Wurzelmania!
News Archive 2007
This
is the archive of news items from the Wurzelmania! website for the
year 2007.
Drink
Up Thy Cider - The Wurzels Are Coming To Tesco! (4th December 2007)
Shoppers at
Tesco Extra in Huish, Yeovil, were treated to some West Country
fun when The Wurzels’ Tommy Banner and Pete Budd visited the
store to promote their special commemorative cider produced for
them by Thatchers, “Wurzel Me Cider”, which has just
been listed by Tesco.
Wurzel
Me Cider is The Wurzels’ first official cider, celebrating
the band’s 30 years in show business. Thatchers is producing
the cider for them with 5p from every bottle being donated to the
BUI Prostrate Cancer Care Appeal, a cause chosen by the band’s
accordion and keyboard player, Tommy Banner, following his treatment
for cancer last year. The
BUI Prostrate Cancer Care Appeal also made a collection at Tesco
during the day.
Simon Peck,
store manager at Tesco, said, “It was great to welcome Pete
and Tommy to our store. They are West Country legends and their
sense of fun went down a treat with our customers.”
Jo Wren, Regional
Marketing Manager for Local within the West Country commented, “At
Tesco we are championing regional produce and this great combination
of Thatchers Cider and The Wurzels is fine example of West Country
heritage. We have seen sales of cider continue to rise throughout
the year, and we’re sure this is a product that our customers
will love.”
Thatchers managing
director Martin Thatcher said, “The Wurzels are passionate
about the West Country and about cider – just like we are
at Thatchers. It’s great that they chose us to produce their
first official cider. We’re really excited about the product,
and hope that customers at Tesco will join us in supporting the
Wurzels and their chosen charity.”
“Wurzel
Me Cider”, described by Thatchers as a fruity and crisp cider
straight from the heart of Somerset, has been produced with freshly
pressed apples, many grown in the firm’s own local orchards.
For
further information, please contact: Penny Adair, PR Manager Thatchers
Cider. Tel: 0117 9040173; Web: thatcherscider.co.uk.
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 Tommy
Celebrates 40 Years As A Wurzel (5th November 2007)
On
5th November 2007, Tommy Banner will be celebrating forty years
since he moved down from Scotland to join Adge Cutler & The
Wurzels!
SINGING
about combine harvesters and cider drinking for the past 40 years
seems to have convinced the front man of legendary Somerset band
The Wurzels to stay in the West Country for good...
Read
the rest of Laura Thorpe's article '40
years of Wurzelling' on the Somerset County Gazette website.
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 A
long-lost Wurzels single? (30th October 2007)
A
lost Wurzels single has been discovered by a Wurzels memorabilia
collector!
The
Wurzels Are Scrumptious album was the first album
produced by The Wurzels following Adge Cutler's untimely death in
1974. The ‘live’ sequences were recorded in a north
Devon holiday camp, the remainder in the EMI Studios. One
of the tracks, I'm
The Captain Of The Dredger, has recently been
discovered on a 45rpm single acetate by a keen Wurzels memorabilia
collector.
It
is dated May 21 1975, a few weeks before the release of the album
from which it was taken. It was lifted straight from the album with
just the introduction removed - the playout and applause is identical
to the album track.
Handwritten
details on the disc label:
- 21
May 1975
- EMI
studios, Abbey Road, London
- 45rpm
acetate, stereo, 3mins 20sec duration
- Artist:
The Wurzels
- Title:
"I'm The Captain Of The Dredger"
So
far as we can tell this acetate is the only existing copy of this
single. Why was it abandoned? What was the planned B-side? Why were
no singles ever issued from this album? Can anyone out there help?
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Wurzelgate:
Shamed Ant and Dec TV show 'duped viewers by allowing fake fan to
meet with band' (Daily Mail: 21st October 2007)
The
Wurzels were at the centre of a new controversy last night over
claims that they interviewed a "fake" guest for Ant and
Dec's shamed Saturday Night Takeaway show.
ITV
has begun an investigation after allegations that viewers were duped
when the Geordie presenters interviewed a stand-in instead of the
real guest. Viewers
saw Ant
and Dec "surprise" a member of the audience for
their show's "Jim Didn't Fix It" slot - an updated version
of the BBC1 show Jim'll Fix It - in which Ant and Dec made
wishes come true for people who had written to the original programme.
