The River Detectives

The River Detectives

Rivals

Sam Corry and Daniel O'Neil grew up in Craigneuk, Motherwell, where they spent their early years as playground rivals. This rivalry continued throughout the 1980's as their respective bands competed for gigs in the Scottish music scene.

A mutual admiration for Bob Dylan and Neil Young, country music and classic guitar bands like Television and Creedence Clearwater Revival eventually brought them together as THE RIVER DETECTIVES.

In 1988 the duo moved to Glasgow, ditched their TV and played more than 100 shows from Stirling to Shetland. By the end of the year they became the first Scottish act in more than a decade to sign for American giants Warner Bros.

The events leading to their breakthrough began in 1985, when the newly formed duo decided to adopt a YEAR ZERO approach in their listening habits.

"Although we had a lot in common musically, there was always a bit of antagonism between us whenever Dan appeared with a box of records", explained Sam.

Eventually we decided to stop shooting down each other's choices and started giving everything a chance. In hindsight this was a great move as it broadened our musical horizons and helped shape the sound of the band. At the time though it was just a way of stopping our arguments getting out of hand".

Armed with their first set of songs they were now ready to recruit a band. The first line up consisted of Dan on drums and vocals, Sam on guitar and vocals, with Bernie Doris on bass and Gary Roberts on guitar. On August 18 th 1986 at Jack Daniels Bar in Motherwell The River Detectives took to the stage for the first time.

"We had a garage band type of mentality back then, with Gary playing some great buzz saw guitar lines and big Bernie pounding at his bass," recalls Dan.

"Motherwell were playing Newcastle in a pre season friendly that weekend, so the audience was boosted by a contingent of Geordies well up for it! Our version of Neil Young's Heart of Gold got them on our side. It was a great night. The line up was short lived and Sam and Dan gravitated to Glasgow where they found themselves much in demand as an acoustic duo.

SAM "We rented a flat in Holland street near the West End with no heating and a massive wardrobe that threatened to come crashing down on us at any minute. When we had parties in that place the wardrobe had half the room to itself cause no one wanted to sit underneath it! "

With no television to distract them, Sam and Dan spent most of their time writing the songs that would comprise their debut album, Saturday Night Sunday Morning.

PIRATES

DAN "We used to listen to the radio a lot and eventually came across a Glasgow pirate station called Radio Mercury. When we met the guys who did the broadcasts they introduced us to a whole new scene and by the summer we had a new band."

The new line up consisted of Charles Reilly on guitar, Colin King on backing vocals and Bernie Doris back pounding on his bass guitar.

Throughout the year the band played both acoustic and electric shows, building a reputation as one of Scotland's top live acts. Numerous radio appearances and press reviews soon confirmed them as contenders

By the end of the year the River Detectives had played 96 shows and had recorded the demos for their first album. After a show in Glasgow's QM University in October, the band found themselves with no shortage of offers from all the major labels and set off on the road to think things over.

SAM " The reviews for that show were a bit over the top really, but the media circus kicked in just then. We decided to do o tour of Shetland to get away from the record company types who all of a sudden wanted to know us.

When WEA sent their guys after us we knew they were serious about us and that made our decision a lot easier. "

CHAINS

SATURDAY NIGHT SUNDY MORNING was released on Oct. 1989 and earned the band a worldwide fan base, as well as a silver disc for UK sales. The songs were mostly autobiographical, chronicling their lives in Craigneuk, Motherwell, a steel town decimated by job losses during the Thatcher years.

CHAINS proved to be the biggest hit from the album, and the duo set off on what would become almost a decade of extensive worldwide touring. Their first overseas promotional tour took them off to Canada, Sweden and Ireland in order to perform live and on various television shows.

In the UK the band made over two dozen TV appearances, most notably on the Wogan show, while their live performances included sell out shows at Glasgow's Pavilion theatre and the Marquee in London.

DAN "The Warner years were tough. I still cringe when I hear the word itinerary. Those people planned out our lives six months in advance. Still, the food was good and the pay wasn't bad. And no one expected you to be in bed by 11.30… "

The band stayed with WEA for three years, and although only one album was released, THE RIVER DETECTIVES recorded and released over 40 songs for the label.

BROADSIDES

As well as the usual b-sides and bonus tracks there was a series of limited edition 10-inch singles called THE ACOUSTIC BROADSIDES.

SAM " The acoustic broadside series was a chance for Dan and I to release what was essentially an acoustic album in four parts. For a lot of our fans, that series contains their favourite River Detectives songs."

ELVIS

Featuring the considerable musical talents of VAN MORRISONS backing group, ELVIS HAS LEFT THE BUILDING was released in 1992 on the VITAL record label

Recorded in Antrim and Edinburgh, it was produced by label owner and old friend Chris Harley.

SAM " The ELVIS album title was a comment on the state of play at the time. Computer technology and the increasing popularity of raves mean that the people who spun the discs were fast becoming the stars of the show. ELVIS had indeed left the building."

ELVIS was a confident affair, brimming with fine melodies and musicianship. and radio hits soon followed. As usual, the duo took to the road to promote their record, taking most of Van's band with them.

Upon their return they relocated to Ireland where they spent the next couple of years writing and touring, as well as guesting on numerous albums in the vibrant Irish music scene.

DAN " We renamed ourselves THE JIMMY SHAND EXPERIENCE and set about playing most of the pubs in and around the Belfast area. At times it was a bit hairy but we had a great time playing some wild cover versions we wouldn't normally have touched. The experience revitalised us and allowed us to keep moving forward".

The constant travelling was beginning to take its toll, and by 1996 the duo had come to a crossroads in their career. A phone call from Chris Harley was to provide the impetus for their next move.

HOT SPOTS

CHRIS informed them that ELVIS had been released in SOUTH AFRICA the previous year and had chalked up two top ten singles. As a result of this, in the summer of 96 the band headlined the SPLASHY FEN festival in the NATAL province, SOUTH AFRICA'S answer to Glastonbury.

More invites to tour in SA soon followed, leading to another relocation for the duo, this time to the sunny climes of Durban.

After a year of writing and gigging in SA, the new millennium was beckoning and so was home.

DAN " A few people have cracked on about the fact that we chose Northern Ireland and South Africa as places to go and write our songs. We didn't sit down and deliberately pick out so-called trouble spots. We made a few friends and wrote a few songs. That's the way we do it."

THE RIVER DETECTIVES returned to Scotland in 2000, determined to take a break from each other and the demands of the music business. It would be almost five years before they would strike up the band again

GUITARS N'DRUMS

"Sam was having trouble finishing the lyrics to a song, CAPETOWN TO GLASGOW

and asked me to help out. I finished it off and realised that we could still cut the mustard ", explained Dan.
In 2005 THE RIVER DETECTIVES returned to the scene with KING OF THE GHOST TRAIN RIDE, released on Glasgow's Neon Tetra label. The band has also taken to the road once again. If their past exploits are anything to go by, you should expect THE RIVER DETECTIVES to show up in your home town soon enough…