This man signed me all those years ago. History records that he also signed Tears For Fears, Teardrop Explodes, James, House of Love, et al - and worked with Robert Plant & Scott Walker. He’s actually tiny and holding a CD. But vinyl is also available. https://dbrecords.co.uk/tommcrae2020/ 

His label DB (db/David Bates - geddit?) which he started after being head of A&R at Phonogram for years, licensed me to BMG which became SonyBMG. Thus began the major label years. I was 29. Already too old. But I don’t like being told no. Neither did David Bates.

I’d been in and out of bands for 11 or so years, sending off demo tapes, playing any gig we could. Career highlight was opening for Hue and Cry! Heady days. One last round of demo tapes landed on his desk. You Cut Her Hair was on the tape. The released version is mostly the demo.

The cassette played slow in DB’s car. So when he heard the version from the little hard drive recorder I’d made the demo on, we spent ages slowing it down on reel to reel in the studio so it sounded the same. David usually gets his way on most things.

Shit. I’m supposed to be numbering this thread. I’m old. Balls. Where are we 4? Anyway - people think you have your whole life of songs to choose for your first album. But these were all written in 6 months after the last band split up. 4/?

Tony Marrison, my old bass player, worked with me on recording the demos. He joined the touring band for albums 1 and 2. But he’s too smart for the music business. 5/?