eBay

Adam Mole's 'The Mrs. Won't Pay For A Caravan Fund'

Hello and 'welcome to my world'. Every two weeks I plan to auction (via eBay) 'Pop Will Eat Itself' related 'lots' in a quirky, experimental, mildly amusing, most unlikely scheme to raise enough cash to purchase a nice cosy vintage caravan... for myself!

This conceptual extravaganza is also described in glamourous literary fashion at James Brown's 'Sabotage Times' website.

http://www.sabotagetimes.com/music/adam-mole-needs-a-caravan-so-hes-selling-his-pwei-memorabilia/

Here for auction is lot ‘PWEI010’.

For me personally this is the first ‘lot’ I am already regretting putting up for sale. I have wrestled with the idea for a week or so but finally came to the conclusion that...I never knew I had half of it...why should I miss it!!!

They will hopefully go to a better home...but they’re great, I love them and I know I will regret it! Look lovely in a frame blah, blah, blah... Two weeks ago I didn’t even know they nestled in my parlour, scullery or outhouse; now it’s the PWEI Holy Grail, more precious than a diamond studded lobster wrapped in fivers.

This is a ‘test pressing’ for the 12” version of ‘Def Con 1’ backed with three atrocious live versions of ‘Inside You’, She’s Surreal’ and ‘Hit the Hi-Tech Groove’. It’s a bit dusty but looks mint, I have no deck on which to play it but if it turns out to be the bloody ‘Waterboys’ I will refund you with apologies!!!

Catalogue number is PWEI 12001A/PWEI 12001B dated the 3rd June 1988 from MayKing records/studios. As far as I know only two were ever manufactured!

I have included the resultant 12” PWEI product...along with the 7” radio edit that removes the words ‘Big Mac’ in fear of ‘corporate trouble’ and to appease Radio 1. This looks a little surface scratched but nothing too worrying, again quite rare!

Finally and by no means least is a rare ‘bleed’ or ‘proof’ for the C.d artwork; our first ever collaboration with ‘the Designers Republic. There may be one or two other copies in existence but unless one is exhibited in the forthcoming October 'tDR' Sheffield gallery ‘car boot’ sale; I doubt it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7Wm4qXC_j4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nyTnf-lS7bE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dpx9i_65BBM

Clint wrote ‘Def Con 1’ in appreciation of the ‘Watchman’ comic. Clint loved comics and when the ‘new skool’ appeared around this time he rejoiced in the work of ‘Alan Moore’ who amongst other major titles wrote ‘Watchman’. Mr. Moore came to a sound check in Northampton and thanked us (Clint) for his name check in ‘Can U Dig It! i.e. ‘Alan Moore knows the score’. We also celebrated his ‘coolness’ with the ‘Loves Me Not’ sample in ‘Wise Up Sucker’ courtesy of his dulcet tones, and I think the phrase 'Television, Movies, Comics' on 'Shortwave Transmission On Up To The Minute Man Nine'...the genius that was Alan Moore.

Robert Gordon @ 'Fon studios' in Sheffield produced the song as well as remixing the track as the 12" 'Doomsday Powermix'. He added a kickin' bassline that Flood who produced our album 'This Is The Day, This Is The Hour, This Is This' lifted and overdubbed on the album version. We also overdubbed the chorus guitar to back up the sample, scratched the Motown opening drum roll and cut in the 'Right Now' vocal in the intro....I think! This is how the 'RCA' album version differs from the 'Chapter22' single. It is not a new mix purely an 'eq' job with overdubs and inserts added to the 'Fon' mix...I think!

The 7” Radio 1 edit was engineered by Robert. He took out the offending ‘Big Mac’ corporate lyric that potentially gave free advertising and/or offended such big business. In its place was the same sampled section reversed and giving the impression the song (now picking up a little Radio 1 daytime airplay), said ‘Big One Up, Fries to Go”...

