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Chaltenham, England, 1980.
Chris Hamilyn, art student and clarinet player, meets his old friend and multi-instrumentalist Roger Freeman, who introduces him to Chris Lee, also a multi-instrumentalist. The three start playing erratic jams at every venue in the city. After a few months, they decide to expand the line-up; thus, Chip Carpenther and Mark Smith join them. But the real "coup" happens when they find out that Simon Underwood, the legendary bassist of the Pop Group, was "free" due to the band's breakup. Excited by this news, they quickly record a demo-tape and head to Bristol, where Underwood lived. Clearly flattered by such "adoration," he accepted their collaboration proposal, deeming their project in line with his new stylistic trends. After opening for the legendary Slits, the lineup, now composed of six members, finally decided to take on a name.
They were born as Pigbag, and it was 1981. A year later, they released their first single with the quirky title "Papa's Got A Brand New Pigbag," and it was a big sales hit with nearly 100,000 copies rolled out. It was a 3-minute-and-a-half track where the most danceable insights of the so-called "brit-funk," as the Americans called it, were concentrated. A compelling rhythm of metallic percussion accompanied by brass phrases, saxophones, trumpets, and clarinet, and even Caribbean whistles, with an almost ska timbre, in a tribal-tasting whirlwind, where Underwood's bass stood out recognizably with its deep and rubbery voice.
Their fame even reached the United States, where they embarked on a coast-to-coast tour, playing material from their upcoming debut album. Upon returning to Europe, they released their second single, "Sunny Day," another foray into funk, this time less danceable, with sharp and minimalist guitars in the foreground and the usual brass section defiantly counterpointing everything in a feverish frenzy with slightly bluesy fragrances. Finally, Dr. Hankle And Mr. Jive was ready. Preceded by the single "Getting Up," it saw the light in April '82. It was supposed to be the definitive springboard but something really bizarre happened. The public was still infatuated with the first single, which continued to stubbornly occupy the top positions of the British charts (not independent ones, mind you). The group then convinced the record company Y to withdraw "Papa's Got A Brand New Pigbag" from the market, hoping this move would finally redirect fans' interest toward the LP. But nothing doing, Y was forced to hastily reprint it due to overwhelming demand, as requests exceeded 22,000 units! The song, for the record, remained in the top 100 for a whopping 52 weeks. The band continued to tour Europe but had no intention of being a "one-hit wonder." The line-up changed, and they subsequently found success only in Japan.
After two more albums, they disbanded for good. But why "Dr. Heckle And Mr. Jive" never caught on remains a mystery. The album was certainly more experimental than the single, but it wasn't so hard to digest. The spirit that characterized it was the playful one of 6 session men eager to play and entertain. And they fully succeeded. Just listen to tracks like "Brazil Nuts" to be transported to an exotic Caribbean atmosphere, in the throes of irresistible spasms of eccentric percussion. Their light-hearted mood did not prevent them, however, from setting up an evocative portrait of a night jungle like "Dozo Don," with almost ambient tinges of hypnotic trumpets and blaring sirens.
In conclusion, the work, albeit with a less "noble" spirit than some of its contemporaries, contains some truly irresistible moments.
Over time, it hasn't lost much freshness, which undoubtedly speaks in favor of its quality. If you're looking for a funk-no-wave album, that is sophisticated yet more digestible than the genre's more extreme manifestos, this is the one for you.
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