Sparrows record their third CD

Millie waiting for gates to open

The Leeds Silver Steel Sparrows were due to record Fully Fledged two years ago but the small question of the demolition of West Park Centre, with its recording studio rather got in the way. And what with all the moving and rehousing of all the pans, and the fighting for the centre not to close, and the brave face bit, - well,  it's two years later.

Sadly, by now, some of the Sparrows who were ready to record have left for pastures and sixth form colleges and universities new. Some of them are technically too old to be Sparrows, but here I put my foot down. I take a leaf from the book of Gove, who, when schools were jumping satisfactorily though the hoops, decided to make the hoops lower, or higher. Whether croquet or basketball [lower or higher] depends really on whether we are in a croquet or a basketball analogy.

Eventually we booked the new recently refurbished studio for the Saturday, but it turned out there was a conference in the next room. A studio was a studio I thought, and somewhere along the ceiling ducts there wouldn't be a sound leak. But no, or rather yes.

 It transpired it was a conference for the Deaf. And, although everyone else laughed I was thinking vibrations, and maybe the odd hearing delegate. Anyway we moved it to the Sunday 30 November. That's a simple sentence for rearranging everyone's plans.

Anyway the Sparrows got there when they could, some more or less worse for wear. [Actually in character, I rather thought. It brought back back memories of Joe and Henry when the Sparrows played live for the World Service - at 6 o'clock in the morning! The only way to get up at 5a.m they decided was not to go to bed, and the only way to stay awake was to drink all night. With the inevitable consequent results.]

Back to the present. Fully Fledged. Sparrows recorded eleven tunes: I Could Have Danced All Night, I Dreamed a Dream, Spirit of Trinidad, Sheherazade, I Will Always Love You, Jar of Hearts, Redemption Song, Under the Sea, We Nah Goin Home, Your Song, Bridge Over troubled Water. [Phone Leeds ArtForms to order a copy]

That's five calypso/soca, one reggae, two songs, arranged by Peter, and one written by Millie [her GCSE composition, for which she unsurprisingly got an A]. Nic engineered with Yi Bai assisting.

Then after five hours slogging we quickly dashed off a little Christmas "single/EP", Not So Silent Night. This is Silent Night, We Wish You a Merry Christmas, Winter Wonderland, Last Christmas.

Sparrows were Claudia, Georgia, George, Chloe, Millie, Millie, Ashley, Naomi, Bella, Peter with leaders, Victoria and Bex. Plus Yi Bai, part playing, part technician, ex-Sparrow from the Albert Hall days. And to RRS Music Studio, 200 CDs were winging their to our Christmas stockings before the Day.