10 photos in total – the text against each of the photos states: “Taken just before performing their first London gig in Southall, ska revival group Graduate played a residency at Bath’s nightclub Nero’s. The band comprised John Baker, guitar and vocal; Curt Smith, bass and vocal; Roland Orzabal, guitar and vocal; Steve Buck, keyboard and flute and Andy Marsden drums. ” (Photographed on 4th September 1979 – collection: Bath Chronicle).
The photo above appears to be part of the ‘4th September 1979 photo session’ but is not available for purchase via the Bath in Time website.
A number of references to Graduate in this article, here’s one:
The friendship between Orzabal and Smith, who picked up the bass, evolved into Graduate, a five-piece Mod Revival band. Graduate released one album, Acting My Age, on Pye Records and scored a minor hit, “Elvis Should Play Ska,” in Spain. “We were just a sixties revival Mod band who were elevated to the position of having a record deal,” Smith told biographer Will Hall. “Really we should just have been playing the clubs around Bath.”
http://www.memoriesfade.com/band/5graduate.html
http://www.andrewcresswelldavis.com/about-2/
In 1979 there was a band in Bath called Graduate. They were big fans of The Korgis, in fact they played a few of Andy’s songs in their live set.
Later, in 1983 two members of the band Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith formed Tears For Fears. Andy was a member of their expanded live band, along with Manny Elias and Ian Stanley.
Steve Buck “Yep, we used to play ‘Cold Tea’ and ‘Boots and Shoes’ by The Korgis. ‘Substitute’ (The Who), ‘I’m the Man’ and ‘Is She Really Going Out With Him’ (Joe Jackson) were other covers I remember playing, as well as various Simon and Garfunkel tracks, in the early days…”
http://www.bristolarchiverecords.com/bands.html
Graduate
John Baker
Steve Buck
Andy Marsden
Roland Orzabal
Curt Smith
Graduate members Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith are no doubt best known for the work they did as part of another rock group, Tears for Fears. The band Graduate formed in 1979 in Bath. Early on in its existence the line up consisted of guitarist and keyboardist Roland Orzabal, guitarist and singer John Baker, flautist and keyboardist Steve Buck, drummer Andy Marsden, and Curt Smith on the synthesizers and bass. These artists actually picked the name for their group from a film by the same name. It seemed a fitting choice seeing as how they opened each ach with a cover song from the movie.
The Graduate members did the normal local club circuit gigs, growing a fan base and improving as they went. Soon the band moved on from the club scene to national touring, opening for other acts. In 1980, only a year after joining forces, the guys recorded a debut album, Acting my Age, under the Precision Records label. There were more tours after the album, giving the band a chance to make new fans in a number of countries, but real success and popularity stayed just out of reach.
The members went back to work in the recording studio in 1981. A number of demo tracks were recorded for a sophomore album that was to be titled Ambition, but the finish product never came to be. Two decades later the debut album was released again, with the bounce added of those demos, including “Oh U Boys,”” “I See Through You,” “Premature Baby,” “Happens So Fast,” “Christ Look Upon Us,” “Think Of Me,” and “Only The Best.”
A short two years after the birth of the Graduate, things came to a sudden end. The guys moved on to other musical endeavors though. Smith and Orzabal started a new group, the above mentioned Tears for Fears, and landed a contract with Mercury Records.
http://www.bristolarchiverecords.com/people/people_Andy_Batten_Foster.html
And I suppose the show gradually got better. We made a lot of programmes I`d eventually look back on with some pride. The audience took us to their hearts. Auberon Waugh (or Bron as we got to know him) became increasingly edgy despite an almost total inability to read autocue. His scripts were so contentious that they all had to be cleared by lawyers at the very last minute – hugely predating Have I Got News For You. All the local bands were queuing up for a bit of TV exposure they hoped would get them a record deal (stupid really – all of my experience has taught me you should play music for your own enjoyment not in the hope of getting famous or rich – it hardly ever works). I`d spend most nights down at venues like the Bristol Bridge, The Granary, Trinity Hall, the Bier Kellar at The Hawthorns Hotel (where I interviewed The Clash once) etc trying to find the next big thing. Automatic Dlamini, Talisman, The Electric Guitars, The Cortinas, Juan Foot `n the Grave, The Crazy Trains all competed for a chance to shine. So did a group from Bath called Graduate, all done up neat and tidy in suits. The two singers were called Curt and Roland who later ditched the others in the band and changed their name to Tears for Fears, named after Roland`s obsession with Primal Therapy that he and I discussed during the recording. I spent many, many nights watching local bands in draughty halls – most of the time on my own and being taken the piss out of by whoever was on stage (if I`d been stupid enough to let them see I was there). Best joke; “That Andy Batten-Foster must be clever to get that cat to stay on his head”
https://thequietus.com/articles/13379-tears-for-fears-the-hurting-interview
A number of references to Graduate in this article, here’s one:
Richard Zuckerman (RZ): In about 78, 79, there was a guy called Peter Prince who ran the A&R at Pye Records, and I went and joined him as an A&R guy. Then they decided to split it into different labels, and I ran the Precision Records And Tapes (PRT) label. It was very small, just starting off, did a couple of singles and things. That was my start. There was a label called Rialto Records, and I signed them to Pye. That was The Korgis, and that’s what led me down to Bath. I think they were friends with Roland and Curt’s band, Graduate.
I went down and saw them in a club, and, for me, Roland in particular was the guy. Roland’s best friend was Curt, and then they had the other guys around the band, but Roland was the absolute star. He was the everything of the band. I’m a bit of a player myself, and when I used to hang with Roland the thing that struck me was the way he played the guitar, and the way he wrote songs. I couldn’t even discuss chords with him: he had open tuning, and his chord structures were bizarre and unbelievably weird. So I checked them out, and they had a little local following, and that was enough to know that I should get involved.
Richard Zuckerman
http://www.theeuropeans.co.uk/Davidlord.htm
Manny Elias, drummer for Tears for Fears appears on the album. Was that your connection too?
Manny was our local drummer. I only ever did one track with Tears for Fears called ‘Suffer the Children’. Although we did all their stuff up ‘til then as they were an acoustic duo managed by a local hairdresser who discovered them. We did lots of demos in my flat down the road. Glenn Tommey (my assistant) turned them into a ska band called ‘Graduate.’ They did a lot of gigging and touring before they became Tears for Fears. When they released their first album, they re-recorded ‘Suffer the Children’ but my version was used as the b-side of the ‘Mad World’ single.
https://mylifesajigsaw.blogspot.com/2011/03/graduate-mad-one-1979.html
The Story goes In July 1979, Graduate spent three days in Bath’s Crescent Studios.
From this session, Mad One / Somebody Put Out The Fire was picked for release as a 45 on the small indie label Blue Hat.
They wrote ‘Mad One’ after being commissioned to do so by Tony Hill, an eccentric man with a successful car number plate business. Mr. Hill offered to pay for the studio time if the band would agree to write and record a song about him. He owned a car with the license plate “MAD 1”, hence the title of the song.
Only a few dozen copies of the single were pressed, and those were most likely used to promote Mr. Hill’s business.
