Terrace Retro

		NOT SO OLD!!!! Actually, 1990. Imagine the utter surprise as popular Saturday morning music feature *The Chart Show* played the video for new Farm release, and former *Monkees* hit, **Stepping Stone. Why Surprise? Well, apart from ORS, a reasonable documentary by Miles Copeland (brother of Stewart, The Police) on Liverpool bands (My England, I think) and Kevin Sampson's indie flick The Final Frame, the band had seldom appeared on screen. This was awesome stuff.**
The band in various mood, Pete's obviously got a new WSAG anti-racist/footy violence sweatshirt and just what is Keith Mullin doin'?

The band were lucky to have had a full half page dedicated to them in any article in the music press to this particular date. Suddenly it sank-in, they were going places and good luck to 'em. Ben Leach was new soundman as keyboard player. Kevin Sampson and Suggs were soon the management team behind the band. Terry Farley was mixing their sound and the band were steadily gaining new ground in terms of popularity. Produce records was set up. The band played at the grand opening of The Palace, located in Slater Street and facing Wade Smith's original shop. The Palace was a typical shopping arcade of the Indie/Dance era (i.e Manchester's Afflecks Palace) and was well placed in the new cultural centre of younger Liverpool, the former warehouse laden Bold Street area. The band was a regular fixture in the area, as their base was Produce at Holmes Building in nearby Wood Street.

		Soon *Groovy Train* followed and proved more, much more, popular than their previous release. It was to peak at no.6 in the national singles chart. The band had featured on **Ibiza - A Short Film About Chilling, shown on Channel 4, and their fan base spread rapidly. They were now BIG news. Old fan favourite No Mans Land was re-worked as All Together Now, the tune was to be brilliantly fused with Pachabel's Canon. Steve Grimes, what genius! It was a top spot contender, sadly up against pop heavyweight Cliff. The Xmas hit rounded off a memorable year for the band. No other single release from the band was to equal the success of the two aforementioned tracks, all the same each one was of true Farm quality. Don't Let Me Down was a slower number and maybe this break in momentum sealed its fate. Groovy Train had been a much heavier fast paced sunburst dance tune.**
The band with six cast members of an early Nickelodeon kids tv show.

		There was the legendary gigs. The Town & Country and Royal Court classics. Pete Wylie and B.A.D's Mick Jones were two heads often seen with the band. Jones was a hero to Hooton, and to many others, as former *Clash* guitar player. The band had Wylie provide backing vocal on *All Together Now* and thus allowed him to re-invent himself. Soon, there was a collaboration for a new version of his excellent 80's number *Sinful. Mind* and *Love See No Colour* were to be new single releases from the band. Despite doing less, in the usual commercial sense, these two tracks were excellent and gave hard hitting lyrics reminiscent of old style Farm contributions. *Love See No Colour* was their next album offering.
Comrades in Farm's, Chevignon jean'd philanthropists.

Rising Sun was a re-working of East & West. East & West was a late 80's Farm track, 'still remember the T-Shirts for the tour of the said name. It had excellent samples by way of documentary comment on the track and an excellent dance beat too. Creepers was another track that deserved a lot more attention, it was very Dark Farm.

The band were also popular in the US and they had signed with Sire in 1991, Madonna's label. Problems regarding the direction in which the band was heading began a wilderness for The Farm. Divisions on musical direction split the camp into factions. Suggs baled and the band ditched Produce and signed to Sony, the Ł1,000,000 venture. The 1994 album Hullabaloo had some excellent tracks. Messiah was released and despite the great attention given to it and crowds turning up at gigs stateside, the album and single were not great commercial successes. Sire were promoting some of their other acts and interest in the band wasn't a priority. Was Pete Hooton's 1970's Gerry Conlon hairdo to blame? They were also one of the bands that played The Last Night Of The Kop. An emotional occasion for Pete and Roy, both red hot LFC fans. The event marked the end of The Kop as a terrace, a result of Hillsborough and the conclusions drew afterwards.

The band eventually split and the late 1990's presented that all too familiar post-band great The Best Of album. Pete Hooton and Keith Mullin formed Hunkpapa and Carl Hunter and Steve Grimes Briter. Roy Boulter provided Wylie's Wah! with percussion. Today many muso journalists dismiss the band and refer to them as bargain bin material. Many of these same individuals had once embraced the band. It was typical fickle practice that these middle class journos put up with the unwashed antics from the lower classes, while members of their own social class in other bands struggled for media attention. They would have loved to have referred to the whole thing as kitsch and championed The Stone Roses, as they had done with The Rolling Stones. Wah's Story Of The Blues comes to mind. Even though the 90's were a great time, the memory of turning up to a Farm gig with the band playing in a corner of an alehouse will never be forgotten. Long live the memory.


The funny Farm.		Cool as ever in later days.