Record Round Up
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Over the past few months, I've tracked down a number of rare, and unofficial Europeans and How We Live
recordings. These include a Euros BBC Radio Broadcast, an obscure Otway
'b-side', Dry Land' demo recordings, and a very early (pre
A&M) Europeans
demo. Read on to find out more... |
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'You
Ain't Seen Nothing Yet' (1981) Europeans / Otway
b-side |
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I recently discovered that two singles were released from
the John Otway / Europeans
album 'All Balls & No Willy', namely 'In Dreams' and 'Mass
Communication.' I managed to get hold of them, and on the b-Side of 'In
Dreams', I was surprised to find a 'cover' version of the old
'Bachman-Turner-Overdrive' track
'You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet'. The
vocal is delivered in Otway's own unique comic style, and Colin Woore gets to
play a few decent lead breaks. The 7" states that this track is
'otherwise unavailable'. A shame that it wasn't dug out for the CD reissue ! |
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'Drink
Pink Zinc' (1981) Europeans Demo |
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This next one is particularly exciting, as it contains a Europeans track
unavailable anywhere else! The source in an LP called 'The Snoopies
Album.' 'Snoopies' was an
alternative music venue in Richmond (London) that closed its doors in 1981.
As a 'celebration' of the venue, the promoter there gave the wonderfully
named 'Ralph.E.Boy' unrestricted access to the demo
tapes of bands that had played there. Ralph picked 15 of the best tracks for
a compilation album, and privately pressed 1000 copies on to vinyl. Other
bands included on the compliation include 'The Cardiacs', 'The Scissor Fits' & 'The Tronics'. |
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Track 6 on Side Two is called 'Drink Pink Zink!'
by Europeans.
It is listed as a 4 track recording, published by Cherry Red Music. (Steve's
surname is mis-spelt as 'Hoggarth.')
The track itself has a 'sca' / 'two tone' feel to
it, and sounds instrumentally a lot like the Otway album tracks. There is a
short section towards the end, with droning chords that reminds me of the
middle eight to 'American People.' It ends with an off-the-wall 'anti' piano
solo! |
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Click here to see: The Front Cover / The Label / Track
Details |
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'The
Animal Song' (1982) Fully Signed 7" single |
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I also managed to get hold of a UK 7" single of 'The Animal Song',
fully signed by the band back in 1982 ! I don't know
where it originates from, but it is signed 'Cheers Mark' at the top by Ferg
Harper, and 'Thanks for a great night' by Geoff Dugmore ! |
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Click here
to see a scan |
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'Sight
& Sound' (1984) Europeans Live on BBC Radio |
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This is a 45 minute Europeans concert recorded at
Cheltenham in February 1984. The show was broadcast live on the BBC2 show 'Sight & Sound'
and simultaneously on Radio One. It is a shame that no other songs were
broadcast, as those played here, are nearly identical to those on the 'Live'
album. Throughout the concert, Ferg plugs the 'Live' album... limited edition
at a bargain price ! The sound quality is excellent,
recorded straight from the radio |
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The Tracks : Introduction / Typical / Spirit of Youth / American
People / Innocence / Going to Work / Falling / Joining Dots / AEIOU / The
Animal Song (fades early) |
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'Demo
Recordings' (1986-87) How We Live |
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These How We Live demo tracks were sent to me by a fan that
used to help roadie for the band. (Steve apparently gave him a copy of the
tape back in the 80s) They are labelled 'demos', but they are very 'polished'
and not that different to the final versions on the 'Dry Land' album. 'We Don't Need to Be Lovers'
is a previously unheard track, unmistakeably HWL, with great vocals from Steve.
'Simon's Car' and 'You Don't Need Anyone' have since been added on to the
Racket Re-Issue of 'Dry Land', although the tracks
here are the 12" versions that were recently available for download
exclusively from the Marillion Fan Club site. |
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The Tracks : All The Time in The World / English Summer / Working Girl /
A Beat in the Heart of the City / In the City / We Don't Need to Be Lovers /
Simon's Car / You Don't Need Anyone |
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