According to Andy Marsden, the b-side is the only known Graduate recording to feature John Baker on lead vocals & was a track that they started doing back in 1977 (as the Baker Boys).
Graduate – ‘nicknames’
Question to John Baker.. “Codge and Dad get a mention and explanation on the web pages. John ‘Bill’ Baker – am I correct on that one? Background on this? Any other nicknames (only if appropriate of course) to share”.
Response from John.. “Codge because he was the oldest in the band and I started it by calling him The Codger. Dad was Glenn Tommey our engineer and manager as he treated us like a stroppy father and knew lots about everything. Bill is just from when we wore old boiler suits lugging equipment around in Germany during the day. Codge called me.. Boiler Bill. Curt we used to call Crud.. as in Crud Smut “Curt Smith”. I can’t remember a nickname for Roland. Steve was always Bucko”.
Glenn Tommey (Graduate producer and manager) is affectionately known as Dad (because he is ten years older than the band members) …… here’s Glenn looking very dapper backstage at Club Seata, Tokyo, October 2015 (with Stackridge – Keys, Vocals, Trombone, Flute).
https://thecreativeindependent.com
The following is taken from an interview with Roland Orzabal as part of the run up to the release of the Tears For Fears album “The Tipping Point”….. the hairdresser referred to is Colin Wyatt and the duo went by the name of “Baker Brothers”.
You’re talking about your band Graduate, which also included your future Tears For Fears bandmate Curt Smith. How crucial do you think Graduate was to your musical development? Do you think it was a necessary step towards Tears for Fears?
I do. It was something like an apprenticeship, but it wasn’t really, because Graduate started as a duo. It was myself and my good friend John Baker. I taught him to play acoustic guitar, alongside a couple of other kids at school, because I was more advanced. We formed like a folk duo. We started off doing Simon and Garfunkel, hence the name Graduate. We used to play in a hairdresser’s on a Saturday, which was quite strange, but I enjoyed it. John and I got on like a house on fire, and still do.
Graduate T Shirt
Stephen Buck’s ‘Graduate Badge & Tie-pin Collection‘
Steve Buck “The small one was supposed to be a ‘mod’ badge (as worn on Parkas) and re the big black one – we all had one made in a shop in Bath, pre-Pye days. The ‘mod’ pins we may have had made ourselves, as I remember Glenn had a box of them to hand out at gigs etc. On the subject of Eastern Europe, I remember we were surrounded by kids, when we stopped at motorway services in East Germany, en route to a gig in Berlin. They probably had a few of our badges – think they were fascinated to meet a Western band..!”
John Baker “There are two things that are rare as hens teeth 1) the enamel pin badge that Steve has and I don’t know of another and 2) a Graduate T shirt; we had about 100 made up when we went to Germany with the red Graduate triangle logo on the front and ‘have you no Ambition’ on the back, can’t think of anyone that has one now.”
Steve Buck ” I had forgotten about those t-shirts! Little did we know that all these items would be in such demand, 40-odd years later! Have just had a look, and it seems I was wearing one in ‘Shut Up’ on RPM. Here’s a still from the video…..”
John Baker “My two year old nephew modelling a Graduate t-shirt in 1980.”
John Baker’s ‘Graduate Badge’
There are two ‘types’ of the most well known Graduate badge – the one as shown above which is just over 2 inches in size and has the drum ‘fixings’ showing at the top of the badge. This ‘larger’ badge can be found in the Acting My Age Press Pack.
The ‘smaller’ badge is just under 1.5 inches in size and can be seen in the ‘Graduate Badge & Tie-pin Collection’ of Stephen Buck shown earlier. This is shown in the bottom left of the picture – it is ‘smaller’ in size and has no drum ‘fixings’ showing at the top of the badge.
The Meanies
| 7 July 2014 | CD | COVER THEIR TRACKS |
- Baby Now That I’ve Found You
- Who Loves You
- All Over the World
- How Long
- Higher and Higher
- Listen to the Music
- Reelin in the Years
- Everybody Wants to Rule the World
- Stand Up
- Dreams
- Celebration
- Surfin’ USA
- Everybody’s Got to Learn Sometime
- Ever Met a Day
- December 1963
Angel Air Records – Catalogue Number – SJPCD428
John Baker: keyboards & vocals. Martyn Sheppard: guitar. Andy Marsden: drums & vocals. James Warren: bass & vocals. Glenn Tommey: guitar & vocals.
http://www.angelair.co.uk/?tcp_product=the-meanies-cover-their-tracks
Tears For Fears – Official Fan Club Magazines – Full set
| In 1992 the Official Tears For Fears Fanclub was revived for one year only. Four magazines were sent out edited by Geoff Parkin. Each came with a printed gold design on the front and rear of the booklet and contained interviews, reviews, tour info and photos from throughout the bands career. |
Graduate/Korgis/TFF
John Baker…
Thought I would sketch out the way that Graduate/Korgis/TFF were intertwined in the early days.
Roland Orzabal and John Baker formed The “Baker Brothers” at 15 years old at Culverhay school in Bath, we played a few self written songs but also lots of S&G and Beatles and Everly Brothers etc. Great Harmonies even at such young age. We also provided Bass and Guitar duties for a Local Youth Musical Theatre group (The Bodlets) where we met drummer Andy Marsden. After one of the shows around Dec 77 we agreed to sing a few songs around the piano at the after stage party. The response was incredible and the Producer of the show asked if we would meet him the following week for a chat. He was also a well known Ladies hairdresser but believed in us and offered us a management contract. He had to visit our Parents as we were under 18 and persuade them that he could get us on the path to stardom. As part of the deal we got the chance to Record for the first time. This would have now been March 1978. We went to a flat in Camden Crescent in Bath (owned by producer David lord). We arrived at 8pm and were told that to cut costs we were being given the night shift as another band were recording their Debut album there during the day (The Korgis) . We had the best time recording and were joined by Phil Harrison who was part of the Korgis and Glenn Tommey our future manager played drums. Our eyes were opened to a new world and we performed 5 original compositions. Over the coming weeks we would return to the flat to pick up cassette copies etc and that’s when we were introduced to Andy Davis and James Warren from The Korgis. From then on, we were part of that Bath Music scene crowd. It was from these early demos that Colin (Manager) got the initial interest from Tony Hatch and of course the rest is well documented – formed a 5 piece adding Andy Marsden, Steve Buck and Curt Smith- deal with Pye Records and the subsequent recording of the Album “Acting My Age”. The Korgis connection would continue – whilst Recording “Acting My Age” James was often around the studio ( by now David Lord had moved to Walcot Street and called it Crescent Studios). When Graduate split in late 1980 I was asked by James to fill in for The Korgis on European Promotional TV work with EGTLS, Andy had left The korgis at this point and in 1983 became part of the TFF/Hurting touring band. James, Andy and myself resurrected The Korgis as a 3 piece in 1989/90 around the time Andy was once again touring with TFF on SOL tour and of course I also got back involved with Roland singing backing vocals on Break it Down Again sometime in 1992. So the crossover between these 3 bands is vast and very important. Hope you enjoyed the trip down memory lane – John Baker
GRADUATE & RELATED – NEWS & UPDATES
(As taken from my previous web pages which were last updated 27 December 2014)
The Joseph Band
On one of the many pages on the previous site reference was made to amateur theatre productions Roland (and John Baker) have been involved with ………
(Message from John Baker) I have not used the ‘the Baker Brothers’ photo, the photo of Roland in the production of ‘Pirates of Penzance’ and the photo of Curt asleep on a plane trip. Some things should remain sacred ……..Thanks again, John
An email from Brenda as follows adds to the above …………
…………. I came across this interesting program that I have never seen from 1979. Being the “Graduate” expert that you are, I thought of you right away. I don’t know if you have seen this, so I thought I would send it your way. The “Joseph Band” is the interesting part. 🙂 Hope all is well. Take care, Brenda
(I recently also discovered the following press clipping)
WWW.PLASTICOSYDECIBELIOS.COM
Elvis Should Play Ska
Intérprete: Graduate
Autor: Roland Orzabal/Curt Smith
Album original: Acting My Age
Graduate fue el grupo ska de juventud de Roland Orzabal y Curt Smith, que a partir de 1982 protagonizarían una importante etapa musical al frente de Tears For Fears. Cambiaron radicalmente de estilo, pero todavía fueron capaces de recordar en sus entrevistas como TFF el gran éxito que –para su sorpresa– tuvo este tema en España, que sonó insistentemente en la única radiofórmula que había entonces en nuestro país (ahora es otro cantar).
