Remember You're a Womble

Remember You're a Womble
Studio album by The Wombles
Released	July 1974
Recorded	Wessex Sound Studios
Genre	Bubblegum pop, classical, surf rock, boogie, country, calypso
Label	CBS
Producer	Mike Batt
The Wombles chronology
Wombling Songs Remember You're A Womble Keep On Wombling

Remember You're a Womble was the second album released by The Wombles. The songs were recorded by Mike Batt (vocals/keyboards) with session musicians Chris Spedding (guitars), Les Hurdle (bass), Clem Cattini (drums), Ray Cooper (percussion), Rex Morris (saxophone), Eddie Mordue (saxophone) and Jack Rothstein (violin).

After the success of the first album, Wombling Songs, Batt experimented with more character-based songs in a variety of musical styles. He described it as "really the first proper album for The Wombles as a group".^[1] The styles included pop, rock, classical (the music of "Minuetto Allegretto" was based on Mozart's Symphony No.41) and surf rock in the style of the Beach Boys.

The songs also developed the Womble characters further, for example "Wellington Goes To Waterloo" described Wellington Womble taking a rare day off and visiting London Waterloo station for a bit of train spotting.

This was the first album with a cover showing the full-size Womble costumes, worn by Batt and the session musicians. The album spent 31 weeks in the UK album chart, peaking at number 18 on 13 July 1974.^[2]

Original album track listing

Side One

1. Remember You're a Womble (Mike Batt, Chris Spedding) (Who could forget?) (3:11)
2. Minuetto Allegretto (Mike Batt, Chris Spedding) (In which the story is told of Great Uncle Bulgaria's minuetting childhood) (3:38)
3. Non-Stop Wombling Summer Party (Mike Batt, Chris Spedding, Felicity White) (In which we meet the Surfing Wombles: Los Angeles Burrrow) (4:03)
4. Wombling in the Rain (Mike Batt, Chris Spedding, Paul Peterson) (In which NOBODY CARES) (3:58)
5. Womble Burrow Boogie (Mike Batt, Chris Spedding) (In which EVERYBODY BOOGIES)(2:57)

Side Two

1. Wellington Goes to Waterloo (Mike Batt, Chris Spedding) (In which young Wellington goes train-spotting) (3:36)
2. The Return of Cousin Yellowstone (Mike Batt, Chris Spedding, Edward Seymour) (In which Yellowstone returns for one of his visits and the story of his fortune-seeking youth is told) (3:08)*
3. The Womble Square Dance (Mike Batt, Chris Spedding, Jeremy Glasser) ("You'll square dance the whole night through when Cousin Yellowstone stays with you") (3:14)
4. Wimbledon Sunset (Interlude) (In which nothing in particular happens) (1:51)
5. Banana Rock (Mike Batt, Chris Spedding, Edward Seymour) (In which the West Indian Wombles really Rock On!) (3:05)

Music videos were made for all songs except "*".

Bonus Tracks (2014 reissue)

1. Bungo's Birthday (Mike Batt, Chris Spedding, Steve Burke) (in which we meet Bungo, the birthday Womble) (2:39) (B-side of "Remember You're a Womble")
   
2. Wellington Womble (Mike Batt, Chris Spedding) (in which we meet Wellington, the ever so rather brainy Womble) (3:59) (B-side of "Remember You're a Womble")
   
3. Die Wombles Sind Im Kommen (German version of "Remember You're a Womble") (3:12)
   
4. Recuerda Que Eres Un Womble (Spanish version of "Remember You're a Womble") (3:12)
   
5. Ricorda Siamo Wombles (Italian version of "Remember You're a Womble") (3:12)
   
6. Mon Coeur Est Malade (French version of "Banana Rock") (3:05)

Cassette track listing

Side One

1. Remember You're a Womble (3:08)
2. Minuetto Allegretto (3:38)
3. Non-Stop Wombling Summer Party (4:02)
4. Wombling in the Rain (3:58)
5. Wimbledon Sunset (1:50)

Side Two

1. Wellington Goes to Waterloo (3:36)
2. The Return of Cousin Yellowstone (3:12)
3. The Womble Square Dance (3:14)
4. Banana Rock (3:05)
5. Womble Burrow Boogie (2:57)

1999 remaster

1. Non-Stop Wombling Summer Party (3:18)
2. Wimbledon Sunset (1:46)
3. The Wombling Song (2:26)
4. Remember You're a Womble (3:09)
5. Exercise is Good for You (2:34)
6. Dreaming In the Sun (Orinoco's Song) (4:05)
7. Banana Rock (3:06)
8. Wellington Womble (3:30)
9. Minuetto Allegretto (3:14)
10. The Womble Square Dance (3:06)
11. The Return of Cousin Yellowstone (3:06)

Bonus tracks

1. Wombling in the Rain (3:52)
2. Ricorda Siamo Wombles (3:11)
3. Wellington Goes to Waterloo (3:36)

Singles

Four tracks were released as singles:

• "Remember You're a Womble"- peaked at No. 3
• "Banana Rock" - peaked at No. 9
• "Non-Stop Wombling Summer Party" - did not chart
• "Minuetto Allegretto" - peaked at No. 16

^[3]

"Minuetto Allegretto" was used in the 1977 film Wombling Free.

References

1. Kim Cooper; David Smay; Jake Austen (2001). Bubblegum Music Is the Naked Truth. Feral House. p. 159. ISBN 0-922915-69-5.
2. Neil Warwick; Jon Kutner; Tony Brown (2004). The Complete Book Of The British Charts: Singles and Albums. Omnibus Press. pp. 1203–1204. ISBN 1-84449-058-0.