CD1
Tracks 1-3
Demo by 4-piece band, mid 1982
Earliest studio recording when the band were still a 4-piece. Recorded in a studio in a squatted tenement building in Glasgow.
Tracks 4-7
BBC David Jensen session, 7 October 1982
Tracks 8-11
BBC John Peel Session, recorded 4 October 1982
Recorded 4 October 1982, broadcast 5 October 1982. Both the 1982 BBC sessions feature James Kirk from Orange Juice on bass and Shahid Sarwar from The Recognitions on drums.
Tracks 12-13
Robin Millar sessions, early 1984
Millar was the first choice of producer for the album. These two tracks were recorded, but although the band liked them, they changed producers and these versions remain unreleased. Recorded with Simon Booth (guitar), John Cook (bass), Roy Dodds (drums).
Track 14
Alternate version, David Motion sessions, mid 1984
David Motion produced the album, but the record company felt some of his production was too spiky, so two tracks (Let Her Go and Who Knows What Love Is?) were re-recorded with Phil Thornalley producing. This is Motion's original version of Who Knows What Love Is?, more percussive than the released version, and only previously released as an instrumental snippet 'reprise' on the Strawberry Switchblade album.
Track 15
Live at The Venue, Glasgow, 15 June 1982
A 'lost' song, dropped from the set even before the group had pared down to a two-piece and were yet to define their identity away from the mass of indie music. Jill says of this recording, 'It's utterly appalling! Jeez! It's so bad. It's really REALLY bad. I can't even listen to it so I don't see why anybody else should listen to it'.
Tracks 16-18
Home demos
Three beautiful unreleased songs recorded at home. The first features Rose on guitar and voice, showing the song to Jill. The other two feature both of them, and have loads of the gorgeous trademark harmonies. It's not clear when these tracks were recorded; the fact of Crystal Nights being here implies it's at least late 1984, quite possibly a lot later.
Tracks 19-22
BBC John Peel Session, 5 February 1985
Recorded at BBC Maida Vale studios 5 Feb 85, broadcast 15 April. Rose and Jill both play guitar and sing, David Balfe plays synthesisers. By this time Rose and Jill had started to write separately, and the delicacy of earlier work is being left behind, but still some tracks (like Sixty Cowboys) have the trademark beautiful harmonies.
Tracks 23-24
Post-album demos, 1985
Demos from near the end of the band. Cut With The Cake Knife is a different version to the Peel session. That song was written by Rose, Dark 7 by Jill.
CD2
Released but deleted music
All the Strawberry Switchblade tracks not included on the currently available CDs
Track 1
Whilst the extended version with its clumsily tacked-on intro has been reissued on all three CDs, this original single version has never been reissued.
Track 2
Trees And Flowers (Just Music)
Instrumental version, only available on the 12 inch of the single.
Track 3
Substantially different to the later version that appeared on the album, this was recorded with just guitar, organ and voices. Released as the B-side of Trees And Flowers and never reissued.
Track 4
The Velvet Underground classic, released as an extra track on the 12 inch of Since Yesterday. One of the most beautiful things ever recorded.
Track 5
B-side of Since Yesterday.
Track 6
1983 debut single from this band of Strawberry Switchblade's friends, it features Rose and Jill on backing vocals.
In 1985 David Bedford released Rigel 9, an album setting to music an Ursula Le Guin short story about some astronauts encounters with aliens. Strawberry Switchblade did the lead voices of the alien funeral procession, backed by Barnet Schools Choir. The album doesn't have tracks as such, but there are four defined scenes.
Track 7
The full scene that culminates in the funeral procession. (Choir: Barnet Schools Choir. Voice of The Orange One: Sarah Duthie)
Track 8
Just the segment that features Strawberry Switchblade (Choir: Barnet Schools Choir)
Track 9
From the album Swastikas For Noddy, 1986, reissued on the album 1888, 1991
Track 10
Two Japanese Strawberry Switchblade fans, Strawberry Switchblicco recorded this with Japanese lyrics and gave a tape of it to Jill.
Track 11
Fey indie boys extra track on the CD single of Venice, 1992. Reissued on the Baby's Angry album, 1992
Track 12
San Francisco indie poppers released this on the various artists sampler album Little Darla Has A Treat For You volume 11, 1999
Track 13
Blackburn's finest indie band did this for a BBC Peel session, recorded 2 September 2001, broadcast 20 November 2001.
Track 14
Singer from plasticy Japanese popsters The Brilliant Green released this on the CD single Everyday at the Bus Stop, 2001.
Track 15
Formerly Leeds, presently Arizonan dirty guitar pop merchants Boyracer did this cover of Since Yesterday on the Girlracer EP, 2003.
Track 16
The North London Chemical Zone Troopers were a bunch of surreal early 90s drug dustbins. No real connection here except that the lyrics mention Rose McDowall.
Track 17
The place where David Motion nicked the fanfare riff for Since Yesterday, in context it is set against another motif that is similar to the opening 'Just close your eyes and then remember' bit. The same riff was used on 1974 single Beach Baby by First Class, and in 1988 on I Don't Believe In Miracles by Sinitta. This recording is Erik Tuxen conducting the Danish State Radio Symphony Orchestra, 1969.
Track 18
Single from 1987 featuring Jill and Robin Brown on backing vocals (Brown had recorded with Jill on her solo demos after Strawberry Switchblade). This track was reissued on the album Heart In The Sky, 2001.
Track 19
An open air re-recording of the Autogeddon track, one of four versions on the CD single. This features an assortment of Cope's friends including Jill in there somewhere.
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