Musical cockney rhyming slang

[Matt Dawson]

When I lived in London the musicians would refer to the pedal steel as 'jellied eel', the bass was a 'fillet of plaice' etc...

As in...

"I 'ad a great gig at the Red Cow with Steve on fillet o' plaice, & Pete on jellied-eel, but we had a bit o' trouble with the guvner. He tried to give us a Gregory but I told 'im we only took Crosby".

Fillet of Plaice=Bass
Jellied eel = pedal steel
A gregory = a Gregory Peck = a cheque
Crosby (Stills & Nash) = Cash

Any other gems from the world of music?

[Tony Harris]

Engineering in the studio, I've been asked,"Can you give me a bit more in the Desperates?" - Desperate Dans = cans!

[Roger Rettig]

"What are the 'Norfolks' (Norfolk Broads = chords) for this song?" (A musician who was unfortunate enough to play a wrong change could expect the acid diatribe: "What about those dicey Norfolks....?")

An earlier version was 'Norwegian Fjords', but I always liked the 'Norfolks'.

Cockney Rhyming Slang is a dying art these days, but it was my experience that it was kept alive at function gigs and theatres all over London by musicians desperate to relieve the boredom at meal-breaks and intermissions.

Food was a constant source of music-related inspiration:

'Pass the 'Acker', please...' (Acker Bilk = milk)

'Is there any 'Wow and Flutter'? (Butter)

Not music-related, but 'Sexton and Staffords' meant steak and chips (Sexton Blake/Stafford Cripps).

When my memory returns, I'll post more, but ten years living in the USA has dulled my edge somewhat...

RR

[Billy Wilson]

I need some Johnny cuz I'm tired of bein' Edgar Allen