- Format: CD
- Label: Ace
- Genre: Jazz
In 1986 cult garage favourites the Prisoners split up after making four great albums but achieving no breakthrough. They left a massive cult following and a bunch of bills. Their organist James Taylor went to Sweden, studied jazz piano and on holiday back in the UK used up some studio time to record a punked-up version of Herbie Hancocks Blow Up which he left with his manager when he returned to Scandinavia. A couple of months later he got a call telling him to get back to the UK as his record was being championed by John Peel and was rapidly climbing the indie charts. This CD is the story of the hectic first year of the JTQ.
It contains both sides of that number one indie record and, for the first time in 20 years, gathers together all of the bands 1987 Re-Elect The President sessions that were to be the live birth of the acid jazz movement. Those sessions resulted in a mini-album that complemented the debut single, made up of hip movie themes and a debut album written by James Taylor with his brother David.
The band consists of one half of the Prisoners (Taylor and Allan Crockford), and half of the Daggermen (James brother David and drummer and future Stuckist Simon Howard). The music is a new breed jazz sound that mixes 60s mod and garage influences with a love of jazz. It was the starting point for an extraordinarily successful career that still sees James Taylor packing them in after 20 years.
The booklet contains in-depth notes based upon interviews with Taylor, Crockford and Taylors manager Eddie Piller. It includes all of the original artwork and photos of the first incarnation of one of the UKs most consistently popular live bands of the past two decades.
Track listing:
BLOW UP
ONE MINT JULIP
BE MY GIRL
MISSION:IMPOSSIBLE
GOLDFIINGER
THE CAT
MRS. ROBINSON
ALFIE
THE STOOGE
THE MONEY SPYDER
ONE WAY STREET
CAR CHASE
THE SPIRAL STAIRCASE
MR COOLS DREAM
UNTITLED NO. 1
A REAL MEAN TIME
THE ONION CLUB
THE STROLL
"LOS CUEVOS PABLO"
MIDNIGHT STOMP (THE NEW RHUMBA)
BUZY BEE
IN THE PARK
UNTITLED #2
