The Scaffold
Encyclopedia
The Scaffold were a comedy, poetry and music trio from Liverpool
, England
, consisting of Mike McGear (real name Peter Michael McCartney, the brother of Paul McCartney
), Roger McGough
and John Gorman.
sketches and the poetry
of McGough, as evidenced on their 1968 live album, and released a number of singles and albums on Parlophone
and EMI
between 1966 and 1971, with several more on Island
, Warner Bros.
and Bronze
thereafter.
The Scaffold achieved Top 10 success in the UK
with:
In addition to the hit single
s, The Scaffold's output included four album
s: The Scaffold on Parlophone in 1968, L. the P. on Parlophone in 1969, Fresh Liver on Island in 1973, and Sold Out on WB in 1975. The Scaffold's first greatest hits album, entitled Singles As & Bs, was released on See For Miles Records
in 1982. This was followed by a second greatest hits collection, the first on Compact Disc, The Scaffold: The Songs, in 1992. Three additional compilations of the band's Parlophone tracks have since been released (two of which also include the Warner Bros. “Liverpool Lou” track).
Jack Bruce
, Elton John
, Graham Nash
and Jimi Hendrix
were among the session musicians who performed on The Scaffold's early records (since none of the trio was a musician). Tim Rice
, who was at that time an assistant to their producer Norrie Paramor
, contributed backing vocals to some of their material.
In 1970, The Scaffold appeared in a children's television series, Score With The Scaffold
.
In early 1971, they provided some catchy tunes for inclusion in a television
publicity campaign heralding the introduction of decimal currency to the UK. In this series of five-minute programmes, titled Decimal Five and shown on BBC1, they sang such inspired lyrics as "Give more, get change" and "Use your old coppers in sixpenny lots".
In 1972, they made a ½ hour musical movie called "Plod" based on an earlier stage production. The film was made on location in Liverpool, and included boys from the Liverpool Institute High School, earlier attended by the McCartney brothers and Beatle George Harrison.
In 1973, The Scaffold transferred to Island Records
and released one album, Fresh Liver, from which no singles were released. The group then merged into the expanded line-up of Grimms
with the likes of Neil Innes
, Andy Roberts
, Viv Stanshall, Adrian Henri
and Brian Patten
.
After the 1974 success of "Liverpool Lou," recorded with Paul McCartney
and Wings
, The Scaffold reunited for their final album, Sold Out, on Warner Bros. Records
. The B-side of "Liverpool Lou", "Ten Years After on Strawberry Jam", was an instrumental composed by Paul and Linda McCartney
and performed by Wings. The Scaffold moved to the Bronze Records
label in 1976, and continued touring through 1977. After that the group disbanded, although there have been occasional reunion performances. The group also reunited to record a new track for a special album, commemorating Liverpool’s 2008 "European Capital of Culture
" event. Michael McCartney & John Gorman represented The Scaffold in the No One Concert in the 10,500-seater Echo Arena and received a standing ovation from the capacity audience.
In 2009, the group were re-united in Ronnie Scott's
London Jazz Club for a BBC TV programme
In October 2010, The Scaffold re-united for a Gala Concert in Shanghai, to celebrate the end of the Liverpool Pavilion as part of the World Expo
. They shared the concert with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra
, OMD
and the Liverpool Chinese Children's Pegoda Orchestra
US Releases
Canadian Releases
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, 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...
, consisting of Mike McGear (real name Peter Michael McCartney, the brother of Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
), Roger McGough
Roger McGough
Roger Joseph McGough CBE is a well-known English performance poet. He presents the BBC Radio 4 programme Poetry Please and records voice-overs for commercials, as well as performing his own poetry regularly...
and John Gorman.
Career
The Scaffold performed a mixture of comic songs, comedyComedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
sketches and the poetry
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
of McGough, as evidenced on their 1968 live album, and released a number of singles and albums on Parlophone
Parlophone
Parlophone is a record label that was founded in Germany in 1896 by the Carl Lindström Company as Parlophon. The British branch was formed in 1923 as "Parlophone" which developed a reputation in the 1920s as a leading jazz label. It was acquired in 1927 by the Columbia Graphophone Company which...
and EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
between 1966 and 1971, with several more on Island
Island Records
Island Records is a record label that was founded by Chris Blackwell in Jamaica. It was based in the United Kingdom for many years and is now owned by Universal Music Group...
, Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
and Bronze
Bronze Records
Bronze Records is an independent English record label set up in 1971 by record producer Gerry Bron, and based in Chalk Farm, London.Bron had been producing Uriah Heep for Vertigo Records, and he set up this new label for future Uriah Heep releases, along with Juicy Lucy, Richard Barnes and Colosseum...
thereafter.
The Scaffold achieved Top 10 success in the UK
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...
with:
- "Thank U Very Much" (# 4), composed by McGear;
- "Lily the PinkLily the Pink (song)"Lily the Pink" is a modification of the older folk song "The Ballad of Lydia Pinkham", and the modifications were not extensively due to The Scaffold - for example a similar version was the unofficial regimental song of the Royal Tank Corps, at the end of World War II."Lily the Pink" was a...
" (# 1), based on a traditional song about Lydia PinkhamLydia PinkhamLydia Estes Pinkham was an iconic concocter and shrewd marketer of a commercially successful herbal-alcoholic "women's tonic" meant to relieve menstrual and menopausal pains.-Biography:...
. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold discMusic recording sales certificationMusic recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
. - "Liverpool Lou" (# 7) (written by Dominic BehanDominic BehanDominic Behan was an Irish songwriter, short story writer, novelist and playwright who wrote in both Irish and English. He was also a committed socialist and Irish Republican...
), recorded during the 1974 McGearMcGear (album)McGear is the second solo album by English singer Mike McGear, released in 1974.The album was a collaboration between McGear and his older brother Paul McCartney, who produced the record. All tracks on the album are performed by McCartney's band Wings, although all lead vocals are sung by McGear...
sessions with WingsWings (band)Wings were a British-American rock group formed in 1971 by Paul McCartney, Denny Laine and Linda McCartney that remained active until 1981....
.
In addition to the hit single
Hit single
A hit single is a recorded song or instrumental released as a single that has become very popular. Although it is sometimes used to describe any widely-played or big-selling song, the term "hit" is usually reserved for a single that has appeared in an official music chart through repeated radio...
s, The Scaffold's output included four album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
s: The Scaffold on Parlophone in 1968, L. the P. on Parlophone in 1969, Fresh Liver on Island in 1973, and Sold Out on WB in 1975. The Scaffold's first greatest hits album, entitled Singles As & Bs, was released on See For Miles Records
See For Miles Records
See for Miles Records is a British record label which distributed some of the records of Dandelion Records on CD in the 1990s. The name hints both to its owner Colin Miles and The Who's "I Can See for Miles."...
in 1982. This was followed by a second greatest hits collection, the first on Compact Disc, The Scaffold: The Songs, in 1992. Three additional compilations of the band's Parlophone tracks have since been released (two of which also include the Warner Bros. “Liverpool Lou” track).
Jack Bruce
Jack Bruce
John Symon Asher "Jack" Bruce is a Scottish musician and songwriter, respected as a founding member of the British psychedelic rock power trio, Cream, for a solo career that spans several decades, and for his participation in several well-known musical ensembles...
, Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
, Graham Nash
Graham Nash
Graham William Nash, OBE is an English singer-songwriter known for his light tenor vocals and for his songwriting contributions with the British pop group The Hollies, and with the folk-rock band Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. Nash is a photography collector and a published photographer...
and Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
were among the session musicians who performed on The Scaffold's early records (since none of the trio was a musician). Tim Rice
Tim Rice
Sir Timothy Miles Bindon "Tim" Rice is an British lyricist and author.An Academy Award, Golden Globe Award, Tony Award and Grammy Award-winning lyricist, Rice is best known for his collaborations with Andrew Lloyd Webber, with whom he wrote Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Jesus...
, who was at that time an assistant to their producer Norrie Paramor
Norrie Paramor
Norrie Paramor was a British record producer, composer, arranger, and orchestral conductor.Although the term "producer" was not in circulation at the time Paramor started producing records , he effectively began this role in 1952 when he became Recording Director for EMI's Columbia...
