(you need this cd in youre collection folks) HALF MAN HALF BISCUIT : A CD. TRACKS: 1 The Best Things In Life 2 D'Ye Ken Ted Moult? 3 Reasons To Be Miserable (Part 10) 4 Rod Hull Is Alive - Why? 5 Dickie Davies Eyes 6 The Bastard Son Of Dean Friedman 7 I Was A Teenage Armchair Honved Fan 8 Arthur's Farm 9 Carry On Cremating 10 Albert Hammond Bootleg (live) 11 Reflections In A Flat (live) 12 Sealclubbing (live) 13 Architecture And Morality, Ted And Alice (live) 14 Fuckin' 'Ell, It's Fred Titmus (live) 15 Time Flies By (When Your The Driver Of A Train) (live) 16 All I Want For Christmas Is A Dukla Prague Away Kit (live) 17 The Trumpton Riots (live) http://www.mediafire.com/?gdy4zzmzi4j NOTES:Tracks 1-8 are taken from Back Again In The D.H.S.S.; Track 9 is from a Peel session; tracks 10-17 are live at The Leadmill in Sheffield ABOUT UM: The story of Half Man Half Biscuit began with two mates from the same estate in Birkenhead. Around 1980-82, Neil Crossley (bass) was a rhythm guitarist for a punk band Venom who, unlike other groups at the time, would play cover versions of Magazine and Ruts songs. Nigel Blackwell (singer, guitarist, songwriter) was at the time 'still robbing cars and playing football like normal people do', although he managed to listen to the odd bit of John Peel as well. The latter inspired nigel to form his first band Split Gut, which lasted for nine minutes (yes it is-we checked with McWhirter). He then moved on to an outfit called North of Watford before joining up with Neil to invent Half Man Half Biscuit. There was never any consideration of the possibility of performing live or getting any kind of record deal - the whole thing was merely a way of getting through the day. This carried on for a good while until Nigel's brother Simon Blackwell (lead guitar) and his mate Paul Wright (drums), who were in a group called Attempted Moustache, said they could add to the songs by way of drums and lead guitar (Neil had already moved to bass - the same one as today). Being more of a band, rehearsals moved to Vulcan Studios in Liverpool, where Nigel somehow became the caretaker. One of the people Nigel got to know as a result was building an 8-track studio in an upstairs room and was wanting to test the sound quality etc. before advertising his wares to 'proper bands'. As HMHB were seen merely as "the caretaker's band", a cut-price deal ensued for being the guinea pigs, and what bacame the first LP was recorded for £40 (which apparently wasn't as cheap as it might sound), with David Lloyd (keyboards) now on board. After a while Nigel and Neil thought it might be a laugh to hawk the resultant tape around a few record companies, just to see what reaction they'd get. Skysaw in Wallasey said they would love to release it but the swearing was a financial risk or something; Skeleton didn't really do anything except smile and ask if they could use the name as a label to put out a single by Instant Agony (they said yes, not expecting any publicity of their own). Factory came next - "we were listening to their acts more than any other and felt we could be an antidote to the albeit wonderful yet greyish image they portrayed". A tape was left with Alan Erasmus, who chuckled encouragingly and said it was probably unlikely anything would come about but whatever happened he would return the tape. A nice bloke and yes the tape was returned (a lot later). And so to Probe, a shrine for most Liverpool music fans. Proprietor Geoff Davies took the tape and a couple of days later said he'd like to release it (Geoff's then-wife Annie being a major influence, being more in tune with the references etc.). A few more songs were recorded at Vulcan, and the resultant Back In The D.H.S.S. LP (1985) was sent to John Peel, who delighted in the savage mockery of minor British celebrities, all wrapped up in tales of the everyday tedium that is life on the dole. The LP became the biggest-selling independent record of 1986. enjoy folks
