Music
Graham has just released his first solo recording in more than 30 years. ‘Weird Town’ is a collection of songs written over the last 10 years, and is now available to purchase on this website. Just click the shop link above.
The following represent Graham’s complete musical output on vinyl and CD, excluding works recorded as Jilted John, John Shuttleworth and Brian Appleton. For info concerning those visit shuttleworths.co.uk and jiltedjohn.co.uk
WEIRD TOWN
32 years after the release of Love at the Hacienda, Graham Fellows decided it was time to record a follow-up. Weird Town is the result. It is a natural successor to Love at the Hacienda - indeed the first track references that very nightclub - but the songs are sadder and more world weary (why wouldn't they be?). The album moves away from indiepop, and instead touches the realms of musical theatre and folk. The double-tracked jangly guitars and synth washes of Hacienda are gone, and are replaced by upfront acoustic guitars and wheezy harmonium parts. The lush close harmonies of Hacienda rarely appear on Weird Town, with Fellows preferring to deliver a single 'dry' vocal.
Already played extensively by Gideon Coe and others on 6 Music, Weird Town has received serious praise from listeners. Go to the shop to hear it for yourself.
LOVE AT THE HACIENDA
1985 album released on Wicked Frog records. After experimenting wildly on previous releases, Graham wrote a clutch of personal, thoughtful songs more rooted in his own experience. The album never charted (again due to poor distribution) but 'Seven Pints and a Suicide' was performed on a Kids ITV show, and the album led Chappell Music to offer Graham a 3 year publishing contract. Released initially on vinyl only, it was reissued on Chic Ken in 2005 with 4 extra tracks.
After being out of print and unavailable for some time, Love at the Hacienda is once again available to buy. Please go to the shop for more information.
THROUGH THE LINE / SLEEPING BEAUTY
1983 single released on Toadstool Records. This power ballad complete with spoof Scott Walker delivery is from the viewpoint of a soldier who suspects his wife has been having an affair while he's been away serving his country. It was a serious attempt to explore the issues of male aggression and domestic violence. Despite being made 'Single of the Week' by Janice Long on Radio 1, it had no distribution and failed to chart.
SOME BOYS / I TUNE KEVIN'S STRINGS
1980 single released (initially on Razz Records, later on MCA) with backing provided by Chris Sievey's band The Freshies. Some Boys is a tongue in cheek look at closet homosexuality, though its key line "He gave me a bar of soap and showed me how to use it" would perhaps fit better in a lyric about lesbianism? From memory, the single (as a result of advance orders) briefly entered the UK charts at number 151!
MEN OF OATS AND CREOSOTE / REBECCA
1979 single released on EMI. Chosen for its quirkiness and therefore Christmas single potential, but apart from a few plays on local radio it failed to chart. Important historically in that it is a clear template for the character of John Shuttleworth. The song indulges Graham's childhood passion for mouse breeding and exhibiting, and only the choruses are actually sung - the verses are spoken in the gruff voice of an elderly Northern man. The 'oats' in the title refer to the staple diet of the fancy mouse, and 'creosote' is the dubious preservative commonly used (in the 1970's, anyway) to disinfect and preserve the wooden boxes in which mice were housed.