When Gran'ma Plays The Banjo Single: 1972

Roy Wood's Painted Chaos Banjo Romp

Released as a 7-inch vinyl single in the UK on January 28, 1972, on Harvest (catalogue: HAR 5048), Roy Wood’s “When Gran'ma Plays The Banjo” — backed with “Wake Up” — was the lead single from his forthcoming debut solo album Boulders. Written and produced by Roy Wood, this whimsical, multi-layered glam-folk gem showcased Wood’s eccentric genius and his departure from The Move/Electric Light Orchestra into full solo territory.

The single did not chart in the UK.

Cover of Roy Wood's single "When Gran'ma Plays the Banjo" featuring "Wake Up," released by Harvest in Germany with catalogue number 1C 006-04 994.

Track Listing

A: When Gran'ma Plays The Banjo

B: Wake Up

Published By – Roy Wood Music / Carlin Music

Producer – Roy Wood

Worldwide Variants

Germany - 1972

7", 45 RPM, Single, Stereo – Harvest 1C 006-04 994

New Zealand - 1972

7", Single, 45 RPM – Harvest HAR.5048

Portugal - 1972

7", Single, 45 RPM, Solid center – Stateside 8E 006-04994

UK - 1972

7", Single, 45 RPM, Solid center – Harvest HAR 5048

7", 45 RPM, Single, Promo, 4-prong center – Harvest HAR 5048

Chart Performance

No UK chart success.

Legacy

“When Gran'ma Plays The Banjo” is a delightful, quirky slice of Roy Wood’s painted chaos — banjo-driven glam-folk from the mastermind behind Wizzard and ELO’s early days. . Verify catalogue HAR 5048.

The track was taken from Roy Wood's debut solo album, Boulders, which was recorded from 1969 to 1971 and released on July 20, 1973, by Harvest Records. Wood began work on the album as a whimsical side project away from his band, the Move, and conceived it to explore numerous instruments he had collected in the 1960s but felt unable to use in the Move. Nonetheless, its release was delayed for several years due to his busy schedule with the Move, Wizzard, and the Electric Light Orchestra. Apart from harmonium on one song played by John Kurlander, all the instruments on the album, including guitars, cello, saxophones, bouzouki, banjo, and recorders, were played by Wood, who also wrote, arranged, and produced the whole record, in addition to providing all the vocals. The musician also painted the unfinished self-portrait on the cover.

The record is eclectic and eccentric in style, exploring numerous genres like classical music, art rock, folk, psychedelia, country, and rock and roll, and exemplifies Wood's surreal humor, with songs exploring curious subjects. The textured production includes multitracked choir-like vocals and makes heavy use of unusual arrangements.

Upon release, Boulders was hailed by critics for its individual sound and the extensive contributions from Wood, and today is regarded as one of his strongest works.

It peaked at No. 15 on the UK Albums Chart, and the single "Dear Elaine" was a Top 20 hit. The album also reached the Billboard 200 in the United States, where it was released by United Artists Records. A remastered edition of Boulders was released by EMI in 2007, and another version was released as part of the Original Album Series box set in 2015.

Do you have When Gran'ma Plays The Banjo in your vinyl collection? Ready for the banjo stomp? Share in the comments!

Sources

Information is drawn from my personal knowledge and supplemented by web sources, including Discogs, 45cat, AllMusic, Rate Your Music, Wikipedia and BBC Official Charts Company