Pero aquí el que tenía que tocar ska no era Elvis Presley, como muchos se pensaban entonces al deducir el título del tema, sino otro Elvis, Costello, por el que los futuros Tears For Fears profesaban verdadera devoción. De esta guisa son los pecados de juventud.
Graduate was the ska youth group of Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith, who from 1982 would star in an important musical stage at the helm of Tears For Fears. They radically changed style, but they were still able to remember in their interviews as TFF the great success that – to their surprise – this topic had in Spain, which sounded insistently in the only radio formula that existed then in our country (now it is another song).
But here the one who had to play ska was not Elvis Presley, as many thought then when deducing the title of the song, but another Elvis, Costello, for whom the future Tears For Fears professed true devotion. This is the sin of youth.
Gernot Dudda
ALSO FROM THE SITE :
– ¿Guardas aún recuerdos de Graduate, tu primer grupo? ¿Sabías que “Elvis Should Play Ska” fue un pequeño éxito en España en la radio FM de entonces?
– Fue mi primera televisión. Tuve que hacer “miming” (encajar el “playback”) en la televisión española. Cantamos un par de canciones de aquel Acting My Age de Graduate. Sí, en Aplauso. Mi madre tiene todavía la cinta. Tenía 18 años cumplidos. Había chicas españolas esperándonos a la puerta del hotel. Sí, esa fue mi primera experiencia. Y aquí estoy de nuevo, a punto de hacer “miming” otra vez en la televisión española.
Question: Any fond memories about Graduate, your first band? Did you know Elvis Should Play Ska” was quite successful in Spain’s FM radio back then?
Answer: It was my first TV appearance. I had to mime for the Spanish TV. We did a couple of songs from that album, Acting My Age…Yes, in “Aplauso”. My mum still has the tape. I was just 18. There were girls waiting for us at the hotel… Yes, that was my first experience… And now I’m back, just about to mime for the Spanish TV again.
18/09/02 I recently corresponded with Steve & Andy about the proposed running order for the second (aborted) Graduate LP. Please see the following from Andy……..
“In the sleeve notes to the CD I stated that a second twelve track LP was ‘planned’. It has been pointed out to me that there are nine additional tracks on the CD plus two that remain with Sanctuary as un-released (“Me or you” and “Let’s talk about you”) which gives a total of eleven – is/are there further un-released tracks?”
NO!
“Can you remember whether the LP was to be 12 tracks and if so what that additional track would be?”
THE original demo master for the “Ambition” album contained these tracks in this order:-
1 Only The Best
2 Premature Baby
3 Happened So Fast
4 O U Boyz
5 Let’s Talk About U **
6 Ambition
7 I C Thru U **
8 Think of Me **
9 Me or U
10 Christ Look Upon Us
11 Sam **
Tracks 5,7,8 &11 were old songs that we’d demo’d on different occasions years earlier, but we put them in to add to the 7 new songs that Rol had written, to make up enough for an album. Because it was never released, we don’t know how many tracks would have been used, or in what order.
I suppose the record Co would have put Ambition as the title track, although it’s not the strongest song, but we’ll never know!
Although I have old demos of other songs, none of these would have been good enough to include in the album so I guess it would have been a maximum of 11 tracks.
Hope that clears that up! Andy
13/09/02 It seems that someone out there thinks they used to be the lead singer of Graduate – “DEBBIE DETRIOT could have been a contender. At the age of 13 she was lead singer with a group called *The Graduate* who later changed their name to *Tears for Fears* (A million selling act of the eighties). Sadly, at the time of a record deal Debbies mum thought she was too young to be in a band and wouldn’t let her sign the record deal, so she missed out on all the fame and money acquired by that group.”
Presumably somebody with a very vivid imagination.
200302 Recent news from Steve and Andy of Graduate & response to the following from Sara………..
I thought you might be interested to know that I used to be well acquainted with a guy who reckons he was in Graduate. At the time I lived in a place called the Bridge Project, a hostel in Bath, the city in which I studied for my A-levels. The self-proclaimed former Graduate member was a part-time supervisor there. His name was Ian, he was a lovely (but extremely talkative) chap with a Scots accent, and was a guitarist. He apparently jammed with Roland when they were at Culverhay Boys’ School in Bath together, during their mid/late teens. Ian constantly complained about the fact that Graduate became TFF, and that he’d not had the presence of mind to become a full-time member of the group when he was invited to do so!
I knew Ian back in 1996, when I left the Bridge Project to move onto better things. I remember being highly impressed with his story because TFF were one of my fave bands… I had a great view of Bath from my window, and I had hours of fun sitting there gazing out at the world while yowling along with my TFF tapes. I ought to have been revising, but never mind. Sara
The only other person who had been in Graduate (apart from session guys) was a bass player called Gary, from Trowbridge. He was not too motivated, so he left after a couple of concerts and was replaced with an old friend of Roland’s – Curt. The rest is history…
I’ve heard a lot of people claim to have played with Roland / Curt / Graduate over the years. The name Ian could ring a vague bell somewhere, could have been a friend of Roland’s at school? He certainly wasn’t in Graduate. Might be worth asking Andy – sometimes we have selective memories! All the best to you, Steve.
Hi Chris,
Nice to hear from you.
Sorry to say that this ‘Ian’ guy doesn’t figure in Graduate or TFF. I suspect he was trying to impress this young lady for means other than musical! Hope it worked for him!!!
At the time of Graduate going pro, lots of people came out of the woodwork claiming to know us, though few did.
I imagine it must be a whole lot worse for real pop stars!
