Mendes Prey: The Mists Of Time

Mendes Prey… Do I need to say more to introduce this band to all the NWOBHM lovers? I believe that everyone who digs this music a bit deeper than a few articles in the Classic Rock Magazine is familiar with this awesome act. The band always delivered the goods and recorded some of the songs with that U.F.O./M.S.G. feel which are pure NWOBHM classics now. Mark Sutcliffe, the guitarist of Mendes Prey from 1982 to 1986 (not to confuse with the leader of Trespass), did such a good job offering a lot of information and reflections about the story of the band.  

Hello, Mark. First off, let’s discuss your career before you joined Mendes Prey. When and how did you start to play guitar? Tell us a bit about the band Eiga. Was it your first serious band?

I got my first guitar, a cherry sunburst Kay acoustic, at the age of 11 as a Christmas present, but didn't actually start to play the guitar until I was 14. I had grown up in a house filled with the sounds of the 1960s, everything from the Small Faces and Motown to Johnny Mathis and Herb Alpert, and I was a fan of The Rolling Stones, T-Rex and Led Zeppelin. My friend and I used to make cardboard guitars and mime to the hits of the day, but my initial reaction when I got that first real guitar, however, was that it seemed very difficult, and so I quickly put it to one side. It wasn't until my family relocated in 1974 that my new, musical friends, on finding out that I had a guitar, persuaded me to have another go. One friend in particular, Steve, was already into Eric Clapton, and we used to spend hours listening to the “Layla” album. I subsequently got into the Bluesbreakers, Cream and The Climax Blues Band and that was the kind of music I wanted to play. I played with a few local blues bands and used to go to a Sunday lunchtime jam at a pub in Bradford called The Royal Standard.

From being devoted to pure electric blues I realized that if I wanted to have any kind of a career in music then I would have to expand my horizons. I started listening to Thin Lizzy, Rush and other rock bands of the day, and Eiga was formed along those lines in 1980. We played the pub and club circuits around Leeds and Bradford. As I recall, there were quite a few heavy rock bands emerging around that time, a few of which appeared on independently produced compilation albums. One of them had a track by a band called Streetfighter, and I remember reading that their guitarist, John Sykes had joined The Tygers of Pan Tang. Another name I recall in particular from that time was Jedediah Strut. Eiga's drummer (Tony Sugden, later of Baby Tuckoo) and I were friends with their guitarist, whose name, I think, was Andy Wood (but this was close to forty years ago, so I could be mistaken).

Eiga was a very loud band. I played a '74 Les Paul Deluxe through a 50 watt Marshall head (and on one or two occasions a 100 watt head) with either one or two 4x12 cabs, depending on the size of the venue. I plugged straight in. No pedals and no master volume on the amp. Everything turned to 10. No wonder my hearing is not great these days, but the advantage of playing with a rig like that is that it is almost impossible to get a bad sound, and with a good guitar it will sing.

Were you aware of Mendes Prey and their music before you joined them? How did that happen?

I knew the name, but they were a couple of steps ahead of Eiga and didn't frequent our pub and small club circuit. Eiga broke up in 1981 and I took some time away from the music scene, but by the end of the year I was itching to join a band again. I saw an advert for a guitarist in a Leeds newspaper and went along to audition. I think it was only about five days later that I made my debut with them, at The Legion Club in South Shields.

I understand you weren’t in the band from the start but can you explain the meaning of the name Mendes Prey? Who is Mendes?

I'm not sure I've ever known. I think it's lost in the mists of time.

Would you say that your input to the songwriting changed the music and made it more melodic and gentle? By the way, what makes a good song in your opinion: riffs, catchy melodies or something else?

I think the introduction of any new member to a songwriting team is going to have an impact to some degree, not only from what is brought afresh to the table, but in the influence the new blood will have on the existing writers. In answer to your question, I think a catchy melody and/or a memorable hook of some kind is the key to a good song.

What are your best memories about the single “On The Borderline”? I guess that was very exciting to be in the studio. So can you recall your state of mind at the time?

We recorded it at Fairview Studios in Hull. I have a photograph of the session somewhere. I remember that I had only just acquired a new guitar, a 1976 Gibson Explorer, so I took that along. One of your readers might have the guitar today, serial number 000117. We had recorded an earlier demo of “On to the Borderline”, with a different title, on a 4-track recorder at our rehearsal rooms. The B-side of the single, “Runnin' for You” had been recorded a little earlier, at Woodlands Studio in Castleford.

