The Roadrunners

Twist-Time im Star-Club 4 - first line-up

This album was recorded at around 3 o'clock in the morning in an almost-deserted club, after the band had returned from a gig in Kiel. (Although we keep up a string of 'Thank-you-very-muches' after each track, can you actually hear any big applause?). Some track titles have a few of our afterthoughts added to them and a few are available as .mp3 downloads.

To be honest, we didn't think we gave a very good performance. So, after running through a whole set - much more than appears on the album - we decided we may as well do it one more time. We went out and did it again, but the sound engineer must have been as tired as we were at the end of a long day. Unknown to us, he was taking down the equipment. By the time we finished the repeat set, he was already on the way out of the door with the tape under his arm! "Oh well," we thought, "they'll never be able to use that." When we returned to Hamburg a few months later, there were fans queueing up outside the door of the Star Club asking us to autograph our first album! Wonder what happened to that master tape and the tracks which never made it onto vinyl?

Track 1 - Rip It Up

Track 2 - You Can Make It If You Try

Track 3 - Little Ruby

Pete's vocals, but he was suffering from the dreaded 'Hamburg Throat'. "I barely made it to the end," he recollects!

Track 4 - Baby You Don't Have To Go

"We were the only band doing this sort of thing, and the locals loved it. Everyone else was doing 'Twist & Shout'!" - Pete

Track 5 - Slow Down

Shortly into the number, Dave Percy has trouble with the lead to his guitar and the guitar line disappears while he tries to fix it. ("The accepted practice was to stamp on the thing!" - Dave P) He reappears briefly towards the end to slap a few strings. "Dave was really pissed off - but this one still swings." - Pete

Track 6 - That's Alright  (.mp3)

Track 7 - Beautiful Delilah

Track 8 - Long Tall Sally

"Corny! That's Alright is Pete's best track and also displays that the band had a bit of country influence." - Dave B

Track 9 - Hoochie Coochie Man

Track 10 - You'd Better Move On  (.mp3)

A favourite of our friend Ulf Kruger and, we have to admit, one which we feel has stood the test of time. It builds well.

Track 11 - Roadrunner  (.mp3)

This album was re-released on a 4-CD box set by Bear Family Records. ("Die Ariola Star-Club Aufnahmen") - see photo above. The last 2 tracks are wrongly credited to other bands on the sleeve notes. The book which accompanies the CD set has it right - they are, indeed, by us. (Well, who'd you think was going to be closing their set with 'Roadrunner'?) Also, if we're putting things right, the band photo on the inner sleeve is actully our second line-up and not the one which performs this set. And one last one - the photo caption on page 63 of the book has transposed the two Daves - it's Dave B and then Dave P going from left to right. No criticism of Bear Family - it's still a great bit of memorabilia!

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