The Proclaimers
Band members Related acts
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line up x (1983-) - Charlie Reid -- vocals, guitar, acoustic bass - Craig Reid -- vocals, percussion
supporting musicians: (1987) - Ian Maidman -- bass, keyboards
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- The Peace Collective (Charlie Reid and Craig Reid)
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Genre: rock Rating: **** 4 stars Title: This Is the Story Company: Chrysalis Catalog: BFV 41602 Country/State: Leith, Scotland Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: still in shrink wrap (opened) Available: 1 Catalog ID: -- Price: $30.00
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Twin brothers Charlie and Craig Reid started their musical careers playing in a string of Edinburgh punk bands. In 1983 they decided to go it on their own as the acoustic duo The Proclaimers. As part of the decision their sound switched over to a hybrid of country, folk, Everly Brothers-styled pop, -post-punk and roots-rock. Their local performances quickly resulted in a community of dedicated fans. Included in that group was Kevin Rowland of Dexys Midnight Runners fame. Say what you will about Rowland, but the man recognized talent when he saw it. With Rowland's help the pair record a demo which was sold as a nine track cassette tape at their early shows. The demo caught the attention of Paul Heaton and The Housemartins. Invited to open for The Housemartins on a 1986 UK tour, their performances led to a January 1987 appearance on the UK "The Tube" television program. Chrysalis Records subsequently signing them to a recording contract.
Produced
by John Williams, 1987's "This Is the Story"
introduced twins Charles and Craig Reid to the world outside of their native
Scotland and the UK. Written by the Reids seve
For hardcore fans, later pressings of the album included both the acoustic and Gerry Rafferty produced band version of "Letter from America".
"This Is
the Story" track listing: 1.) Throw The 'R' Away (Charles Reid - Craig Reid) - 2:41 rating: *** stars My opinion of The Proclaimers is somewhat biased as they were one of the first bands I ever took my now-wife to see when we were dating - a concert in 1987 at Alexandria's Birchmere before they moved into their bigger facility. They were touring in support of their "Sunshine on Leith" album and I thought they were great, though, like the rest of the small audience, I couldn't understand a word they were saying during their between song monologues. That's a perfect lead-in to the album's fist track. If Buddy Holly had been Scottish and liked roots rock ... "Throw The 'R' Away" certainly wasn't a busy production - Charles and Craig accompanying themselves on acoustic guitar and bongos. The lyrics were actually pretty funny; even more so given how heavy their accents were. Guess it was their way of telling audiences "you get what you see and hear". The handclaps were a blast. The song was released as a 7" and 12" single in the UK
7" pressing - 1987's "Throw the 'R' Away" b/w "A Train Went Past The Window" (Chrysalis catalog number CHS 3144) 12" pressing - 1987's "Throw the 'R' Away" b/w "Long Gone Lonesome Blues" and "I Can't Be Myself" (Chrysalis catalog number CHA 12 3144)
- 1987's YouTube has the promotional video accompanying the single: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Tffp64Lu10 2.)
Over and Done With (Charles Reid - Craig Reid) - 2:47 rating:
*** stars
Super simple melody, but the acoustic "Over and Done With" was great in that you got a chance to hear Charles and Craig separately and together. IT took some energy to penetrate them, but the lyrics were also kind of funny - "This is the story of losing my virginity; I held my breath and the bed held a trinity; People I'm making no claims to a mystery; But sometimes it seems like My sex life's all history". The song won a new audience when it was featured on in Wes Anderson's film "Bottle Rocker" film. Most of the accompanying soundtrack was written and performed by Devo's Mark Mothersbaugh - "Bottle Rocket - Music From The Movie" (London catalog number 697-124 140-2).
3.) Misty Blue (Charles Reid - Craig Reid) - 3:34 rating: *** stars "Misty Blue" was a stark ballad; just the brothers accompanying themselves on acoustic guitar. Nice example of how lovely their blended voices were. That said, it wasn't you typical moon-in-June slice of romantic longing. Check out the lyrics. London wanted to release the track as a single, but those lyrics included a phrase that was seen as offensive and the Reids' refused to change it: "As the ladie grew And he looked around him; At the thugs and rapists In their stolen suits ..." There's a promotional video for the tune: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0Tn59OZCGE
This was another Proclaimers track that ended up on a film soundtrack - 2013's "Dexter Fletcher produced Sunshine on Leith". The film was based on a stage play which featured an all-Proclaimers soundtrack. The film was accompanied by a soundtrack album - "Sunshine On Leith (The Motion Picture Soundtrack)" (Neapolitan –catalog number NPCD0003).
