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April 1999
issue:
"It must be ten years since the Spuds-I-Like
released an album, the splendid Born In A Barn,
still one of my favourite sets by a British outfit...
There is much to enjoy here... Blue Moon Of Kentucky
is wonderful... Jambalaya is delirious... The one
track that, for me, sums up the Potatoes musical attitude
is the standard, Hindustan. With a front-line of
trombone, fiddle, accordion, vibes and guitar, it's
hilarious. I defy anyone not to smile - or, better, laugh
out loud, as I did - at the guys' musical inebriation.
This is real Happy Hour music... They call it Soil Music.
I call it Fun. Go buy." ****
Folk Roots, May 1999 issue:
"Eight-piece ceilidh band from Essex with fiddles,
squeezeboxes and rock rhythm section plus occasional
brass. Agreeably lively, if not reaching the 'absolutely
must dance' level." F
efn (formerly Essex Folk News), June 1999
issue:
"One of the South-East's best and most popular dance
bands... toe-tapping music compiled to capture the
flavour of an evening's dancing with the band, complete
with comprehensive liner notes containing the calling
instructions for each of the dances that go with the
tunes. The dances... are described very clearly, in a way
that makes it possible to fit them easily to the music.
So is it any good I hear you ask. Good? It's better than
good, it's excellent! Although it's nearly impossible to
capture the sheer energy of a live performance on any
recording, this CD certainly has me and my girl bopping
round the kitchen, especially on the more Cajun/Bluegrass
tracks such as Choupique Two-Step and Jambalaya. The
musicianship displayed throughout the CD is first rate...
a particular highlight for me being the tasteful guitar
soloing of Tony Littman and Charlie Skelton's exuberant
fiddle playing. Great stuff! For me this CD gets the full
five stars. Buy it and see!"
Rock 'n' Reel, Autumn 1999
issue:
(Rock 'n' Reel doesn't appear to be on the Net but
their e-mail is rocknreel@zetnet.co.uk)
"Their latest album is a collection which - as the
title suggests - showcases their well-honed and much
practised skills within the barn dance / ceilidh area.
The eight-piece manage, with ease, to plough through the
southern-fried flavours of 'Cherokee Shuffle', with
melodeon, accordion, recorder, fiddle and a cracking
rhythm section driving everything before them.Throughout
- as on 'Blue Moon Of Kentucky', 'Jambalaya' and closer
'Repeal Of The Licensing Laws' - they excel with a
crisply executed set that improves with every
listen."
See the "Songs" page for track listing and other details.
We made three other LPs, "It Was Good For My Old Mother", "The Sound Of The Ground", and "Born In A Barn", the last of which was made Record of the Month by Country Music People magazine. All of these are now available on CD. We also made three even earlier cassette-only recordings, "Get Your Skates On", "Twist With Ken" and "Dig".
|
1981: Get Your Skates On (cassette) Privately produced |
|
| 1982: Twist With Ken (cassette) Privately produced |
CD of both of the Folk Pistols albums available as a special order - see below
| 1983: Dig (cassette) Privately produced | |
| 1984: I Like Chicken Pie (7" single) Waterfront WFS8 | |
| 1985: It Was Good For My Old
Mother (LP; cassette produced 1986) Waterfront WF018
/ WF018C 1987: It Was Good For My Old Mother (limited edition cassette including "I Like Chicken Pie" and "Chicken Reel Stomp" from the 7" single) Waterfront WF018C (no labelling to indicate any difference to original) 2006: It Was Good For My Old Mother (CD) Sweet Soil Music SSMCD2 |
|
| 1986: The Sound Of The Ground
(LP & cassette) Waterfront WF028 / WF028C
2006: The Sound Of The Ground (CD) Sweet Soil Music SSMCD3 |
|
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1989: Born In A Barn (LP
& cassette) Waterfront WF046 / WF046C
2006: Born In A Barn (CD) Sweet Soil Music SSMCD4 |
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1998: Barndancing (CD & cassette) Sweet Soil Music SSMCD1 / SSMMC1 |
1987(?): The Southend Connection (track -
Johnson Boys) Waterfront LP
1990: Down By The River - The Greenhouse Album (track - Famous
Potatoes) Edge EC7020
1997: Southend Rock 2 (track - Eight More Miles to Leigh-on-Sea,
shown on the label as "Going Down to Leigh-on-Sea")
Lunch 01702 001
The first two were deleted long ago but the "Southend Rock 2" CD may still be available.
All the Famous Potatoes (and Folk Pistols) releases will shortly (as of 8 June 2010) be available in MP3 format. Keep watching this page for details of how to get the downloads and how to pay for them.
Get Your Skates On (Folk Pistols):
1. All The Way to Galway / Winster Galop / Rakes of Mallow; 2. Queen Victoria's
/ Under the Greenwood Tree / Won't Go Home; 3. Young Woodland
Rebels; 4. Unemployed Sweetheart; 5. Cassette / Pig's Trotter / New Year's Day; 6. Soldier's
Joy / Fairy Dance / Rose Tree; 7. Johnny Comes
Marching / Runaway Trains; 8. Star Polka / 'Schottische'; 9. Bread and Butter /
Tarpaulin Jacket / Bonnie Dundee;
10. Young Collins (dub)
Twist with Ken (Folk Pistols)
1. Monck's March (Folkfinger); 2. Lady in the Boat / Fiery Clockface / Blaydon
Races; 3.
