Candyfloss and Medicine

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Candyfloss and medicine
Studio album by Eddi Reader
Released Flag of the United Kingdom July 8, 1996
Flag of Japan July 25, 1996
Flag of the United States July 5, 1997
Recorded Gerry O’Riordan (The Snake Ranch, London)
David Bottrill (Eden Studios, London)
Genre Pop
Length 45:10
Label Blanco y Negro
Producer Eddi Reader
Teddy Borowiecki
Professional reviews

All Music Guide 4/5 stars link
Eddi Reader chronology
Eddi Reader (1994) Candyfloss and Medicine (1996) Angels & Electricity (1998)

Candyfloss and Medicine is the third studio album by Eddi Reader released in the UK on July 8, 1996.

Eddi revealed the origins of the album in the accompanying press release.

"Originally I wanted to localise the whole process and call it 'Queenstown Road' which is near where I live. I'd thought about trying to record at home and hired some equipment to do that. Teddy Borowiecki came over from Vancouver to help and co-produce. I met Teddy while making my last album. He plays piano and accordion. I first heard him playing on the Jane Siberry album Bound by the Beauty. On that album he plays some particularly bent and beautiful piano, have a listen. I figured that if I was going to work with a piano player it would have to be Teddy Borowiecki.

"I also decided to continue my writing work with Boo Hewerdine, who you know is a singer/songwriter who had previously worked with The Bible. I have found him to be a very encouraging and inspiring co-writer. For weeks we worked at my house organising my ideas for this album. Boo and Teddy would come up with some beautiful melodic work for me to pour my words over. Boo and I spent many tree-kicking hours in my garden - "ehhhmm...what rhymes with Varicose...?" Roy Dodds, my ubiquitous drummer would turn up to improvise and contribute telephone numbers (the man knows a million players, all brilliant and usually unavailable).

"I resumed my working relationship with Calum MacColl who I'd worked with on my first solo album Mirmama. We'd written some songs that had been left unfinished for a few years so we revisited some of them, I wanted to tap into a bit of the same vibe that surrounded Mirmama. Calum's guitar sound was very important for achieving that. He specialises in fluid guitar tunings, whistle, dulcimers, psaltry and many other folk-based instruments.

"With the way the songs were turning out we realised we would have to move out of my house and into a proper studio, Teddy was writing brass lines and string parts that would need more than my two-bed terrace could provide. So we recorded our music at a studio called The Snake Ranch in Chelsea, London. I needed somewhere near school so I could pick up the kids. So, 'Queenstown Road' then became Candyfloss And medicine.

"I contacted David Piltch to play bass. He worked on my last album. I heard him play on Miss America by Mary Margaret O'Hara. His playing knocks me out. He loves what he does and nothing is easier than playing with him.

"This is the best album I've made. I hope you listen."

The US release of the album the following year was enhanced by three additional tracks: Sugar on the pill, If you got a minute, baby and Shall I be mother which featured ex Suede guitarist Bernard Butler. The Gene Pitney 1961 cover Town without pity was not included as Eddi had felt it unrepresentative of the rest of the album.

Candyfloss and Medicine managed a respectable #24 in the UK charts on its release. Two singles were released in the UK: Town without pity and Medicine with a wealth of additional tracks including two covers from brother Frank's band Trashcan Sinatras: Earlies and Sex lives and nearly a decade before the hugely successful Robert Burns project: John Anderson my Joe and Green grow the rashes.


[edit] Track listing

  1. "Glasgow star" (Reader/Borowiecki) - 4:51
  2. "Town without pity" (Dimitri Tiomkin/Ned Washington) - 2:49
  3. "Medicine" (Reader/Borowiecki/Hewerdine) - 4:12
  4. "Rebel angel" (Reader/Neil MacColl/Calum MacColl/Roy Dodds) - 4:43
  5. "Semi precious" (Reader/Borowiecki/Hewerdine) - 3:21
  6. "Lazy heart" (Reader/Hewerdine) - 5:25
  7. "I loved a lad" (trad. arr. Reader) - 5:01
  8. "Butterfly jar" (Reader/Hewerdine/Calum MacColl) - 5:33
  9. "Candyfloss" (Hewerdine/Reader) - 3:23
  10. "Darkhouse" (Reader/Calum MacColl) - 5:30

[edit] Personnel

  • Eddi Reader: Vocals, concertina, harmonica, piano
  • Boo Hewerdine: Acoustic and electric guitars
  • Teddy Borowiecki: Keyboards, guitar, bass, accordion, melodica, percussion
  • Roy Dodds: Drums, percussion, hand claps, loop drumming
  • Calum MacColl: Acoustic and electric guitars, bowed guitar, dulcimer, penny-whistle, zither
  • David Piltch: Electric and acoustic bass
  • Bernard Butler: Electric guitar
  • Dominic Miller: Electric nylon guitar
  • Anthony Thistlethwaite: Mandolin
  • The Electra Strings: Strings
  • Kat Evans: Fiddle, electric violin
  • Sid Gauld: Trumpet
  • Richard Sidwell: Trumpet
  • Michael Smith: Tenor horn
  • Annie Whitehead: Trombone
  • Martin Green: Soprano saxophone
  • Misses La La: Backing vocals