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Adge Cutler & The Wurzels

biography | discography | gigs | gallery | audio | links

Who Are Adge Cutler & The Wurzels?

Adge Cutler and The Wurzels, renamed The Wurzels after Cutler's death in 1974, are a Scrumpy and Western band from Somerset. The band is best known for its 1976 number one hit Combine Harvester (Brand New Key), but the band's history stretching back over 40 years - and they still perform to this day.

The Wurzels were formed in 1966 as a backing group for singer/songwriter Adge Cutler. With a thick Somerset accent, Adge played on his West Country roots, singing many folk songs with local themes such as cider making (and drinking), farming, local villages and industrial work songs, often with a comic slant. During the 1960s, the band became immensely popular regionally, and the release of the single Drink Up Thy Zider led to national fame and number 45 in the UK charts.

Adge Cutler was killed in May 1974 in a car crash near Chepstow and is buried in his native Nailsea. Adge's death marked a turning point for the band; deprived of the main songwriting talent, the remaining band members renamed the band The Wurzels and augmented the dwindling supply of Adge's unrecorded songs by re-working existing songs to include the usual Wurzel themes of cider, farming, dung, etc. This paid off with the The Wurzels single Combine Harvester (a re-working of the Melanie song Brand New Key) topping the UK single charts for 2 weeks. This was folowed by similarly-themed songs such as I Am A Cider Drinker (a rework of Una Paloma Blanca) and Farmer Bill's Cowman (words added to the instrumental I Was Kaiser Bill's Batman), but by the end of the decade sales dropped off and they were dropped by EMI.

Although the band never stopped playing live, it was in the mid-1990s that cult status amongst students and a resurgence in their popularity in the West Country that things started to pick up again. After hard work of Paul Gunningham from the Wurzelmania! website, EMI started to re-issue the band's songs on CD; whilse the band also released their own albums through their manager's label Cruisin'. A look at their gig guide shows that there is no shortage of demand for the band's services, and although well into their seventies, there's still a lot of life in the old dogs yet (as can be seen from the picture of Tommy Banner below!)

The Wurzels

The Wurzels on stage in 2001.

The Wurzels

The Wurzels pictured with Scrumpy and Western founder Paul Gunningham.

Pete Budd

Pete Budd

Tommy Banner

Tommy Banner

The Wurzels and Adge Cutler Discography

Here are shown the CD singles and CD albums releases by The Wurzels, and Adge Cutler & The Wurzels. A full discography can be found in the Wurzelmania! website.

CD Singles

Catalogue No. Title / Tracks Issue Date

WURZEL CDS1

I Want To Be An Eddie Stobart Driver - The Wurzels

I Want To Be An Eddie Stobart Driver / You Can't Kid A Kidder / Forty And Bone Dry / Rig Jig

1995

EMI Gold
879 4482

Combine Harvester 2001 Remix - The Wurzels

The Combine Harvester - 2001 Remix / The Blackbird (Original Version) / The Combine Harvester (Original Version)

Jun 2001

Universal
CDREC22

Come On Santa! - The Wurzels

Come On Santa! (Get Yer Act Together) - Radio Edit / Come On Santa! (Get Yer Act Together) - X-Rated Version / Drink Up Thy Zider (Live)

Dec 2001

EMI Gold
7243 5 51508 2 0

Don't Look Back In Anger - The Wurzels

Don't Look Back In Anger / (What's The Story? It's One For The) Morning Glory / I Am A Cider Drinker

Sep 2002

EMI Gold
3926537

I Am a Cider Drinker 07 - The Wurzels with Tony Blackburn

I Am A Cider Drinker 2007 (Paloma Blanca) / Combine Harvester (Brand New Key) / Ferry To Glastonbury

23 April 2007

Absolute
CIA 004

One For The Bristol City / Drink Up Thy Zider (Live) - The Wurzels with Bristol City FC

24 Sep 2007

CD Albums

Catalogue No. Title / Tracks Issue Date

EMI Ideal
CD IDL 22

The Wurzels - The Wurzels

Who Put The Bomp (In The Bomp-A Bomp-A Bomp)? / Don Juan Of The West / The Wurzel Rock / Willie Friese-Greene / Tremble On / Base Over Apex / Pheasant Plucker's Son / Good Old Somerset / Short Time Livin' / Drink Up Thy Zider / The Market Gardener / Ferry To Glastonbury / Somerset Born & Proud / Keep Yer 'And On Yer 'Alfpenny / Middle For Diddle / Down In Nempnett Thrubwell / Call Of The West / Two Milk Churns / Somerset Jigolo / Farmer Jonesie's Travellin' Disco Show

1988

EMI Ideal
CD IDL 114

The Wurzels and Adge Cutler & The Wurzels

I Am A Cider Drinker / The Tractor Song / Our Village Band / I Got Me Beady Little Eye On Thee / The Blackbird / Speedy Gonzales / Give Me England! / Farmer Bill's Cowman / Funky Farmyard / I'll Never Get A Scrumpy Here / My Somerset Crumpet Horn / Drunk On A Saturday Night / The Combine Harvester / Easton-In-Gordano / Twice Daily / The Wurple-Diddle-I-Doo Song (The Village Band) / Don't Tell I, Tell 'Ee / Saturday Night At The Crown / Ferry To Glastonbury / The Shepton Mallet Matador / When The Common Market Comes To Stanton Drew / The Champion Dung Spreader / All Over Mendip / I Wish I Was Back On The Farm / Drink Up Thy Zider

