When Paul Young died of a heart attack in July 2000, it came as a bolt from the blue for his family and friends.
“He was fit as a fiddle,” says Pat, his 63-year-old widow. “You can see when you look at Mike and the Mechanics videos how fit he was. He never complained of anything. He’d done a Mike And The Mechanics tour, and he had just come home from Switzerland with the SAS Band, said he had indigestion, and that was it.”
Paul and Pat had been childhood sweethearts who met, aged 14, at Altrincham ice rink, married at 17 and had three children together. As she speaks about Paul, the sense of loss is still evident 11 years on.
When Young died aged 53, his musical legacy was a string of albums with well-regarded Manchester band Sad Café in the 1970s and 1980s, and another substantial body of work from the late 1980s and 1990s as one of the front men of Mike Rutherford’s band Mike And The Mechanics. The Genesis guitarist described Young as ‘one of the best rock voices of his generation’.
But there were other, unreleased recordings Young had crafted at the home studio he built in the basement of 63 Hale Road, Hale, the one-time family home which now boasts a blue plaque. “He worked through the night,” recalls Pat, who now lives in rural Cheshire. “I’d be in bed sleeping and he would have other musicians in.”
Among the musicians who visited was Alistair Gordon, who lived nearby in Hale. He recalls that Young assembled 30 original songs, one co-written with Mike Rutherford, and that he and Paul were working on material for a Paul Young solo album right up until two weeks before his death. Several record labels were interested in the work, but then it all came to a shuddering halt.
“I knew he had songs down there. It was all on DAT (Digital Audio Tape),” says Pat. “I locked the door to the studio. I didn’t go down there. It hurt too much. Time slipped by, and three years after Paul passed away, Alistair asked me whether I had thought of doing an album. I said no, I’m not ready. Then after nine years, Alistair came back, and then other people were asking.
“We got the DAT tapes out and dampness had set in. We had to have them ‘baked’ to take the dampness out. We were frightened they may be destroyed, but they survived it.”
Gordon secured financial backing for the project, and the idea was hatched to involve all the original members of Sad Café in recording an album using Young’s tapes as the foundation.
“This, for me, was a pleasurable yet daunting task, as all the original members now lived all over the planet and hadn’t spoken or worked together for over 20 years,” says Gordon. “I then began tracking them all down, one by one. It was like recruiting the Magnificent Seven.”
Paul Young had been a stalwart of the Manchester music scene right back to the beat era. Growing up in Benchill, Wythenshawe, he had been a choirboy from the age of five, and when he met Pat aged 14, he was already in a band called Johnny Dark And The Midnights. Other bands, including the Teenbeats and Toggery Five, named after a Stockport clothes shop, followed.
But it was with Sad Café that Young finally tasted chart success, in particular their top ten single Every Day Hurts in 1979. But despite critical acclaim, the Sad Café story had an unhappy ending, mired in debt. When
Mike Rutherford called to ask Young to audition for Mike And The Mechanics in the mid-1980s, Pat recalls, he had to borrow the £20 train fare to London from her father.
“A week later, he was told he had the job,” she says. “Our lives changed completely. It was chauffeur-driven cars, top hotels. Mike Rutherford is a gentleman.”
On the new album, Rutherford plays guitar on the song Your Shoes, which he wrote with Young. There are contributions from former Sad Café members drummer Dave Irving, bassist Des Tong, keyboard player Victor Emerson, guitarists Ashley Mulford, Ian Stewart and Mike Hehir. Also on the album are 10cc’s Graham Gouldman and Eric Stewart, and Mike And The Mechanics singer Paul Carrack, who duets with his old pal Young on Grace Of God.
“They were over the moon. They loved Paul,” says Pat of the coming together of the various Sad Café members. “All of a sudden we’ve all become friends. The album has brought out so many nice feelings.”
» The new Paul Young album Chronicles is out now.
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Well done Pat! Paul was a great singer, I saw him with Sad Cafe around 1978 at Middleton Civic.
