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12" Vinyl LP - Columbia Records SX6165 (mono) 1967.
12" Vinyl LP - Columbia Records SCX6165 (stereo) 1976.
Cassette tape SCX-6165 stereo.
8 track cartridge.
- CD - CIA008 Absolute. (Digitally remastered) 2009

 

"Adge Cutler's Family Album" - Adge Cutler with The Wurzels
- Recorded 'Live' at the Royal Oak Nailsea, Zummerset
(Released: 1967)

Side 1
1. Easton-in-Gordano (Cutler)
2. Sweet Violets (Coben-Green)
3. The Wild West Show (New words & music adapt. by Bob Barratt)
4. Barcelona Blues (Cutler)

5. The Somerset Space Race (Cutler)
6. Freak-Out In Somerset (New words & music adapt. by Bob Barratt)

Side 2
1. Moonlight On The Malago (Cutler)
2. Sniff Up Thy Snuff (Macey)
3. Drunk Again (Macey-Quantrell)
4. Sheriff Of Midsomer Norton (Detroit)
5. Avonmouth Mary (Cutler)
6. The Shepton Mallet Matador (Cutler)

 

(LP Mono)
(LP Stereo)
Click on a photo to enlarge.


Sleeve Notes:

Mono Release:
Try to imagine such songs as ' I Belong To Glasgow' and ' Maybe it’s because I’m a Londoner' being sung in broad Somerset accents in various West Country pubs. Those numbers are perhaps still providing the basis for a singsong in some Somerset hostelries but it's now more than probable that ditties with a local flavour written by ADGE CUTLER are providing the musical accompaniment to the sounds of cider drinking.

Adge (whose first names were really Alan John) was born in the village of Portishead. Somerset, but was brought up a few miles away in Nailsea. He left school at 14 and his first job was as a market gardener. Then he went into his father’s bicycle shop before starting his National Service.

After coming out of the forces, Adge had a number of jobs, including civil engineering, working at a cider works and at a North Wales nuclear power station, before joining Acker Bilk in 1960 as his road manager. He had known the bandleader for several years and often used to drive him and his Jazz band to clubs and theatres.

Spain was the next port of call for Adge after he had been with Acker for some time. He was sent there to investigate property in the country for future use as holiday areas, But because of a credit squeeze the idea was dropped and Adge returned after a year and stayed in London, before long taking up a show business career. As a result, however, he spoke perfect Spanish.

' I gave my first public performance when I was about seven at the Village Institute, Nailsea. I sang ' There’ll always be a Nailsea’. Being a regular Saturdaynight drinker I later noticed that it was usually songs about London or Glasgow that were being sung in the bars and that there was nothing local to sing. I thought a good roaring pub song, that’s what they want. So I wrote ' Drink up thy zider’ about 10 years ago and the song just spread.

Then I started writing songs about different villages and they passed into local history. I even travelled to Liverpool and sang at the Cavern Club for a couple of quid. That was the first time I ever sang professionally' .

Appearances in the TWW television series ' The Cider Apple' led to Adge’s fame spreading and he formed The Wurzels to accompany him to clubs and theatres. At the time of this recording they comprised Reg Quantrell (banjo and guitar), Johnny Macey (bass). and Reg Chant (accordion).

Adge and The Wurzels now travel to many parts of England playing and singing their West Country songs, and have found that most local phrases are easily understood.

About his own views of folk music, Adge says: ' I suppose you can call the sort of music I write ' goodtime’ folk. I have hardly ever written a sad song. I write songs so that people can sing them, they have got to be simple for me to sing them' !

Ambitions for Adge (who is now 35); ' I’d like to have my own home in Somerset and one in Spain. The Spaniards seem to have the same attitude to life as West Country people – the easy-goingness and dry humour' .

Adge’s first single ' Drink up thy Zider' was issued in December 1966 with extraordinary results. It was the best selling record in Bristol for 10 weeks and has become a standard on radio request programmes such as ' Housewives’ Choice' and ' Family Favourites' . It sold in enormous quantities all over the West Country to become Britain's biggestyet ' Regional breakout’  a phenomenon usually encountered only in the U.S.A., and even entered the national Top 50. It also gave rise to immediate issue of an E.P., and Adge’s first L.P.

Since that day, Adge Cutler and The Wurzels have never been out of the news. A giant cidervat has been named after him in the factory, where he once worked: Bristol City Football Club have adopted ' Drink Up thy Zider’ as their theme song: Adge and The Wurzels have had their Wurzel gear and instruments stolen twice  one theft being reported on the West Country's television programme ' Police Five’ between thefts of jewellery and a lorryload of copper. Luckily his Wurzelstick was insured for £100 against all risks except woodworm!

Nowadays their work takes the group to Wales, the Midlands and the North of England too, and their radio and TV appearances include ' The David Frost Programme' , ' Pop North' , ' Monday Monday' , ' Joe Loss Show' , ' Dee Time' , ' Pop Inn' , ' Points West' , ' Today' , ' Scene' and even ' The Countryside Today' .

As usual, this new album was recorded ' live’ before an audience in the inimitable atmosphere of a Somerset Pub with cider 'on the house'. It wouldn’t sound the same in a studio somehow!

