Steve Took's biographer. Co-producer of his 'Blow It' album

Steve Peregrin Took
Steve Peregrin Took - mostly known as Marc Bolan's tag team partner in Tyrannosaurus Rex ... in truth the greatest Lost Star of the 1970s. Would have been the UK's answer to Iggy Pop, but he was just TOO HOT for the 70s music industry to handle ...

The mad drug-fiend who led the mighty SHAGRAT in 1970-71 with Larry Wallis ... Sometime solo singer/songwriter, sometime band frontman, always wild genius.

Hi latest release, 'Blow It!!!' shows Steve Took at his electric finest. Recorded at Pathway Studios in 1977 with his band STEVE TOOK'S HORNS, features future Inner City Unit members "Judge" Trev and Ermanno "Dino Ferrari" Ghisio-Erba. Unreleased – until now! Also features brand new recordings of two previously unrecorded Took/Horns songs - Too Bad and Ooh! My Heart. Featuring original members Trev & Ermanno, and in keeping with Took’s Hawkwind connections, Hawkwind's '90s frontman Ron Tree. The acoustic tracks on the Shagrat sessions 'Steve Took Shagratt' show his exceptional singing voice. Sadly, two of the electric tracks play show and so the manic power of Took and Wallis is missed. The final electric track is taken from a scratched acetate although, that aside it’s a rocking track demonstrating why Wallis’s guitar playing would become legendary in the pink Fairies and the original line-up of Motorhead. A further Took recording has been released twice ('The Missing Link to Tyrannosaurus Rex', 'Crazy Diamond'). This is based on home tapes recorded with Took and Various Pink Fairies and (most likely) Syd Barrett in various stages of intoxication and should be taken as such. It does contain a few enjoyable tracks and some nice ‘spaciness’.

While Took was still in Tyrannosaurus Rex he recorded with Syd Barrett (the tapes remain unreleased to this day) and appeared on David Bowie’s ’68 radio session on ('Bowie at the Beeb: The Best of the BBC Radio Sessions'. He became a key member of the ‘Pink Fairies Rock and Roll Drinking Club’. Mick (Deviants/White Panthers/NME reporter) Farren recalled that Took would sometimes “drag a bemused Syd Barrett” to the proceedings. Meanwhile Bolan was at home with wife to be June and didn’t socialise with many of the other underground musicians or take drugs (at that time). On one occasion, Took invited various ‘Pink Fairies Rock and Roll Drinking Club’ members on stage at the end of a Tyrannosaurus Rex gig. Farren recalls, “One time, Marc was playing the Lyceum and Took invited us all on. We all trooped on and started to play some Bo Diddley tune and Marc walked off.” ‘Da management banned Took from associating with these naughty ‘radicals’ and their drug taking ways! He responded by rebelling and devouring more drugs and determinedly hanging out with his friends.

When it became clear to Took that Bolan would not allow him to sing lead or allow any of his songs to be performed by the duo, he took (excuse the pun) two of them to Twink for the Think Pink album. Took contributes musically and vocally. Bolan was furious. Took was sacked before the US tour during which he was provided with enough drugs for the management to use this as one reason for his ousting.

Within a few months Took was back in the studio and contributed extensively to Bad-Boy Farren’s ‘Mona the Carnivorous Circus’ album under the name ‘Shagrat the Vagrant’ before forming the original line-up of the Pink Fairies and then Shagrat. Of his singer/songwriter, abilities Farren commented “Took had a rhyme in his pockets. He was really interesting. Chrissie Hynde reminded me so much of Took when she started.” He guested with Hawkwind a number of times and worked with many Hawkwind musicians notably Nik Turner and the genius Robert Calvert.

Took was one of the leading lights in the Underground counter-culture and after having his fingers burnt by Tyrannosaurus Rex management and after meeting Bolan in January 1972, seeing how success, pressure and a diet of rich foods, champagne and cocaine had changed his former partner. Took shied away from signing his life away to get commercial success choosing to stay true to the underground ethos. He performed many benefit gigs for charities such as Friends of the Earth with fellow Ladbroke Grove collaborators including Hawkwind, the Pink Fairies, Bowie’s guitarist Mick Wayne et al.

He formed a number of bands with various Deviants, Hawkwind and Pink Fairies musicians, which culminated with the formation of ‘Steve Took’s Horns’ in 1977. After The Horns split up Turner formed Inner City Unit with the core Horns members and Took guested with ICU until shortly before his death on the 28th October 1980 when he choked on a cocktail cherry.

It is also suggested that you re-listen to the first three Tyrannosaurus Rex albums ('My People Were Fair & Had Sky In Their Hair But Now They're Content To Wear Stars On', 'Prophets, Seers & Sages the Angels of the Ages' and 'Unicorn'), listen out for Took’s contribution. Note the harmony vocals and the range of instruments he plays which increases during the course of the three albums. One Tyrannosaurus Rex fan said “"It's like Bolan might have written the songs - drawn the pictures, but Steve Took was the Painter - all those Colours and Shades you Love are His". Also check out the live albums 'For the Lion and the Unicorn in the Oak Forests of Faun' from towards the end of Took’s time with Bolan and 'There Was a Time' from the very beginning and the album 'The Beginning of Doves' some tracks were recorded before Bolan met Took, but the majority are from a session recorded a month after the formation of Tyrannosaurus Rex. This is listed as a ‘Bolan’ release, but at least now after twenty-eight years, Took is credited in the liner notes.

As well as ‘Mona’ Took also appears on the following Mick Farren/Deviants albums 'People Call You Crazy: The Story of Mick Farren' released in 2003, 'Partial Recall' and 'On Your Knees, Earthlings!!!'. Took is also included on the Hawkwind related album 'Space Box: 1970 & Beyond (Space, Krautrock & Acid Trips)' though these tracks are taken from the 1972 stoned home recordings.

His name ‘Peregrin Took’ was taken from Lord of the Rings and as such has no ‘e’ at the end. Over zealous spell checkers, change this to the bird of prey spelling with the ‘e’.

For more information on Steve Took, visit www.Steve-Took.co.uk