We All Had Doctors' Papers
Encyclopedia
We All Had Doctors' Papers is a live album by Welsh
comedian
and singer Max Boyce
, first issued in 1975. It was his fourth album release and followed his break through recording Live at Treorchy
. The album contains a mixture of comedic and traditional songs, along with Boyce's interactions with the crowd. Two songs on the album are in the Welsh language
, Sospan Fach and Ar Lan y Môr
. It is the only comedy album to have topped the UK Albums Chart
.
, Boyce continued his connection with the sport of rugby union
by recording We All Had Doctors' Papers at Pontarddulais Rugby Club
. The album was recorded in one take over one night. The album title comes from the song 9-3 which appeared on Live at Treorchy. Celebrating Llanelli RFC's
1972 win over New Zealand, the lyrics of the fourth verse follow; But we all had doctors papers, and they all said just the same, that we all had Scarlet Fever, and we caught it at the game.
Boyce, whose comedic songs are now linked to the sport of rugby union
, included four rugby songs, I Gave My Love A Debenture, Deck of Cards, The Devil's Marking Me and Pontypool Front Row, the later of which celebrates the Wales
and British Lions
trio of Graham Price
, Bobby Windsor
and Charlie Faulkner
. Of the songs on the album Sospan Fach and Ar Lan y Môr are both traditional Welsh folk songs, while Swansea Town is written by Jack Davies; the rest are original works by Boyce.
The album cover and reverse is drawn by Welsh cartoonist Gren
, who became the first cartoonist to receive a gold disc
from the record company EMI
. The cover shows a crowded and detailed rugby international match at the Cardiff Arms Park
, hidden in the crowd are several notable Welsh sportspeople and celebrities, such as comedian Tommy Cooper
.
' Forty Golden Greats. It only remained at number one for a single week, spending 17 weeks in total in the Top 40, dropping out of the chart on 17 January 1976. It was the first and only comedy album to reach the number one spot in the British charts.
Welsh people
The Welsh people are an ethnic group and nation associated with Wales and the Welsh language.John Davies argues that the origin of the "Welsh nation" can be traced to the late 4th and early 5th centuries, following the Roman departure from Britain, although Brythonic Celtic languages seem to have...
comedian
Comedian
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
and singer Max Boyce
Max Boyce
Maxwell Boyce MBE is a Welsh comedian, singer and former coal miner. He rose to fame during the mid-1970s with an act that combined musical comedy with his passion for rugby union and his origins in the mining communities of South Wales...
, first issued in 1975. It was his fourth album release and followed his break through recording Live at Treorchy
Live at Treorchy
Live at Treorchy is a live album by Welsh comedian and singer Max Boyce, first issued in 1974. It was his third album and his first for a major label, EMI Records. The album contains a mixture of comedic songs and poems along with Boyce's interactions with the crowd at Treorchy Rugby Club...
. The album contains a mixture of comedic and traditional songs, along with Boyce's interactions with the crowd. Two songs on the album are in the Welsh language
Welsh language
Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
, Sospan Fach and Ar Lan y Môr
Ar Lan y Môr
Ar Lan y Môr is a traditional Welsh folksong. Various forms of the text exist, including some where the metre and subject of some verses suggest insertions from other unrelated songs. The song is a love song. As with many other Welsh songs, there are alternative words set to the same...
. It is the only comedy album to have topped the UK Albums Chart
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
.
Album
We All Had Doctors' Papers is a live recording similar to Boyce's recording of the previous year Live at Treorchy. Just as Live at Treorchy was recorded at the town's local rugby clubTreorchy RFC
Treorchy Rugby Football Club is a rugby union team from the village of Treorchy, in the Rhondda Valley, Wales. They formed in 1886 and by 1891 were a strong voice in the Welsh Football Union and were playing in the Rhondda Division...
, Boyce continued his connection with the sport of rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
by recording We All Had Doctors' Papers at Pontarddulais Rugby Club
Pontarddulais RFC
Pontarddulais Rugby Football Club is a rugby union team from the town of Pontarddulais in Wales, UK. The club is a member of the Welsh Rugby Union and is a feeder club for the Ospreys....
