The Blackbird – The Wurzels (1976)

Description

Additional information about this, The Wurzels vinyl art.

The Wurzels – The Artist

The Wurzels are a Scrumpy and Western band from Somerset, England, best known for their hit’s ” The Combine Harvester” and “I Am A Cider Drinker”. The name of the band was dreamt up by founder Adge Cutler. It appears to be short for mangelwurzel, a crop grown to feed livestock, and wurzel is also sometimes used in the UK as a synonym for yokel.
The Wurzels’ particular “genre” of music was named Scrumpy and Western after the group’s first EP of the same name, issued early in 1967. Scrumpy is a name given to traditionally-made rough cider in southwest England, popular amongst The Wurzels and their fans, and frequently referred to in their songs. The Wurzels were formed in 1964 as a backing group for, and by, singer/songwriter Adge Cutler. After Adge’s death the remaining Wurzels recorded The Wurzels Are Scrumptious! in 1975, an album containing many favourites from the back catalogue, including a number of previously unrecorded Cutler-written songs. In order to continue the surviving band needed its own songs, and these mostly took the formula of re-written popular pop songs of the time with the lyrics changed to include the usual Wurzel themes (cider, farming, local villages, Cheddar cheese, etc.)

The Blackbird – The Song

The Blackbird is based on an old, West-country folk song, but apparently the Wurzels couldn’t find the original words, so wrote their own version. It is credited to Budd, Banner and Baylis. It also includes a sample of the melody ‘Any Old Iron.’ The song is about a farmer who feels he’s being persecuted by a songbird.

The Blackbird – The Shape

The common blackbird is a species of true thrush. It breeds in Europe, Asia, and North Africa, and has been introduced to Australia and New Zealand. It has a number of subspecies across its large range; a few of the Asian subspecies are sometimes considered to be full species. Depending on latitude, the common blackbird may be resident, partially migratory, or fully migratory. The adult male of the nominate subspecies, which is found throughout most of Europe, is all black except for a yellow eye-ring and bill and has a rich, melodious song; the adult female and juvenile have mainly dark brown plumage. This species breeds in woods and gardens, building a neat, mud-lined, cup-shaped nest. It is omnivorous, eating a wide range of insects, earthworms, berries, and fruits. Both sexes are territorial on the breeding grounds, with distinctive threat displays, but are more gregarious during migration and in wintering areas. Pairs stay in their territory throughout the year where the climate is sufficiently temperate. This common and conspicuous species has given rise to a number of literary and cultural references, frequently related to its song.

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