Jazzateers

Jazzateers trajectory took a convoluted line until signing with Rough Trade and releasing their debut album in summer 1983. The catalogue number - Rough 46 - became the de facto name for their eponymously entitled album, although the album was also known as the ‘gun’ album in accord with the cover artwork design by David Band. 

Jazzateers were already studio veterans after recording tracks with the first iteration of the group with vocalist Alison Gourlay. The group were signed to Postcard Records and managed by Alan Horne, which in turn resulted in features/articles in the weekly music papers of the day (NME/ Sounds/ Melody Maker) who were all excited about the latest sound from Postcard. Singles released by Orange Juice, Josef K, The Go-Betweens and Aztec Camera had put the label on the map, but Jazzateers recordings with Alison were unreleased. 

Instead Alan Horne convinced Jazzateers mainstays and songwriters (guitarist Ian Burgoyne and bassist Keith Band) to sack Alison and along with drummer Colin Auld work with another singer, Paul Quinn (in tandem with vocalists Deidre and Louise Rutkowski). An album - Lee - was recorded and like the recordings with Alison Gourlay, were unreleased. 

Jazzateers decided it would be more fruitful to join fellow former Postcard groups The Go-Betweens and Aztec Camera in signing with Rough Trade, this time the vocalist was Grahame Skinner. An album was recorded in Glasgow which tapped into Jazzateers’ love of the Modern Lovers and the Velvet Underground’69. Jazzateers on Rough Trade made sense, and their single ‘Show Me The Door’ climbed the independent charts while their album received glowing reviews. 

Then, in typical Jazzateers fashion, everything changed again as Grahame Skinner left to join Douglas MacIntyre and form the short-lived White Savages. Paul Quinn returned on lead vocals and the group changed their name to Bourgie Bourgie, and managed by David Band signed a major record contract. But to paraphrase Vic Godard, that’s a different story.