Rag Goes Mad At The Mojo

Rag Goes Mad At The Mojo is one of the most important and collectible documents of the 1960s Sheffield music scene. Although only a four-track EP lasting under twenty minutes, it captures the raw atmosphere of the legendary Mojo Club, the Sheffield venue run by promoter and nightclub owner Pete Stringfellow, which became a crucial centre for British R&B and beat music during the mid-1960s.

The record was produced as part of Rag Week—student charity fundraising events organised by Sheffield colleges and universities. Rather than issuing a polished studio production, the organisers chose to record bands live at the Mojo, preserving the club’s loud, sweaty and highly charged atmosphere. The sleeve proudly advertised: “Eighteen whole minutes of action-packed music… featuring four top groups from the area.”

Historical Importance
The EP is most famous for containing the only known recording by Joe Cocker’s Blues Band, recorded before Joe Cocker became an international star with With A Little Help From My Friends and his later Woodstock appearance. At this point Cocker was still a local Sheffield performer developing his gritty blues and soul style after earlier work as Vance Arnold. Because of this connection, the EP has become highly sought after by collectors of Sheffield music, British R&B and early Joe Cocker material. Original copies are scarce and command strong prices when they appear.

Side One
1. The Tangerine Ayr Band – Cheshire Cheese
2. The Pityful Souls – Morning Tea

Side Two
3. The Delroy Good Good Band – Too Much Monkey Business
4. Joe Cocker’s Blues Band – Hummingbird

The Tangerine Ayr Band
A Sheffield University student band, The Tangerine Ayr Band represented the university side of the city’s music culture. Their contribution, Cheshire Cheese, mixes humour and psychedelic-era student experimentation with beat influences. They were less commercially known than some city contemporaries but reflected the lively campus scene of mid-60s Sheffield.

The Pityful Souls
The Pityful Souls were a respected Sheffield R&B and beat group active during the Mojo years. Their track Morning Tea carries the sharp mod-R&B sound popular in northern clubs at the time. They were regular performers within Sheffield’s live circuit and part of the same network of bands that played venues like the Mojo and local dance halls.

The Delroy Good Good Band
One of Sheffield’s more adventurous groups, The Delroy Good Good Band delivered a spirited version of Chuck Berry’s Too Much Monkey Business. Their appearance reflects the strong influence of American rhythm & blues and rock ’n’ roll on Sheffield musicians of the period. The performance is energetic and club-orientated rather than studio-refined—typical Mojo material.

Joe Cocker’s Blues Band
This is the EP’s centrepiece. Before fame, Joe Cocker fronted Joe Cocker’s Blues Band, a hard-driving Sheffield blues outfit playing local pubs and clubs. Their recording of Hummingbird is historically invaluable because almost no professionally issued recordings survive from this stage of Cocker’s career. His trademark rasp and intense delivery are already emerging, though still rooted firmly in British club-blues traditions rather than the grand soul-rock style he later developed.

The Mojo Club Connection
The Mojo Club was arguably Sheffield’s most influential 1960s music venue. Located on Blenheim Reach, it hosted local bands alongside visiting stars and helped shape the northern R&B scene. Promoted by Pete Stringfellow, the club became famous for all-night dancing, soul music and a dedicated mod audience. Many future major performers passed through its doors. Rag Goes Mad At The Mojo acts as a sonic snapshot of this period.

In Sheffield music history, this EP stands alongside rare local compilations and private press releases as a primary document of the city’s pre-fame rock culture.

Side 1 (LYN.932): “Travel On” by New Foresters. As noted on the purple label, the track is a folk-pop singalong traditional cover recorded by W.A. & B.R. Harding out of Leeds. The band is also known simply as The Foresters on alternative documentations. 

Side 2 (LYN.933): “My Love Goes On” by The Lizards. This B-side is a highly sought-after, fast-paced Mod Beat dancer track that is heavily collected by fans of 1960s British freakbeat and garage rock. 

Packaging: It originally came issued in a incredibly fragile, thin brown paper “sweetie bag” sleeve. Because these private presses were only produced in tiny batches for student distribution over a single weekend, finding intact copies of the vinyl in clean condition is highly uncommon for collectors today.