Gun - Race with the Devil 1968

Gun, Race with the Devil (live), France, 1968, YouTube, duration: 3.31 minutes.

Contents

The song
Lyrics
Hendrix
Cover art
Chronology
Videos & live
Gun recordings
Lessons
References

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Abstract

The following article discusses aspects of the October 1968 rock 7" single release of Race with the Devil by English band Gun. It peaked at number 8 in the UK charts and went on to become a rock guitar classic. Their brief career between June 1968 and November 1970 is outlined, with special emphasis on the role of lead guitarist Adrian Gurvitz, also known as Adrian Curtis.

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1. Race with the Devil

Adrian Curtis, real name Adrian Israel Gurvitz (born 26 June 1949) is an English guitarist, songwriter and producer, perhaps most famous for involvement in the band Gun (also known as The Gun or The Gunn) formed by his brother Paul late in 1967, and their October 1968 hit single Race with the Devil. Adrian was aged just 19 at the time of its release. His older brother and bass player Paul Anthony Gurvitz (born 6 July 1944) had formed The Knack in 1964. Variously comprising four or five members, it transformed into Gun. Following the departure of three core members, Adrian joined in June 1968, at which point Gun became a power trio in the manner of Cream. From that point until its dissolution at the end of 1970 it comprised the following:

Adrian Gurvitz - Lead guitar, keyboards, and vocals
Paul Gurvitz - Bass guitar and backup vocals
Brian 'Louie' Farrell - Drums, 1967 to April 1969, July to December 1969
Peter Dunton - Drums, April - July 1969
Geoff Britton - Drums, 1970

During the band's career they toured Great Britain and Europe and were managed by the famous jazz musician Ronnie Scott's Directions company, specifically Peter 'Chips' Chipperfield (Gurvitz 2011). For some reason their success was limited, and they never toured the United States (their initial effort in 1969 appeared to be like an episode in Spinal Tap) or had any more hit singles after Race with the Devil. It has been suggested that the fact they broke up so early after only releasing two LPs is one of the reasons the band is little known in the history of rock, despite the fact that Adrian went on to play with famous musicians such as American drummer Buddy Miles in the Buddy Miles Express, and Ginger Baker, former of Cream, in the Baker Gurvitz Army. Miles and Gurvitz recorded an album together in 1973 entitled Chapter VII, whilst Baker and Gurvitz recorded three albums between 1975-76. Paul Gurvitz also continued a career in music.

The single Race with the Devil remains a late 1960s heavy rock classic, with a famous driving fuzz-toned Gibson Les Paul guitar riff often copied but never bettered. As such, a number of bands have covered the song, or included the main riff in their work, including:

Jimi Hendrix - within Machine Gun at the Isle of White Festival, 30 August 1970, at the 18.12 minute mark. He also performed it earlier during the second show at Haleakala Crater, Rainbow Bridge, near Seabury Hall, Island Of Maui, Hawaii on 30 July 1970, and at Stora Scenen, Gronalund, Tivoli Garden, Stockholm, Sweden on 31 August 1970.

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Arrogance 1970 - an early cover which is rather bland
Status Quo - within their song Forty Five Hundred Times in a Glasgow live show 1976
Black Oak Arkansas 1977 - a frenetic, rather ordinary American rock version
Judas Priest 1978 - heavier than the original
Girlschool 1980 - one of the best versions, by the all-female hard rock band who often toured with Motorhead
Church of Misery 1996 - a slow, very heavy, Japanese version
Tower 2017 - a competent though rather shallow version, with interesting female vocal
The Almighty Tig TV 2024 - Rex Waldron performs it dressed as a satanist

Regarding the origin of the song, Gurvitz notes that he heard Hey Grandma by San Francisco band Moby Grape, which had a fuzzy sound, and the riff subsequently came to him. In fact, the first few seconds of that song reminds one of Race with the Devil, and the fast paced tempo is similar. The latter became not only the band's first single release, but also their first and only hit around the world. The title for the song had come from his brother Paul, with Adrian heading off on his own and coming up with the music and lyrics. However this is not clear as the brothers worked collaboratively on songs; Paul had later referred to the song as his as well; and they had an agreement to ascribe all the songs on their first LP Gun to Adrian and those on the second Gunfight to Paul.

Gun, 12" LP, CBS, UK, 1968. Cover: Roger Dean.

Between June and September 1968 the band took the song into TVS Studios, Bond Street, London, initially to simply record the riff. However, management considered it hit material, wherein Adrian was forced to make up some lyrics on the spot. The song was produced by John 'Johnny B. Goode' Godson, with an orchestral arrangement by Keith Roberts. It was recorded on 8 track tape and ran for 3.40 minutes. The band were signed to CBS Records, UK, and their records released under the Epic label in the US. They went on to release two LPs - Gun and Gun Sight - and a number of singles. In 2007 the CD Reloaded was issued, containing unreleased material, live tracks and radio broadcasts.

Race with the Devil was released in the UK in October 1968, and over the next twelve months also in France, Scandinavia, Germany, Netherlands, Japan, Spain, the United States, South Africa, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, amongst many other countries throughout 1969. The B-side was Sunshine, a song noted for superb guitar work by Adrian Gurvitz. A number of covers of the 7" single are illustrated below.

The Gun sound was in many ways different to the British rock sound of the late 1960s, with bands such as Cream, Yardbirds / Led Zeppelin, The Jeff Beck Group, The Who and Jimi Hendrix setting a style which was guitar based and bluesy. Gun did not have that latter element, and in fact sounded more like a late 1960s American rock group, with a strong hint of the classical. The heavy fuzz tone of Adrian's Gibson Les Paul was a feature, but once again that reflected more The Electric Prunes and Jefferson Airplane rather than Led Zeppelin. The band never achieved world wide fame, though the Race with the Devil single saw international release. Undoubtedly their greatest asset was Adrian Gurvitz, with his songwriting and guitar playing abilities. Prior to joining Gun, from circa 1967 he had been in bands such as Screaming Lord Sutch and the Savages - replacing Richie Blackmore as their lead guitarist - with Billie Davies, Crispian St Peters, Rupert's People, Please and his own Adrian's Wall (Book of Bands 2012).