1991

HMV Easy
5 32071 2

The Wurzels Collection

I Am A Cider Drinker / The Combine Harvester / Drink Up Thy Zider (disco version) / The Blackbird / Drink, Drink Yer Zider Up / One For The Bristol City / Cabot Song (Big 'Ead) / Look At 'Ee Lookin' At I / Captain Of A Dredger / Let There Not Be Light / My Somerset Crumpet Horn / Don Juan Of The West / Mevagissey / Farmer Jonesie's Travellin' Disco Show / Funky Farmyard / Wurzel Rock / Give Me England! / Who Put The Bomp (In The Bomp, Bomp, Bomp)? / Ferry To Glastonbury / Haggis Farewell / Middle For Diddle / Pheasant Plucker's Son / Springtime / The Tractor Song (Pushbike Song)

Apr 2001

EMI Gold
527 0462

The Finest 'Arvest of The Wurzels featuring Adge Cutler

The Combine Harvester / I Am A Cider Drinker / Morning Glory / The Blackbird / Farmer Bill's Cowman / Drink Up Thy Zider / Twice Daily / Chitterling / All Over Mendip / The Champion Dung Spreader / Don't Tell I, Tell 'Ee / Drunk On A Saturday Night / My Threshing Machine / Pill, Pill / Down In Nempnett Thrubwell / I'd Love To Swim In The Zuider Zee / I Got Me Beady Little Eye On Thee / Keep Yer 'And On Yer 'Alfpenny / The Market Gardener / The Back Of My Old Car / I Wish I Was Back On The Farm / The Wurple-Diddle-I-Do Song (The Village Band) / I'll Never Get A Scrumpy Here / Rock Around The A38

 3 July 2000

EMI Gold
534 4102

The Finest 'Arvest of The Wurzels featuring Adge Cutler (Reissue)

The Combine Harvester / I Am A Cider Drinker / Morning Glory / The Blackbird / Farmer Bill's Cowman / Drink Up Thy Zider / Twice Daily / Chitterling / All Over Mendip / The Champion Dung Spreader / Don't Tell I, Tell 'Ee / Drunk On A Saturday Night / My Threshing Machine / Pill, Pill / Down In Nempnett Thrubwell / I'd Love To Swim In The Zuider Zee / I Got Me Beady Little Eye On Thee / Keep Yer 'And On Yer 'Alfpenny / The Market Gardener / The Back Of My Old Car / I Wish I Was Back On The Farm / The Wurple-Diddle-I-Do Song (The Village Band) / I'll Never Get A Scrumpy Here / Drink, Drink Yer Zider Up / Combine Harvester 2001 "Cowshed" Remix

Buy it on

Aug 2001

APR Media Centre
07000 10 20 30

The Wurzels Live - The Wurzels

The Blackbird / The Champion Dung Spreader / I Wish I Was Back On The Farm / Twice Daily / The Combine Harvester / Somerset Jigalo / The Wurzel Rock / All Over Mendip / Morning Glory / Malt 'n' Barley Blues / Drink up Thy Zider / Am A Cider Drinker

2002

Cruisin'
ZEN 00262

Never Mind The Bullocks - 'Ere's The Wurzels - The Wurzels

Rock DJ / You'm Gorgeous / Country 'Ouse / Why Do It Always Rain On I? / Ooh Arr! Just A Little Bit / Dead Vrom The Waist Down / Tubthumping / 'T Weren't I / Don't Look Back In Anger / Come On Santa

Buy it on

18 Nov 2002

EMI Gold
584 8072

Cutler Of The West - Adge Cutler & The Wurzels

Drink Up Thy Zider (Play On) / The Charlton Mackrell Jug Band / In The Haymaking Time / Five Foot Flirt / Thee's Got'n Where Thee Cassn't Back'n Hassn't? / Dorset is Beautiful / Up The Clump / Drink Up Thy Zider (Play On) / The Chandler's Wife / The Bristol Song / The Marrow Song (Oh! What A Beauty) / A Pub With No Beer / Oh! Sir Jasper / The Wurple-Diddle-I-Doo Song (The Village Band) / Drink Up Thy Zider (Play Off)

Buy it on

7 July 2003

Zenith
CIA 001

A Taste of the West - The Wurzels

Pill Pill / Sunny Weston Super Mare / Virtuet Industrial / Down In Nempnett Thrubwell / When The Common Market Comes To Stanton Drew / The Shepton Mallet Matador / The Charlton Mackrell Jug Band / Ferry To Glastonbury / Bridgewater Town / Rock Around The A38 / Mevagissey / Good Ol Somerset

28 Jun 2004

Cruisin
CIA 002

Top Of The Crops - The Wurzels

The Blackbird / Champion Dung Spreader / Marrow Song (Oh What A Beauty) / Farmer Bill's Cowman / Shepton Mallet Matador / Chitterling / Don't Tell I Tell 'Ee / Give Me England / I'll Never Get A Scrumpy Here / I Am A Cider Drinker / Don't Look Back In Anger / Combine Harvester / Drink Up Thy Zider

Buy it on

4 Sep 2006

EMI Gold

The Wurzels Greatest Hits - The Wurzels

I Am A Cider Drinker 2007 (Paloma Blanca) - with Tony Blackburn / Combine Harvester (Brand New Key) / The Blackbird / Drink Drink Yer Zider Up / When The Common Market Comes To Stanton Drew / Don't Look Back In Anger / Ferry To Glastonbury / Farmer Bill's Cowman / Pill Pill / Ooh Arr Just A Little Bit / Morning Glory / Somerset Jigolo / Drink Up Thy Zider / I Am A Cider Drinker (Paloma Blanca) / Rock Around The A38 / I've Got Me Beady Little On Thee / Good Old Summerset / Why Does It Always Rain On Me / Tractor Song (The Pushbike Song) / Shepton Mallet Matador / Combine Harvester (Brand New Key)

Buy it on 

7 May 2007

Adge Cutler & The Wurzels Links

There are also various Wurzels MySpace sites, too many to list here!



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