The
presenters told the audience the man, apparently called George Adams,
had always wanted to meet West Country band The Wurzels - and then
revealed them on stage and introduced them to "Mr Adams".
Yet "George Adams" was actually George Allen, a record
producer behind The Wurzels' latest album, Never Mind The Bullocks,
'Ere's The Wurzels. According to The Wurzels' manager, Mr Allen
had been drafted in at the last minute with the approval of ITV
producers after the real fan had failed to turn up for the show.
The
fake guest appeared in the second series of Takeaway, on
ITV in February 2003. Wurzels manager Sil Willcox said: "They
had a guy who had written to Jim'll Fix It. We did the
second rehearsal and the guy hadn't shown up. I thought we were
going to get pulled from the show, so I spoke to one of the producers,
"Is this going to happen?"
They
were like, "Don't know, don't know," and there was lots
of panic and people rushing around. So I told the producer, "We've
got this guy who will do it." It was our first national TV
in ten years and I could see we were going to get pulled. "They
were quite happy with that [suggestion], so we brought him up to
London. It was the guy who had produced their Christmas single,
George Allen. I don't know if Ant and Dec knew or not. We only met
them afterwards. But the producers certainly knew it wasn't a real
fan."
Mr
Allen confirmed that he had appeared as the fake guest. He said:
"I'd just been working with The Wurzels and Sil had asked me
to do him a favour, so I went on the show. I don't want to say any
more than that." An
ITV spokesman said: "We are looking into these claims. The
producer and the executive producer have since left the company."
A spokesman for Ant and Dec said: "They absolutely know nothing
about any claims of fakery during The Wurzels' slot."
Full
article on the Daily
Mail website.
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 The
Wurzels Hit The Charts (1 October 2007)
The
Wurzels are back in the charts with their new single 'One For The
Bristol City'.
The
Offical UK Charts for the week ending 6th October 2007,
sees Bristol City FC & The Wurzels making their
debut in the charts at number 66. This is the first time The Wurzels
have had two singles in the charts in the same year since 1976!
Fans
were obviously hoping for a higher debut - a top 40 would be nice.
All concerned are hoping that sales will continue and that the single
will continue to climb up the charts and raise yet more money for
the BUI Prostate Cancer Care Appeal.
For
more information, check the Bristol
City FC website.
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Exclusive
Wurzels/ City CD Signing (19 September 2007)
Gary
Johnson, a selection of Bristol City players and The Wurzels will
be holding a special CD signing next week to celebrate the launch
of 'One For
The Bristol City'.
On
Thursday, September 27th - between 4.30pm and 5.30pm - Tommy and
Pete from The Wurzels will be joined by Gary and the City players
at Virgin Megastore in Broadmead to sign copies of the single.
It
is hoped the single, which will see some proceeds going to BUI Prostate
Cancer Charity, will sell enough copies to make the official charts.
So - if you can't make the signing, why not pre-order it online
from Townsend Records, Amazon or HMV.
Southsound - a local online station - have also agree to play the
song every night at 9pm for a period of two weeks! You can hear
it via southsound.org.uk.
For
more information, check the Bristol
City FC website.
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The
Wurzels Add A Touch Of Fun To Enterprise Inns Sales & Service
Centre Training Day (12 September 2007)
Staff
at the Solihull headquarters of Enterprise Inns, were given a real
surprise when West Country band The Wurzels paid them a visit as
part of a training day organised by cider producer Thatchers.
The Somerset cider maker was hosting a product tasting and training
day for around 100 sales staff at Enterprise Inns. To help make
the day one to remember, Thatchers enlisted the help of The Wurzels,
who provided the lunchtime entertainment with over an hour of their
typical humorous brand of music.
Cathy Doyle,
East Sector Leader, of Enterprise Inns, said, “This was a
training day with a real difference. The Wurzels were great fun
and our staff really got into the spirit of the occasion!”
Thatchers
MD Martin Thatcher said, “We were looking for ways to make
our training day at Enterprise stand out – by inviting our
great friends The Wurzels along we created a session that the team
at Enterprise will remember for a long time. Like
Thatchers, The Wurzels have a passion for cider; and just like are
ciders, they are real characters.”
This year Thatchers
has produced The Wurzels’ first official cider – Wurzel
Me Cider – to celebrate the band’s 30 years anniversary.
