Rasputin's Club

London, Spring 1969

The poster is a fake based on the story, which has been told by Chas Chandler and Noddy Holder and repeated again and again. Chas claimed to have been introduced to the band at the studio where they were doing the post recording session wrap for Beginnings , which was actually finished on 22nd February 1969.

"Rasputins seems to be another Slade enigma...every biog and book mentions it...Nod talks about it in a June 1969 Walsall Observer interview but...where is it..."

Chris Selby: Slade Historian

The article entitled "What the 'Nbetweens did in London" states:

"He came down especially to see us when we were playing Rasputin's Club in London." said vocalist Noddy.

Walsall Observer: Friday 27th June 1969

Since that article, the story has appeared many times, most notably in the Chris Charlesworth book, 'Feel The Noize' and Holders autobiography, 'Who's Crazee Now?'.

The address is either New Bond Street or Bond Street...I've looked through the music papers I have from the 1960s and never found a mention of the club. There is also a book entitled "London Live" by Tony Bacon which lists every club from The Ad Lib to The Zebra but it does not mention Rasputins.
Chris Selby: Slade Historian

According to the story, Chandler was impressed but wanted to see the band live to see how they performed and how they handled a crowd. John Gunnell is said to have set up a gig at Rasputin's for that night or the next night.

"I think that it has been described previously as a basement club "As Chas walked down the stairs into the club he could hear the band playing".... The only place that meets that description was a club called The Embassy Club (which was big in the 80's in Burlington Arcade nr Bond Street, which closed and has re-opened in a different location)."
Dave Kemp: Slade Fan

Chandler supposedly said it was just around the corner from his office in the New Bond Street area, just off of Oxford Street. He describes walking down the stairs into a basement disco and seeing the band on stage stirring up a storm.

Despite all this info, Rasputin's Club has never come to light anywhere else other than this Slade story. No other bands have ever claimed to have played at Rasputin's, no ads have ever been found and most odd of all... nobody has ever mentioned the club. There are many books and forums where people share memories of the London clubs in the swinging 60's, etc. Nobody, not one person, has ever mentioned Rasputin's or anything like it?

All I can think, is that maybe it was a club within a club. Ask the majority of West Midlands musos where the "Femina" was and they haven't got a clue. It was a club in the George Hotel, Walsall. Maybe Rasputins had no advertising budget?"
Chris Selby: Slade Historian

The business listings for the London area show zilch on 'Rasputins' as do the directories. Anybody that feels they might be able to shed some light or even point in a new direction, please drop us a line.

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And somebody did:

70-71 New Bond Street, London, W1S 1RR (circa 1969)

"I still have a membership card. My best friend was the DJ and he worked in the day at Piccadilly records."

Dennis Ward 10th August 2019

"A band I was in around 1969-ish played at, what I remember as, the Rasputin club in Oxford Street."

Borisx 8th August 2020 

"At the height of its trendy fame the Bag of Nails was difficult to gain entry so... you went instead to Rasputin's. Always memorable for meeting very attractive women, and the sandwiches placed on tables around midnight... Tom Jones and wife were visble one Saturday night..."

Anonymous 16th January 2022

Many thanks to our Anonymous benefactor in the "Comments Column"

Thanks to Dave Kemp, Laurence Glover and the ever present Chris Selby. A special thank you to my patient 'better half', Joy, who spent the afternoon in London, going through the Kelly's directories, etc. with me. 
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