Filed under: 1995-1996 A Happy Pocket | Tags: Hard-to-Find, Music, Promo, Trashcan Sinatras, Vinyl
…is a British film from 1967 starring Sidney Poitier and Lulu that deals with social and racial issues in an inner city school.
Throughout their career the TCS have covered several songs. When they first started playing live, they would throw in a couple of cover versions to fill out their set – Van Morrison, The Smiths or Velvet Underground – so, it’s no surprise that they make such a good, if not, better job of other people’s tracks, and ‘To Sir, With Love’ is no exception.
Here’s a rare 12-inch one track white label promo.
On this copy there is no indication as to what it is promoting – some copies do have a handwritten title, which helps. The etched kangaroo on the flip side is the only clue as to what era it comes from.
The inner ring of the playing side is etched with ‘I’m off to the Ladies, she’s off to the Gents’ – a lyric from the single ‘The Main Attraction’.
As this was published as part of a press release, I can’t imagine there being too many of them around.
1996 Go! Discs Ltd 2SIR-1 (UK)
Filed under: 1995-1996 A Happy Pocket | Tags: CD, Import, Promo, Trashcan Sinatras, Vinyl
‘Twisted and Bent’. The second single released from third album ‘A Happy Pocket’.
The song – originally called ‘Remember Phil’ – started off being written about a guy Paul met one night at a disco but soon evolved into something different, which explains the title change.
1996 Go! Discs Ltd GOD147 850 560-7 (7-inch single)
This is the 4-track CD release. I have included the promo stickered version although the packaging and CD are exactly the same as the regular release.
Below and to the right show the packaging differences between the UK and European release. This one is from Germany and doesn’t have the catalogue number GODCD147 printed, with the exception of the CD. There are, if you look closely, slight differences on the insert card – namely on the spine and some changes on type layout.
1996 Go! Discs Ltd GODCD147 850 561-2
Filed under: 1995-1996 A Happy Pocket | Tags: CD, Promo, Trashcan Sinatras
4-track promo sampler, which is considered to be the promo for ‘To Sir, With Love’. The fourth track ‘Born Free’ was recorded for the stage version of Irvine Welsh’s ‘Maribou Stork Nightmares’.
The ‘Spooktime’ film review on the back cover is an excerpt from the NME.
Some copies of this release were promo stickered – like this one…
1996 Go! Discs TSWL-1
Filed under: 1995-1996 A Happy Pocket | Tags: CD, Hard-to-Find, Promo, Trashcan Sinatras
A soundtrack EP to ‘Spooktime’ – a fifteen minute short film inspired by characters who appear on the album ‘A Happy Pocket’.
‘Spooktime’ was written and conceived by Scottish director, John McFarlane, along with Paolo Hewitt (Oasis and Paul Weller biographer) and Tony Crean (Go! Discs’ Head of Marketing). The songs on the CD provide a musical backdrop to the film which is crammed full of drugs, violence, sex and murder.
The film also played at the Cannes Film Festival in France.
1996 Go! Discs Ltd SPOOK1
Filed under: 1995-1996 A Happy Pocket | Tags: Hard-to-Find, LP, Trashcan Sinatras, Vinyl
In some circles this record could be described as something of a Holy Grail.
A 14-track vinyl LP with full colour picture sleeve complete with original picture/lyric inner. For me, this album just ebbs and flows with a wonderful variety of songs, and I think if I were to introduce someone to the TCS, I would sit them down and play them this.
If you do ever find this album, buy it – it’ll be worth whatever you spend on it.
1996 Go! Discs 828 696-1
Five Hungry Joes - A pictorial archive of the Trashcan Sinatras. Legendary Scottish Band 