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3. Lyrics

The song writing credit for Race with the Devil was publically attributed upon release in October 1968 to Adrian Curtis, though A. Gurvitz is included on the cover of the single and both brothers collaborated on songs.

Australian 7" single, 1969.

You better run, you better run
You better run from the devil's gun
The race is on, the race is on
And you better run from the devil's gun

Strange things happen if you stay
The devil will catch you anyway
He'll seek you here, he'll seek you there
The devil will seek you everywhere

Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha....

When he finds you, you'll soon find out
The devil's fire just won't go out
It burns you up from head to toe
The devil's grip just won't let go

Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha....

As noted in a contemporary music magazine (reproduced below) the band saw the song as a straight out riff-based heavy rock number. As it mentioned the devil, management forced them to include the sinister devilish refrain between verses. However, this caused it to be compared to the famous June 1968 novel hit song Fire by the Crazy World of Arthur Brown, whose singer performed it whilst wearing a burning helmet.

The release of Race with the Devil was followed by the band's first self-titled LP in February 1969, though it is commonly listed as 1968 in line with the release of the single in October of that year. Their second LP, entitled Gun Sight, was released in November 1969. The single Head in the Clouds off that LP is a classic acid rock guitar-workout, with psychedelic overtones reminiscent of some of the San Francisco bands such as Jefferson Airplane, The Electric Prunes and Santana.

Gun - Head in the Clouds, Caminante Nocturno, 2024, YouTube, duration: 4.44 minutes.

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2. Cover art

The following is a reproduction of some of the contemporary 7" single Gun covers released around the world during the band's lifetime (1968 - 1970) specifically for Race with the Devil b/w Sunshine, along with one of the later 12" LP covers.

7" single, 45rpm, France, 1968.

7" single, 45rpm, Germany, 1968.

7" single, 45rpm, Scandinavia, 1968.

7" single, 45rpm, Japan, 1968.

7" single, 45rpm, Spain, 1969.

7" single, 45rpm, Netherlands, 1968.

The Gun, 12" LP, Poland, (1968) 1971.

The covers often expressed the psychedelic graphic art style of the time. This was followed by the song's inclusion on the first Gun LP. The cover design was the first such work by Roger Dean who went on to achieve fame with bands such as Yes and Budgie. The lead singer of Yes, Jon Anderson, had for a brief period been a member of The Knack and Gun prior to Adrian's joining.

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4. Hendrix

During 1967 - 68 Adrian frequented the Speakeasy club in London, where he encountered Jimi Hendrix. He would go there every night after a gig, and also find girlfriends there.

One night I was there and I met Jimi. We chatted away and he said, "Hey man, do you want to get up and jam?" I said yeah. It was my first time getting up and jamming with Hendrix. We played for about an hour. It was a real moment..... We ended up playing three, four times together. There was another club in South Kensington where [Paul] McCartney and [John] Lennon - everybody used drugs. I went there one night and Jimi was already there. He said, "Come on man, do you want to jam?." This time he picked up the bass and let me play guitar.

Jimi Hendrix died of a drug overdose, or was murdered by his manager, in London on 18 September 1970. During a concert in France later that year Gun played a homage, with Adrian commenting: "To Jimi .... a dedication to someone who couldn't arrive today."

Around this time the band was considering breaking up. In a Facebook posting on 2 July 2024, Adrian Gurvitz noted the following:

When Jimi Hendrix passed, the amazing drummer and singer, Buddy Miles, called me from California and asked me to come out and play guitar in his band. At the time I was 21 and staying at my mother’s house in England. They flew me out and put me up in the Sunset Marquis. The whole thing turned out to be an in incredible “experience” … no pun intended.

Adrian Gurvitz and Buddy Miles.

Adrian toured with the Buddy Miles Band for a number of years. Miles had been the drummer with Hendrix in the Band of Gypsies during the Christmas - New Year period of 1969-70. Despite working with Miles, Adrian also continued to perform and record with his brother Paul under the banner Three Man Army, recording four LPs between 1971 - 74.

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5. Chronology

The following is a list of dates relating to record releases, gigs and other events in the career of Gun.

1963

* The Londoners formed by Paul Gurvitz. They support Gene Vincent and tour Hamburg.

1965

* Paul Gurvitz renames The Londoners as The Knack.

1967

* October 1967 - The Knack record a song Lights on the Wall with Denny Cordell. It is not released.

* 12 November 1967 - BBC Radio session, John Peel's Top Gear show, featuring The Gun (formerly The Knack): Hold On 2.48, Stop In The Name Of Love, The Lights On The Wall 2.05, Most Peculiar Man, 3.31. The songs are rather fey... So You Wanna Build a Mountain 2.55.

Gun, circa November 1967 (l to r) Paul Curtis (guitar), Gearie Kenworthy (bass), Reg the light show man, Louis Farrell (drums) and Timothy Mycroft (keyboards). Jon Anderson, later singer with Yes, was also a member around this time.

* Spring 1967 - Adrian Gurvitz replaces Richie Blackmore in Screaming Lord Sutch and the Savages. He is with them for approximately nine months, and plays with others both during and after.

- Richard Havers: I have several cross references for Adrian Gurvitz being in the [Screaming Lord Sutch and the] Savages, along with Tony Dangerfeld. As for venues it was I suspect in 1964 so it would have been all the usual clubs… Adrian Gurvitz in their ranks had formed a group Adrian's Wall with Louie Farrell in Dagenham. Adrian was hanging around The Gioconda coffee bar in London's Denmark Street when in walked musician, Tony Dangerfield… He asked if anyone played guitar. Within minutes Adrian was bundled into a van and driven off to Newcastle to play for Screaming Lord Sutch's Savages. He stayed with them for 9 months. While on tour with Sutch he met Billie Davis, switching to her group for a few months, before moving on to play with Crispian St. Peters. Then he joined Rupert's People with Tony Dangerfield.”

