The Shads & Omega 4 on Horizon Radio's "Scribbo On Sunday"

This clip comes from legendary music journalist, DJ and strategist Lee Scriven’s radio show, “Scribbo On Sunday,” broadcast on Horizon Radio; he also hosted a show on Stony Radio. First aired on 15th January 2023, the segment features Lee playing a few of my songs. A friend for decades, he has given me many great opporchancities throughout my career, and I’ve likewise provided music for him to use in films and television.

I met Lee when The Shadowland played at a festival in Holyrood Park. He was impressed and invited me to jam later with his band, The Blues Collective, who had a residency during the Edinburgh Festival. I was flattered, though not keen on what I assumed would be older men playing blues. Melanie and I went to see them anyway and were stunned. They were like a cross between The Blues Brothers and The Specials: older than me, certainly, but still three decades younger than I am now! I ended up jamming with them several times that week, beginning a friendship that led to me playing with The Blues Collective, getting involved in The Who’s “Tommy,” writing music for “The Man Who Sewed the World,” a film about David Bowie’s tailor, and playing many more Shadowland gigs. Clips of these can be found elsewhere on my YouTube channel.

The tracks are “She Sells” by The Shadowland, of which I was a member from 1990 to 1994, as well as for the reunion gig and “Best of” album. We were a highly driven band, which brought us considerable success—and we’re not finished yet. Our 60s, Hammond-tinged sound led to us being adopted by the baggy movement. We rode that wave and emerged on the other side as forerunners of what would soon be called Britpop. Next is the theme tune “Are You Being Served” by The Omega Four, who I played with from August 2015 for a couple of years. We were far less driven and folded quickly, despite my efforts to build on the success of my previous bands, especially Groove Tunnel, whom we closely resembled.

This song emerged during a particularly productive spell of writing. I brought “She” to the table—certainly the music, though Lee may have written the words, unless they’re rubbish, in which case they were mine—and Lee brought “She Sells.” “She” was my attempt at something commercial, and it remains a great pop song, but we turned “She Sells” into something more psychedelic, which better captured the band at that time. In my view, it is one of the songs that best sums us up.

Detour wanted to release the songs as a double A-side 7”, and I brought in my friend “Big” George Webley (Squeeze, The Q Tips, Candyflip, Have I Got News for You, The Office) to produce. He had some excellent recording and playing ideas for the record. One suggestion we rejected was his plan to bring in Pete Thomas (Elvis Costello & The Attractions) on drums. George said Pete, a friend of his, would nail it quickly, but we were happy with Gary’s drumming and wanted him to record the parts, which he did without complaint.

I remember George arriving with the first mobile phone any of us had seen. It was enormous—more like a US Korean War radio unit—and so large he used to hang his keys over the antenna. He asked me not to call him while he was on the train, as it would be embarrassing!

George had fantastic ideas for the recording, but when we heard the mix a few weeks later, we were disappointed. The editing and balance were strong, but the sound was far too trebly. Dave even suggested it sounded as if someone with high-frequency hearing loss had pushed the treble to compensate. When we raised this with George, he defended the mix, saying he was aiming for a classic sound.

Young, confident and convinced we knew best, Lee and I booked into a studio and remixed it with more bottom end. We liked the result, though whether it was actually better remains open to debate. Even so, there’s no denying that George’s ideas helped make it one of our best releases. He was among the first Pro Tools users, at a time when it could handle only four stereo tracks. He said there was a 16-track version, but it didn’t work. Today’s Pro Tools users know the track count is almost unlimited, but even that four-track setup let him assemble different edits of the song from the stems.

This version is one of those edits, using his mix, with an extended intro and a similar section in the middle. I remember complaining at the time that it was “too funky for us.” George disagreed—rightly, as I realised a few years later—and thankfully we now have this interesting take on the song.

Relax and let yourself be taken back to those heady early-90s days, when music felt VERY exciting again and a wee band from Penicuik, Dalgety Bay, Dunfermline, Kirkcaldy or Edinburgh—depending on which press outlet we were trying to impress—was right in the thick of it. I hope you enjoy it even a fraction as much as I enjoyed living it, back when I was still only in my early 20s.

Then enjoy The Omega Four with notes in the comments as I ran out of space!