Just about anyone who is a something in the jingle-jangle world of pop music in the Greater Glasgow area has, at one time or another, either been a member of BMX Bandits or at least worked with or alongise Duglas T Stewart.And yet they and he remain largely unknown to all but the most devoted of followers.
Formed in Bellshill in 1985 by the afore mentioned Duglas, together with Sean Dickson and Jim McCulloch (who would later be part of Soup Dragons), the band released a couple of singles on a label run by Stephen McRobbie of The Pastels.
As band members went on to do their own things, they were replaced by the likes of Nornam Blake (Teenage Fanclub), Eugene Kelly and Frances MacDonald (Vaselines), Sushil K. Dade (Soup Dragons and Future Pilot AKA) and David Scott (Pearlfishers) to name but a handful.
All the while however, Duglas remained central to the band - indeed without Duglas, it just wouldn't have been BMX Bandits.
I couldn't begin to tell you how many singles, EPs and albums have been released over the years as they have jumped around from lable to label, and no definitive collection has ever been put together, although Serious Drugs, a 24-track compilation of their work on Creation Records gathering together songs recorded and released between 1992 and 1998, does a reasonable job.
As it happens, the great Scottish single featured this week is from that period and can be found on the afore-maentioned compilation.
Released in July 1993, it is a song written by Gerry Love of Teenage Fanclub, although I'm not sure if, other than on a compilation tape given away by a UK music magazine, whether or not TFC ever actually recorded the song:-
mp3 : BMX Bandits - Kylie's Got A Crush On Us
The thing is, nobody involved with this song is actually all that proud of it. And if you're someone who takes your music ultra-seriously, then you'll probably think it is inane drivel.
But just like The Four Tops and Orange Juice, I can't help myself when it comes to this two-and-a-half minutes of fun. I think its a great bit of disposable pop and it always makes me smile. And of course it easily predates the world's complete infatuation with the aussie with the sexy bum.....
The other songs on the CD single were:-
mp3 : BMX Bandits - Thinkin' 'Bout You Baby
mp3 : BMX Bandits - Hole In My Heart (demo)
mp3 : BMX Bandits - My Generation
Happy Listening.
4 comments:
When they are good they are brilliant Serious Drugs, and DoorWays to name but 2, however there is quite a bit of complete pish on their albums for example most of the My Chain album is so twee it is unlistenable, for me anyway.
I love this single. I am proud to say that my copy was actually given to me by none other than Duglas himself, who I met through my brother.
He is a legend. Oh, and I really like My Chain!
Really Ed? I'm Still Hungry and Missing Front Tooth?
Duglas is a genius really:)
"I Wanna Fall in Love" is one of the best pop songs ever written, and yet very few people have heard it!
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