Take care, Andy
190102 On the ‘new’ Graduate CD, one of the tracks was penned by Roland Orzabal & Pauline Moore. Thanks to Steve Buck for the following………… Pauline and Mike Moore were a couple who met Roland in Bath in the late 70’s and introduced him to primal therapy. Curt soon followed suit. When I asked Andy Marsden he responded as follows: “as a point of interest, the songs from the 2nd album are different mixes to the ones on my cassette, as you can hear extra riffs here and there which I don’t have. Now, about Pauline Moore. I’ve asked around and no-one has ever heard of her! In fact, “Happened So Fast” was co-written by Glenn Tommey Sorry to draw a blank there! The band I’m in are called the “Blue Meanies”, with John Baker from Graduate, Glenn, James Warren (of the Korgis) and an old pal, Martyn Sheppard.
[Pauline Moore was Roland’s guitar teacher… on the Graham Norton Show on Virgin Radio as part of the promotion for the release of The Tipping Point, Roland referred to getting guitar lessons from a ‘a woman called Pauline’. Roland went on to state that “She was a bit of a hippie. She put an advert in Walcot Street Newsagents offering free guitar lessons to delinquent young men”.]
090801 It appears that Ian Stanley may have once been in an outfit called ‘The Amateurs’. Please see the following from Andy Stone which includes his memories of Graduate…. I worked at Schwartz Bros – a hamburger bar on Walcot St in Bath. My fellow manager was one (and I presume the same) Ian Stanley. We worked turnabout 4 day shifts. I understood that Ian played sax in a Bath pub band called the Amateurs. Of course I never saw them play as when Ian was playing, I was working, and vice versa, but they played places like The Bell and the Hat and Feather which are also on Walcot St in Bath. I do not know who the other members of the band were. Curt Smiths brother Brett also worked at Schwartz Bros for a while. I saw Graduate play 3 times I think. I certainly remember two concerts – one was a Xmas (or end of term) dance up at DomSci (a teacher training college on Sion Hill in Bath). That probably would have been 1980.I also remember seeing Graduate play as the warm up band for a group called The Tourists out at the Teacher Training College at Newton St Loe (Newton Park). Good value concert that – Graduate (or parts thereof) went on to become Tears for Fears. The Tourists (or parts thereof) also did pretty well for themselves (but I’m sure you know that or who they became). I think this was the end of year gig – so possibly May/June 80. I can’t remember the location of the third gig – though its likely it would have been up at the Uni or at Moles downtown.
030801 one fan’s memories … my name is Martin Lawrence and I lived in Bath at the beginning of Graduate. I worked with Andy Marsden’s sister, Anne, and supported them in the early days. We all went to the Judie Tzuke gig in Bristol…the band were great but wasn’t she crap! – we left after the first song with Graduate still ringing in our ears! I remember seeing the band at Nero’s Club on George street, Bath (now gone) and remember them not being allowed to play at Anne Marsdens (18th?) birthday party at the Weston hotel because they had signed a record deal.
Thank you to Michele (and a number of other people) who have been really positive about the Graduate sleeve notes although I supplied the scans/record sleeves for the record label the design ideas all came from them and I think they made a really great job anyone who has read the notes will, hopefully, get the feeling that without Graduate there would have been no Tears For Fears. yes, Graduate were a bit awkward, a bit naive, but the lyrics and even some of the songs (Ambition is a ‘great’ pop song by the way) paved the way for greater glories just one or two things on the sleeve notes to look out for: on the front where you have the ‘target’ cut in two with the band names around you can the working title for the sleeve notes – “sowing the seeds of……. Tears For Fears” (that gives you an idea where I am coming from) on the back of the sleeve notes in the bottom right hand corner, the typed sheet in the background is the release sheet that went with the white label test pressing of the ‘acting my age’ LP. Note that the release date has been crossed through and changed from April to May 1980 one final thing, Only The Best was co-written with Pauline Moore? who is she I ask myself – I will see if I can find out some more (no pun intended) on that one!!! Chris
….. “and The Who’s ‘my generation’.” Maybe that should have been ‘substitute’!! regards Chris Please see the following response from Stephen Buck: I think our normal set was about one hour, though if we were on our own we would play 2 x 45 minutes. Regarding covers, I remember we used to play a couple of Joe Jackson numbers (Is she really going out with him and I’m the man), Substitute by the Who, and in the early days, plenty of Simon and Garfunkel tunes. Andy may recall more. Regarding the gigs, I doubt anyone will still have a gig list. We had a residency at Nero’s club in Bath a couple of nights a week, and also played a few times at Moles Club. Other than that, they were mainly one-offs at various venues around Bath and Bristol, (including such well-known spots as Dursley British Legion and Odd Down Football Club!) until we ventured further afield to London etc. Stephen
03/05/03 Christopher, yes I am that other elusive member of Graduate. I have been looking at your site for a while and must congratulate you on a nostalgic trip for us all. I was reading some of the comments from various people and thought you might be interested in some little known facts.
Contrary to much of what has been written in the past Roland and Curt were never at school together. Curt attended Beechen Cliff School in Bath and Roland was at Culverhay with me. My friendship with Roland began because of our enthusiasm for the school music department ran by teacher John Fenning. We both sang in the choir and played in the school orchestra, me on double bass and Roland on percussion (Timpani and side drum). These were very happy days for both of us. One day I picked up an old guitar lying around and started playing and singing Homeward Bound (Simon & Garfunkel) Roland happened to walk in at that moment and joined in with perfect harmony vocals. He then took over on guitar. It was obvious he had been playing for some time (we were 15 then) as his skill was apparent. We started visiting each other’s houses and soon built a repertoire of Beatles, Everleys, Simon & Garfunkel etc. all with a very close vocal harmony and decided to look for some gigs. This was never going to be easy as we were under age and looking for pub gigs but nevertheless we found a couple of pubs in Bath, the “Trowbridge House ” and the “GOLDEN FLEECE” that gave us a chance. We called ourselves the “Baker Brothers” as with our flowing locks there was some similarity, and for the next year or so before we formed Graduate we had a nice little earner going.
Curt met Roland through Paul Noble who also went to school with Roland and I. Incidentally, Paul now plays guitar with “Gabrielle”. They frequented a youth club in Bath at age 14 and formed a band called “Duckz”. They played fairly heavy rock covers (Zeppelin, Deep Purple) Line up Curt Vocals, Roland -guitar, Paul-bass and Pete Howard – drums. Pete played on a “clash” album in later life. So Roland had known and been playing with Curt for a year or so before Roland hooked up with me and discarded Electric for acoustic.
A local hairdresser (Colin Wyatt) was first to spot the potential of the “Baker Brothers” and signed us to a management deal at 16 yrs old. He found us Andy Marsden and Steve Buck, changed our name to Graduate and after trying a few bass players we ended up with Curt although as he had never played bass before, Roland and I spent weeks at his flat teaching him the parts. It was also Colin who got us the deal with Tony Hatch. Unfortunately for Colin a band decision in late 1979 just before we signed with Pye saw him ousted.
I hope this has been useful, JOHN.
