F.A.Q.

24/04/02

7 days a week, I get emails asking about re-releasing The Rats albums on CD. I did have permission from EMI to do this before Christmas '01. I was planning to finance this myself.

EMI rejected my first proposal as they wanted a higher advance, but they accepted my second proposal. Unfortunately, after agreeing to my proposal, they discovered they didn't actually own the rights.

Undeterred, I did some more detective work and found out who does actually own the rights. I spoke to the record company concerned, but my proposal was "stopped by marketing". I tried again a month later, and was told they thought I had a good idea, and were now going to re-release the albums themselves.

I was also told they could even be released at a budget price, on a budget subsidiary label, during the year. I considered that I was being given the corporate brush off, However...

I spoke to Bob Geldof and Pete Briquette on 23rd of April in Ipswich, and they were also aware of these plans to re-release all the albums.

I told them I thought the CD's should contain bonus b:side tracks on the albums. So for example In The Long Grass would contain the single and album versions of 'Dave', Rain, UK and US versions of Drag Me Down, Walking Downtown, Precious Time etc.

Bob told me that some of the original tapes are not in the best of condition. He also said that he had various tape recordings, stashed at home in the attic, which he's going to dig out. Bob says he has recordings of The Rats playing in hotel rooms and the like. I mentioned that these could perhaps be used as additional bonus tracks.

HOPEFULLY, these gems will now see the light of day!

Chris Graham

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