The Utter Cac Demos (Bootleg 1988/1989?)
Personnel:
Roddy (Huggan) Huggan : (Guitar, Vocals)
Roddy (Twiggy Stardust) Morrison : ( Guitar, Vocals)
Rather than listing this in the tapeography, we've listed in the spinoffs section because the personnel concerned weren't supposed to be The Guireans while they were recording it.
Oh dear. The 2 Rodericks must really have been at a loose end some time between "Live At The Cross Inn" and "J*** Sc**** is a H*m*s*x**l" to record this collection of well-known Guireans tracks from a variety of previous releases in an even worse than usual stylee.
Roddy (The Exploited) Huggan explains this particularly unpleasant recording :
Originally called ' Get Cac ' this was to be a new phase Meantime recording with the group getting back to their AGOFR roots for inspiration.
unfortunately this coincided with the groups implosion both due to Rod H's growing obsession with a dark haired older woman from an exotic land ( her mum was from Seaforth Road ) and musical differences between Rod M and the group's drum machine Alasdair.
Alasdair had actually left the band in the summer of 1988, fed up as they had employed a real drummer ( Iain ' Bomber ' Morrison ) during their tastefully named Totenkopffriml appearance at the Town Hall but was wooed back with the promise of a 3 way cut of the dosh at their impending residency at Zebos and the promise of a weekend away to recharge his batteries with Rod M's Wasp synthesiser.
The tension in the Get Cac sessions is evident in Alasdair's refusal to play a note. although you can't tell from the tape, Alasdair was often not even at the recording sessions as he was away starring in Ken Livingstone's latest epic film ' the Megantic Christian '
The sessions started off well enough with a new composition ' I Will Return ' being progressed and fashioned into a potential Radio Nan Gadheal hit. Sadly this spark of creativity was soon lost amongst the inter-band feuding and ' I Will Return ' became ' I Will Return When the Fields Are Full Of Cows '
The group continued to try to pull things round playing cover versions of old hits ( Letter From America and This Nation ) before deciding that their solicitors and accountants ( John ' Allan Klein ' Burrel and Ken ' 95% ' Livingstone ) should handle things from then on.
Ken reckoned that, without Alasdair on board, the group bore a striking resemblance to the Guireans and so the plan was to rehearse old material for one last gig on the roof of the science block at the Nicolson.Sadly no police turned up to stop the Guireans playing, in fact no-one did -
the 2 Roddy's fell off the roof but didn't suffer fatal injuries ( which scuppered Ken ' I didn't push them - honest ' in his plan to cash in posthumously )
Noel Eadie tried to do some work on the existing tapes but he was no Phil Spector and they have remained hidden in a secure vault to this very day.
Either that or the 2 Roddy's were fed up one day, tried to write a song, got p***ed off and started messing around and the sessions were indeed ' Utter Cac '
( See also Roddy Morrison's story of Hot Tamala Baby, the spin-off from this spin-off. By which time it had nothing much to do with the Guireans. This should really have been on Roddy H's Meantime site, but just as well it wasn't or it would have been deleted.).
Tracks :
- I Will Return (When The Fields Are Full of Cows) (*)
- Letter From America (*)
- This Nation (*)
- Good at The Peats (Psychedelic Mucus Fur Springsteen People)
- See Murchadh Play
- Sunday Morning
- School Chile (Bad Mucus for Reputation People)
- Crofter Who
- We Are The Everley Brothers
- You Wear Donny Murchaidhs
- Guga
- Todhar
- Industry (Gut Factory)
(*) Non Guireans Material!!