1988 Leather Launderette
The sleeve notes on the cassette cover do not make it clear who wrote just
what, but the LP version is rather more expansive in this respect. Both
Sundown Station, which reappeared on Lindisfarne's 1997 Untapped
and Acoustic live album, and the title track, are attributed to Rod,
while an instrumental, Knight's Move, appears as a Bert Jansch/ Rod
Clements co-composition. Two other tracks, Ain't No More Cane and
Brownsville, were arranged by Rod. Leather Launderette made a
welcome return on One Track Mind, where it is credited to Rod. However, the sleeve notes on the CD version of the solo album set the record straight, establishing that it was a collaboration, co-written with Bert.
More specifically, Bert had already written the music for Leather Launderette, and he asked Rod to provide the lyrics. Rod was somewhat overawed by the prospect of having to write something that would live up to Bert's tune, and was a bit stuck. It was then that he was struck down by a dose of 'flu, and later woke up with the lyrics already written in his head.
Oddly enough, the song occupies the same position (second last track) on the cassette version of One Track Mind which it had taken up on Leather Launderette.
It is also interesting to note that Leather Launderette included a
track called Brafferton, penned by
Kathryn Tickell - Rod knew it from Kathryn's 1986 album Borderlands
(on which it went by the name of Brafferton Village), which he had played on - and
also that Rod roped in Marty Craggs to supply backing vocals on three tracks.
The release of Leather Launderette was followed by a marathon
folk-club tour by the duo.
One abiding mystery about Leather Launderette is best laid to rest
right here. The album sleeve notes mention a CD version, and even quote a
serial number. However, I have it on the best possible authority, ie Rod
himself, that no CD was ever released.
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