…here’s something he was doing in August 1970, with the Humblebums, on BBC’s ‘Sounds of the Seventies’, which I’ve just transferred from a reel. Three songs: Cruising (Billy Connolly vocal), Keep It To Yourself (Rafferty vocal, prog-rock epic), My Singing Bird (Rafferty again).
https://soundcloud.com/colinh-1/the-humblebums-sounds-of-the-70s-6870-3-songs
The Humblebums were very, very good. The first Rafferty/Connolly LP, in particular, is full of absolutely classic songwriting…
It’s all very listenable, isn’t it? There’s 9 more tracks on the reel, from various other 1970 sessions. I think I’m running out of Soundcloud space though… If I have the time, in due course, I’ll create YouTube montages of the stuff.
I remember reading somewhere that Gerry decided to knock the ‘Bums on the head when they turned up to a gig and found they were supporting Atomic Rooster. I found that rather amusing. 🙂
Nah.
He got fed up when the songs became interludes between Billy’s jokes, instead of the other way round.
That’s pretty much the version I’ve heard.
Indeed, but there’s no gags in the session recordings – so one can simply appreciate the songs, even Bill’s.
I did have a best of the Humblebums and checking the amazon listing i still hope i have it, prices are outrageous, must be a long time since they saw any archive releases.
The Connolly tune is very nice, i think i now only have his comedy cd’s, bit of a shame as his stuff was quite nice, just like Cruising.
I’ve always been a big Rafferty fan. Needs to be a reissue of this era.
I have a Transatlantic 7″ of Shoeshine Boy (Rafferty Song) b/w My Apartment (Connolly song) by The Humblebums in my box of ancient singles. Scratched to buggery of course and with about 40 years worth of dust on it.
Shoeshine Boy is a good catchy little pop song. Might have even made a very low chart entry.
I can still remember the tune and the first verse.
“Shoeshine boy he’s making his money working downtown on Main Street
Shoeshine boy I know it ain’t funny cleaning everything on two feet
Get down get down upon your knees and brush your blues away
It won’t be long till Saturday night and you’ll be dancing with your lady till the break of day”
Don’t remember Billy’s “My Apartment” being all that..
Will probably a reissue after he dies.
The big yin was/is a fine banjo plucker.
He wasn’t a Banjo Pluckers Son.
I’ll post some more of those Humblebums sessions tomorrow… There might just about be a level of demand…
Some more of the Raffmeister:
https://soundcloud.com/colinh-1/humblebums-top-gear-7370-part-1-2-songs
Curious – it seems Soundcloud has a problem with ‘Please Sing A Song For Us’ appearing therein. So here’s a different sesh in which it doesn’t appear:
https://soundcloud.com/colinh-1/humblebums-john-peel-sunday-concert-7670-2-songs
Do you think Billy Connolly could have sustained a career as a musician if he hadn’t morphed into a comedian? An interesting ‘what if’ there.
No. He was ‘okay’, but so were 101 others in that vein.