THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD
1,548) The Humblebums — “Saturday Round About Sunday”
Here is a Billy Connolly-written song off the first Gerry Rafferty/Billy Connolly Humblebums (see #556, 847) LP — The New Humblebums— pondering why a relationship went bad. “Instead of all those endless plans we should have been holding hands just walking.” Exquisite. A longer single version was also released, in which the song became a cello-driven dirge. WTF? The single version was longer and a cello-driven dirge?!
“Billy was actually a very good singer songwriter. But listening to him you still get a strong feeling that he’s suppressing the need to giggle and tell fart jokes all the way through it. :)” (regmunday8354, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LloxUc6No_c) No fart-driven dirge here!
Stewart Mason notes regarding the LP:
Rafferty . . . turned the duo’s original trad folk aesthetic into a prettier, poppier sound. . . . That dichotomy continues throughout, with Rafferty’s unapologetically pop songs and [Billy] Connolly’s folk- and blues-based tunes alternating. Truthfully, Rafferty’s songs are better, with their lightly psychedelic arrangements suiting his whimsical lyrics. . . .
Whoa there, I think “Saturday” is the equal of any other song on the album.
Steve Huey provides some history of the clan:
Scottish folk outfit the Humblebums aren’t perhaps as well known as their two main individual members: Gerry Rafferty, who later scored hits with Stealers Wheel and as a solo artist, and Billy Connolly, who left music to become an internationally successful stand-up comedian. Connolly actually founded the group in 1965, along with guitarist Tam Harvey; both had been regulars on the Glasgow folk circuit, and Connolly had previously been playing old-time country music in a group called the Skillet Lickers. The duo quickly became a popular attraction in Glasgow’s folk clubs, particularly as Connolly honed his humorous between-song patter, which became an increasingly large part of their already whimsical act. After a few years of local celebrity, the Humblebums recorded their debut album, First Collection of Merrie Melodies . . . . [T]he repertoire was split between traditional folk songs and Connolly originals. Not long after[,] . . budding singer/songwriter . . . Rafferty approached the duo after one of their gigs for feedback on his original songs. He wound up being invited to join . . . . Rafferty’s songs soon took a prominent place in their repertoire, which led to friction with Tam Harvey; he departed around half a year [later]. Toward the end of 1969, [Rafferty and Connolly] entered the studio together and cut the second Humblebums LP . . . . With Rafferty’s pop instincts, the Humblebums grew more popular on the live circuit than ever, and they recorded another album in a similar vein . . . . However, there was growing dissension . . . Rafferty’s material had a more serious bent than Connolly’s lighthearted, dryly witty offerings, and Connelly’s comedy bits were taking up a large portion of the Humblebums’ stage show, to the point where Rafferty wanted him to cut the comedy altogether. . . . [T]he Humblebums broke up in 1971. Rafferty moved on to Stealers Wheel, best known for their hit “Stuck in the Middle With You,” and later went solo, scoring a huge hit with “Baker Street.” Connolly . . . in a few short years became one of the most popular comedians not only in Scotland, but the whole U.K. . . .
Here is the single version:
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