Sad Day We Left the Croft
Encyclopedia
Sad Day We Left The Croft is a compilation album
of punk
bands from the Scottish
Hebridean
island of Lewis
, recorded in 1980 and released in 1981, as a 12 inch vinyl LP on an independent record label, Adult Entertainments, based in Stornoway
; and also in a cassette version by Croft Recordings. A related 7 inch vinyl single on Adult Entertainments was also released in 1981. The single was played by John Peel
on his influential BBC Radio 1
music show shortly after its release. Pressed in limited quantities, both the single and the album became cult items and copies have been much sought after by collectors.
The making and impact of the album are the subject of a BBC Gaelic television documentary in the arts series Ealtainn, also titled Sad Day We Left The Croft. The 30 minute programme produced by Moja and MacTV was first broadcast on BBC2 Scotland on 27 September 2007.
On 25 September 2007, Stornoway
based independent record label Honcho reissued the Sad Day We Left The Croft album on CD. All the original tracks were remastered for the CD release. Additional tracks on the CD include both tracks from the related single, and four other previously unreleased tracks.
era, bands sprang up all across Britain following the musical style and 'do it yourself' ethos of groups such as the Ramones
, Sex Pistols
, and The Clash
. This phenomenon was not confined to cities - many small towns and rural areas also had local punk music scenes, including the Western Isles of Scotland
, where traditional Celtic and Gaelic music, and local covers bands had mainly prevailed. A number of punk bands emerged around the main town of Stornoway
on Isle of Lewis
. By 1979 there were several local punk and post punk bands, including The Bland, The Rong, The Subjects, Bruce Wayne Band, Noise Annoys, Battery Boys and Dirty Girls - and in 1980 they recorded the tracks for the album and the single.
, in order to record local Gaelic and traditional music.
All tracks recorded in 1980 at Tong Studio, Isle of Lewis
c. Adult Entertainments 1981
ADD 1LP
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
of punk
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
bands from the Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
Hebridean
Hebrides
The Hebrides comprise a widespread and diverse archipelago off the west coast of Scotland. There are two main groups: the Inner and Outer Hebrides. These islands have a long history of occupation dating back to the Mesolithic and the culture of the residents has been affected by the successive...
island of Lewis
Lewis
Lewis is the northern part of Lewis and Harris, the largest island of the Western Isles or Outer Hebrides of Scotland. The total area of Lewis is ....
, recorded in 1980 and released in 1981, as a 12 inch vinyl LP on an independent record label, Adult Entertainments, based in Stornoway
Stornoway
Stornoway is a burgh on the Isle of Lewis, in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland.The town's population is around 9,000, making it the largest settlement in the Western Isles and the third largest town in the Scottish Highlands after Inverness and Fort William...
; and also in a cassette version by Croft Recordings. A related 7 inch vinyl single on Adult Entertainments was also released in 1981. The single was played by John Peel
John Peel
John Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE , known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter, record producer and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004...
on his influential BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
music show shortly after its release. Pressed in limited quantities, both the single and the album became cult items and copies have been much sought after by collectors.
The making and impact of the album are the subject of a BBC Gaelic television documentary in the arts series Ealtainn, also titled Sad Day We Left The Croft. The 30 minute programme produced by Moja and MacTV was first broadcast on BBC2 Scotland on 27 September 2007.
On 25 September 2007, Stornoway
Stornoway
Stornoway is a burgh on the Isle of Lewis, in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland.The town's population is around 9,000, making it the largest settlement in the Western Isles and the third largest town in the Scottish Highlands after Inverness and Fort William...
based independent record label Honcho reissued the Sad Day We Left The Croft album on CD. All the original tracks were remastered for the CD release. Additional tracks on the CD include both tracks from the related single, and four other previously unreleased tracks.
Background
In the late 1970s during the punkPunk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
era, bands sprang up all across Britain following the musical style and 'do it yourself' ethos of groups such as the Ramones
Ramones
The Ramones were an American rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first punk rock group...
