock concert held at The Roundhouse on April 28, 1974 to celebrate the fifth anniversary of Zig Zag Magazine. Described as "one of the gigs of the decade", the concert "has taken on legendary proportions over the ...

'' (2010) Road Goes on Forever (RGF/ZZBOX1974) Disc 4 of 5-CD Box set also featuring Starry Eyed and Laughing,

Chilli Willi and the Red Hot Peppers Chilli Willi and the Red Hot Peppers were one of the main British pub rock groups of the early 1970s. Later managed by Jake Riviera, who first worked for the band as a roadie, they reached their peak as part of the "Naughty Rhythms Tour" of ...

, John Stewart and

Michael Nesmith Robert Michael Nesmith or Mike Nesmith, (December 30, 1942 – December 10, 2021) was an American musician, songwriter, and actor. He was best known as a member of the pop rock band the Monkees and co-star of the TV series ''The Monkees'' (1966� ...

Singles

*"Running Down Deep" / "Paper Leaves" (1971) Liberty (LBF15459) *"Heaven Row" / "Brown Lady" (1972) United Artists (UP 35355) *"Mommy Won’t Be Home for Christmas" / "Johnny B. Goode" (1972) United Artists (UP 35466)

Compilations

* ''Strange Affair'' and ''Beware The Shadow'' (the second and third albums), were re-released on one double LP (UA 29796/97 XB) in 1997 in Germany as part of the series The Classic British Rock Scene * ''Help Yourself'' and ''Beware The Shadow'' (the first and third albums), were re-released on one CD (BGO CD 385) in 1998 * ''Strange Affair'', ''The Return of Ken Whaley'' and ''Happy Days'' were re-released on a double CD (BGO CD452) in 1999

* ''Reaffirmation'', "An anthology 1971-73" Remastered, selected tracks from the first 4 albums, Happy Days & Christmas at the Patti, plus the Christmas single - (Esoteric ECLEC 22459) 2014

Samplers

* ''

'' One track ("Street Songs") appears on the original 1971 double album (UDX 201/2) * ''

'' Three tracks ("Street Songs", "Eddie Waring" and "Re-affirmation") appear on the 2004 triple CD re-release (Liberty 8660902) * ''Naughty Rhythms: The Best of Pub Rock'' Includes one Helps track "Alabama Lady" (1996) EMI Premier (37968)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Help Yourself 1970 establishments in England 1973 disestablishments in England English psychedelic rock music groups British pub rock music groups Musical groups established in 1970 Musical groups disestablished in 1973