Monday 23 November 2009

THE MUSIC OF BOO HOORAY

This rare advert is for a Boo Hooray gig that took place at Laings on 3rd Oct 1981.
I don't think I was at this one but I do recall seeing them live at the Tayside Bar.
The band line-up changed periodically but included the likes of Gerry Mitchell, Neal Mitchell, Scott McKinlay, Scott Gowans, Bob Phillips & Paul Smith.
Below, you can have a sample of Dundee's post-punk rebels who dared to be different.
The track is called "This Work".

18 comments:

  1. classic old Boo Hooray !
    I know gerry wont be interested , he is of the thought "the past is the past - move on"" (he will probably correct me on this!) but , I know Gerry has not got a high opinion of these early recordings , he has never been satisfied with any recorded work he has done and has very high standards which as much as we try always get lost in recording studios , unless you do have money and eno recording you !
    still good to hear it though

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  2. but didn't they make their instruments wi string or something.

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  3. I think thats the cover of the Novus single.

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  4. It is indeed the cover of the Novus single , Gerry did the art work but i cant remember the date ,probably about 1989 ?
    dont know why paul used the image on his boo hooray site rather than any boo hooray artwork , he did play on the Novus single
    mike

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  5. Worth mentioning that ex BH member, Paul Smith, went on to be known as Reverbaphon, the top notch electronica act. I have all his recordings he did on the excellent Scottish record label, Benbecula, including the rare boxed set "Minerals" which came out a few years ago as a limited edition of 100, mine being #55.

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  6. Good tune.
    Why can't people appreciate the fact that these bands don't have record companies behind them or access to the best studios around. May be the quality isn't that great, but it's the inspiration behind the tunes and the guts to break from the mainstream that really counts. Even the Beatles were a breakaway band. The Sex Pistols were another breakaway band. They're probably the most influencial bands ever.
    Yeah it is the Novus cover I've still got my copy. Anyone got one that's not scratched to bits?

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  7. Good stuff, like to hear more.

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  8. I remember seeing them on the Caird Hall (I think Altres played then too, but we hung out with the Junkies getting high) for the Dundee Live Aid and at Fatties. I remember Mike from Altres getting up and dancing with whoever the guitarist with Boo Horaay was and "out quirky dancing" him.

    I remember thinking some tracks wee good and the woman who sang had a taut body, if not much of a voice.

    I still play in a band with Paul Smith. :D

    Brian

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  9. (Hope your sitting down), just opened this month's Mojo magazine at p105 and saw a review of the new Boo Hooray album by no other than Anth Brown of all people and Tam Doyle....after wondering if this was some strange , twisted dream, I realised that it was still there in print....do you know a good copyright lawyer?
    Also there's a short film involving Dundee legend Jeremy Bryning at http://www.hoolywoodproductions.com/kmc.html
    click on Luna Films then Float but not away.......Vince P.

    They even have a site at boohooray.co.uk

    Thee audacity!

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  10. Ahhh the infamous Vince P. Just has a wee listen to the new Boo Hooray stuff and it sounds great, Good to hear a Dundee born band doing well. Was listening to radio 2 the other night and Janice Long is playing their stuff. Their reviews are very complimentary too. Maybe it's time to move on !!!
    Andy

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  11. OK, i'm confused. Does this Boo Hooray with Gerry have anything to do with Anth Brown etc? If not, have the Dundee lads in London simply stolen the name? Maybe I'm missing something here.

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  12. is there a way to download this track? I have the tracks from the two 12"s they put out but never heard this one before, help?

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  13. As far I know, and I have spoke to gerry and scott from the original Boo Hooray , Anth asked Scott if they were using the name as gerry had taken Ill and had left the band, scott renamed the new band Interflora, the name Boo Hooray was defunct , so no problem, Anth could use it , Scott said he did not mind and i know Gerry could not care less , the new Boo Hoorays ability to write an original song is parallel to there ability to find an original name - only an opinion here!! but i find there music as boring as Elbow and shit like that, that is not an slight on the people in the band , always liked Anth Brown but we would never agree on music , him and friends being musicians and me ...well - owning instruments.
    So to make it simple Anth Brown and Steve and Tom took on the moniker of Boo Hooray with the blessing of the old Boo Hooray (scott and gerry), but not sure how the others Paul , Bob , Neal ,Alison and Garry from the original band feel. maybe should have called themelves Yarooh ooB..they were always Better Backwards
    p.s. it is GOOD to see a dundee born band do well , good luck to them

    mike kane

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  14. Hi Mike - long time no see - nor brother Jim - hope you're both well....... Al Straker here (The Captain ID) - can't find my log in meh.....

    Just my tuppence here - I agree that the Boo Hooray recordings that were made later in Wilf Smarties' studio in Edinburgh for example were 'slicker' technically but they lacked the whole vibe of seeing Boo Hoooray live - that buzz of the 'home' crowd coming in on the chorus of "This Work" as the band hit an almost ecstatic groove via Neil's real-sweat syncopated hypnotic bassline seen as the perfect foil to Paul's amazing backbeat on his 'toy' drumkit (we used to call it the Chad Valley drumkit lol)...... Gerry and Scott doing their proto-gothy earnest young men in black stick insect routines with scratched matt black painted Danelectro Longhorn and Hofner glitter guitars... no fancy guitar straps - just slung on with rough parcel string.... its called style

    Bit flowery on the description above, but hey - after all this time - here at last after all this time....... the work of The Devil, so-called...... lol

    Good times....... much like watching the horror/panic on the faces of the organisers of a biggish event once as they saw Vex take over the stage unannounced in Clockwork Orange outfits - we let you guys use the Superfoam gear we had set up much to their disgust ....... oh, I was fascinated by that clear plastic pedal thing you built Mike - some sort of octaver/ring modulator? - you called it 'Orac' after the Blake's 7 thing...... instant noise maker....

    I believe Gerry always did aspire to high standards in recording btw - but I didn't like the so called 'pro' studio recordings that I heard later much myself from an artistic angle as they lacked the immediacy and punch of the live band and the sheer sonic shock of those ear piercingly shrill high pitched lipstick pickups....

    Vex..... like Boo Hooray weren't so much bands as sequences of events - ideas in action, lol

    Good times as I said....

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  15. Hi Al !

    Me and bro jim are well !
    had forgot about my youth in the Electronics club at school that led to me building my own effects boxes / pedals ! how sad I used to love the electronics shop in siderins top of perth road (before that I spent my pocket money buying components from the matalan catalogue)where you could buy capacitors , transistors , diodes , L.E.D's..heat sinks to protect your intregtared circuits..then go home and solder them all together to make a noise !!
    I remember playing Laings and Gary Clark (danny wilson) asking where i got the 3 effects i had built onto my guitar and in all innocence said "..I made them" ...it was just 3 modulators with 3 different value pots build onto the guitar all given various sounds ! you just turned the knobs whilst playing for extra noise / effect !
    I now have a bought pedal with about 99 effects and use only 3 of the pre-sets ! oh! and an original wem copy cat!!
    nice to read your comments Al
    all the best
    Mike

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  16. Anth (duke the pluke)brown couldnt get an origonal name for his band,i take his music is the same(nothing origonal)i think he should stick to his day job as a painter,and not a verry good one at that.

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  17. where can i get a copy of this record, download or cd?any help greatly appreciated..
    damaged.brian@gmail.com

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  18. ..the G.IG.O. Mcgurk hepcat gloss record, that is..

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