• Badƒinger ~ Google Earth •

• Swansea •
_{Latitude = 51°37'19.98"N
Longitude = 3°56'14.66"W}

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Seaport city and birthplace of: Pete Ham, Mike Gibbins, Ron Griffiths and so many more individuals who are interwoven into the Iveys & Badƒinger story.

Sea Scout: Mike Gibbins

Photo: mikegibbins.com

Swansea ~ City View

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• Townhill District •
_{Latitude = 51°37'49.78"N
Longitude = 3°58'6.81"W}

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Boyhood homes of: Pete Ham, David Franklin, Roy Anderson, John Horrel, Dai & Alwyne Jenkins. This is also where the formation of The Panthers, The Black Velvets, The Wild Ones and The Iveys took place. Band practice usually took place in a parent's kitchen or garage.

The Panthers

Photo: DJ Photography

Swansea Townhill District ~ Overview

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• Gwent Gardens •
_{Latitude = 51°37'55.75"N
Longitude = 3°58'12.13"W}

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Pete Ham's childhood home. Later loosely referenced in Pete's song "Keyhole Street". Alwyn Jackson also lived on this street with Pete.

View at Street Level

Photo: Roy Anderson

Pete's "Keyhole Street" ~ Gwent Gardens, Townhill

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• Gors "Youth" Schools •
_{Latitude = 51°37'54.65"N
Longitude = 3°58'47.06"W}

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This is where Pete, Roy Anderson, John Horrel, and Alwyn Jackson all went to school. And where one day, Pete had his little finger smashed in a gate, (no longer there). The small marker on the map shows the location of where the gate once stood.

View at Street Level

Photo: Alwyn Jackson

Gors Junior (left) and Gors Infant Schools (right) ~ Swansea

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• Townhill School •
_{Latitude = 51°37'37.82"N
Longitude = 3°57'45.11"W}

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This is where Pete's musical passions really took off. Located in the school also is the Townhill Youth Club once run by club leader, Brian Coffey. Brian really helped the fledgling group out in so many ways.

View at Street Level

Photo: Roy Anderson

Townhill School and Youth Club ~ Swansea

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• 21 Heol Frank •
_{Latitude = 51°38'45.75"N
Longitude = 3°57'38.74"W}

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Ron Griffiths' childhood home. Ron was asked to join the band, (The Wild Ones) by Pete Ham and Alwyne Jenkins in early 1964.

View at Street Level

Photo: Keith James

Ron Griffiths' Childhood Home

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• 628 Middle Road •
_{Latitude = 51°38'46.14"N
Longitude = 3°58'42.01"W}

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Ron Griffiths, on the back of his father's 'mod' Lambretta, asked Mike if he would join The Iveys. Mike was with a group called The Misfits at the time. Mike agreed to an audition and the band started moving up the pecking order with Swansea's booking agencies.

View at Street Level

Photo: Keith James

Mike Gibbins' Childhood Home

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• Ivey Place •
_{Latitude = 51°37'29.82"N
Longitude = 3°56'28.46"W}

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If you traveled to Swansea by rail, Ivey Place would be the first Badƒinger location you would see as it is directly opposite the train station. Whilst driving home after a gig, the Wild Ones bassist, Ron Griffiths spotted the sign and suggested it as a name for the band. The Grand Hotel is the only building therein. Tom, Joey and Bob stayed here during the Man/Badƒinger British tour of 1974.
^{--Keith James}

Ivey Place ~ Swansea

View at Street Level

Photo: Neil Fowkes

Ivey Place where the council put up a new sign for us. The photo, (to the left) is of the coach party who went around Swansea after the 2006 Badƒinger Convention.
^{--Neil Fowkes}

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• 7 Park Avenue •
_{Latitude = 51°34'10.05"N
Longitude = 0°11'15.37"W}

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This was the rented home of Bill Collins. Home of the Mojos, then the Iveys and eventually Badƒinger. Many of the early songs were written here - most first recorded on a 2 head Revox tape machine.

View at Street Level

Photo: Liz Powner

7 Park Avenue ~ Golders Green

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• 18 Coleridge Walk •
_{Latitude = 51°35'12.86"N
Longitude = 0°11'43.13"W}

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"I remember driving up to the front in a cab, (and, y'know, pretty excited) and seeing it all inside and out. It was relatively narrow, and a straight shot thru from the front entrance thru the living room, then the dining room, (the kitchen is to the left) then out the back door to the garden."
^{--Cary Caldwell}

Wednesday, 10 May 1972

Photo: Kathie Wiggins (Molland)
Used with permission
Copyright © Cary Caldwell

Joey & Kathie - Sunshine Cottage 1972
Hampstead Garden Suburb

"Walking down the street toward the end it was on the right, #18. (In this photo - on the top). We had the extra top floor extension where Joey recorded - the guest room. Ha Ha."
^{--Kathie Molland}

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• Clock Tower •
_{Latitude = 51°34'17.54"N
Longitude = 0°11'43.01"W}

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The clock tower on the roundabout adjacent Golders Green tube station. Pete makes mention of the structure in his song Weep Baby. "There's an old clock tower, where you count every hour."
^{--Keith James}

View at Street Level

Photo: Keith James

Clock Tower ~ Golders Green

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• Clearwell Castle •
_{Latitude = 51°45'58.37"N
Longitude = 2°37'27.93"W}

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Badƒinger lived at the 7 Park Avenue residence in Golders Green for several years. In the spring of 1971 the band rented Clearwell Castle in the Forest of Dean and lived in and recorded at the residence. The band lived here for about six months.
^{--Brian Fagano}

View at Street Level

From: Clearwell Castle website

Clearwell Castle in Gloucestershire

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• Caribou Ranch •
_{Latitude = 39°59'49.94"N
Longitude = 105°30'51.50"W}

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In 1971, music producer, James Guercio, purchased the ranch and converted a barn into a recording studio, attracting Chicago, Elton John, Rod Stewart and others. The studio complex was shut down and never used again after a March 1985 fire destroyed the control room.

Front View

Caribou Ranch Recording Studio ~ Colorado

Following the group's last American tour, Badƒinger recorded Wish You Were Here at the Caribou Ranch recording studio in Colorado in mid-April, 1974.

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The Beatles & Badƒinger
Dozens of locations

• The Beatles •
All 4 Locations

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Badƒinger at the Cavern

Beatles ~ Liverpool, London, Hamburg & NYC

Once the KMZ file has loaded into Google Earth

• In "Places" - Expand: the_beatles.kmz
• Then click on: BEATLES PLACES - by Gabor Peterdi (Hungary)
• Click on any one of the 4 cities listed to begin the tour.

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