Texas Fever

Orange Juice: Edwyn Collins (vocals, guitar); Zeke Manyika (drums).
Audio Remasterer: Dennis Smith .
Photographer: Robert Sharp.
Released in March 1984, the delicate structures and melodic avenues explored in Texas Fever contrast the volatility of the recording sessions which produced it, with reggae producer Dennis Bovell attempting to keep the peace between the entrenched factions. The rhythm section wanted to become progressively funkier (following the success of "Rip It Up" a year previously), while singer Edwyn Collins felt uncomfortable singing and writing in this environment. The EP (it contained only six tracks on release) is nevertheless a minor triumph. It includes the flop single "Bridge" and "The Day I Went Down to Texas," whose sound revisits the group's earlier work with Postcard Records but is actually an allegory for Collins' leaving Glasgow for London. ~ Alex Ogg