- Tony Dangerfield: “We went out to Germany with Neil Christian and we didn’t come back, Ritchie [Blackmore] and I stayed in Hamburg. This is when the idea for Deep Purple came about… We flew back and Ritchie went down to his parents… and I was hanging about in London... For 4 or 5 weeks afterwards Ritchie was sending me letters from Germany asking when am I coming back… Stigwood was trying to sort out a deal for me, but I was in a pub down Denmark Street with Alex Harvey, when the phone rang. "Is there a bass player in there?" That's how I joined Rupert's People with Adrian Gurvitz on guitar, John Trout - later keyboards with Renaissance - and my flatmate Johnny Banks, once the Merseybeats drummer. A single, 'Reflections Of Charlie Brown', had been recorded already as a rip-off of 'A Whiter Shade Of Pale, and we bubbled under the Top Forty for three weeks, but Rupert's People only lasted for three or four gigs. We were also accompanying people such as Crispian St Peters.”

- Adrian Gurvitz: “Tony came into a coffee bar one day and asked if there was any guitar players. I was there having a cup of tea and quickly replied yes. In that moment I was hired to play in the Savages, with Tony, Freddy Fingers Lee, and Carlo little on drums… then later John Banks. We played for Screaming Lord Sutch for a considerable time. While on tour with Sutch I met Billie Davis. We switched to her backing group then moved on to play with Crispian St. Peters, who was also managed by my father.”

- Brian Gill, guitarist with The Symbols: “Ade played guitar for Screaming Lord Sutch and the Savages… must have been in 1967… I know Ade was playing with Pete Dunton in Please, and he also did a stint on bass with The Symbols in 1968. When Louis left the Gun Pete took over. This would have been in 1968, the year the Gun had the hit. I know because Ade bought a new blue '68 MGC sports car, which had a 'C' registration plate with the proceeds of Race with the Devil.”

- Peter Dunton, drummer with The Gun: “I was the drummer in The Gun after Louis Farrell in 1969... I played with Adrian Gurvitz before and after his stint with Screaming Lord Sutch, in Please and The Gun. However, I lost contact with him while he was playing in the Savages…”

* circa 1967 - Adrian Gurvitz has a band called Adrian's Wall, which includes for a period drummer Brian 'Louie' Farrell who leaves to join The Knack with Paul Gurvitz.

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1968

* June - Adrian Gurvitz joins Gun, following the departure of Kenworthy, Mycroft and Anderson, leaving a three piece.

* 13 June, Marquee Club, London, England.

* 6 & 17 July, Marquee Club, London, England.

* 27 August, Marquee Club, London, England.

* 12 September, Mothers, Birmingham, England.

* 15 September, Royal Forest Hotel, Chingford, England.

* October 1968 - single release of Race with the Devil b/w Sunshine.

* 3 October, Upstairs at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club, London, England.

* October - Scott Walker tour. Opening act, with the Paper Dolls, Love Affair, Ronnie Scott Orchestra, Tommy James and the Shondells and Mike Quinn as MC.

* 4 October, Astoria Cinema, Finsbury Park, London, England. Scott Walker tour.

* 13 October, Empire Theatre, Liverpool, England. Scott Walker tour.

* 16 October, Capital, Cardiff, Wales. Scott Walker tour.

* 18 October, Gaumont, Manchester. Scott Walker tour. Review by David Boon:

SCOTT'S SOLO TOUR 1968, GAUMONT, MANCHESTER

Very significant to me because I'd never previously seen the Walkers live unless they were together, but nothing was going to stop me on this occasion. I feigned illness from work for the day, hired a car for my long trip across the Pennines from Grimsby. Being pre-M62 days, it took me about three and a half hours. Naturally, the excitement was building during the drive, and the queue waiting for us outside the Cinema / Theatre only served to add to the buzz we felt. It may seem odd now, but it was the norm in those days for cinemas to be requisitioned for pop tours - despite the inadequate size of the stages! Other acts on the show were The Gunn, Terry Reid, Casuals, Love Affair, Paper Dolls (in gold capes, which were later whipped off - to loud applause!) and Scott being backed by the Ronnie Scott Orchestra. All popular outstanding acts of the day. Personally, I found The Gunn very exciting. Their popular single "race With The Devil" was revived by the all girl group 'Girlschool

* 20 October, Coventry Theatre, Coventry, England. Scott Walker tour.

* 22 October, Upstairs at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club, London, England.

* 9 November, Upstairs at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club, London, England.

* 17 November - BBC Radio session: I'm So Glad, RailRoad Boy, The Man Who Paints The Pictures, Race With The Devil.

* 18 November - BBC Radio session: Race with the Devil, Sunshine, Take Off, Come With Me.

* 22 November - BBC How Is It.

* 23 November - Middle Earth at the Roundhouse. With: Junior Eyes, Uriel, Writing on the Wall and Sleepy.

* 23 November - New Musical Express, Race with the Devil chart position.

* New Musical Express, 23 November 1968. Text:

Gun in!

Keith Altham

No one is more delighted then I that the Essex trio of drummer Louis Farrell and brothers Paul and Adrian Curtis have made the charts for the first time this week as the Gun with "Race With The Devil". The first time I heard the Gun was as the opening act on Scott Walker’s recent tour. "Good try but not very together," I thought. Approximately three weeks later I heard their single and thought it the most promising thing since the Cream. At a recent press reception I spoke to CBS producer Johnny B. Good (Johnny B Great from the times he used to back Scott Walker on organ), who cut the record with the boys. I agreed with him that it was a hit single but needed some fast promotion to crack the market. Three days later in the Shaftesbury "Avenue" bar, HQ of the Musical Press, I was approached by their manager Peter Chipperfield (Chips to friends), who introduced me to a straggly, ginger moustachioed character. It proved to be bass guitarist Paul Curtis. "First of all I’d like to apologize for our performance on the first night of the Scott Walker tour. Nothing went right" said Paul. "We didn’t really get it together until a few days later. I actually suggested the title of the number to my brother Adrian. I told him I was going to write a song called ‘Race With The Devil.’ A few days later he said, listen to this, and there was my song."

