Probably One Of The Best Investments....

The Farmers Boys - Get Out & Walk

Country bumpkins The Farmers Boys go hi-fidelity with their major label debut long player. EMI roped in a young(er) Pete Waterman to assist on production duties, as a result disco elements crept in on the might fine Muck It Out and  Soft Drink, both of which were remixed for the eighties dancefloor. Strangely, Muck It Out, their most commercial work and first mini-hit, was left off the album proper. The first two EMI singles More Than A Dream and For You are featured, the bonus 12" features the extended mixes of For You and Muck It Out. I've always thought that The Wailing Wall would have made a great single.

The Farmers Boys fit in nicely between the earlier Scottish jangle of Orange Juice and later bands such as The Smiths, it is a shame they had to cover Cliff Richard to reach a wider audience. Very few bands have dared to mix wit, indie-pop and disco, most of them came from Norwich.

Ripped from a vinyl album released  on EMI Records (EMC 1077993) in 1983 to high resolution 24-bit FLAC audio.

A1. Matter Of Fact

A2. Probably One Of The Best Investments I Ever Made

A3. More Than A Dream

A4. Woke Up This Morning

A5. The Way You Make Me Cry

A6. A Promise You Can't Keep

B1. Soft Drink

B2. The Wailing Wail

B3. For You

B4. Torn In Two

B5. Who Needs It?

C1. For You (Big Version)

C2. Muck It Out (Dereham Club Mix)

D1. Probably One Of The Best Investments I Ever Made (Extended Mix)

D2. Sof Drink (Extended Mix)

Go East

The Farmers Boys - Whatever Is He Like?

Excuse the excessive crackle at the start of this one, but it won't clean up without affecting the overall sound quality. Here's the start of a little weekend jaunt back to East Anglia, which may or may not end up with a Higsons' compilation next week depending on the weather.

Ripped from a noisy 7" vinyl single released on Backs Records (NCH 001) in 1982 to lossless FLAC audio.

A. Whatever Is He Like?
B. I Lack Concentration

The Farmers Boys - For You (Double 7" Pack)

More from Norwich! Indie popsters The Farmers Boys were snapped up by EMI and released two great pop singles before finding chart success with a Cliff Richard cover version. Muck It Out is hiding elsewhere in these pages and this value for money double pack was the follow-up. For You is a great pop song and the wonderful demo of their soul-disco effort is on side three. The three tracks on side D are a hark back to their fine indie roots.

The Swan Lane address given on the postcard on the reverse sleeve is that of the local label/indie record shop, Backs Records.

For You : ripped from a 7" double pack of vinyl singles released on EMI Records (EMID 5401) in 1983 to lossless, pop-luscious FLAC audio.

A. For You

B. T.O.S.D.

C. Muck It Out (Demo Version)

D1. Drinking And Dressing Up

D2. Something That I Ate

D3. I Don't Know Why I Don't Like All My Friends

Various Artists - Touchdown

An unique & interesting compilation of indie & unsigned acts on Polygram offshoot Fontana, all with a unique twist on indie-pop/dance music. The Higsons and Maximum Joy tracks are standards and most of you will know them, The Farmers Boys and Dislocation Dance both went onto better things and Popular Voice were eventually to release one great single (Temptation - coming soon!). Most of the rest disappeared without a trace, apart from Vital Excursions percussionist Nellie Hooper who went on to make a mint.

Highlight without a doubt is the Norwich supergroup (!) The Popular Higson Boys, whose one-off funk and fun-filled cover of I Can't Get Next To You which is included as a single-sided 12" single with the album.

Touchdown : Ripped from a 12" vinyl album and 12" vinyl single combo released on Fontana Records (TOUCH 1 & TOUCH 2) in 1982

A1. Touchdown - The Higsons
A2. Soft Drink - The Farmers Boys
A3. Life - Animal Magic
A4. W.A.S.P. Town - Popular Voice
A5. Do It Today - Maximum Joy
B1. Flowers For Ingrid - Vital Excursions
B2. Stand Me Up - Dislocation Dance
B3. Red Ribbon Day - Design For Living
B4. Put Your Ghost Shirt On - Pinski Zoo
C1. I Can't Get Next To You - The Popular Higson Boys

The Farmers Boys - Muck It Out!

The Farmer's Boys were slightly more successful than those other local Norwich heroes, The Higsons. They had two minor hits, this fantastic catchy synth-pop/disco ditty and a cover of Sir Cliff's In The Country.

I've used the 12" version here in it's full disco mix glory, with the original mix on the b-side for safe measure. There was also a pig-shaped 7" picture disc!

1. Muck It Out! (Extended Mix)

2. Funky Combine, John

3. Muck It Out! (Original)

Muck it!