Wurzel
Fudge - The Songs That Adge turned Down!
[also
see The Lost Wurzels Songs]
Wurzels
fans may be interested to know of two songs which were written
especially for Adge Cutler and The Wurzels but which
they never recorded.
According to music historian and singer/songwriter Ian
Whitcomb, these two songs were written by a duo with the
unlikely sounding names of Sturminster Newton and Melbury
Bubb (which are two places in Dorset). The songs Wurzel
Fudge - The Village Idiot and Wurzel Fudge
In London Town were offered to Adge, but apparently
the band and their record producer Bob Barratt considered
the words to be potentially offensive to West Country folk,
so they turned the songs down.
In
Ian's book Treasures of Tin Pan Alley, Ian
reveals the true identity of Newton & Bubb - himself!
Ian has confirmed that as far as he can recall, the song Wurzel
Fudge - The Village Idiot was rejected by both Adge's
producer at EMI Bob Barratt and by comedian Benny
Hill for similar reasons, i.e. they were worried
about causing offence to country folk. It therefore seems
unlikely that either of these songs were ever recorded by
Adge. The follow-up song Wurzel Fudge in London
Town was used in a 1976 BBC documentary made by Ian
entitled LA - My Home Town.
Ian
Whitcomb later recorded the songs on his album Red
Hot Blue Heaven, which is how we found out about
them. Incidentally, Ian wrote the song Down On The
Farm which was recorded by Adge Cutler & The
Wurzels and released on their fourth album Carry On
Cutler! in 1969. Ian also released a version of Down
On The Farm in 1970, and US readers may like to know
that yes, he's the same Ian Whitcomb who had a big US hit
with You Turn Me On in 1965 (the record unfortunately
sank without trace in the UK).
See
Ian Whitcomb's
website for further information and an audio clip
of Wurzel Fudge - The Village Idiot.
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