Barney Bubbles’ early 70s drum-head for Quiver
//Bubbles’ drum-head for Willie Wilson of Quiver is the centrepiece of this arrangement by artist/designer Steven Thomas of pieces from John Pidgeon’s Poole pottery collection. Photo: John Pidgeon//
This drum-head design by Barney Bubbles for Willie Wilson, sticksman of early 70s folk-rockers Quiver, makes a fine addition to the group of artworks produced in this medium by the late graphics maestro.
It currently occupies pride of place among items of Poole pottery from the collection of author/producer John Pidgeon, as seen in the arrangement at the top of this post by his friend, artist/designer Steven Thomas.
//Drum-head design for Hawkwind’s Simon King, 1972//
The emergence of the Quiver drum-head follows the appearance earlier this year of another for Hawkwind from the same period.
///For Pete Thomas of The Attractions, 1977//
//For Glen Colson, 1983//
//For Will Birch of The Records, 1982//
//Another for Pete Thomas, when he was in Chilli Willi, 1974//
My Barney Bubbles monograph Reasons To Be Cheerful, discusses how the visual impact of painted drum-heads appealed to Bubbles; as well as these two, he designed others for Pete Thomas (of Chilli Willi And The Red Hot Peppers and The Attractions), Will Birch (Kursaal Flyers and The Records) and his publicist friend Glen Colson.
//Front cover, Gone In The Morning, Quiver, WEA, 1972//
//Back cover, Gone In The Morning//
//Inner gatefold, Gone In The Morning//
Bubbles also produced a striking faux-marquetry gatefold sleeve for Quiver’s 1972 album Gone In the Morning, complete with a stained glass design which he presented to the band’s Tim Renwick as a housewarming present (it featured a numeral ‘5’, the number of the guitarist’s new abode.
“Unfortunately it suffered an accident and broke into a thousand shards,” Renwick told me for the book. “Willie has kept the painted drum-head rather safer than my painted glass.”