5p from every bottle is being donated by Thatchers to the BUI Prostrate
Cancer Care Appeal, a cause chosen by the band’s accordion
and keyboard player, Tommy Banner, following his treatment for cancer
last year.
For
further information, please contact: Penny Adair, PR Manager, Thatchers
Cider, Tel: 0117 9040173 Or Martin Thatcher, MD, Thatchers Cider,
Tel: 01934 822862; Web: thatcherscider.co.uk.
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Bristol
City and The Wurzels Do Their Bit For Charity (4 September 2007)
To
celebrate the club's promotion to the Championship, Bristol City
have commissioned The Wurzels to re-record their classic club anthem
'One For The
Bristol City'.
A selection
of City players heard the first play of the anthem at Ashton Gate
today - with the song being belted out in the home dressing room.
A single will
be released on September 24th on CD and download via iTunes. The
track, produced by Louie Nicastro, will also be available as a ringtone.
You can also pre-order a copy by clicking here
(£2.99 as opposed to £3.99 on Amazon!). A percentage
from all sales proceeds will be handed to the BUI Prostate
Cancer Care Appeal.
The club contacted
the band following promotion with a view to updating the track,
and a club spokesman told bcfc.co.uk: "We are very pleased
with the results and after Tuesday's sneak preview of the track,
it is intended the team will run out to the new version at all home
matches for the rest of 2007/08."
David
Lloyd, the club's matchday announcer, said: "I hope our supporters
like the re-recorded song. It's also a great chance to get The Wurzels
and Bristol City in the charts, and do our bit for the Prostate
Cancer!"
For
more information, check the Bristol
City FC website.
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Last
Orders For George The Cider Drinker (August 2007)
One
should never believe tales told by 'a man in the pub', but this
one is too good to be ignored...
Thursday
9th August 2007 saw the funeral of George Lefevre of Shirehampton.
George was the winner of the 1958 (?) South West Cider Drinking
Competition where he consumed a massive seventeen and a half pints
of scrump on the one hour allotted.
In
the audience was one Alan John Cutler, who was so impressed with
this feat that he went home and wrote a little ditty about it. A
little ditty which he sang as he drove his employer, Mister Bernard
Stanley Bilk back from a concert. A little ditty so catchy that
it was the first single by Adge Cutler and The Wurzels reaching
the UK national Top 40. A little ditty that has become an anthem
for the West Country and for cider drinkers across the world. "Drink
up thy cider George...".
This
is what Alan Bennet, the man in the Parish Pump pub in Worle, told
me at the weekend - and it is a great story that I hope it is true.
Oh, and Alan informed me that after winning the competition, George
celebrated by carrying on drinking into the night with his mates.
Proper stuff!
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 The
Wurzels pull out of Glastonbury (Sunday, 17 June 2007)
The
Wurzels have pulled out of 2007 Glastonbury Festival complaining
that they deserve a better billing than the headline slot on the
Bandstand that they have been offered.
The
local cult heroes added that by playing on the Bandstand would mean
that they are unable to use their own sound engineers.
"We
would have loved to play but we don't feel it's right," said
Tommy Banner.
"Other
novelty acts like Rolf Harris have been on better stages and we
think we deserve it," added Pete Budd.
"Don't
get me wrong," said Sil Wilcox, the band's manager. "We
know our place. But [that] is not on a Bandstand."
But
Glastonbury founder and organiser Michael Eavis OBE argued that
The Bandstand, which is where The Wurzels played in 2000 when they
made their Glastonbury debut (pictured above), was a central location
very close to the famous Cider Bus.
"We've
offered them a fantastic slot," he said. "The bandstand
is a great place to play. There are millions of people in that area,
it's right next to the cider tent and only about 70 yards from the
Pyramid Stage."
A
Glastonbury spokesman added: "We were surprised that they pulled
out. We thought it was a real shame. It's not like they wouldn't
be playing to anyone - 7,000 is a good crowd."
But
Tommy Banner, the longest serving band member and the only Scottish
Wurzel in captivity disagreed: "We were very disappointed to
find out that we would be playing on a bandstand ... we don't want
to be seen as a sideshow."
When
asked about his reservations he said that "the band were also
angry that their production team would not be allowed near the stage
and that they would have so little time to set up ... we feel it
would be unfair to the fans [and] jeopardise our performance."