Tell us about your show at the Marquee club. Now it’s hard to understand why it was a big deal back then. What were your impressions about the club? Did those shows go well?

The Marquee was an iconic name during the '60s and '70s. All the big acts of the day had played there, from The Cream to The Rolling Stones and dozens more in between. Treading the same boards as my heroes was quite a thrill. I remember that the dressing room, apart from being surprisingly small, was covered floor to ceiling with the autographs and doodles of people who had played there. We actually played The Marquee three times. Once as support and twice headlining. We were lucky to play there during the club's Silver Jubilee year (25 years) and were featured in a commemorative programme that celebrated the occasion.

The band toured with Diamond Head. What were your impressions about them? How many did you play with them?

It was just one date. We supported them at York University. Unfortunately, I don’t think our paths really crossed — not by design, but just that everyone was busy. I thought they were a great band and really liked their album, “Borrowed Time”. I saw them at Reading later that year.

Did you work with any concert agents or managers or did you arrange your gigs yourselves?

A bit of both, as I recall.

By the way, American bands used flyers and posters to promote their gigs and I believe that show posters became a pure art in America. There was even a war of posters when bands stick their posters above others’. Was it the same in the UK? Which ways of promotion were typical back then?

Posters mainly. And it wasn't uncommon for the bands themselves to sneak around the towns and cities sticking them up. Putting posters over those of other bands certainly happened, but we wouldn't have done that. The music business is tough enough without making enemies among those who should be your friends.

Touring life might be both funny and exhausting. Can you share some stories about that matter? Were you ripped off by promoters? Did you lose band members at gas stations? Did you tour outside the UK, by the way?

Gosh, that's a good question. We didn't lose any members at gas stations, nor did we tour outside of the UK. I can't remember many stories, but after one gig, a roadie for the support band was spotted by our sound guy, Mick, trying to sneak away with one of our Marshall heads. Mick was not someone you'd want to get on the wrong side of, and he wasn't prepared to listen to any lame excuses about mistaken identities, because, as I recall, “Mendes Prey” was stenciled on our backline. He just floored the thief and reclaimed the head.

On another occasion, when we played at the Banbury GF Club (the night “Flight to Moscow” was recorded), I was more nervous than usual, because Steve (Holt, guitar player) had just left the band and, as I recall, we only had time for a couple of rehearsals as a single-guitar band. I was sitting at the back of the room with Jih (Seymour, singer) when the support act came on. They started playing and they were good. Really good. I turned to Jih and said, "the guitarist looks like Bernie Marsden", and then after another minute , "it is Bernie Marsden!" Apparently, outside of his Whitesnake gig, Bernie had a little pub band that he played with for fun and, being local to the area, was invited to perform. I think my sister had something to do with it. They had kept it from me in case I freaked out. It was all OK in the end. Bernie's band were terrific and went down a storm, but we got an equally good reception. Bernie and his fellow guitarist in the band, Syd Twynham, who was another great pro player, came backstage after the concert for a chat. Really nice guys. And another great guy we got to meet was Brian Downey of Thin Lizzy. We enjoyed a few drinks with him the night we were filmed by the BBC at Leeds University. After the concert we had headed to a motel out of town for drink and bumped into him in the bar. Lizzy had been playing the Queen's Hall. 

We always had a good laugh on the road. It's a cliché to say this, but there is a strong sense of camaraderie within most bands, and we were no exception.

How did you get in touch with the people from Levi’s? Why did they pick up especially “What The Hell Is Going On”? Did you suggest them other tracks for the commercial?

As I recall, their marketing people heard it on the radio and made it their way to find out who we were. They wanted to use the riff from the opening of the song for a commercial. I don't remember there being any question of their using any of our material beyond that one tune.

Levi’s sponsored your tour and provided some of their clothes. How do you think, was that a fair deal? For how long did they use your song? Was the Levi’s sponsored tour that long or was it a short one?

The tour lasted about a month, I think. It was good exposure and publicity for us. I don't know how long they used “What the Hell?” in their commercial. I remember hearing it once or twice on the radio. I do remember getting quite a lot of denim from them.

