The "Sweetest Girl" - Scritti Politti

Scritti Politti originally consisted of lead vocalist Green Gartside (born Paul Julian Stromheyer), Nial Jinks as bass player, Tom Morley as drummer, and Matthew Kay as the manager who sometimes played the keyboard. Gartside and Jinks had gone to school together in South Wales, and Gartside met Morley at Leeds Polytechnic, a college they both attended. Disillusioned and bored with art school, Gartside and Morley left in June 1978 and moved into a squat in Camden Town, London. Jinks was invited to join the band.

Gartside recorded a demo of one of his new songs, 'The "Sweetest Girl"' in January 1981. The song was included on a compilation of songs given out with the March issue of NME. The song prompted many major labels to offer Gartside record contracts, but he decided to stay with Rough Trade, who released the track as a single in the autumn. It reached number 64 in the UK singles chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 2779
Found: Record Exchange, London, October 31, 1996
Cost: 30p
Tracks: 'The "Sweetest Girl"' / 'Lions after slumber'