In Nov 1977 I moved to the East End of London where my local pub was The Earl of Essex (ironically enough for an Irish pub)on the corner of East Ham High St and Romford Rd. I was surprised to read in this thread that this song was only published in 1979 as my obviously unreliable memory tells me it was always on the juke box and played by every band who came to the pub from the very begining (Thurs, Fri, Sat, Sun nights and Sun lunch times). It must have just creeped into my consciousness until I asumed it had always been there.

When I moved to the Midlands in 1990 this song was still not the ubiquitous creature it has become today. It was not on the juke box of my new local Irish pub, the George in willenhall. I would be interested to hear other peoples recollections of when the song became popular in their areas. Also to know if any other catters ever used the Earl of Essex.
love Robbie