VA - Shirley Inspired (2015)

Description from the producer, Paul Williams: This album came, more or less, completely out of the blue. As we prepared for the Kickstarter I knew that if we were to succeed there was going to have to be something significant happening across our social media each and every day. The whole team began to ask everyone they knew what this could be and how we could get a hold of good, valuable stuff. The organisation for the launch party at Cafe OTO in London was well under way and tickets were selling fast. We had a great cast of performers confirmed and, as master of ceremonies, Stewart Lee, the UK’s most courageous comic. I went to Oxford to meet with Stewart to talk about the launch and see him perform as an alumni of St Edmund Hall in Oxford, an honour he shares with Shirley’s daughter, Polly. Indeed, Shirley was also there as guest of honour. It was an odd but highly enjoyable evening... Stewart played a fantastic, Polly on the Shore, with accompaniment by the inimitable, Stuart Estell. During a conversation after the event Stuart offered to record an EP of Shirley's songs, post them up to Bandcamp, with any and all proceeds to be donated to the Kickstarter. He recorded his version of Just as the Tide was Flowing and a couple of emails and conversations later… Boom! Will Oldham & Cooper Crane had also submitted a piece. And then they started flowing in… and if everyone who would have liked to be involved could have found the time to supply something there would be more than 60 songs. It wasn’t long before we'd decided to add it as a reward on the Kickstarter and here we are… you have bought it! Thank you! Shirley Inspired… is something I’m very proud of and for a multitude of reasons. There are so many people who in such short a space of time put so much love and effort in to making this a most remarkable musical event.