Some TCS news hot off the presses:
February 15, 1997 (from "Trashcanman")
TCS are set to sign with Andy MacDonald's new record label "Independiente" (Aztec Camera have recently signed with the label as well), but have not actually signed a contract as of yet
TCS will be leaving their home base in Ayrshire in order to relocate to London. This will give them a fresh start with their soon to be new record label and may also increase the likelihood that they can find a new drummer to join the band
February 26, 1997 (from "Trashcanman")
Another lineup change? Rumor has it that Stephen Douglas is returning to his familiar perch behind the drum kit and the new bass player just might be Campbell Owens, the former bassist from Aztec Camera, who played with TCS on their French tour in November.
March 6, 1997 (from Johnny Kinnear)
"Heard from a friend at Capitol Records that TCS have apparently signed with Island Records, and if not, Capitol are said to be
INTERESTED...TCS are supposedly well respected in the boardrooms of
the music biz....but they just have trouble selling."
I think this is interesting since it sounded TCS were all but signed, sealed and delivered to Independiente. This will require some more investigation.
March 12, 1997 (from Diane Gleim/Jessica Leix)
"I talked with Jess this past weekend, and she told me that she
talked with Frank recently. He told her that the band's future is up in the air. Independiente? Island? Moving to London? They don't know what the future holds. They are, however, currently recording new material at the moment."
March 13, 1997 (from Jim Nisbet/Calum Byrom)
Jim passed along this info from Calum: "I spoke to Frank last night and he gave me a sort of update on the band's position.
As per normal, the band don't seem to be too organised! They are still in negotiation for a future record deal. Independiente seems like a possible label. The band may also be moving down to London. At this stage however nothing is too certain. At the moment they've a lawyer helping them out - they're not interested in finding a manager till they've got a new deal sorted out. Stephen looks like he'll return to playing the drums - there is a definite possibility for a replacement bassist." (see the February 15, 1997 and February 26, 1997 info above - Ed.)
"Another concern is getting the rights to the last album. This is so that the band can release it in America. If this goes smoothly then it could be out there by May. Frank wasn't too sure whether this was the best tactic to use though - he thought it might be best to finish off their new stuff then they could showcase it with the tour to mark the release of AHP. Talking of the new stuff - so far three or four tracks have reached completion and there is a lot of other stuff floating around. He seemed very enthusiastic about this but said that it has been quite a slow process to write....."
March 30, 1997 (from Diane Gleim)
"on friday march 21 to that sunday (march 23), jessica and i went to glasgow. we did indeed go to shabby road that sunday afternoon. we met up with paul (livingstone), paul's friend jody, and david anderson (who, btw, has made a FANTASTIC 'zine about the boys, with loads of great photos. he gave me a complimentary copy, since i wrote a wee article about the list. i highly recommend getting it, but not because of my article!) we all went to a couple pubs and it was there that paul was more than willing to talk about all the band's gossip, so we asked plenty of questions. so here's the low-down:
re: the move to london...that's 99% a sure-thing, but they don't know when exactly. paul (i think) wants it to happen sooner than later, and it's understandable. the band is really in a state of transition at the moment, and paul really appears to want to move forward.
re: the capitol thing...paul said john pursued it, made a couple calls, but it was not a serious thing. paul was sort of vague on this topic, but he did not seem to have much hope for such a venture.
re: the signing-to-island thing...that is a slight maybe. neither party appears to be too interested.
re: independiente...this is, according to paul, a 99% sure thing. it is just a matter of time. andy macdonald, from what paul told us, is a really good friend to the band, so he's helping the band out in every way he can.
re: getting another bandmember...first, stephen is back on drums. everyone is happy about this. but the band does not want a temporary bass player or someone who is in it for the money (i know what you're thinking, what money) or sees it as just a "job." instead, they want someone who is a friend and is trustworthy.
the band was writing new material as of 2 weeks ago, and my assumption is that they are doing this while they still have and reside at shabby road."
Thanks Diane for the loads of info!
April 23, 1997 (all these code names...from Mr. Angst)
"I talked to John D. a few weeks ago -- not too much to report. At that time he said the Independiente deal was still being worked through and that they had a lot of new material."
April 29, 1997 (anonymous)
"I have spoken with Frank and it looks like the plans to sign with
Independiente have all but fallen through. It sounds like the
screwing over by Go!Discs (except now they are called Independiente) that
we all suspected all along has finally taken its final and most brutal
form. TCS are curently in a bind....they in truth have no label on
either side of the pond. Jack Rabid in his introduction to "The Big
Takeover" interview summarizes the sadness of the TCS predicament very
nicely. Anyhow, future plans for the band are up in the air...although
they are still recording material, perhaps hoping to quickly get an
album together before they all starve (no label=no advance money=no
food) in hopes of shopping the material around to some other label...."
That's it for now. Check back for more info later. Hopefully more news will turn up soon...and hopefully it will be good. Send some mail to TCS (address is in the FAQ) to keep their spirits up!
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