Track Listing

1. No Wind No Rain
2. Need Somebody
3. Sent A Letter To Mary
4. Way It Happens To Be, The
5. She Crept Up From Behind
6. Two Coins For The Ferryman
7. Scarlet Sky
8. Hard Woman
9. I Always Get What I Want
10. Night Time
11. I'm Not Really A Welder
12. If You Want It
13. Whole New Reason For Happiness
14. You're Not Alone
15. I'm Waiting
16. She Crept Up From Behind
17. I'm No Great Foreseer
18. Pump It Up
19. What's Left To Do
20. Crawling Up A Hill

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #88259 in Music
• Released on: 2009-02-23
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .23 pounds

CD Description
* Five years ago Big Beat released the first volume of recordings by Makin' Time. This West Midlands 80s mod group defied categorisation and made some incredible 60s-influenced rhythm and soul in a brief but exhilarating career. That first CD covered their recordings for the Countdown label and was a rip-roaring success so, with the co-operation of the band, we present a second volume of their work that includes their self-financed second LP "No Lumps Of Fat Or Gristle" and a series of previously unreleased demos.

* Makin' Time are now often remembered as Martin Blunt's first band. Blunt went on to fame and three number one albums with the Charlatans. However there is so much more to them. They were a dynamic live outfit, whose sound often hinged around the striking looks and sound of organist Fay Hallam, with her Julie Driscoll-esque vocals and her songwriting talent. This is especially to the fore on the "No Lumps Of Fat Or Gristle" LP where she wrote majority of the tunes. Produced by Will Birch at Alaska Studios, it is a less poppy album than their debut and really does justice to how the band sounded live. This is the first time it has been available on CD.

* The demos were recorded in the latter period of their Countdown deal, through until the recording of "No Lumps...". We present an alternate version of their single `Pump It Up', an early take of the album track `She Crept Up From Behind' and a bunch of previously unreleased cuts. We finish off with two live tracks that were issued on compilation albums in the late 80s, but never since. Mojo scribe Lois Wilson, who is a long-time fan of the band, interviewed them exclusively for the notes to this Big Beat release.

Customer Reviews

Where the rhythm takes you
This album takes me back. I'll of still been at school when it was originally released (1986 if my memory is correct). Their debut album 'Rhythm & Soul' was very poppy with a slight Motown influence but this their second album 'No Lumps Of Fat Or Gristle' (or 'Down Two' as it was called in Germany) had much more incommon with the Medway garage band The Prisoners than the other power pop Mod bands from the mid 80s.

At the time of it's release Stiff Records had gone bust and with Makin' Time signed to Stiff's offshoot lable Countdown Records they found themselves putting out this album themselves. Listening to this album now it's hard to understand why Makin' Time never made it. The band had the songs & style and anyone who caught them live knows just what a great act they were. I only managed to see the band live once, at Redcar Bowl with Tetley's band The Singles supporting. The venue wasn't full due to the gig been on the same night as the 1986 World Cup final but Makin't Time put on a great show for those who turned up and I still have a fully signed poster from that night.

It's a shame that Makin' Time called it a day just after the release of this album as the band were improving all the time as this album shows compaired to their debut.

Makin' Times bassist Martin Blunt went onto bigger things with The Charlatans. Fay Hallam went onto join The Prisoners Graham Day & Allan Crockford in The Prime Movers whose 3 albums ('Sins Of The Forfathers', 'Earth Church' & 'Arc') are all worth checking out although Fay only plays on the German release of 'Sins Of ...'. These days Fay is in The Trinity and also released a few albums with Phaze. Drummer Neil Clitheroe joined Mod band The Moment until he moved to Germany while guitarist/singer Mark "Sid" McGounden took a break from music before returning with the band The Upper Fifth.

This album is well worth buying for anyone who was around on the Mod scene back in the mid 80s. I'm sure it will bring back a lot of memories like it did for me. Also as an added bonus there's some tracks from Makin' Time's German mini album 'Unchain My Heart' as well the unreleased demo of 'Great Foreseer'.