Sad Day We Left the Croft
Sad Day We Left The Croft is a compilation album of punk bands from the Scottish Hebridean Isle of Lewis, recorded in 1980 and released in 1981, as a 12-inch vinyl LP on an independent record label, Adult Entertainments, based in Stornoway; and also in a cassette version by Croft Recordings. A related 7 inch vinyl single on Adult Entertainments was also released in 1981. The single was played by John Peel on his influential BBC Radio 1 music show shortly after its release. Pressed in limited quantities, both the single and the  album became cult items and copies have been much sought after by collectors. The making and impact of the album are the subject of a BBC Gaelic television documentary in the arts series Ealtainn, also titled "Sad Day We Left The Croft". The 30 minute programme produced by Moja and MacTV was first broadcast on BBC Two Scotland on 27 September 2007. On 25 September 2007, Stornoway based independent record label Honcho reissued the "Sad Day We Left The Croft" album on CD. All the original tracks were remastered for the CD release. Additional tracks on the CD include both  tracks from the related single, and four other previously unreleased tracks. Background. In the late 1970s during the punk era, bands sprang up all across Britain following the musical style and 'do it yourself' ethos of groups such as the Ramones, Sex Pistols, and The Clash. This phenomenon was not confined to cities - many small towns and rural areas also had local punk music scenes, including the Western Isles of Scotland, where traditional Celtic and Gaelic music, and local covers bands had mainly prevailed. A number of punk bands emerged around the main town of Stornoway on Isle of Lewis . By 1979 there were several local punk and post punk bands, including The Bland, The Rong, The Subjects, Bruce Wayne Band, Noise Annoys, Battery Boys and Dirty Girls - and in 1980 they recorded the tracks for the album and the single. Recording. The album was recorded at Croft Recordings, a small studio at Tong, about 5 miles from Stornoway. As the first recording studio in the Western Isles, Croft had been set up by Noel Eadie, a former member of Gaelic folk group Na h-Òganaich, in order to record local Gaelic and traditional music. Track listing. Original Compilation Album . Side two. All tracks recorded in 1980 at Tong Studio, Isle of Lewis c. Adult Entertainments 1981 ADD 1LP