GUN AMERICA TOUR HITCH

Gun’s debut tour of America – due to have opened this week – has been postponed until early April. Reason for the delay is that it had been planned to issue the group’s first album to coincide with the U.S. visit. But owing to a hitch in the completion of the tapes, the LP will not now be ready until next month. The U.S. trip is now off until the album is consequently available. CBS plans mid March release for the LP titled simply "Gun," in both Britain and America. Newly booked one nighters for the group are Dagenham Roundhouse (16/2/69) and London Marquee (19/2/69).

Herman, Foundations, Fare, the Gun, Cupid on Radio 1 - Herman’s Hermits, the Foundation, Cupid’s Inspirations and Vanity Fare head an impressive line up assembled for Radio 1’s "David Symonds Show" throughout the week beginning Monday, December 2. Also appearing during the same period are Wayne Fontana, Peter Sarsted, Tony Rivers and the Castaways, Idle Race, the Bunch and the Gun.

* 28 November, Kingston College of Technology, Kingston upon Thames, England.

* 29 November, Fishmongers Arms, London, England. With: Third Eye Band, Saffron Rainbow Light Show.

* 7 December, Roundhouse, Chalk Farm, London, England. With: Barclay James Harvest / Arcadium / Marie Rice / John Thomas Blues Band / Explosive Spectrum / Jeff Dexter.

* 7 December - Disc and Music Echo chart position, Race with the Devil.

* 7 December - Melody Maker chart position, Race with the Devil.

* New Musical Express, 7 December 1968. Text:

GUN ARE A VERY STRANGE GROUP

Keith Altham

According to their publicist the Gun are "the Brain" Adrian Curtis who has a fantastic hairstyle like a electrified Busby; "the Business man" Paul Curtis who boasts a ginger moustache and Louis Farrell who "just sits there and looks cute!" "Six months ago we were so brought down when our organist failed to turn up one night, and left us in the lurch. We were prepared to chuck it all in." admitted Adrian. "We had a few drinks and realized that we had to go on that night and for the first time we got something really together." Louis affirmed that he had never been in musical sympathy with their organist and that night was the first time they played together as a team.

Impressed

Jazzman Ronnie Scott heard the group playing at the London Roundhouse and was sufficiently impressed to book them for his new club, where I was now talking to them.

"The Scott Walker tour helped to bring us to a few peoples’ attention," said Adrian, "but we’ve not really had an easy time of it. In fact I rather resent groups who are made with money. The people we most admire are the Cream. Not that we are trying to emulate them, but they are three brilliant musicians; and groups like Family who have never compromised their musical integrity. If ever a group deserved a hit it’s them."

It was Adrian who wrote "Race With The Devil" and he believes, unlike some, that it is the "diddle do dah dee" guitar riff which has caught the public’s imagination and not the maniacal laugh on the disc. "We never wanted the laugh on the record at all," said Adrian, "We knew it would let us in for a lot of 'You’re copying Arthur Brown' remarks. Our producer Johnny Goodison thought it was a good idea, so we went along with it." One of the best unkept secrets in show business circles at present is just how the Gun got that maniacal cackle of Adrian’s on disc. All I can reveal in print is that "cute lovable Louis" is at the bottom of it all. (Later my Dad informed me that he actually walked into the studio whilst Adrian was singing with his dick out and this induced Adrian to start laughing which ended up being the ‘cackle’ on the record editor). When questioned about it during the interview he seemed to get highly confused and disappeared under a table allegedly looking for his "magic penny!"

Now that the Gun has one foot in the door of success they are determined not to let it slam in their faces. Adrian is already hard at work turning out new compositions like "Rat Race," "Sad Saga of the Boy and the Bee" and "Yellow Cab Man" which is likely to be their next single [and] for which one of their co-mangers Jimmy Parsons has supplied the lyric.

A kick

"You can’t imagine what a kick it is to go on stage and get applauded before you’ve done anything because your known" said Adrian. "This happened to us for the first time in Plymouth recently and the audience was so great I just wanted to go on playing all night. I don’t understand all these people who go all weird and start in on LSD and meditating. I could never get any satisfaction out of anything but playing!"

They have all the earmarks of a group who would go down very well on the American West Coast. Does this mean we may shortly lose them in the big beat drain to the United States

"It’s funny how people always seem to get a big reaction if they come from far away," interposed Adrian. "We went to see Blue Cheer at the Roundhouse recently and they were so disgusting they hurt my ears but because they were from America they got a big hand."

The Gun are very aware of the pseudo "underground" scene which exists more in the public's imagination than with the groups. "Take the Pink Floyd for example," said Adrian. "We went to hear them the other night and they put on this tremendous show of lights and weird exciting sounds. I bet half the audience thought they were all on LSD but you go backstage and Sid Barret’s saying something like, ‘Get my coat George,’ and someone else is asking for a cup of tea. It’s all in the mind."

"I just sit here and groove all on my tod," said Louis for no apparent reason.

Manager Jimmy Parsons flitted by our table and observed that "MacArthur Park" was the best pop song of the year, to which Adrian remarked something about "all the cakes walking in the rain it’s a shame!" Adrian would also like to make it clear that the Gun have never been Terry Reid’s backing group as some people seem to think, and that he is very disappointed that the Moles have turned out to be Simon Dupree and two of the Big Sound. Life however must go on.

* 8 December, Hampstead Country Club, London, England.

* 12 December, Langworth College, University of York, York, England.

* 13 December, Arts Lab, Moseley Institute, Birmingham, England. With Bobby Parker.

* 14 December, Factory, Birmingham, England.

* 15 December, Frank Freeman's Dance Club, Kidderminster, England.

* 19 December, Tithe Barn, St. Mary's Priory, Abergavenny, Wales.

* 20 December, Mothers, Birmingham, England.

