IT'S FRIDAY, I'M IN LOVE....WITH GREAT SCOTTISH SINGLES (Part 29)

This has been inspired by me delve into history with the posting I shoved up last Saturday that featured the Show Me The Door/Sixteen Reasons single by Jazzateers from 1983.

The thing is, you can get your hands on a fair chunk of the band's output by purchasing I Shot The President, a compilation CD released in 1997 on the German-based Marina Records. Its 19 tracks consisting of their 1983 debut self-titled LP which was issue by Rough Trade (which featured Graeme Skinner on lead vocals and Paul Quinn on backing vocals) and the songs that would have made up the intended follow-up LP Blood Is Sweeter Than Honey (which featured Matthew Wilcox on vocals). It's a CD I can heartily recommend to anyone who is a fan of the music that was coming out of Glasgow in the early-mid 80s....copies sometimes pop-up on ebay for reasonable prices.

The intended follow-up came about in 1985, after the messy break-up of Bourgie Bourgie, when Keith Band resurrected Jazzateers. And although the intended LP never saw the light of day for another 12 years, a low-key single release of one of the tracks did sneak out on Stampede Records, which, given the name and address printed on the centre-label, was seemingly run out of someone's home - possibly even that of Keith Band himself.

It was a single I knew about but until a few months back, didn't have a copy until one appeared in the second-hand section of one of the local indie stores. I've since seen another copy in the same shop, so maybe someone is getting rid of a box of them that have been gathering dust in an attic or lock-up for almost 25 years.

Whatever the case, I think its a damn fine splendid single - with a vocal that is somewhat reminiscent of Lloyd Cole - and one that is a very worthy addition to this long-running series.

mp3 : Jazzateers - Pressing On
mp3 : Jazzateers - Spiral

The b-side, despite having a different name, is an instrumental version of the single.

Happy Listening.