Bickershaw Competition – Quantity 1
12” Vinyl Album
Dandelion Data – Out Now
hawkethos@gmail.com /Motion Data Preston
Bickershaw, a small village outdoors Wigan turned the Britain’s very personal Woodstock for 3 days in Might 1972. This album, billed as “A snapshot of Bickershaw Competition 1972’, provides an excellent glimpse into the previous, that includes tracks from among the greatest stars of the day, The Grateful Useless, Captain Beefheart & The Magic Band, and the Nick Lowe fronted Brinsley Schwarz, who sound remarkably like a bone fide West Coast outfit. The album comes on 180 gsm heavy vinyl, in a luxurious gatefold sleeve designed by celebrated artist Steve Hardstaff, who other than producing the unique posters for the competition, designed the quilt for Led Zeppelin 4/4 Symbols (delete as mandatory), that includes the previous thatcher bent half double on the sleeve.
Famously title checked by each Joe Strummer, (his favorite ever live performance) and Elvis Costello (convincing him to begin a band), the competition was organized by Jeremy Beadle, who opens the album, after we hear an area speaking about drunk competition goers, complaining about his position organising the whole lot, with everybody else taking part in a recreation of ‘passing the buck’, because it segues into Brinsley Schwarz’s Give up to The Rhythm. The variance in audio high quality between the desk recordings of Brinsley Schwarz and the rawer, viewers recorded sounds of a late-night Captain Beefheart & The Magic Band, appear someway becoming, given the scratchy nature of Trout Masks Duplicate. (considered one of John Lydon’s favorite data). We’re handled to that album’s Hobo Chang Ba in addition to Click on Clack from The Highlight Child, launched 4 months beforehand.
Bickershaw Competition Quantity 1 options the total interview with Jerry Garcia, (saying how he doesn’t actually like acting at festivals), great prolonged tracks from the Grateful Useless, together with Activate Your Love Gentle, Mr Charlie, and the epic Truckin’, earlier than closing with some uncommon insights to the goings on by an unidentified feminine voice – ‘The competition has all of the environment of a medieval truthful with troubadours, jugglers, acrobats and travelling reveals’.
You get an actual really feel of being on the competition from these tracks, interviews and spoken snippets, making it a wonderful relic from the golden age of early ‘70’s hippydom. Nick Lowe would go on to cement his place as Britain’s main pub rocker, releasing a succession of high quality singles and LP’s throughout the punk period of the late ‘70’s, in addition to producing The Damned’s first single New Rose, and dealing with Elvis Costello.
The album is launched on Dandelion Data, famously established by John Peel (and named after his hamster) within the late sixties, and residential to Bridget St John, Kevin Coyne and Medication Head.
Bickershaw Competition Quantity 1 is on the market by emailing hawkethos@gmail.com or from Motion Data in Preston in a restricted launch of simply 500 copies.
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Phrases by Nigel Carr. Extra writing by Nigel on Louder Than Conflict could be present in his Writer’s archive. You’ll find Nigel on Twitter and Fb. Nigel is the Co-Producer of New Daybreak Fades – A Play About Pleasure Division And Manchester which excursions October 2025.
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