Clive Jones from Black Widow has just talked about some of his future plans regarding Black Widow and "Metal Heart" musical. Pasi Koivu had a chance to talk with Clive recently.

Black Widow, the first real Black Widow band in UK caused a lot of controversy and media attention because of their Black Magic act both on stage and record back in 1970. Their classic album "Sacrifice" included a classic song "Come To The Sabbat" which still gets lots of airplay - even Bruce Dickinson plays the song often on his radio show.

Clive Jones -  "The reason for the delay is simple. We want to do a definitive Black Widow live package for our fans who have so long waited to hear and see our show".

Clive Jones continues - "Right now I cannot say much more but maybe there will be something other also than just this live show from Italy 1971. I am also looking for a short movie we did with Alex Sanders (Alex Sanders was the most famous witch in England at the time). We played "Come To The Sabbat" in a cave with naked witches dancing around. It has been unbelievably hard to find that film so if anyone has info about that film please get in touch! I also hope to record a new album with some of the ex-members but it is early stages now so we will see. Any possible new Black Widow album will be thematically back to Black Magic. If someone has also some unpublished photos or audience tapes please do inform me. I am also searcing for our last guitarist John Culley (John also plays on the classic album "Asylum" by Cressida). I have no idea what happened to him after Black Widow. I have a contact to every other member who ever played in Black Widow. I own the name Black Widow now and to release some more live stuff officially would be fantastic".

About his other projects Clive tells this: "I hope to finish my new Agony Bag project in near future. I played sax and flute for Black Widow and in Agony Bag I did that also but I was also their lead singer. Agony Bag was a really crazy band which I formed with an original Black Widow-drummer Clive Box (for more info about this band: www.agonybag.co.uk )".

Clive Jones - "All the songs are ready and different artists around Europe are recording their parts for that. I have also asked Sophya Baccini from an Italian prog band Presence to sing on one of those songs and she has agreed (Presence itself releases a new album "The Evil Rose" at the beginning of January 2007 and Sophya Baccini herself releases her first solo album called "Aradia" a bit later. "Aradia" will even include a song "Candystream written by Clive Jones). You can find more info on my website www.smackmanagement.com and you can email me (the address is to be found on that site) if you can help me with these things I told you about Black Widow and I will try to reply personally to all my messages".

Pasi Koivu
is a friend of the Progressive Rock And Progressive Metal Internet Zine

Kay Garrett - Vocals
Kip Trevor - Vocals, Guitar & Harmonica
Jess "Zoot" Taylor - Organ & Piano
Jim Gannon - Guitar & Vocals
Clive Jones - Sax & Flute
Bob Bond - Bass guitar 
Clive Box - Drums & Percussion

Discography:
Pesky Gee - 1969 - Where Is My Mind/Place Of Heartbreak (7") (PYE 7N 17708). Exclamation Mark (PYE NSPL 18293 & REP 4166-WZ)

Black Widow - 1970 - March - Sacrifice (LP) (CBS 63948 & CLACD 262, CD 1992). May - Come To The Sabbat/Way To Power (7") (CBS 5031)

Black Widow - 1971 - Black Widow (LP) (CBS 64133 & RR 4031-C, CD 1989). November - Wish You Would/Accident (7") (CBS 7596)

Black Widow III - 1972 - January - Black Widow III (LP) (CBS 64562 & REP 4241-WZ, CD 1992)

Black Widow IV - 1997 - Black Widow IV (CD) (Recorded 1972) (MYS CD 117)

Return To The Sabbat - 1998 - (CD) (Recorded 1969) (MYS CD 129)

Come to the Sabbat - 2003 Anthology (CD)

Tribute to Black Widow - 2000 - King of the Witches (BWRCD 039-2)

Black Widow Home Page
www.blackwidow.org.uk/
Also at My Space

Once upon a time in Leicester, England, there were seven young musicians; Kay Garrett (vocals), Kip Trevor (vocals, guitar & harmonica), Jess "Zoot" Taylor (organ & piano), Jim Gannon (guitar & vocals), Clive Jones (sax & flute), Bob Bond (bass guitar) & Clive Box (drums & percussion). In the year of our lord, 1966, they formed the band Pesky Gee!. The band made one album for "Pye", "Exclamation Mark" (1969), before reforming without Garret as Black Widow in 1970. CBS become the bands new label. The group played a wild orgiastic, black mass oriented rock, much in the footstep of their colleagues Black Sabbath.

The band had a small amount of success with "Come To The Sabbat", taken off their first LP Sacrifice (1970). The band had an extravagant mystic show (centred on the female demon Astaroth and choreographed by members of Leicester's Phoenix Theatre Company) and outrageous effects. The live show initially featured the mock sacrifice of a nude woman, which in itself, was enough to cause uproar in the press, and coupled with the fact that they were receiving advice on the art of witchcraft from Alex Sanders, the self professed "King Of The Witches" - the Sunday tabloids had a field day!

Early concerts were attended by priests waving crosses in the air, warning those attending to the inherent dangers of witchcraft and Black Widow.

Religious fanatics would preach at the waiting queues urged on by journalists looking for a story. The news writer Paul Green said that the Black Widow music and stage show was not an example of Satanism, but more an example of Satanic bad taste.