* 21 December, New Century Hall, Manchester, England.

* 31 December, Alexandra Palace, London, England. With: Joe Cocker / John Mayall's Blues Breakers / Amen Corner / Small Faces / Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band / The Flirtations / The Gods / The Free / The Big Movement / Kippington Lodge.

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1969

* 4 January, Oxford Town Hall, Oxford, England.

* 5 January, Toby Jug, Kingston upon Thames, England.

* 7 January 1969, Fabulous 208. Text:

TODAY’S GUN DAY.

Julie Webb

I’ve just about recovered from my day with Gun. What a time we all had and the boys were really great. They are not false at all, acted completely naturally. Really made me feel at home. But don’t just take my word, have a look for yourself and see how they got on.

12.00 and I meet Louie arriving at the Curtis home to wake the boys up! Ring both doorbells that should wake someone up! A couple of sleeping beauties, but Louie is going to put a stop to that! Up like the lark they should be, so he gives them a shake. Ten past twelve already. And Adrian is now awake and, surprisingly, dressed as well. Nothing like cold water to wake you up in the mornings. Paul takes a cautious look in the mirror! What a way to have breakfast! Louie has some food with the boys whilst the two dogs Kim and Rupert wait for some tit bits. Time for a quick jam session before the long trek to London begins. We all leave the house and brave the elements outside. Ahead of them is London and interviews and meetings. But now they prepare to get into the Hillman Imp. Long distance calls to magazines, they all take their fair share in the work! A quick spin in the car to Carnaby Street where the boys have a look in Take 6. What a shop! Final stop for the day is Ronnie Scott’s Club where the boys finalize arrangements with their co manager ‘Chips’!

* 10 January, Goldsmith's College, London.

* 14 January 1969, Fabulous 208.

How Superstitious are you?

		Louis Farrell	Score
Do you have a mascot, a talisman?	Yes 3 No 0	Yes I wear ring that hasn’t been off my finger for five years.	3
Would you mind being the third person taking a light from the same match?	Yes 4 No 0 A Little 2	Yes, I wouldn’t go near the third light.	4
Would you go on a journey on the 13^th?	Not on your life 7 Only if absolutely vital 4 Without hesitation 0	Only if absolutely vital	4
Do you touch wood when you speak of your luck?	Always 6 Sometimes 3 Never 0	Yes	6
Have you got a lucky color, which you insist, on wearing on important occasions?	Yes 3 No 0	Black	3
If you walk under a ladder without noticing it, does it worry you?	Yes 4 For a sec. 2 Not at all 0	Yes. I run for the nearest packet of salt and throw some over my shoulder.	4
Do you wish upon a shooting star? If you do, does your wish come true?	Yes 3 No 0 Always 5 Sometimes 2 Never 1	No	0
They say opals bring bad luck. Is that so?	Yes 6 No 0	No	0
Have you had your hand, your cards, or tealeaves read in the last six months?	Yes 3 No 0 Only for fun 2	No, not in the past six months, but if I did and the person reading my hand was genuine I’d take it seriously.	0
Let’s assume a friend gave you a ring and you lost it. Would you think the friendship would break? Your friend didn’t like you anymore? You don’t like your friend anymore? It was just an accident?	Yes 8 Yes 8 Yes 4 Yes 0	Just an accident.	0
If you broke your mirror and had a date cancelled on the same day would you think these two events were linked? Just a coincidence? Bad luck for seven years	Yes 5 Yes 0 Yes 7	I’d think they were linked.	5
For artists, professional or amateur, ONLY It’s said that a dress rehearsal must be chaos in order to have a smash at the first night. Do you agree?	Yes 6 No 0	No, but I do believe that to give a good performance I must have butterflies before I go on stage.	0
TOTAL			29

If you total 13 to 40, like Vivian of Bonzo Dog Do Dah Band and Louis Farrell of Gun, you have a nice open mind.

* 16 January, Alex Disco, Salisbury, England.

* 17 January, Trinity College, Carmarthen, Wales.

* 18 January, Kee Club, Bridgend, Wales.

*18 January 1969, New Musical Express. Text:

NOW GUN WILL STOP GOING POP

Richard Green

One of the constant moans I hear, particularly from groups, is that they had to "go commercial" to get noticed. Once in the charts, however, they find that commerciality is not such a bad thing and that they can learn to enjoy it as much as their new found popularity. If they are talented, they can write their own material to fit the public demand and gradually get the fans round to their way of thinking, musically. The Gun are a case in point. "Race With The Devil" is not only ultra commercial but a damn good number to boot. Adrian Curtis, one of Gun’s two brothers, wrote it with the charts in mind and is still writing with the Top Thirty uppermost but with a slightly different accent on the song’s contents. Gun’s drummer, Louie Farrell, met me at Ronnie Scott’s, led me through the midst of workmen, up a dark flight of stairs to the Upstairs Club, sat me on a semi circular padded bench type seat and spoke of Gun’s arrival on the scene. "We had to commercialize so terribly to get through, but now we can let go," he began. "We had to earn the money, we still do, but it’s easier now. We’re a rock group, not really on the West Coast sound, but a hard sound, large noise, exciting. People say ‘turn down, turn down’ when we play. We’ve got some nice new equipment and some beautiful sounds down."

Talk led to job

Louie came up the hard way, the way of so many contemporary young drummers on the road abroad. He took drumming really seriously for the first time when he was fifteen and still at school, and began playing semi professionally eighteen months later. "I was playing in Manheim and met a guy from Dagenham who I didn’t know, but he knew a lot of people I knew and I knew a lot of his friends, and we got talking and I joined a group with him," Louie explained. "Eventually, I was left skint with one drum kit hanging round my neck. It must have happened to everybody."