4.) The Part That Really Matters (Charles Reid - Craig Reid) - 2:44 rating: *** stars Once again the Reids accompanied by strumming acoustic guitar and bongos, but this time the melody was more upbeat and bouncy; the vocal arrangements more complex ... "While they struggle with the A B C of hearts ..." Good platform for hearing their heavy Scottish spoken word boroughs. 5.) (I'm Gonna) Burn Your Playhouse Down (Lester Blackwell) - 2:00 rating: ** stars The album's lone cover, "(I'm Gonna) Burn Your Playhouse Down". Lot's of folks seem to thing this is a cover of the Ann Peebles song (written by Earl Randle). It's not. The late George Jones did the original tune back in the late-'50s. 6.) Letter from America (Acoustic Version) (Charles Reid - Craig Reid) - 4:05 rating: **** As avowed supporters of Scottish independence, "Letter from America" found the Reids taking a stab at social and political activism including the impacts of English rule over Scotland, the Highland Clearances and the massive waves of Scottish immigration to the West that resulted. The song even included an apparent stab at England's then-Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. I've always wondered about the litany of Scottish town names ("Lochaber no more; Sutherland no more; Lewis no more...") and I think it was meant as a list of closed factories? The song rerecorded with Gerry Rafferty producing a full band version of the song which promptly charted top-10 in the UK and Ireland. Fans endless debate whether the original acoustic version, or the more commercial band version is better. There are merits in both version. The band version was released as a single in 7", 10" and 12" formats:
7" format - 1987's "Letter from America" (band version) b/w "Letter from America" (acoustic version) and "I'm Lucky" (Chrysalis catalog CHS 3178) 10' format - 1987's "Letter from America" (band version) and "Letter from America" (acoustic version) b/w "I'm Lucky", "Just Because" and "Twenty Flight Rock" (Chrysalis catalog CHST 3178) 12" format - 1987's "Letter from America" (band version) and "Letter from America" (acoustic version) b/w "I'm Lucky", "Just Because" and "Twenty Flight Rock" (Chrysalis catalog CHS 12 3178)
There's also a promotional video for the band version of the track. If you had any doubts about the song's "message" the video made the plotline pretty clear. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yy9GmieAEaQ
(side
2) Originally entitled "Sky Takes the Soul, Earth Takes the Clay", the opening sounded like a skiffle number, but it turned into one of the album's more rock-oriented performance (again, just acoustic guitar and percussion). Lyrically it's enigmatic - perhaps the brothers contemplating mortality? Some Proclaimers scholar will know. YouTube has an awesome 2015 full band performance of the tune: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8BBLQzLcheA 2.) It Broke My Heart (Charles Reid - Craig Reid) - 2:26 rating: *** stars Geez, as a recent retiree, there's something disconcerting hearing a song that references a 51 year old as being old ... Unwilling unemployment is a crime ... One of the only songs I can recall that address the topic. 3.) The First Attack (Charles Reid - Craig Reid) - 3:58 rating: *** stars One of their prettiest melodies, but for some reason this one's charms didn't register with me. perhaps because I don't have a clue what it's about? 4.) Make My Heart Fly (Charles Reid - Craig Reid) - 2:28 rating: **** stars Another sweet number that underscored the way their voices worked together. A band backed remake was released as a 1988 single in Australia, Germany and the UK. This was one where the band arrangement was clearly superior, giving the tune a fuller, more anthemic sound. Nice harmonica solo from Craig.
7" release - 1988's "Make My Heart Fly" b/w "Wish I Could Say" (Chrysalis catalog number CLAIM 1) 12" release - 1988's "Make My Heart Fly" and "Wish I Could Say" b/w "(I'm Gonna) Burn Your Playhouse Down" and "Throw The "R" Away" (Chrysalis catalog number CLAIM 1)
Here's the accompanying promotional video The Proclaimers - Make My Heart Fly (Band Version)
5.) Beautiful Truth (Charles Reid - Craig Reid) - 4:28 rating: *** stars "Beautiful Truth" was another pretty ballad with a catchy chorus, but this one was almost to sweet for its own good. 6.) The Joyful Kilmarnock Blues (Charles Reid - Craig Reid) - 3:03 rating: *** stars At their best many Proclaimers songs are enigmatic; particularly to American ears. "The Joyful Kilmarnock Blues" is in a league by itself. Having looked around their website, the song was apparently inspired by their affection for the Scottish premier league Hibernian F.C. soccer team (aka the Hibs). Sounds like they were enjoying an away game victory.
And for anyone interested, here's a link to the website: https://the.proclaimers.co.uk/
© Scott R. Blackerby June 2025
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n
of the nine tracks reflected material found on their 1986 demo tape "The
Proclaimers". Missing in actions were "Just
Because" and "A Train Went Past the Window". Their
debut album was rounded out by five new performances "Throw The 'R' Away",
a cover of Lester Blackwell's "
(I'm Gonna) Burn Your Playhouse Down", "It Broke My Heart",
"Make My Heart Fly" and "Beautiful Truth".
Largely recorded live the album showcased an unusual stripped down, raw sound - The Reids
accompanying themselves with acoustic guitar (Charlie) and occasional
percussion (Craig). Without your standard post-production sweetening, the results placed the emphasis on the brothers'
tight vocals and sweet harmonies which in turn spotlighted their heavy
Scottish brogues. Exemplified by tracks like "The First
Attack", "It Broke My Heart" and the pretty ballad
"Mystic Blue" the album was full of references to Scottish
history, politics and society's shortcomings. While it was a hit in Ir
eland
and the UK, "Letter
from America" may have been the bleakest song on the collection.
Raw sound, spare instrumentation, heavy
accents, historical and activist lyrics ... none of those characteristics
made for a particularly commercial endeavor. And yet, you had the
Reids endearing voices. Yeah, there were times when it was near
impossible to figure out what they were actually singing (check out the
spoken word section in "Over and Done With"), but their voices and image were
unique. Anyone looking for late-'80s new wave glitz and self-angst
like The Alarm The Dream Academy or Echo and the Bunnymen? Well with their short hair, Buddy Holly
eyewear, slightly geeky demeanor and heavy Scottish accents, The Reids might
as well have been from a different planet. Is this set going to be for
everyone? Absolutely not. It is bare and raw so if you like
conventional rock, or sweet, sophisticated pop music, don't even
bother. 