I asked John a few questions & his response was as follows:
Christopher, I’ll send you some more in depth stuff soon but, I have some great pics of Roland & I as “the Baker brothers” when we first signed to Colin Wyatt, and some great pics of Graduate. I have pics of Roland & I in Gilbert & Sullivan operas whilst still at school. I will try to get copies done for you. Roland was quite interested in reforming for a one-off performance for my 40th birthday a couple of years ago but we never got around to it. The Meanies have had Roland guesting a couple of times on guitar. Once, I recall was in about 1993 in Dyrham village hall near Bath. We had a lot of fun. Perhaps we will finally get everyone together for my 50th! Tony Hatch was a real pro and a gentleman. We actually could have done with a more forceful and “current” producer at the time. Someone like Steve Lillywhite etc. as Tony let Roland get away with too much and we were all pretty inexperienced at that time. As far as “Troubled son” is concerned. It definitely was not us. I have always thought that it was a track from the “Graduate” record label from the Midlands in the early 80’s, but it has always got mixed up with us. Anyway, as I said I’ll be in touch soon
THANKS TO ANDY MARSDEN (GRADUATE’S DRUMMER) FOR SENDING ME THIS SCAN
IT SHOW’S THAT ANDY’S DRUMS ARE STILL IN USE TODAY IN HIS CURRENT BAND – THE PERSON IN THE BACKGROUND IS NONE OTHER THAN JOHN BAKER (GUITAR/VOCALS IN GRADUATE) WHO IS ALSO PART OF THE OUTFIT.
Graduate – Troubled Son
It has been commonly believed for some time that the pre TFF band Graduate did not release a 7″ single called Troubled Son/Return. That is indeed true BUT who did release this single? Does it really exist?
After many years of ‘searching’ I have ‘found’ the 7″ single in question. It was by a band called Graduate, it did have the catalogue number GRAD 1 & it’s nothing to do with Roland & Curt!!!
GRADUATE – BIOGRAPHY
(As taken from my previous web pages which were last updated 27 December 2014)
GRADUATE WERE FORMED IN BATH IN 1979 AND TOOK THEIR NAME FROM THE FACT THAT THEY USED TO OPEN THEIR GIGS WITH A COVER VERSION OF SIMON AND GARFUNKEL’S ‘MRS ROBINSON’ AS FEATURED IN THE SUBLIME FILM ‘THE GRADUATE’. THE GROUP CONSISTED OF JOHN BAKER, GUITAR AND VOCALS; STEVE BUCK, KEYBOARDS AND FLAUTIST; ANDY MARSDEN, DRUMS; ROLAND ORZABAL, GUITAR AND KEYBOARDS; CURT SMITH, BASS AND SYNTHESIZERS. IT WOULD APPEAR THAT CURT WAS NOT AN ORIGINAL MEMBER OF THE BAND. ROLAND, JOHN AND ANDY WERE GIGGING AROUND BEFORE THE NAME GRADUATE WAS TAKEN ON.
THE BAND WERE REGARDED AS ONE OF THE MANY SKA INFLUENCED GROUPS ACTIVE DURING THE MOD-REVIVAL OF THE 1970’S. ANDY DISAGREES WITH THIS ANALOGY. “WE HAPPENED TO BE AROUND AT THE END OF THE 70’S ALONG WITH A NUMBER OF SKA INFLUENCED GROUPS SUCH AS SELECTOR, BAD MANNERS, MADNESS ETC BUT WE WERE NOT TWO TONE (AS SKA WAS CALLED THEN). ROLAND HAD HEARD AN INTERVIEW GIVEN BY ELVIS COSTELLO WHERE HE SAID THAT ALL SKA GROUPS AT THAT TIME WERE SIMPLY “ONE HIT WONDERS” TRYING TO CASH-IN ON THE MOD REVIVAL. ROL FELT THAT HIS COMMENTS WERE SOUR GRAPES BECAUSE A LOT OF THE SONGS IN THE CHARTS AT THAT TIME WERE DOING BETTER THAN ELVIS COSTELLO’S SONGS. BECAUSE OF THIS, ROL WROTE ‘ELVIS SHOULD PLAY SKA’. IN OTHER WORDS – STOP MOANING AND WRITE A SKA SONG YOURSELF. IT WAS BASICALLY A MICKEY-TAKE, BUT BECAUSE IT WAS WRITTEN IN A SKA FASHION, THE RECORD COMPANY LATCHED ONTO THE ‘SKA’ THING. NO OTHER GRADUATE SONGS WERE SIMILAR, BUT PYE RECORDS DECIDED TO PACKAGE THE BAND WITH THAT IMAGE, AND EVEN TOOK US DOWN THE KINGS ROAD IN CHELSEA TO CHOOSE ZOOT SUITS. WE HAD TO WEAR THESE DARK GREEN SUITS AT ALL OUR GIGS (THEY WERE LIKE THE SUITS THE BEATLES WORE IN THE 60’S) AND WE WERE PHOTOGRAPHED WEARING THEM ON THE COVER OF THE ‘ACTING MY AGE’ ALBUM, AS WELL AS IN SOME OTHER PHOTO SHOOTS. BECAUSE OF THIS, A LOT OF PEOPLE THOUGHT WE WERE A SKA BAND, WHICH WAS OF COURSE NOT THE CASE.”
“HERE’S A FUNNY ASIDE, THE SUITS HAD BLACK PIPING AROUND THE COLLAR AND CUFFS AND DOWN THE SIDE OF THE TROUSERS, A BIT LIKE A FORMAL DINNER SUIT, AND IT MUST HAVE BEEN STUCK ON WITH FISH GLUE BECAUSE ONCE ON STAGE, WITH THE HEAT OF THE LIGHTS COUPLED WITH PHYSICAL EXERTION, THERE WAS A HORRID SMELL OF FISH AFTER ABOUT 15 MINUTES!”, CONTINUES ANDY.
I THOUGHT THAT IAN STANLEY WAS A MEMBER OF GRADUATE AT SOME STAGE BUT THIS WAS NOT THE CASE. ANDY POINTED OUT THAT “IAN STANLEY WAS NEVER A MEMBER OF GRADUATE. IN OUR SECOND INCARNATION AS GRADUATE (WITHOUT ROL AND CURT) WE RECORDED A LOAD OF SONGS AT HIS HOUSE. HE SUBSEQUENTLY GOT TO KNOW ROL AND YOU KNOW THE REST. RUMOUR HAS IT THAT IAN WAS INVITED TO TOUR WITH TFF, NOT BECAUSE OF HIS MUSICAL ABILITY (HE WAS A BUILDER, NOT A MUSO), BUT BECAUSE IAN HAD LET ROL RECORD AT HIS HOUSE WHEN ROL HAD NO MONEY. HOW THINGS HAVE CHANGED!!!!”
IT IS THEREFORE INTERESTING TO NOTE THAT A NUMBER OF THE MUSICIANS THAT COLLABORATED WITH ROLAND AND CURT IN TEARS FOR FEARS ARE ASSOCIATED WITH GRADUATE IN ONE FORM OR ANOTHER.
