The purpose of this BIM page is for memories of Iron Maiden from Bolton to be listed here. Why? Well, because its cool to remember….
Steve ‘Dylan’ Wood – Roadie for BIM wrote on 15 Feb 2019
Hi Paul, 15th February 2019. Today is the fiftieth anniversary of us going to Manchester to see Glass Menagerie at The Magic Village. I found my old diary from 1969 recently and read my entry for 15th February 1969: “Went to Magic Village to see Glass Menagerie, Manchester. Very cold!”
Happy days… Dylan
If I remember rightly, we went on the train from Bolton to Manchester Victoria and did the rounds of the music shops and a greasy spoon café before paying 10 bob to get into the Magic Village! It was nothing like my mother feared it would be – prostitutes, spivs and wide boys – just a lot of stoned hippies sat on the floor listening to music and watching oil wheel projections. The band came on and were, of course, fantastic. Having no means to get home, we tried to sleep on the floor but were kept awake by Steve Miller’s “Sailor” playing over-and-over again.
We were let out at 7.30 on Sunday morning and went to wait for the first train to Bolton. When we got back, I think you went into confession at St Pat’s to get warm and Derek and me went to catch the No1 bus in the town hall square. But It had been snowing heavily and the bus was very late! I don’t remember how Beak got home. My entry for 16th February 1969 was “Got home at 10.30. Went to bed”.
and again Dylan wrote:
21st February 1969. “Went to practice at Beak’s. Group was arranging about going on at the Octagon tomorrow – numbers and getting there.”
Again, if I remember rightly the group had bought a 1956 Bedford Workabus in need of repair. The van was in the garage of the Station Hotel and Beak and me were working on the brakes which were very poor.
22nd February 1969. “Went working on van at Paul’s. Went to Octagon in afternoon – didn’t go on. Went to club at night.”
The club of course was William’s “Pinky” in Aspull. [Pinky was The Pink Elephant Club] Our first visit – me, you and Noelle went in my black VW. I still have the membership card issued that night. Pity there’s a housing estate now where the Pinky stood.
22/3/13 Dylan wrote about the 8 Track tapes we had in our converted Ambulance.
Eight Tracks… Some others I remember were: Curved Air – Air Conditioning, Genesis – Fox Trot, Uriah Heep – Salisbury and Live in Birmingham (Ferno thought they lived in Birmingham!) and Beak’s favourite – Bach’s Greatest Hits – especially “The Brandenburg Concerto” played on an early synthesizer!