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To many people who grew up near a British television in the 1970s and 1980s, Fingerbobs was a curious, formative and hugely inspiring series. At last, the classic music from the popular British television series is now available on the Trunk label. While only thirteen episodes were ever made, the series was widely rebroadcasted for many years. It starred the audacious Fingermouse, his friends Scampi, Gulliver, and Flash, and was fronted by American folk musician, actor and former Play School presenter Rick Jones as 'Yoffy.' Much of the show's popularity was due in part to its unforgettable sing-a-long tunes, which have never been released until now. Each episode involved simple craft, music and a story based on that week's theme, such as sound, wood, shapes and shadows. The whole series was conceived, created and modeled in a brilliant homemade style by the legendary husband and wife team Joanne and Michael Cole, the minds behind much of Play School, the books and TV series Bod, and Ragtime. The Fingerbobs album was quite a challenge to put together as there are no masters and very little paper based archive to speak of, which means no set stills and no paper puppets. All that remains are a few scraps of paper in the Cole's very small archive and the Fingerbobs annual, which contains nothing but some peculiar drawings, none of which relate to the show. But, just as the album was going to print an exceptionally rare promotional flyer for the series from 1973 turned up, which was used to make the fabulous artwork. In order to produce a musical album worthy of release, Jonny Trunk entrusted the ears and musical abilities of Jon Brooks (the Advisory Circle/Ghost Box) to pull together a musical collage of the whole series. The album is complete with all the catchy themes, the instrumentals and a scattering of stories too. The music is a touch folky, a little whimsical, classically nostalgic, humble, hip, witty and occasionally camp. Fingerbobs was possibly the last remaining unreleased score from TVs golden era and finally, thanks to this first ever release, listeners can now enjoy it whenever or wherever they want, such as in the car with their kids. The fantastic sleevenotes to the album are by Ali Cole, daughter of Michael and Jo Cole. By the way, the popular urban myth that Rick Jones drowned Fingermouse in his cup of coffee on the last day of filming is completely true. Includes an 8-page booklet with detailed liner notes. Playing time: approximately 26 minutes.
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