1985
Amongst the myriad attempts at combining the oeuvres of Chuck Berry & TS Eliot this is an unremarkable example.
An atypical track from the blues-rock combo who were thrown together in a hurry for a gig that was cancelled and who didn’t have the sense to change their equally hastily chosen name when they decided to carry on.
From the cassette album ‘Watch The Traffic’ recorded in glorious stereo straight to 1/4″ reel mainly in the gym at Dedisham School, though this track was captured in the loft room of the drummer Glen. (All Horsham area drummers of that era had to be called Glynn or Glen… or Helen… or Dave).
I’ve cut out the majority of the unnecessary guitar introduction which was purely the result of me having read part of a book about chord substitution shortly before the recording. The bass is a bit subsonic so may disappear on small speakers.
We peaked on a trip to Horsham’s twin town of Lage in Germany having tagged along with a Collyer’s Sixth Form College production of ‘A Midsummers Night’s Dream’ and ‘The Crucible’. Our performance in a packed and sweaty Scout Hut was unforgettable, up to the point I’ve forgotten most things about it.
I do recall there were what seemed like 105 acappella choruses of ‘Look what you’re doing’ whilst I struggled to force the dodgy travel plug that all our amps and PA relied on back into an ill fitting socket of indeterminate vintage.
I also played in the support band that night, Reverend Parish & The Singing Witches which included one R. Knowles Esq. who I’d later join in Christine and Voice of the Rain.
I’ve included the lyrics in the hope that someone could explain them to me as I still haven’t the foggiest after 31 years.