Great Fife songs: the legendary Raith Rovers ‘Singing The Blues’ tape
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Released in 1976, the LP contained other gems like Pittenween Jo, Dunfermline Linen and Kelty Clippie, the latter becoming a staple in The Great Fife Roadshow with Rab Noakes and Barbara Dickson before becoming a comedy musical selling out at Edinburgh Fringe as well as theatres all over Fife.
Dennis Alexander with John Gray on bass and James Coutts on accordion recorded as The Starks Park Ravers at The Old Hatchery Studios Kinglassie in September 1992 to produce Singin’ The Blues as an ‘essential Starks Park singalong’.
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Hide AdThe ten-track album was available locally and at their gigs and was all sponsored by Kirkcaldy businesses. Songs included new arrangements of Wild Rover, Fitba’ Crazy, I’m A Rover as well as the inevitable Geordie Munro and a new track ‘The Raith Rovers Song’.
After Raith Rovers successes in 1994, The Honky Tonk Ceilidh Band with Davie Craig and Jim Hyndman released a cassette single called The Streets Of Raith on Lomond Records based in Strathmiglo.
Finally in this section comes a song written for a six-part TV series The Young Person’s Guide To Becoming A Rock Star written by Guy Pratt, Bryan Elsey and Owen Wyse for the soundtrack. We Love Cowdenbeath is a well-produced ballad in the style of Wet Wet Wet. Winning the ,Best Drama Serial, award at the 1999 RTS Television Awards the comedy was written by Skins creator Bryan Elsley and spawned a Canadian/American version.
Based on a fictitious Glasgow band called Scots Wha Hey, the series featured cameos from Noel Gallagher, Kirsty Wark & Sara Cox and featured Keith Allen as A&R man Slick Sloan, Forbes Masson as Art Stilton - manager of Bonk Bonk Bonk supergroup - and Fish as record producer Derek Trout.