194:, Lancashire, named Tractor Sound Studios, again partially financed by John Peel. This studio would feature in a BBC film about Rochdale, Heywood, and John Peel, when the band and Chris Hewitt revisited the studio in December 2006. In September 2009, the location of Tractor Sound Studios was celebrated with a blue plaque as a testimonial to the members of Tractor and John Peel. Unveiled by Steve Clayton, Peter Hook-Joy Division/New Order), Rev Mike Huck and Chris Hewitt The plaque is mounted on the front of the building. The part finished third album for Dandelion, which was to be eventually released in the 1990s as
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240:, a North West England music festival of the 1970s which the band were heavily involved in. At this point Tractor Music- PA Company and Music shop moved into premises along with Cargo Studios on Kenion Street, Rochdale. The whole street became a music complex during the 1970s to the 1990s with many well known bands including
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Meanwhile, Peel bought the band recording equipment and a stereo PA system. He also convinced the band to change their name. Looking out of his kitchen window at Peel Acres in
Suffolk, he spied a tractor in the fields adjacent to his house and recommended it as a name to them. Tractor's first release
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The band issued CDs on numerous labels from 1991 before starting their own company in 1996, Ozit
Morpheus Records, which has now reissued their entire back catalogue. Tractor began performing live again in 2001 (just the original duo of Jim Milne and Steve Clayton) and have become a regular festival
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In the early days, the main marketing tool of unsigned hopeful bands was to send demo tapes. Accordingly, a tape was sent by John
Brierley to Elektra Records part of the CBS group. Clive Selwood was the CBS UK operations manager and he listened to the tape and liked what he heard. He and his partner
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In 1980, Milne, Clayton, and
Addison entered the studio, this time adding blind musician Tony Crabtree on keyboards/guitar. They recorded another single – "Average Man's Hero" / "Big Big Boy" – this one for Roach Records, which was a label run by the band themselves. The band started live concerts
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The duo's first full-length follow-up was released in 1972. By
January 1973, the album was earning positive reviews. Sound engineer John Brierley was eventually replaced by former The Way We Live singer Alan Burgess and, along with Chris Hewitt who would eventually manage the band, Milne, and
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buying equipment here and hiring PA's from
Tractor Music and recording in Cargo Studios, A blue plaque was put on Tractor's building in Rochdale in 2009 to celebrate its use as Cargo Studios, Tractor Music and Suite Sixteen Studios.
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was released, credited to The Way We Live. The release, named after
Clayton's then girlfriend, later wife, earned immediate critical acclaim "...impeccable in both technique and emotion"... Al Clark writing in
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DJ John Peel signed the band to their
Dandelion Records label. Peel had a fondness for Rochdale, having worked in a cotton mill there before becoming a DJ. Clive Selwood came to Rochdale to sign up the band.
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album (1971). All of this recording was done in an attic and bedroom studio of a terraced house in
Edenfield Road Rochdale, which John Peel named Dandelion Studios, Rochdale to tie in with his record label
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at that point based in his house on Drake Street. They recorded another single "No More Rock 'n' Roll" / "Northern City", which was issued on Cargo
Records of Rochdale and made the newly invented
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Tractor eventually left the Dandelion label, which had effectively ceased to operate for about 17 years in 1973-confirmed by John Peel's article on Dandelion ceasing for a while in 1973
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also showed a short documentary on Tractor in January 2007. Tractor spent 2007 and 2008 in the studio recording additional material for a new extended version of their album about the
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In the summer of 1976, Milne and Clayton and manager Chris Hewitt recruited bassist Dave Addison and teamed up again with studio engineer John Brierley, now the owner of
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after the name change from The Way We Live was a 7-inch maxi single – "Stoney Glory"/"Marie"/"As You Say"—for Dandelion. They also backed up another Dandelion act –
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The group was booked into London's Spot Studios and finished the sessions within two days, and in January 1971 the band's debut album,
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In 2019, as a protest against the planned demolition of four of the seven College Bank blocks of flats, the band released
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538:"Julian Cope presents Head Heritage | Unsung | Album of the Month | John Peel presents Tractor"
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which was eventually released in August 2011. The new double LP Townhead Mill was released in late 2012.
