Alanddin Sane (1997 album)

Alanddin Sane is the 1997 album recorded by Alan Seymour.

Background
After the comparable success of his previous album, Whenever You Retweet Somebody, Seymour decided to ride the wave of popularity and return immediately to the studio to record new material. While he had initially been keen to replicate the atmosphere of his first album, bringing back his producer Philp Scofiled and returning to the recently-reopened Softly Galoshes studios, he quickly lost interest in working under those conditions.

Launching his new tour Seymour and Hear Less proved a strain on his recording schedule, and after recording only two tracks for the album Seymour passed the writing duties to Scofiled, who himself would ultimately outsource the writing to other artists, giving the album an eclectic sound.

Seymour's first two solo compositions on the album were Gulp Gulp, Drink Some Beer and ICT Party. Backstage during the Lancashire leg of his tour, he collaborated with the venue's Janitor to write Alan Seymour, He Likes to Tango. During the summer break in his tour, Seymour returned to the Studio; along with He Likes to Tango, Alan recorded Watch That Mango and Alanddin Sane, tracks that Scofiled had managed to purchase from rising star Mango Gowie to cover.

Dissatisfied with the apparent lack of productivity in the studio, Seymour employed a new strategy, and transformed a segment of his live shows into a sketch where he worked with the audience to write new songs. While the move was considered by some to be a sell-out, it worked as Seymour anticipated, giving him Recycle Everything, Alans Just Wanna Have Fun and Take Me To The Alan Show.

Although his label, Hoe Mygawd Records, considered the album complete enough to run for release, Alan was concerned that the album did not have a hard-hitting track they could use as a lead single. Speaking in an interview for BBC Tyneside, he said: &quot;it's much too fucking short, it's gonna die. There's not enough on it. I really should put it on floppy disk instead or something.&quot;

His prayers would be answered as he was approached to provide music for the film Aidswhistle. While the agreement was originally that he would write material for another artist, he was so delighted with his latest work that his boiler nearly burst. He chuffed happily back to the studio to record what would become the album's opening track, Holding Out For An Alan.

The album was released to mixed reviews. To further the pain, Seymour fell ill to Geordie influenza shortly after release, and for many months was left unable to speak. The last dozen shows on his tour were delayed, eventually cancelled altogether. Rumours soon began circulating of his passing, as the Tyneside artist had indeed disappeared from public view.

At the end of the year, many weeks into his recovery, he returned to the studio to record his take on the popular &quot;We Are Number One&quot;, with his first and only music video of the year released to accompany the release. The single has more recently been included on reissues of Alanddin Sane, though early prints without this bonus track are now considered collectors' items and are sought after by Alananiacs around the Tyne.

Track Listing

 * 1) Holding Out For An Alan
 * 2) Gulp Gulp, Drink Some Beer
 * 3) Watch That Mango
 * 4) Alan Seymour, He Likes to Tango
 * 5) Alanddin Sane
 * 6) Recycle Everything
 * 7) Alans Just Wanna Have Fun
 * 8) ICT Party
 * 9) (Will You Won't You) Take Me To The Alan Show
 * 10) We Are Alan One (bonus track)