WORKING HARD AROUND THE BATH CLUB CIRCUIT GRADUATE GAINED NATIONAL EXPOSURE WHEN THEY TOURED AS SUPPORT TO JUDIE TZUKE (WHO WAS RIDING HIGH IN THE CHARTS WITH HER ‘SPORTS CAR’ ALBUM). THE SPORTS CAR TOUR PROGRAMME MAKES NO MENTION OF GRADUATE ALTHOUGH ONE JUDIE TZUKE FAN REMARKED THAT “MY ONLY RECOLLECTION IS THAT GRADUATE WEREN’T VERY IMPRESSIVE AND I WAS STUNNED WHEN THEY BECAME TFF.”
ANDY HAS LOADS OF GOSSIP FROM THE TOUR AND HOPEFULLY WE WILL GET TO HEAR MORE IN THE FUTURE. “I ALSO HAVE A TOUR ITINERY AND SOME OTHER BITS AND PIECES SOMEWHERE,” RECALLS ANDY.
I BELIEVE THAT CURT MET HIS FIRST WIFE AT A GRADUATE GIG. SHE WAS IN THE FRONT ROW OF THE AUDIENCE AND SHE STUCK HER TONGUE OUT AT HIM!! THEY MET AFTER THE SHOW AND OBVIOUSLY GOT ON A LITTLE BETTER.
GRADUATE SUPPORTED JUDIE ON ALL OF THE ‘SPORTS CAR’ TOUR. THE DATES WERE AS FOLLOWS:
DATE VENUE TOWN/CITY
13TH APRIL 1980 DRURY LANE LONDON
14TH APRIL 1980 BRIGHTON DOME BRIGHTON
15TH APRIL 1980 GUILDHALL PORTSMOUTH
16TH APRIL 1980 WINTER GARDENS BOURNEMOUTH
18TH APRIL 1980 PRINCESS THEATRE TORQUAY
20TH APRIL 1980 COLSTON HALL BRISTOL
21ST APRIL 1980 NEW THEATRE OXFORD
22ND APRIL 1980 APOLLO MANCHESTER
23RD APRIL 1980 APOLLO GLASGOW
24TH APRIL 1980 ODEON EDINBURGH
25TH APRIL 1980 CITY HALL NEWCASTLE
26TH APRIL 1980 TOWN HALL MIDDLESBOROUGH
27TH APRIL 1980 GRAND THEATRE LEEDS
29TH APRIL 1980 CITY HALL SHEFFIELD
30TH APRIL 1980 EMPIRE LIVERPOOL
01ST MAY 1980 DE MONTFORT HALL LEICESTER
02ND MAY 1980 ASSEMBLEY ROOMS DERBY
03RD MAY 1980 CIVIC HALL WOLVERHAMPTON
04TH MAY 1980 ODEON BIRMINGHAM
06TH MAY 1980 FAIRFIELD HALLS CROYDON
07TH MAY 1980 GAUMONT IPSWICH
09TH MAY 1980 DRURY LANE LONDON
17TH MAY 1980 POLYTECHNIC SHEFFIELD
A PRESS REVIEW OF THE LONDON SHOW PRESENTED GRADUATE IN A POSITIVE LIGHT EXCEPT FOR THE DESCRIPTION OF A COVER VERSION OF THE WHO’S ‘SUBSTITUTE’ IN WHICH THE REVIEWER STATED THAT THEY SOUNDED LIKE “A YOUTH CLUB BAND”.
IRONICALLY ENOUGH, CURT SMITH WOULD REKINDLE HIS ASSOCIATION WITH JUDIE TZUKE ON THE ROCK AGAINST REPATRIATION CHITY SINGLE ‘SAILING’ (YES, THE ‘ONE’ ASSOCIATED WITH ROD STEWART) WHICH WAS RELEASED ON IRS RECORDS ON 19/02/90. CURT AND JUDIE WERE AMONGST A NUMBER OF ‘GUEST’ VOCALISTS.
PRIOR TO THE SPORTS CAR TOUR GRADUATE HAD COME TO THE ATTENTION OF PRECISION RECORDS TO WHOM THEY SIGNED IN JANUARY 1980. ALL OF THE PRECISION MATERIAL WAS RECORDED AT CRESCENT STUDIOS IN BATH, UNDER THE PRODUCTION TEAM OF TONY HATCH (NOTABLE FOR THE CROSSROADS THEME TUNE!) AND GLENN TOMMEY. IT IS INTERESTING TO NOTE THAT GLENN’S ASSOCIATION WITH THE BAND PREDATES THE PRECISION YEARS (GLENN WAS THE ENGINEER ON ‘MAD ONE’). ALL SONGS WERE WRITTEN BY ORZABAL WITH THE EXCEPTION OF ONE TITLE COMPOSED BY SMITH.
‘ELVIS SHOULD PLAY SKA’ REFERRED TO ELVIS COSTELLO WHO ORZABAL WOULD GROW TO ADMIRE IN FUTURE YEARS AND REACHED THE DIZZY HEIGHTS OF 106 IN THE HIT PARADE IN THE UK. NOTABLE RECORD SALES DID NOT FOLLOW ALTHOUGH GRADUATE PROVED POPULAR IN MAINLAND EUROPE, PARTICULARLY SPAIN WHERE THEY HAD A MINOR HIT. TOURS OF GERMANY AND SPAIN FOLLOWED AS A RESULT.
IN THE SUMMER OF 1980 GRADUATE SET ABOUT RECORDING THEIR SECOND LP WHICH WAS TO BE CALLED AMBITION (AFTER THE SINGLE OF THE SAME NAME). DEMO’S WERE RECORDED BUT THE PLANNED 12 TRACK LP WAS NEVER RELEASED.
I AM LUCKY ENOUGH TO BE IN POSSESSION OF A CDR WHICH INCLUDES THOSE DEMO’S. THE TRACKS ARE AS FOLLOWS:
ONLY THE BEST – INCLUDES THE LYRIC ” I JUST WANNA SHOUT, HOW I WANT TO HIT OUT”. SOUND FAMILIAR TO A CERTAIN WORLDWIDE HIT……
PREMATURE BABY – WRITTEN BY ROLAND, WITH AFFECTION, FOR HIS OLDER BROTHER. CURT AND ANDY WERE REALLY PROUD THAT THEY GOT THE DRUMS AND BASS RECORDED IN ONE TAKE.
HAPPENED SO FAST – THE FIRST SONG WITH CURT ON VOCALS. WITH REFERENCES TO PRIMAL THERAPY.
OH U BOYS – INCLUDED THE LINE “MEET YOU AT CHARLIES”. CHARLIE BROWNS WAS A BATH NIGHTCLUB WHERE THEY GOT THEIR FIRST GIGS.
THINK OF ME – AT FIRST, ROLAND, JOHN AND ANDY USED TO DO ACOUSTIC GIGS IN PUBS. THIS WAS ONE OF THE FIRST NON-COVERS THEY ATTEMPTED. WRITTEN BY ROLAND WHEN HE WAS 14.
ME OR YOU – THE FIRST SONG CO-WRITTEN BY ROLAND AND CURT.