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Tractor then recorded a single in their Heywood studio, the reggae-tinged "Roll the Dice", released on
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and recording again in 2001 with the two piece original line up of Jim Milne and Steve Clayton.
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by guitarist/vocalist Jim Milne and drummer Steve Clayton in 1971. Both had been members of a
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album on CD AKA Tractor including..... The Way We Live - Original Masters 1992 Album CD
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festivals. In 2004 Tractor took part and provided music for an ITV documentary,
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Before, During and After the Dandelion Years, Through to Deeply Vale and Beyond
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Clayton, the group began building a studio in Dawson Street, Market Street
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415:"No More Rock'n'Roll" – Jim Milne and Tractor without Steve Clayton Polydor
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Indie singles chart. It also appeared on the 1977 punk compilation LP,
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Peterloo- Various artists including Tractor" CD 16 August 2011
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has given Tractor and their first album favourable attention.
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406:"Stoney Glory"/"Marie"/"As You Say" – Dandelion Maxi single
483:"John Peel's Dandelion Records" – Ozit Morpheus DVD 0007
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The Way We Live - A Candle for Judith 50th Anniversary
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477:"Beyond Deeply Vale" – Ozit Morpheus/ents DVD ooo4
202:, Oxfordshire and Tractor Sound Studios, Heywood.
443:– featuring Tractor, Jimmy Page, Samson, Warhorse
480:"Deeply Vale Festivals" – Ozit Morpheus DVD ooo5
669:Music in the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale
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467:CD Album 2008 Ozit Morpheus Records CD 247
111:Learn how and when to remove this message
279:. This was released as an extended DVD,
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674:Musical groups from Greater Manchester
502:"Tractor Biography And Press Articles"
412:"No More Rock'n'Roll" – Cargo Records
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418:"Average Man's Hero" – Roach Records
381:Shubunkin Over Rochdale College Bank
324:(as 'The Way We Live') on LP and CD
305:Shubunkin Over Rochdale College Bank
49:adding citations to reliable sources
371:Double LP with free CD October 2012
358:John Peel bought us a studio and PA
296:Clayton published his first novel,
126:is an English rock band founded in
575:"Buried Treasure: The Way We Live"
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200:Chipping Norton Recording Studios
403:on Dandelion EP (picture label )
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430:There is Some Fun Going Forward
375:The Art Of being Steve Clayton
36:needs additional citations for
573:Lee Dorrian (2 October 2015).
504:. 29 July 2009. Archived from
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649:Interview with Steve Clayton
409:"Roll The Dice" – UK Records
342:1996 Compilation Album on CD
634:Julian Cope's Reminiscences
369:The Road From Townhead Mill
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276:Truly, Madly, Deeply Vale
352:Steve's Hungarian Novel
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441:A Bolt From the Black
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298:The Art Of Being Dead
282:Deeply Vale Festivals
257:As recently as 2004,
644:Allmusic Guide entry
399:"King Dick II" – as
238:Deeply Vale Festival
45:improve this article
520:"Various - Streets"
322:A Candle for Judith
169:in London in 1971.
160:A Candle for Judith
60:"Tractor" band
556:"BBC Inside Out -"
542:Headheritage.co.uk
451:– Beggars Banquet
330:Album on LP and CD
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101:October 2010
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43:Please help
38:verification
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524:Discogs.com
311:Discography
300:, in 2008.
267:Glastonbury
259:Julian Cope
144:Julian Cope
658:Categories
488:References
271:Canterbury
219:UK Records
136:beat group
132:Lancashire
71:newspapers
560:Bbc.co.uk
459:Hard Rock
360:CD (2006)
177:— on his
140:John Peel
179:Creation
166:Time Out
128:Rochdale
629:Tractor
610:21 July
584:21 July
448:Streets
394:Singles
383:LP 2019
328:Tractor
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85:scholar
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