A SYNOPSIS OF THIS STORY
The story traces the early life of Robert Batten from a 6 year old in the local gang coping with the beatings he took on Sunday afternoons at “the fights” to becoming a good fighter himself and as a young factory worker at 17 starting his first band “The Midnight Revellers” and all the ups and downs of organising a band. The story takes you through all the different music scenes that Rab the drummer played in starting with rock n’roll, rhythm and blues, Atlantic soul, pop, disco and the cabaret club scene. He talks about the great beat clubs of the era in and around Edinburgh in which The International Club in Princes Street Edinburgh was the shining light and some of the club owners and managers who helped to make the whole thing work. Four Edinburgh musicians who, due to circumstances, were thrown together and although not fantastic musicians they ruled the Edinburgh scene in the late 60s and early 70s. Never ever contemplated making records as the live scene was their thing. They all played together in different line-ups over a 44 year period. The story tells of all the different people who made up this fantastic musical period with the names of some of the most iconic bands in Scotland. Rab also had four businesses during this time but the music was always No.1 on his agenda. Rab was married twice and has a daughter from each marriage, Teresa from the first and Lisa from the second. He is still friends with his first wife Lorraine. Rab and his current wife Jackie have been happily married for 43 years. The band had eight wives and 13 children between them.
