The Pink Fairies evolved out of a drinking club formed by Steve Peregrin Took (formerly Marc Bolan's partner in T Rex, the Pretty Things, the Deviants also called the "Social" Deviants) and Syd Barrett in 1969. Took, along with Mick Farren and Twink (previously of The Fairies, Tomorrow, and Pretty Things) named the group Pink Fairies, only to see Twink appropriate the name for his new project (Pink Fairies Mark 2) with three ex-Deviants members. Mick Farren's first solo album, Mona, features the original Pink Fairies Mark 1 line-up.
It is worth noting that according to Jason Ankeny of All Music Guide, "the Social Deviants...consisted primarily of vocalist Mick Farren, guitarist Paul Rudolph, bassist Duncan Sanderson and drummer Russell Hunter. The group also featured satellite members Marc Bolan, Steve Peregrine Took and players from the band Group X, later rechristened Hawkwind."
After the "Mark 2" version of the band broke up in 1972, a new version (Mark 3) formed which, eventually adding ex-Steve Took's Shagrat guitarist Larry Wallis, who took over the band them, leading them on the Kings Of Oblivion LP. Wallis was simultaneously in both the Pink Fairies and the original line-up of Motörhead with ex-Hawkwind bassist Lemmy, and, co-incidentally enough, also substituted for Lemmy on a Hawkwind tour of America at the last minute because Lemmy was deported back to England because of possession of amphetamine sulfate.
Although never in an official line-up of the Pink Fairies (after Mark 1), Took continued to be associated with the Pink Fairies. He played support slots for the Pink Fairies and occassionally joined them as a third drummer, and once on bass guitar.
Members of the Pink Fairies and Deviants were largely interchangeable throughout the years. A more recent member of the Deviants, (Andy Colqhoun) appeared with Larry Wallis, Twink, Russell Hunter and Duncan (Sandy) Sanderson for the later Fairies reunion album, Kill 'Em & Eat 'Em.
"In 1975, the Kings of Oblivion-era line-up reunited for a one-off London gig; an enthusiastic response led to the official reformation of the nucleus of Rudolph, Sanderson and Hunter, who added former Chilli Willi and the Red Hot Peppers vocalist Martin Stone before again disbanding in 1977. A decade later, the original line-up -- minus Rudolph, but including Wallis -- reunited for the album Kill 'Em and Eat 'Em before calling it quits yet one more time. "~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide.
Fairies haven't released any music to the general public in the last several decades. However, reissues of '60s and '70s material and more contemporary jams--of arguably lesser interest--have made it into limited pressings--around 1,500--have been distributed by a loose network of smaller distributors, band members and friends. These albums have featured Twink and one or two other old Fairies members, several of whom were living in Canada, according to graphic novellist Link Yaco, who found Paul Rudolph there in 1999, willing to endorse "Spacechicks and Businessmen", an x-rated graphic novel. Rudolph's endorsement appears on the cover of the book.
The first European excursion for The Pink Fairies saw them blowing amps, money and minds at the three-day Ruisrock Festival in Turku, Northern Finland in 1971. Recorded by the state radio station, the three-piece, now without Twink, consisted of Russell Hunter on drums, Paul Rudolph on guitar and vocals, and Duncan Sanderson on bass. Unleashing heavy, acid-drenched jams on the audience, beginning with a blistering attack on The Beatles’ psych classic Tomorrow Never Knows, the Fairies must have blown away the opposition – Juicy Lucy, Jeff Beck, Canned Heat and Fairport Convention – with sheer force.
