The Delgados - Primary Alternative (2005)

The Delgados were a four-piece indie-rock band from Glasgow, comprised of guitarist/vocalist Alun Woodward, guitarist/vocalist Emma Pollock, bass guitarist Stewart Henderson, and drummer Paul Savage. Taking their name from the famous Spanish cyclist Pedro Delgado, one-time winner of the Tour de France in the late 1980's, The Delgados formed in 1995 after Woodward, Henderson, and Savage were asked to leave Bubblegum, a band they played in together during 1993 and 1994. With the addition of Savage's then-girlfriend, and later wife, Emma Pollock, they set about crafting songs, drawing inspiration from less obvious artists, such as The Incredible String Band and Hamish Imlach. Besides the inclusion of an early track for a Canadian-released compilation, the group failed to gain label interest, and so they decided to take it upon themselves to release records by founding their own label, Chemikal Underground. From the beginning, the quartet was adamant that the label would not only serve as a vehicle for their own music, but for that of other aspiring groups in the musically fertile city of Glasgow, and since its inception the label has channelled the careers of Mogwai, Arab Strap, Magoo, Cha Cha Cohen, and the Radar Brothers. At first, however, the band were often overshadowed by their own record company, being better known for their label than for their music, so they buckled down and released their debut single 'Monica Webster'/'Brand New Car', which became a Melody Maker Single of the Week. After issuing the 'Lazarwalker' EP on the Radar imprint, they returned to Chemikal Underground for the 1996 release of the singles 'Cinecentre' and 'Sucrose', culminating in the 'Under Canvas, Under Wraps' EP, which was named number three on John Peel's Festive 50 of 1996, with Peel later dubbing The Delgados the best band in Britain in 1998. 

Their initial success also led to a slot supporting Elastica for a short tour of the UK, and in October 1996 they released their first album, 'Domestiques', hailed by New Musical Express as a "dazzling debut which positively drips with diversity." Such praise in the music press, coupled with headlining gigs at smaller venues at the end of 1996 and into 1997, helped establish the band as a major player in the British underground music scene, and highlights of 1997 included tours with the Wedding Present and Pavement. In August 1997 the group were offered a John Peel session, debuting three new songs which would later appear on their second album, but before that 'Everything Goes Around The Water' was issued as a single in March 1998, earning another Single of the Week honour in both New Musical Express and Melody Maker. Returning from a short Italian tour, the band joined Peel for his Evening Session program, where they played their second single 'Pull The Wires From The Wall', which provided the group with their first airing on Daytime Radio 1, and their first showing in the UK Top 75, entering at number 69. Second album 'Peloton' was released in June 1998, and was met with universal praise from both critics and fans alike on both sides of the Atlantic. The songs were extremely inventive, including odd structures, snatched guitar patterns, strange noises, samples, swirling strings, cut-ups and abrupt changes, all serving to create something wonderfully odd. At the end of the year, the record appeared on several "best of" lists, and the band had three showings on John Peel's Festive 50 of 1998, including the number one slot. In the spring of 1999, The Delgados embarked upon a two-week American tour, then returned to Britain for the Glastonbury and T in the Park festivals, plus a performance at the opening of the Scottish Parliament. Sessions for their third album started in September 1998, but the group found the project both long and arduous, so they decided to enlist the help of someone not involved in the recording process, and they approached Dave Fridmann, producer for the Flaming Lips, Mercury Rev, and Mogwai. 

Fortunately, Fridmann agreed, and 'The Great Eastern' finally hit the shops in April 2000. Most agreed that the album was The Delgados' most accomplished work to date, a miraculous achievement especially given its fractured and prolonged recording process, and its quality was vindicated when it was short-listed for the prestigious Mercury Music Prize. The band also won the Spirit of Scotland Award, an honour recognizing individuals who inspire and lead the way in Scottish culture. In March 2001, The Delgados appeared at London's Barbican Centre to perform their original score to a film based on the work of painter Joe Coleman, and in 2002 their fourth studio album, 'Hate', was released on Mantra rather than the band's own label, returning to Chemikal Underground for their fifth and final studio album 'Universal Audio' in 2004. In April 2005 the band announced that they were splitting up, due to the departure of Henderson, who found it difficult to pour so much energy and time into something that he felt never seemed to get the attention or respect it deserved. All four continued to run Chemikal Underground together, while Pollock and Woodward pursued individual projects, and Savage continued production duties at the band's new studio, Chem19. I'm grateful that the band were so generous to their fans by adding new songs to nearly all their singles, as they truly were a great outfit, and so I'm particularly pleased to be able to post this three disc set of rare singles and b-sides, which will be a god-send to fans of the band, and will hopefully introduce a whole new raft of listeners to one of the great indie groups of the 1990's.    

Track listing

Disc I - 1994-1996
01 Freud's Field Day (from The MiST Masters - Fledgling' compilation album 1994)
02 Monica Webster (single 1995)
03 Brand New Car (b-side of 'Monica Webster')

04 Primary Alternative (from 'The Lazarwalker' EP 1995)
05 Lazarwalker (from 'The Lazarwalker' EP 1995)
06 Buttonhole (from 'The Lazarwalker' EP 1995)
07 Blackwell (from 'The Lazarwalker' EP 1995)
08 I've Only Just Started To Breathe (from the Che Records double 7" compilation 1995)
09 Booker T. Jones (split single with Urusei Yatsura 1995)
10 Liquidation Girl (split single with Van Impe 1996)
11 Cinecentre (single 1996)
12 Thirteen Gliding Principles (b-side of 'Cinecentre')
13 M.Emulator (b-side of 'Cinecentre')

Disc II - 1996-1998
01 The Dirge (b-side of 'Sucrose' 1996)

02 Chalk (b-side of 'Sucrose' 1996)
03 Eurosprint (b-side of 'Sucrose' 1996)

04 Een Telf (b-side of 'Under Canvas Under Wraps' 1996)
05 Bear Cub (b-side of 'Under Canvas Under Wraps' 1996)
06 Strathcona (b-side of 'Under Canvas Under Wraps' 1996)
07 Sacré Charlemagné (split single with New Bad Things 1997)
08 The Drowned And The Saved (b-side of 'Everything Goes Around The Water' 1998)
09 Mark The Day (b-side of 'Pull The Wires From The Wall' 1998)
10 Mauron Chanson (b-side of 'Pull The Wires From The Wall' 1998)
11 A Very Cellular Song (b-side of 'The Weaker Argument Defeats The Stronger' 1998)

Disc III - 2000-2005
01 Euphoria Heights (b-side of 'American Trilogy' 2000)
02 How Can We Hang On To A Dream (b-side of 'American Trilogy' 2000)
03 The Choices You've Made (b-side of 'No Danger' 2000)
04 Don't Sleep (b-side of 'No Danger' 2000)
05 Coalman (b-side of 'Coming In From Cold' 2002)
06 Crutches (b-side of 'Coming In From Cold' 2002)
07 Mad Drums (b-side of 'All You Need Is Hate' 2003)
08 Mr. Blue Sky (b-side of 'All You Need Is Hate' 2003)
09 Don't Leave Clean (b-side of 'Everybody Come Down' 2004)
10 I See Secrets (b-side of 'Everybody Come Down' 2004)
11 Ballad Of Accounting (BBC Radio 1 session) (b-side of 'Girls Of Valour' 2005)
12 Last Rose Of Summer (BBC Radio 1 session) (b-side of 'Girls Of Valour' 2005)