Keep It Together!: Cosmic Boogie with the Deviants and the Pink Fairies

Drawing sense out of a chaotic time of two equally chaotic bands, this comprehensive probe of broken fragments by Rich Deakin shows how the underground London rock scenes of 1977 and 1966 were not as far apart as it may have seemed at the time with this saga of The Deviants/Pink Fairies family. Both bands were responsible for blazing a trail of defiant, independent noise and attitude that would provide a template for generations to come. Flying high not only a spirit of rebellion but musical statements that (more often than not) proved to be ahead of their time, their efforts only assured them a place of respect long after their respective demises and after years of ignominy.

A coherent work on two bands that were rarely anything but, this book is the first ever book dedicated exclusively to The Deviants/Pink Fairies family tree and is written with a thorough knowledge of its subjects. By not blindly overlooking or exaggerating the flaws or missteps that crossed the swerving paths of both bands (of which there were many) but through dedicated and thorough research, Deakin works up both a sense of the times and the chaotically-woven personal fabric of both bands into a consistent and engaging read.

Along with many previous unseen photographs, the author corrals together most of the facts, small tales, big myths, medium-sized yarns of humour, drug-induced mania and paranoia that remain burned into the collective memories of those responsible.

In Mick Farren's introduction, he states exactly why the story of the Deviants' and Fairies' strange odyssey from the late sixties into the seventies remains so compelling to the present day: "The story you are about to read is neither one of triumph or tragedy. If it's about anything, it's the grim appreciation that one is keeping it real when reality is at its most elusive. Which, deep down, where the spirit survives, is what the hardest core of rock'n'roll is about." As a book on Rock'n'Roll, "Keep It Together" is a success. And one measure of that success is in the way it'll send you back to your music stack digging out "PTOOFF!" or "Kings of Oblivion" if you know these records -- or ordering them online immediately if you don't.

From deviation street to never never land and beyond!! (2/3 people found this helpful)

The City Kids / Deviants with a cast of thousands. Lives and crimes finally put to print whooooowhooo... at bleeding last! I suppose Farren couldn't really do it being a Fairy himself "no pun intended", so it needed a man of good standing, not an insider nor a music hack but a fan yes a fan in the form of one RICH DEAKIN and what fitter tribute could be embellished onto (the underground crusaders from Ladbroke grove popular peoples freedom front) or as a python sketch may have said "wot did the hippies ever do for us!!? Well pigs from Uranus this bunch of sweeties did quite a lot. I got into the fairies at the tender age of fifteen 1975 (see my biog, PEOPLE CALL YA CRAZY WHEN YA TALK LIKE THAT) yep cheap arse book plug ...but hey Rich plugged his on my review. Anyway as you probably know the Fairies broke up and got back together more times than a Nick Cotton meets the Dingalls in a street fighting pig punching brawl in Eastenders and never got round to recording as much material as we the fans would have enjoyed but hey ho that's life. But I still shiver at Larry Wallace's metallic guitar riffs Paul Rudolf's long long feedback solo's that you just cant get away with these days "mores the pity being a bit of an old plucker myself" and Sandy's sturdy bass keeping the sometimes chaotic live set in order, not to mention the drummers Twink unt Russell Hunter. There's an introduction by Mick Farren,and if you look around theres a spoken word format available. The biog itself is written in great detail from the early beginnings of Farren's Deviants with all the references to squat culture, drug culture, the ins and out's of the underground press "IT" of which Farren was the editor for a while the bizarre and hilarious way the records where recorded in all the confusion of drugs "n" stuff, anarchy in all its glory well before the Pistols ever reared the monster that would be and spat the mothers milk of west London home grown amphetamine/tuinol laced anarchy back in the face of its surrogate mother. Up to the post punk and beyond bands such as the Rings, kicks, Lightening Raiders etc, telling the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth be it good or bad. Some people come off better than others but all in all I think "as only being an outsider fan myself" it's very well documented and as accurate as you need to get. A story long over due and needed telling with some great insight and story telling from all the usual suspects from the hippie days to the birth of punk and so on. So I'll stop bigging MR DEAKIN up... press the BUY IT NOW button "God knows the royalties will be well, well, well received". I'll stop quoting titles from Fairies songs and you can give a copy to ya grandkids as a history lesson. So that's it and as in the immortal words of Twink's wisdom DON'T THINK ABOUT IT IF YA AINT GONNA BUY IT!!!

Play em & read em (3/4 people found this helpful)

Hats off to Mr Deakin, for it was this brave fellow who descended into the soft white underbelly of Ladbroke Grove to pull apart the true story of the The Pink Finks. Lets face it if you are even reading this review you know what I am talking about. If you are like me and the limited canon of four PF studio albums have peppered your teenage to adult years with a soundtrack of drugged abandon & mescaline fueled dreams then you will find yourself gripped to this tome as I have for the last four days. The author has done an excellent job, an unpretentious but informative writing style is engaging & rewarding to the reader, my only quibble is that it barely wets my appetite for more detail (particularly in the Wallis-Kings Of Oblivion period) & I would have hoped for more pictures. That aside its a book that had to be written of a story long over due in being told and Deakin deserves a medal for his attention to detail, thank you sir!! I have been a resident of Northern California for many years and it took me back to my youth seeing the Fairies live several times during the crazy summer months of '87, it also is a book that echoes the poignant social history of London in the late sixties & early seventies...it made me home sick!

Cruisin at speed...we got more than we will ever need ...Oh aint life sweet!

If You're Reading This, You Need This Book! (7/8 people found this helpful)

Contrary to the info above, this fabulous tome actually has 304 pages, so don't hold back on clicking to buy a copy, as it's well worth its weight. Suffice to say if you are a Pink Fairies and / or Deviants fan and are here reading this, then you need to click to buy; because there ain't never gonna be a better companion to those two band's music than this.
Rich Deakin has carried out a painstakingly exacting, albeit enjoyable job here in interviewing the various member's of these bands, and to draw some sort of logic and perfection out of the encumbered and highly complex (stoned) lives they lived, worked and gigged in is no mean feat. And it takes a certain kind of investigative nature to even tackle, let alone sort it out and write it down with some degree of chronology; but this guy has pulled it off admirably. A darned excellent read, never tiresome, very page-turning and, oh, blimey, just buy a copy and you'll see what I mean! You won't regret it!

Rich Deakin, with a foreword by Mick Farren

Reader Reviews:

A Comprehensive Probe of Broken Fragments (0/0 people found this helpful)

From deviation street to never never land and beyond!! (2/3 people found this helpful)

Play em & read em (3/4 people found this helpful)

If You're Reading This, You Need This Book! (7/8 people found this helpful)

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