Is there any other fans of the band '[i]Pigbag[/i]' around?
I can guanrantee most of you will have heard their most famous song, 'Papa's Got A Brand New Pigbag', even if you don't know who it's by. But there is so much more to them than that!
For those not in the know about Pigbag, here is a quick introduction to the band I cunningly copy and pasted of their [url=www.pigbag.com] offical site![/url]...
"The band was actually first started in Cheltenham in late 1980 by Chris Hamlyn (possibly spelt "Hamlin"). Chris, who at that time was studying Fashion at Cheltenham Art College recruited multi-instrumentalist Roger Freeman, (an old friend from his hometown Birmingham) along with Chris Lee on trumpet and James Johnstone, a guitarist and newcomer to the alto sax, for some wild and crazy jam sessions.
Taking place anywhere from the local park (playing up trees was a fave pastime in those days) to the bedroom of his student rented house (painted completely black except for the 'tribal graffiti' which he later adapted for the 'Papas' 7" sleeve), these early improvisations formed the basis of what was soon to become Pigbag. The house, Beech House, is still standing on the Northe-East corner of Clarence St and St Georges Place in Cheltenham (Click Here For Map).
After a couple of months they decided to expand the line up and become a 'proper band' with a drummer, bass player, amps, rehearsals etc. etc.
Around this time Andrew "Chip" Carpenter (drums) and Mark Smith (bass) both old school mates of James' and former members of his previous band Hardware, were recruited for some informal rehearsals. It was at these jam sessions that 'Papa' was developed, from an idea Chris H. had before the band was formed.
When Chris H. heard Simon Underwood had left "The Pop Group" he decided to invite him to join the as-yet un-named band. Through a friend who knew Mark Stewart (Pop Group vocalist) he got hold of Simon's address and Chris and James both hitched down to Bristol armed with a tape of those jam sessions. Much to their amazement Simon agreed to join the band, later suggesting his old friend Ollie Moore as tenor sax player.
Through Simon's connections with D*ck O'Dell (at the time managing "The Slits" and running Y Records) they soon got their first gig supporting "The Slits" at Bristol's Romeo and Juliets.
They played a twenty minute version of what was to become 'Papas' and the crowd went ape. The next day D*ck invited them to record the track for his label Y Records.
It was time to find a name......
Chris H. was rarely seen without his pig bag.
They made their first recordings in 1981. Later that year they released their first single, "Papa's Got A Brand New Pigbag", on D*ck O'Dell's Y Records, taking inspiration for the title (if not the music) from James Brown's "Papa's Got A Brand New Bag". The instrumental release quickly became an underground dance hit, selling many thousands of copies and appearing high in the Independent Charts.
It was around the time of the recording that Chris H. left the band, feeling that he had created a 'monster' with too many egos to contend with. He felt he was "loosing control of the band" and did a 'runner'.
The band followed the success of "Papa's" with "Sunny Day", a similarly brash, bright and funky track, and early in 1982 another single "Getting Up". April 1982 saw the release of their first album "Dr. Heckle & Mr Jive", which was massively successful topping the "Indie" charts for several weeks, despite featuring only "Getting Up" from the previous single releases.
The band embarked on a major college tour in spring of '82, The tour was the longest and most gruelling the group had ever undertaken, and put a lot of stress on the band, particularly Roger Freeman. Brian Nevill sat in on several gigs (Portsmouth Feb 18, Reading Mar 12, Bristol 14, Brighton 15, Hammersmith Palais 16, and Cheltenham 26).
The tour set the scene for "Papa's" to be re-released. Demand had built up after the track got played in clubs, and on the re-release the single made the mainstream UK charts, peaking at no.3 and giving the band their only significant mainstream success.
The band made two appearances on "Top of the Pops" on April 8th & 22nd. Brian Nevill sat in on both appearances, and Paul "Nelly/Nellee" Hooper (later producer for Bjork, Madonna, Soul II Soul etc) also appeared with the band in the first show.
The first "Top of the Pops" appearance also saw Roger Freeman's departure from the band. Apparently, Roger didn't like the idea of switching his donkey jacket for a suit (the band had decided to dress in suits for the show), and did a 'runner' on the day of the show. After the stress of touring, he'd had enough.
"Papa's Got A Brand New Pigbag" is still used extensively at sporting events and on TV, and still gets played in clubs. The track has also been covered by several other artists.
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They imitate but I teach
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