Whose The Man?

Bill Drummond - The Man

There can be no doubt as to Mr. Drummond's contribution to British music. This South African born Scotsman and honorary Scouser has been a band manager, a label owner, a producer, a singer-songwriter, a rapper (and hip-hop guru), an acid house disco king, and more recently a book writer. Forget ye all not that he also famously burnt a million quid in the Scottish Highlands, all for the sake of irony and 'publicity'.

The Man was released in the early days of Creation in 1986 and was championed by John Peel regularly on his late night radio show, most famously for the amusing Julian Cope Is Dead. If you haven't heard the album before, expect a witty mix of jingly Scottish guitar pop, tongue in cheek murder ballads, obtuse acoustic folk, gospel and a Burns recital. 

This album has been very much forgotten since Drummond's exploits as one half of the JAMS and KLF, but it really is a very entertaining listen. Some may struggle with Drummond's Ivor Cutler-style vocals, but you will laugh your pants off during Julian Cope Is Dead, you'll rejoice in the pop triumphs, The King Of Joy (a single) and I Want That Girl, and the poetic twang of I Believe In Rock & Roll. Musos will appreciate the guitar and violin contributions of the late Robert McComb. 

Ripped from a CD version of an album released on Creation Records (CRECD 014) in 1986 to high quality lossless FLAC audio.

1. True To The Trail
2. Ballad For A Sex God
3. Julian Cope Is Dead
4. I Want That Girl
5. Going Back
6. Queen Of The South
7. I Believe In Rock & Roll
8. Married Man
9. Son A Preacher Man
10. Such a Parcel Of Rogues In A Nation

The JAMS - 1987 (What the F*ck is Going On!)

The Justified Ancients Of Mu Mu - 1987 (What The Fuck is Going On?)

I remember the day Rough Trade delivered a box of this LP to our little chain record shop in Swan Lane, Guildford. We played the album instore from beginning to end that lunchtime (the boss cringing at every f*ck ) and sold the lot!

Within a week it was banned - I was really glad that I had bought the last copy off the instore play turntable, its worth a few bob now.

The JAMS (aka Justified Ancients of MuMu, aka The Timelords, aka The KLF) were former Zoo guru, Bill Drummond and Jimmy Cauty (aka Rockman Rock).

This hilarious parody of mid-80's Britain was so full of blatant sampling (without all the necessary permissions of course), agressive language and anti-political bias that the BPI saw fit to ban it and demand that all copies be withdrawn from sale. This form of mass corporate censorship hasn't been seen since, but The JAMS acheived their aims and managed to piss-off Rob Dickinson and all the other BPI cronies.

As for the album itself, stand out tracks have always been The Queen and I and All You Need is Love.

The JAMS reinvented themselves as the KLF and went on to parody Whitney Houston and perform a duet with Gary Glitter & Doctor Who and finally a complete album with a herd of sheep.

Tracklisting:

1. Hey Hey Hey, We Are Not The Monkees

2. Don't Take Five (Take What You Want)

3. Rockman Rock

4. Me Ru Con

5. The Queen and I

6. All You Need Is Love

7. Next

Re:Upped