Professor Wurzel’s Jotting - ‘I Want To Be An Eddie Stobart Driver’

The letter that you see here was sent to members of the ‘Eddie Stobart’ fan club in 1995 encouraging them to buy this Wurzel single and help get it into the charts!

This EP single by the ‘farmyard four’ was a real first for the band – a ‘multi-format’ release, being issued simultaneously as a CD, a cassette and a 7” shaped picture vinyl. It was released on August 7th 1995:

Loose Records WURZELCDS1 (CD)
Loose Records WURZELP1 (7" vinyl – lorry-shaped picture disc)
Loose Records WURZELCS1 (cassette single)

Side 1:
I Want To Be An Eddie Stobart Driver (Jim Andrews, Tim Barker)
You Can't Kid A Kidder (Malcolm Mason)

Side 2:
Forty And Bone Dry (Geoff Betsworth)
Rig Jig (Tommy Banner, Pete Budd, Geoff Betsworth)

The title song was the brainchild of Loose Records owner Andy Titcombe and the EP managed an entry in the lower reaches of the UK Top 100. Although the sleeve of the cassette claims that the tracks were taken "from the forthcoming album 'Wurzel, Hits, The Road' - this album (WURZELCD201) was, unfortunately, never recorded.

This single was the first release by the Wurzels since Dave Wintour joined the band. The line-up (which is not credited on disc)was Tommy Banner, Pete Budd, Dave Wintour, John Morgan.

The sleeve note credits however give us Tommy Banner (accordion, keyboard, harmonies), Geoff Betsworth (acoustic guitar, dobro, steel guitar, harmonies), Pete Budd (banjo and lead vocal),Malcolm Mason (guitar, sequences, harmonies) and, finally, Becky Hutchison, Emma Richardson, Anna Chaddock and Sarah Clarke - backing vocals and cheers on 'I Want To Be An Eddie Stobart Driver'.
Production Arrangements were by Malcolm Mason and Geoff Betsworth. The session was recorded at Lemon Grass Studio in Cumbria.

Although never officially released it is also still possible to purchase via internet download a variation of the title song entitled ‘I Want Join The Eddie Fan Club’ - still being sung of course by our favourite band!

Finally, the letter seen here refers to the late release of the single as the original vinyl had to be re-pressed since it was initially produced as a standard 7” disc – anyone got a copy of this standard disc?!? If you have please let us know!!

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