First installment of many from the newly discovered Chas archives.

This is the last FITD recording of the 80s, with New Zealand Alastair on guitar. It’s recorded at a rehearsal studio in Deptford, the name of which escapes me, and captures the band rehearsing our new material. I’ll try and post the lyrics to these songs as and when, maybe Chas can help me out there.

1. A Clown Too Many

The lyrics rail against the music business - ‘a clown too many in a circus show / nobody questions the circus, no-one admits that they know / the right wing schemes behind rock n roll dreams / excuse me, while I bear my soul’. The end was nigh! I always wanted to record this with strings like a Scott Walker song.

2. Filmstar Looks

Possibly our most musically adventurous / misguided! The title came about because the tune was called that in another project Bill & Jon had been working on. I would have called it ‘Spitting Pretty Piktures’. No doubt Chas - who wrote the lyrics IIRC, would have called it something else again.

. Swimming Against The Tide

Outsider anthem attempt. Alastair’s guitar lines gave this period an identity all of its iwn and its a crying shame we didn’t get into the studio to record this era. Particularly:

4. Home County Country

A Chas song railing against straights and yuppies and all that stuff. One of our better moments, this could have grown into our anthem I think. Great lyrics that date weirdly: ‘Come to see the scenery / being demolished for the M25′. I’ll remember that while I’m driving around it tomorrow :-/

Coming next…

live at the Bull & Gate, Kentish Town, London. Including a never before heard Flowers song!

Leopards, spots etc - NEVER forget the true nature of this beast:

Shadow home secretary Dominic Grieve has defended his decision not to give up shares in major firms still operating in Zimbabwe.

Mr Grieve was among seven MPs named by the Independent on Sunday as having investments in the country.

He said the Conservative Party expected firms in Zimbabwe to uphold “the highest ethical standards”.

Tory leader David Cameron previously called on Zimbabwe investors to “examine their own responsibilities”.

Mr Grieve owns at least £240,000 worth of shares in companies operating in the southern African country such as Shell, mining firms Rio Tinto and Anglo American and the Standard Chartered bank.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7479634.stm

All 3 courtesy of Chas, who is sending a bumper 5 CDs of stuff (unseen images & unreleased music) through to go up on the site.

Meanwhile, here’s a taster:

Live at Oxford:

Oxford again (with obligatory bottle of cider!):

Live at Croydon Underground, Fuzzbox tour:

On an even lighter note….

I’m A Rover And Seldom Sober

Pro-fun, pro-loyalty, pro-beer:

Never Mind The Strangers

“The Albert” = Prince Albert in Trafalgar St Brighton, where I pretty much lived during this period - and where my ex and dog literally lived.  Now home to the famous Banksy kissing policeman graffiti.

Anti War:

And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda (Live In Brighton)

http://www.tvhastings.org/christiebooks.html