So, rather despondent and disillusioned, Louie went home, and three months later got a call from Adrian Curtis, as a result of which he joined Adrian’s Wall for six months. "Then Adrian went with Crispian St. Peter’s, which left us in the cart again," Louie recalled. "Then I got an offer from Paul Curtis to join the Knack, and Adrian joined us eight months ago. "We grotted around and had promises, which didn’t mean a damn thing, then Ronnie Scott saw us at the Roundhouse, asked us to come down here to see him, and he signed us up." Ronnie appointed Peter "Chips" Chipperfield and Jimmy "New York" Parsons as Gun’s managers, and things sped on. First a tour with Scot Walker, then a hit record…what net? The answer is – an album with a picture of Apollo 8 on the front taking off. "We got someone to record it taking off and put it at the beginning of one of the tracks," Louie revealed. "The album should be out in February." On the singles front, Gun are pretty well confident that "Doesn’t It Drive You Mad" will be their next single, though the title may be altered slightly. "It’s gotta have brass added to it, then it’s finished," he said. "I think it’s stronger than ‘Race’ which was going to be a ‘B’ side, but someone high up in CBS said they were making it a ‘A’ side. "It’s got a few nice words, it’s gonna drive people mad trying to work them out," he added with a sly grin, leaving me to make what of I could of that. Louie is quite happy about the improving standard of today’s groups, but not so pleased with current sales trends.

Lot of rubbish

"The standard of musicianship is definitely getting a lot better," he commented "but there’s a lot of old rubbish in the charts. There are a lot of young musicians who have been playing for five years who realize that they have to go on improving to last, and they are doing it. There are a lot of very very good musicians about, and this is a pleasing fact." For the future, Louie has some very definite ideas on how to avoid the abyss if it should ever loom up in front of him. "I want to stick money into a few houses," he said in a business like manner. "Bricks and mortar, that’s the thing. I want to let my father deal with it because he has an excellent business mind. "Let it earn money for you until the time of reckoning. Stick a few houses up, fill them with tenants and collect all the time." How about things like gold and jewellery, I suggested. "Gold and jewellery don’t earn rent do they?" he replied.

POPLINERS

Bonzo Dog Band, Gun and Family in charity concert at Newcastle city hall on Sunday, January 26. Gun plays TV dates in Scandinavia and France in late February and early March.

* 19 January, Mothers, Birmingham, England. With : The Who.

* 20 January, Bath Pavilion, Bath, England.

* 24 January, Midnight Rave 1969, Lyceum Ballroom, London, England. With: Love Sculpture / Joe Cocker / Status Quo / Aynsley Dunbar / Bakerloo Blues Line.

* 25 January, German TV Beat Club. With: The Move, Status Quo and Donovan.

* 26 January, Newcastle City Hall, Newcastle upon Tyne, England. With: Bonzo Dog Do Da Band and Family.

* 29 January, BBC Radio 1, Cardiff, Wales. Songs: Race with the Devil, Sunshine, Yellow Cab Man and Take Off.

* 1 February, Annabel's Night Club, Sunderland, England.

* February - Gun LP release.

* New Musical Express, 1 February 1969. Text:

GUN US DEBUT 11 MINUTE LP TRACK

Gun has been set for its first U.S. tour. The group flies to America at the end of next week, and opens a four day engagement at Philadelphia Electric Factory on February 11. During its four week schedule, Gun will also play seasons at Boston Tea Party and Los Angeles Whisky A Go Go as well as TV dates, which are currently being set. The Group’s "Race With The Devil" hit has just been released in the States on Epic. Gun’s first album is to be released simultaneously in Britain and America at the end of February. Titled simply "Gun" it consists only of eight tracks – this is because one of the numbers, "Take Off" is 11 minutes long. Other tracks are "Sad Saga Of The Boy And The Bee", the instrumental "Rupert's Travels", "Yellow Cab Man", "It Wont Be Long", "Sunshine", "Rat Race" and "Race With The Devil".

* 1 February, Annabels, Sunderland.

* 2 February, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, England.

* 5 February - Belgian TV, Brussels.

* 7 February, Mecca Locarno, Bristol, England.

* 7 February, Tottenham Royal, London, England.

* 8 February, College of Technology, Slough, England.

* 9 February - fly to the United States.

* 16 February, Dagenham Roundhouse, London, England.

* 18 & 19 February, Marquee Club, London, England.

* 28 February - single release: Drives You Mad / Rupert's Travels.

* 1 March, Sgt Peppers, Glasgow, Scotland.

* New Musical Express, 1 March 1969. Text:

Gun on Target

The Gun Drives You Mad (CBS). Any group’s follow up hit is always more difficult to achieve than its initial chart entry, but I can’t see the Gun having much trouble with this one, because it’s equally as good as "Race With The Devil" provided that you appreciate the group’s shattering hard driving sound. This is even more frantic than the last an energetic, breath taking, harsh and beefy instrumental sound and a thundering beat, so furious in it’s attack that the vocal is almost driven into the background. Not a great deal of melody, but excitement galore a disc to leave you limp! But its appeal will be restricted solely to the younger element, even more than was their previous disc.

* 1 March 1969, Melody Maker. Text:

POP SINGLES, Chris Welch

GUN: "Drives You Mad" (CBS). What a riot! After "Race With The Devil" it seemed it was going to be difficult for the explosive trio to find a suitable follow up. But they have reemerged with a distinctive and exciting guitar riff, backed by some yelling brass. Adrian Curtis wrote the tune and contributes the guitar sound and his brother Paul did the arrangement. Louie Farrell is on drums. A hit.

‘Race’ is no pinch from ‘Fire’.

