Info on UCS LP

Subject: Info on UCS LP
From: Jim McLean
Date: 29 Sep 02 - 05:28 PM

See thread Ding Dong Dollar for the request for this info from Steph.
Danny Kyle, an old friend and fellow Paisley Buddie asked me to produce an LP to be sold as a fund raiser for the Upper Clyde Shipbuilders who were staging a work-in (1972). He liaised with the UCS committee, obtained photographs from the Scottish Daily Record and contacted The Laggan who agreed to perform. I wrote a couple of songs and spoke to Dominic Behan, Alex Campbell, Alastair McDonald, Jimmie MacGregor & Robin Hall and Ian Campbell (not Ian Campbell from Birmingham). I produced the LP for NEVIS RECORDS and everybody involved gave their services free. A friend of mine, Glen Mason, who was a golfing partner of Sean Connery asked Sean if he would be willing to write the sleeve notes and he readily agreed. Unfortunately he was filming in Spain and couldn't get them to me in time for the LP's release as time was of he essence so Danny wrote them instead. Purely coincidentally, NEVIS's catalogue number was NEV LP007!! We recorded the LP in the London studio belonging to Bill Farley. We made a couple of trips to Glasgow to play the rough tapes to Jimmy Airlie and the UCS committee and the only criticism was from a wee man in a blazer who wanted to know why we used 'Irish tunes'! The actual pressing and sleeve costs were met by the UCS and they received 1000 copies for 50p each and the understanding was that they sold them on at £1, making £500 for the funds.
Someone organised a concert in Govan and I brought up The Dubliners from London. Dominic Behan compered a great night, only marred at the end when Billy Connolly, relatively unknown then, tried to pick a fight with Dominic Behan outside Govan Town Hall, in front of the press. Dominic did not have a drink the whole evening and Billy's challenge was rather like a puppy biting the ears of a Bull mastiff! I don't know his reason except possible for publicity, but I defused the situation by offering to fight Billy myself and got Dominic ushered into a car. Some of the press were looking for trouble but they didn't get it. To his credit, Billy came round to the Scotia (pub) the next morning where we were having a sing song and apologised.
I was asked recently by Greentrax recording company if they could use The Laggan's version of The John MacLean March as they are issuing a CD of different versions of the song. I gave them the track with instructions that all royalties available were to be paid directly to Arthur Johnston of The Laggan and the publishers of the song. I made it quite clear that no monies were to come to NEVIS RECORDS.
On a sadder note, Danny Kyle, Alex Campbell, Robin Hall and Dominic Behan are no longer with us.
Jim McLean