I met paul quite a few times over the years one of the nicest blokes you could meet from the grand old days of the toggery five etc he never changed .he deserves remembering has a great singer from the area.Whever you are paul i hope your spreading happyness like you did to your fans over the years,
"Youngy" had a magical stage presence as well as a great singing voice. A real talent and personality, still sadly missed.
I loved going to the Sad Cafe concerts at the Apollo, and owned all of their albums.
I only got into M & M's because Paul had joined them, - saw them live loads of times. Happy days Paul - thanks for the memories. Best wishes to the family and hope the album is a success
Paul was in my class at school Haveley Hay, in assembly Mr.Thomas our headmaster used to make us all be quiet and listen whilst Paul sang. I can picture him now with his lovely brown curly hair stood on the little stage singing beautifully, while Mr.Thomas would sit on the stairs at the side of the stage with his eyes closed and waving his specs around to the melody. Happy days.
Doreen nee (Eccles)
Paul was in my class at Haveley Hay Junior school Benchill. On asssembly days Mr.Thomas would ask Paul onto the stage to sing to us all. He sang beautifully and Mr.Thomas would sit on the steps at the side of the stage with his eyes closed and waving his spectacles around in time with the song. Happy Days.
fantastic voice - sad cafe were superb . a band like them would not have a chance these days with all the x factor garbage .
saw sad cafe, 4 times, paul had a great voice, cant wait to hear new album,
Paul was a great singer and a gentleman. As a teenage girl I saw him one afternoon on Bridge St. In Manchester he smiled and waved to my friend and I and we were over the moon. Looking forward to hearing the songs, thanks Pat.
I too went through Haveley Hey School with Paul.
I can remember all the school concerts when Paul was the main feature.
I lost regular contact when we all dispersed to High School but saw Paul often around the youth clubs in Wythenshawe.
He always remained a warm friendly person always pleased to catch up.
I'm sure he's sadly missed by his family and friends.
So pleased to have walked through my earlier days with the likes of Paul and all the great kids who went to Haveley Hey.
What rich childhood memories we all must have. Regards Pat Gibson nee Maguire Melbourne Australia
i think sad cafe played in the lamplight club on wilbraham road in chorlton because im sure i saw them there we were young and just starting out and trying the beer so maybe i am wrong
I saw Paul when he preformed with Mike and the Mechanics at The Apollo, years ago. I was fortunate enough to be quite near the front and I can still remember quite clearly how it felt like Paul was singing just to me - I'm sure he held my gaze once or twice. Very special. Will look forward very much to hearing the unreleased recordings and thank you Pat for allowing it to be heard.
Fanx Ta'Ra was one of the best albums of my youth.
I was watching an episode of Medium and they played a Sad Cafe number. Made me remember when I first bought Fanx Tara. Never realised that Paul was no longer with us and that he was part of Mike & the Mechanics until I was looking to replace the long lost memories of my Sad Cafe albums. Also strange (or not, thinking about it) that I love Paul Carrack's music! So many years on and it only seems like yesterday. I will be buying this album if only to relive a part of my youth :-)
I've seen M&M twice. The 1st time was in Washington DC at DAR Constitution Hall & Paul was the show!! I felt so blessed to witness these guys, so far from their home-town!
I knew I would see them again, even if it required a road-trip! In fact, the 2nd time I saw them was at an open air concert in Switzerland. I was working in Saudi Arabia on a year assignment & I worked their tour (1987 I think), into on of my vacations. I recall there was quite a line-up that day, so I managed to get a program & went there just to see them! There was a lot of mud as I recall. I felt bad for their sound engineer how they had to cart a PM4000 & processing gear, in/out on a 4-wheel drive mini-truck.
It was truly worth the effort to get there. I think one my favorite all-time Paul songs is entitled: "I think I've got The Message" was on a very hard to find C/D of M&M singles.
My favorite ballad that he did, was: "Look Across At Dreamland", off his last M&M album: M6. I still tear-up when I hear the passion in his vocal, when I listen to it.
Paul will always be alive as far as I'm concerned!! As alive as his performances ALWAYS were! Thanks Pat!! You are a trooper!!