DOWNLOAD NO.195 - DUFFY'S BAND / CATHY AND THE CUCUMBERS

As far as I am aware the only recording made by Duffy's Band was a 1979 cover of “Day Trip To Bangor” recorded at Festival studios Sydney. It wasn't a real band but a session group given that name by Martin Erdman, producer. However the musicians were basically a Queensland band called Buckskin who released two vinyls that Erdman produced for Festival Music. Erdman won a Golden Guitar Award with Brisbane-based Buckskin at the Tamworth Country Music Awards in 1980 by producing their instrumental hit "Panning For Gold”. The group since then, has continued on in various configurations. Entertainer Nev Nicholls used Buckskin to tour as his backing band in the 1990s.

The original version of “Day Trip To Bangor” was by UK group Fiddler’s Dram who had 2 versions: one was the acoustic version as used on their first album and one was reworked pop oriented 7" single version. The Fiddler’s Dram single eventually reached top 40 position #3 in early 1980, having been released the previous year.

"Day Trip To Bangor" was actually inspired after a day trip to Rhyl (a seaside resort 35 miles east of Bangor, North Wales which does have funfairs, beaches etc), but because Bangor had an extra syllable and slipped off the tongue easier it was used for the lyric. This caused an outcry from councillors and businesses in Rhyl who complained that the publicity would have benefitted their town’s tourist economy.

My father’s side of the family comes from North Flintshire from around a town called Northop which is one of the former coalmining towns not that far from Bangor and Rhyl. During 2007 my wife and I went to see the districts around here and sadly our day trip to Bangor was hampered with gusty, icy winds and pouring Autumnal rain that was coming in from the Menai Straits…so much for the sentiment of the song!

The Duffy’s Band version of “Day Trip To Bangor” made it to #9 in Melbourne co-charting with the Fiddler’s Dram version. Meanwhile another band called Cathy And The Cucumbers had the same single out in New Zealand where it got to #13 also co-charting with Fiddler's Dram.

Here for download from vinyl is the Oz version of “Day Trip To Bangor” by Duffy's Band:

http://rapidshare.com/files/220592821/Duffy_s_Band_-_Day_Trip_To_Bangor.mp3

The NZ version is from the CD “Golden Kiwis - The Hits Collection”. Here is the NZ version of “Day Trip To Bangor” by Cathy and The Cucumbers:

http://rapidshare.com/files/220592822/Cathy_and_the_Cucumbers_-_Day_Trip_To_Bangor.mp3