Greg Shaw & Bomp Records

                                                           
                                                         

Greg Shaw

A True Believer
1949-2004

Greg Shaw is one of the giants of rock ‘n’ roll, though most of you have never heard of him. He wasn’t a performer. And he didn’t write any memorable, let alone classic, rock songs. But he was a true believer and a visionary that championed rock ‘n’ roll music from its explosive birth in the fifties through its ultimate decline in the seventies. He was best known for his fanzine Who Put The Bomp and was on the vanguard of the emerging literary movement in rock journalism along with Lester Bangs, Peter Guralnick, John Mendelson (a great supporter of the Kinks), Dave Marsh, Greil Marcus and others. He championed the Stooges and the MC5…the Flaming Groovies and the Troggs….the Plimsouls and Bad Religion. He knew Jann Werner before Rolling Stone sold out, when Werner possessed enthusiasm and ideals.

 

Shaw was born and raised in San Francisco and began his literary pursuits in high school…he was an avid record collector and was a true and reverent sci-fi aficionado and an active member of SF fandom. By the time he completed high school, Shaw had already published over 200 zines and formulated an understanding of fandom and a lifelong preference for “dedicated amateurisim”. In 1966, at age 17, Shaw started The Mojo-Navigator Rock & Roll News and became a notable presence in San Francisco's burgeoning psychedelic scene, writing about, and partying with the likes of Country Joe & the Fish, Big Brother & the Holding Company with Janis Joplin and the Grateful Dead. A few years later he developed a more personal project he called WHO PUT THE BOMP, perhaps the most engaging, in depth and honest music magazine EVER. Shaw offered an alternative to the mainstream press and preserved the fading influence of rock music’s seminal yet somewhat obscure artists and codified regional scenes before they were co-opted and homogenized. He published Dick Rosemont’s early attempt at capturing the magic of the Michigan Rock scene. It took guts to champion a music scene remembered only for Motown. Rosement is related to a legendary Saginaw DJ, Dick Fabian, and was the first journalist to recognize the considerable talents of Dick Wagner and the Bossmen. I met Rosemont while living in Ann Arbor and bought a few albums form his mountainous collection. In fact, Dick supplied my buddy Risti Ciacelli and me with the tapes that later became the infamous bootleg Michigan Nuggets

It had everyone in an uproar, especially Punch Andrews, Bob Seger’s manager... seems he objected to the inclusion of seven early Seger songs on the lp - can’t imagine why.

Shaw’s magazine proved quite influential and in 1975 the svengali of rock, Kim Fowley, sponsored a contest in Bomp to assemble an all female band that became The Runaways, the vehicle that launched Joan Jett’s solo career. Shaw’s vision expanded beyond the cursory view of typical fanzines and to a more historical and literary point of view – complete with photos and discographies of obscure yet magnificent bands from either side of the Atlantic...though he had a certain fondness for British pop. In fact, it was Shaw that prompted me to seek out records by Roy Wood and the Move. I’m forever grateful.

The Move is largely forgotten now, though some of you may remember Do Ya, the last great Move 45 and perhaps one of the most dynamic and powerful singles ever recorded. It ranks right up there with the Kinks’ You Really Got Me. And if you wanna get real serious about the Move, run on down to Records & Tapes Galore and ask ol' Bill to order you the 3-CD Box set Movements or The Best Of Roy Wood and you’ll hear some of the greatest anglo-rock ever recorded…The Move’s Fire Brigade, I Can Hear The Grass Grow, and Flowers in the Rain are exquisite. And Wood’s solo singles are equally endearing, See My Bay Jive , Forever, Angel Fingers and I Wish It Would Be Christmas(Everyday) and on and on. I was especially taken by the Move’s legendary live EP, Something Else by the Move. I finally hunted down a copy in the early nineties!

 

Greg went on to write all the liners for United Artists Legendary Master Series, featuring such artists as Fats Domino, Eddie Corchran, Ricky Nelson, and Jan & Dean and was a the creative force behind Sire Records reissue series on the Troggs, The Pretty Things, Paul Anka, and the Turtles – got ‘em all. He even produced the Stooges’ massive Iguana Chronicles series. By 1975, Greg was managing and touring with the Flaming Groovies and hired his idol Dave Edmunds to produce their breakout LP, Shake Some Action. Yep…I bought that one too. It was one of the sweetest slices of rock ‘n’ roll/power pop ever committed to vinyl. I loved it, but lost it. I think it’s in Oregon now.

Through the years I bought hundreds of records from Bomp set sale lists including an incredible amount of Beatle bootlegs (I have at least 200) and a few  years back I called Greg and told him my story about White’s Bar and about my record collecting and my desire to “do something” with my accumulated love and knowledge of “Michigan Rock” …I wanted to write a book. Greg was polite and encouraging and he even took the trouble of sending me a copy of Dick Rosement’s article.

 

I never knew he was ill.

I heard stories about Greg's problems with his pancreas and low blood sugar. And after several years of ill health, he died on October 19th, 2004 at the age of 55.

 

There is so much more to Greg Shaw’s story, believe me, I didn’t even scratch the surface. But if you want to know more about Greg Shaw and the underground and often marginalized part of rock history just look up Bomp on the web…it’s a great site. And if the Rock ‘N’ Roll Hall of Fame had any credibility Greg Shaw would certainly be nominated and inducted. But what can you say about a system that elects Tom Petty but ignores the MC5?

 

In a 1999 interview Greg responded to a question about the future of rock music and fandom;
”Rock ‘n’ roll as we know it, and its attendant fandom, will retreat into enclaves where preservation becomes the focus. I fear that the time will come when there is no audience left for live bands, or for records, except for small, cultist scenes connected through the internet, in short, a hobby far away from the mainstream. Of course hobbies can be widespread and profitable for those involved. I remain an optimist” - me too.

 

Peace
Bo White