Teenage Rebel
Pink Fairies Lyrics
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You don't like the way I kick up my feet
You don't like the things that I say
You don't like the way that I look today
I've got my attitude and it's somewhat bad
I'v been down on the street since I was a young man
I got my education from a local bum
Never had an new shiney toys
Just want to tell you to dance and shout
You don't want to sit bare on my lap
And let me ride your pony baby on my thumb
Maybe someone's in your head and full of sand
To try and take the situation into hand
I'd like to think that I'm about to hear a plan
To bring happiness to this Never Never Land
I'd like to see your sisters as a nubile friend
I'd like to see your sisters if I had the time
Or even plan to take her to the sun
Try to make sure you were having fun
Maybe someone's in my head and full of sand
To try and take the situation into hand
I'd like to think that I'm about to hear a plan
To bring happiness to this Never Never Land
Walk into something don't step aside
You gonna take your hotel bride
They got something going that we all love
Don't walk on the ground when we can walk above
Maybe someone's in my head and full of sand
To try and take the situation into hand
I'd like to think that I'm about to hear a plan
To bring happiness to this Never Never Land
No one likes the way I walk down the street
They don't like the way I kick up my feet
They don't like the way that I look today
They don't like the things that I've got to say
I'm a teenage rebel when I pull my gun
I don't like the things we have won
I'd like to see this other matter we have won
To a teenage rebel can't get it on
Maybe someone's in your head and full of sand
To try and take the situation into hand
I'd like to think that I'm about to hear a plan
To bring happiness to this Never Never Land
bring! happiness to this Never Never Land
bring!! happiness to this Never Never Land
bring!!! happiness to this Never Never Land
BRING !!!! happiness to this Never Never Land
In the song "Teenage Rebel" by Pink Fairies, the singer is expressing their frustration with the way they are perceived by society. They are unapologetically themselves and don't conform to societal norms, which seems to upset some people. The lyrics refer to the singer's "attitude" as somewhat bad, implying that their demeanor and behavior may be seen as rebellious or confrontational. Despite this, the singer is not looking to start trouble or persuade others to do so. They simply want to dance and have fun.
The lyrics also touch on the theme of relationships, particularly with the singer's interest in their crush's sister. The singer is hoping for a chance to spend time with the sister and make sure that everyone involved has a good time. The mention of a gun in the final verse adds a layer of danger and unpredictability to the song’s themes.
Overall, "Teenage Rebel" is a commentary on individuality and the cultural push and pull between rebellion and conformity. It's about not letting others dictate who you are supposed to be and not being afraid to express your true self, even if it may be met with opposition.
Line by Line Meaning
You don't like the way I walk down the street
People don't approve of how I walk down the street
You don't like the way I kick up my feet
People don't approve of how I kick up my feet
You don't like the things that I say
People don't like the things I say
You don't like the way that I look today
People don't like the way I look today
I've got my attitude and it's somewhat bad
I have a rebellious attitude
I'v been down on the street since I was a young man
I've been living on the street since I was young
I got my education from a local bum
I learned from a homeless person on the street
Never had an new shiney toys
I've never had new and shiny toys
I don't want to tell you all to jump hoop
I don't want to be controlling
Just want to tell you to dance and shout
I want to encourage you to dance and have fun
You don't want to sit bare on my lap
You don't want to be close to me
And let me ride your pony baby on my thumb
Let me handle things my way
Maybe someone's in your head and full of sand
Maybe someone is filling your head with nonsense
To try and take the situation into hand
To try to take control of the situation
I'd like to think that I'm about to hear a plan
I hope there's a plan coming
To bring happiness to this Never Never Land
To bring happiness to this world
I'd like to see your sisters as a nubile friend
I want to see your sisters as attractive friends
I'd like to see your sisters if I had the time
If I had the time, I would like to see your sisters
Or even plan to take her to the sun
Or even plan an adventurous and exciting date with her
Try to make sure you were having fun
Making sure you're having a good time
Walk into something don't step aside
Don't avoid challenges
You gonna take your hotel bride
You'll marry someone who has financial security
They got something going that we all love
They have something popular and enjoyable
Don't walk on the ground when we can walk above
Don't settle for less when we can have more
No one likes the way I walk down the street
No one approves of how I walk down the street
They don't like the way I kick up my feet
People don't like how I kick up my feet
They don't like the way that I look today
People don't like how I look today
They don't like the things that I've got to say
People don't like the things I have to say
I'm a teenage rebel when I pull my gun
I'm a rebellious teenager when I use my gun
I don't like the things we have won
I'm not satisfied with our accomplishments
I'd like to see this other matter we have won
I'd like to see other things we've accomplished
To a teenage rebel can't get it on
To a rebellious teenager, success isn't enough
BRING !!!! happiness to this Never Never Land
Let's bring happiness to this world!
Contributed by Charlie G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.