Arkansas Traveler / Rose Tree; 4. News of Victory / Little Burnt Potato; 5. Young
Woodland Revels; 6. Brighton Camps / Nutty Girls; 7. Smash the Window / Major
Mackie's / Last Straw; 8. Foot in the Puddle / St Ann's Skip; 9. The Party /
Shetland Boston Two-Step
Dig
1. Johnny's Down the River / Sugar In My Coffee-O; 2.
Crow Black Chicken; 3. The Trout Sisters; 4. Two-Step de Bayou Teche; 5. Vandals
of Hammerwich; 6. No Hell In Georgia / Rattler Treed a Possum; 7. Cold
Kale in Aberdeen / Miss Forbes' Farewell; 8. Seneca Square Dance /
Un, Deux, Trois; 9. Saturday Night Waltz; 10. Going Down the River; 11. I'm
Gonna Leave Old Arkansas / Irish Potatoes; 12. Monk's March
Chicken Pie Single
1. I Like Chicken Pie; 2. Chicken Reel Stomp Pt. 1; 3.
Chicken Reel Stomp Pt. 2
It Was Good For My Old Mother
1. Johnson Boys; 2. Mashed Potato Blues; 3. Silly Bill;
4. Jealous Hearted Me; 5. Lookin' For Money; 6. Old Time Religion; 7. I Don't Mind; 8. Peach
Pickin' Time; 9. Yes Sir!;10. Honey I'm Ramblin' Away
The Sound Of The Ground
1. Are You Ready?; 2. Nothin' Shakin'; 3. Famous Potatoes; 4. Hold That Critter Down 5. (She's A) Runaround; 6. You're Pouring Water On A Drowning Man; 7. Going Down The River; 8. Drinking Wine
Spo-Dee-O-Dee; 9. Nightingale Stomp; 10. That's Right; 11. I Saw The Light;
12. El Sonido Del Soelo;
13. Roll In My Sweet Baby's Arms;
14. Wait Till The Cows Come Home
Born In A Barn
1. The Women Go Wild Over Me; 2. Seven Nights To Rock; 3. Truck Driving Man; 4. My Heart Cracked;
5. Too Hot to Handle; 6. Jericho; 7. Uncle Pynn; 8. Who Stole The Train; 9.
Cindy; 10. Bloodshot Eyes; 11. Snowdeer; 12. Crazy Arms; 13. What Kind Of
Man; 14. Eight More Miles To Leigh-on-Sea
Barndancing
1. Cherokee Shuffle
/ Paddy Won't You Drink Some Cider; 2. Newton Grove / George Washington; 3. Choupique Two-Step; 4.
All The Way To Galway / Winster Galop /
The Rakes Of Mallow; 5. Rakes Of Kildare / The Railway; 6. Blue Moon Of Kentucky; 7.
Thirty Pound Waltz; 8. Springfield Girl / Sourwood Mountain; 9. Viva Seguin;
10. Jambalaya;
11. Maxwell Smart;
12. Lament For The Death Of The Rev. Archie Beaton;
13. Eighth Of January / Elzic's Farewell;
14. Hindustan;
15 The Repeal Of The Licensing Laws
Out-takes from Barndancing
1. Riding Down the Canyon; 2. La Bastringue; 3. Seneca Square
Dance / Un, Deux, Trois; 4. Duncan Gray / Hop High Ladies; 5. Danse di Limonade
/ Bo' Weevil; 6. Roly Poly; 7. Lonesome Moonlight Waltz; 8. Lament For The Death Of The Rev. Archie Beaton
(alternate version)
There may also be a few other out-takes available.
Barndancing
CD £8
Cassette £4
Born In A Barn
CD £8
Vinyl LP in plain cardboard sleeve (only a few available) £2.50
The Sound Of The Ground
CD £8
One second-hand vinyl LP available (very good condition) at £4. No cassettes currently available - all sold out
It Was Good For My Old Mother
CD £8
Cassette (the version including
"I Like Chicken Pie" and "Chicken Reel Stomp"; only a few
available) £2.50
Vinyl LP in plain cardboard sleeve £1.50
I Like Chicken Pie
Not currently available, but copies turn up from time to time - let us know
if you'd like to be added to the waiting list!
Dig
Cassette (only one copy available) £5
Folk Pistols CD
Get Your Skates
On and Twist With Ken, both on one 57-minute CD: £8
Barndancing ones £8 (black, with
red & white design)
Accordion ones £8 (white, with black and red design)
Various designs 15p each (only a few available)
Send to Paul McDowell, 13 Marine Avenue, Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, SS9 2JD - phone (01702) 474255. For all orders please add 10% for postage and packing. Post free (within the UK) if the order is £15 or more. Make your cheques (drawn on a UK bank only, please) payable to Paul McDowell; allow 21 days for delivery. We also accept VISA credit cards or Paypal (please ring or e-mail to discuss prices for delivery outside the UK).
We accept Euro but in cash only please, at the standard published bank rate. There's no easy facility in the UK to pay in cheques made out in Euro without accepting extortionate bank charges. If you have to send cash, we recommend you send only banknotes and by recorded delivery.
| Pottery mugs and any other pottery items - Famous
Potatoes designs can be ordered! Designed and hand-made to order by Richard Baxter at Old Leigh Studios (01702 470490) - prices on application, and visit the Richard Baxter home page for full details of his work. |
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This page was last updated on 8 June 2010