Click to hear 30 seconds of the trackLime Street Blues [Brooker / Reid] 

Fran Glendining  [UK]

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Fran Glendining – voices
Roland Clare – piano, guitar, bass guitar, percussion

Peter Clare – B flat trumpet
BJ Wilson – drum samples

Franny bringing home the bacon ... or at least the Tampax ...

RC: I wanted to hear the curious narrative of Lime Street Blues unfolding at a gentler pace than the original, and this version was born when a very playable guitar was left in my house a while (thanks, Greg). The rest of the arrangement came to mind during the flight home from the Palers' Band gigs in sunny California (where they do know the way to San José!).

Having laid down all my instrumental parts – audio, not MIDI – I fancied sampling BJ's kick drum to supplement my keyboard percussion sounds: imagine my surprise on finding that the tempo of the track precisely matched his intro to the Procol B-side, Backgammon. I took this as a good omen, and incorporated his entire kit, humbly and thankfully. There are ghosts of other Procol tunes in here too.

It struck me that the whole piece would suit Fran very well, bringing out a different side of her singing after the sultry Milk of Human Kindness. We recorded all her vocal parts at Honeysuckle Cottage in Norfolk (see illustration) and did all the rest in Bristol, the other end of the country. Thanks to Peter for another fine trumpet break.

Guitars: Yamaha LL 11E
Piano: Roland RD 600
Bass guitar: Aria Pro II
Trumpet: Yamaha YTR-4335G

Norfolk recordings used a Roland CS1680 digital 8 track with an AKG C10005
Bristol recordings used a Sennheiser 421 and PC / Cakewalk Pro Audio 9

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