"More Scratch than Music"*
a page by Phones Sportsman!

* a favourite quote from Alvar Liddell, an old chap selling CDs for the Readers Digest, referring to the sound of your old 78's in comparison with the cool cool sounds of CD

all photos on this page are from the collection of Phones Sportsman and used with permission.

You probably know the Swell Maps history, some of us were pals since early teens. We met up at weekends, either Adrian (Nikki Sudden) and me or Kevin (Epic Soundtracks) and me, and taped ourselves doing our songs. Adrians were always more Tyrannosaurus Rex-Dylan influenced, while Kevin and me were a bit different - pop songs at first, followed by Krautrock.. Gradually all the combos of other close friends came together to be the Maps, and all of a sudden in 76-77 there was an exciting new mood of early punk that snowballed so fast.
I really enjoyed the early studio sessions, but knew that I didn't take the music seriously enough to do it professionally. I wanted to do Geology at college, mainly for 3 years of field trips and real ale. Grew a beard on one trip away, which probably horrified the other Maps as it was deeply uncool. By then they still invited me along to the studio but they had gone their own way as a band by then. It was good fun to play with people from the Gang of Four and the Water Boys!
Later on it was just the odd session with Nikki or Jowe, and as always, Nikki wrote all the songs for his album while Jowe was always more of an improviser and we wrote a few things together, like alternate lines of Swissair. My lyrics were always a bit daft, as I preferred nonsense-poetry to more serious stuff. Not many people appreciated the longer Maps improvisations at the time, but I suppose the seeds were sown in a few old hippies hearts... I remember a very expensive microphone being destroyed in something like Adventuring into Basketry, as it was abused somewhat in a percussive role. Otherwise I don't think we did too much instrument abuse, mainly cos of the cost involved! And John the engineer wouldn't have appreciated arson in his studio!

The Independent Piggies (An experimental band which had Phones and ex-Map 'Golden Cockrill')

John 'Golden' Cockrill and myself are going to be listening to old tapes of The Independent Piggies over the next few days. They are, I recall, reminiscent of whale noises and other rather unpopular sounds, but if we feel they are of potential value to punters, then we may be forced to consider a multi-million pound contract.... currently uncertain of coming out of the closet regarding my old material. The stuff recorded on Golden Cockrill's tape deck, mostly on maximum echo, was almost all put down in Sheffield or Nottingham, the university towns of the other two members of the Independent Pigz. These were always the recordings closest to my heart, but I may have been stoned at the time...

John Cockrill adds...

Phones and I went on after the Maps to do various bands together at uni. Some of this stuff may be coming out soon if Jowe gets his way. We have hours of recordings all done on high tech Agfa C90's. They may need a little cleaning up as they are a little hissy.

RIGHT -

THE INEPENDENT PIGGIES

Dave Wright on left (flute), Phones Sportsman (dustbin lid), John Cockrill (playing Phones' hinged fretless guitar).

BELOW -

it's Phones being bearded and John with the pan on head etc.