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With a Little Help From Their Friends: Esoteric Reissues "McGough and McGear" In Mono and Stereo

March 24, 2016 By Joe Marchese Leave a Comment

McGough and McGearThe original 1968 LP issue of McGough and McGear reprinted a handwritten list of "People on a Train." These famous people included Jimi Hendrix, Spencer Davis, Gary Leeds of the Walker Brothers, Dave Mason, John Mayall, Graham Nash, Paul Samwell-Smith, Jane Asher and a certain Paul McCartney.   The train, in fact, was the studio where Roger McGough and Mike McGear - real name, Mike McCartney - recorded their only album as a duo.  The unconventional yet accessible art-rock classic, produced in part by the future Sir Paul and featuring all of those above-named talents, has recently been reissued as a 2-CD mono/stereo edition from Esoteric Recordings.

McGough and McGear rose to fame as two-thirds of The Scaffold.  The Liverpool trio began as a comedy-poetry act featuring Post Office employee and actor John Gorman, English teacher and poet McGough, and apprentice hairdresser and musician McGear.  Exposure on the late-night television program Gazette catapulted The Scaffold to the professional realm; it wasn't long before the trio began adding songs into their stage act.  No less an eminence than George Martin oversaw their signing to Parlophone Records, and their third single - "Thank U Very Much," written as an onstage finale for the group to express gratitude to its audience - became a surprise No. 4 hit on the U.K. singles chart.

Though The Scaffold was still an ongoing concern, McGough and McGear began work on a joint LP as a side project.  In Mark Powell's comprehensive liner notes to Esoteric's reissue, McGear recalls, "I talked with our kid [older brother Paul] and said, 'Look, we've got these poems, I've got songs, and wouldn't it be interesting to try them out?'"  Paul arranged for McGough and McGear to begin work at publisher Dick James' studio; sessions would later expand to De Lane Lea Studios and perhaps even Abbey Road, depending on the recollection.  The sessions started in a frenzy of Beatlemania when, on the first day of recording, Paul confessed to the media that he had used LSD.  (Powell has the whole entertaining story!) Soon, though, things quieted down, and the McCartneys and McGough got to work on an eccentric, whimsical and very quirky album blending poetry, music and spoken-word.  McGear recalled Paul producing some sessions; Paul Samwell-Smith taking charge of others; and everybody generally pitching in.  Hence, production on McGough and McGear was credited to "All of Us."

Jimi Hendrix is heard on two tracks recorded at De Lane Lea Studios, most notably the uptempo opening "So Much."  Hendrix brought his instantly-recognizable, scorching guitar tone to add a heavy note to the radio-friendly pop song which also features Paul on harmonies.  Hendrix bookends the album using his wah-wah guitar on the psychedelic closing track, "Ex-Art Student."  The 6+-minute freeform opus also has Mike, Paul and Graham Nash on vocals, and Dave Mason on sitar.  "Do You Remember," with Paul on piano and harmony, was later re-recorded by The Scaffold; the elder McCartney also plays on "Mr. Tickle," though his participation on the latter track was a happy accident.  It seems he was improvising on the instrument in the room next door when the microphones captured him anyway!  Paul also produced the poem "Summer with Monika," the title of which would lend itself to a book of McGough's poetry in 1968.

Esoteric's reissue brings together the mono and stereo mixes of the LP, one on each disc.  (The stereo mix was last reissued on CD in the U.S. by Real Gone Music in 2012.)  Paschal Byrne has remastered from the original master tapes housed in the Parlophone vaults, and this slipcased edition boasts a 20-page booklet with copious illustrations, liner notes and memorabilia images.  The offbeat delights of McGough and McGear can be ordered at the links below!

Roger McGough and Mike McGear, McGough and McGear (Parlophone PMC/PCS 7047, 1968 - reissued Esoteric Recordings WECLEC 22524, 2016) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

CD 1 (Stereo) / CD 2 (Mono)

  1. So Much
  2. Little Bit of Heaven
  3. Basement Flat
  4. From: "Frinck, A Life in the Day of" and "Summer with Monika" - Prologue - Introducing (a) Moanin' (b) Anji
  5. From "Frinck, A Life in the Day of" and "Summer with Monika" - Epilogue
  6. Come Close and Sleep Now
  7. Yellow Book
  8. House in My Head
  9. Tickle
  10. Living Room
  11. Do You Remember
  12. Please Don't Run Too Fast
  13. Ex-Art Student

Categories: News Formats: CD Genre: Classic Rock, Pop Tags: McGough and McGear, Mike McCartney, Paul McCartney, Roger McGough, The Scaffold

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Joe Marchese

JOE MARCHESE (Editor) joined The Second Disc shortly after its launch in early 2010, and has since penned daily news and reviews about classic music of all genres. In 2015, Joe formed the Second Disc Records label. Celebrating the great songwriters, producers and artists who created the sound of American popular song, Second Disc Records, in conjunction with Real Gone Music, has released newly-curated collections produced by Joe from iconic artists such as Johnny Mathis, Bobby Darin, Laura Nyro, Melissa Manchester, Chet Atkins, and many others. He has contributed liner notes to reissues from a diverse array of artists, among them Nat "King" Cole, Paul Williams, Lesley Gore, Dusty Springfield, B.J. Thomas, The 5th Dimension, Burt Bacharach, The Mamas and the Papas, Carpenters, Perry Como, Rod McKuen, Doris Day, Jackie DeShannon, and Andy Williams, and has compiled releases for talents including Robert Goulet and Keith Allison of Paul Revere and the Raiders. Over the past two decades, Joe has also worked in a variety of capacities on and off Broadway as well as at some of the premier theatres in the U.S., including Lincoln Center Theater, George Street Playhouse, Paper Mill Playhouse, Long Wharf Theatre, and the York Theatre Company. He has felt privileged to work on productions alongside artists such as the late Jack Klugman, Eli Wallach, Arthur Laurents, Betty Comden and Adolph Green. In 2009, Joe began contributing theatre and music reviews to the print publication The Sondheim Review, and in 2012, he joined the staff of The Digital Bits as a regular contributor writing about film and television on DVD and Blu-ray. Joe currently resides in the suburbs of New York City.

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