Album: English Garden
Artist: Bruce Woolley and The Camera Club
1979 Sony Music Entertainment (UK) Ltd. [LP]
Rewind (Sony Music) [CD]
CD: 494978 2

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)


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