MARTIN ROSS and BOB BARRATT

Stereo Release:
Try to imagine such songs as ' I Belong To Glasgow’ and ' Maybe it's because I'm a Londoner’ being sung in broad Somerset accents in various West Country pubs. Those numbers are perhaps still providing the basis for a sing-song in some Somerset hostelries but it’s now more than probable that ditties with a local flavour written by ADGE CUTLER are providing the musical accompaniment to the sounds of cider drinking.

Adge (whose first names were really Alan John) was born in the village of Portishead, Somerset, but was brought up a few miles away, in Nailsea. He left school at 14 and his first job was as a market gardener. Then he went into his father’s bicycle shop before starting his National Service.

After coming out of the forces, Adge had a number of jobs, including civil engineering, working at a cider works and at a North Wales nuclear power station, before joining Acker Bilk in 1960 as his road manager. He had known the bandleader for several years and often used to drive him and his Jazz band to clubs and theatres.

Spain was the next port of call for Adge after he had been with Acker for some time. He was sent there to investigate property in the country for future use as holiday areas, but because of a credit squeeze the idea was dropped and Adge returned after a year and stayed in London before long taking up a show business career. As a result, however, he spoke perfect Spanish.

' I gave my first public performance when I was about seven at the Village Institute, Nailsea. I sang ' There'll always be a Nailsea’. Being a regular Saturdaynight drinker I later noticed that it was usually songs about London or Glasgow that were being sung in the bars and that there was nothing local to sing. I thought a good roaring pub song. That’s what they want. So I wrote ' Drink up thy zider’ about 10 years ago and the song just spread.

Then I started writing songs about different villages and they passed into local history. I even travelled to Liverpool and sang at the Cavern Club for a couple of quid. That was the first time I ever sang professionally’.

Appearances in the TWW television series ' The Cider Apple’ led to Adge’s fame spreading and he formed ' The Wurzels’ to accompany him to clubs and theatres. At the time of this recording they comprised Reg Quantrell (banjo and guitar), Johnny Macey (bass). and Reg Chant (accordion).

About his own views of folk music. Adge said: ' I suppose you can call the sort of music I write goodtime folk. I have hardly ever written a sad song. I write songs so that people can sing them. They have got to be simple for me to sing them. I’d like to have my own home in Somerset and one in Spain. The Spaniards seem to have the same attitude to life as West Country people - the easygoingness and dry humour'.

Adge's first single ' Drink up thy zider’ was issued in December 1966 with extraordinary results. It was the bestselling record in Bristol (or 10 weeks and has became a standard on radio request programmes. It sold in enormous quantities all over the West Country to become one of Britain's first ' Regional breakouts’  a phenomenon usually encountered only in the U.S.A. and even entered the national Top 50. It also gave rise to immediate issue of an EP, and Adge’s first LP (SCX 6126).

Since that day Adge Cutler and The Wurzels were rarely out of the news. A giant cidervat was named after him in the factory where he once worked; Bristol City Football Club adopted ' Drink up the Zider’ as their theme song: Adge and The Wurzels had their Wurzel gear and instruments stolen twice  one theft being reported on the West Country’s television programme ' Police Five’ between thefts of jewellery and a lorryload of copper. Luckily his wurzelstick was insured for £100 against all risks except woodworm!

On Sunday 50 May 1974 came the news that Adge had died in the early hours when his car overturned at a roundabout approaching the Severn Bridge. He was returning alone from a successful week of shows in Hereford

As usual, this album was recorded ' live’ before an audience in the inimitable atmosphere of a Somerset pub with cider ' on the house’. It wouldn’t sound the same in a studio somehow!

MARTIN ROSS and BOB BARRATT.


Band line-up:

Adge Cutler, Reg Quantrill, Reg Chant and John Macey.

Production:

Intoduced by Derek Jones
Produced by Bob Barratt 1967
Recording Engineer: Geoff Emerick (credited on stereo album sleeve only)

Professor Wurzel's Disc Notes:

November 27th 2009 saw the release for the first time on CD of four of Adge Cutler’s original albums, including this one, and the Wurzels first solo album, making them all available as an exclusively licenced re-release with the original artwork and digitally re-mastered.It had taken several years of difficult planning and hard negotiating by Sil Willcox of Cruisin’ Music, close friend and manager of The Wurzels to reach this point. Although EMI had produced Adge Cutler’s third album in CD format back in 2003 they had showed no signs of intending to repeat this with anything else from the Wurzel back-catalogue; Sil, together with the Wurzels themselves, was keen to see that more of the band’s work was reproduced in this modern format!

Having obtained the copies of the original artwork Sil Willcox entrusted the task of digitally re-mastering the original vinyl LPs to Louie Nicastro: After many long sessions Louie produced a superb set of 5 CDs to allow Wurzel fans to be able to hear these iconic albums in high quality sound without the need for a record player! – much to the delight of many young fans who had never been able to hear these songs and the older fans who had lost their ability to play old vinyls!

The remastered CDs were released in stereo and the original sleeves and sleeve notes faithfully reproduced.

Additional credits on the re-releases were:

Digitally Remastered by Louie Nicastro
Sleeve reproduced by Phil Johnson
Managed by Sil Willcox at Cruisin' Music Management
Thanks to Al Hale, Jonathan Conibere & Marcus Tripp

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