Footsee
Encyclopedia
"Footsee", credited to Wigan's Chosen Few, was a British
hit single in 1975, reaching # 9 on the UK Singles Chart
. It is notable as being one of the first commercially successful remix
es of a previously released recording.
By late 1974, the Northern soul
music and dance scene centered on the Wigan
Casino
club in Lancashire
, England
, was attracting increasing attention from mainstream media in the UK, at the same time as original American
R&B
recordings which met the musical criteria of its fans, and which were new to listeners, were becoming more difficult to find. According to most sources, Dave McAleer
, then working for Pye Records
' Disco Demand subsidiary label, heard a 1968 single by the obscure Canadian band, The Chosen Few. The record's B-side
was a brief instrumental
version of the A-side
. It had originally been released on the Transworld record label
in Canada, and was reissued in the US
by Roulette Records
(Roulette 7015) as a tie-in with the popular "Footsee" toy. Pye held the rights to the Roulette catalogue in the UK, and McAleer arranged for the original instrumental track to be speeded up in the recording studio
to the right dance tempo. It was also overdubbed with car horns and crowd noises, which are variously reported to be taken from a 1966 FA Cup
semi-final between Everton
and Sheffield Wednesday
, or alternatively a group of revellers invited into the Pye studio.
Released on the Disco Demand label, the remixed and overdubbed record reached the UK chart in January 1975. The B-side was a true Northern soul favourite, "Seven Days Too Long" by Chuck Wood. When "Footsee" was featured on BBC Television
's Top of the Pops
, dancers from the Wigan Casino gave a demonstration of the Northern Soul style of dancing, in the absence of a real group to promote the record.
Music journalist
, Stuart Maconie
, described the record as an "embarrassing novelty" and "execrable" in his autobiography, Cider With Roadies.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
hit single in 1975, reaching # 9 on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
. It is notable as being one of the first commercially successful remix
Remix
A remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....
es of a previously released recording.
By late 1974, the Northern soul
Northern soul
Northern soul is a music and dance movement that emerged from the British mod scene, initially in northern England in the late 1960s. Northern soul mainly consists of a particular style of black American soul music based on the heavy beat and fast tempo of the mid-1960s Tamla Motown sound...
music and dance scene centered on the Wigan
Wigan
Wigan is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It stands on the River Douglas, south-west of Bolton, north of Warrington and west-northwest of Manchester. Wigan is the largest settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan and is its administrative centre. The town of Wigan had a total...
Casino
Wigan Casino
The Wigan Casino was a nightclub in Wigan, Lancashire, England. Operating between 1973 and 1981, it was known as a primary venue for northern soul music. It carried forward the legacy created by clubs such as the Twisted Wheel in Manchester and the Golden Torch in Tunstall, Stoke-on-Trent...
club in Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, was attracting increasing attention from mainstream media in the UK, at the same time as original American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
R&B
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
recordings which met the musical criteria of its fans, and which were new to listeners, were becoming more difficult to find. According to most sources, Dave McAleer
Dave McAleer
Dave McAleer is the main contributor for the Virgin Book of British Hit Albums and the Virgin Book of Top 40 Charts. He has also been the sole Music Consultant for the Guinness World Records book since 1998, and is the Official Charts Company Quizmaster...
, then working for Pye Records
Pye Records
Pye Records was a British record label. In its first incarnation, perhaps Pye's best known artists were Lonnie Donegan , Petula Clark , The Searchers , The Kinks , Sandie Shaw and Brotherhood of Man...
' Disco Demand subsidiary label, heard a 1968 single by the obscure Canadian band, The Chosen Few. The record's B-side
A-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
was a brief instrumental
Instrumental
An instrumental is a musical composition or recording without lyrics or singing, although it might include some non-articulate vocal input; the music is primarily or exclusively produced by musical instruments....
version of the A-side
A-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
. It had originally been released on the Transworld record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
in Canada, and was reissued in the US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
by Roulette Records
Roulette Records
Roulette Records is an American record label, which was founded in late 1956, by George Goldner, Joe Kolsky, Morris Levy and Phil Khals, with creative control given to producers and songwriters Hugo Peretti and Luigi Creatore. Levy was appointed as director...
(Roulette 7015) as a tie-in with the popular "Footsee" toy. Pye held the rights to the Roulette catalogue in the UK, and McAleer arranged for the original instrumental track to be speeded up in the recording studio
Recording studio
A recording studio is a facility for sound recording and mixing. Ideally both the recording and monitoring spaces are specially designed by an acoustician to achieve optimum acoustic properties...
to the right dance tempo. It was also overdubbed with car horns and crowd noises, which are variously reported to be taken from a 1966 FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
semi-final between Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
and Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday F.C.
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club are a football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, who are currently competing in the Football League One in the 2011-12 season, in England. Sheffield Wednesday are one of the oldest professional clubs in the world and the fourth oldest in the...
, or alternatively a group of revellers invited into the Pye studio.
Released on the Disco Demand label, the remixed and overdubbed record reached the UK chart in January 1975. The B-side was a true Northern soul favourite, "Seven Days Too Long" by Chuck Wood. When "Footsee" was featured on BBC Television
BBC Television
BBC Television is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation. The corporation, which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927, has produced television programmes from its own studios since 1932, although the start of its regular service of television...
's Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops, also known as TOTP, is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly from 1 January 1964 to 30 July 2006. After 25 December 2006 it became a radio program, now hosted by Tony Blackburn...
, dancers from the Wigan Casino gave a demonstration of the Northern Soul style of dancing, in the absence of a real group to promote the record.
Music journalist
Music journalism
Music journalism is criticism and reportage about music. It began in the eighteenth century as comment on what is now thought of as 'classical music'. This aspect of music journalism, today often referred to as music criticism , comprises the study, discussion, evaluation, and interpretation of...
, Stuart Maconie
Stuart Maconie
Stuart Maconie is an English radio DJ and television presenter, writer, journalist, and critic working in the field of of pop music and popular culture. He is currently a presenter on BBC 6 Music, where he hosts an afternoon show five times a week , alongside Mark Radcliffe, called the Radcliffe...
, described the record as an "embarrassing novelty" and "execrable" in his autobiography, Cider With Roadies.