Filed under: Press | Tags: Press, Rabbie Burns, Scottish Comedy, Trashcan Sinatras
‘No Holds Bard’ was a 60-minute comedy aired on BBC Scotland for the 250th Anniversary of the birth of Robert Burns It was a kind of mocumentary which followed the lives of five people as they prepared to vie for the 2009 Cup O’Kindness – the trophy awarded to the champion in Burns recital.
Now I’m taking a flyer on this one and if I’m wrong, someone please correct me.
As the credits roll, a snippet of new song ‘I Hung My Harp Upon The Willows’ plays. The song may be written about Richard Brown, a friend of Burns. Brown was born in Irvine, where Burns met him in the autumn of 1781 and they became fast friends, so far as women and poetry were concerned.
This would explain its use in the programme – I hope!
Below is a press cutting review from Scotland’s Daily Record and also a video still from the programme credits.
Quick update:
This wee story may well be the inspiration for the song.
25 January 2009 – No Holds Bard – BBC Scotland
Filed under: Related | Tags: CD, Hard-to-Find, Import, Music, Trashcan Sinatras
Not an official release. This is a later version of double CD ‘On A B Road’.
There are 42 tracks on this release, as opposed to 46 on the earlier 2001 version. I have no idea why. Most of the tracks are pretty much the same. The booklet has a brief description and history of each of the songs.
The paintings on the front and back cover are by John Douglas.
Nice!
Quick update: This version was a revision of the 46 track release with a couple of low quality live songs removed at the band’s request. Some live songs were also replaced with the original recorded versions. ‘Leave Me Alone’ was excluded as this was being re-recorded for the ‘Weightlifting’ album.
Although the BoBame releases are ‘unofficial’, the band were involved in all of them, from track listings to liner notes to artwork.
2003/2004 BoBame Recordings BOBAME004 (US)
Filed under: Related | Tags: CD, Hard-to-Find, Import, Music, Trashcan Sinatras
Not an official release. ‘On A B Road’ is a limited CD of b-sides and cover songs which was available from I think, the end of 2000 or around the beginning of 2001.
The double CD includes most of the songs that appeared on the single version of ‘On A B Road’, ‘On A B Road…Again’ and the ‘Aberrations’ compilations. Some of the original songs have been replaced with better or different versions from various sources.
The picture on the left at the very bottom of this post, is a still from the film ‘Spooktime’.
The CDs were titled ‘Heaven Av’ and Irvine St’ which are taken from the ‘Useless’ lyric ‘Some are born in heaven/Some are born in Irvine’.
Lucky old me was born in Irvine.
2000 BoBame Records International BOBAME002
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
Kevin Ayers is an English songwriter and was a founding member of the pioneering psychedelic band Soft Machine in the late 1960s.
His 2007 album ‘The Unfairground’ is performed by himself and the myriad talents of artists like:- Norman Blake (Teenage Fanclub), Phil Manzanera (Roxy Music), Bill Wells (Bill Wells Trio), Jeff Baron and of course, Frank Reader.
The album – his first in fifteen years – brings new and old talent together for 10 tracks. One of those tracks – ‘Run, Run, Run’ – features Frank on backing vocals.
This is the gatefold digi-pak version which is still readily available, but before you splash your hard earned cash, don’t expect to hear Frank in all his glory as his voice is not the only one providing the harmonies – but he is in there somewhere.
It is a good album and has lead me to another artist I knew nothing of.
Decide for yourself.
2007 Lo-Max Records LO-MAX 024CD
Five Hungry Joes - A pictorial archive of the Trashcan Sinatras. Legendary Scottish Band 