Firestation Records - Withdrawn & Unreleased

People asked me recently what's the story behind the “lost“ cataloguenumbers from Firestation Records. Back in the early years (1998 – 2001) there were three records which never made into the pressing plant.
First up we have FST 010. We started the Sound Of Leamington Spa serie back in 1998. One of the first band's we've been in touch with back then were Manchester based ASIA FIELDS. The band just released their third single a couple of months earlier, so it was no bigger problem to contact them. After a couple of e-mails the group agreed to include “Dazed“ on the compilation serie. Beside this they sent over three demo-tapes full of amazing songs. We offers a 7“ release and everythings seems to work well until the day we lost contact to the band some months later. What a shame ! Believe me, it would have made an brilliant release ! Listen to the songs again makes my day ! Full of jangly guitars and funky rhythms, how wonderful ! This band was so special and i feel sad this moment again that the release never happens.
Please find the demo tapes tracklists as follows:

Demo 1:

Know Who You Are
Chances
Waking Up

Demo 2:

Know Who You Are
Sneakin
Chances

Demo 3:

That Feelin
Humming Bird
Bluke

As far as i know all these tracks remain unreleased elsewhere.

Next up we have FST 022 which was reserved for London-based indiepopstars BOB. It was in the plan to co-release an compilation-album by the band with Clarendon Records (then still called TweeNet). Peter met the band a couple of times back in 2000 and things looks good for an great release. I have to say honest that i can't remember why this release remains to be unreleased.

The tracklist for that unreleased album looks as follows:

Extension Bob Please
Groove
It Was Kevin
Kirsty
What A Performance
Come Winter
You To Me
Tour Song
Who You Are
Bloodline
STP
Say You're Alone
Queen Of Sheba
You Can't Stop For A Start
On Your Side
Plastered In Paris
Coquette
Don't Know

All of these songs were recorded in Banwell as the band wrote on the tape sleeve's. Without a doubt this collection feat. some of the finest tracks the band has written in their career. Highlights including an early version of “Leave The Straight Life Behind“ (then called “Was It Kevin“), the acoustic based “Come Winter“ or the mighty “Queen Of Sheeba“. Hopefully the band will include all these songs on their website soon, so look out for it !

Back in the early days of the year 2001 i heard some tracks by spain-based band FINE. The group released a wonderful 4 track EP in 2000 on spanish label Strange Ones. Beside this EP the label provides us with an live-tape which i believe was recorded at the band's hometown Barcelona. My heart was beats fast and faster while listening to all these great tunes. I was thinking about about early Cardigans or songs by my alltime faves Cloudberry Jam, so i put on my computer and wrote over a mail to the label before the tape was finished. There was no doubt, i wanted to release a record by them as fast as possible. The label's owner shows interested in our plans, so we decided on a two track 7“ release. I told my designer to create a cover and the work was done within a week or so. Not much happens after, simple because i found out that the label did not want us to sell copies of the records to Japan. So it was clear for us to withdrawn this release, although we already gave it the cataloguenumber FST 025. It would have made one of the few records i would have agreed on even without hearing studioversions of the songs. I can't remember which track we had in mind for side B, but the titletrack for this unreleased release was called “The Ones That Smoke Are Fool“.

Please find the live-tape tracklist as follows:

Equipage
Barcelona
Summer Revisited
The Big Issue
Seyman
He Smile Sometimes
Fishing For Birds
The One That Smoke Are Fool
Both
Philippe

Although there is no cataloguenumber given for it, there was a plan back in 2001 to release a compilation by Kent-based NEWSFLASH. Conversation went down soon after The Sound Of Leamington Spa 2 came out. No working title was given to this release as well, but the tracklist would have looked as follows:

An Englishman
Help
Wherever I Go
The Hand That Stangles
Sam The Bland
Mundane Me And You
Nobody's Home
The Tale Of Nothing In Particular
Real Horror Show
Brought To Light

Although the album would have contain the band's flexi and 7“ singles tracks, the songs from their sole 12“ release would have been missing. Hopefully the band will come by one day again, as i still would love to put out these great tunes !