Suggest that "Race With The Devil" is a bit of a pinch from "Fire" by the Crazy World of Arthur Brown, and the bullets begin to fly. The Gun are shooting up the chart (and that’s positively the last time we’ll use the phrase), with an undoubtedly exciting, noisy guitar opus that deserves its success. But says moustached Paul Curtis, bass guitarist: "I think it’s nothing like Arthur Brown at all, only the bit with the laugh in the middle and we put that in so people would have a go. "It’s our first record as the group and we’re all highly pleased." Gun were discovered by club boss Ronnie Scott and recommended to their managers Peter "Chips" Chipperfield and Jimmy Parsons. A CBS contract followed and they have since appeared on Scott Walker’s October tour. They consist of two brothers, Paul and Adrian Curtis (bass and lead guitars), plus drummer Louis Farrell, all from Ilford, Essex home of so many successful groups. They evolved from a group called the Knack and formed a year ago. They have suffered several personnel changes and have had a constant struggle for work and survival. They have worked abroad and once spent five hours stuck between the border posts of France and Switzerland and the frontier guards wouldn’t allow them into either country. Originally a four piece, but one night their organist failed to show up and they have been a trio ever since. "We were on the point of splitting up," says Paul. "We had no work, no agent, manager or money." Their music is a hard rock sound and they have their first album due out in the New Year which will be of Adrian’s compositions. |Ronnie Scott came to the Roundhouse to see us." Explained Paul. They are the first group associated with the Scott Club since they began including better class modern pop groups in their programme. "We try to get a big sound with a three piece and it has proved very successful. We never wanted to be like the Cream or even the Mindbenders. We actually feature ‘I’m So Glad’ in our act. "We’ve signed with NEMS now and we’re going to the States in January or February. It’s all too quick for me. To be honest we weren’t going to release ‘Race’ as a single. We were going to do something else as the A side and when they said it was going to be ‘Race’ we went mad and said ‘Oh no, that’s the wrong one!’" Why does the group use the name Gun? "I’ve always thought short names are the most easily remembered. Originally we were looking through a dictionary and found ‘electrode gun’. This was at the time of psychedelia. "We shortened it to Gun and we’re a loud noisy group anyway. When we were a four piece we were a lot quieter. The organist used to fill in a lot so we didn’t have to play so much." These are early days for the Gun. If they can produce a follow up equally as exciting and with as much impact, they can be established as a major chart force. (Chris Welch)

* 2 March, Kinema Ballroom, Dunfermline, Scotland.

* 16 March, Pop World '69, Wembley Empire Pool, London, England. With: Fleetwood Mac / The Move / Peter Sarstedt / Amen Corner / The Tymes / Harmony Grass / Barry Ryan / The Paper Dolls / Geno Washington and the Ram Jam Band / Sharon Tandy and the Fleur de Lis / Gary Walker and the Rain.

* 22 March, Power House, Örebro, Sweden.

* 24 April, Sunderland College of Technology, Sunderland, England.

* 26 April, Kinema Ballroom, Dunfermline, Scotland.

* May 1969 - Peter Dunton replaces Louie Farrell as drummer. The latter was always getting into fist fights with the Gurvitz brothers. Farrell later returns as drummer.

* 3 May, Van Dykes Club, Plymouth, England.

* 10 May, East Anglia Rags Barbecue, Earlham Park, Norwich, England. With: The Hollies, Spooky Tooth, Soft Machine, Marmalade.

* 12 May, Top Rank, Cardiff, Wales.

* 13 June, Wembley Stadium, London, England. With: Status Quo, Yes, Grapefruit, Cupid's Inspiration.

* 22 June, Roundhouse, London, England. With: Trash.

* 28 June, Isle of Ely College, Wisbech, England.

* August 1969, single release: Hobo / Long Hair Wild Man.

* 12 September, Mothers, Birmingham, England.

* 13 September, RAC Pop Festival, Heizelpaleis / Palais des Expositions du Heysel, Laken / Laeken, Belgium.

* November 1969 - album release, Gun Sight. Cover by Hipgnosis.

* 8 November, Dingwall Town Hall, Dingwall, England.

* 15 November, St. Mary's College, Twickenham, England.

1970

* January - Geoff Britton replaces Louie Farrell as drummer.

* April 1970 - single release: Running Wild / Drown Yourself in the River.

* 14 & 15 May, Electric Circus, Lausanne, Switzerland.

* 24-25 May, A Bank Holiday Festival / Whitsun Festival, Plumpton Racecourse, Plumpton, England. With: Black Sabbath, Airforce, Hard Meat, King Crimson, Fairfield Parlour, Roy Harper, Judas Jump, Warm Dust, Black Widow, Gracious, Van Der Graaf Generator, Audience, May Blitz, Jan Dukes De Grey, Maple Oak, Trees, Spirit Of John Morgan, Argent.

* 21 June, Festival of the Midnight Sun, Mantorp's Racing Circuit, Östergötland, Sweden.

* 10 September, The Speakeasy, London.

* 22 October, III. Essener Pop & Blues Festival, Grugahalle, Essen, Germany. Set list: Race with the Devil, Who Knows (Band of Gypsys cover).

* 28 October, Müll Tonne Pop-Center, Hanover, Germany.

* 2 & 3 November, ZOOM, Frankfurt, Germany.

* Gun disbands around this time. Adrian receives a call from American drummer Buddy Miles to join his tour in the United States.

-------------------

6. Videos & live

* Gun Live France 1968, YouTube, duration: 22.37 minutes. Tracks: 0.00 1. Drives You Mad, 2.28 2. Take Off, 12.56 3. I'm So Glad, 4. 18.40 Race With The Devil.

* The Gun, Race with the Devil, BBC Radio, 12 November 1968, Syd Farrell, YouTube, duration: 2.55 minutes.

* The Gun, Race with the Devil, Beat Club, 25 January 1969. A mimed version in a TV studio. Possibly in France.

* The Gun, Race with the Devil, YouTube, duration: 10.20 minutes. Live in Germany 1970. Includes a dedication to Jimi Hendrix who died around this time. The guitar work by Gurvitz on this version is both fast and concise, the drum beat pounding, and the vocals muddy. Overall, a frenetic, solid display by Gun, with the normal 3 and a half minutes of Race with the Devil extended to over ten minutes.

* Adrian Gurvitz, Race with the Devil, Water Rats, London, Gigs, 13 October 2024, YouTube, duration: 3.11 minutes.

-------------------

7. Recordings

The following is a chronological listing of official CBS recordings during the band's lifetime (1968 - 1970) and subsequent to that, including later unofficial releases. All songs written by A. Curtin / Gurvitz unless otherwise indicated.

