This was the first 7" 45 rpm vinyl single by Adge Cutler & The Wurzels and was released on 2nd December 1966. It was issued on the Columbia EMI record label in mono, catalogue number DB8081.
At the time of both the recording and release of this single the Wurzels supporting Adge were Reg Quantrill, Reg Chant, John Macey and Brian Walker.
Both of the tracks were laid down at the very first commercial recording session made by Adge Cutler & The Wurzels - recorded in front of an audience in the upstairs room of the Royal Oak pub, Nailsea, on the 2nd November 1966. The recording session was intended to produce Adge's debut LP 'Adge Cutler & The Wurzels' and EMI were probably testing the water with this first single (and the follow-up EP) before going to the expense of putting the album into production. The band had managed to secure a recording contract with EMI in the autumn of 1966 when their manager, John Miles, persuaded Bob Barratt of EMI to give them a trial at the EMI studios in London. Such was the impression made that not only did a record contract ensue but the ambitious and risky decision was made to bring the entire recording team down to Somerset to make a 'live' recording in a 'real' Somerset pub. The recording session, widely reported in the local press and on local TV news, was a wild and noisy night of entertainment with plenty of cider flowing, but a significant number of tracks were laid down, most in a single take. Adge's brother, the late Dave Cutler, remembered that the only track that took several takes was 'Twice Daily' for reasons he couldn't remember! Released on 2nd December 1966 this single soon entered the national singles charts, reaching the number 45 position - not bad for a debut single produced by a regional band! Both tracks, composed by Adge himself some years earlier, still remain on the band's playlist to this day - a real tribute to Adge's song writing skills. "Drink Up Thy Cider' was, and still is, considered the unofficial national anthem for Somerset, whilst "Twice Daily" achieved infamy as being the only Wurzel song to be banned by the BBC for its apparently promiscuous message.
'Drink Up Thy Zider' was one of the first songs that Adge wrote back in the early 1950s. He first recorded it in 1958 at the Record Centre, Denmark Street in Bristol ably assisted by several friends including Acker Bilk and his clarinet. This recording now exists only as a 7" acetate in Adge's archives. 'Twice Daily' is a little ditty written in the early 1960s and is another of the songs Adge used to sing at his solo gigs before the Wurzels were formed. The child 'Buster Bailey' in the song is said to have been named after Adge's pet dog - although it's also rumoured Adge named his dog 'Buster' after the child!
This single was released on the standard Columbia EMI label and appears to have had only one pressing, sales were relatively low. Produced in mono only.The examples below and the associated statistics are taken from the collection of Professor Wurzel and represent what a collector should expect to find. For more information on references to matrix information (including information on acetates), vinyl tax codes , album sleeves, singles sleeves, and Columbia album labels, then refer to the Vinyl Collecting Guides on the main menu.
Image 1: 1966 first pressing of DB8081 with the 7XCA 27839-1 and 7XCA 27840-1 matrix, pressed with a first master, first mother and 'G' stampers for both sides. This example has a solid centre, with the embossed tax code 'KT' (indicating a pre-November 23rd 1968 pressing) and on both sides the standard 'sold in UK...' message across the centre of the label (indicating a pre-June 1969 pressing). The tax code 'KT' is also found on the run-off on both sides of the record.
Image 2: Late 1968 pressing of DB8081 with the 7XCA 27839-1 and 7XCA 27840-2 matrix, pressed with a first master, first mother on side A and second mother on side B and 'L' and 'RL' stampers on sides A and B respectively. This example has a 4-pronged centre with the (rare) embossed tax code 'KJT' (indicating a November / December 1968 pressing). Both sides have the standard 'sold in UK...' message across the centre of the label (usually indicating a pre-June 1969 pressing but in this case the factory must have been using up old label stocks). The tax code 'KT' is also found on the run-off on both sides of the record. Also on this example the 'and' as in 'Adge Cutler and the Wurzels' has a small 'a' instead of a capital 'A'.
Image 3: Late 1968/early 1969 pressing of DB8081 with the 7XCA 27839-1 and 7XCA 27840-2 matrix, pressed with a first master, first mother on the A side and second mother on the B and 'RH' and 'RD' stampers on sides A and B respectively. This example has a solid centre, no embossed tax code 'KT' (indicating a post-January 1st 1969 pressing) but on both sides has the standard 'sold in UK...' message across the centre of the label (usually indicting a pre-June 1969 pressing but in this case must have been using up old label stocks). The tax code 'KT' is also found on the run-off on both sides of the record. Also on this example the 'and' as in 'Adge Cutler and the Wurzels' has a small 'a' instead of a capital 'A' on both sides, and the song publication credits on the 'B' side are out of line.
Image 4: 1969-1973 pressing of DB8081 with the 7XCA 27839-1 and 7XCA 27840-2 matrix, pressed with a first master, second mother on both sides and 'GH' and 'GL' stampers on sides A and B respectively. This example has a four-pronged centre, no embossed tax code 'KT' (indicating a post-January 1st 1969 pressing) but on both sides has the standard 'sold in UK...' message across the centre of the label (usually indicting a pre-June 1969 pressing but in this case the factory must have been using up old label stocks). The tax code 'KT' is also found on the run-off on both sides of the record. Also on this example the 'and' as in 'Adge Cutler and the Wurzels' has a capital 'A' on both sides, and the song publication credits on the B side are in vertical alignment.
Image 5: 1969-1973 pressing of DB8081 with the 7XCA 27839-1 and 7XCA 27840-1 matrix, pressed with a first master, third mother on side A and fourth mother on side B. The stampers are codes 'AR' and 'HD' for sides A and B respectively. This example has a solid centre, no embossed tax code 'KT' (indicating a post-January 1st 1969 pressing) on the B side and no 'sold in UK...' message across the centre of the label (indicating a post-June 1969 pressing) . The tax code 'KT' is on the run-off on both sides. Also on this example the 'and' as in 'Adge Cutler and the Wurzels' has a small 'a' instead of a capital 'A' on both sides, and the song publication credits on the B side are out of vertical alignment.
Image 6: 1966 first demonstration pressing of DB8081 with the 7XCA 27839-1 and 7XCA 27840-1 matrix, pressed with a first master, first mother and 'G' stampers for both sides. Demonstration (or promotional) copies were produced for radio stations etc. This demo record, with a large red 'A' to show the primary track, has the British release date of 2nd December 1966 printed on both sides (2.12.66) and the A side timing of 3 minutes 10 seconds. This example has a four-pronged centre (no example yet found as a solid centre.) There is no embossed tax code on the disc although the code 'KT' does appear on each side of the disc on the vinyl run-out. The standard 'sold in UK...' message is not present as this record was not for commercial sale, as printed on the label. The publication credits for the A side are only given as 'Lad Music' on this demo record - all other versions credit 'Mecolico Biem/NCB'.
Firstly - A very rare 7" 45rpm metal acetate for Adge's first single - single sided, with a white EmiDisc label, hand-written title etc. Brown card sleeve with handwritten library references and dated '2 Feb 67'. For more information on metal acetates and their role in the process of producing a vinyl record read guide from the main menu 'Record Collecting Guide'.
And secondly - here is a copy of the sheet music produced for sale in record shops when the "Drink Up Thy Zider' " single was released. It is a relatively common item but an interesting find for collectors.