Frank Sidebottom - Little Box of Bobbins - Frank's Fantastic Anthology 1985-1993  

The original idea for Frank Sidebottom, alter ego of the late Chris Sievey, was for him to be a superfan of the Freshies, Chris’ band at that time.  His first appearance was a spoken-word track on their 1984 EP.  He then started using the character in videos that promoted the band and Frank started gaining a cult following.  Over the ensuing years he released numerous EP’s, albums and singles and also appeared regularly on TV and radio, including his own Frank Sidebottom’s Proper Tell Show in B/W.  Little Box of Bobbins is the new three CD box set containing 109 cuts, compiled from the two out of print compilations ABC & D… The Best Of… from 1999, and E, F, G & H. The Best Of… Volume Two from 2009, along with a third disc containing 36 tracks that have previously never been released on CD.  Those songs are comprised of 16 taken from the EP’s he released in 1985 and 1986 on the EMI sub-label Regal Zonophone, and 20 previously unreleased live performances taken from the Sievey audio archive that were recorded between 1985 and 1988.

I have to admit that I knew very little about Sidebottom, largely from pictures I have seen online and on social media, and also having recently seen the excellent 2018 documentary Being Frank: The Chris Sievey Story, but I completely missed out on him when he was out there doing his thing (it also seems like he really didn’t make much of an impression in the US).  While his quirky, offbeat, at times a bit experimental, music is definitely not for everyone, the box set is a fun collection of his unique covers (Sex Pistols, Madonna, Queen, Beatles, The Smiths, Kylie Minogue, Beastie Boys and so many more), originals and comedy bits, and it’s obvious from the audience reactions and singalongs on the live tracks that those who did get it absolutely loved him.  Sadly, Sievey passed away in 2010, but now thanks to Cherry Red a new generation has a chance to discover the unique world of Frank Sidebottom.  

(Cherry Red Records)