Chas & Dave: All About Us

by Chas Hodges

Bursting onto the music scene in the 1970s, Chas 'n' Dave released songs that spoke about life in London and used their own accents rather than the fashionable but fake transatlantic twang. They knew that if they wrote and sang about their own experiences that fans would be interested. With hits like "Gertcha," "Rabbit," "The Sideboard Song," and "Margate," they created a sound that was uniquely British and rockin’ to boot. What most people don’t know is that both Chas and Dave had previous careers playing with the likes of Jerry Lee Lewis, nor do fans know the stories about getting caught illegally fishing, getting ripped off by sketchy producers, going crazy while locked in recording studios, playing with the Beatles, and generally having a good time.

Genres: Nonfiction

308 pages, Hardcover

First published October 6, 2008

Reviews

[Andy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book made me laugh out loud several times. Great if you are into 60's rock and roll.

[James Tidd · Rating 4 out of 5]

A brilliant, often hilarious book on what Chas was up to before he met Dave.

Formed in 1972, the duo released songs that spoke about how they saw life in London. Known as Rockney, they wanted to sing about it in their own Cockney way. Some perceived this as just another gimmick, but Glastonbury 2005 proved that theory totally wrong when 30,000 watched them perform. With hits such as Gertcha, Rabbit (which incurred a protest by women outside of one of their gigs), Margate (used by Only Fools and Horses in their Jolly Boys Outing episode), and the beautiful Ain't no pleasin you (their highest ranked chart hit).

But what did Chas and Dave do before meeting? Dave played in London country bands, was a session musician and toured America; Chas toured as a bass player to Jerry Lee Lewis and Gene Vincent. He was even a member of the Beatles for a brief moment.

[Derek Malcolm Bulman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read

Written in his own inimitable style, this is a great read! Informative,funny, and entertaining. Chas's love for music shines through, along with his vision for performing music using his and Dave's true vocabulary. A thoroughly enjoyable book, full of anecdotes and vivid memories, told with real and genuine enthusiasm. I had the good fortune to meet Chas, in Grantham, not long before he sadly passed away, and he was a really kind, genuine man. No doubt he'll be in Heavens pub, rocking out with Elvis and Buddy Holly! Enjoy the book - I loved it! Mac

[C · Rating 5 out of 5]

The late,lamented Chas Hodges was a wonderful raconteur and this book is written in his own inimitable style.Funny,warm and highly enjoyable.Chas breaks the fourth wall constantly,addressing you the reader directly with side thoughts,afterthoughts and the like.
A wonderful record of early 60s pop and Chas and Daves huge successes of the 80s,thoroughly recommended 👍

[Newfad · Rating 2 out of 5]

Really wanted to like this but sadly it just wasn't written well enough. Repetitive detail re intricacies and legalities of the music biz sadly ruined it for me. Should have been ghost written.

[debbie boylan · Rating 5 out of 5]

what a fab read

I laughed out loud so many times and the rest of the time I was wide eyed at the contacts met along their musical journey .. simply loved reading this book.

[Hugo Valentine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book so much that I've bored people talking about it. Although it's called Chas & Dave: All About Us, it's really about Chas Hodges for the most part. The first half of the book is about his life before Dave. This doesn't take away from it at all by the way as Chas has had some career.

This book is all written the way Chas speaks so it's full of swearing and cockney terms which may not be for everyone but something I personally liked.

Here's a fact I learnt from the book to finish on - In the seventies Chas & Dave were prolific session musicians before their own thing took off, playing on many albums for a wide range of artists. One such album was Labi Siffre’s ‘Remember My Song’ from 1975. One of the tracks on this album – ‘I Got The’ – was sampled by Eminem on his breakthrough hit ‘My Name Is’ and is the main musical refrain of the track. Chas is playing guitar and Dave is playing bass.

[Katie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I adore Chas and Dave but to be honest this book wasn't all that. I think Chas spent too much of the time talking about HIS career and how many famous people he knows, the first half was great but in the end I lost interest.

Despite the fact he can't write a good book he CAN write good songs. Stick to what you know Charles.

[Peter C · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hope this is a right proper knees up of a book.

Learned lots - didn't realise what an accomplished musician Chas Hodges was - which I think he wants the world to know. Started off a bit shaky with tales of shitting in wood, pissing in pots, looking up skirts, and I thought this guy put the cock in Cockney. But settled into an enjoyable read when he got to the music

[Tony · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this book in a pub quiz and wasn't particularly interested in reading it, but it made quite an entertaining read. Plenty of anecdotes featuring big names, the book fairly zinged by.

Next up :- "Pride and Prejudice"

[Karl Bailey · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great insight into Chas's life before Chas & Dave and through to the joining of the band. A great book for any Chas and Dave fan.

[Kelly-lee Stewart · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good. You can hear Chas telling you the stories. It's full of humour.