Open All Hours (album)
Encyclopedia
Open All Hours is The Hamsters
ninth album. It was recorded during a hectic touring schedule June/July 2003.
The band's notorious self-deprecating humour came to the fore with the artwork for this particular album. It featured several pictures of famous movie stars and classic British comedy stars with heads being replaced (and not always in a flattering manner) by members of the band. The whole booklet was designed to represent the walk from the box office to the screen of an old-fashioned British flea-pit cinema.
Slim has stated that this will most likely be the last CD release by The Hamsters and that all subsequent releases will be on the DVD
format.
The Hamsters
The Hamsters are a band from Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England.They performed their first live show at the Cliffs Pavilion, Southend-on-Sea, on 1 April 1987. They initially played in local pubs with no ambitions to take themselves seriously or to turn professional...
ninth album. It was recorded during a hectic touring schedule June/July 2003.
The band's notorious self-deprecating humour came to the fore with the artwork for this particular album. It featured several pictures of famous movie stars and classic British comedy stars with heads being replaced (and not always in a flattering manner) by members of the band. The whole booklet was designed to represent the walk from the box office to the screen of an old-fashioned British flea-pit cinema.
Slim has stated that this will most likely be the last CD release by The Hamsters and that all subsequent releases will be on the DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
format.
Track listing
- "Just Came Back" (Colin JamesColin JamesColin James is a Canadian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer, who plays in the blues, rock, and neo-swing genres. He grew up as a Quaker.-Early years:...
/Burgess) – 4:43 - "My Future Ex-Wife" (Barry Martin) – 4:50
- "Taxi Driver" (Mickey JuppMickey JuppMichael 'Mickey' Jupp is an English musician and songwriter, mainly associated with the Southend music scene....
) – 3:57 - "A Thing Called Love" (Williams) – 5:38
- "Brother Doctor, Sister Nurse" (Mickey JuppMickey JuppMichael 'Mickey' Jupp is an English musician and songwriter, mainly associated with the Southend music scene....
) – 4:36 - "Lucky In Love" (Castro/Lewis) – 4:18
- "Love Don't Bother Me" (Flakne/Icon) – 6:01
- "Burning The Church House Down" (Gordon/Owens) – 5:20
- "Wouldn't Lay My Guitar Down" (Harrington) – 4:28
- "Somebody's Leaving Somebody" (Olin/Costas/Malo) – 6:32
- "Check Up From The Neck Up" (Barry Martin/Dave BronzeDave BronzeDave Bronze is an English bass guitarist. The musicians he has worked with include Robin Trower, Dr...
) – 3:52 - "Switchboard Susan" (Mickey JuppMickey JuppMichael 'Mickey' Jupp is an English musician and songwriter, mainly associated with the Southend music scene....
) – 3:39 - "The Unforgiven" (Ketchum) – 4:58
Musicians
- Snail's-Pace Slim – guitarsGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, mandolinMandolinA mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single...
, lead vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
. - Rev Otis Elevator – drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, backing vocals. - Ms Zsa Zsa Poltergeist – bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, organOrgan (music)The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
, stringsString instrumentA string instrument is a musical instrument that produces sound by means of vibrating strings. In the Hornbostel-Sachs scheme of musical instrument classification, used in organology, they are called chordophones...
, backing vocals.
Guest musicians
- Phil Hilborne – lead guitarLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
(stereo right - track 13), hornsHorn sectionIn music, a horn section can refer to several groups of musicians. It can refer to the musicians in a symphony orchestra who play the horn . In a British-style brass band it refers to the tenor horn players. In popular music, it can also refer to a small group of wind instrumentalists who augment a...
& synthesizerSynthesizerA synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
(track 1) - Jerry StevensonJerry StevensonJerry Stevenson, is a guitar and mandolin player who has worked with Barbara Dickson, Procol Harum and is currently a member of Be Sharp.In 1991 Procol Harum re-formed and began recording a new album called The Prodigal Stranger...
– rhythm guitarRhythm guitarRhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
(track 7) - Reg Webb – synthesizerSynthesizerA synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
& pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
(track 7)
Production
- MixedMix engineerA mix engineer, also referred to as "mixing engineer", is a person who, once all instruments, voices, and sounds, etc., have been recorded, creates what is called the final version of a song, hence the term "mix engineer"...
by Jerry StevensonJerry StevensonJerry Stevenson, is a guitar and mandolin player who has worked with Barbara Dickson, Procol Harum and is currently a member of Be Sharp.In 1991 Procol Harum re-formed and began recording a new album called The Prodigal Stranger...
(tracks 3,5,6,7,8,9) and Phil Hilborne (tracks 1,2,4,10) - ProducedRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
by The HamstersThe HamstersThe Hamsters are a band from Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England.They performed their first live show at the Cliffs Pavilion, Southend-on-Sea, on 1 April 1987. They initially played in local pubs with no ambitions to take themselves seriously or to turn professional...
, Jerry StevensonJerry StevensonJerry Stevenson, is a guitar and mandolin player who has worked with Barbara Dickson, Procol Harum and is currently a member of Be Sharp.In 1991 Procol Harum re-formed and began recording a new album called The Prodigal Stranger...
, Phil Hilborne. - Cover design by Phil SmeePhil SmeePhil Smee is an English music journalist, designer and record collector, most widely known for designing music album covers and his Bam-Caruso music label, best known for the Rubble series of albums. One of his more notable designs is the lettering of the Motörhead logo .-External links:...
of Waldo's Design & Dream Emporium. - Photo manipulation and hand tinting by Kurt Adkins
- Band photographyPhotographyPhotography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...
by The HamstersThe HamstersThe Hamsters are a band from Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England.They performed their first live show at the Cliffs Pavilion, Southend-on-Sea, on 1 April 1987. They initially played in local pubs with no ambitions to take themselves seriously or to turn professional...
.