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Clearer and other singles, 1991-1998

Clearer and other singles, 1991-1998
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In accordance with label policy, none of the songs on the half dozen singles and EPs Blueboy recorded for Sarah Records were included on the band's two albums. So here they all are, from debut 7” Clearer, whose limpid beauty and whispered vocal belies its lyrical fury at the Tories' homophobic Clause 28 legislation ("Goodbye freedom, goodbye freedom, we've gone back 30 years...") – a fury that also fuels the pent-up explosion of guitars on follow-up Popkiss – to Toulouse, the very last song on the very last single released by Sarah ("I don't want to change the world any more..."). And as the haunting, drumless Air France ("smile me into bed and take my innocence") and summery haze of Try Happiness ("stained-glass windows like my heart, wide open...") expand into River's epic soundscapes and Dirty Mags' provocative take on Britpop's guitary snarl, the extraordinary breadth and subtlety of Blueboy's music is majestically revealed. Also included on the compilation are the two singles the band later released on Shinkansen Recordings: Love Yourself, a huge, swirling layered wash of keyboards and guitar that came paired with the spare, acoustic Melancholia, featuring some of Keith's best storytelling ("she breaks down, drinks vodka in Mum's dressing gown..."), and Marco Polo, whose shiny, scintillating pop was backed by the hushed atmospherics of (almost) instrumental What Do People Do All Day? The album concludes with the full, unedited version of River – the original had to be curtailed to fit on a 7" single, but here the song ends, as it was always meant to, in stuttering guitar noise and feedback.

Blueboy rose from the ashes of Reading band Feverfew, with Keith Girdler (vocals) and Paul Stewart (guitar) later joined by Mark Cousens (bass), Gemma Townley (cello, vocals), Harvey Williams (guitar) and Lloyd Haggar (later Martin Rose) on drums. They released eight 7"s and three LPs on Sarah/Shinkansen. In 2024, Paul, Gemma, Mark and Martin got back together to play live and record new 7” ‘One’.

Found tracks

Blueboy - Clearer
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Blueboy - Alison
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Blueboy - Popkiss
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Blueboy - Chelsea Guitar
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Blueboy - Fearon
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Blueboy - Meet Johnny Rave
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Blueboy - Elle
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Blueboy - Air France
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Blueboy - Try Happiness
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Blueboy - A Gentle Sigh
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Blueboy - Stephanie
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Blueboy - River
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Blueboy - Nimbus
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Blueboy - Hit
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Blueboy - Dirty Mags
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Blueboy - Loony Tunes
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Blueboy - Toulouse
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Blueboy - Love Yourself
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Blueboy - Melancholia
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Blueboy - Marco Polo
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Blueboy - What Do People Do All Day?
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Blueboy - River (extended version)
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