, contributed backing vocals to some of their material.
In 1970, The Scaffold appeared in a children's television series, Score With The Scaffold
Score with the Scaffold
Score with the Scaffold is a BBC children's programme, which was first aired in 1970 and 1971. It starred the pop group The Scaffold.It was a quiz programme, although interspersed with various material including musical numbers and sketches. It ran for two series, and the format was substantially...
.
In early 1971, they provided some catchy tunes for inclusion in a television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
publicity campaign heralding the introduction of decimal currency to the UK. In this series of five-minute programmes, titled Decimal Five and shown on BBC1, they sang such inspired lyrics as "Give more, get change" and "Use your old coppers in sixpenny lots".
In 1972, they made a ½ hour musical movie called "Plod" based on an earlier stage production. The film was made on location in Liverpool, and included boys from the Liverpool Institute High School, earlier attended by the McCartney brothers and Beatle George Harrison.
In 1973, The Scaffold transferred to Island Records
Island Records
Island Records is a record label that was founded by Chris Blackwell in Jamaica. It was based in the United Kingdom for many years and is now owned by Universal Music Group...
and released one album, Fresh Liver, from which no singles were released. The group then merged into the expanded line-up of Grimms
Grimms
GRIMMS was an English pop rock, skit and poetry group, originally formed as a merger of The Scaffold, the Bonzo Dog Band, and the Liverpool Scene for two concerts in 1971 at the suggestion of John Gorman...
with the likes of Neil Innes
Neil Innes
Neil James Innes is an English writer and performer of comic songs, best known for his collaborative work with Monty Python, and for playing in the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band and later The Rutles.-Personal life:...
, Andy Roberts
Andy Roberts (musician)
Andrew "Andy" Roberts is an English musician.He gained a violin scholarship to Felsted School. He then attended Liverpool University. He has played with The Liverpool Scene, Plainsong, The Scaffold, Roy Harper, Chris Spedding, Pink Floyd, Hank Wangford, Kevin Ayers, Vivian Stanshall and Grimms...
, Viv Stanshall, Adrian Henri
Adrian Henri
Adrian Henri was a British poet and painter best remembered as the founder of poetry-rock group The Liverpool Scene and as one of three poets in the best-selling anthology The Mersey Sound, along with Brian Patten and Roger McGough. The trio of Liverpool poets came to prominence in that city's...
and Brian Patten
Brian Patten
-Background:Born near Liverpool's docks, he attended Sefton Park School in the Smithdown Road area of Liverpool, where he was noted for his essays and greatly encouraged in his work by Harry Sutcliffe his form teacher. He left school at fifteen and began work for The Bootle Times writing a column...
.
After the 1974 success of "Liverpool Lou," recorded with Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
and Wings
Wings (band)
Wings were a British-American rock group formed in 1971 by Paul McCartney, Denny Laine and Linda McCartney that remained active until 1981....
, The Scaffold reunited for their final album, Sold Out, on Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
. The B-side of "Liverpool Lou", "Ten Years After on Strawberry Jam", was an instrumental composed by Paul and Linda McCartney
Linda McCartney
Linda Louise McCartney, Lady McCartney was an American photographer, musician and animal rights activist. Her father and mother were Lee Eastman and Louise Sara Lindner Eastman....
and performed by Wings. The Scaffold moved to the Bronze Records
Bronze Records
Bronze Records is an independent English record label set up in 1971 by record producer Gerry Bron, and based in Chalk Farm, London.Bron had been producing Uriah Heep for Vertigo Records, and he set up this new label for future Uriah Heep releases, along with Juicy Lucy, Richard Barnes and Colosseum...
label in 1976, and continued touring through 1977. After that the group disbanded, although there have been occasional reunion performances. The group also reunited to record a new track for a special album, commemorating Liverpool’s 2008 "European Capital of Culture
European Capital of Culture
The European Capital of Culture is a city designated by theEuropean Union for a period of one calendar year during which it organises a series of cultural events with a strong European dimension....
" event. Michael McCartney & John Gorman represented The Scaffold in the No One Concert in the 10,500-seater Echo Arena and received a standing ovation from the capacity audience.