ALSO INCLUDED WITH THE DEMO’S ARE :
SUFFER THE CHILDREN – DEMO (WHITE PAPERS, 27 FEB. 1981). DEMO RECORDED IN ONE EVENING AT CRESCENT STUDIOS IN BATH. RECORDED LIVE, KEYBOARD ADDED LATER ON.
JULIE JULIE (23 JULY. 1979) – THE FIRST SONG RECORDED AFTER SIGNING THEIR RECORDING CONTRACT. PART OF A SESSION LASTING 23/24/25 JULY.
SAM (18 FEB.1980) – ONE OF A BATCH CONSIDERED FOR THE 2ND LP. A FAVOURITE OF ANDY’S.
ALSO THERE ARE TWO SONGS RECORDED LIVE AT A GRADUATE GIG AT “MARQUEE MADRID” IN SPAIN IN FRONT OF A LIVELY GATHERING.
WHITE PAPERS – THE TITLE REFERS TO THE VISA NEEDED TO ENTER THE US AT THE TIME. THAT WAS WHERE ROLAND WAS HOPING TO GO BECAUSE THERE WERE NO PRIMAL THERAPY SESSIONS IN THE UK. ROLAND ANNOUNCES THE TITLE OF THE TRACK IN SPANISH AND THEN ENGLISH.
I’M A MAN – A JOE JACKSON COVER DURING WHICH ROLAND, IN SPANISH, STATES THAT THIS IS THE LAST SONG. ROLAND ALSO COMMENTS ON “HOW IN ENGLAND IT IS A SIN TO DO COVER VERSIONS”.
IT IS COMMONLY BELIEVED THAT LATE IN 1981 GRADUATE DISBANDED LEAVING ORZABAL AND SMITH FREE TO SIGN WITH MERCURY RECORDS AS A DUO (THE EXPERIENCE OF GRADUATE HAD DENTED ANY DESIRE TO BE PART OF A “BAND”) NAMED TEARS FOR FEARS. LEGEND STATES THAT THEIR INITIAL RELEASE FOR MERCURY ‘SUFFER THE CHILDREN/WINO’ (NOV 81) STARTED LIFE AS A PRECISION SESSION AND THE DUO PURCHASED THIS AS PART OF THEIR CONTRACT RELEASE. ALTHOUGH THIS TOO FAILED TO CHART IT DID EVENTUALLY CLIMB TO NO.52 IN 1985 AS A REISSUE.
SUFFER THE CHILDREN WAS CERTAINLY THEIR FIRST RELEASE AS TEARS FOR FEARS. IT WAS RECORDED ON FEBRUARY 27TH, 1981 UNDER THE NAME ‘WHITE PAPERS’ AT CRESCENT STUDIOS IN BATH. RECORDED LIVE IN ONE EVENING BETWEEN ROLAND, CURT AND ANDY.
THE MOD/SKA REVIVAL WAS SOON TO BE REPLACED BY A SYNTH POP REVOLUTION. HAVE YOU EVER THOUGHT THAT THE JUMP FROM GRADUATE TO TEARS FOR FEARS WAS MUSICALLY (NOT NECESSARILY LYRICALLY: ALTHOUGH THE GRADUATE LYRICS SHOW A LACK OF MATURITY/A NAIVETY) IMMENSE? I CERTAINLY HAVE.
STEP FORWARD ‘NEON’!!!. IN DECEMBER 1979 ROB FISHER AND PETE BYRNE MET IN BATH AND A NEW BAND WAS FORMED. NEON’S FIRST SINGLE WAS RECORDED AS A DUO AND RELEASED ON THEIR OWN LABEL.
NEON’S SECOND SINGLE ‘COMMUNICATION WITHOUT SOUND’ WAS RELEASED IN JULY 1981 AND FEATURED NEIL TAYLOR (LATER OF TFF FAME) ON GUITAR. AFTER ITS RELEASE NEON WERE JOINED BY CURT SMITH (BASS) AND MANNY ELIAS (DRUMS). GRADUATE HAD OBVIOUSLY SPLIT AT THIS TIME AND NEON TOURED AROUND THE WEST OF ENGLAND FOR A WHILE.
NEIL TAYLOR LEFT TO BE REPLACED BY ROLAND ORZABAL. NEON THEN WENT INTO CRESCENT STUDIOS TO RECORD ‘VICTIMS OF FACT’ AND ‘PRICE YOU PAY’. NEITHER OF THESE TRACKS WERE EVER RELEASED. CURT PLAYED BASS, ROLAND GUITAR, MANNY DRUMS, ROB FISHER KEYBOARDS AND PETE BYRNE WAS THE SINGER.
THIS INFO IS FROM PETE BYRNE. ANDY STATED THAT “ROL AND CURT WERE NEVER PART OF NEON OFFICIALLY. THE GUYS SIMPLY GUESTED AS TFF HAD NOT AT THIS TIME BEEN OFFICIALLY CREATED.”
I HAVE HEARD A MP3 RECORDING OF ‘VICTIMS OF FACT’. IT IS A CLASSIC SLICE OF EARLY 80’S POP WITH A KEYBOARD RIFF AKIN TO OMD. IT IS MY OPINION THAT THE EXPERIENCE OF NEON HAD A SIGNIFICANT AFFECT ON THE MUSICAL ASPIRATIONS OF BOTH CURT AND ROLAND. IT IS A REAL PITY THAT THESE TRACKS HAVE NEVER BEEN COMMERCIALLY RELEASED.
WHEN I CONTACTED PETE BYRNE TO ASK HIM WHETHER ‘PRICE YOU PAY’ WILL SURFACE AS A MP3 AND WHETHER ANY PRESS RELEASES/PHOTO’S EXIST OF NEON FEATURING ROLAND AND CURT HE RESPONDED THAT “IT’S POSSIBLE, THERE ARE SOME ITEMS, INCLUDING LIVE TV SHOWS, THAT MAY BECOME AVAILABLE.”
IT HAS BEEN REPORTED THAT NEON BROKE UP IN DECEMBER ‘81. BEARING IN MIND THAT ‘SUFFER THE CHILDREN’ WAS RELEASED IN OCTOBER OF THAT YEAR IT COULD BE THAT ROLAND AND CURT WERE PART OF NEON WHEN THE FIRST TFF SINGLE WAS RELEASED.
AFTER THE SPLIT ROB AND PETE SIGNED TO EMI AS NAKED EYES AND GAINED NOTORIETY FOR A COVER OF ‘ALWAYS SOMETHING THERE TO REMIND ME’ IN SEPT ’82. IT IS IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT ALL OF NEON’S MUSIC WAS WRITTEN BY ROB AND PETE. IT SOUNDED LIKE NAKED EYES WITH LIVE GUITAR AND DRUMS!
TEARS FOR FEARS THIRD SINGLE RELEASE WAS THE GROUNDBREAKING ‘MAD WORLD’. RELEASED ON 12/08/82 IT PEAKED AT NUMBER THREE IN THE UK CHARTS WHERE IT STAYED FOR THREE WEEKS.
