Friends of the Stars
Lighting and Electrical
© 2007 Friends of the Stars (5024545474626)
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10 songs with nods to the 1970s UK Folk of Sandy Denny, the 1980s Australian sound of The Go Betweens and the rich history of US country from The Carter Family, Neil Young to The Jayhawks, Will Oldham and beyond.
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Friends of the Stars have never done things the easy way. Nor have they often gone the right way; at least, not before a couple of ambitious, ill-conceived or simply stubborn blind alleys have been ventured down first.
That’s why the appearance of “Lighting & Electrical”, their first commercially available album, is such a minor miracle.
Let’s start by admitting it has taken more than two years to release. The cool way of looking at this is they wrote, played, recorded, and produced the whole thing themselves... at home. They roped in expert technical expertise from kindly friends who gave of their time without charge... which kind of means you can’t tap your watch and look miffed at them all the time.
Basically, it’s homegrown. And you don’t rush ‘homegrown’.
The other way of looking at this - the less cool, “accurate” way of looking at this - is that Friends of the Stars can sometimes be guilty of being headstrong about things they later regret. Not tuning the guitars to a piano for the first two or three months of recording, rendering them utterly useless, is a good example of this.
In truth, both the cool and less cool ways of looking at “Lighting and Electrical” are true. All opposite things co-exist in the world of Friends of the Stars - right and wrong, a strong work-ethic mixed with sloth, acoustic and electric, English and Scottish, Anglo-Saxon and Celtic, country and folk, rock and the roll ... hell, even male and female.
The other thing FOTS comprises is a rare mix of songwriting savvy, vocal harmo-nies and honest musicianship. There’s nothing forced or flashy about FOTS - there never has been in their seven year history. There never was a need, when you can plug your guitar in, walk up to the microphone and start playing songs as good as “Old Souls” or “Been Down” or “Sharpening a Blade”.
But the album’s ten tracks tell that story better than any words on any page can. This is the first album the band have released but each song has been filtered through seven years of literally hundreds of songs, countless gigs, different line-ups, different priorities, different goals.
Just as a sideline - despite this wealth of material (little of which has been released until “Lighting & Electrical”) the band’s bloody-mindedness led to them playing four cover versions for their second John Peel Session in 2002. That’s “national radio” chaps, nati-o-nal ra-di-o!
The trio that comprises FOTS - Craig Hamilton, Anna Russell and Cam Docherty - share out the singing and songwriting duties. But, despite the different voices, there’s a unity of sound and a unity of purpose.
They hope you enjoy it.
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Commercially Inviable Since 2000 : The Edited Highlights
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2000…
Buick 6 are formed and begin to play some well received shows to the good people of Birmingham.
They record their debut single, “Genuine Parts”, at Magic Garden Studios in Wolverhampton. It is released on a green vinyl 7″ through their own Winnebago Records label and contains the songs “Drunk on My Porch” and “Southern Trail”.
2001…
A second single “Get Real / Our Little Girl” is recorded but Winnebago (somewhat inevitably) collapses before it can be released. The band donate “Get Real” to “The Songmakers Project”, a compilation CD in aid of the homeless charity Shelter.
John Peel begins playing the “Genuine Parts” single on the wireless and Buick 6 are invited to play a session for the show, recording 5 songs at the famous Maida Vale studios.
The band also record a mini-album, “Me vs The Tiny Nail”, but do not release it.
2002…
After the Peel session is aired on Radio 1, the band receive a ‘cease-and-desist’ order from Irish blues band Buick 6 and are forced to change their name, becoming The Toques.
The Toques sign a 5-year management deal with Sanctuary and are paraded in front of The Major Record Labels of London.
Creation Records / Poptones producer Joe Foster is drafted in by Sanctuary to work with the band. The Toques record some songs in London whilst S Club 7 mime overdubs in an adjacent studio. The irony escapes no-one.
The band are invited back to record a second session for the John Peel show. Members of Grand Drive, Willard Grant Conspiracy and [X] isgreaterthan [Y] are drafted in as the band swell to a 9-piece for the occasion.
2003…
“Too Tired To Worry” and “Journeys End”, recorded in the sessions with Joe Foster, are released on a 7″ single by Bearos Records. The band end up owing the label £74.
As the band record backing vocals for Carina Round’s LP, “The Disconnection”, The Major Record Labels of London decide that what the world actually needs is The Thrills.
Sanctuary and The Toques decide they don’t want to play with each other anymore.
2004 / 2005
Realising that no-one can spell or pronounce The Toques correctly, the band change their name to “Friends of the Stars” and play shows with Herman Dune, Kimya Dawson and Mr David Viner.
Friends of the Stars record an album, “The Gun Quarter Tapes”, at their own studio in Birmingham. They do not release it. Instead, they go on holiday to Wales…
Upon their return they abandon their damp city centre lock-up, move to a home studio set-up and begin laying the groundwork for the “Lighting & Electrical” album.
2006…
Friends of the Stars finish recordings for “Lighting and Electrical”. Songs from the album are sent off to be remixed by a small selection of knob-twiddlers.
Beth McGowan begins mixing the “Lighting and Electical” tapes and just before the end of the year the album is sent to Dave Bloor to be mastered. Meanwhile, in a Los Angeles suburb, Olivia Mole completes the artwork…
2007…
The trouble and disappointment looks set to continue as the band plot the release of their 2nd and debut full-length album.
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