Eastender Homesick Blues — Forum Archive

19 Sep 2001, 11:21

Can anybody remember the oddball combination of New Order, featuring 'Curly Watts' (or vice-versa) from Eastenders back in about 1985 - joining forces to cover the old song 'Subterranean Homesick Blues' in a NO style?!!!

If memory serves me correctly, the synth and drum programming were magic - unfortunately, Curly's singing was naff-chaffer. Would really like a copy of this now. My mate had it, but I never taped it off him and now I'm yet another song off full NO completion.

(for those who aren't aware of the soap opera 'Eastenders' - it is about several cockneys who own a market stall and try to sell jellied eels up the apple's and pears to anybody that happens to wander past. For our American allies, its a bit like 'The Cosby Show' except instead of the Huckstable family, you've got the Fowler's and various dogs. 'Curly Watts' was an integral character back in the 80's... think Pam in Dallas minus the good looks and sizeable breasts).

:hat:

19 Sep 2001, 11:47

huntsman i don't want to piss on your crisps but isn't curly watts in coronation street??

19 Sep 2001, 11:49

... well that's my soap opera knowledge up the spout.

Okay - I stand corrected, 'Lofty' - not 'Curly Wattage'.

(damn crisps ruined in a day)

19 Sep 2001, 11:51

... by the way - this isn't a wind-up. This did happen, and I'm pinning my hopes on either AJ or Andy S to bail me out... guys?, ...anyone!

19 Sep 2001, 11:56

I remember it, though don't think the Order actually did anything on it, per se. They were just in the video, larking around on a sofa or something? Think Barney had his black/cream reversable coat on (I had one too!). The Fall were in the vid as well. Them were the days!

Tom 'Lofty' Watt sung it - boring Gooner - now does something on Talksport or suchlike. Remember 'chelle cutting his hair in the Fowler's kitchen in one episode with Perfect Kiss banging away on the stereo.

Which reminds me - anyone seen the new Sky ad using a precis'ed version of Crystal as backing music?! Cracking. Almost makes you want to run out and buy a mini-dish.

19 Sep 2001, 12:02

AJ - are we going to lock heads again like wild buffalo?

New Order for deffs. did the backing for the Loft-meister's crooning. Never saw the video - sounds like another classic 80's effort. Ahhhhhh... The Fall, those were DEFINATELY the days.

Eastenders always used to have NO in the background - I remember the radio in the Queen Vic. always had a song or three on the go, which was rare at the time eh AJ?!! - mid-80's, no fucker really knew who they were, or what they looked like?

Now... about that LoveDance song.

19 Sep 2001, 12:27

Trust me, they didn't actually DO anything on the record ... else I would've bought it!

Here's an i/v I found at the online 'Walford Gazette' with said Lofty person.

WG: A sales clerk from Virgin's Megastore in London a couple of years ago told me you recorded a single of Bob Dylan's "Subterranean Homesick Blues." Were you serious about a music career too?

TW: No, that was just a good laugh really. Most people in soap operas have more money than sense, and I was no exception. I had these mates in Manchester who had a band and I worked them ages ago just messing about doing comedy routines and theatre stuff. They had this idea for a record and this idea that I might like to pay for the studio time. Yeah that went to number sixty-seven with a bullett, that one.

WG: Have any copies survived? TW: Yeah, they do survive, but you can't get one in a music shop. I think they might be up in my mum's attic. It was a good record, 'electro' version of "Homesick Blues." Great video. New Order was on the video. The only time they were ever seen smiling. It was just a good crack, you know what I mean. It wasn't the kind of record that people in soap operas are supposed to put out, a money-making exercise.

19 Sep 2001, 18:17

Huntsman -

Allen is right, sorry.

Yes, It was Tom Watts of Eastenders 'fame'.

However, he just reckoned that it would be funny to have the (reputedly) most miserable :cry: bastards on the planet in the video. They didn't record ANY :nono: music for it (I would have bought the single otherwise, being the anally retentive smeghead that I am). :smeghead: (???)

So, New Order thought the idea funny :lol: and did it. I remember, I nearly soiled my mum's sofa :evil: when I saw the video on TV - my favourite band in a video for her favourite soap star.

Oh yeah, Nicolas/Seb - when are we going to get a smiley for 'Smeghead' ? And does anyone want a copy of New Order & Kevin Hewick doing 'Haystack'? (they've got it you know...)

:evil:

19 Sep 2001, 22:14

smeghead ?