* The Lights on the Wall, 2.46, November 1967. Unreleased.

* Race with the Devil 3.40 b/w Sunshine 3.30, 7" single, October 1968.

* Gun 12" LP, October 1968. Tracks:

Race With The Devil 3:40
The Sad Saga Of The Boy And The Bee 4:15
Rupert's Travels 2:30
Yellow Cab Man 4:50
It Won't Be Long (Heartbeat) 4:30
Sunshine 3:30
Rat Race 5:30
Take Off 12:30

* Drives You Mad 2.38 b/w Rupert's Travels 2.30, 7" single, 1969.

* Hobo / Don't Look Back, 7" single, 1969.

* Hobo / Long Haired Wild Man, 7" single, 1969.

* Gun Sight, 12" LP, June 1969. Tracks:

* Running Wild, / Drown Yourself In The River, 7" single, 2.50, 24 April 1970.

* Long Hair Wildman / Drown Yourself in the River, Epic, 7" single, 1970.

* Reloaded, CD + DVD, 2007. Tracks:

Runnin' Wild 2:49 - Bonus track
The Lights on the Wall 2:46 - Danny Cordell demo, first recording by the band
Drives You Mad 2:38 - Bonus track
Hold On 2:48 - Alan Freedman Radio 1
Don't Look Back 3:06 - Bonus track
Fears From The Night 4:16 - Demo
Drown Yourself In The River 3:01 - Demo
Race With The Devil 2:59 - BBC
Sunshine 2:18 - BBC
Take Off 2:40 - Alan Freedman Radio 1
A Most Peculiar Man 3:45 - Alan Freedman Radio 1
The Man Who Paints The Pictures 2:53 - BBC
Unlock My Door 4:15 - John Peel
The Lights On The Wall #2 2:22 - John Peel
DVD-1 Race With The Devil (German Television The Beat Club 1968) 3:38

* Gun / Gun Sight, CD, 2008. Reissue of two albums on one CD. Remastered.

* Gun Sight, 2022. Albums that should exist, 2022, (mp4 only), duration: 40 minutes. Album compiled by fan, including edited tracks. Tracks:

The Lights on the Wall
Drives You Mad
Don't Look Back
Runnin' Wild
Head in the Clouds
Dreams and Screams
Hobo
Situation Vacant
Lady Link [Instrumental] [Edit]
Long Hair Wildman
Oh Lady You

* Gun - BBC Sessions and Live, Albums that should exist, 2022, (mp4 only), duration: 43 minutes. Album compiled by fan, including edited tracks. Tracks:

Hold On. BBC recording, from Sights and Sounds Volume 2. Edited with X-minus to remove DJ comments.
The Lights on the Wall. BBC recording, from Sights and Sounds Volume 2. Edited with X-minus to remove DJ comments.
A Most Peculiar Man. Written by Simon and Garfunkel. BBC recording, from Sights and Sounds Volume 2. Edited with X-minus to remove DJ comments.
Take Off. From Reloaded, track 10.
Race with the Devil. BBC session. Edited with X-minus to remove DJ comments.
Sunshine. BBC session. Edited with X-minus to remove DJ comments.
The Man Who Paints Pictures. BBC session, from Reloaded, track 12. Edited with X-minus to remove DJ comments.
Talk. BBC session.
Drives You Mad. Live, France, 1968.
Take Off. Live, France, 1968.
I'm So Glad. Live, France, 1968. Skip James song done after the style of Cream.
Race with the Devil. Live, France, 1968.
Unlock My Door. BBC John Peel session, from Reloaded, track 13. Edited with X-minus to remove DJ comments.

-------------------

8. Lessons

* Judas Priest "Race with the Devil" run through, Doug Walker, 6 April 2020, YouTube, duration: 2.59 minutes.

* Girlschool - Race With The Devil last guitar solo lesson (with tablatures and backing tracks), StephLeGratteux, 30 August 2024, YouTube, duration: 3.02 minutes.

-------------------

9. References

Adrian Gurvitz, Jazz, Rock, Soul, n.d.

Adrian Gurvitz - Producer, Writer, Artist [website], accessed 12 September 2025.

Adrian Gurvitz interview, Edward Fowler, 9 October 2024, YouTube, duration: 36.27 minutes.

Adrian Gurvitz Live in London, The Water Rats [Venue], 9 October 2024.

Baker Gurvitz Army Live 1975, Velvet Thunder, 28 December 2023.

Book of Bands, Screaming Lord Sutch and the Savages, The Book of Bands [blog], 2012.

Boon, David, Scott's solo tour, Gaumont, Manchester, Shows Visited and Reviewed, Lycos.com.

Cohen, Mike, Hitmaker Adrian decided it was time to step back, Jewish Telegraph, November 2024.

Discogs, Gun / The Gun, Discogs, accessed 1 September 2025.

Gun, Jazz, Rock, Soul, n.d.

Gun, Planet Alien, n.d.

Gurvitz, Paul, The Gun, Paul Gurvitz, 2010.

-----, Paul Gurvitz Interview, It's Psychedelic Baby, 21 February 2011.

PaulGurvitz.com - The Gun [archived webpage], Internet Archive, 29 September 2007.

Read, Graham, The Gun: Race with the Devil (1967), Elsewhere, 7 August 2023.

The Gun - history and reviews, progarchives.com, 19 December 2018.

Tune in with Trevor episode 3 - Adrian Gurvitz, Trevor McShane, 31 May 2025, YouTube, duration: 23.17 minutes.

Wikipedia, Adrian Gurvitz, Wikipedia, accessed 1 September 2025.

-----, Baker Gurvitz Army, accessed 6 September 2025.

-----, Buddy Miles Express, accessed 6 September 2025.

-----, Gun, Wikipedia, accessed 1 September 2025.

-----, The Knack, Wikipedia, accessed 3 September 2025.

-----, Three Man Army, Wikipedia, accessed 8 September 2025.

-------------------

Last updated: 8 September 2025

Michael Organ, Australia

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