Personnel:

Roddy (Huggan) Huggan: Vocals, Drums, Guitar

Roddy (Rod Morison, Actorrr) Morrison : Guitar, Drums

Iain (Dead Olac) Livingstone : Bass; Drums; Chanter; Vocals

Alasdair (Bod) Mackay:  Guitar; Vocals; Drums;

James (Kyle) Kyle: Guitar

Recorded mostly in Huggan’s kitchen again, on a number of days in 1986 and early 1987. This was the Guireans at their most inconsistent, with a lot of real dross and one or two er… slightly less dross numbers.

No, really, the debut appearance of deathly pale Bowie obsessive Roddy (“The Thin White Plook”) Morrison, with a battery of serious muso technology, resulted in a couple of tracks (“Wah! Mucus for Heng People” and “REM Mucus for Ram people (S*ndy M*thes*n) “) of almost passable recording quality. This was a first for the Guireans and very nearly led to accusations of selling out.  Only the fact that nobody had ever heard any Guireans songs (still) ever prevented a schism as momentous as that which occurred when Bob Dylan went electric.

Many of the better ideas on this tape got recycled on later albums such as “Live at the Cross Inn” or the possibly libellous “J*** S**ie is a H*m*s*x**l”. It’s fertile ground for a future post-1985 compilation but is even grimmer than usual to listen to all the way through.

The version of  Derek "Lux Inferior" Macleod’s classic “Iain Stardust and the Peatcutters from Borve” on this tape is probably the least bad around.

James "Kyle" Kyle's first and last (so far) Guireans appearance is a bit of a blur because it happened at the Huggans' house at or around New Year. The Kyle influence is obvious in the choice of Zeppelin and Neil Young songs, and in the almost competent guitar playing on these tracks. Kyle was immediately thrown out of the band for not being enough of a butcher. Even although he did it for a living.

“Free Archie Macpherson” was recorded at Edinburgh University in 1985 (Pollock Halls, G10 Grant House, to be precise), while Huggan was visiting his brother Neil there. The chorus line on this track are the members of the Archie Macpherson for Rector campaign, led by Saint Johnstone casual Jim (Freddy Mercury) Eccleston and his left-footed lieutenant Steve (The Fenian) Foley. Macpherson’s managers had decided they needed an official campaign anthem. They were men who, by their record collections, were known not to be particularly astute judges of quality in music, so the Guireans got the job.

Incredibly, Archie won, beating Nelson Mandela, Margo Macdonald and Teddy Taylor hands down. Admittedly this was little to do with the campaign anthem which, like all great Guireans tracks, remained unheard even by most of the participants

Roddy (Look, It’s not a *&^% Rubettes Hat, OK!) Morrison went on to become famous Actor “Rod (One R) Morison”, star of TV’s “Big Brother”,  “The Muppet Show”, "Katie Morag" and "Thon Incontinence Stairlift advert that’s only on Channel 5 in the afternoons". Like fellow top actors Keanu Reeves, Russell Crowe and John McEnroe, Cadaverous Thespian “Rod” likes to make a little music when he’s resting. Which meant that for many years he was permanently out on the road (between the Sea Angling or the Clachan) with top SY covers merchants Kroftwerk - (available for weddings, funerals and orduigheans). In recent years he's become a prolific composer and performer of electronic music with a distinct early-80s tinge ("new romantic disco sh*te" according to the unenlightened rockists among his fellow Guireans) in the guise of "Some Random Guy" and lately "Doctor Moon's Medicine Show".

Tracks

1.      Some Sandy Talking (Jesus Mucus for Mary Chain People)

2.       Hey Hey we’re the Guireans

3.       Todhar

4.       A Pint of Borve Ale

5.       Iain Stardust and the Peatcutters from Borve

(Meant to link this but haven't got an mp3. Will have to make one)

6.       Cult Mucus for Cult People

7.       You Wear Donny Murchaidhs

8.       Adult Mucus for Oriented Rock People (Hotel Callanish)

9.       Stornoway Woman

10.     Free Archie Macpherson

11.     Wah! Mucus for Heng People (Come to Back)

12.     Led Mucus for Zeppelin People (Ch*rsty Al*ne)

13.    REM Music for Ram People (S*ndy M*thes*n)