. The album was recorded in one take over one night. The album title comes from the song 9-3 which appeared on Live at Treorchy. Celebrating Llanelli RFC's
Llanelli RFC
Llanelli Rugby Football Club is a Welsh rugby union club founded in 1875 and its senior team is one of the leading club sides in Wales. The club began the 2008-09 season at their historic home ground of Stradey Park in Llanelli, but moved in November 2008 to the new Parc y Scarlets in adjacent...
1972 win over New Zealand, the lyrics of the fourth verse follow; But we all had doctors papers, and they all said just the same, that we all had Scarlet Fever, and we caught it at the game.
Boyce, whose comedic songs are now linked to the sport of rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
, included four rugby songs, I Gave My Love A Debenture, Deck of Cards, The Devil's Marking Me and Pontypool Front Row, the later of which celebrates the Wales
Wales national rugby union team
The Wales national rugby union team represent Wales in international rugby union tournaments. They compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland, Italy and Scotland. Wales have won the Six Nations and its predecessors 24 times outright, second only to England with...
and British Lions
British and Irish Lions
The British and Irish Lions is a rugby union team made up of players from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales...
trio of Graham Price
Graham Price
Graham Price MBE is a former Welsh rugby union player who won 41 caps for as a prop forward.- Education :...
, Bobby Windsor
Bobby Windsor
Robert William Windsor , known as Bobby and nicknamed "The Duke", is a former rugby union player who gained 28 rugby union caps for Wales as a hooker between 1973 and 1979...
and Charlie Faulkner
Charlie Faulkner
Anthony George "Charlie" Faulkner was a rugby union player of the 1970s and later a rugby coach.He was born Anthony George Faulkner in Newport, Monmouthshire in February 1941.- Wales caps :...
. Of the songs on the album Sospan Fach and Ar Lan y Môr are both traditional Welsh folk songs, while Swansea Town is written by Jack Davies; the rest are original works by Boyce.
The album cover and reverse is drawn by Welsh cartoonist Gren
Gren
Grenfell "Gren" Jones MBE was one of Wales's best-known and longest-serving newspaper cartoonists.- Biography :The son of coal miner Harry Jones, Gren was born in Hengoed in the Rhymney Valley...
, who became the first cartoonist to receive a gold disc
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
from the record company EMI
EMI Records
EMI Records is the flagship record label founded by the EMI company in 1972 and launched in January 1973 as the successor to its Columbia label. The EMI label was launched worldwide...
. The cover shows a crowded and detailed rugby international match at the Cardiff Arms Park
Cardiff Arms Park
Cardiff Arms Park , also known as The Arms Park, is primarily known as a rugby union stadium, but it also has a bowling green, and is situated in the centre of Cardiff, Wales. The Arms Park was host to the British Empire and Commonwealth Games in 1958, and hosted four games in the 1991 Rugby World...
, hidden in the crowd are several notable Welsh sportspeople and celebrities, such as comedian Tommy Cooper
Tommy Cooper
Thomas Frederick "Tommy" Cooper was a very popular British prop comedian and magician from Caerphilly, Wales.Cooper was a member of The Magic Circle, and respected by traditional magicians...
.
Chart history
We All Had Doctors' Papers was released in October 1975, and first entered the British album charts on 1 November at number nine. It rose the following week to number three before topping the charts on the 15 November 1975 replacing Jim ReevesJim Reeves
James Travis Reeves , better known as Jim Reeves, was an American country and popular music singer-songwriter. With records charting from the 1950s to the 1980s, he became well-known for being a practitioner of the Nashville sound...
' Forty Golden Greats. It only remained at number one for a single week, spending 17 weeks in total in the Top 40, dropping out of the chart on 17 January 1976. It was the first and only comedy album to reach the number one spot in the British charts.
Track listing
- 1. Sospan Fach
- 2. I Am An Entertainer
- 3. I Wandered Lonely
- 4. I Gave My Love A Debenture
- 5. Rhondda Grey
- 6. Slow, Men At Work
- 7. Deck Of Cards
- 8. Swansea Town
- 9. The Devil's Marking Me
- 10. Ar Lan y MôrAr Lan y MôrAr Lan y Môr is a traditional Welsh folksong. Various forms of the text exist, including some where the metre and subject of some verses suggest insertions from other unrelated songs. The song is a love song. As with many other Welsh songs, there are alternative words set to the same...
- 11. Pontypool Front Row
- 12. Sospan Fach
Chart positions
| Chart | Year | Peak position |
|---|---|---|
| UK Albums Chart UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
1975 | 1 |