The Scaffold

[GRAEME]

Theme tunes by the great The Scaffold - Mike (McCartney) McGear, Roger McGough and John Gorman? I know The Liver Birds, of course - adapted from their better "Liverpool Girls". But tow other tracks interest me: Charity Bubbles sounds like a theme song - and All the Way Up is one - although I've never seen the film, is it any cop?

I remembered All the Way Up as being the theme song for one of the Alf Garnett movies, but obviously I'm wrong. Is it just that the theme song for the Garnett movie (The Alf Garnett Saga, I think) is very similar or is it by The Scaffold - or am I going mad?

I have never consciously seen All the Way Up - but knew the song straight away!

[Freddy]

Always loved The Scaffold especially when they joined forces with others to become GRIMMS. Great nights were had by all.

[flynn]

you cant beat that Toe tapper Lily The Pink.

[paul kersey]

For some reason, the B side of "Lily the pink" has always been a favourite song of mine.
In answer to Graeme, the soundtrack to "The Alf Garnett saga" was written and performed by Georgie Fame.

[GRAEME]

For some reason, the B side of "Lily the pink" has always been a favourite song of mine.
In answer to Graeme, the soundtrack to "The Alf Garnett saga" was written and performed by Georgie Fame.

Thanks! Yeah Buttons of your Mind is a fave of mine too - for some reason missing from their "Best of..." CD!

[Rowdon]

According to his autobiography, which for some reason I've just read, Buttons of Your Mind was a reaction to the fact that since "Thank U Very Much" the Scaffold had spent "more time doing cabaret dates and kiddy TV than we had playing to our student and theatre audiences". The song, with "lyrics that Rod McKuen would have put down his big white sheep dog to have written", was intended to be the second A side, showing that the Scaffold were deeper and more interesting than many thought ... but it got no airplay. Lily the Pink got them loads more kiddy TV bookings, I remember. And a good thing too - a great song for a six year old to sing along to as his parents laughed. Anybody remember them on Top of the Pops with photos of Jimmy Saville representing the characters in the song?
Anyway - I'm sure that McGough is chuffed that Buttons is so well remembered.

[Chevyman]

Mike Mcgear issued a very respectable solo album after the split

[paul kersey]

After all these years, it's good to know that I am not the only one who appreciates "Buttons of your mind". As for appealing to the kiddies, I remember that my 14 year old brother bought "Lily the pink" when it was first released and played it endlessly, but at the age of 6 I was simply fascinated by "Buttons" and I still love it !

[GRAEME]

For me it was Aintree Iron on the radio at breakfast before going to school in a pea-souper... And nobody being able to tell me what an Aintree Iron was!

[Tonch]

I once asked the Liverpudlian custodian of Paul McCartney's old house at 20 Forthlin Road what the "Aintree Iron" was, and even he admitted defeat...there are a multitude of theories and Mike McCartney (McGear as was) is generally very coy about any definitive answer.

Does anyone know where I can obtain Scaffold's original "Liver Birds" TV series theme? I have a compilation of theirs featuring "Liver Birds (On A Mountain Stands A Lady)" but it's not the same. Even TV Theme Tune CDs I own fail to provide the proper telly version of this song. I'm sure I read that even the BBC's archive does not hold a copy and the mastertape is AWOL.

It's as big a mystery as the Aintree Iron!

[paul kersey]

I suppose we have all googled to find out what the "Aintree Iron" was. This link to the Guardian provides a few more theories:
What and where is the "Aintree Iron" mentioned in the song Lily The Pink by The Scaffold? | Notes and Queries | guardian.co.uk Choose your own answer.