Did that commercial change attitude to the band from your fans and rivals/competitors? I believe that there always are people who blame bands in selling-out when they achieve some success. So was that your case?

I really don't think so. Like I say, it was just a radio commercial. And denim jeans are part of the uniform for rock fans. I honestly don't think we could have been accused of selling out, and no one said so, either, as far as I can remember.

Why didn’t you capitalize on that deal with Levi’s and never break through? Would you say that if the band had used the money to record an album it would have led to a greater success?

That's very hard to answer. To be honest, I don't think it would. I'd say it was just a bit too early for that to have happened. At the time of the Levi's tour we were working on upping our game, introducing new material, such as “Cry for the World” and “I Beg for Mercy”. An album recorded at that time would have captured us too early, in my opinion. Within six months of the Levi's tour I thought we had developed considerably.

It is strange that the band never signed a deal with any label in the 80’s. Why was that? I guess there were plenty of offerings as the band had a lot of great songs. Did you wait for a major deal? Did you play any showcases for labels?

A deal with a major was always the goal to hold out for, but, sadly, it didn't materialize. It might have been a different story had we stayed together another couple of years. With hindsight, I think we threw in the towel when we were on the verge of being at our most marketable, although the direction we were heading in might not have pleased our early followers, because we dropped all the heavy tunes. We had spent a lot of time in the studio towards the end and were getting pretty good at the craft of recording. I think we were probably at our peak when we called it a day. Maybe we would have achieved success if we had applied what we had learned in those latter days onto the style of the original material. It's all speculation.

Why did Steve Holt leave the band? Did you audition any other guitarists to replace him? Why did you decide to carry on as a four-piece?

The initial thought after Steve's departure was mild but tangible panic. At least it was on my part. We had two gigs coming up within a week, so I had to hurriedly adapt my guitar parts to incorporate some of Steve's parts and make it all work as best I could. Once the dust settled and we got our thoughts together, we decided that a keyboard player, as opposed to another guitarist, would be best for the direction we were heading in. But we didn't find the right player and as we were spending more and more time in the studio and less on the road, there didn't seem to be any urgency. We thought we could just hire people in, as and when we needed them.

How did the idea with the compilation “Parkside Steelwork” come about? Was it helpful in terms of promotion? Did you record the songs “Red Alert” and “Cry For The World” especially for the compilation or did you use some older versions?

We were approached and asked if we would contribute something. It was flattering to be given the opening and closing slots on the album. I don't recall any special events to mark the album's release, just a few reviews in the music press. It was only a small-scale production, and I think it's quite a collector's item today. We already had some fairly polished recordings of “Red Alert” and “Cry for the World”, so they used those.

I believe that you got in touch with Steve Allen who joined Mendes Prey as a keyboardist for a short period of time. Why didn’t he stay longer?

Steve never officially joined the band, as I remember it. He was a friend and a good musician. He played the keyboards on a few demo's and gigged with us just once, I think.

Tell me please about the single “Wonderland” which showed the softer side of Mendes Prey. Was it something you really wanted to try or was it a business decision and your wish to get some airplays? In other words, was it a right move at the time?

No one in the band liked that song, and I think it was a bad move that we recorded it. It got slated by the press. The B side, “Can You Believe It?” would have been a better choice.

Why did you pick up that particular song by Demon? How did you manage to sort out legal stuff with Demon and their label?

It was chosen for us by well-meaning people behind the scenes. I don't know anything about the legals or permissions.

What about the song “Can You Believe It”? I guess there were different versions of it, so which one you like better — the version from the single or the version from the compilation?

They are just different edits of the same recording, and I don't really have a preference between the two. But there are actually two earlier versions in existence, both of which are significantly different to the version on the single. I like the second of those, where we were experimenting with a few ideas for what we could do with the song, but as far as I know it's not available anywhere on the net.

Why did the band split-up in 1986? Was it just because Jih went to Australia or was it because you gave up after the single’s failure?

As I remember, it was a combination of several factors. With hindsight, and in my opinion, we spent too long and put too much effort into trying to make ourselves into the kind of band that people of influence thought we should be, instead of concentrating on what we were good at and what our fans wanted to hear. On the whole it was a great journey, and all good things come to an end.