In 2009, the group were re-united in Ronnie Scott's
Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club
Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club is a jazz club which has operated in London since 1959.The club opened on 30 October 1959 in a basement at 39 Gerrard Street in London's Soho district. It was managed by musicians Ronnie Scott and Pete King. In 1965 it moved to a larger venue nearby at 47 Frith Street...
London Jazz Club for a BBC TV programme
In October 2010, The Scaffold re-united for a Gala Concert in Shanghai, to celebrate the end of the Liverpool Pavilion as part of the World Expo
Expo 2010
Expo 2010, officially Expo 2010 Shanghai China was held on both banks of the Huangpu River in the city of Shanghai, China, from May 1 to October 31, 2010. It was a major World Expo in the tradition of international fairs and expositions, the first since 1992...
. They shared the concert with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra
Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra
The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Society is a society based in Liverpool, Merseyside, England, that organises concerts and other events mainly in the field of classical music. The society is the second oldest of its type in the United Kingdom and its orchestra, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic...
, OMD
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark are a synthpop group whose founding members are originally from the Wirral Peninsula, England...
and the Liverpool Chinese Children's Pegoda Orchestra
Singles
UK Releases- "2 Days Monday" / "3 Blind Jellyfish" (Parlophone R 5443) May, 1966
- "Goodbat Nightman" / "Long Strong Black Pudding" (Parlophone R 5548) Dec., 1966
- "Thank U Very Much" / "Ide B The First" (Parlophone R 5643) Nov, 1967
- "Do You Remember?" / "Carry On Krow" (Parlophone R 5679) Mar., 1968
- "1-2-3" / "Today" (Parlophone R 5703) June, 1968
- "Lily the PinkLily the Pink (song)"Lily the Pink" is a modification of the older folk song "The Ballad of Lydia Pinkham", and the modifications were not extensively due to The Scaffold - for example a similar version was the unofficial regimental song of the Royal Tank Corps, at the end of World War II."Lily the Pink" was a...
" / "Buttons Of Your Mind" (Parlophone R 5734) Oct., 1968 - "Charity Bubbles" / "Goose" (Parlophone R 5784) June, 1969
- "Gin Gan Goolie" / "Liver Birds" (Parlophone R 5812) Oct, 1969
- "All The Way Up" / "Please Sorry" (Parlophone R 5847) June, 1970
- "Bus Dreams" / "If I Could Start All Over Again" (Parlophone R 5866) Oct, 1970
- "Do The Albert" / "Commercial Break" (Parlophone R 5922) Oct., 1971
- "Lily the PinkLily the Pink (song)"Lily the Pink" is a modification of the older folk song "The Ballad of Lydia Pinkham", and the modifications were not extensively due to The Scaffold - for example a similar version was the unofficial regimental song of the Royal Tank Corps, at the end of World War II."Lily the Pink" was a...
" / "Thank U Very Much" / "Do You Remember?" (EMI 2085) Nov., 1973 - "Liverpool Lou" / "Ten Years After on Strawberry Jam" (Warner Bros K 16400) May, 1974
- "Mummy Won't Be Home For Christmas" / "The Wind Is Blowing" (Warner Bros K 16488) Dec., 1974
- "Leaving of Liverpool" / "Pack Of Cards" (Warner Bros K 16521) Mar., 1975
- "Wouldn't It Be Funny If You Didn't Have A Nose" / "Mr. Noselighter" (Bronze BRO 33) Oct., 1976
- "How D'You Do" / "Paper Underpants" (Bronze BRO 39) Apr., 1977
- "Lily the PinkLily the Pink (song)"Lily the Pink" is a modification of the older folk song "The Ballad of Lydia Pinkham", and the modifications were not extensively due to The Scaffold - for example a similar version was the unofficial regimental song of the Royal Tank Corps, at the end of World War II."Lily the Pink" was a...
" / "Thank U Very Much" / "Do You Remember?" / "Gin Gan Goolie" (EMI 2690) Oct., 1977
US Releases
- "Thank U Very Much" / "Ide B The First" (Bell 701) Jan, 1968
- "Do You Remember?" / "Carry On Krow" (Bell 724) May, 1968
- "Lily the PinkLily the Pink (song)"Lily the Pink" is a modification of the older folk song "The Ballad of Lydia Pinkham", and the modifications were not extensively due to The Scaffold - for example a similar version was the unofficial regimental song of the Royal Tank Corps, at the end of World War II."Lily the Pink" was a...
