Igginbottoms's Wrench: Angel Air liner notes: Difference between revisions
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''These are the liner notes added to the Angel Air 2000 reissue of Igginbottom's Wrench. Take note that, as implied in the text, the band had no involvement whatsoever in this reissue | |||
''These are the liner notes added to the Angel Air 2000 reissue of Igginbottom's Wrench. Take note that, as implied in the text, the band had no involvement whatsoever in this reissue. Original band member Mick Skelly has disowned the story as told here as a "fairy tale". The notes should be read against other available sources on the topic, but information is rather scarce. The transcription is a little rough around the edges, as it was done from a YouTube video.'' | |||
'''Getting To Grips With Igginbottom's Wrench | '''Getting To Grips With Igginbottom's Wrench | ||
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Unique. Unique. Unique. UNIQUE! NO Yes - Unique. Just roll the word around your tongue and tonsils (if still in situ) for a while. Enjoy it in its true sense. Undiluted. Pure. Freed of the normal day-to-day contamination from that great dissembler of language, hyperbole. It is after all a very special word for those very special people and things that are - er – unique. | Unique. Unique. Unique. UNIQUE! NO Yes - Unique. Just roll the word around your tongue and tonsils (if still in situ) for a while. Enjoy it in its true sense. Undiluted. Pure. Freed of the normal day-to-day contamination from that great dissembler of language, hyperbole. It is after all a very special word for those very special people and things that are - er – unique. | ||
Now consider Igginbottom, the Bradford band. Line-up? Two guitars, bass and drums. Two of the guys sing. It's a classic 1960's Mersey-style combo, then. Like The Merseybeats, 'The Searchers', 'The Swinging Blue Jeans' or ‘The Remo Four’ right? They'll be playing 1960's Beat R'n'B music, with a few Chuck Berry numbers thrown in, plus a couple of soppy, sloppy, soggy ballads to get the girls all gooey and ready for a wild snogging and writing session at the bus stop, whilst awaiting the 16 night service to Eccleshill, via Shipley. | Now consider [[Igginbottom]], the Bradford band. Line-up? Two guitars, bass and drums. Two of the guys sing. It's a classic 1960's Mersey-style combo, then. Like The Merseybeats, 'The Searchers', 'The Swinging Blue Jeans' or ‘The Remo Four’ right? They'll be playing 1960's Beat R'n'B music, with a few Chuck Berry numbers thrown in, plus a couple of soppy, sloppy, soggy ballads to get the girls all gooey and ready for a wild snogging and writing session at the bus stop, whilst awaiting the 16 night service to Eccleshill, via Shipley. | ||
In fact – no. Not the slightest bit correct. So put down that spotty-faced girl with the half-eaten bag of chips in her mac pocket, cease your fetid, futile gyrations and belay your lustful, lubricious, adolescent, sexual (but safely trousered) thrustings. Matters of greater import are afoot. What we have here is no 'three chord wonder' situation. What we do have here is a band that was, and is unique in the purest sense of the word unique. This is a band that took music a whole new way, gave it another dimension and direction, with a wholly new level of virtuoso musical ability musical sensibility, higher intelligence and forward vision. Arguably in this album and in their live work, Igginbottom defined a whole new genre of music. And they did this whilst still struggling to get into their very earliest twenties. There was no big-time record company and management team behind them, with big money and bigger plans and schemes and targets; no Svengali figure, and no big ideal other than to create and play the kind of music that they were happy with and would be proud to perform in the most exalted musical company. Of course, this is about the biggest idea that musicians can have, but achieving it, pulling it off and being acclaimed for it - well, that's quite another story - and a scenario that's littered with crushing defeat, odium, ridicule and ruination. Not for the faint-hearted, or those of meagre talent, neither of which descriptions could apply to Igginbottom. | In fact – no. Not the slightest bit correct. So put down that spotty-faced girl with the half-eaten bag of chips in her mac pocket, cease your fetid, futile gyrations and belay your lustful, lubricious, adolescent, sexual (but safely trousered) thrustings. Matters of greater import are afoot. What we have here is no 'three chord wonder' situation. What we do have here is a band that was, and is unique in the purest sense of the word unique. This is a band that took music a whole new way, gave it another dimension and direction, with a wholly new level of virtuoso musical ability musical sensibility, higher intelligence and forward vision. Arguably in this album and in their live work, Igginbottom defined a whole new genre of music. And they did this whilst still struggling to get into their very earliest twenties. There was no big-time record company and management team behind them, with big money and bigger plans and schemes and targets; no Svengali figure, and no big ideal other than to create and play the kind of music that they were happy with and would be proud to perform in the most exalted musical company. Of course, this is about the biggest idea that musicians can have, but achieving it, pulling it off and being acclaimed for it - well, that's quite another story - and a scenario that's littered with crushing defeat, odium, ridicule and ruination. Not for the faint-hearted, or those of meagre talent, neither of which descriptions could apply to Igginbottom. | ||