CERTAIN PUBLICATIONS HAVE STATED THAT WHILST TFF WERE CONTEMPLATING A FOLLOW UP AND WORLD DOMINATION, PRECISION RELEASED THE GRADUATE TRACKS ‘TROUBLED SON/RETURN’ IN AN ATTEMPT TO CASH IN. CURT SMITH HAS STATED THAT THIS RECORD DOES NOT EXIST. HOWEVER, I HAVE SEEN THIS RECORD ADVERTISED FOR SALE MANY YEARS AGO. IT THEREFORE DOES EXIST AS A RECORD BUT AS TO WHO IT WAS BY REMAINS A MYSTERY. INTERESTINGLY ENOUGH YOU WOULD HAVE EXPECTED ROLAND TO HAVE PENNED A TRACK TITLED ‘TROUBLED SON’ AT THAT TIME.
ANDY HAS ALSO CONFIRMED THAT THIS TRACK DOES NOT EXIST.
IT MAY BE THAT THE TRACK WAS RELEASED BY ANOTHER SIMILARLY NAMED BAND OR RECORD LABEL.
I CAN CONFIRM THAT THE RECORD WAS NOT RELEASED BY THE ENGLISH BASED ‘GRADUATE’ RECORD LABEL. I HAVE SEEN A DISCOGRAPHY OF THE LABELS RELEASES, AS PRODUCED BY THE COMPANY ITSELF, AND IT HAS NEVER RELEASED THIS OR ANY SIMILARLY NAMED TRACK. ALSO, GRADUATE ARE NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH ‘THE GRADUATES’ WHO RELEASED A SINGLE IN 1979 CALLED ‘IF YOU WANT IT’ WITH THE CATALOGUE NUMBER GRAD 1. THIS IS A TOTALLY DIFFERENT BAND. FURTHERMORE, DO NOT BE CONFUSED BY THE GRADUATES WHO ARE A DALLAS BASED SKA OUTFIT. THEY RELEASED THEIR DEBUT LP CALLED ‘UP IN DOWNTOWN’ ON 22/09/98 ON THE BEATVILLE LABEL.
CONFUSION STILL ABOUNDS BUT ONE THING IS FOR SURE IS THAT THIS RECORD CERTAINLY EXISTS. BY WHOM IS A MYSTERY. KEEP CHECKING THOSE BARGAIN BINS AND MAYBE JUST ONE DAY WE’LL ALL FIND OUT!
WHILST ORZABAL AND SMITH WERE/ARE MORE THAN KEEN TO FORGET THE DAYS WHEN AN ASSAULT ON THE CHARTS MEANT SHARP SUITS AND EVEN SHARPER SHOES, WHILST IN GRADUATE THE FOUNDATIONS FOR TEARS FOR FEARS WERE BEING LAID. TITLES SUCH AS ‘BAD DREAMS’ AND ‘ACTING MY AGE’ AND THE LYRICAL CONTENT OF THESE AND MANY OTHER TRACKS ON THE LP SPOKE OPENLY OF THE TROUBLED UPBRINGING OF ROLAND (AND CURT). WHILST THESE TRACKS MAY MAKE YOU CRINGE NOW, THEY MARKED A LEARNING CURVE WHICH WOULD SEE TFF EVOLVE INTO ONE OF THE BIGGEST BANDS IN THE WORLD.
INCIDENTALLY, CHARLTON PETTUS (MAYFIELD) WAS GIVEN A MINT COPY OF A GRADUATE RECORD FOR HIS BIRTHDAY A WHILE BACK MUCH TO THE DISTASTE OF CURT.
ON A LIGHTER NOTE, GRADUATE’S FIRST MANAGER WAS AN ECCENTRIC MAN WHO ALLOWED THEM TO REHEARSE IN HIS HOUSE. HE WAS WELL KNOWN FOR HIS OUTSPOKEN BEHAVIOUR AND HAD A CAR WITH THE NUMBER PLATE ‘MAD 1’. HENCE THE SONG, WHICH IS ABOUT HIM. ‘MAD ONE’ IS THEREFORE NOT AN EARLY VERSION OF ‘MAD WORLD’.
ANDY STATES, HOWEVER, THAT “TONY HILL WHO ‘COMMISSIONED’ GRADUATE TO WRITE ‘MAD1’ WAS NEVER OUR MANAGER. HE WANTED TO BE BUT HE HAD NO CONNECTIONS IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY, ALTHOUGH HE HAD BUILT UP A SUCCESSFUL CAR NUMBER PLATE BUSINESS. HE PAID US TO RECORD THE SONG AND SIMPLY THAT.”
I MENTIONED RADIO I DJ PETER POWELL EARLIER. ANDY RECALLS THE TIME THEY FIRST MET HIM AT A RADIO I “ROADSHOW”. “WE JUST TURNED UP TO HEAR THE MUSIC, BUT WHEN WE HEARD ‘ELVIS SHOULD PLAY SKA’ WE THOUGHT WE’D INTRODUCE OURSELVES. ONCE WE HAD CONVINCED THE SECURITY GUYS THAT IT WAS REALLY US, HE INTERVIEWED US LIVE ON AIR AND WAS A CHARMING MAN. PITY WE DIDN’T HAVE A CHANCE TO TAPE IT BUT IT WAS TOTALLY SPONTANEOUS. THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN AROUND 1980 I GUESS.”
JUST AS AN ASIDE I THINK IT IS INTERESTING TO NOTE ONE OR TWO POINTS ABOUT THE PEOPLE ASSOCIATED WITH GRADUATE:
TONY HATCH IS A RENOWNED PRODUCER AND WROTE ‘DOWNTOWN’ AS SUNG BY PETULA CLARK AND ALSO WROTE THE THEME TUNES TO THE CHAMPIONS AND NEIGHBOURS.
AFTER GRADUATE SPLIT TONY’S SON, DARREN, JOINED THE NEXT GENERATION OF GRADUATE AND THEY DID A FEW GIGS AND WROTE SOME OF THEIR OWN SONGS , AS WELL AS DOING SOME OF THE OLD ONES.
GLENN TOMMEY WAS THE MANAGER AS WELL AS THE ENGINEER. GLENN PLAYS GUITAR IN A BAND CALLED THE BLUE MEANIES. THIS BAND FEATURES ROLAND’S YOUNGER BROTHER (JULIAN). BLUE MEANIES ALSO COMPRISES ANDY AND JOHN BAKER AND JAMES WARREN OF THE KORGIS AND A GUY CALLED MARTIN SHEPHERD. “WE DO COVERS AND IT’S JUST FOR FUN,” STATES ANDY.
ANDY MARSDEN ALSO PLAYED DRUMS ON ‘SUFFER THE CHILDREN’ AS MENTIONED PREVIOUSLY.
JOHN BAKER IS LISTED IN THE CREDITS OF ‘ELEMENTAL’. HE SINGS BACKING VOCALS ON ‘COLD’ AND ‘BREAK IT DOWN AGAIN’.
ANDY DAVIS BECAME A MEMBER OF THE KORGIS WHO WERE FAMOUS FOR ‘EVERYBODY’S GOT TO LEARN SOMETIMES’ AND ‘IF I HAD YOU’.
Blue Hat Records 