From vague memory I remember playing ‘Def Con 1’ for the first time at the Birmingham ‘Powerhouse’ during a ‘joint’ headline gig with ‘the Wonder Stuff’. PWEI had been popular for a while but ‘tWS’ were the young pretenders and on our tail. Clint and Miles from tWS used to live together (not in the biblical sense) on the 13th floor of a block of high rise flats in Colley Gate just the other side of Lye, just the other side of Stourbridge. There was great friendship but also rivalry!

The ‘Powerhouse’ gig was billed as a joint headline although I think we played the headline slot. The ‘Wonder Stuff’ were about to go massive and we were about to give up our crown as ‘Stourbridge’s finest!

I think their single, ‘A Wish Away’ released that week had a chance to chart...top 40...and actually during their set!!! I think they just missed out...number 41 or similar...unlucky...we congratulated them on their set but commiserated with them over their disappointment at not entering the top 40. We retired to our dressing room to prepare to follow their brilliant set. We instantly but secretly rejoiced in their close top40 failure. "GOOD" we all said! I guess we were under pressure and hey yes just a little jealous. Bad stuff is jealousy.

Oh well, ‘Hard luck’, ‘tough cheese’, ‘hard cheddar’!

They were soon to take the charts by storm but at least tonight they might not ‘blow us off’, again definitely not in the ‘biblical sense’ anyway! They didn’t need our sympathy!

‘Def Con 1’ shook the place. Rarely does an un-released, un- heard song go down with a crowd better than an established favourite. It received such great praise we played it again in our encore.

We had stepped it up a gear.

‘Def Con 1’ was a pleasure to play; simple for me...a few samples triggered from one key, three basic guitar bar chords and a simple trumpet outro riff. Thanks Clint!

I was always a bit of a worrier so for every ‘Def Con 1’, ‘Auslander’ or ‘U.B.L.U.D’ that was a pleasure to play, Graham would terrorise me by...’too many notes’. 

Many of his songs gave me nightmares...there were just too many notes, loads of them always on the black keys, or to those interested...the thin ones. These keys were as thin as my musical competence was spread and when confronted by the five ‘blind cobbler’s thumbs’ on my right hand the likelihood of any satisfying musical triumph emanating from the speakers would be a miracle. If my left hand approached anywhere near the keyboard I came out in a rash! Quite frankly my performances were, how can I put it...'error strewn', so much so that if I annoyed 'Grasshopper' our front of house sound engineer, he threatened to turn me up in the mix next day! I don't know, did he?

Graham’s keyboard riffs turned me grey and bald. No sooner had I successfully played a ‘DefCon1’ my dread would be exposed to the flute riff in ‘Axe of Men’, the fast marimba sequence in ’Another Man’s Rhubarb’ or the lead verse riff in ‘Dance of the Mad Bas**rds’.

Although recent history has revealed Clint’s film score music not to be shy on the multiple note pattern he always kept it simple for me, his old school chum! Thanks mate!

Then someone decided to commission a re-mix of the single ‘X, Y and Zee'.

Christ!!!!

For weeks I had happily been playing the original album version live, enjoying navigating through the three note sitar patterns and one note sample triggers...then someone decides we should play a cut up of the album track with the re-mix the following day on live TV. Nice one, cheers!

Go on, have a laugh, this has very recently been discovered on tinternet.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxObjZnOSJk

After a brief rehearsal trying to work out the new re-mix keyboard parts, largely spent with Graham and then Rich showing me how easy it was to play I agreed to do it.

From the beginning you can see I am bricking it! When the middle eight riff (newly spliced into the song arrives) the inevitable happens. You can plainly see me turning to a laughing Clint exclaiming...

“I told you I couldn’t fu*king play it!”

Oh God! Now I look a right nob...again...AGAIN! Oh no, not AGAIN!...on the telly as well...AGAIN!

I got over it...

Everyone in PWEI at least ‘on the outside’ was great with my lack of musical ability...why they never chucked me out years ago I have no idea. How long could I call on the fact my student grant funded the first single ‘Poppies say Grrr!’ or for the use of my Dad’s Mini Metro for trips to and from rehearsal space highlighting my worth? It seemed forever actually...thanks guys, oh yeah and thanks Dad!

Happy bidding!