I spent most of my formative teenage years in an evergreen West Yorkshire fantasy land called Wetherby. It's one of those places where there's nothing much for the young and stupid to do apart from get bored and become annoyed at the whole smalltownmentalityness of it all but for all that there were good times - hours playing football, not doing your paper round, outdoor drinking, Jimmy Jeffers, nascent attempts at romance, dangerous stunts on playground equipment, etc. etc. Some people who made much better use of their time in this place (which happened a little while before mine) are documented on this ace book and CD set released by 555, 'The Wetherbeat Scene 1988-1991'. The generous 35 track CD features the first ever studio recordings of still-going concerns Hood and Boyracer as well as others such as The Liddles and Baby Doll Lounge (apparently both pre-Boyracer outfits), The Paisley Springtime and The Harbour Pilots. For the most part you're getting a lot of fuzzy, jangly lowest of the lo-fi indie for your very reasonable £7.99 and whether that's your thing or not, you can't help but fall in love with the youthfully exhuberant playfulness of it all.Track titles like 'Jason Savlon Used My Amp', 'Bastard Postman' and 'I Stood Next to David Gedge in Jumbo Records' should give you some indication as to the mindset of these plucky young pups, who maybe weren't even aware at the time that their fun was quietly expanding their horizons way beyond their sleepy surroundings. It's particularly striking how many ideas Hood were packing even at this early stage although the near-hardcore pace of some of their tunes might come as a little bit of a shock to those familiar only with their later dreamy textures. The booklet features present-day interviews with many of the major players of the scene, reproductions of posters, flyers and articles as well as some truly superb photos.. The highlight of which has to be of Hood's Adams lads stood in front of their house, floppy of fringe and flowery of shirt, being photographed by their mum whose camera-toting reflection is clearly visible in the living room window. Proper time capsule shit, yeah?
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What their label says...
THE WETHERBEAT SCENE 88-91 - book and CD 35 song CD and 40 page book featuring all the bands connected with the legendary scene. Featuring the first ever studio recordings of HOOD and BOYRACER aswell as pre-Boyracer outings souch as Baby Doll Lounge and The Liddles, and the stunning previously undocumented Harbour Pilots and Paisley Springtime. The book is hilarious and informative, featuring comments from all the key players from the time, with lots of embarassing pictures of us all looking very young and a lovely glossy colour sleeve. CD equally attractive in glossy card gatefold. NOTE:- THE BOOK IS LIMITED TO 200 RETAIL COPIES
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