Swinging London & the Wombles seen from an electric-blue Rolls-Royce. Mike Batt looks back

[@terrymann1341]

I have a great respect and admiration for Mike Batt as a songwriter and a producer. He has worked on some of my favourite pop records down the years, and looking back to those Womble records when I was a kid, I played them recently and it's only now that I can hear how well produced that they were, and of course he's also worked with Katie Melua, one of my favourite artists of the last twenty years. So I'm looking forward to reading his book

[@dimsylsodium1]

This book sounds like it will be a very enjoable read. I remember Mike's work (piano and orchestration) on Tony Hazzard's "Loudwater House". And then trying to convince my classmates that the Wombles were a serous band because Mike was the lead singer/writer. 🙂

[@Voidoid77]

Love the fact that an early champion of The 'Pistols, i.e., great guitarist, Chris Spedding - was a *womble*

[@michaelcullen5308]

Apart from all his others, "Caravan Song" is one of my favourites, as sung by Barbara Dickson.

[@thetragicyouth]

For my money, 'Wombling Merry Christmas' easily beats Slade and Wizzard to the top place in the 1970s Christmas Song chart. If 'wombles' and 'wombling' didn't feature in the lyrics, I'm sure the song would have been covered innumerable times, as well as being reinterpreted as a haunting ballad for the John Lewis Christmas ad.

[@PaIaeoCIive1684]

Apparently, on one Top of the Pops appearance the costumes were filled by members of Steeleye Span -- probably not Maddy. As a kid I'm sure I saw and heard The Wombles perform in Putney high street, circa '76? The seventies was a wild time, so seeing blokes in rodent costumes in a local town wasn't surprising.

[@allthepresidentsbrains956]

Its well known the 1970s was infested with rats, which then led to the mild plague of mice in the 1980s - Music has never been the same since. I blame Bob Geldof

[@PaIaeoCIive1684]

@@allthepresidentsbrains956 Yeah, nice reference. As a child of the late 70s/80s the Boomtown Rats videos -- including Rat Trap -- seemed pretty epic (they did a Like Clockwork Mice single too?) Only later did I realise Geldof was a colossal w⚓ and the BR's over-hyped and mediocre. Still dig much 70s music, it being a golden age for many genres, including 10CC who still sounded astonishingly good when I played 3 albums yesterday. The Wombles were rubbish, but hardly meant to be classic pop. There was an Ant infestation in the 70s too, as I recall.

[@andypandy8569]

Always liked Mike Batt. First heard Tarot Suite and was hooked. I think his best album IMHO is Waves.

[@margaretjbuckley]

Somebody had to do the Wombles, but at least Mike did it with integrity.

[@StonefieldJim4]

When I saw the thumbnail I thought it was Mick Hucknall.

[@original.dwornboy]

I wanted to see The Wombles live in Darlington in the 1970s but wasn't allowed as I was told 'it wouldn't be the real ones'.. Seems Mike had the right idea in protecting the brand and indeed it would have been the real ones.

[@garyrigby21]

Good interview but no mention of the fantastic Fading Yellow 45 he made in the late 60s

[@keithatkins4033]

Shame he didn't talk about Zero Zero a concept album and video he made in the eighties that's my favourite of his works.

[@garyrigby21]

Wasn't Chris Spedding a Womble?

[@PaIaeoCIive1684]

Wiki says he was -- on guitar. Nice way to earn some dough with anonymity if being in a novelty band was embarrassing to you. Amazingly, John le Mesurier's (Sgt Wilson in Dad's Army) son Robin was also in a rodent costume on guitar.

[@Pete-Fisher]

The only really good thing he did was to sign Tony McPhee and the Groundhogs to Liberty and to produce their first album in 1968. I don't think the world of music would have been any poorer without his remaining contributions.

[@jonathancole833]

He himself would have been poorer without his remaining contributions.

[@thezootsuits8151]

I think you'll find that it was Andrew Lauder who signed The Groundhogs. He was a real blues aficionado.