The Supporters - On The Ball

 

Arsenal oriented ska influenced football capers

Label: RCA
Year of Release: 1970

Well, I can hardly claim originality or exclusivity with this one. "On The Ball" was dug up from the darkest crevices of Danny Baker's record collection in the nineties and given endless exposure on "TFI Friday" as a "great lost football record". Seemingly, the hope was that with enough public pressure it would be re-recorded (or re-released) for a new audience to enjoy.

This wasn't a completely fruitless endeavour. Those reliable souls Ant And Dec jumped in to plant the chorus in their 2002 World Cup single of the same name, which despite the complete lack of a "TFI Friday" series to promote the idea did nonetheless get to number three in the charts. 

While Ant and Dec's version is the kind of swaggering post-Britpop anthem you'd expect, it lacks the mend-and-make-do cod-ska modesty of the original which really does feel like a spontaneous terrace chant rather than a calculated effort; because make no mistake, this feels like the work of your three mates, one of their Dads and some bloke from Splodgenessabounds in the studio after peak hours (and after many ales have been supped, mark my words). It has a distinct ska sound, but nonetheless one that limps slightly like a wounded pigeon rather than struts, and almost certainly wasn't recorded by bona-fide ska musicians. It's a rinky-dink, homespun and chirpily busked creation which despite its links to Arsenal wouldn't be allowed within a mile of the Premiership club these days. Curiously, it also doesn't sound especially 1970, actually more closely resembling those novelty oddments Stiff sometimes slipped out for their own amusement much later in the decade. 

Novelty records like this one either float to the upper regions of the charts or sink beneath the waves, and despite two releases (RCA also gave it a second go during the 1971 football season) the public were unmoved. This just goes to show how heartlessly wrong the public can be, though, and it feels only fair that the songwriter Harold Spiro got his rightful royalty cheque for this in 2002.

Of course, I doubt he was close to bankruptcy at this point. He had a long songwriting career including tracks penned for Olivia Newton-John ("Long Live Love"), The Yardbirds ("Little Games") and eventually a bona-fide football hit with "Nice One Cyril". He also delivered the obscure effort "Down At The Bush" for QPR, although wasn't the man behind that team's absurd psychedelic offering "Supporters-Support Us" in 1967 (although this was credited to "QPR Supporters"... hmmm... perhaps this case does need to be reopened).

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