Just as the soundtrack of ‘sixties underground culture proved a natural route for Keith to work with some of Britain’s major progressive rock acts, by the mid-seventies another major transition took place which he was more than ready for. This time, however, a whole new generation of younger musicians comprehensively rejected the pomp and creative bankruptcy of their predecessors, a rebellion that accorded well with Keith’s own no-nonsense philosophy.
And although musical historians generally cite 1976 and the punk explosion as that pivotal moment, in fact pub rock pre-dated this by two or three years. Having chummed up with guitarist Martin Stone when he shot the very wonderful Mighty Baby in 1968, he inevitably worked with Martin’s new band, Chilli Willi who were one of the seminal pub rock outfits, managed by ex-boxer Jake Riviera. Firm friends until the day Keith died, Riviera introduced the photographer to several of the stalwarts of the pub rock circuit, including Dr Feelgood and Kokomo, both of whom recorded for Riviera’s Revelation Records. When Jake formed Stiff Records (with Brinsley Schwarz’s manager, Dave Robinson) in 1976, Keith naturally worked with several of their acts too, most notably The Damned, and when he took Elvis Costello & the Attractions (featuring ex-Chilli Willi drummer, Pete Thomas) and Nick Lowe to his own Radar Records, another enduring union was born.
And along the way Keith worked with and be-friended some of the best artists of the era including Rockpile, Eddie & the Hot-Rods and the Pink Fairies.
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