#4: Poor Old Soul : Orange Juice (Postcard 81-2, 1981)
mp3 : Orange Juice – Poor Old Soul
mp3 : Orange Juice – Poor Old Soul (Pt 2)
Quite often, when a band releases a song in two parts, it’s down to the fact that it is too long to fit onto one side of a 7″ single, and so as part one fades out, you have to flip the single over and part two usually fades in.
Not in this case.
Poor Old Soul is about two-and-a-half minutes in length. As is Poor Old Soul (Pt 2). It’s a tune propelled in the main by its bass line, albeit there’s the sort of guitar ‘solo’ that was beginning to be associated with the band. The ‘A’ side also has a wee bit of piano in the middle. The biggest difference however is that Edwyn Collins, having written the song, fancied contributing the bass line rather than rhythm guitar, and so he and David McClymont swapped instruments for the take which became Part 2, with the other more distinguishing factor being that inclusion of the chant ‘no more rock and roll for you’.
Did anyone feel cheated? I don’t think so, although it was unusual not to have a distinct b-side as opposed to a different take, recorded in the studio on the same day. It was released in February 1981, and included on the back of the newly designed company sleeve was info on the upcoming releases, which were set out as
81-3: Aztec Camera : Just Like Gold/We Could Send Letters
81-4: Josef K: Sorry For Laughing/Revelation (recorded in Bruxelles for Les Disques de Crepuscule (TWI 023)
81-5: Josef K Chance Meeting/Pictures of Cindy
81-6 : Orange Juice – Wan Light/You Old Eccentric
The first three would be issued, but before the summer was over, Orange Juice had signed to a major label, Polydor Records. The big-time beckoned…..or did it?
THE NEW VINYL VILLAIN 
Were ‘Wan Light’ and ‘You Old Eccentric’ ever recorded for Postcard? The former is on ‘You Can’t Hide Your Love Forever’ but, I believe, recorded later for Polydor. The latter only appears as a John Peel Session. I’ve always thought that the Postcard listing was merely a wish, rather than a real item. Any ideas?
Hi David
I think you’re right that they were never recorded for Postcard, but a version of ‘Wan Light’ does appear on the Ostrich Churchyard compilation, much of which is made up of songs recorded at The Hellfire Club which was a Glasgow rehearsal studio nor too far from Postcard HQ.
JC
Thanks. I forgot about that version on ‘Ostrich Churchyard’ despite having the promo cassette sitting out beside by ‘Coals’ compilation.