OFF TOPIC with Steve Mixup. A place for me to tell the odd story or two about the post war rock generation. If they couldn’t change the world at least they brought us some wonderful music.

The world of acetate records is one for the serious music collector I guess. A lot of not so great offerings, rough sound quality and unfinished demo versions. Sometimes, however, a demo can have a stripped down raw quality and sometimes a punch to it that is later smoothed out with the final production of the mix or arrangement. Most importantly, they can reveal an unreleased song and that is what we have here with mid sixties Liverpool group The Kirkbys.

The Kirkbys – It’s A Crime c/w Gonna Be A Big Star. Original UK 45rpm 7″ Emidisc Acetate from 1966. This Acetate was originally the property of Pat Campbell (Radio Luxembourg DJ). Features an Unreleased Demo version of “It’s A Crime” and “Gonna Be A Big Star” a previously undocumented track on the B Side. This information came from modbeat66 YouTube Channel

This unreleased song is almost certainly recorded around the same as “It’s a Crime” which is on the A side of this acetate. “It’s a Crime” had an official release on RCA in September 1966 but with a different B side “I’ve Never Been So Much In Love”.

“It’s a Crime” written by the late Jimmy Campbell, Liverpool musician and songwriter, is a classic slice of British Freak Beat and was the last of three singles recorded by the band. Jimmy went on to write some excellent late 60’s psych and three solo albums but without the recognition his talent maybe deserved.

As with a lot of acetates the tracks would not always be the finished version. Often work in progress they have a different audible quality by the very fact of being cut to a lesser quality acetate. “It’s a Crime” is close to the finished version and “Gonna be a big star” if it had have been released we can imagine would have had a similar sonic quality to the final version of “It’s a Crime”. Jimmy Campbell is the most likely author of “Gonna Be A Big Star”.

I’ve written out the lyrics as best as I can work out……….

Gonna Be A Big Star

What a day it’s been
what a day for being real blue
what a mood I’m in
is there anything that I could do

I can hit the road
I will lead you to money and fame
I can make it if
I fix to win every game

gonna be a big star, I’m gonna go real far
gonna be a big star, gonna go real far

a lot of man’s drive
to reach the things time before ?
it’ll beat in your heart
when I think of what I’m going for

oh my minds made up
I cant let go that’s for sure
if i should fall down
I’ll pick myself up off the floor

I’m gonna be a big star, I’m gonna go real far
I’m gonna be a big star, I’m gonna go real far

## instru

oh my minds made up
I cant let go that’s for sure
if i should fall down
I’ll pick myself up off the floor

I’m gonna be a big star, I’m gonna real far
I’m gonna be a big star, I’m gonna go real far

I’m gonna be a big star, I’m gonna real far
I’m gonna be a big star, gonna go real far

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

Here is the demo version of “It’s a crime”.