But
festival organiser Emily Eavis explained that at this late stage,
there just wasn't the time to move line-ups around.
"Unfortunately
at this late stage every other stage is choc-a-bloc and it's a shame
as they're a bit of an institution round here but we'll have to
get them back next year," she said.
The
Wurzels have announced that they would be happy to play at the 2008
festival, but only if they have a higher billing on a better stage.
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The Wurzels
On Paul O'Grady Show (Monday 7th May 2007)
The
Wurzels appeared on The Paul O'Grady Show on Bank Holiday Monday
7th May 2007, where they took part in the 'Organ Game' (oo-er missus)
with the presenters all Wurzeled up with yokel hats. Thanks to Robert
Tipping for putting the clips on You Tube, in case you missed it.
Be warned, the picture quality is a little dodgy in places 'due
to outside interference'
View
Part 1
and Part 2
here. Enjoy!
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 Jai
Howe Forced To Quit Wurzels (May 2007)
Bass
player Jai Howe has left The Wurzels due to ill-health. The youngest
Wurzels for many a year, Jai has been with the band since 2002 when
he replaced Dave Wintour. His recent non-appearance on the Cider
Drinker 2007 video had raised some questions amongst fans although
there was no official announcement from band's management or official
website. Wurzelmania! can reveal that he has been forced to leave
the band due to the onset of brain cancer.
His
replacement is Sedge Moore (quite possibly a stage name!), about
which we have no information whatsoever. Any background would be
gratefully received.
[a
rather sad postscript to this item was posted on 6 February 2008]
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 The
Wurzels Reissue Cider Drinker (Monday, April 23, 2007)
The
Wurzels
have a new version of their hit I
Am A Cider Drinker released in March 2007, featuring
special guest vocalist Tony Blackburn. The single will be
releases on CD and as a limited edition 7" vinyl single. It
is also downloadable on iTunes.
The
press release reads:
NEW SINGLE OUT TODAY!
Today, 'Scrumpy & Western' yokel legends The Wurzels
are releasing a new up-tempo version of 1976 hit 'I Am A Cider
Drinker', featuring the one and only Tony Blackburn! The radio
legend was the perfect choice to team up with the West Country
Fab Four, having introduced the band's performance on TOTP 31
years ago...
The single also has a serious side – last year Wurzels
co-frontman and accordionist Tommy Banner was diagnosed with Prostate
Cancer after going for a random test. After an operation and radiotherapy,
he is now back to fighting fitness, and is keen to highlight the
importance of testing. The Wurzels and Tony Blackburn will be
giving all the royalties from the single to the BUI Prostate Cancer
Care Appeal.
Tony says: "What a thrill it was to be asked to be
on a Wurzels record, they are so much fun and I had a great time
working with them! I am really glad the money is going to such
a great cause as prostate cancer."
You
can view the full video on MySpaceTV
. more
info here...
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Return
of the Yokel Heroes (19th April 2007)
The
Wurzels have made one of the most surprising comebacks in pop. As
they head for this year's Glastonbury festival, they talk to Thomas
H Green of the Daily Telegraph.
You
can read the full article on the Daily
Telegraph website.
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As The Wurzels reach cult status, they turn to Thatchers for their
first official cider (Tuesday, March 7, 2007)
The
Wurzels have teamed up with renowned Somerset cider makers Thatcher's
to release a charity cider. 'Wurzels Me Cider' will be available
in shops across the country, and by mail order direct from Thatcher's
- and 5p from each sale will go straight to charity - in this case
the BUI Prostate Cancer Care Appeal; a charity close to Tommy Banner's
heart following his cancer scare last year.
The
Thatcher's press release reads:
For The Wurzels, 2007 is going to be one of the best! The
iconic West Country band is currently enjoying cult status, borne
out with an invitation to appear at this year’s Glastonbury
Festival. Furthermore, celebrating 30 years of the launch of the
band’s anthem “I am a Cider Drinker”, EMI will
be releasing a new, upbeat “celebrity” version of
the single on 23rd April with Tony Blackburn. Topping it all,
however, the band is going to have its own official Somerset cider,
produced by another West Country favourite - Thatchers.
Thatchers Cider is bringing out the first “Wurzels
official Somerset cider” – called “Wurzel Me
Cider” – to coincide with the band’s thirty
years celebrations.
