Happy days, having delved into the controversial history of Rhoda and The Special AKA's version of 'The Boiler'single, I unearthed a gem. As mentioned in the earlier post, this Bodysnatcher's original is a rather elusive beast, appearing on one bootleg and on a John Peel Session from 1980. And here is that session. The Peel session id posted here in great quality (thanks to the 'Formerly known as the bollocks' website). At this stage of its gestation (perhaps an unwise turn of phrase given the subject matter) 'The Boiler' has all of the signatures of early 2-Tone i.e. that high octane melding of punk and ska. To my ears the song sounds great and Rhoda's vocals are pretty much word for word the same as on the released version. What it lacks is the sinister edge that Jerry's cinematic organ arrangement brought with it. But it is great to be able to compare and contrast such a hugely poignant and important song as it evolved between the writing and recording.
FLAC: https://we.tl/t-4okMul9MpP
Sleeve: https://we.tl/t-qxLha4HYiy
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