Igginbottom was to be a relatively short-lived musical unit but one whose legacy resonates still throughout the world of music. You'll need to be wrenched away from your hi-fi once you’ve got this CD spinning at something rather more than the dear old 33 and a third rpm. And just try playing ‘air guitar' to this. It'll cause your head to spin like Linda Blair on a cocktail of potheen and black bombers (Don't try this at home - just imbibe the music, muchachos). | Igginbottom was to be a relatively short-lived musical unit but one whose legacy resonates still throughout the world of music. You'll need to be wrenched away from your hi-fi once you’ve got this CD spinning at something rather more than the dear old 33 and a third rpm. And just try playing ‘air guitar' to this. It'll cause your head to spin like Linda Blair on a cocktail of potheen and black bombers (Don't try this at home - just imbibe the music, muchachos). | ||
ENTER MJM PRODUCTIONS | ENTER MJM PRODUCTIONS | ||
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'''IGGINBOTTOM: An appreciation by Morgan Fisher | '''IGGINBOTTOM: An appreciation by Morgan Fisher | ||
''' | ''' | ||
I am sure that all music lovers have a few moments in their lives when they discover a new artist who completely overwhelms them and makes life worth living on that particular day. Discovering Igginbottom was like that for me. It was one of those classic northern English grey days I had jumped on a train with Mick and Maurice, to go up to Bradford and see a new band that Mick knew, and decide if they were worth producing. Arriving at a scruffy little studio, little did I suspect that once these four charming, but ordinary-looking chaps started playing, I would be instantly transported to other words, where the sun always shone and life was a surrealist poem. | I am sure that all music lovers have a few moments in their lives when they discover a new artist who completely overwhelms them and makes life worth living on that particular day. Discovering Igginbottom was like that for me. It was one of those classic northern English grey days I had jumped on a train with Mick and Maurice, to go up to Bradford and see a new band that Mick knew, and decide if they were worth producing. Arriving at a scruffy little studio, little did I suspect that once these four charming, but ordinary-looking chaps started playing, I would be instantly transported to other words, where the sun always shone and life was a surrealist poem. | ||
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'''Regarding the recording of the Igginbottom Album | '''Regarding the recording of the Igginbottom Album | ||
''' | ''' | ||
None of the 'MUM trio recall a great deal about the recording of the album, which was completed inside a 24hr period in a small studio in the West End of London. Just about everything was a first take, Maurice Bacon recalls. The only major problem encountered was the minimal volume employed by the group, meaning the signal-to-noise ratio of their amplifiers heavily favoured the noise aspect. Be assured that Nick Watson will have used every tool at his disposal to attenuate the amp noise on the original tape, without compromising the overall sound of the album. | None of the 'MUM trio recall a great deal about the recording of the album, which was completed inside a 24hr period in a small studio in the West End of London. Just about everything was a first take, Maurice Bacon recalls. The only major problem encountered was the minimal volume employed by the group, meaning the signal-to-noise ratio of their amplifiers heavily favoured the noise aspect. Be assured that Nick Watson will have used every tool at his disposal to attenuate the amp noise on the original tape, without compromising the overall sound of the album. | ||
'''Regarding the name Igginbottom | '''Regarding the name Igginbottom | ||
''' | ''' | ||
Of course, the proper spelling is Higginbottom, but in Yorkshire, as in many areas of Great Britain, it is common, in everyday speech, to ignore the aitch, thus 'lgginbottom, 'Argreaves, 'Ancock Ereford, 'Ampstead 'Eath and 'Ap 'Azard. This has given me a little problem in the text. So not wishing to lard the pages with apostrophes and inverted commas Igginbottom always appears as just that, with no other markings. It's called Griffin's Law of Grammar and Punctuation. So sue me! | Of course, the proper spelling is Higginbottom, but in Yorkshire, as in many areas of Great Britain, it is common, in everyday speech, to ignore the aitch, thus 'lgginbottom, 'Argreaves, 'Ancock Ereford, 'Ampstead 'Eath and 'Ap 'Azard. This has given me a little problem in the text. So not wishing to lard the pages with apostrophes and inverted commas Igginbottom always appears as just that, with no other markings. It's called Griffin's Law of Grammar and Punctuation. So sue me! | ||
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"IGGINBOTTOM - IGGINBOTTOM'S WRENCH" (1969 Review Disc & Music Echo) Much is being said about this group - combining jazz and pop and all that. And with sleeve notes by Ronnie Scott. The LP is by any standards quite exceptional. They do fuse jazz and pop, gently, non-violently and carefully. One can admire the group for what they are doing and enjoy what they do. It's mainly late-night sounds, done with confidence and care. Progressive fans are urged to try this, although tracks like "California Dreaming" and "Blind Girl will need some careful listening to. LG. | "IGGINBOTTOM - IGGINBOTTOM'S WRENCH" (1969 Review Disc & Music Echo) Much is being said about this group - combining jazz and pop and all that. And with sleeve notes by Ronnie Scott. The LP is by any standards quite exceptional. They do fuse jazz and pop, gently, non-violently and carefully. One can admire the group for what they are doing and enjoy what they do. It's mainly late-night sounds, done with confidence and care. Progressive fans are urged to try this, although tracks like "California Dreaming" and "Blind Girl will need some careful listening to. LG. | ||
[[File:Igg1.jpg]] | |||
