This was the first 'best of' style LP produced after Adge Cutler's death. Released in 1977 as a 12" stereo vinyl LP this 18 track album was issued on the EMI record label (catalogue number EMC3191). It was released simultaneously as a cassette tape.
A short list of some of the band members over the years are mentioned in the sleeve notes, but due to the album's coverage - spanning all of Adge's career - most members who had played with him are represented on the recording somewhere!
It was no coincidence that EMI released this album at a time when Adge's Wurzels were riding high in the charts and enjoying publicity on television and radio around the world. Having said that it was not a hastily 'cobbled together' affair - there was a good selection of the best of Adge's output carefully put together to give the appearance of a seamless performance and released on the mainstream EMI record label. Produced as usual by Bob Barratt with recording engineers Peter Brown and Geoff Emerick (a well known EMI recording engineer who had been involved with Adge on his early albums - even once standing up 'The Beatles' at a session in Abbey Road to be with Adge at the Royal Oak in Nailsea). The cutting engineer was Harry Moss - not credited on the sleeve but left his name on the run-off on side 1. All tracks that originally been recorded in mono were 'electronically reprocessed' to give a stereo effect.Side 1: Easton -in-Gordano A straight lift from the LP 'Adge Cutler's Family Album' side 1 track 1 Poor, Poor Farmer A straight lift from the 1971 single - Columbia DB8793 Twice Daily A straight lift from the LP 'Adge Cutler & The Wurzels' side 1 track 1 The Wurple-Diddle-I-Doo Song A straight lift from the 'Cutler Of The West' LP side 2 track 7 Don't Tell I, Tell 'Ee A straight lift from the 1968 single - Columbia DB8399 Saturday Night At The Crown A straight lift from the LP 'Carry On Cutler' side 2 track 3 Riley's Cowshed A straight lift from the LP 'Carry On Cutler' side 2 track 4 Ferry To Glastonbury A straight lift from the LP 'Carry On Cutler' side 2 track 5 Up The Clump A straight lift from the 'Cutler Of The West' LP side 1 track 7Side 2 Thee's Got'n Where Thee Cassn't Back'n Hassn't? A straight lift from the 'Cutler Of The West' LP side 1 track 5 Moonlight On The Malago A straight lift from the LP 'Adge Cutler's Family Album' side 2 track 1 The Shepton Mallet Matador A straight lift from the LP 'Adge Cutler's Family Album' side 2 track 6 When The Common Market Comes To Stanton Drew A straight lift from the LP 'Adge Cutler & The Wurzels' side 1 track 3 The Champion Dung Spreader A straight lift from the LP 'Adge Cutler & The Wurzels' side 1 track 5 Aloha Severn Beach A straight lift from the LP 'Carry On Cutler' side 1 track 5 All Over Mendip A straight lift from the LP 'Carry On Cutler' side 1 track 2 I Wish I Was Back On The Farm A straight lift from the 1967 single - Columbia DB8222 Drink Up Thy Zider A straight lift from the LP 'Carry On Cutler' side 2 track 7
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 Ref. 1Stereo pressing of EMC3191, matrix YAX5317-1 AND YAX5318-1. This example is a first mother (no second mothers have yet been found) and is a later pressing with O and P stamper codes This pressing's vinyl weight at 127g on the light side but about average for EMI records of the period. This disc is in a wrap-around sleeve, laminated front and back with a type J company inner sleeve.
This album comes in the standard wrap-around sleeve, laminated front and back. Spine text reads THE VERY BEST OF ADGE CUTLER EMC 3191 The sleeve notes were written by Martin Ross and Bob Barratt - giving a good readable summary of Adge's career. The sleeve typesetting date is given as August 1977 (code 7708). Beneath the catalogue number EMC 3191 appears another code number OC 062-06 456: Between 1969 and 1982 EMI had an international coding system which they hoped would get adopted industry wide, and they used it worldwide for their own releases. In fact, the numbers used formed the basis of the 7-digit numbers adopted in 1983 and inserted into EAN/UPC barcode-based cataloguing, used to this day.
This album is not only a compilation of music but also of the between-track chat. The transcript below indicates the original locations of both the musical tracks and the between-track chat. The chat on this 'Very Best Of...' album is in red, the text in black (not actually used in this album) shows how it sat within the original albums.
This is a unique collectors item - two 12" single-sided white label records and a test-print of the album sleeve. A fascinating insight into one of the production stages of a vinyl record.The album sleeve appears to be a test-print and is unlaminated, with no internal flaps to allow the folding and gluing.
The two records (single sided, one side of each having blank grooves) are each housed in a company inner sleeve
The inner sleeves housing the records have been date-stamped and signed after checking, a note being made of the matrix numbers.
The two test-records have the standard white label affixed for such items - but someone saw fit to annotate them to show what each contained! Each disc has the appropriate matrix reference of YAX5317-1 or YAX5318-1 on the playable side. Both are first mother and stamper code G as is to be expected. They each weigh in at a decent 132g.