“Wurzel Me Cider”, described by Thatchers as
a fruity and crisp cider straight from the heart of Somerset,
has been produced with freshly pressed apples, many grown in the
firm’s own local orchards. At 4.8%, Wurzel Me Cider will
have an RRP of £1.80 with 5p from every bottle sold going
to charity.
“We are really excited about producing this cider
for The Wurzels,” says managing director Martin Thatcher.
“Their manager – who’s a Thatchers fan himself
- approached us last year with the idea. We had to say yes - it
makes complete sense for these real cider enthusiasts to have
a drink from Somerset they can call their own!
“The Wurzels have a true sense of fun, they love
life and are out to entertain. They are also passionate about
real Somerset cider and have real character – just like
our ciders,” says Martin.
Thatchers will be looking to target sales of Wurzel Me
Cider to the student market and festival goers, as well as those
who remember the “I am a Cider Drinker” the first
time round! The Wurzels currently enjoy a strong following amongst
university and college students, playing around 200 sell-out gigs
every year.
Martin continues, “Not only is cider this year’s
“must have drink”, everyone will be talking about
The Wurzels!”
“Life can’t get any better,” says the
band’s accordion and keyboard player Tommy Banner. “Glastonbury
and Thatchers Cider………….what a year!”
For Tommy, the success of the single will have a poignant
meaning. Following his treatment for cancer last year, all profits
from the single will be donated to the BUI Prostate Cancer Care
Appeal. Thatchers will be supporting the cause by giving 5p from
every bottle of Wurzel Me Cider to the charity.
For enthusiasts, Thatchers is producing a special Wurzel
Me Cider presentation gift box, which will contain a bottle of
cider and a one pint etched Thatchers glass.
Press Office Contact:
Penny Adair, Tel: 0117 9040173
Thatchers Cider, Tel: 01934 822862
For more information, check the Thatcher's
Cider website, or the new Wurzels
Charity website.
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Charity
records get Wurz... (The Sun. 6th March 2007)
CIDER-guzzling
Scrumpy and Western band THE WURZELS have teamed up with veteran
DJ TONY BLACKBURN for what could be the most ridiculous record in
history.
The
Somerset band have recorded a new, up-tempo version of their 1976
hit I Am A Cider Drinker — and it makes Tony Christie’s
2005 No1 'Is This The Way To Amarillo' sound like a work of musical
genius. The
video, which you can watch on The
Sun's Victoria Newton's Bizarre page,
features busty milkmaids, a cow on the drums, a scarecrow playing
the sax — and lashings of cider.
Tony
Blackburn said: “I thought I was going to be one of about
100 celebrities in the chorus. I
went to a studio and recorded my vocal in about ten minutes. Then
the record was posted to me and I was the star. I’ve recorded
18 records before and had some minor hits but this is the big one.
This could get me back into the recording business."
Tony
was the ideal choice to sing with the country bumpkins after introducing
the band on Top Of The Pops 31 years ago.
Royalties
from the song will go to the BUI Prostate Cancer Care Appeal in
Bristol after Wurzels accordionist Tommy Banner beat the disease.
Tommy is keen to highlight the importance of cancer checks after
his illness was picked up during a random test. After an operation
and radiotherapy he is now fighting fit — as you can see from
his dancing in the video. Tommy said: “The combined, harvested
age of The Wurzels is 258 not out — and unlike Blue we’re
still going.”
'Is
This The Way To Amarillo' was the best-selling single of 2005, thanks
largely to the genius of Peter Kay, and raised loads for Comic Relief.
Now I fear Cider Drinker could become another cult classic —
especially with students.
see
the full article with picture and link to the video here...
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The
Wurzels on The Comedy Map of Britain (aired Saturday 3 February
2007, 10.05pm on BBC Two)
The
Wurzels have appeared on The Comedy Map of Britain - an animated
tour of the UK accompanied by comedy heroes past and present, retracing
their steps to the places that inspired their comic talents. The
episode around the West Country and into Wales includes Rob Brydon,
The Beatles, Fawlty Towers and The Wurzels. Pete and Tommy are shown
in a rather emotive interview on the roundabout where Adge Cutler
had his fatal car accident (and almost cause another one!)
The
full episode is here: The
Comedy Map of Britain - Video Uploaded
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