After Mendes Prey you had the band Serle. Tell us a bit about it. Did you record anything with this band? What you’ve been up to musically since that time?

That was a mistake on my part. I was presented with what I thought would be a ticket to commercial success. They had some excellent tunes in the vein of Prince and the whole Minneapolis scene of the mid-'80s. And in Serle himself and Mark, the bass player, they had a brilliant songwriting team. Once again, I was trying to be something that I was not, and their previous guitar player was a much better fit for the style of music. I did, however, enjoy the experience, especially the time we spent in Sheffield, being mentored by Phil Oakey of The Human League and writing and recording in their studios.

I left Serle towards the end of 1988, sold all my gear and completely walked away from the music scene. I didn't even keep an acoustic. It was not until 2005 that I picked up a guitar again, and in many ways it was like starting from scratch. I won't be stopping playing again.

Tell me about the track “Flight To Moscow”. Being from Moscow, I wonder what you meant with this title. Why didn’t you record it in a studio?

A lot of the writing was done in a way that was and, I presume, still is, common in rock bands, in that a tune would start out with a guitar riff. That was the case here. But on this occasion, it wasn't well-suited to take a vocal melody so, instead of discarding it, we worked it up into an instrumental. Jih came up with the title and, as far as I am aware, it has no meaning beyond being a phrase that encapsulates the feel of the tune. I think it does that perfectly. We didn't deliberately avoid recording it in the studio. It was written shortly before we changed direction in search of what we thought would be a more commercial sound, and just didn't fit with the new material. It was originally written for two guitars. The live recording you will be familiar with, from “The Never Ending Road”, is totally raw and stripped right down to the bones. Just guitar, bass and drums. One of my favourite moments on the album is in that song, during one of the break sections, around the 2:20 mark, when a note rings out from the guitar and echoes around the hall.

What happened to the songs “Searching For Utopia” and “Follow Me”? Why didn’t you include them to the compilation “The Never Ending Road”?

They were from the period after we dropped the heavy stuff in search of a more commercial sound. We thought the album would work better if we focused on the earlier material. They only exist in a single demo recording of each and, as far as I am aware, are not available on the net. I'm surprised you've even heard of them!

Tell us, please, about the above mentioned compilation. How did the label get in touch with you? Did you offer them more songs that they used in the end? Why didn’t you include the songs from the “Wonderland” single?

No Remorse was one of several labels that knew of us. They knew there was a demand for our music and knew we had unreleased material. We chose to go with them because they were very professional, had a great distribution network, a good reputation and the respect of the fans. They were enthusiastic about our songs and offered us the best deal. They were great to work with and it was a good move. They left the song-selection and the running order completely to us. We didn't include 'Wonderland' because it wasn't one of our songs and we have never thought it to be representative of the band. The “B” side of that single, “Can You Believe It?” is, of course, on the album.

Did you consider a reunion to support the compilation?

No. It would have been far too difficult, logistically.

Do you have any plans to keep on releasing stuff from the vaults? Are there any certain plans?

We have talked about it but there are no plans. We probably have enough material to do another album, but, aside from a few live tracks and alternative versions, a lot of it would be the more commercial songs, and I am not sure how that would go down with the original followers of the band.

I know you, Jih and Tony Boulton are in touch but what about Martin Brough and Steve Holt? What are they up to these days?

It is well over 30 years since I last saw Steve, although Tony and Jih have both bumped into him around Castleford. I am reliably informed that he is still a great guitar player and performs regularly with a band. I haven't seen Martin for maybe 10 or 15 years and, sadly, we have lost contact with him. I hope he is keeping well. We all enjoyed some good times back in the day.

Feel free to share anything you want with your fans!

Well, I don't play in a band these days, but a couple of months ago I set up a YouTube channel. I am posting covers and instructional videos for the style of guitar that came out of the British Blues Boom of the 1960s. It's the bedrock of virtually all rock and metal playing today and is worthy of serious study. Anyone who is interested can find it here: youtube.com/c/MyBluesGuitar. I'd be delighted to see any fans of Mendes Prey as new subscribers.

I'd like to finish by sincerely thanking all the fans of Mendes Prey, old and new, for their support. We were blown away to discover how much interest there still is in the band. And thank you, KC, for contacting me for the interview.

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