, Sex Pistols
Sex Pistols
The Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band that formed in London in 1975. They were responsible for initiating the punk movement in the United Kingdom and inspiring many later punk and alternative rock musicians...
, and The Clash
The Clash
The Clash were an English punk rock band that formed in 1976 as part of the original wave of British punk. Along with punk, their music incorporated elements of reggae, ska, dub, funk, rap, dance, and rockabilly...
. This phenomenon was not confined to cities - many small towns and rural areas also had local punk music scenes, including the Western Isles of Scotland
Hebrides
The Hebrides comprise a widespread and diverse archipelago off the west coast of Scotland. There are two main groups: the Inner and Outer Hebrides. These islands have a long history of occupation dating back to the Mesolithic and the culture of the residents has been affected by the successive...
, where traditional Celtic and Gaelic music, and local covers bands had mainly prevailed. A number of punk bands emerged around the main town of Stornoway
Stornoway
Stornoway is a burgh on the Isle of Lewis, in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland.The town's population is around 9,000, making it the largest settlement in the Western Isles and the third largest town in the Scottish Highlands after Inverness and Fort William...
on Isle of Lewis
Lewis
Lewis is the northern part of Lewis and Harris, the largest island of the Western Isles or Outer Hebrides of Scotland. The total area of Lewis is ....
. By 1979 there were several local punk and post punk bands, including The Bland, The Rong, The Subjects, Bruce Wayne Band, Noise Annoys, Battery Boys and Dirty Girls - and in 1980 they recorded the tracks for the album and the single.
Recording
The album was recorded at Croft Recordings, a small studio at Tong, about 5 miles from Stornoway. As the first recording studio in the Western Isles, Croft had been set up by Noel Eadie, a former member of Gaelic folk group Na h-ÒganaichNa h-Òganaich
Glasgow based Gaelic folk group Na h-Òganaich formed early in 1971, following a concert in Dunoon where Mod Gold Medallist singer Margaret MacLeod first met guitarist Noel Eadie...
, in order to record local Gaelic and traditional music.
Side one
- Noise Annoys: "Living (in the world today)" – 1:28
- The Rong: "Treatment" – 3:38
- The Bland: "River Creed" – 4:28
- AddoAddo-People:*Eric Addo , Ghanaian footballer*Joe Addo , Ghanaian footballer*Otto Addo , Ghanaian footballer*Ransford Addo , Ghanaian footballer*Simon Addo , Ghanaian footballer...
: "Deep down inside" – 5:56 - The Subjects: "Paradise" – 5:14
- Bruce Wayne Band: "First year fear" – 2:53
Side two
- Dirty Girls: "Love or lust?" – 1:34
- The Rong: "Union Jack" – 2:29
- The Bland: "Letters while travelling" – 2:43
- AddoAddo-People:*Eric Addo , Ghanaian footballer*Joe Addo , Ghanaian footballer*Otto Addo , Ghanaian footballer*Ransford Addo , Ghanaian footballer*Simon Addo , Ghanaian footballer...
: "Ocean of love" – 6:07 - The Subjects: "Coming to save you?" – 4:14
- Bruce Wayne Band: "Nightmares" – 2:04
- Noise Annoys: "New heroes" – 1:25
All tracks recorded in 1980 at Tong Studio, Isle of Lewis
c. Adult Entertainments 1981
ADD 1LP
Single (released 1981)
- Noise Annoys: "Tomorrow" – 2:18
- Battery Boys: "Cheap Local Talent" – 2:51
The Croft Sessions (1979 - previously unreleased)
- The Bland: "Fun Fun Fun" – 1:08
- The Bland: "Heads Blown Off in Slow Motion" – 2:45
- The Bland: "Passions" – 2:39
- The Bland: "River Elbe" – 4:09
External links
- Sad Day We Left The Croft Myspace site: Sad Day We Left The Croft Myspace site
- Honcho Recordings independent record label site: Honcho Recordings independent record label site
- Lewis Punk Bands: Poem Lewis Punk Bands by Rob MacKenzie (archived British Electronic Poetry Centre, University of Southampton)