Duffy - I Love My Friends (1998)
The album that became "I Love My Friends" was to follow a pattern that we, as fans of Stephen and
The Lilac Time, have become used to. Initial schedules and release dates fall by the wayside, not
by weeks but by seasons, album running order changes which leads to stronger b-sides than some of
the album tracks and of course the obligatory label change. Stephen still had not released two
consecutive albums in the 90s on the same label. There was the fiscal disappointment of "Duffy"
and the pleasantly surprising chart success of "Hanging Around". A follow up called "Proper Girls"
was written and most probably recorded, but the project, and all of it's potential, floundered
on those dreaded words "Contractual Issues". The simplicity of the "Music in Colors" era contracts
could not be repeated and it all fell to pieces.
The recording process for the new album, initially called "Holding Hands With Grace", was underway
by the middle of 1996 with singles promised for autumn 1997 and a new album for the New Year 1998
or even late 1997. Stephen even toyed with releasing "17" as early as November 1996. The initial
delays were due to having to wait for Stephen Street to become available to produce the album.
Indolent seemed to be putting a lot of faith in Stephen's new work and two stunning items were produced
as the initial release date approached. The new album was going to be promoted with a wonderful 11 track
compilation called "Memory And Desire" a retrospective of Stephen's career so far. It included 4 tracks
from the forthcoming album and 7 tracks from the TinTin, The Lilac Time and Duffy eras. The second item
was a three CD set to promote the new single called "17", this was to include 9 unreleased tracks that
would have formed the backbone of new album if the obligatory running order and track list changes hadn't
occurred. "I Love My Friends" would have been a very different album if the collective nerve had been held.
It SHOULD have been a brilliant album with some good b-sides instead of the good album it became with
some brilliant b-sides. Make sure you read Stephen's letter to the fans in issue 17 of The Ups and Downs
for what should have been the original tracklisting.
Indolent became a fatal casualty in the radical trimming of BMG / RCA in the U.K., although Stephen
escaped with the songs and video intact. The long awaited CD finally appeared on the Cooking Vinyl label,
which is odd as this was the first time one of Stephen's works would never be available on the old black
Vinyl. Germany and Canada were the lucky ones this time with only three supporting gigs in 1998.
Essential listen: Make sure you find the duet version of "In The Evening Of Her Day" with Diane Tell,
it takes the beauty of the solo version and cranks up a notch on the emotion to make an all consuming,
powerful ballad.
Essential buy: As mentioned, move heaven and earth to find a copy of the 3CD set of "17" on Indolent.
Even if you have to source the CDs individually. Get all three and you will have a whole new album,
in some ways better than album the tracks were all left off. The sleeves make a pretty picture as well.
You should be able to pick up the full set for around £ 25 to £ 30. "Memory And Desire" is OK too,
but there are maybe more of those around than we first thought and that should be yours for around a Tenner.
Chris
~ Click on the cover images for more details ~
| Artist/Composer | Title | Release Year | Format | Cat. Number | Label | Country | Length | Tracks | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Duffy | I Love My Friends | 1997 | CD | DUFF CD 007 | Indolent | United Kingdom | 49:34 | 13 |
|
Duffy | I Love My Friends | 1998 | CD | COOK CD144 | Cooking Vinyl | United Kingdom | 49:34 | 13 |
|
Duffy | I Love My Friends | 1998 | CD | TWAD 45 | TWA Records | Australia | 49:34 | 13 |
|
Duffy | I Love My Friends | 1998 | CD | QTCY 2109 | Quattro Label | Japan | 52:23 | 14 |
|
Duffy | I Love My Friends | 1998 | CD | SD1357 | Page Music Distribution | Canada | 54:01 | 14 |
|
Stephen Duffy | I Love My Friends | 2006 | CD | COOK CD 144 | Cooking Vinyl | United Kingdom | 72:57 | 20 |
|
Duffy | 17 | 1998 | CD single | FRY CD68 | Cooking Vinyl | United Kingdom | 18:40 | 4 |
|
Duffy | 17 (3 CD Set) | 1997 | CD single | DUFF 006 CD1/CD2/CD3 | Indolent | United Kingdom | 44:15 | 12 |
|
Duffy | You Are | 1998 | CD single | FRY CD 073 | Cooking Vinyl | United Kingdom | 07:56 | 3 |
|
Duffy | You Are | 1998 | CD single | D1379 | Page Music Distribution | Canada | 20:19 | 5 |