Finest Arvest of [Import]

The Wurzels | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 20, 2001)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: EMI Gold
• ASIN: B00004TA3T
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,072,219 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. The Combine Harvester

2. I Am A Cider Drinker

3. Morning Glory

4. The Blackbird

5. Farmer Bill's Cowman

6. Drink Up Thy Zider

7. Twice Daily

8. Chitterling

9. All Over Mendip

10. The Champion Dung Spreader

11. Don't Tell I Tell 'Ee

12. You Don't Get Drunk On A Saturday Night

13. My Threshing Machine

14. Pill Pill

15. Down The Nempnett Thrubwell

16. I Love To Swim In The Zider Zee

17. I Got My Beady Little Eye On Thee

18. Keep Yer ' And On Yer ' Alfpenny

19. Market Gardner

20. The Back Of My Old Car

See all 24 tracks on this disc

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Scrumpy and Western at its best, June 5, 2001

By 

keithSel (UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Finest Arvest of (Audio CD)

Here it is, the sound of scrumpy and western from the 1970s. From the early, and some say classical, cuts of early Wurzels fronted by Adge Cutler (the finest voice in all of North Somerset) to their later chart-topping sound. For me the early Adge Cutler songs are the best. Tap your feet and swill your drink to the anthematic beat of Drink up yer Zider (surely the best drinking song ever sung in the English language), the Wurzelphone induced madness of the Twiddle Eye Dee song and the almost melancholic Down in Nempnett Thrubwell. Sadly, Adge was killed in a car crash in 1974 and the world and North Somerset became a sadder place. However, the rest of the band took up the challenge and with Pete Budd doing vocals they hit the big time with top ten hits like I am A Cider Drinker and Combine Harvester - here reproduced in all their glory. Listening to this brings back all my happy memories of that sunny decade. Bristol City in the First Division (that's English soccer ) and the Somerset cricket team (that's a game a bit like Baseball) beating all comers like later day Olympians. If you think music is about enjoying yourself, drinking fermented apple juice and not about morose spotty faced youths in their bedrooms nor middle-aged middle class people listening to obscure jazz records then this is for you. From the sleepy lanes of Farrington Gurney to the bustling broadways of Bristol, the music of the Wurzels beats on.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ooh arr OOH ARR, May 15, 2008

By 

Peter Durward Harris "Pete the music fan" (Leicester England) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Finest 'Arvest of The Wurzels (Audio CD)

Never meant to be taken seriously, the Wurzels have nevertheless proved their longevity by keeping themselves busy making music over a period of more than forty years. For much of the time, they have been content to play local venues in Bristol and Somerset, but they have made an impact nationally (with a British number one hit) and internationally (with the same song becoming a Canadian number one hit). They actually scored hits with five different songs in the British charts. A re-mix of their biggest hit also charted. Wurzel music is difficult to classify. British stores such as HMV and Zavvi generally put it on the easy listening shelves, but I would say that the main influence is folk. The Wurzels like to call their music Scrumpy and Western, so perhaps they think their music should sit on the country music shelves next to Tammy Wynette's albums. You must make up your own mind what classification you file their music under, if you feel the need to classify it.

The Wurzels began their long musical career in 1966, with Adam John (Adge) Cutler as their leader. Under his leadership, they built a loyal local following in the Bristol and Somerset area and making some impact further afield. They scored a minor British hit (Drink up thy cider) in 1967, which helped the associated album (Adge Cutler and the Wurzels) into the British album charts. They continued to perform in their local area but seemed either unable or unwilling to make any further impact nationally. Tragedy struck when Adge Cutler was killed in a road accident while driving home one night in 1974. This forced the remaining Wurzels to consider their future. They stayed together but made some adjustments. While some fans insist that the Wurzels were always better with Adge than without him, the fact remains that their greatest commercial success came without him.

In 1972, while Adge was still alive, Melanie (Safka) had a huge international hit with a lightweight but brilliant song, Brand new key, which made number one in America and became a top five hit in Britain. Everybody who is familiar with the pop music of the early seventies knows this song. In 1976, the Wurzels recorded their version of the song with very different lyrics and re-titled Combine harvester. This recording gave the Wurzels their first and only number one hit. On one level, it can be seen as a silly song, but it is quite amusing. In many ways, it typifies their music. If you don't like Combine harvester, I can't imagine that you'll like any of their other music. Having hit on a successful formula, the Wurzels followed up with another re-working of a popular seventies hit. I am a cider drinker (Una paloma blanca) made the top three in Britain later in 1976. Yet another re-working of an oldie, Farmer Bill's cowman (I was Kaiser Bill's batman) was only a minor British hit in 1977, after which the Wurzels disappeared from the British charts for the rest of the millennium. They returned in 2001 with a new version of Combine harvester, which gave them a minor hit. One further minor hit (Don't look back in anger), which isn't included here, completes their British chart history to date.

Despite the big hits being re-workings of other people's songs, the vast majority of their songs are entirely original. The Wurzels managed to encapsulate life in their local area (Bristol and Somerset) in much the same way that Fivepenny Piece did for their local area (Lancashire) although there are noticeable differences, not least because the Fivepenny Piece had different singers (male and female) to take turns on lead vocals. A more obvious comparison is with the Yetties (from Dorset, which shares a border with Somerset).

This is basically a fun album, but it is an insult to describe it as novelty music (as some do) because there's a lot more depth to it than is immediately apparent. Most people won't care about that and will simply enjoy the fun

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Play this LOUD!, April 25, 2008

By 

Twal (UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Finest 'Arvest of The Wurzels (Audio CD)

Those West Country thrash merchants deliver another slice of bowel-loosening rawk in this, their finest album to date.

There's a solid grunge undercurrent, a hint of melodic death metal (occasional growls and whimpers) and an overall country bumpkin aesthetic (black waistcoats and red neckerchiefs).

The songs themselves are an unusual mix of high-octane, head-banging numbers and synth-licked ballads, which deal with everything from the joy of stamp collecting to the dangers of Estonia's current monetary policy.

However, the real strength of the Wurzels is singer and lead axe-man, Phil (pictured on the right), with his earthy, operatic voice he delivers stirring, anthemic tones that will make your ears bleed - brilliant!