Talking Drums

Formed in Glasgow in 1981 when Charlie and Dot lived above a pub and discovered their downstairs neighbor, Carol, was a sensational singer. They quickly recruited Stewart on bass and Derek on drums and started gigging. They recorded their debut album 'Fighting To The Finish' all in a week in March 1982 and released it on cassette. 'Courage' was their first vinyl released on Sticky Music in late 1982. The group added a horn section and congas extending the song to 8 sprawling minutes of dubby disco funk in the vein of ESG and William Onyeabor. The studio owner, Ian, had just bought a new piece of equipment called an Aphex Aural Exciter and put the whole mix through it - maybe one reason why “Courage” sounds strangely ahead of its time.