Vic Flick

[Geoffers]

Ok, this isn't strictly about film music, but it concerns the biography of Vic Flick who played on many film and TV themes, so I thought it a reasonable place to post a review of his autobiography - just published. Feel free to move me on, if appropriate.



Vic Flick - Guitarman is a fascinating book concerning the life and career of a man who always wanted to make his living through playing the guitar. By no means a household name on either side of the Atlantic, we learn how Vic Flick nevertheless became the leader of the incomparable John Barry Seven and eventually *the* man to turn to for crucial studio recordings.



There is a vivid account of growing up in the UK during the Second World War, before a brief attempt at a non-musical career faltered when the lure of playing music professionally proved too strong. The atmosphere of Butlins Holiday Camps at Skegness and Clacton in the fifties is perfectly captured, as Vic becomes a member of Les Clark and his Musical Maniacs & The Vic Alan Quintet. We re-live the days of endless, tiring, variety tours with The Bob Cort Skiffle group, leading to a meeting with John Barry on a Paul Anka tour which became the first big break for him when John later asked him to join the JB7.



There are tales of the nerve-wracking "live" performances on BBC TV's Drumbeat show - the series which introduced Adam Faith to the general public. Also the JB7 recording sessions at the famous Abbey Road Studios and at CTS Bayswater - where the original version of The James Bond Theme was recorded, and on which Vic played solo guitar. There is even an extract from his diary verifying the time and date on which the recording of probably the most famous film theme of all time took place!



The book is full of hilarious anecdotes of both off and on-stage antics at pop concerts, characters he worked with at recording sessions at virtually every studio in London, the idiosyncrasies of the powerful session "fixers", and meeting and working with star names at both recording sessions and on TV shows during his very lengthy career. There are also some poignant and moving moments, too, when we learn that the career of a freelance musician is not all roses, including the devastating moment when he eventually discovered he had been denied the chance to become "Britain's answer to Duane Eddy" when executives at EMI were told he was under contract to John Barry during the early sixties - which was not the case.



What is apparent throughout the book is the integrity and honesty of the writer, combined with the support he has always received from his family. If you want to read a factual and absorbing account of the life of a professional musician during the heady days of the fifties, sixties and seventies, this book is thoroughly recommended.

[Jackdaw]

Thanks for that, Geoffers.

Vic is an excellent and highly distinctive player whom I remember well from the late 50's on, and I hope to get a look at his book in due course.