" / "Buttons Of Your Mind" (Bell 747) Dec., 1968 - "Charity Bubbles" / "Goose" (Bell B-821) Aug., 1969
- "Jelly Covered Cloud" / "Liver Birds" (Bell B-849) 1969
- "Liverpool Lou" / "Ten Years After on Strawberry Jam" (Warner Bros WBS 8001) July, 1974
Canadian Releases
- "Thank U Very Much" / "Ide B The First" (Capitol 72524) Feb., 1968
- "Lily the PinkLily the Pink (song)"Lily the Pink" is a modification of the older folk song "The Ballad of Lydia Pinkham", and the modifications were not extensively due to The Scaffold - for example a similar version was the unofficial regimental song of the Royal Tank Corps, at the end of World War II."Lily the Pink" was a...
" / "Buttons Of Your Mind" (Capitol 72562) 1968 - "Liverpool Lou" / "Ten Years After on Strawberry Jam" (Warner Bros WBS 8001) July, 1974
UK releases
- McGough and McGear (Parlophone PMC 7047 [mono], PCS 7047 [stereo]) [LP] May, 1968
- The Scaffold (Parlophone PMC 7051 [mono], PCS 7051 [stereo]) [LP] July, 1968
- L. the P. (Parlophone PMC 7077 [mono], PCS 7077 [stereo]) [LP] May, 1969
- Fresh Liver (Island ILPS 9234) [LP] May, 1973
- Sold Out (Warner Bros. K 56067) [LP] Feb., 1975
- The Scaffold Singles A's and B's (See For Miles CM 114) [LP] Oct., 1982 [Compilation, containing 22 EMI and Warner Bros tracks]
- McGough and McGear (Parlophone PCS 7332) [LP] Apr., 1989 [Reissue of the 1968 album]
- McGough and McGear (EMI CDP 7 91877 2) [CD] Apr., 1989 [Reissue of the 1968 album]
- The Best of the EMI Years: The Scaffold, The Songs (EMI CDP 7 985022) [CD] Feb., 1992 [Compilation, containing 20 EMI tracks]
- The Very Best of The Scaffold (Wise Buy WB 885572) [CD] Feb., 1998 [Compilation, containing 12 EMI and Warner Bros tracks]
- The Scaffold at Abbey Road, 1966-1971 (EMI 7243 496435 2 9) [CD] Aug., 1998 [Compilation containing 27 EMI tracks, including 7 previously unreleased]
- The Very Best of The Scaffold (EMI Gold 7243 5 38474 2 5) [CD] Mar., 2002 [Compilation, containing 26 EMI and Warner Bros tracks]
- Live at The Queen Elizabeth Hall 1968 (Él ACMEM63CD) [CD] Jan., 2006 [Reissue of the 1968 album, The Scaffold]
- Liverpool - The Number Ones Album (EMI 50999 5 19522 2 8) [CD] Feb., 2008 [Multi-artist commemorative album, including one newly-recorded track by Scaffold]
Japanese releases
- Sold Out (Muskrat RATCD 4228) [CD] Aug, 2004 [Reissue of the 1975 album]
- Fresh Liver (Island UICY 94110) [CD] May, 2009 [Reissue of the 1973 album]
Discography notes
- The album, McGough and McGear, is by Roger McGough and Mike McGear. All other releases by The Scaffold.
- Tracks which were first released from 1973 onward show the artist as Scaffold (rather than The Scaffold).
- See also Mike McGear Discography.
- See also Grimms Discography.
- There were probably other albums released in Japan. The two above are included because they have not been released on CDCompact DiscThe Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
in the UK. - There has been considerable debate as to the meaning of the place, item, person or event described in the lyric of the song Thank U Very Much as the Aintree Iron. The song-writer himself, Mike McGear, has apparently refused to divulge its identity.
External links
- Scaffold; Airbrushed from history? - Independent article on the history of The Scaffold. Endorsed by the band members.