Band members:
David Birch: guitar
Rod Johnson: drums
Matthew Seligman: bass
Bruce Woolley: vocals
Tom (Thomas) Dolby: keyboards
Produced by Mick Hurst
Engineered by Richard Goldblatt
Assistant engineer: Nick T. Froom
Tracks:
1. "English Garden" [Woolley]
2. "Video Killed the Radio Star" [Woolley/Horn/Downes]
3. "Dancing with the Sporting Boys" [Woolley]
4. "Johnny" [Woolley/Horn]
5. "No Surrender" [Woolley]
6. "Flying Man" [Woolley]
7. "You Got Class" [Woolley/Gent]
8. "W.W.9. Instrumental" [Woolley]
9. "Clean/Clean" [Woolley/Horn/Downes]
10. "Get Away William" [Woolley/Birch]
11. "Goodbye to Yesterday" [Woolley]
12. "Goodbye to Yesterday - Reprise" [Woolley]
13. "You're the Circus (I'm the Clown)" [Woolley/Adcock]
Notes: (***) Bruce Woolley was the 'third Buggle', but left before
the
band's first album, The Age of Plastic,
was recorded to form his own outfit. Horn, Woolley and Downes were
the backing band for Tina Charles. Horn, Downes and Woolley formed
a group, but Woolley soon split. Horn and Woolley were still
friends and writing together, and they wrote "Video Killed the
Radio Star". Charles financed a demo of "Video Killed the Radio
Star" and a couple of other songs with her, Horn, Woolley and
Downes performing. Woolley described this in a Apr 2020 podcast, The
Hustle, saying he was, thus, never actually in The Buggles,
but saying that his then girlfriend (subsequently wife) was the
one who came up with the name.
Horn and Downes do not appear on this album, but the two songs written by them and Woolley were recorded both by The Buggles on The Age of Plastic and here. Horn (spelt 'Horne' in the liner notes) also co-wrote (4), which does not appear anywhere elsewhere.
The album is reminiscent of The Age of Plastic but with
less
of an electronic sound. The alternate versions of "Video Killed
the Radio
Star" and "Clean/Clean" are interesting, but I prefer the takes on
The
Age of Plastic.
The band toured in the US, but only released this album. They
recorded a second album, but Woolley had found it difficult to
write while on tour and felt they didn't have as good material.
The record label (CBS, later taken over by Sony) felt there wasn't
a single on the new album and chose not to release it, but were
reluctant to finance the recording of new material, leaving the
band in limbo. Woolley focused instead of writing songs for other
acts. In the Apr 2020 podcast, Woolley said he'd like to release
the material.
Woolley and Horn remained friends up to this day. (HP, 26 Sep 01; updated 7 Jun 2020)